Chapter 23: Yang Blade Skins The Tiger
Yang Zhangdao picked up the dagger on the table and rubbed it against another slightly thicker boning knife, producing a clanging sound.
Then he was seen thrusting the blade into the tiger’s throat, sinking in silently.
Then the blade followed the throat, slashing across the chest cavity, avoiding the bone gaps, smoothly sliding to the abdomen.
‘Impressive!’
Su Yan watched with his pupils contracting; this blade technique was silky smooth, not only showing complete familiarity with the tiger’s structure but also a level of control over the blade.
‘This Yang Zhangdao is also a martial artist.’
He stared closely at Yang Zhangdao bare-chested, with distinct muscular outlines, as he separated the tiger meat and muscle and bone, his movements having their own rhythm.
Footsteps like stance training, wielding the blade like combat.
‘Let’s see how much you can learn.’
Yang Zhangdao noticed Su Yan’s gaze but made no interrupt, focusing instead on dismantling this tiger.
Su Yan watched carefully; in the blink of an eye, the tiger’s skin and flesh were separated, a perfect tiger hide peeled off without any tears or stains of flesh and blood.
“As expected of Yang Zhangdao, the best in the Mountain Market at dismantling beasts.”
The crowd, seeing the tiger’s bare muscles and bones, exclaimed in amazement and praised Yang Zhangdao’s skills even more.
First skin and flesh separated, then bone and meat removed; Yang Zhangdao’s boning knife parted every bit of the tiger’s muscle and bone like cutting tofu.
In less than half an hour, on the chopping board lay a tiger bone spine, and tiger meat completely segmented by parts.
“Thud”
Yang Zhangdao stuck the knife into the chopping board; this sound finally startled Su Yan awake, snapping him back to reality.
【Golden Ape Stance Training: 36/200（Minor Accomplishment）】
Yang Zhangdao gave a half-smile, then said: “Tiger meat five hundred thirty-two pounds, tiger bone after removing the spine and patella bones, one hundred twenty-three pounds, organs and scraps totaling eighty pounds, flesh and blood fresh—this is a freshly killed tiger. I’ll give you a 10% premium, totaling 74 silver taels.”
“Thank you, Yang Zhangdao.”
Su Yan did not bargain; seventy-four silver taels was already a high price.
Bone and meat prices were not better than treasure plant or treasure fish, but they made up for it with weight, hence dozens of silver taels.
Yang Zhangdao waved his hand, had the accountant’s office give the money to Su Yan, and had the shop assistant nearby pack up the patella bones, spine, and a large piece of tiger hide to hand to him.
Su Yan took the items, picked out four taels of loose silver from the silver taels, scanned the crowd, and spotted Zheng Penggang.
“Uncle Gang”
Zheng Penggang was stunned, but saw Su Yan toss something over; he instinctively caught it and found it was 4 taels of silver.
“Thanks to everyone for the reception; here’s four taels of silver. Please, Uncle Gang, help me treat everyone to a bowl of tea at the tea house and some food.”
Zheng Penggang listened, showed a surprised expression, and nodded heavily: “Yan Ge’er, leave this to me.”
Tea house: three bowls of herbal tea for a copper coin, some flatbread and dry rations, no more than four copper coins per person—enough to treat a thousand people.
No matter how many people in the marketplace, not that many would gather; plenty left over.
“Yan Ge’er is generous.”
The crowd clustered together; some had already gone to the tea house to grab seats.
Saving a few copper coins to join the fun, everyone was happy.
Zheng Penggang went against the crowd, found Su Yan, grabbed his hand, leaned in, and whispered: “Yan Ge’er, rest assured; the remaining silver, I’ll return to you tonight.”
“Uncle Gang, if there’s extra, keep it all; just don’t spread it around. Thanks for helping me bring Second Uncle to the marketplace for treatment yesterday.”
Zheng Penggang looked at Su Yan, saw his straightforward words, truly not caring about this bit of silver, sincerely thanking him for saving his second uncle.
‘Yan Ge’er has truly made it.’
He sighed inwardly, then whispered again: “This morning, yamen runners came asking about Zhao Er Laizi’s matter from the other day. But Yan Ge’er, rest assured; that day when Niu Han had his incident, you and I were both in the marketplace, unrelated to us. My father has already explained it clearly to the yamen runners.”
“Today in the marketplace, I heard from Niu Xin Village folks that the case is settled: exotic insect causing trouble in the mountains. Niu Xin Village has sent people into the mountains to see if they can eliminate that insect.”
After saying this, Zheng Penggang was swept away by the crowd to the herbal tea shop; in a flash, the people had thinned out.
Not fearing scarcity but inequality; by putting out some things for everyone to share, pocketing all seventy-plus taels would inevitably breed jealousy.
Once the crowd dispersed, Su Yan quietly took out ten taels of silver, saw no one around, and handed it to Yang Sandao.
“You kid, interesting.”
Yang Sandao did not refuse; his thick palm took the silver taels and stuffed them into his trouser pocket.
“Thanks to Yang Zhangdao for dismantling the tiger.”
It was a double entendre; Yang Zhangdao slightly raised his gaze: “Advances and retreats with measure, and you saw some of the way—truly a mountain household?”
“The real deal.”
“Strange.”
Yang Sandao’s eyes flickered: “One more tip: don’t practice dead stance.”
With that, the guy put on his short jacket, covering his bare chest, and strode into the shop.
“Pack up the tiger meat and send it back to the restaurant immediately; handle it carefully—this is fresh meat.”
Seeing Yang Sandao’s departing back, he pondered that phrase in his mind.
‘Don’t practice dead stance; this seems to echo my stance training and combat against this vicious tiger in the mountains—perhaps the path to progress in stance method.’
Su Yan carried the tiger bone and tiger hide, turned into a less crowded area, then headed straight to Hundred Herbs Hall’s shop.
Entering and greeting Bai Shan, Su Yan set down his backpack, letting Bai Shan count the medicinal herbs inside.
He walked toward the back; just stepping into the backyard, he heard Song Qi’s voice.
“You’ve caused quite a commotion; why come to me?”
The earlier commotion was so big that most of the marketplace knew; Song Qi was no exception.
“Came to bring you something: a tiger hide and some tiger patella bones, good for brewing medicinal wine.”
Song Qi looked up and smiled: “Worth at least over ten taels; you’re quite willing.”
“For your guidance, this is nothing.”
Su Yan set down the items and said: “Today I searched the first Inner Mountain, only a third of one mountain peak, encountered this tiger, fought it, luckily won. Needed to handle its corpse, so I came down the mountain. Haven’t seen that Blood Tendon Flower yet.”
“Searching for the flower can’t be rushed… Wait, you’ve reached Skin Refining Minor Accomplishment?!”
Song Qi abruptly stood, staring at Su Yan; he had just noticed the kid used the term combat.
Combat—what Skin Refining Entry-level person dares combat tiger or bear?
“Luckily broke through.”
Su Yan’s eyes shone with amusement; Song Qi’s face was full of shock as he reached out to grab, finding Su Yan’s skin tough as ox hide.
“The other day I saw you, you were still some distance from Skin Refining Minor Accomplishment; didn’t expect it so fast.”
“Once in the mountains, I did stance training for Skin Refining; with a sense in my mind like an ape in the woods, then combat with the vicious tiger, gaining insight for the breakthrough.”
Su Yan recounted the process, then said: “Just now watching Yang Zhangdao dismantle the tiger, his stance and form, blade as desired, movement containing stance training intent—similar to my mountain perceptions. He tipped me ‘don’t practice dead stance’; I haven’t fully grasped it yet, want to ask you for guidance.”
Song Qi heard this and suddenly asked: “How much did you give him?”
“After dismantling the tiger, privately gave him 10 taels.”
“Just like that fatso’s way.”
Song Qi stroked his beard and said: “Though Yang Sandao is only Muscle and Bone Realm Great Accomplishment, he’s dismantled countless cattle and sheep, tigers and bears, truly understands stance steps and saber techniques. He’s right; to achieve great accomplishment in stance method, you indeed need to do one thing: don’t practice dead stance.”
