Chapter 7

Hongyang City, as the main city of the Dingbei Marquis's territory, covers an area of over eighty square kilometers. Backed by the vast and boundless mountains, the abundant resources have attracted countless nobles and merchants. Its superior geographical location has made Hongyang City unprecedentedly prosperous, and the mercenary industry has also flourished.

The mercenary management department of Hongyang City is located in the northern part of the city, which has become the gathering place for all mercenary groups. Jiang Xingchen followed the crowd to get here, and it had already been two months.

After reaching the north of the city, he didn't need to ask anymore. The people on the street were all talking about the Purple荆 Mercenary Group, and many had come specifically for it. He just needed to follow them.

"Indeed, Purple荆 is the top mercenary group. They can even defeat a top-tier beast like the Swordback Pig! It seems they will make a huge profit this time..."

"Those nobles and merchants from outside have already gone there. The skin of a Swordback Pig alone is worth at least 3,000 yellow crystal coins. The price of the meat is likely to be even higher. Plus, the tusks and the spines on the back are materials for weapons... This Swordback Pig will bring in at least 10,000 yellow crystal coins for Purple荆..."

"Group Leader Mo is even more impressive. He offered a reward of 300 yellow crystal coins to cook the back meat of the Swordback Pig. Yesterday, I heard from someone at a restaurant that it's the top-grade ingredient. Selling a pound for over 100 yellow crystal coins isn't uncommon..."

"No one can take the reward, no matter how generous. Since yesterday afternoon, many chefs have come, but none have satisfied Group Leader Mo..."

Listening to the discussions, it didn't take long for Jiang Xingchen to follow the crowd to the end of a street. Turning right, he saw a large crowd forming a semi-circle, with the buzzing of voices like flies.

From a distance, Jiang Xingchen's eyes easily passed over the crowd to see inside. But as soon as he saw it, his eyes narrowed sharply, his mind buzzed, and his breathing became tight.

The crowd surrounded a large courtyard. The wall was at least five meters high, and the large blue bricks looked heavy. Next to the gate hung a large wild beast.

Due to the crowd blocking the view, only the upper body of the beast was visible, but even that was over two meters long and as thick as a large water vat. The beast was dark brown, with a mane over half a meter long. Its back was adorned with dozens of sharp, brown spines. Its mouth had two half-meter-long white tusks, which were not round but flat, with edges as sharp as knives. Jiang Xingchen could see a glint of cold light from a distance.

"Over two meters for just the upper body, so the whole body must be over four meters. Such a large body, probably weighing two tons! With spines on its back and tusks in its mouth, and no snout... This isn't a pig at all. Even a lion on Earth would be no match..."

Through the past two days of understanding and analysis, he had always thought this world was similar to the ancient times of his own world. Although there was the existence of yuan energy, it was just a matter of higher martial prowess. But this direct visual impact made him deeply realize that this was another world, with many unknown things.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Xingchen calmed down and slowly walked to the edge of the crowd. But the visual pressure of the Swordback Pig was even greater up close.

"Here they come, here they come!" The crowd in front shouted. Jiang Xingchen stood on tiptoe to watch as the gate opened, and two middle-aged men walked out with their heads slightly lowered.

"Mr. Huang! How did it go?" someone in the crowd asked.

"Alas!" The middle-aged man in front sighed and shook his head. "We didn't meet Group Leader Mo's requirements. The meat still had a gamey smell."

The middle-aged man behind him smiled awkwardly and walked forward with his head down.

Jiang Xingchen's thoughts finally returned from the Swordback Pig to the 300 yellow crystal coins. His eyes lit up when he heard the middle-aged man's words: "Remove the gamey smell from the meat?"

The crowd parted, and the two middle-aged men walked out. Jiang Xingchen looked through the gap and saw two burly men standing with their arms crossed, looking arrogantly at everyone.

After a moment's thought, Jiang Xingchen turned and walked away. He couldn't make the same mistake as yesterday, when he was chased out by the restaurant staff. Since he had figured out the reason, he would go back and prepare before coming again.

He almost ran back to the market on the outskirts of the civilian area and dove right in... His current actions were like a gamble, using all his assets to bet on this opportunity.

The market had onions, ginger, and garlic. What excited him was that there was soy sauce, or more accurately, clear sauce. The taste was slightly lighter than on Earth, but it didn't affect its use as a seasoning.

Alcohol was a must-buy, as it was key to removing the gamey smell. Three ounces of murky, low-quality bulk alcohol cost fifty copper coins, which made Jiang Xingchen wince.

Next, he searched the entire market and finally found star anise and cinnamon bark at a pharmacy. Only then did he truly feel relieved.

What disappointed him was that he couldn't buy sugar, which would have given him more confidence.

During the purchase, Jiang Xingchen again realized the differences between this world and Earth. It was almost winter, yet there were seven or eight types of vegetables, none of which he recognized. Nearly 90% of the herbs in the pharmacy were unknown to him, and some had fantastical names like 'Three-Color Spirit Flower,' with one plant costing over 100 yellow crystal coins...

A month later, it was noon, and Jiang Xingchen returned to the courtyard where he lived with the things he had bought.

Mei'er wasn't home, and Jiang Xingchen didn't mind. The little girl had already said in the morning that she was going to Mr. Huang's place.

Entering the kitchen, Jiang Xingchen put the things he had bought in order: salt, soy sauce, onions, ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon bark, two pounds of pork ribs, three ounces of alcohol, and a small earthenware jar. These items had cost him all his two yellow crystal coins and sixty copper coins.

"This is it, one shot to win or lose!" Jiang Xingchen stood in front of the stove, took a deep breath, and began. He first soaked the ribs in cold water to remove the residual blood, then started processing the onions, ginger, and garlic. He lit the stove and built a simple one outside the kitchen by the wall, digging a ventilation hole underneath. The kitchen stove was suitable for slow simmering, but not for boiling...

In the afternoon, as the sun gradually set, many people still gathered outside the large courtyard of the Purple荆 Mercenary Group. Some came to see the Swordback Pig and prepare to trade with the mercenary group, while others from various restaurants came to see if anyone could take the 300 yellow crystal coins.

The gate opened, and two more middle-aged men walked out, heads hanging low. It was clear that Group Leader Mo was not satisfied. The onlookers sighed: "Even Cuiyuan Building couldn't succeed!"

"If Fuyongzhai couldn't succeed, Cuiyuan Building certainly couldn't... It seems that unless someone from the capital comes, it will be hard to satisfy Group Leader Mo!"

"Fuyongzhai and Cuiyuan Building are the best restaurants in Hongyang City. I often go to these two places and haven't found their meat to have a gamey smell. Group Leader Mo..."

"I heard that Group Leader Mo is hosting an important friend who can't tolerate any gamey smell, so he offered a reward to have the top-grade ingredient, the back meat of the Swordback Pig, prepared..."

"Since the best two restaurants in Hongyang City couldn't succeed, it's unlikely that other restaurants will come..."

As the two men from Cuiyuan Building walked out, the onlookers, except those who were eyeing the Swordback Pig to do business with the Purple荆 Mercenary Group, found nothing interesting and began to leave, making the crowd thin out.

At this moment, Jiang Xingchen, dressed in old hemp clothes, holding a small jar with a ceramic bowl on top, walked through the crowd toward the gate of the Purple荆 Mercenary Group.

As everyone else was leaving, he was the only one going in, immediately drawing everyone's attention.

"Commoner, what is a commoner doing here?" Everyone had this thought and stopped, turning to look at Jiang Xingchen.

"Does he also want to claim the 300 yellow crystal coins reward?" someone asked in doubt. But he was quickly rebutted: "Even the best restaurants couldn't succeed. How can a commoner satisfy Group Leader Mo?"

"Who knows, maybe he really has the skills..."

"Stop joking. A commoner, has he even seen meat... I wonder if Group Leader Mo will be so angry as to kill him when he sees a commoner come in!"

"Want to see Group Leader Mo? It's already a big deal if he can even get through the gate..."

Soon, everyone turned around, their mouths twisted with mocking smiles, ready to watch the show.

Two of the onlookers frowned slightly and asked their assistants: "Does he look familiar?"

"Boss, isn't this the fraudster who came to our restaurant yesterday!" the assistant said, surprised. "This kid is so bold, he's even trying to scam the Purple荆 Mercenary Group. He must be crazy..."

As the crowd discussed, Jiang Xingchen had already reached the gate. Two burly men stepped forward, blocking his way, their faces filled with anger.

They had been watching Jiang Xingchen, and they shared the same thoughts as the onlookers. His behavior was a mockery of the Purple荆 Mercenary Group, which made them extremely angry.

"Kid, you better scram, or else..." The two men blocked Jiang Xingchen, speaking fiercely. Both had seen blood, and their anger brought a fierce aura.

The onlookers laughed, waiting to see Jiang Xingchen cower in fear.

However, Jiang Xingchen didn't even raise his head, not looking at the two men. Although they were intimidating, his mental fortitude was strong. As long as he didn't make eye contact, he wouldn't be affected. More importantly, he believed that the carefully prepared stewed ribs would satisfy Group Leader Mo.

Before the two men could finish their sentence, Jiang Xingchen reached out and gently lifted the ceramic bowl on the jar.

A rich meat aroma wafted out, quickly spreading.

The two burly men stopped mid-sentence, sniffing the air and swallowing their saliva, their eyes fixed on the jar in Jiang Xingchen's hand.

For a moment, the crowd was silent. The smiles on their faces turned to surprise as they greedily inhaled the aroma, thinking to themselves, "What kind of meat is this, so fragrant?"

Many of those present were chefs from restaurants. They knew it was meat, but such a rich aroma was something they had never encountered.

"Unfortunately, the journey took too long, and the aroma isn't as strong as when it was just out of the pot," Jiang Xingchen thought to himself, also swallowing his saliva. He had been eating flatbread for days and was craving it.

Lifting his head, Jiang Xingchen smiled at the two men still staring at the jar and asked, "Can I go in, gentlemen?"

"Ah!" The two men snapped out of it, nodding hurriedly. "Yes, yes..."

"Thank you!" Jiang Xingchen nodded slightly and was about to step in when he felt a gust of wind, and a red shadow rushed out.

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