Chapter 193: Change

I also rushed in, scared of being tricked, reluctant to buy Agave beer, but I have to gush about the cherry radish that costs two thousand Beast Coins each; I've never eaten a fruit with as many flavors as the cherry radish—sour, salty, and sweet, and the crucial point is it's super tasty, so greedy that I originally ate ten jin of Meat Jerky, and after returning home I ate another two jin!

Really? You guys are way exaggerating. My family's Little Female is pregnant this dry season, has a terrible appetite and can't eat anything; I'm so anxious my hair's about to fall out. If the cherry radish truly is as magical as you say, I'll definitely squeeze in to buy it tomorrow!

Today's hot spot is clearly the Shanhai Tavern that suddenly appeared in Central City; the tavern opened by Lin Manzhi can also be called a restaurant here.

All the while I listened to people talking about the Shanhai Tavern, and most of the pedestrians were hurried merchant caravans; they seemed to have their own objectives, uninterested in what others were discussing, briskly walking toward a direction on Commercial Street.

The reason Lin Manzhi noticed was that the farther toward the center she went, the more clusters of merchant caravans appeared on the sides, and this direction happened to be the way to Yuequan Lou.

Yuequan Lou's reputation has recently surged among merchant caravans from everywhere; most caravans initially scoffed in their hearts—how good can a shop located in a desert city really be, no matter how fine its goods?

But walking through Kuangsha City, many people were talking about a medicinal plant called Holy Maiden Fruit, and everyone was either uniformly praising it or complaining they couldn't buy enough of it.

One voice among them came from Beastfolk who have been snatching up Holy Maiden Fruit since it appeared; they said their Beast Form naturally lasts shorter than others' and they are especially prone to frenzy—while others need only one calming Spirit Core elixir per month, they need five!

But—

This month, he has been continuously eating Holy Maiden Fruit and drinking its liquid, and his Beast Form now lasts longer than before!

In short, this made all the previously skeptical merchant caravans change their minds, thinking they should go see just how miraculous Holy Maiden Fruit really is.

After all, this is extremely rare; everyone knows each male Beastfolk's Spirit Core is different and requires a potion made by the Shamaness for assistance.

But with this potion, drinking one dose or ten has the same effect; they've never heard of the claim that taking more changes the Spirit Core's energy.

Yuequan Lou's reputation has spread from the locals of this city far beyond, and anyone who has bought Holy Maiden Fruit has become a loyal supporter.

Anyone who has eaten Holy Maiden Fruit or drunk its liquid will choose Holy Maiden Fruit over the calming Spirit Core elixir.

Because of this claim, many out‑of‑town merchants, who previously always skirted Kuangsha City without entering, now flood into Kuangsha City, heading straight for Yuequan Lou to snap up Holy Maiden Fruit.

The merchants initially thought this way: even if Holy Maiden Fruit's effect is exaggerated, they don't need to eat it themselves and can resell it at several times the price.

The highly sought‑after Yuequan Lou became, in out‑of‑town merchants' minds, the must‑visit shop in Kuangsha City; Holy Maiden Fruit's daily supply is limited, causing Yuequan Lou each early morning to have a dragon‑like queue similar to that of the Wushen Temple.

Lin Manzhi and Mo Lie walked slowly together.

She intended to check out her own business, followed the crowd's direction, walked for a while, arrived beside the long line at Yuequan Lou, and saw the shop entrance swarming with people.

When it was crowded, Mo Lie's hand had already moved to wrap around Lin Manzhi's waist from behind, half‑cradling the Little Female in his arm, protecting her tightly.

Behind the two, the Lord's Residence guards lingered not far away, their gazes sweeping over the crowd, vigilantly patrolling to eliminate danger.

The two moved forward, and voices of conversation from the crowd drifted over from time to time.

Lin Manzhi's ears caught mentions of Yuequan Lou and Holy Maiden Fruit, and naturally wanted to hear how customers were reacting to Holy Maiden Fruit.

"... You ask whether Holy Maiden Fruit can replace the calming Spirit Core elixir; I can say clearly, it can."

"Wushen Temple doesn't sell it, nor the shops under the Luo Lai Caravan, only Yuequan Lou in Kuangsha City has it!"

"Listen to me, if you buy this as a gift, the females will glance at you an extra one or two times..."

Similar praises kept echoing among the Beastfolk lining up; when a large group of male Beastfolk gathered to snatch a product far insufficient for all, Yuequan Lou still managed to maintain queue order.

All because a powerful male Beastfolk was stationed to guard Yuequan Lou.

In front of Yuequan Lou.

Xiong Kui's eyes flashed with ferocity; deliberately exposing a muscular arm from his brown cloak, he blocked the crowd and domineeringly asked, "You, do you have a Kuangsha City citizen token?"

Because of the Dragon Tongue Honey Water, his allegiance switched; inadvertently, this loyal Beastfolk became a lord who possessed territory.

Xiong Kui was still scheming, waiting for the Sajin City lord to question him, ready to side with whoever is stronger; he waited and waited, more than a month passed, a few days beyond the agreed trade time at Jia Jian, yet he still hadn't heard any movement from Lord Cha Lan.

Then the lord produced increasingly precious foods and liquids: Holy Maiden Fruit, Holy Maiden Fruit liquid, Dragon Tongue Honey Water, Agave beer, cherry radish…

His heart had been completely won over by the Kuangsha City lord, and this time he voluntarily led the team responsible for Yuequan Lou's security, taking the duty especially seriously.

He thundered, "If not, get out of here."

The Beastfolk at the front wiped the juice from his face, and when questioned, produced a pre‑prepared merchant caravan credential, handing it over and saying, "Lord… I paid a hundred gold as a deposit to the City Guard to obtain a merchant token, which allows me to conduct trade in Kuangsha City. I came to Yuequan Lou to purchase Holy Maiden Fruit…"

Ansen City.

Rui Fa Merchant Caravan, caravan leader, Brown Horse Tribe's Ma Rui, entered the city with a total of one hundred twenty Beastfolk…

Xiong Kui's eyes quickly scanned the playing‑card‑sized forest‑white token information.

He lifted his fierce brown eyes, glanced at the people behind that person, and said, "Honestly, why bring so many people just to buy something? Only you are allowed inside; the others stay back, don't block the doorway."

"... Yes, yes."

Ma Rui, pointed at by someone, had a slightly sour expression, but knowing he was on someone else's turf, he endured and nodded, immediately walking into Yuequan Lou.

Xiong Kui snorted coldly; he had seen between eighty and a hundred male Beastfolk like Ma Rui who were dissatisfied in a day, and believed the strong lead while the weak have no right to speak.

He looked down at the crowd through his nostrils and coldly said, "Next."

The male Beastfolk at the back took a deep breath and stepped forward; the crowd behind him was, compared to the later queue, honest and quiet.

He only saw that beside Captain Xiong Kui stood a squad of two‑meter‑tall hulks, all of the ferocious beast races, stationed on both sides of the doorway like iron towers, their Beast Forms appearing capable of easily tearing apart the lizard race famed for its hard scales.

Everyone was there to buy goods; no one dared to cause a life‑or‑death disturbance. Though the queue was long and identity cards were checked, everyone complied obediently.