Chapter 59

"This place isn't very safe; stay close to me and don't go far."

In the scorching heat, Mo Lie's voice carried a hint of coolness, and Lin Manzhi instinctively stepped closer to his side.

Lin Manzhi walked beside Mo Lie, lifted her head and looked out through the coarse cloth draped over her head; everyone around wore full-body cloaks that covered their heads, and the passing figures varied in size, though the females were dressed more brightly.

The clothes she bought here this morning were far better than the tribe's fabrics; they had woven a layer of silver ice silk inside the linen cloaks for cooling, and soaked them in a refreshing thin silkworm herbal water for heat protection.

In almost indistinguishable attire, Lin Manzhi and Mo Lie moved through the crowd, and no one paid them any special attention.

Following the crowd forward, Lin Manzhi surveyed both sides of the narrow alley; the low houses were made of cracked mud bricks, the doors and windows no larger than half a well opening, looking as if they had endured much wind‑sand erosion.

Turning at the alley's mouth onto a street twice as wide, wide leather blankets were stretched across the rooftops on both sides, and goods were displayed directly on stalls in the street, making the area under the awnings a bit cooler than outside.

"The game here is hunted from outside the city early in the morning, then sold at their own stalls; the prices aren't high, and there are many varieties of meat."

Mo Lie's voice came over her head, like a cool stream amid the bustling, noisy market, prompting her to touch her slightly warm earlobe.

Lin Manzhi looked at the bloody stalls on both sides, not recognizing any of the meat, turned her head and asked, "At home we only have Small Exotic Beast meat; I want to buy high‑energy meat for storage, preferably portable meat jerky."

Listening to Lin Manzhi, Mo Lie reached out, took her hand, and led her from one stall toward another alley, saying, "Cooing Bird meat is rich in energy and tastes good; it's also popular among females, so you should like it too."

Cooing Bird is very popular, especially suitable for male Beast Husband cubs under ten, so Beastfolk generally prefer hunting it.

Lin Manzhi obediently followed, and saw a water stall deep in the alley; unlike the crowds gathered around other stalls, the water stall had an orderly long queue.

"How is the water sold here?" Lin Manzhi asked curiously, thinking of the long river in her own space.

Mo Lie tilted his head and glanced at her, "Ten jin of Small Exotic Beast meat for one jin of water; it gets more expensive in drought season."

His blue eyes, deeper beneath the black cloth, were hard to read: "All water stalls are controlled by the major forces in the city; this stall falls within the Wind Erosion Gang's territory. What do you want to do? Wait a moment."

Lin Manzhi paused.

Huh? When Mo Lie said "wait a moment," it felt as if he were already battling in Kuangsha City, and once he establishes his own force, he could set up a water stall?

The thought made her laugh; she cleared her throat and said, "I was just asking casually—no matter what I want to do, you won't think I'm being unrealistic, right?"

Mo Lie replied casually, "Zhi Zhi, you are my Wife Master; whatever you do, I as your Beast Husband shouldn't question it, but should help you do it."

His tone sounded as if he were stating something obvious, and as it reached Lin Manzhi's ears, a rare feeling of being carefully cared for rose within her.

She curved the corner of her mouth, shook the hand they were holding, and asked brightly, "What kind of meat do you like to eat? Your Wife Master always buys it for you."

Mo Lie slightly raised his eyebrows.

He was pleased by the words "your Wife Master."

He turned his head to look at Lin Manzhi, the slender female beside him; her white, soft fingers hooked his palm, and her jet‑black, shining eyes were slightly curved, looking at you with a wonderfully beautiful expression.

Mo Lie, who could never discern Qingxu's voice, now deliberately lowered his voice, with a silky, intimate tone: "Listening to you, Wife Master…"

The two continued walking through the alley.

With Mo Lie beside her, Lin Manzhi didn't have to think about anything and just followed; soon they arrived at a shop whose merchandise was all kinds of meat jerky.

Packaged in large burlap sacks, the dark meat jerky was displayed openly; Lin Manzhi scanned and saw over a dozen varieties, in shades of reddish‑brown of varying depth.

It was clear that Beastfolk here didn't care about presentation; the jerky was a chaotic assortment, unlike the neat meat strips they themselves dried, resembling cured meat.

Nevertheless, Lin Manzhi had no complaints about the jerky's appearance; as long as it tasted good, that was enough.

She let Mo Lie pick the jerky varieties while she watched beside him; if the jerky was good, they would first buy fifteen hundred jin to take home.

The shopkeeper was a male Beast with a full beard covering his face; when he saw customers, he initially ignored them until the male Beast beside him spoke up, "Do you have Cooing Bird jerky? I need fifteen hundred jin."

What a big customer!

Fifteen hundred jin equals three hundred thousand Beast Coins—

The shopkeeper immediately approached with a beaming smile, "Cooing Bird jerky is two hundred Beast Coins per jin; I only have three hundred jin in stock, so if you want fifteen hundred jin, come back this evening."

Lin Manzhi recalled hearing Mo Lie mention the price of fresh Cooing Bird meat on the road; the shopkeeper's price was still reasonable, at least several dozen Beast Coins cheaper than in the city.

She wanted to buy, so she quietly tugged Mo Lie's sleeve.

Mo Lie negotiated a pickup time with the shopkeeper; the shopkeeper beamed, saying he had to return to the camp to report to leader Xiang Sa, delighted at landing such a big deal.

In Kuangsha City, the Six Major Forces control and divide resources; other minor factions can only fight the big forces and resort to raiding and looting.

These jerky are bought cheap from other minor factions; the goods seized by various gangs can only be sold to the Six Major Forces in the city, and the prices are set by those forces.

Thus, these jerky of unknown origin from some small merchant caravan cost only ten Beast Coins per jin at cost, and he makes a profit of one hundred ninety Beast Coins for the leader.

He also discovered a wealthy fat sheep who could sell this information to the small gangs, letting them dispatch men to seize it again and buy it back at low price.

Such matters are common in Kuangsha City; the weak Beastfolk have no right to survive, and in the water‑scarce, food‑short Kuangsha City, no one thinks this is wrong.

With an eager attitude to claim credit, the shopkeeper, after the two left, immediately summoned a junior clerk to report it.

And as Lin Manzhi left the shop, the newly purchased jerky combined with roughly five hundred jin of jerky already at home meant that, at fifty days per month, her household now had enough stored food for a four‑month drought, so she could temporarily stop worrying about food.

Lin Manzhi checked the sky—it was still early—and walked home with Mo Lie, planning to call Hua Zheng to help move things and then buy more jerky.

She and Mo Lie left the bustling alley, and upon reaching a quieter corner, they inadvertently spotted two silhouettes in the distance, one tall and one short.