Divine Tang Era

"Our ancestor is back."

He Rong hadn't even arrived yet, but his voice was already ringing out. The nickname Xu Dan had chosen for himself, which he had previously been reluctant to use, was now being uttered without hesitation, all in an effort to bridge the gap between them.

"Why are you shouting so loudly?"

Seeing him approach, Xu Dan stopped in his tracks.

"It's nothing." He Rong, of course, wouldn't reveal what he intended to do, but simply smiled and praised, "You're really amazing! You managed to hunt down such a huge woolly ox... it must weigh over a thousand pounds!"

"I estimate it's more than that, probably two tons," Xu Dan said.

"Two tons?" He Rong was completely puzzled.

"It's four thousand jin," Xu Dan explained.

"Four thousand catties? Is it really that heavy?" He Rong had handled many small items and could roughly estimate their weight, but he had never touched anything as large as a longhaired ox, so he had his doubts. However, none of that mattered. "Grandfather, are you selling this longhaired ox?"

"Not for sale, I'll keep it and eat it slowly."

He wouldn't have gone to all that trouble to drag it back if he hadn't wanted to eat it himself.

"It's so big, how can you possibly finish it all? Even if you include Yunniang and Xiaoqueer, the three of you wouldn't be able to finish it in half a year," He Rong said, his eyes wide.

Xu Dan scoffed, "You're so ignorant! If I can't finish it, why don't I marinate it and make beef sausages, beef balls, beef jerky, beef slices, or beef floss?"

"This... how long will it take to eat this?!" He Rong hadn't expected this.

Because people who hunt large beasts usually sell them, unlike those who keep them for themselves.

However, Xu Dan felt that what he said made sense. The meat and bones were easy to handle, but the offal was such a large piece that it would be difficult for Yun Niang to clean it all by herself. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Do you want the yak offal? I'll sell it to you if you do."

"Yes, of course I want it." As long as he can make money, He Rong wants anything.

"Okay, here you go," Xu Dan nodded.

"Grandfather, do you want to slaughter the ox yourself?" He Rong asked again.

"Otherwise, who will kill him?" Xu Dan rolled his eyes at him.

"You can ask the Corpse Slayer for help; it will only cost a little silver."

"Then go and order it for me, I'll send you a piece of meat later."

"Okay, you wait here." After saying that, He Rong ran off to find someone.

"Brother Xu!" As soon as her mother opened the door, Little Magpie rushed out and threw herself into Xu Dan's arms. Although it had only been a day since they last met, for some reason, it felt like an eternity had passed. The black bear beside them was vigorously wiggling its bottom and wagging its tail so hard it almost fell off.

Yunniang followed them out and stood to one side, watching the two of them.

After not seeing her for just one night, she looked noticeably more haggard.

It's currently rush hour, and this huge heap of golden yak beef is so eye-catching on the road that it inevitably attracts people's attention.

As the crowd gradually increased, Xu Dan patted Xiao Que'er's head and then patted the black bear's head. He told Yun Niang about He Rong's plan to invite the butcher to slaughter the cow at home, and then, with Xiao Que'er and the black bear, dragged the golden yak towards the inn.

The inn has a back door specifically for vehicles and goods belonging to guests.

As Xu Dan dragged the golden yak in, he felt even more that his decision to buy the inn was incredibly wise and brilliant.

A moment later, He Rong led someone in, but it wasn't Shi Tu. He Rong explained, "Shi Tu couldn't come because of something, so I called Po Duo for you. He's a skilled butcher and also sells meat at the market, though mostly dog ​​meat."

Dog meat!

Xu Dan raised an eyebrow and said, "It's been a long time since I've had dog meat. I'll definitely buy a leg to satisfy my craving another day."

"If you go, young master, I'll definitely leave you a big black dog leg," Po Duo said generously.

"Thanks, then this golden yak is yours."

"Young master, rest assured, my skills are absolutely no less than those of the Corpse Slayer." Po Duo said firmly, then added cautiously, "But could you please tell me that after I kill the ox, I don't want any money, just some of the demon ox's meat and bones?"

"A demon bull?" Xu Dan asked in surprise.

"Yes! This is a ninth-grade demon beast." Podo didn't know why he was so surprised.

Xu Dan looked at He Rong, who looked completely bewildered. "You don't know?"

"I don't know." Xu Dan shook his head. No wonder the golden yak could knock him flying; it was a demon beast, which made sense. He hadn't considered whether it was because he was too weak. But regardless of whether it was a demon beast or not, he would leave the golden yak to Po Duo to deal with.

Po Duo put down the knives he had brought and began to get busy.

His butchering skills were indeed excellent; with one stroke, the flesh and bone separated, and he would never use a second stroke if he could use one.

Xu Dan kept a cow's heart from the large set of offal, letting He Rong take the rest, along with a large piece of golden yak beef and some ribs. Even with its mixed entrails, a ninth-grade demon beast was still popular among martial artists, especially those who had fallen on hard times.

These are the cheapest and most beneficial things for them.

That's why He Rong was so happy to get the internal organs, because if he processed them properly, he could make a lot of money.

Xu Dan also doesn't want a cow's head, as it's too much trouble to cook.

But he liked the two almost jade-like, hook-shaped, imposing horns, so he cut them off and gave the rest to Podo. Podo was extremely grateful. He Rong arrived a step too late and, seeing him give away the bull's head, secretly cursed him as a "spendthrift" and quickly pulled him aside to talk.

If they were ordinary animal bones, that would be fine, but the bones of demonic beasts are different.

The bone glue extracted and combined with medicinal herbs makes a very valuable tonic ointment, which is very popular among martial artists from the lower classes.

Everything a demon beast has is valuable; even its dung is sought after as fertilizer, supposedly more effective than ordinary animal dung.

The item has already been given away and cannot be taken back.

Xu Dan was still grateful for He Rong's help and reminders, as he had been a great help during his time in Jingning. Therefore, he gave him two ox hooves and a piece of ox tail, which he originally intended to keep for himself.

He Rong thanked him profusely. After the cow was slaughtered, he didn't linger any longer and happily took the food back home, not knowing whether he would eat it himself or sell it.

After killing the ox, Po Duo carried its head and left with the gifts Xu Dan had given him.

He kept laughing the whole way, seemingly very satisfied with the things.

Xu Dan put the sliced ​​golden mutton beef and bones into his storage bag. Yun Niang quickly drew water from the well to wash away the bloodstains, and Xiao Que'er diligently ran to help. The sensible black bear also took a piece of cloth and mopped the ground, his silly appearance making Xiao Que'er giggle.

Golden yak hides were piled up like small mountains in the corner.

Annoying flies, seemingly drawn by the smell, buzzed around the stench of blood.

Seeing that it wasn't dark yet, Xu Dan started to walk outside. Yun Niang quickly stepped forward and asked, "Young master, are you going out?"

"Okay, I'll go find someone to take the cowhide away."

"Then you'd better come back soon, it's getting dark."

"I know," Xu Dan replied and walked out. As darkness fell, he quickened his pace.

He first went to the owner of a clothing store called Ke Niang. Last time he went to buy clothes there, she helped him comb his hair and dress him up. Her service was good, and the clothes were of decent quality. So he went to ask if they could make clothes with golden yak leather. If not, he would go to Cai Xifu, who owned a leather goods store.

However, his skills were clearly inferior to Ke Niang's.

When he arrived, Ke Niang was just about to close the door. Seeing him, she asked in surprise, "Young master, it's almost dark, why are you still outside?"

"I'm here to see you," Xu Dan said.

"Is there something you need, young master?" Ke Niang asked, putting down her hand that was closing the door.

"I have a piece of golden yak hide that I just peeled off. I was wondering if you could make it into clothes."

"Yes, of course!" Seeing a customer come in, Ke Niang didn't even bother to close the shop and hurried out. But seeing the sky darkening, she hesitated and said, "How about this, I'll have the shop assistant bring the hide over first, and you can come back tomorrow to have your measurements taken?"

"No need to rush, just call me after you've finished processing the fur."

"Then so be it."

The woman called out from the back, and two men carrying lanterns and pulling a cart came out of the alley.

Xu Dan said goodbye to her and went back with the shop assistant to get the golden yak hide. On the way, he saw that the pharmacy was still open, so he stopped by and bought some cinnamon, star anise and other spices to cook the remaining two ox hooves and oxtail.

Beef hooves don't have much meat and aren't particularly tasty, but they have a unique flavor when braised.

Some people just love this flavor, and find meat too greasy.

Xu Dan is indifferent; having eaten too much meat, it's good to try something new once in a while.