Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Tuan Tuanyi, however, wasn’t so discerning. He began his tour with great curiosity, not daring to look too closely at the dazzling treasures. Pointing to an unassuming bronze cauldron in front of him, he asked, “…What is this bronze cauldron…?”
Xia Shouren: “Have you heard of the Sword of Goujian, King of Yue[1]? This is an artifact unearthed from the same tomb as that sword.”
Tuan Tuanyi: “…Fuck!”
He quickly moved away, afraid of touching this priceless object, and then saw another shelf displaying a piece of dusty white jade. This white jade was not only dirty, but also seemed to have a broken corner, standing out conspicuously among its companions, which were all clear and translucent, resembling emeralds: “What is this thing?”
Xia Shouren: “You don’t even know about the Heshibi jade[2]?”
Tuan Tuanyi: “…F*ck!”
Tuan Tuanyi’s legs started shaking, and he wished he could shrink his huge body to the size of a quail. How could they be so immoral? How could they just leave such a treasure on the shelf like that? If even one of these broke, he’d probably lose his life!
Bi Fang, being an auspicious beast, did not regard worldly things, but was naturally drawn to spiritual energy. It immediately noticed an object on another shelf that seemed to possess spiritual energy: “This… could this be…”
Xia Shouren, standing to the side, nodded solemnly: “The purple-gold chain on the Yellow Emperor’s crown.”
The Yellow Emperor had been gone for a long time, and there had never been any news of him leaving anything behind. Bi Fang found it hard to believe: “This… how is this possible? These things were already quite rare treasures before the collapse of the Heavenly Dao, and they are even more so in modern times… How could Master Shuo Zong have gathered them all here?”
The moment the Heavenly Dao collapsed, everyone’s cave dwellings suffered severe damage simultaneously. The barriers that once protected mortals from the immortal mountains and famous rivers were broken, and most of their treasured possessions vanished. Each family was left with only a small portion. Bi Fang was among the most unfortunate. He remained poor from that time until the Reform and Opening Up period. Now that he had a stable job, he was just living off his fixed salary from the company. Even buying a luxury item from the mortal world required great deliberation. He had never witnessed anything like this before.
Xia Shouren, who had remained calm despite having visited several times before, finally broke down upon hearing this, his eyes filled with sorrow: “What do you think! This purple-gold chain was originally something I saved to marry my wife! The Heshibi jade was originally in my room too!”
What other methods can that old beast use to gather them all together!
Bi Fang stared blankly, and unconsciously walked towards the chain. Little did he know that Shuo Zong, who was changing his shoes, would immediately sweep his cold gaze over.
Bi Fang froze, then asked nervously, “What does this mean?”
Xia Shouren: “Don’t you understand?”
Bi Fang: “He won’t let me move?”
Xia Shouren: “Of course! Don’t you have any idea what kind of person he is?”
Bi Fang: “…That makes sense.”
Xia Shouren: “Don’t even mention you. Last time I took one of his paintings out, he almost beat me to death.”
Bi Fang: “Huh? So strict? Didn’t you say you were Mr. Shuo Zong’s best friend?”
Xia Shouren: “What do you mean?”
Bi Fang: “No.”
Xia Shouren: “Don’t be so narrow-minded. My friendship with him is as clear as day. Haven’t you heard of the saying ‘even close brothers should keep their accounts clear’? Do I need to explain to you how ruthless he can be when it comes to money? Don’t even mention me, even if it were Hongjun the Ancestor[3], it wouldn’t matter. I don’t know what he’s planning to do with all these treasures.”
Just then, a person came up from the side and walked straight toward the purple-gold chain.
Wei Xi asked, “What is this?”
Shuo Zong tossed his coat onto the clothes rack, his tone calm and collected: “You like it?”
Wei Xi frowned and sniffed around the pendant: “It has spiritual energy.”
Shuo Zong shuffled forward in his slippers, stretched out his long arm, took the chain from the shelf, and examined it in his palm: “Want it?”
Wei Xi: “You’re going to give it to me?”
Shuo Zong met his gaze, chuckled after a moment, and swung the chain over his head, saying nonchalantly, “It’s nothing special.”
Bi Fang: “…”
Xia Shouren: “…”
Bi Fang hesitated for a moment: “Old Xia, you…”
Xia Shouren: “Can you please be quiet?”
Bi Fang paused, then awkwardly shut his mouth. Seeing Wei Xi leave with Shuo Zong, still confused, touching the pendant, he glanced around and saw a framed scroll in the corner of the cabinet. Curious, he reached out his hand.
As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Shuo Zong, who was leading Wei Xi away, slowly turned his head.
The left eye said “Dare to move,” and the right eye said “You’ll die.”
Bi Fang: “…”
Xia Shouren: “…”
Xia Shouren: “Bi Fang, you…”
Bi Fang: “Why hurt each other?”
Xia Shouren: “…”
Bi Fang pulled his arm back: “…Let’s go make Fei Yi.”
Xia Shouren: “Alright then.”
….
Bi Fang, being a fire beast, possessed unparalleled fire control abilities. Furthermore, the Fei Yi he had chosen, though ugly and prone to causing trouble, had meat that was both Fei Yity and tender, surpassing even the finest Wagyu beef, and possessed an aroma unlike that of ordinary animals.
The braised half of the Fei Yi meat was crispy and tender, with a glossy color. When you put it in your mouth, the juicy fibers couldn’t wait to melt on your tongue. The bone part was also full of collagen, which was even more refreshing than dragon horn.
The half with salt and pepper was deep-fried beforehand, so the snake skin on the surface was fried until it was slightly golden and crispy, while the meat inside remained tender and juicy. With one bite, you get a spicy flavor from the salt and pepper, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and every bite was full and satisfying – it was simply luxurious.
Wei Xi used to eat either raw meat or simple, rough food. Even since coming down from the mountain, this was the first time he had tasted such delicious food. Even though he was not picky about food and clothing, he couldn’t help but show a little shock in his eyes.
Tuan Tuanyi, however, looked thoughtful as he ate: “Master, why does this taste so familiar? It’s like I’ve had it before.”
Before Wei Xi could speak, Xia Shouren, who was standing to the side, was startled and looked him over seriously: “You used to eat Fei Yi?”
Such an exquisite way of eating… Could it be a mythical beast? Or a fallen star? But that doesn’t seem possible at all.
Xia Shouren was born with extraordinary knowledge of the heavens and the earth, and he mingled in the realm of gods during the primordial era. Which constellation or divine beast did he not recognize? He had no recollection of Tuan Tuanyi’s face.
Tuan Tuanyi was also confused: “…Huh?”
This was the first time he had ever seen a Fei Yi, and it was so ugly it had startled him.
Xia Shouren had never taken him seriously before, but now, with suspicion in his heart, he couldn’t help but become cautious: “I didn’t realize you had such a distinguished background and status.”
Tuan Tuanyi: “Absolutely.”
Xia Shouren was taken aback upon hearing this. Could it be that the real master was hiding his true abilities, and he had misjudged him?
Tuan Tuanyi then chuckled and said, “You’re right. Back in Fengyang, I was a master at begging for food, and I was also incredibly good at dodging the city management officers. The Beggars’ Sect members from all around would respectfully call me Brother Tuan!”
Xia Shouren: “…”
Xia Shouren wiped his face. He was wrong, so wrong. How could anyone who hung out with Wei Xi be normal? He had actually taken Wei Xi’s nonsense seriously. Even if Xingxiu and the divine beast were down on their luck, they wouldn’t be so destitute that they had to beg for food.
Bi Fang, being a divine beast of the realm, was unaware of the hardships of ordinary people. However, upon hearing Tuan Tuanyiyi’s boast, he became curious: “You look dignified, with bright eyes and brows. You don’t seem like the type to become a beggar.”
When Tuan Tuanyi thought about the past, he was quite nonchalant: “There was nothing I could do. I had no parents and no schooling. I was raised by an old beggar. What else could I do but be a beggar? But I was lucky enough to be brought to the capital by my master. And now, tsk tsk, I’m a general manager. I’ve really brought honor to my ancestors.”
Wei Xi patted his eldest apprentice’s head tenderly, picked up a piece of Fei Yity pork for him, and then picked up two pieces of pork for his own bowl.
The once empty bowl was now almost full of food. He ate very slowly, picking at his food the whole time. Shuo Zong had seen him eat like this before. He glanced at Tuan Tuanyi and then frowned as his gaze fell on the trembling piece of Fei Yity meat in the other’s bowl. “What are you doing? Doesn’t it suit your taste?”
As Wei Xi put food into his bowl, he said earnestly, “This is delicious. I want to take it back for my second apprentice to try as well.”
Shuo Zong was stunned.
Halfway through his meal, Xia Shouren suddenly nudged Bi Fang in shock: “Look! Why is he suddenly glowing?!”
Bi Fang, his mouth full of food, immediately looked in the direction Xia Shouren was pointing. Before he could see clearly, he saw Shuo Zong suddenly stand up and calmly say to the two of them, “Stop eating.”
Xia Shouren: “?”
Bi Fang: “?”
What? We’ve been working on this all afternoon!
But Shuo Zong clearly had no intention of taking their feelings into consideration. He quickly obtained two large lunch boxes from who-knows-where and handed them to Wei Xi, indicating that Wei Xi could pack up all the remaining Fei Yi remains.
Xia Shouren stared at him blankly, chopsticks in hand: “…Are you even human?”
Bi Fang gnawed on the empty end of his chopsticks: “It wasn’t originally like that.”
Xia Shouren: “…”
Shuo Zong shooed away the two who were trying to protest, turned to look at the table, and his eyes darkened as he thought of Wei Xi’s expression when he took the first bite of the Fei Yi relic.
It seems that Wei Xi really hasn’t eaten anything good.
Bi Fang suddenly heard his deep voice: “Bi Fang, did the Qing Niu[4] bring back a nest of Fei Yi relic this time?”
Bi Fang smacked his lips: “Ah, there are quite a few, two males and two females. I brought the biggest male. Why are you asking about this?”
He looked up at the eldest brother and saw that the eldest brother seemed to be pondering something.
Bi Fang: “?”
Then the other person asked, “Is the eighteenth basement level still empty?”
Bi Fang: “Huh?”
Xia Shouren noticed his friend’s expression and suddenly had a bad feeling: “…It’s empty, what’s wrong?”
Then a voice that brooked no argument was heard—
“It’s such a waste; we should use it for aquaculture instead.”
Xia Shouren rolled his eyes dramatically: “Raise what? Raise a Fei Yi remnant? Dude, wake up!”
Bi Fang: “I also think it’s not quite appropriate…”
Shuo Zong put his hands in his pockets, leaned against the wall, and looked at them calmly: “The SSSSR cards for ‘Primordial War God II’ should be finalized by the end of next month at the latest.”
Xia Shouren took out his phone and opened Taobao: “Let me see, how much is a copy of ‘Postpartum Care of Sows’?”
Bi Fang: “Fei Yi loves drought and high temperatures. Mr. Shuo Zong, I think it is very suitable for me to be in charge of this project.”
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[1] The Sword of Goujian is a famous 2,500-year-old bronze sword from ancient China. Found in 1965 in Hubei, it is known for its amazing lack of rust, sharp edge, and beautiful dark diamond patterns. It belonged to King Goujian of the Yue State
[2] The Heshibi, often translated as Mr. He’s jade, was a sacred ceremonial bi disk, also known as a jade annulus, which had an important role in Chinese history. First appearing during the mid–8th century BCE, it was cut into a ritual bi and recognized as an imperial treasure. The Heshibi became the object of contention among the Warring States, stolen from Chu circa 4th century BCE, acquired by the Zhao, and temporarily traded to Qin in 283 BCE. When the Qin dynasty was founded in 221 BCE, the Heshibi was carved into the Heirloom Seal of the Realm, symbol of the Mandate of Heaven, and subsequently transferred through successive Chinese dynasties until it was lost during the Five Dynasties era in the 10th century.
[3] Hongjun Laozu (simplified Chinese: 鸿钧老祖; traditional Chinese: 鴻鈞老祖; pinyin: Hóngjūn Lǎozǔ; Wade–Giles: Hung-chün Lao-tsu) lit. “Ancestor of the Great Balance” is a deity in Chinese folk religion and Taoism, teacher of the Three Pure Ones in Taoist mythology. Hongjun 鴻鈞 is a graphic variant of hungjun (洪钧; 洪鈞; hóngjūn; hung-chün) “primordial nature”, as used in the Chinese idiom Xian you hongjun hou you tian 先有鸿钧后有天 “First there was Hongjun and then there was Heaven”.
[4] Green Ox (青牛, Qīngniú) is a legendary sacred beast in Chinese mythology and Taoism, best known as the loyal mount of the philosopher Laozi.
