The more Feng Si thought about it, the more it seemed to be true.
The man had a body as perfect as a chiseled sculpture. His features were deep and handsome, with short, raven hair, fair skin, and a merciless light in his eyes.
Amidst the blood-soaked yellow sands that filled the air, he stood atop a mountain of layered, scarlet corpses, gazing down upon the land from his lofty perch.
Not far away, a seven-meter-tall giant tiger with yellow and black markings lay on the ground, riddled with wounds. Its body was headless. The Northern Wilderness’s most celebrated young master had met a grisly end on the battlefield. Having lost their head, the Northern Wilderness army scattered in chaos.
"Young Master Jie—!"
Across the desert, a vast, dark horde of colossal Beastmen roared the name of the one who had led them to victory, their hearts pounding with wild excitement.
Amidst the roars of millions of Beastmen, a six-meter-tall rhinoceros with a hide as thick as a fortress wall stood beside the corpse pile and slowly transformed into an adult male. He was Xi Zhu, a General of the Second Legion’s Land Beast division and, of course, one of Young Master Jie’s most loyal followers.
Recalling the message he had seen earlier on the light screen, he leaped onto the corpse pile in a few bounds and said indignantly, "You were the one who saved the Eldest and Third Young Masters! You were the one who recaptured the city! And you were the one who just beheaded the Northern Wilderness’s general, Young Master Yan!"
Xi Zhu’s gaze swept over the yellow sands. Just beyond them lay the territory of the Northern Wilderness. With their greatest warrior now dead, this was the perfect moment to press their advantage and charge into the Northern Wilderness.
But now, the legion had been ordered to halt, forbidden from pressing their advantage.
He suppressed his anger. "For the Beast King to issue an urgent recall at a time like this..."
Chi Jie shot Xi Zhu an expressionless glance. His long fingers tightened slightly, and the ghastly white, whip-like spine emitted a soft, crackling sound as it slithered across the pile of corpses, a dangerous and terrifying sight.
It was a Bone Whip forged from an ancient Titan Python. Fully extended, it could reach the entire skeletal length of the living python. Wherever its barbs passed, the armor-like bodies of Beastmen were torn to pieces.
The anger in Xi Zhu’s heart vanished in an instant. He lowered his head. ’I don’t understand why Young Master Jie has become so much more irritable and impatient since he returned stronger.’
With a flick of his wrist, the Bone Whip retracted segment by segment as if it were alive, shrinking until it was a long whip just three fingers wide. He fastened it at his waist, where it resembled a handsome belt.
Chi Jie’s eyes were downcast, his long, raven-like lashes hiding the darkness within them.
’He’s grown old, and his courage has waned with his age,’ he thought. ’He just wants to use this minor victory to secure the borders of the Southern Wilderness and negotiate with the North.’
’But right now, I can’t even find my own female. I really don’t have time to clean up the mess in the Northern Wilderness.’
"Relay the order. We’re withdrawing the army." The bloody scene was reflected in Chi Jie’s pupils, making them look like a sun about to sink into the darkness of night.
"Yes, Young Master."
Xi Zhu relayed the command to his subordinates, then said with a fawning tone, "You are truly wise. Now is indeed the time to return to the main city."
He thought of the two figures always at the Beast King’s side and continued, "You’re the one who ended the seven-year war! What right do they have to contend with you for the throne of the Southern Wilderness’s Beast King!"
Everyone knew that once a person’s hair began to gray, old age was not far behind.
And the Beast King of their Southern Wilderness was already three hundred and two years old.
...
After the last incident, Bai Dan and Bai Qi had moved to a new spot to sell their food, no longer setting up their stall near Feng Si. It seemed they were afraid, but inwardly, their hatred for Feng Si only grew deeper.
’Are we just going to let Feng Si keep raking in large coins after she deliberately ruined things for us?’
This hatred consumed them, but they hadn’t yet found a good way to get revenge on Feng Si. For now, they would have to let her be—as if!
Feng Si’s white-cut pork was currently a huge hit with the powerful Beastmen from the Thirteen Mountains. If they tried anything against her now, the male beasts would undoubtedly side with Feng Si.
They might even flip Feng Si’s stall, only to infuriate the male beasts who were in the middle of enjoying their meal, causing them to turn on them instead.
However, once the novelty wore off for the male beasts and they weren’t so fond of the white-cut pork anymore, that would be the time to strike.
So, for the time being, Bai Dan and Bai Qi waited patiently, making no move against Feng Si.
Feng Si had been very busy lately.
Mao Qiu had become her regular helper. She would help Feng Si transport her things to and from the stall, stay to help her manage it, and assist with her work. As a result, Feng Si had raised her pay to fifteen coins a day, which only made Mao Qiu take her responsibilities even more seriously.
"Are you sure you want to buy so many green potatoes? You already bought five hundred yesterday, and now you’re buying more today!" Mao Qiu fretted, clutching the one thousand coins Feng Si had just given her.
"That’s two thousand coins for a thousand large green potatoes! What if they spoil? What if you make your new product and no one buys it?"
Feng Si glanced at her nearly empty pot. In the past, she would sell out in about two hours, but now it was taking twice as long. It was almost noon, and she had just finished selling sixty jin of white-cut pork.
’Looks like it’ll be difficult to earn a lot of large coins quickly just by selling white-cut pork, given the local spending power,’ she thought. "Yes, I really need those green potatoes." Feng Si put the lid on the pot and placed it in her back-basket, her gaze firm.
The Green Potato she had made for herself as a snack had unexpectedly become a popular teething food for Beastman cubs under a year old. Every day, mothers would come asking if she had any Green Potato for sale.
She now had about a hundred thousand coins, which was barely enough to buy a low-level Incubator. Meanwhile, the white-cut pork business was getting tougher each day now that she was trying to sell a larger quantity of meat.
Therefore, she had decided on the second item for her stall: Green Potato.
A bundle of ten Green Potato strips would sell for 28 coins.
The sunlight was strong these days, and it only took about two days of drying to prepare the Green Potato. This was the perfect chance to make a huge profit before anyone else figured out how to make it.
"Why don’t you think it over? You could buy so many nutritional supplement canisters with two thousand coins!" Mao Qiu’s heart ached for Feng Si’s money. She couldn’t even earn one thousand coins in a week, and here Feng Si was, spending that much in a single day.
Feng Si bent down, picked up her back-basket, and slung it over her shoulder. "Just look at how well the Green Potato I brought today sold. Stop worrying about things that haven’t even happened yet. I’m packing up and heading back now. Just buy the green potatoes for me and leave them in the hallway."
Mao Qiu glanced at the basket on Feng Si’s back and thought about how everyone had been scrambling to buy the Green Potato. "Alright, then." ’I was worrying for nothing.’
The little orange cat perched on Mao Qiu’s shoulder also peeked into the basket. Seeing that the Green Potato was all gone, its big eyes filled with disappointment.
The sight made Feng Si chuckle. She reached out to stroke the kitten’s head, then pulled a small handful of Green Potato from her waist pouch to feed it. "In the future," she whispered, "you must promise not to bite your auntie’s little bird, okay?"
Mao Qiu asked, "What little bird?"
Feng Si shook her head and didn’t elaborate. "You’ll see it in the future."
’It’s still in my belly for now.’
’When the little one hatches, it’ll be a newborn chick, completely bare. I’ll have to raise it for a while until its feathers grow in. Only then will I bring the little one out.’
Thinking of her own little one put Feng Si in a very cheerful mood. She said goodbye to Mao Qiu and carried her basket home. While waiting for Mao Qiu to deliver the green potatoes, she went up to her loft to check on the fruits of her labor.