Tang Wen sat by the fire for a long while before his racing heart finally began to calm.
That was too close!
'If that Silver Wolf had given chase, would I have survived?'
Tang Wen's palms were ice-cold; he didn't have the slightest bit of confidence he would have made it.
'From now on, I'm not leaving this camp no matter what.'
'Time for Martial Arts Training. Posture Stance!'
'I need to get stronger first. Everything else can wait.'
Having witnessed the power of the Mutated Beasts, he now understood why everyone in the camp grew pale at the mere mention of them.
Moving had been absolutely necessary. Otherwise, the Silver Wolf could have flattened that little shack at the camp entrance with a single paw!
The Guards had sent someone to the infirmary, and Elder Li had come swaying over to pick Tang Wen up.
After warming himself by the fire in the stone house for a while, the sweat on Tang Wen's body dried. Before leaving, he took out a trussed wild pheasant and handed it to the Guard who had let him in.
The man made a show of refusing but accepted with a smile, telling his colleagues, "We're eating chicken tonight."
They were City Guards who patrolled various sections of the wall. The pay was decent, and the work was usually quiet, but there weren't many opportunities for extra income.
"You're Tang Wen, right? Next time you forget your pass, just come on in!" another Guard said with a laugh.
"Haha, thank you, brothers."
Elder Physician Li watched this scene with great interest.
Only after Tang Wen had said his goodbyes to the Guards did Elder Li lead him unhurriedly into the city.
"Over there is the academy, a place where children learn to read. Kids from the Inner City can attend for free during the day..."
As they walked, Elder Li casually pointed out the sights of the Inner City.
"See those little buildings up ahead? I think you'll like them."
Tang Wen saw a row of stone houses with red silk ribbons tied to their doorways.
Elder Li's eyebrows danced. "Heh heh, Yihong Tower."
Between the name and Elder Li's expression, Tang Wen knew exactly what kind of place this was. A gust of wind carried the heavy scent of cosmetics toward them.
"Why don't you two gentlemen come in and have some fun?"
A woman, draped in a fur coat but wearing something much more revealing underneath, spotted Tang Wen, and her eyes lit up.
Tang Wen's face flushed. 'Soliciting customers right on the street? That's aggressive!'
'The level of temptation here... it's not something Technician No. 35 under a streetlamp in my past life could ever compare to.'
"Another day, another day," Elder Li said with a grin, giving the woman's hand a familiar squeeze that marked him as a regular.
They continued down the main street, passing several shops, taverns, and Martial Arts Halls, which Elder Li pointed out one by one.
In a daze, Tang Wen had the strange feeling that he was just strolling through an ancient town, as if he hadn't just faced a life-or-death struggle.
RUSTLE.
The roe deer in the basket on his back shifted.
'Alright!'
'I really was just risking my life to hunt.'
He looked down at the hard road. It wasn't dirt but a surface of mixed sand and pebbles, packed down firm and flat by something. It reminded him of the gravel roads in the village of his childhood.
'Also... back in the guard's stone house, the fire seemed to be burning coal...'
'So, this world does have some technology. Not much, but it's there.'
The two of them turned into a small alley and entered a courtyard. They had arrived at Elder Li's home.
"Master! You've returned!"
A clear voice rang out as a woman with a lovely face and an excellent figure walked out of the house.
'What the...?'
'She looks to be about sixteen, right?'
'That's criminal! Seriously criminal!'
'Elder Li is a classic case of an old man with a young wife!'
Tang Wen didn't stare. He set down his basket and pulled out the trembling roe deer.
The poor thing had been terrified the entire journey.
"Not bad. This roe deer meat has a unique flavor. You can leave that pair of rabbits here as well!"
Tang Wen agreed, pulling out the rabbits. He couldn't help but ask, "Today, I encountered a pack of very powerful Silver Wolf Mutated Beasts out in the wild. Are there any experts in the Inner City who could kill them?"
Elder Li laughed nonchalantly. "Well, do you see anyone panicking in the Inner City?"
"Not really." 'They're still in the mood to solicit customers, so no, I haven't seen anyone panicking.' "But it seems the Silver Wolves come every year."
"That's because the Silver Wolf King is an expert at escaping! Besides, even if we went to the trouble of killing it, another Beast King would just take over the territory. What do you think is better: an enemy you know, or a danger you don't?"
"Oh, so that's how it is," Tang Wen said, realization dawning on him.
"Stop worrying yourself over nothing. The Mutated Beasts aren't that terrifying. Your street is relatively safe. However, you should hold off on hunting for now. Practice the Pile Skill I taught you diligently. The Guard selection is next spring, and I'll help you sign up. As long as you can pass the assessment, I guarantee I can get you a spot on a Hunting Team!"
"A Hunting Team?"
"You're a Hunter. What could be more fitting than joining a Hunting Team?"
Tang Wen nodded thoughtfully.
After taking his leave from Elder Li's home, Tang Wen looked around to make sure he was alone before pulling out his money pouch. Inside, along with a pile of Copper Coins, were several square silver ingots that looked like large sugar cubes.
He picked one up, turning it over to inspect it. After confirming the silver ingot had no markings, he tucked it into his clothes and headed for a ready-made clothing shop down the street.
Cotton jackets, cotton pants, quilts, mattresses... their home was short on everything. Soon, he had filled two entire burlap sacks with clothing and bedding.
When he went to pay, the Shopkeeper weighed the silver ingot, did some calculations on a piece of paper with an ink brush, and gave him a few silver coins as change.
'The purchasing power of a silver ingot is pretty impressive!'
Since it wasn't money he'd personally slaved for, he didn't feel the sting of spending it.
Seeing that it wasn't dark yet.
He went to the butcher shop to ask the price.
"10 Copper Coins for a pound of good meat!"
Food was never cheap. Just as Tang Wen was considering whether he should buy some fatty cuts to render into oil...
He suddenly thought of the pack of beasts from earlier.
'With so many beasts, how many must have been killed today?'
'Will the Guards bring the carcasses back to the city to sell?'
'If so, the meat will definitely be cheaper tomorrow!'
At that thought, he turned and left. He went through another city gate, passed the few shops on the outskirts of the camp, and returned home.
"How did you bring back so much stuff?"
Two large burlap sacks were filled with cotton quilts, clothes, and boots—brand new and colored gray and black.
Having never owned new clothes, his sister cheered and circled the bags twice!
"Did you trade all this for meat?" After her initial excitement, Tangtang felt something was off.
"Some people tried to rob me, but they ended up giving me money instead."
"And them?"
"Mm. They won't be able to cause me any more trouble," Tang Wen said with conviction, thinking of the Silver Wolf.
"That's good!"
His sister brightened up again. She removed the straw from the kang bed, wiped it clean of dust, and spread out the new quilts and mattresses.
"There are Mutated Beasts causing trouble outside the camp, so I won't be going out to hunt for a while..."
As Tang Wen explained his plans, Tangtang nodded repeatedly. "You shouldn't be hunting in the winter anyway. We have enough food to last."
「The next day.」
Tang Wen took the identification token from the infirmary and brought his sister with him to the Inner City.
It was Tangtang's first time wearing new cotton clothes and her first time in the city. Everything seemed novel, and she wanted to peek into every shop. But the moment she stepped inside any of them, she found everything too expensive.
The two of them went to the butcher shop to buy meat. After all, the gazelle was a gift for Elder Physician Li, which meant they might not have any meat for themselves.
'How can you achieve anything in Martial Arts Training without eating meat?'
"What animal has such big legs?"
"Probably a moose."
He smiled, seeing the shop piled high with meat.
Just as he'd predicted, the price of meat had dropped to eight Copper Coins a pound.
"Eight Copper Coins for bone-in? That's too expensive." Tangtang took a look, then pulled her brother away. "There are other butcher shops."
"Hey, wait, don't go! We can talk about the price. Six Copper Coins a pound for bone-in."
"If we buy a lot, can it be cheaper?"
"A hundred pounds," the shop owner said through gritted teeth. "If you can buy a hundred pounds, I'll give it to you for five and a half Copper Coins per pound."
Tangtang did some quick mental math, and a smile flashed across her face. "Deal! Four Copper Coins a pound, and we'll take four hundred pounds."
"Uh, little lady, that's not how bargaining works..."
Tangtang's smile slowly vanished, her large eyes staring expressionlessly at the shop owner.
"Fine, fine! Four and a half Copper Coins a pound! I paid more than that to get it myself! Let's just say we're making a new friend. You really want four hundred pounds?"
The butcher chopped the moose leg and a rack of ribs into smaller pieces.
Tang Wen flashed his identification token, and the owner managed to borrow a donkey to help them haul the meat.
Along the way, Tangtang spotted some cheap daikon radishes, and Tang Wen bought some chili seasoning.
The bags on the donkey's back grew more and more numerous.
A full pantry brings peace of mind.
Next, Tang Wen planned to go into seclusion for his Martial Arts Training.
As for Tangtang, besides cooking and cleaning, she also prepared to train with her little brother.
For instance, she was very interested in the Crossbow that Tang Wen had brought back...