This martial arts tournament is time-stopping.

"The government would provide separate slaughtering services, and only cattle transported from the grasslands or old cattle from farmers could be slaughtered upon presentation of a receipt."

"Chickens, ducks, geese, and other wild animals caught by hunters are all slaughtered and prepared on-site by individual households or restaurants; there are no centralized slaughtering areas."

"The fish caught by the fishermen were forcibly purchased by the fish market in the south of the city, but I don't know the specifics..."

After listening, Ye Chu had a complete understanding of the slaughtering industry in Shuanglong County.

And plans:

Every morning, I would visit eight butcher shops and the South City Fish Market to search for the scattered, unclaimed moments of time and charm.

During the day, he would go to the martial arts school to practice martial arts;

As dusk fell, he traveled to various restaurants to collect the Dao of Timeless Essence.

As for small restaurants along the street and kitchens in ordinary houses, I'll visit them tomorrow to test the waters. If I find little of a good place, I'll just abandon them.

Because we travel to so many places, time itself is also a cost!

As Ye Chu put on his bamboo hat, a low, indistinct chanting sound suddenly drifted from the front of the rain-soaked street.

"The Pure Land of Emptiness, the Unborn Mother... The Three Assemblies of Longhua, to Universally Salvate the Imperial Child..."

Through the dim rain, Ye Chu saw a team braving the rain to move forward!

The two women at the head of the procession wore plain white Taoist robes without any patterns. Each held a jujube wood staff wrapped with white cloth strips, with crystal beads strung on the top. They swayed with each step, the beads clinking together and making a soft, cold sound. They repeatedly chanted obscure prayers, a chant that sounded like a ritual for the deceased or a summoning of souls.

Behind the two women were men, women, and children, all wearing white headscarves and holding clay-molded white porcelain lotus lanterns. The wicks of the lanterns burned with a pale, bluish-white flame after being soaked in rainwater, and the light made their faces appear wooden and lifeless.

In the middle of the procession, four burly men carried a beautiful Taoist nun whose white lotus-patterned robe was soaked by the rain, revealing her curvaceous figure.

Following them, four strong men carried a rough pottery statue of an old woman, its body covered with white paper lotus flowers. They scattered white paper money along the way, but the rain pressed it hard to the ground.

The sounds of thunder and rain, footsteps, chanting, the tinkling of crystals, and the soft patter of paper money falling to the ground.

The entire procession, like a pale, long snake, was silent and solemn, yet carried an eerie chill that seemed detached from worldly affairs, as it slowly crossed in front of the butcher shop.

"Manager Fan, what are these?" Ye Chu asked, puzzled.

Fan Kuai sighed:

"Wang Daosen's son, Wang Xianliang, had already passed the imperial examination and become a scholar, but he died inexplicably two days ago!"

"Master Wang went mad after that, and from who-knows-where he invited a Taoist nun to perform some kind of resurrection ritual!"

"But there is no such thing as the dead coming back to life in this world, so some people went to persuade others not to believe that they had been deceived."

"But how could someone overwhelmed with grief listen to this..."

Ye Chu nodded slightly, then leaped into the vast rain.

He doesn't believe those chanting sutras are Taoist nuns!

Since the scriptures mention the Unborn Mother, then this group is undoubtedly a member of the White Lotus Sect!

"But why have Bai Lian and Huang Tian, ​​these two professional rebels, both come to Shuanglong County?"

"Is a dragon about to emerge from Shuanglong County? Or is the ancestor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, who suppressed all the heroes of the world, about to die? Or is there some other reason that will soon lead to chaos in the world?"

Ye Chu couldn't figure it out!

Fortunately, when we got home, a kind young woman took off her straw hat and wiped the rainwater from her forehead with a towel.

Then, seeing that the rain had stopped, the little eagle jumped out of Ye Chu's arms and glided down, flapping its wings.

Ji Meng put the bamboo hat away and said:

"Ye Lang, this afternoon I heard from Hunter Wu that Grandpa and Uncle were asking where we were staying. You said they chased us away, but now they're asking where we're staying. What are they trying to do?"

"Whatever they want to do, from now on, the wind and rain can come and go as they please, but they and their dogs are not allowed inside our house!"

Ye Chuguang gets annoyed whenever he hears news about that family.

If they dare to come knocking on my door and cause trouble, I'll definitely slap them a few times to vent my anger!

"By the way, has the Yang family gone to see the Taoist priest at Huangtian Temple these past few days to deal with the evil spirits that have been taking over our village?"

As far as Ye Chu was concerned, he could simply ignore his uncle's family.

But the Yang family was a thorn in his side, a real threat to him.

"Sister-in-law Wu said that the Yang family and the government are preparing to deal with the evil spirits after the experts from the city return from Longnu River... I haven't heard that the Yang family is going to find the Taoist priest of Huangtian Temple," Ji Meng said, shaking her head.

Then he went to the kitchen to check that the steamed dishes and braised meat from the afternoon were fine, so he picked up a needle and thread to make shoe soles for Ye Chuna.

Since Ye Chu started practicing martial arts, the soles of his shoes have worn out exceptionally quickly, so Ji Meng has been diligently mending them.

As Ye Chu practiced standing meditation in the hall, a question arose in his mind.

The relationship between the Yang family and Huangtian Temple doesn't seem as strong as one might imagine.

If the first wave of warriors cannot deal with the evil spirits, why not ask the more powerful Huangtian Temple to exorcise them?

Either there's something fishy going on, or the relationship isn't as good as outsiders imagine!

Ye Chu suddenly thought that those who run sales would give themselves a title like "manager" or something similar, just to start making a name for themselves first.

Is this the case with the Yang family?

The next morning,

Because Ye Chu ate braised pork and steamed rice in the middle of the night, she was finally able to sleep until she naturally woke up instead of being woken up by hunger.

I have examined the origin of the immortal body:

【Root bone: 16】

【Time and Rhythm: 15.3】

[Skill: Tiger-Taming Stance (Beginner Level: 16/20)]

"I only need 10 points of Time Dao Rhyme to stop the time consumption, and the remaining 5 points are enough to directly enter the Tiger Subduing Stance and then help me break through the Blood Barrier!"

"But Han Heng and Yang Heng haven't broken through yet, I'll wait a little longer..."

Ye Chu pushed open the door, and the courtyard was a mess after a night of wind and rain, with withered leaves sticking wetly to the bluestone ground.

He picked up the bamboo hat, returned it to Fan Kuai's butcher shop, and absorbed 0.9 of the Dao of Unclaimed Time.

Running along the route of three butcher shops in the west, one butcher shop in the north, three butcher shops in the east, and one butcher shop in the south, I finally collected a total of 7 points of Unclaimed Time Daoist Charm.

【Time and Rhythm: 22.3】

But it takes a lot of time; it's not even dawn when we get up, and it's already broad daylight by then!

"I haven't visited the South City Fish Market yet..."

Yanbo Ferry in Nancheng, Shuanglong County, is connected to the Wanxi River, which originates from Qingniu Mountain. The Wanxi River then flows eastward for 15 miles to join the Longnu River.

The reason why the county town is not built on the side of the Longnu River, a natural waterway, is that the name Longnu River is not without reason. During the dry season in winter, the other side of the river cannot be seen, and in summer, it often floods and submerges everything around it!

"Fresh river crucian carp and female carp with roe! Time to exchange for rice and cloth!"

"Clear water river shrimp, fresh snails, and lively crucian carp—they make the most delicious soup! Just a penny a handful!"

"A giant grass carp! A live one weighing over ten pounds! Perfect for impressing guests, don't miss out!"

"Air-dried herring and salted mackerel! They keep well without developing a fishy smell, perfect for a home-cooked meal!"

"Live eels and plump loaches! They warm and nourish kidney yang; pick the best ones in the morning!"

Entering the fish market, although the smell of fish is strong, there is a great variety of fresh fish, snails, shrimp and crabs, and the vendors' calls are also unique.

Although there were many creatures, Ye Chu found very few of the Daoist essences of unclaimed time that he desired.

After observation, it was found that each stall only sold fish without killing them, and customers mostly bought fresh fish. Dead fish were basically unwanted, unless they were very rare and had not been dead for long.

Of course, live fish die all the time in such a large fish market, but the amount of time and energy on the fish is too small, and they often completely dissipate into the world shortly after they die.

Therefore, Ye Chu wandered around for half a day and only absorbed 0.1 of the Dao of Time.

"Treasure fish, treasure fish! Blood bull perch, just caught from the Longnu River!"

Suddenly, a shout of "Treasure Fish!" caused a stir in the fish market, drawing many people to rush over and join the excitement.

Even the little eagle was calling out to go and take a look, and Ye Chu, seeing this, naturally went over as well.

Unexpectedly, they ran into two familiar faces from the front yard of Longhu Hall: Meng Xunxi and Wei Lin!

"Are you two senior brothers here to buy fish too?"

"We're both fishermen, here to sell fish. Do you want some?" Meng Xunxi immediately started promoting the fish to Ye Chu.

Wei Lin was a ruthless but taciturn honest man. When Meng Xunxi spoke to him, he remained silent.

"I've already bought some. How about we go take a look at the treasure fish together?"

Ye Chu wanted the fish's life, not its flesh, so he quickly changed the subject.

The three of them huddled together and looked at it for a moment.

Then they saw the martial arts masters of the Overlord Blade Hall and the purchasing agents of the Jade Pavilion vying for the treasure fish.

The two sides kept raising the price by one tael of silver at a time, and in the end, Qiongyulou spent four taels of silver to buy the palm-sized blood ox bass!

When the little eagle saw that the blood bull bass had been won by others, it cried out in grievance that it wanted to eat it, and actually jumped off Ye Chu's shoulder.

Then, flapping its wings, it soared up like an arrow piercing the clouds, whizzing past the people purchasing goods at Qiongyu Tower, snatching the lively blood bull bass from their hands, and carrying it into the sky!

"What? It ran away?"

Ye Chu was also somewhat dumbfounded.

This eagle had only molted two days ago, and yesterday it could only glide. Today, its takeoff speed was so fast that he couldn't even react in time!

Most importantly, damn it, the bird got away...

Meng Xunxi and Wei Lin then quickly dragged Ye Chu away through the streets and alleys.

Once she was sure no one was following, Meng Xunxi suddenly smiled happily:

"That blood-red bass was worth at least ten taels of silver! And the martial arts master and the restaurant's purchasing agent, who seemed to be arguing heatedly, were actually a group of people who were working together to drive down the price by taking advantage of the unspoken rules set by the fishing guild."

"The price difference that is suppressed is split 50/50 between the fishing guild and the buyer, with both sides joining forces to leech off the fishermen's hard-earned money!"

"So, Brother Ye, you did a great job catching that eagle! If you'd like to eat treasure fish again sometime, just tell us quietly. That way, we can avoid the fishing gangs and save you money, while we fishermen can earn a little more!"

"Okay, I'll contact you if I need anything!"

Ye Chu was somewhat helpless. The eagle had already run away, so what was he supposed to buy?

After chatting with the two for a while, I felt that Meng Xunxi was a natural businessman; his ability to make deals whenever he could was truly impressive!

By the time they arrived at Dragon Tiger Hall, breakfast time had already passed.

Thanks to Han Heng's instructions to the cook to leave some food for her, Ye Chu didn't miss out on the two bowls of meat for breakfast!

"After wandering around the fish market, I only gained 0.2 Time Dao Essence. The time spent was not proportional to the gains, so I'll abandon it for now!"

"Also, my running speed is a bit slow. Once I break through the blood barrier in my stance training and enter the inner courtyard, it would be best to find a speed-related technique to practice, so that I can make the most of my time management abilities!"

After finishing his meal, when Ye Chu returned to the training ground in the front yard, he noticed a black dot hovering in the sky above the martial arts hall.

If nothing unexpected happens, it will definitely be the little eagle!

But if he doesn't come down, Ye Chu has no chance...

"You bird, don't you get tired of flying all the time?"

As Han Heng asked Ye Chu the question, Ye Chu awkwardly scratched his foot on the ground, but then Han Heng secretly hooked his hand around Ye Chu's arm and led him to a corner of the training ground:

"Let me tell you, I actually found a great trick to pass the test last night!"

Han Heng stopped there, keeping everyone in suspense.

Ye Chu looked back and saw that several people were either practicing their stances or lifting stone weights, their movements were slow or slack, and some were even listening intently.