"1, 2, 3... 10 copper coins?"
The burly man rubbed his eyes with hands stained with meat oil, making sure he hadn't misread.
This was neither the enchanting gold coins nor the lovely silver coins; it was undeniably copper coins.
"Are you joking with me? You want to buy my meat with 10 copper coins?!"
The burly man slammed the meat cleaver onto the chopping board, causing the hanging smoked meat to shake. He angrily exclaimed, his voice resonating.
"Did you bother to inquire? Even if it's the distant relative of the housekeeper of the lord's mansion in Tianshi City, the neighbor of the fourth aunt of my wife's distant cousin's seventh uncle, they wouldn't dare to offer less than half a copper coin. Are you seeking death, young man!"
Then, Night San Geng subtly mouthed something to him.
"What? What did you say?"
"I said, you're..."
"Stop!"
The burly man suddenly widened his eyes, swapped his expression to a smile, and said with a sweat-covered forehead, "Oh, it turns out to be Little Wang, my wife's distant relative! Tsk tsk, why didn't you say so earlier? Come, consider this meat a welcoming gift. Also, take back these ten copper coins. Relatives shouldn't talk about money; it harms relationships, right? By the way, do you want me to tie it up for you or cut it before packing?"
Seeing the burly man make a 180-degree turn in attitude and offer more than a hundred pounds of premium smoked meat for free, the onlookers, expecting a lively scene, became discontented.
"I say, Old Jiang, usually when we buy your meat and give you less than a copper coin, you spit on our face. Even if this kid is your wife's brother, you're not usually this generous, right? Did you take the wrong medicine?"
"Yes, if you're afraid of Lord Weng using his influence to bully you, with so many of us here, we can help you save face. If not, we'll go find the officials in Tianshi City; they'll surely be interested in handling this matter!"
"Yeah, even if he's a lord, he can't engage in such forced buying and selling. No, this is outright robbery. We can report him!"
Watching the crowd outside the shop becoming indignant, the meat shop owner, with bulging muscles on his face, shook his head tearfully.
"No, no, no. It's not about giving in. He really is my wife's relative! Besides, this is my meat, and I can give it to whoever I want. Can you control that? Scatter, or meat prices will rise next time!"
In Baiyan Village, Old Jiang's smoked meat was known for its taste and fair prices, so after some consideration, people didn't want to raise the cost of their meat consumption for the sake of a spectacle. They pursed their lips, picked up their stools and snacks, and returned home.
"Big brother, I've already packed the meat for you. Take a look..."
Old Jiang respectfully handed over the ten slabs of smoked meat tied together with hemp rope to Night San Geng, smiling ingratiatingly.
"Tsk, with so much meat, how am I supposed to carry it?" Night San Geng rejected with disdain.
"Yes, yes, yes, my mistake. Let me wrap it in some good oil paper, so you won't worry about staining your clothes." Old Jiang wiped his sweat and lamented.
"Do you think I mean that? Haven't you seen this big bag of flour I'm holding? Just put it on a cart or something."
"A cart?... I really don't have that!" Old Jiang sweated profusely. "How about a handcart? I use it when I get my supplies."
Night San Geng glanced at the old and worn single-wheel handcart behind Old Jiang and frowned. "Fine, reluctantly acceptable. Help me load it."
"Alright! But about that matter..."
"Don't worry, I'm a person who values integrity. Money and goods settled, and I'll go back to my Lorran City after I'm done with my business. We have no further connection."
"Good, good, good! Your lordship is straightforward!" Old Jiang's expression showed a hint of doubt, but he still nodded reluctantly.
Meanwhile, Weng Ling silently watched the meat shop owner pack their things under Night San Geng's gaze and didn't charge a single penny.
"Hey, did you just use a contract technique on him? Let me tell you, using a contract technique on a human is a capital crime. If that's the case, you better go back and lift the contract before anyone notices, or..."
Weng Ling pushed the handcart, looked at Night San Geng, who appeared relaxed, and furrowed her brow.
"Contract technique? How dare I? Besides, have you felt any contract power? If I could silently use a contract on a fierce human in front of everyone, do you think I'd still be living such a miserable life?"
"That's true..." Weng Ling nodded. "But are you really his relative? Why would he treat you so well?"
"Relative? Who would want to be a relative of that black-market trader?" Night San Geng chuckled, smiled at Weng Ling, and whispered a few words when no one was around.
"What?! You're saying this meat isn't wild boar meat, but rat..."
"Hush!" Night San Geng gestured with a finger to keep it quiet.
"Oh, but saying this meat is rat meat, really... Can't people distinguish?" Weng Ling looked at the ten slabs of smoked meat piled on the cart and felt a bit nauseous.
Night San Geng shrugged, "I don't know if they can tell, but I think this meat must taste better than others. As long as the price isn't too outrageous, people are willing to buy it. Besides, as long as it won't kill anyone, who cares what kind of meat it is?"
"But how can rats be that big? Unless..." Weng Ling widened her eyes, looked at Night San Geng in disbelief.
And Night San Geng nonchalantly nodded, "Exactly, just as you're thinking. This is demon rat meat."
[Demon Rat Meat]: The meat from rats with faint magical power. Depending on the feed they consume, it can present various flavors.
Similar to the undead contamination left by the Undead Cataclysm on the Saint Stone Continent, the intrusion of demonic disasters also caused considerable trouble to the Saint Stone Continent.
Semi-demonic pollution was the most infamous of them.
Different from other races on the Saint Stone Continent, the demons claimed to be descendants of the ancient gods. In fact, if one ignored their cruel and tyrannical nature, they did possess the strength to boast about.
The mysterious demonic energy allowed them to obtain extraordinary talents, such as the succubus's charm, the great demon's teleportation. Even the lowest-ranking demon infants had the ability to steal magical power, feared by all elementalists.
However, the diverse demon race also had another talent, silver and evil, making them more like descendants of the chaotic dragon Eogas, constantly seeking to invade various races through genetic invasion.
After the demonic disaster, although the orthodox demons were driven back to the Abyss
al Eye Abyss, the weakly demonic species with faint demonic energy remained and hid on the Saint Stone Continent, causing occasional disturbances.
The most famous of them was the semi-demon army led by the demon hero Lokaya, striving to survive on the Saint Stone Continent by constantly fighting.
As for the demon rats, they were just the most common among these mysterious semi-demon creatures...