The savory, garlicky flavor of the Boiled Pork Slices lingered in the mouths of Huang Juan and the others who had tried it. Even their burps were fragrant with meat, making the beastmen crave it all the more.
The moment they left Feng Si’s stall, Huang Juan and his companions exchanged glances. "How about we hunt a Violent Bull Beast, sell it, and come back for more meat tomorrow?"
Everyone readily agreed. At high noon, the hottest part of the day when all the other male beasts were resting in the shade, the group immediately filed a report with the Mountain Chief to leave the city.
This drew the confused attention of some acquaintances in the market. Hearing their words, they stopped in their tracks and gathered around, straining to listen.
The head Mountain Chief of the Thirteen Districts Hunting Team was a middle-aged Huang Shi. He was getting a little drowsy, but upon hearing Huang Juan’s group, he let out a lazy yawn. "Going out to hunt when it’s this sunny? Which one of you met a female? To be working this hard to earn coins."
"Heh, no female. We found some delicious Boiled Pork Slices," Huang Juan, speaking for the group, said to the Mountain Chief on the light screen.
"Boiled Pork Slices? What are Boiled Pork Slices?" a person nearby exclaimed.
"The name of a female?" The head Mountain Chief shot up, his voice nearly a roar. "There’s really a female here!"
Geographically, Nantong City was quite barren. The Empire’s treatment of females was extremely generous; from birth, a female had the option to relocate her entire family to a prosperous region, free of charge.
People strive for better things, and beastmen are no different.
As a result, the number of females in the entire city could be counted on one hand. Aside from the nobility, the average male beast had almost no opportunity to even get close to a female. This was the true reason why Nantong City was the most peaceful territory in the entire Southern Wilderness.
Because the sound from the light screen was playing aloud in the middle of the bustling market, the news that there was a female in the Thirteen Mountain Area caused the crowd to erupt instantly.
"What! A female? Where? Where?"
"Has the Beast God finally blessed our Thirteen Mountain Area? A female has appeared here!"
"I’m a White Bear! As the male beast with the highest Combat Power in the Thirteen Mountain Area, the right to be the female’s mate is mine!"
"Fuck that! Don’t even think about it. You’ll have to get through me first."
Someone in the market crowd suddenly ripped off his shirt, revealing a body rippling with muscle. His back arched like an animal about to pounce. The others took a step back, their eyes glinting with aggression. If it was a fight they wanted, it was a fight they would get.
Huang Juan and his group were stunned. Seeing that a brawl was about to break out, Huang Juan quickly roared, "There’s no female, just delicious food! The Boiled Pork Slices are amazing!"
The crowd, hearing him clearly, froze. They looked at Huang Juan’s group, then at themselves—on the verge of an all-out brawl over a rumor about a female—and fell into an awkward silence.
’...We don’t believe you.’
’What kind of Boiled Pork Slices could possibly have the same appeal as a female?’
...
The next morning, among the many stalls in the second-floor market, three stalls selling Boiled Pork Slices had appeared, all set up right next to each other.
In front of two of the stalls stood a young sub-female, enthusiastically shouting his sales pitch to the passing crowd:
"Incredibly fragrant and delicious Boiled Pork Slices, two hundred coins a serving!"
"Limited quantity! Get yours before they’re all gone!"
Cries like these naturally drew the glances of passersby, but one look at the plain boiled meat in the pot and they would turn away, uninterested.
However, some had heard about yesterday’s fiasco on the second floor over the Boiled Pork Slices. For a single male beast with no family to support, two hundred coins wasn’t too expensive.
So, a few Beastmen came to the stall and bought a serving of Boiled Pork Slices, intending to give it a try.
With a base of wild vegetables and the meat cut into thin slices placed on top, Bai Dan imitated the way Feng Si had plated the dish yesterday and served it to the customer.
After successfully selling a few servings, Bai Dan and Bai Qi looked utterly smug. They kept glancing at Feng Si with a provocative glint in their eyes, as if to say, ’Look at me. I’m selling Boiled Pork Slices today too. What are you going to do about it?’
Feng Si had no interest in starting a fight with the two sub-females who had jumped on her bandwagon. She simply lowered her head and focused on arranging the food at her own stall.
The two neighboring stalls sold a few more servings, but then, the number of customers in front of the stalls selling Boiled Pork Slices began to dwindle.
Huang Juan arrived with Tian Tian. Before they even got close, he saw the copycat stalls on either side and couldn’t stand the sight.
Just then, someone was about to buy a serving from one of them. Huang Juan immediately turned toward the customer as he walked and shouted, "Hey, brother! You’re at the wrong stall! This one here is the real deal from yesterday."
The person turned his head. It was the White Bear with Intermediate Combat Power, a male beast named Xiong Neng. He and Huang Juan were both leaders of their respective Hunting Teams and knew each other. Just as Xiong Neng was about to move, a sub-female from the neighboring stall grabbed his sleeve.
’Could it be that the Little Sub-female from just now has taken a liking to me!’
Xiong Neng turned back, only to be met with a fawning smile. Speechless, he yanked his sleeve out of the middle-aged sub-female’s grasp.
Bai Dan said enthusiastically, "We sell the same Boiled Pork Slices, and my price is ninety-nine coins cheaper than hers. Everyone was buying from my stall just a moment ago."
Feng Si raised an eyebrow and suddenly interjected, "The price is cheaper, but is the taste the same?"
Bai Dan shot a glare at her. Seeing it was Feng Si, she replied confidently, "Of course the taste is the same! It’s the same meat and the same cooking method."
Bai Qi also chimed in, "I know you’re just jealous that our business is better than yours, but don’t even think about trying to stop us from setting up a stall here. I have a big family, you know. We’re not afraid of you."
Hearing the argument, the crowd, always eager for a spectacle, immediately stopped and gathered around. They’d heard rumors about these Boiled Pork Slices and how they’d almost caused the male beasts to come to blows. ’Let’s see just how delicious this stuff is,’ they thought.
They looked at the three stalls, hesitating. Two were priced at two hundred coins, and one was at two hundred and ninety-nine. It seemed a price war was on.
Under the crowd’s gaze, Feng Si smiled. "I have no right to stop anyone. It’s just that... while anyone can buy meat, the reason Boiled Pork Slices sell for such a high price is, of course, the flavor."
She glanced at both of them, her voice lilting upwards. "Right?"
"If other people want to buy it, that’s their business. It has nothing to do with you," Bai Dan said, puffing out her chest.
Feng Si didn’t get angry. She said unhurriedly, "Mm, you’re right. And people aren’t fools willing to be tricked. I’ll make a guarantee right here: if my Boiled Pork Slices taste ordinary and don’t meet your expectations, I’m willing to offer compensation at ten times the price."
As soon as these confident words were spoken, the hesitant crowd began to move toward Feng Si’s stall in the middle.
Hearing this, Bai Dan and Bai Qi’s eyes went wide as they glared at Feng Si.
’What does she mean by that?’
’Who sells food and promises to pay people back?’
Unable to figure out her scheme, the two glanced at the coin purses hanging from the crowd’s waists. Unwilling to give up on such a big score, they also rushed to declare:
"If you don’t find my meat delicious, I’ll also pay you back ten times the price!"
This declaration managed to win back a few customers. After all, their price was cheaper, and hadn’t they just guaranteed the taste would be amazing, too?