Amid the bustling market of Martial Demon Town, Xue Qilin holding a bunch of sanshoku dango [1] is enjoying her favorite food while looking around this place that has a sense of novelty.
Countless roadside stalls are chaotically arranged on both sides of the main road, and the sound of street vendors peddling their wares is deafening. This place is more bustling than Luotian Town’s town center.
Most of the stalls here sell raw materials, with only a small number of stalls selling processed goods. It seems that the claim that Martial Demon Town is rich in raw materials because of its proximity to Martial Demon Realm is true.
“Hey, that looks delicious.”
Phecda’s voice came from above.
“Hmm? Where?”
Xue Qilin looked up. The black cat lying on top of her head is pointing in a certain direction with a furry paw. She looked in that direction, and her gaze finally fell on a stall not far away on her left.
It is a stall selling food.
Underneath the shabby canopy frame, there is a large wok resting on a stove. The stall owner standing behind the stove threw a few meatballs into the large wok. Along with the sizzling sound of frying, white smoke is rising from the wok.
“Hey, it looks quite good.”
Xue Qilin went towards the stall. As she approached, the sweet smell of fried meat entered her nose.
“Oy, Young Miss, do you want to buy some?”
The stall owner noticed the petite lass stop in front of his stall.
After a short delay, he discovered the black cat and glanced above Xue Qilin’s head. When Phecda who has turned into a black cat stuck out her tongue, the stall owner immediately showed a surprised look.
“You wouldn’t be thinking about cooking my cat, would you?”
Xue Qilin stared at the stall owner suspiciously.
He was taken aback at first, and then immediately laughed and extended his bear paw of a hand to pat the head of the lass in front of him.
“You’re so cute, Young Miss!”
“Yeah, there’s no need to state the obvious.”
Xue Qilin quietly avoided the stall owner’s hand, and then extended her head to looked at the inside of the wok.
The several meatballs rolling in the oil have turned a golden yellow color, looking extremely appetizing.
“Do you want some? Seeing how cute you are, I’ll sell you three for the price of two, how about it?”
The stall owner winked at Xue Qilin as he fished out the meatballs and placed them on a plate.
Then he made an inquisitive expression.
“That said, is this your first time in Martial Demon Town, Young Miss? Judging from your attire, are you a disciple of some sect?”
“That’s right.”
The stall owner seems to be a very talkative person. Staring at the crispy meatballs, Xue Qilin answered perfunctorily.
“Oh, sure enough, you came to participate in Martial Demon Realm Trial by Fire!”
Several martial practitioners passed by, and the stall owner glanced at them.
“A few days ago, I was wondering why so many martial practitioners have come recently. It wasn’t until my wife said ‘don’t you remember Martial Demon Trial by Fire?’ that I finally recalled it. After all, it hasn’t been held in several years.”
“Yeah, it’s been a while.”
Ignoring the stall owner’s lament, Xue Qilin is still staring at the meatballs.
What meat are these meatball made of? She wondered. She can sense faint spiritual qi from the meatballs.
“Anyhow, only those favored by the Heavens can participate in Martial Demon Realm Trial by Fire? Are you such an impressive individual, Young Miss?”
The stall owner threw two punches in the air. Probably because he learned martial arts, his punches unleashed air currents.
Xue Qilin who finally looked up grinned, twirled her finger, and uttered: “Uncle, I could kill you with a finger.”
Either thinking that Xue Qilin is boating, or that she won’t harm him, the stall owner smiled straightforwardly.
“Ha-ha, how scary! Young Miss, you’re already probably in the Human Realm, right?”
When he learns that I’m already in the Heaven Realm, will his eyes pope out of their sockets from fright? Xue Qilin mused mischievously. But if she really said that she is in the Heaven Realm, would the stall owner believe her? He’d probably just think that she’s joking.
“Kind of.”
“Sure enough… Do you know of the Five Great Sects? Yesterday, several disciples of One Dao Church bought food for me! The old man who sells wine across the street said that people from Beggar’s Union [2] came and bought all his wine. I also heard that people from Merak Temple have arrived just now. It seems that the Five Great Sects have gathered!”
The stall owner’s expression suddenly turned sluggish.
“Uh, but it seems that Spirit Moon Valley won’t attend.”
“Of course they won’t. Wouldn’t it just be internecine?”
Xue Qilin rolled her eyes, feeling that the other party is spouting nonsense.
“That’s true… Anyhow, Young Miss, which sect are you from? Green Mountain School perhaps?”
What sect is that? Xue Qilin has never heard of any Green Mountain School. It should be a small sect based in some valley.
“I’m from Merak Temple.”
“Oh, it turns out you’re from Merak Temple…” The stall owner is stunned, “Which Merak Temple?”
It’s not that the stall owner doesn’t know about Merak Temple, but it’s just that he finds it unbelievable that the lass in front of him is actually from Merak Temple.
Xue Qilin glanced at the other party unhappily.
“Is there any other… it’s that one with a shockingly beautiful Temple Master.”
“…Really?”
The stall owner’s suspicious look made Xue Qilin wrinkle her nose.
“Do you think that I’m deceiving you just for some meatballs?”
In a daze, the stall owner sized the lass in front of him up again. He looked her up and down and down and up.
“If you continue to look at me like that, I will have to ask for compensation.”
The stall owner snapped out of it when he heard that, and then scratched his head awkwardly.
“I didn’t expect… you to be a disciple of Merak Temple, Young Miss.”
I’m an ancestor to boot. Xue Qilin snorted twice.
“I heard that your Temple Master is very beautiful?”
“Beautiful? It’s at the level of causing the downfall of a dynasty.”
Xue Qilin sounded a little proud when saying this.
“Even more beautiful than you. Young Miss?”
“Yeah, she’s so beautiful that it’s ridiculous.”
“Oh, is that so? I really would like to take a look.”
“Don’t you have a wife?”
Xue Qilin spoke with an enigmatic smile.
The stall owner shrank back his lower jaw, appearing to be afraid of something.
“Hey, haven’t you finished chatting yet?”
Phecda butted into the conversation.
The stall owner looked around, but he couldn’t find the person who has just spoken. The one who spoke was actually the black cat on the lass’s head.
“Did someone speak just now?”
“It should be a misconception.”
Xue Qilin extended her slander fingers. The nails on her fingers have a healthy pink color.
“Getting back to the main point, how much are the meatballs, what meat are they made from?”
“Hmm? Ahh… if you want to buy some, I’ll give you a discount, how about it? I’m not trying to boast, but my meatballs are well known here! They are unique in the whole Hua Dynasty!”
Then he took out a wooden skewer, picked up a meatball with it, and handed it to Xue Qilin.
“Want to try it? It’s my treat!”
Why does it sound like someone trying to coax a child to enter their van? A queer expression on her face, Xue Qilin reached out with her hand to receive it. At this time, the stall owner suddenly added a sentence.
“This is White Moon Rabbit meat!”
Xue Qilin’s hand froze immediately.
“White… Moon Rabbit?”
She stared blankly at the meatball in front of her eyes.
“Young Miss, you don’t know of White Moon Rabbits? Their a kind of big white rabbit!”
It took a Xue Qilin a bit of time to recall what White Moon Rabbits are.
Spirit Moon Valley’s Bai Youyue and the martial demon lass who was auctioned a while ago are both White Moon Rabbits.
In other words, White Moon Rabbit is a kind of martial demon.
This stall is selling martial demon meat.
The moment when she understood this, nausea assaulted her. Looking at the rabbit meat meatball in front of her, Xue Qilin’s expression stiffened.
“Hmm? What’s wrong, Young Miss… don’t you like rabbit meat? It’s delicious!”
Speaking regretfully, the stall owner didn’t notice that Xue Qilin’s expression was getting increasingly unsightly.
In her eyes, martial demons are no different from humans. She cannot associate them with food.
In this way, martial demon meat became human meat.
Would Xue Qilin possibly eat human meat?
As a human with conscience, she not only won’t eat human meat, but she’s also disgusted by it.
Therefore…
“I have no appetite.”
Expressionless, Xue Qilin left this sentence behind, and then turned around and left.
Saying “Ah, what’s wrong!”, the stall owner cannot make sense of this.
This may be a difference in values. Xue Qilin sighed. It’s not the stall owner’s fault.
He can’t understand her, just as she can’t understand how someone could eat the meatballs he sells.
As she walked, she looked around her and found a stall selling fur.
Is that fur martial demon fur?
She naturally got no answer for this question.
Several people dressed as hunters walk beside her. Working together, they are carrying an incredibly large boar. The boar has horns on its head. It should be a martial demon.
Hearing them talk about how much their loot can sell for, Xue Qilin suddenly feels this world to be unfamiliar.
[1] – Sanshoku dango
[2] – Beggar’s Union is one of the Five Great Sects
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