Chapter 108

Customer, do you know? the rat spirit said, "Outside Kunlun's territory, you probably won't find any restaurant selling dragon meat."

Nobody dares to sell, nor does anyone dare to eat… After all, if some dragon clan deliberately causes trouble and extorts money, who can endure it?

Nowadays, this business isn't easy either.

The shop assistant sighed; it had worked here for many years, seeing countless customers from all corners of the world, and its experience was not lacking.

That's also true. Fengxi heard the words, nodded in agreement, "Although the dragon clan is no longer the ancient hegemonic clan, it remains a top-tier powerful clan in the present age."

If a dragon harbors ill intent, extorts and blackmails, having eaten the previous and next customers, ordinary people really can only endure it.

Great Dao - Great Way (glossary)

For any clan, Fengxi views it objectively and dialectically—there certainly are members of excellent moral character who keep their promises, but there also will not lack those of corrupt morals and negative reputation.

He had no doubt whatsoever… After some dragon clan sold their own flesh and blood, they then turned around—ah no, not a super double down but reported upward, claiming someone had brutally harmed them, and then used that to extort.

Then the shop selling dragon meat meets a miserable end, and the customers who ate dragon meat fare no better—losing their wealth in a huge loss is bad enough, but if things go worse, they could be slain by dragon clan experts under the pretense of justice, with nowhere to appeal.

No… it might not be a pretense of justice; there could even be 'ironclad evidence like mountains'.

Altering procedures, tampering with history, inverting black and white… these are the usual operations of the license‑rights dogs!

After all, in this Honghuang world, the size of one's fist is still very important.

Kun - the mythical giant fish

The dragon clan's experts would then be wary of many things and dare not cause trouble.

Free and Easy Wanderer - Free and Easy Wanderer

One of the landlords here—the Dao Sect—has fists that are too big and too hard!

In Kunlun's mountains, experts gather like clouds, hiding tremendously terrifying power.

The Dao Sect, while taking the Three Pure Ones as its leading leaders, certainly does not represent the entirety in terms of membership composition and peak martial power.

Zhuangzi - Zhuangzi

In the Wu Clan's database, records of the present era's top experts of the Dao Sect include many figures he had vaguely heard of in his past life as Daoist masters.

Tai Xu True Person Chisongzi, Tongxuan True Person Wenzi, Chongxu True Person Liezi, Nanhua True Person Zhuangzi, Dongling True Person Angcangzi, Zi Qing True Person who made great contributions to the Golden Core Great Dao, and Hongdao True Lord who authored the Collected Explanations of the Huangdi Yin Fu Jing…

Such power, merely by existing, needs no deliberate display of muscle to already be an ultimate terrifying deterrence.

Yellow Emperor's Yin Fu Jing Collection Explanation - Yellow Emperor's Yin Fu Jing Collection Explanation

Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow - Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow

Three Heavenly Lords - Three Heavenly Lords

Dragon-Phoenix Era - Dragon-Phoenix Era

Phoenix Clan - Phoenix Clan

Queen Mother of the West - Queen Mother of the West (glossary)

Huangdi - Yellow Emperor (glossary)

Nowadays, in the dragon clan's camp, the divine aspect has long been scattered and dissipated, no longer possessing its former prestige.

The top experts who bear the main burden are only the Ancestral Dragon alone… Although under his command there are still many Great Luo beings like the nine sons, the Four Seas Ancient Dragon Kings, etc., but when confronting the Dao Sect? One would still feel apprehensive.

Honghuang - Primordial Wilderness (glossary)

Like Zhuangzi, the Southern Hua True Person, he might well have a deep relationship with the Kunpeng, the supreme giant of the Northern Ming Sea.

In the Northern Ming there is a fish, its name is Kun. The Kun is huge, I don't know how many thousands of li. It transforms into a bird, its name is Peng. The Peng's back, I don't know how many thousands of li……

Free and Easy Wandering!

An essay expounding his own doctrine, also incidentally letting the Kunpeng show a face… To claim there's no relation between the two at all? Fengxi doesn't believe it.

Likewise, the Grand Void True Person Chisongzi, who constantly resides on Kunlun Mountain, is a member of the Daoist sect, is also a neighbor of the Queen Mother of the West, and even took the Yan Emperor's little daughter as a disciple, guiding her cultivation.

……

Viewing a leopard through a tube, seeing the big from the small; the great divine adepts of the Daoist sect naturally have connections.

If truly set in motion, pulling in connections could even drag Yandi and Huangdi in…… Once Yan and Huang move, how could the other sovereigns still sit idly by?

We definitely have to stand shoulder to shoulder!

Facing such an opponent, if the present dragon clan encounters them, they'll explode on the spot in minutes, utterly unable to withstand.

""Kunlun Mountain's three Heavenly Sovereigns leading the Daoist sect have mighty fists…… With such huge fists, even if they don't actively provoke trouble, they certainly aren't afraid of others coming to cause trouble."" Fengxi chewed another string of dragon meat, feeling the wonderful flavor exploding in his mouth, ""So this place still has basic fairness and order——especially you eateries that dare to purchase and sell dragon meat, your backers are likely powerful."

""Hehe……"" the mouse spirit attendant chuckled, ""The customer is perceptive."

""Fair trade, money and goods both clear; the dragon clan won't find fault with us, they have reservations."

""Moreover, this doesn't stop them from raising the purchase price to be high, ten to eight times more valuable than the same-grade flesh…… Every time the shopkeeper goes to restock, he has to curse a few words in private."" the mouse spirit whispered, ""I reckon, if it weren't for the dragon clan still having a great power holding the fort, the industry of raising true dragons for meat would likely have been developed on a large scale like some races whose flesh is delicious."

""Then selling it, the money doesn't just pour in?"" the mouse spirit's eyes were filled with envy and also regret.

""Is that so?"" Fengxi let out an "oh", showing understanding, chewing the dragon meat in his mouth, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

The world bustles, all for the sake of profit.

The world is in turmoil, all for the pursuit of profit.

The mouse spirit's personal speculation is actually not unfounded.

The dragon clan's dragon meat business is so booming, how could it not set people's hearts ablaze?

That is, facing a host of dragon clan Great Luo, the cost outweighs the benefit, so no industry of raising true dragons just for meat has emerged.

Those who can't beat the dragon clan, under the watchful eyes of many administrators, have no choice but to be honest.

And those forces capable of suppressing the dragon clan, for the most part, wouldn't bother acting for such petty profit…… Beings of that level, if they truly had a craving for food, a single edict would make the dragon clan themselves honestly butcher meat and hand it over, not daring to peep.

——Dragon liver and phoenix marrow!

Legend has it that at the banquet of the supreme Heavenly Court that governs Honghuang, these items appear frequently; from this one can see a glimpse.

Whatever the dragon clan or the phoenix clan, they must bow their heads.

""Tsk!" Fengxi chewed another bite of dragon meat, feeling wistful, ""The dragon clan……poor things."""

【Dragon liver, dragon cart, dragon‑slaughtering platform…… selling meat, selling strength, selling one's little life…… How can a single 'tragic' word be enough?】

【This is already the top‑strong clan of Honghuang, and yet it's like this…… What about the other clans?】

After swallowing the dragon meat that had been chewed into bits and almost turned into a mellow, fragrant juice, Fengxi took a sip of clear tea to clear the distinctive taste from his mouth, then speared a piece of beef that the shop assistant had boasted about and praised, and brought it to his mouth.

Instantly, a fresh and tender flavor unlike any dragon meat lingered on Fengxi's tongue, offering a different sort of delight.

"Not bad, this dish is also not bad." Fengxi nodded slowly, "Although it's a bit inferior to dragon meat, it's actually not much worse."

"Especially compared to dragon meat, this price is far cheaper—almost tens of times cheaper." Fengxi, while savoring the delicious food, said leisurely, "According to what you said earlier, although the purchase price of dragon meat is high, it shouldn't end up with such a huge price difference."

"Dragon meat is a delicacy that only honored guests can enjoy; it selects the finest ingredients, pairs them with the most excellent chefs, undergoes 129,600 procedures, each requiring perfection, to produce the final product……" The mouse spirit, very clever, explained eagerly, speaking in extravagant nonsense: "Eating dragon meat is no longer simply about enjoying a delicious taste; it is also about savoring the ages, savoring the rise and fall of heaven and earth—once the overlord, now how?"

"What is being eaten is a kind of spirit, what is being eaten is a kind of loneliness……"

"Ha!" Fengxi sneered, shaking his head repeatedly, "Alright, don't try to fool me with these empty words…… I've traveled south and north, I've seen a thing or two…… Your brand‑hyping, intelligence‑tax‑collecting schemes need no disguise."

"I'm not short of that bit of money; moreover, eating dragon meat is to fulfill a dream, so I won't quibble with you over pennies." He was very calm, "I'm just curious about the story behind it; I'd like to learn a bit."

"Sir, you truly have a broad mind, your heart as wide as the sea, your virtue as lofty as the sun……" The mouse spirit kept bowing and scraping with flattery, until Fengxi's face showed a bored expression, then he got to the point: "Hey, as I said before…… the breeding industry!"

"The purchase cost of dragon meat is about ten times that of ordinary meat…… but there are many ins and outs to it!" The mouse spirit glanced left and right, then after stashing another herb that Fengxi had rewarded and praised—ah no, purchased information—into his pocket, he whispered an explanation: "Our purchase of dragon meat counts as scattered procurement…… compared to similarly scattered procurement of other meats, it's indeed ten times."

"But in substance…… our shop purchases other kinds of meat in bulk, buying at wholesale prices!"

"As for how we procure in bulk? Naturally because someone is raising those species on a large scale—penning those meat‑tender species, raising them while harvesting, following the high‑volume, low‑margin route." The mouse spirit said, a flash of sadness crossing his face before vanishing.

Fengxi observed this, furrowed his brow slightly, and murmured, "In here, I suspect some rather brutal and cruel things are happening."

"After all, profit comes first…… using whatever means is no surprise."

"Since they're already into penning and slaughtering for meat, a few extra operations are also quite normal."

The mouse spirit fell silent for a moment, then managed a smile: "Sir, you are truly wise and far‑seeing…… you can see through all of this clearly."

"I'm just not reluctant to think of human nature from the worst angle." Fengxi said in a faint tone, "Looking at you, you must be well aware of this large‑scale captive breeding? Come, let's talk properly."

"Sir has given an order; how could I dare not obey?" The mouse spirit gave a wry smile, "I only hope that after you hear this, you won't spread it outside…… I couldn't withstand even the slightest ripple of this fallout."

"No problem…… I keep my mouth shut." Fengxi promised.

"Sigh……" The mouse spirit let out a long sigh, mustering his spirits, "This breeding, since they've chosen the path of large‑scale production, naturally everything revolves around this."

"In here, the primary step is selecting the species."

"Short growth period, meat quality not bad, the more offspring the better."

"Only when these three top‑priority conditions are met will they be selected as targets for mass breeding…… such as my own bamboo‑rat clan, the spirit‑rabbit clan, the azure‑chicken clan…… It is said that the danshen lineage of the dog clan, the seven branches of the pig clan, the five branches of the ox clan, etc., are also among them."

"This seems not to be a problem." Fengxi nodded indifferently, giving an objective, calm evaluation, "Although being confined and used as a source of exploitation is already quite tragic."

"Yes…… it's quite tragic." The mouse spirit murmured, "But this isn't the most tragic part."

"After being penned, some profiteers, in order to gain greater profit and higher output…… their actions are what's truly mad." His voice seemed to choke, "Using the most potent drugs, they force the captive creatures to grow frenziedly, able to gain a pound of flesh in a day……"

"As everyone knows, medicine is three parts poison…… when a drug is used excessively, bodily deformities are normal."

"For example, some chickens grow four or five pairs of wings; some dogs grow an extra pair of heads…… each twisted and bizarre, seeing them leaves a nightmare in one's mind."

"These deformed creatures, however, are not discarded…… sucking the marrow from their bones is also a way to squeeze out some profit."

"They are slaughtered and sold cheaply…… the intact ones are kept to continue growing."

"In the shortest time, they grow to a mature form…… although this form is problematic, perhaps those with frail bodies cannot bear the cultivation forced up by the elixirs, and from time to time they must suffer the agony of shattered meridians and torn flesh…… yet they cannot die."

"The big merchants in this trade spare no expense here…… they inscribe magical formations in the breeding farms, which can guide the internal energy to passively cast self‑healing arts, letting damaged bodies return to wholeness——even if they shatter again the next moment."

"Those breeders, chuckling, call this process 'stewing meat'…… What's the meaning?" The mouse spirit, somewhat excited, said, "Because there's a saying…… in bodily cultivation, no destruction, no establishment; only by enduring the bitterest hardships can one forge an indestructible body."

"Whether this can actually achieve an indestructible body, I'm not quite sure…… I only know that this repeated cycle makes the spiritual energy contained in every inch of flesh and blood more abundant."

"Moreover, in the process of bodily damage and repair, the spiritual energy participates in the reshaping of the physique, combining more perfectly with vitality——reflected in the meat quality, it becomes fresher and more tender!"

"Stewing meat, once it has reached the proper degree, is then slaughtered…… forcing the captive creatures to swallow the herb that most stimulates the spiritual energy hidden in their flesh and blood, when their qi and blood boil to the peak——"

"A single blade seals the throat!"

"That purest vital force is perfectly preserved, becoming the dish on another's plate."

The mouse spirit's expression gradually calmed down, eventually becoming like a pool of dead water.

Fengxi chewed the beef in his mouth, and suddenly it no longer smelled fragrant.

"This…… isn't anyone managing it?" he asked.

"Who would manage it? It's as natural as a cat eating a mouse——a matter of course……"

(End of chapter)