Chapter Seventy-Three: Demon Meat

Su Yang leapt out the window, hot on its heels, the wind howling around him, determined to bring it down.

“Youngster who knows nothing of the world,” the steward Huang muttered with a flicker of anger as he saw Su Yang pursuing relentlessly. He halted in the courtyard, and his body was suddenly suffused with demonic energy. In an instant, his human form shed away, transforming into a weasel.

Its fur was yellow, its bean-sized green eyes full of cunning and malice, teeth bared in a snarl. A pungent, musky stench emanated from its entire body. Its sharp claws glinted coldly in the night, but it was missing a tail, giving it a somewhat grotesque appearance.

The next moment, the weasel demon lunged at Su Yang. Reverting to its true form, its demonic power erupted to its fullest.

“Bull’s Long Fist!”

Su Yang was undaunted, gritting his teeth as he charged forward. Every punch whistled through the air, fierce and forceful, the vigor of blood and qi blazing. The two exchanged blows back and forth, the battle intense and exhilarating.

The weasel demon possessed the strength of a seventh-grade wild demon—about equal to Su Yang’s own level—but it was only because Su Yang relied on the Bull’s Long Fist that he could match the creature.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Explosive sounds of flesh colliding echoed through the courtyard, waves of force radiating outward. Su Yang realized he had underestimated these monsters. Though only a seventh-grade wild demon, it was far tougher than a human martial artist of the same rank in both physical endurance and defense.

If not for the Bull’s Long Fist, he would likely have been defeated by now.

He had let his guard down.

Excitement at encountering a seventh-grade wild demon had made him forget that monsters’ bodies were far more formidable than those of humans at the same level.

“Don’t intervene, either of you. Stand by and await orders,” Su Yang called out as the family’s martial artists, Ma Chao and Wang Han, rushed in with blades drawn.

With their ninth-grade strength, charging in would be suicide. Better to stand aside and, should he falter, run to the authorities or to Shen Lian’s household for help.

He could only hope Shen Lian’s sister would not stand by and watch him perish.

…

Inside a quiet room, Wang Chunxiao stood by the window, brows knitted, listening to the distant sounds of battle. She knew the weasel demon had come to abduct her, only to be repelled by Su Yang, who then chased it out of her room. A touch of happiness stirred in her heart—she had thought he disliked her, might even hope she’d be taken, but he had intervened on her behalf, kindling a glimmer of hope.

Perhaps she and this man could yet reconcile?

What’s more, Wang Chunxiao just now realized Su Yang had advanced to the seventh grade—no longer eighth. His martial progress was astonishing, worthy almost of the title “genius.”

He could now be considered worthy of being her man.

However, that weasel demon was a seventh-grade wild demon—her husband must be struggling, for monsters’ bodies were generally much stronger than humans’ at the same level. This thought brought a wave of concern for Su Yang, something she’d never cared about before.

She pulled a set of black clothing from beneath the bed and slipped it on, her figure vanishing into the night like a shadow. When she reappeared, she was already in the courtyard, where Su Yang and the demon were locked in ferocious combat.

Blood and qi surged, demonic energy spilled out—the weasel demon had gained the upper hand, and Su Yang was hard pressed, his clothes ripped in several places, streaks of blood marking his body though they did not impede his fighting.

The weasel demon, standing taller than a man, looked wilder with every round, letting out guttural snarls as its sharp claws forced Su Yang to dodge repeatedly, leaving him no chance to strike back.

“You mongrel fiend, courting death!”

Seeing Su Yang injured, Wang Chunxiao felt a surge of inexplicable fury. She flicked a smooth stone, wrapped in force, silently at the demon’s hind leg.

Thud.

The stone didn’t pierce the demon’s flesh, but the terrifying force within it tore through the beast’s muscles, bones, and blood vessels like a hurricane.

Just as the steward Huang reached out with his claws for Su Yang’s throat, he was seized with searing pain all over his body—as if countless insects were gnawing his flesh, organs, intestines, and fat from within.

With a shriek of anguish, his body went limp and collapsed heavily before Su Yang. A savage fist met him head-on; unable to dodge, he took the blow full force. Even trying to get up was now a struggle.

That sudden, terrifying power had shattered many bones inside him, ruptured blood vessels—he coughed up blood uncontrollably. Under Su Yang’s increasingly ferocious assault, he could only grit his teeth and fight back in bloody desperation.

At that moment, the weasel demon was consumed by terror. There was surely an even more fearsome presence lurking in the darkness.

…

When Su Yang’s dagger pierced the weasel demon’s throat, Wang Chunxiao finally allowed herself a smile and turned back to her room.

Panting heavily, dagger in hand, Su Yang stared at the fallen demon corpse. Only now did the burning pain of his wounds begin to register. He gazed at the weasel demon’s body, filled with bafflement. Moments earlier, he had nearly reached his limit and was ready to send Wang Han and Ma Chao for help. Unexpectedly, the demon had suddenly suffered a grievous injury, giving him the opening he needed to strike its head and, after a hard-fought struggle, finally kill it.

A perfectly healthy weasel demon, suddenly crippled?

Su Yang couldn’t fathom it.

“Master, are you all right?” Wang Han and Ma Chao rushed over, helping Su Yang to his feet.

“I’m fine.”

“Go prepare a large cauldron. Skin the weasel demon and put it in to boil.”

The battle was over, and nothing else mattered now. There was no point dwelling on what he couldn’t understand. Better to think about how best to benefit from this weasel demon.

Demons were bloodthirsty and wicked; their flesh, mutated and toxic, could not be consumed directly. The corpse had to be carefully processed to remove every tumor, an arduous and delicate task—if a tumor was ruptured, it would contaminate the meat.

Even the best craftsman in Yanggu County could only guarantee a fifty percent success rate.

If a tumor was missed or the meat was tainted, eating it could lead to inner demons, bodily mutations, becoming half-human, half-monster, or even some maddened, mindless abomination—countless had met such fates.

Even with a specialist’s help, there remained a chance of incomplete removal. If luck held, one might endure; if not…

It would be disastrous.

Su Yang looked at the weasel demon’s corpse, and a panel appeared before his eyes.

Spoils: Weasel Demon Flesh

Tumors: Thirty-two within the body, can be removed with incense fire

Incense required: Five points

Su Yang immediately chose to use incense fire, purging all tumors from the demon. A wisp of yellow smoke entered the corpse, cleansing it completely.

No need to worry about any tumors remaining.

This gave Su Yang an idea for future profit—helping martial artists process demon flesh in exchange for payment or a share of the meat.

…

“Yes, master.” Wang Han and Ma Chao, following orders, set up a large cauldron in the courtyard. Su Yang told them there was no need to remove tumors, and though the two looked puzzled, they complied, lighting the fire and starting the boil. The weasel pelt was hung to dry—it would make excellent material for gloves.

Su Yang made his way toward the women’s quarters.

“Are you all right, sir?”

“Master, you’re covered in wounds…!”

“Master, you frightened us so! Thank goodness you slew the demon…”

Seeing Su Yang return unharmed, Liu Wenxiang and the other women of the household hurried to greet him, eyes red with worry as they saw his wounds.

“Don’t fret, I’m fine.”

“Later, when the weasel demon is done boiling, everyone will have a small bowl—just a small one, no more.”

With one arm around Yinlian, the other around Taohua, Su Yang headed for his room. Liu Wenxiang, Wang Xiahe, and the others followed anxiously behind, admonishing him never to be so reckless again.