[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-dimension-park-i-am-the-summoning-apostle":3,"chapter-dimension-park-i-am-the-summoning-apostle-dimension-park-i-am-the-summoning-apostle-chapter-4":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Dimension Park: I Am the Summoning Apostle",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2279021,4458,"Chapter 4: The Butcher","dimension-park-i-am-the-summoning-apostle-chapter-4",4,"\u003Cp>“Oh, it’s just a person—scared the life out of me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The burly man across from him spoke with a trembling voice, clearly startled by Chu Danqing as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I thought it was some mountain demon or ghost—I didn’t even think it was dark yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Chu Danqing get a clear look at the man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a butcher, dressed in a short tunic with a coarse cloth tied around his waist; not far away sat a carrying pole.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, while Chu Danqing was gathering bones, the butcher had noticed movement in the straw pile and came over with his pork-killing knife.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh, two wolves.” The butcher leaned in curiously, seeing the wolf carcasses on Chu Danqing’s shoulders, then offered his evaluation: “Poor quality.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bold enough, deserves to die here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for wolves, the butcher had no affection for them—best outcome was turning them into a pot of meat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he noticed Chu Danqing’s appearance and asked: “Young man, you’re not from around here, are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just passing through.” Chu Danqing made no effort to chat warmly; he was observing the butcher instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t be fooled by his boisterous demeanor—you can’t judge a man by appearances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t be afraid, young man—I’m no villain. I live just ahead, in Xianghua Village.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone around here calls me Jiang Tu—I kill pigs and sell meat. Everyone in the nearby villages says my meat’s the best.” The butcher didn’t overdo the friendliness; he simply introduced himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Danqing sized him up, his expression skeptical: “The wolves were killed here—didn’t you see them when you set up your stall?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention why a butcher would carry meat out on this route—but if you walked this path and didn’t encounter them, that’s strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Here?!!” Jiang Tu’s reaction caught Chu Danqing off guard: “I only changed my route today because I stopped to rest—this path’s rarely used.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meaning: a spontaneous detour, not a regular route.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the man wasn’t an excellent actor, his words held high credibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait—what’s that on your waist?” Jiang Tu also noticed Chu Danqing’s oddity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Foreigners always raised suspicion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, in ancient times, population mobility was low—any stranger entering was hard to miss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even someone like Jiang Tu, who wandered the lanes, stuck to fixed routes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A child eaten by wolves—a boy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I gathered his remains to take to Xianghua Village and ask around.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You say you’re from Xianghua Village—you must know something.” As Chu Danqing spoke, his eyes locked onto Jiang Tu; if the man made any sudden move, he’d strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Tu’s expression shifted appropriately, but he couldn’t possibly trust a stranger’s word out here in the wilderness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Jiang Tu had subtly probed Chu Danqing during their conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know—the village chief’s grandson, San Niu—he went missing seven days ago.” Jiang Tu looked at the scrap of cloth Chu Danqing pulled out—it matched the chief’s child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We searched the back river for two days—never expected…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, Jiang Tu suddenly fell silent, refusing to continue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his attitude toward Chu Danqing had changed—he was no longer the same overly polite, warm stranger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young man, you’re dusty from the road, and night’s coming fast—let’s head to Xianghua Village and rest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you bring the chief the bones of his grandson, he’ll surely reward you well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s hurry—we’ll be there in a quarter hour.” Jiang Tu sheathed his knife, lifted his pole, and led the way ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s your surname, young man?” Jiang Tu kept talking, now remembering to ask Chu Danqing’s name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he died, Chu Danqing wouldn’t have cared about revealing his name—he’d have said it freely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what if?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better to pick a pseudonym—out here, he had no ill intent, but he still needed caution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My surname is Chu, my given name is Mo.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Danqing means painting—a refined term for silent poetry—so he took Mo, meaning silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Jiang Tu had only given his nickname, not his real name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both sides had achieved balance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your name… is quite unusual,” Jiang Tu said, not thinking much, merely offering automatic flattery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In business, you speak to people as people, to ghosts as ghosts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he realized he had no good way to flatter it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, he was adaptable enough to quickly find a new topic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of the time, Chu Danqing listened, rarely interjecting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a modern man—more talk meant more mistakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, listening let him gather clues about Xianghua Village from Jiang Tu—even if they were just gossip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made Jiang Tu think Chu Danqing’s name Mo was truly fitting—he’d been silent the whole way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before nightfall, the two arrived smoothly at Xianghua Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the village entrance stood a massive banyan tree, lush and unmistakable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the most striking sight was the man sitting beneath it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man even bulkier than Jiang Tu, at least two meters tall, powerfully built.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet his appearance was filthy and disheveled, his clothes torn and mismatched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what drew Chu Danqing’s attention wasn’t his looks—it was his demeanor, unlike his rough exterior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Danqing wasn’t one to judge by appearances, yet upon seeing him, his mind involuntarily slipped into crude, childlike terms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The Guardian of the Three Scenic Wonders?’ Chu Danqing immediately recalled the description of Xianghua’s Three Scenic Wonders from his mission briefing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Tu also spotted the man and shouted: “Da Bao! Who’s feeding you tonight?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he turned to Chu Danqing: “Da Bao’s the village guardian—slow-witted, but kind-hearted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words sounded like a warning, but really meant: don’t provoke the fool, or you’ll get your head smashed—and you won’t have the right to complain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Da Bao, in his dazed tone, replied: “Chief’s house. Da De hasn’t come to call me yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t wait for him—he’s late. I’m going to the chief’s anyway—come with me.” Jiang Tu reached into his waist pouch and pulled out a handful of pork cracklings, handing them to Da Bao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Da Bao didn’t refuse or thank him—he just grabbed them and crunched them in his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he mumbled: “Da Jiang, should we kick out the stranger you brought?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just eat,” Jiang Tu laughed helplessly. “Chu here’s the chief’s guest. If you chase him off, you’ll go hungry tonight—and sleep with me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No way—I can’t stand your farting and teeth grinding,” Da Bao said, spitting out the cracklings with disgust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Chu Danqing quietly exhaled in relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His start had gone smoothly—if he hadn’t met Jiang Tu, a villager of Xianghua, Da Bao would never have let him in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Da Bao’s logic wouldn’t respond to reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he couldn’t fight—win or lose, he’d offend the villagers, sinking him into a vicious cycle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1106,"2026-06-20T00:54:40.605Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","6359721d0d0678c1201153a145c89d12df5f5a3641c9fbd01d1b2e78c9487a88","dimension-park-i-am-the-summoning-apostle-chapter-5","dimension-park-i-am-the-summoning-apostle-chapter-3",305,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdimension-park-i-am-the-summoning-apostle-cover.jpg"]