Qin An was lowering his head to slaughter pork and instinctively looked up when he heard footsteps.
A woman in yellow stood before the stall.
The woman had pronounced features and two sword-like eyebrows.
Her brow lines were like the edge of a blade, slashing upwards into the temples, accentuating the sharp, frosty gaze in her phoenix eyes.
Even dressed in yellow, she exuded a valiant and heroic aura.
"Two taels of lean meat, finely chopped into minced meat," the woman in yellow said.
Her voice was slightly magnetic, exceedingly pleasant to the ear.
Qin An picked up two taels of lean meat, took a sharp knife, and chopped it up.
A moment later, Qin An wrapped it in lotus leaves and handed it to the woman.
"One tael of silver," Qin An said calmly.
Chen Chun widened his eyes, thinking to himself if Qin An had gone mad.
Just two taels of meat, and he's selling it for a tael of silver?
Who would buy that?
But just as Qin An offered the meat, the woman in yellow took a tael of silver from her pouch, placed it in Qin An's hand, and turned to leave.
After the woman in yellow left, Qin An spoke faintly.
"There's something off."
Chen Chun placed his hand on the knife hilt and asked vigilantly, "Who?"
Qin An pointed at the departing figure of the woman in yellow, "Her."
Chen Chun scratched his head, "Though she's pretty, I didn't notice anything strange."
Qin An wrapped the meat and handed it to Chen Chun, saying, "One tael of silver, wanna buy it?"
Chen Chun gave a 'do you think I'm stupid' look, "This is no better than your two taels of meat..."
Before he finished speaking, Chen Chun immediately realized something, and his expression turned grave.
He understood.
When buying meat, not caring about Qin An's absurd price, now that's peculiar.
Qin An slowly said, "Either an enemy or from a wealthy family, I've seen all the wealthy families in Ding County."
"She's not a demon, perhaps not from Ding County."
"Couldn't she be an enemy?" Chen Chun asked.
Qin An chuckled, "If you were an enemy, would you come to me to buy meat and expose yourself?"
Chen Chun suddenly realized, "Is she from Lingzhou?"
If she were truly an enemy, she wouldn't be brainless enough to expose herself like that.
Excluding the recent encounter with Mr. Liou, Chen Chun thought she might genuinely lack brains.
Qin An nodded, "Perhaps."
"Pack up the stall."
The pork on the stall was almost entirely butchered, and Qin An didn't want to waste time.
As for the remaining pork, Qin An would keep some for himself and sell the rest cheaply to people on the street.
Chen Chun followed behind Qin An and asked, "Not going to pursue it?"
Qin An shook his head, "The situation is complex; don't make enemies."
He wasn't a fool; the more complicated the situation, the worse for him.
First, he needed to enhance his strength.
Before his eyes, smoke consolidated into words.
[Butcher lv.3 (120/400): The livestock you slaughter tastes slightly more delicious]
Having spent the entire day butchering, Qin An hardly rested, gaining 40 points of proficiency.
At this rate, in just seven days, Qin An could advance the butcher profession to level four.
He didn't know if there'd be changes after reaching level four, but considering all he'd invested, Qin An estimated it wouldn't be disappointing.
...
After leaving the shop, the woman in yellow clasped her hands behind her back, strolling leisurely down the street.
There was an innate gallant spirit in her gaze, imparting a sense of distance.
Ahead, a shadow disappeared into an alley.
The woman in yellow pondered for a moment, then lightly stepped into the alley.
The alley was secluded, seldom frequented by people.
When the woman in yellow reached the end, a thick scent of blood filled the air.
A tall and a short man appeared before the woman in yellow.
The tall one wore plain clothes, like draping clothes over a bamboo pole.
The short man's clothes were slightly long, with sleeves hiding his hands.
Both reeked of blood, causing the woman in yellow to frown slightly.
"My lady."
The two saluted, displaying utmost respect in their demeanor.
"How's Cyan Snake Valley?" the woman in yellow inquired.
The tall man slowly replied, "Gone."
The short man continued, "Several brothers executed cleanly and are on their way now."
The woman in yellow nodded.
The tall man thought for a moment and said, "A few villages were massacred by monkey demons on the way."
The woman in yellow displayed a hint of killing intent, her dress rustling violently.
The short man made a gesture across his neck, "My lady, should we take immediate action?"
The gesture left no room for misinterpretation.
The woman in yellow's eyes filled with evil qi, "Tightly monitor them; if they continue, eliminate them."
The two were slightly surprised.
Their identities were not ones for tight surveillance.
Why would this lady make such an assertion?
The woman in yellow slowly explained, "This is a setup targeting an interesting person. The matter is settled; the people's debts must be settled, but I want to see if that interesting person can settle them."
Upon hearing this, the two exchanged glances, each seeing the surprise in the other's eyes.
However, the woman in yellow said no more, and the two understood that some matters were not to be inquired about.
They could only adhere to the woman in yellow's instructions, conducting tight surveillance to prevent similar incidents.
Should any signs emerge, they would act preemptively to suppress them.
The woman in yellow said no more and turned to leave the alley.
Soon, the alley grew quiet.
...
Time passed.
In the blink of an eye, seven days had gone by.
Qin An tidied up the stall, looking at the smoke before him, a slight smile forming at the corners of his lips.
[Butcher lv.4 (0/800): The livestock you slaughter tastes slightly more delicious]
[Promotion Condition: Slaughter one Body Storage Realm demon]
[Completed]
Today, Qin An finally advanced the butcher profession to level four.
As for the promotion conditions, like the scholar profession, the Golden Finger is highly considerate.
Having previously slaughtered the eagle patriarch, it counted towards the condition, so Qin An had instantly completed it.
Before him, the smoke transformed again.
[Talent Promotion]
[Talent: Great Success in Body Storage Realm Saber Cultivation Technique]
A vast amount of information surged into Qin An's mind, and upon absorbing it, he grasped the essence of it all.
Reaching profession level four granted a great success level talent, akin to the butcher profession.
At level five, great success would become mastery, and new talents would emerge at level six while old talents progressed to the next tier.
"Not bad, great success is already very strong."
Qin An mused inwardly.
He quickened his pace, eager to get back and test whether he could integrate the Demon-Slaying Three Yang Saber into the Broken Goose Saber Skill.
Chen Chun followed behind Qin An, though unaware of Qin An's urgency, he remained silently in tow.
...
"Take a break yourself, don't disturb me."
Qin An said to him, returning to his room alone, locking the door from inside, and lighting the oil lamp on the table.
Under the dim glow of the lamp, Qin An drew the sharp knife from his waist and began practicing moves from the Demon-Slaying Three Saber technique.
Smoke arose.
[You continue to practice the Demon-Slaying Three Saber, triggering great success talent in Body Storage Realm Saber Cultivation Technique]
[Despite being a Qi Storage Realm technique, you sense an opportunity within the Demon-Slaying Three Saber]
[You expend a significant amount of qi and blood, exploring the feasibility of merging the Demon-Slaying Three Saber with the Broken Goose Saber Skill]
[Sitting tirelessly for years, with qi and blood exhausted, you ultimately gain insight, acquiring the Body Storage Realm Saber Technique]
[You name it Demon-Slaying Three Yang Saber]
[Demon-Slaying Three Yang Saber (Great Success)]