The very next morning, Chu Jin came to deliver Lu Zheng’s share of the spoils.
One entire hind leg, two large wolf pelts, four wolf fangs, and a whole pot of wolf blood.
“So much?” Lu Zheng was genuinely surprised.
Chu Jin clapped him on the shoulder. “Leng Li was already gravely wounded. Finding him was half the battle, so this is what you deserve. Take it without worry.”
Lu Zheng nodded. Looking at the hind leg several metres long, he blinked, already planning to air-dry some in the Great Jing style while the rest would go straight into the massive freezer back in the modern world.
…
That same afternoon, Lu Zheng sliced off several dozen jin of wolf meat, marinated it all afternoon, prepared vegetables, yellow wine, and soft drinks, then fired up the hotpot at home that evening.
Dog… no, wolf-meat hotpot, commence!
He held it at his own place rather than the Liu house because he had also invited Shen Ying and several female demons.
After all, Mo Lan had helped locate Leng Li; Lu Zheng wasn’t the sort to forget someone once the deed was done.
Besides, hind-leg meat from a thousand-year great demon would benefit those demon girls too, so he simply invited them all for a meal.
Mo Lan and Bi Xin were inseparable from Meng, so the girls from Five Beauties Villa lucked out as well. Everyone drank and ate at Lu Zheng’s house, singing and dancing when the mood took them. It was an uproariously good time.
Good thing Lu Zheng had set up a sound-dampening array, otherwise, with them carrying on until dawn, hissing like snakes one moment and bleating like deer the next, the county bailiffs would already have ridden through the night to Yizhou for reinforcements.
“So tasty! So tasty!”
Ao Qian blew on the steaming meat, fanned her little mouth, then eagerly popped another piece in.
Tender yet succulent, rich and fragrant!
The moment the meat touched her tongue, spiritual essence and aroma flooded from mouth to stomach, then spread through every limb and bone. Even her skeleton seemed to revel in the flavour, sending waves of pure bliss through her body.
The meat itself was extremely dense. Lu Zheng had used a Huaxia pounding technique combined with true qi to tenderise it thoroughly so the flavours could penetrate.
Fortunately, Great Jing knives were decent; he hadn’t snapped the blade.
With seasonings mingling with the natural fragrance of thousand-year demon meat, one whiff was enough to make immortals fall. It was even more intoxicating than the last Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
Lu Zheng took a bite and could only conclude that wolf meat truly lived up to its ancient reputation. The ancients had not deceived him!
Meat from a thousand-year great demon was a rare treat, so all the demon girls abandoned restraint and devoured heartily. Even Hua Yixing and Bai Ting’er broke their usual diets, eating piece after piece with utter delight.
Ever seen rabbits gorging on meat?
Shen Ying, on the other hand, was simply enjoying the taste. The benefits were there, but not as pronounced for her.
She kept adding food to Lu Zheng’s bowl and teased, “If you keep this up, Lu-lang, you’ll become our personal chef.”
The demon girls were too shy to agree openly, but Liu Qingquan and Ao Qian nodded vigorously with shining eyes, clearly all in favour.
Before Lu Zheng could respond, Liu Qingyan’s heart ached for him. She flicked both little girls on the forehead.
“Yesterday you two were bouncing off the walls about hotpot. Today is not a rest day. Have you finished your homework?”
“Finished!” Ao Qian and Liu Qingquan declared proudly in unison.
Liu Qingyan faltered, then narrowed her eyes. “Finishing today’s is enough? Have you revised yesterday’s lessons? Previewed tomorrow’s?”
Ao Qian and Liu Qingquan: “…”
…
After the wolf-meat hotpot, everyone’s faces were flushed and their bodies feverishly hot.
The demon girls were sent home. Old Liu and his wife dragged the two little ones off to bed by force. Soon only Lu Zheng, Liu Qingyan, and Shen Ying remained in the house.
Lu Zheng exhaled a steamy breath and doubled the strength of the courtyard’s sound-dampening barrier.
Liu Qingyan saw it clearly, let out a soft cry, her passion rising, and the room filled with alluring fragrance.
Shen Ying giggled, slowly loosened her robes (seemingly slow but actually swift), and soon her jade-like body glowed in the lamplight.
…
The fox girl sang softly, the charming ghost moaned low.
In the middle of the night, Lu Zheng had to reinforce the barrier again to keep it from collapsing.
The next morning was not a rest day, yet Liu Qingyan did not go out.
Surprisingly, Old Liu didn’t show up on time either. Only Du Yueyao arrived early at Benevolent Heart Hall, dark circles under her eyes yet her face radiant, helplessly seeing patients alone.
…
The sun was high in the sky.
Liu Qingyan meant to fetch water to help Lu Zheng rise, but he pulled her back. The three of them lay side by side on the bed, propping the Cloud Palace Treasure Mirror at the headboard.
Through the mirror they enjoyed a first-person view of someone strolling around Tonglin County.
Starting from the west gate, through the vegetable market, down to Anfang in the south, they could window-shop from the comfort of their beds.
Lu Zheng smacked his lips. This kind of technology didn’t even exist in the modern world, did it?
He wondered whether the great master who forged the mirror would die of anger if he knew the three of them were using his supreme treasure to sightsee and shop virtually.
Entering the western gate of the southern market, they soon spotted their own shop. “Heehee, Sweet Treats Studio is doing great business.”
Next door was a jewellery shop. They browsed inside, and Shen Ying laughed. “Which rich young lady is that, picking three pieces at once?”
Heading north, they reached the famous Fragrance Street. Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow. “Tsk tsk, isn’t that Second Young Master Duan? Just coming out of Spring Breeze Tower, and his steps look a bit shaky!”
“By the way, has that Silver Phoenix Troupe from Yizhou left yet?” Lu Zheng asked.
“They’ve gone,” Liu Qingyan answered. Then the view reached Benevolent Heart Hall.
“Huh? Father isn’t there either?”
When the mirror showed the clinic, only Du Yueyao was present.
“Though we didn’t drink that Red Centipede Spiritual Wine, the yang energy from the wolf hotpot was more than enough. It’s perfectly normal Father didn’t go,” Shen Ying said with a sly smile. “Didn’t you stay home too, little sister?”
Liu Qingyan blushed crimson and hurriedly tugged Lu Zheng’s hand to move the view away from the clinic.
Yet just as they turned, a middle-aged man walked into the shop.
“Huh? Isn’t that Boss Zhao from Three Yellows Hall?” Liu Qingyan said in surprise. “It’s only been a few days. Why does he look so haggard?”
Through the mirror, the once robust and energetic Master Zhao now had dark circles, sunken cheeks, dull eyes, and a sallow complexion.
“Clearly excessive indulgence. Even I can tell,” Shen Ying shook her head.
Lu Zheng nodded. “Looks like it.”
Liu Qingyan shrugged; she had no objection.
Such cases were common, so they moved the view northward again, soon reaching the vicinity of the City God Temple.
“Buzz!”
A burst of golden light enveloped the entire temple, completely blocking the mirror’s prying.
Liu Qingyan blinked. “Looks like the court’s territory is off-limits…”
“Indeed. The Great Jing Empire still has some tricks up its sleeve,” Lu Zheng remarked casually, then swiftly moved the view away.
