Pretending To Be A Boss

Many people can kill a chicken, but fewer can slaughter a pig.

In slaughtering livestock, it's best to kill with a single blow. In folklore, having to use a second knife stroke when killing a pig is said to bring about misfortune.

Folk tales should not be taken at face value, as this is just a sign of respect for the animals, similar to how executioners strive to behead a convict with one clean sweep of the blade. If the blade gets caught in the neck, even a condemned criminal should not have to suffer such pain.

Killing pigs is a skill, but slaughtering cattle requires even more care. The common practice in rural areas is to tie up the four legs of the cow, make a cut in the throat, and then wait slowly for the blood to drain.

As for the legendary Butchering an Ox, if such a technique were to be available today, it could be considered a lost martial art.

Tang Xian furrowed his brow, hesitating for a moment.

Yi Niu was not easy to kill.

Though it had a wound on its belly and was running out of strength, it was ultimately a perfect-level creature.

Its throat was also very tough. Tang Xian was not sure if his kitchen knife could neatly cut through Yi Niu.

What followed was somewhat gruesome, as Tang Xian could only jab the knife into Yi Niu's wound. However, this first attempt didn't succeed, and after several tries, he finally made another cut beside the existing wound.

Before long, Yi Niu was close to death.

"Even as a ghost... I will not let you off."

"An ox spirit? My next target is a snake, so you might have some company. Perfect, an ox demon and a snake spirit can make a pair."

Dong Ran remembered Tang bantering with the creatures in the mines last time and wondered, was Tang deliberately speaking nonsense to them?

Blood slowly seeped from the wound.

Tears appeared in Yi Niu's eyes, just as the saying goes: "Pigs are dunces, sheep are warriors, tears of a cow spin in its eyes."

This was a sign of a cow's impending death.

Tang Xian continued to jab at the cow with his knife, not feeling so great about it.

As he had said, of course, he preferred to end Yi Niu's suffering with one stroke—a mercy to the creature intended for food, allowing it to die swiftly.

But he wasn't able to do it at the moment.

Information began to surface in his mind, like when he had killed the Hellhound and the Iron Can Pig, granting him increased resistance and damage against Yi Niu.

However, Tang Xian realized not all creatures dropped abilities.

The Hellhound had indeed dropped an "[Enhanced Smell]" skill, which was very useful, but the Iron Can Pig, the Bat with Cat Ears, and Yi Niu had not dropped any skills.

Tang Xian didn't mind. As he continued on his gastronomic journey, he was bound to encounter some creatures in the mines that had special abilities to offer.

His gaze fell on the knife in his hand.

"Looks like I need to hurry up and get Ke to make me a knife."

The kitchen knife had been dulled and blunted by the tough cowhide and could no longer be used. Fortunately, Tang Xian had a spare knife, and he was finally able to break open the cow's belly.

"Do you want the Soul Crystal?" Tang Xian was asking Dong Ran.

Dong Ran was startled, "You don't want it?"

Usually, the team leader would be the one to manage the Soul Crystals.

"You contributed the most today. We all share the food, so you take the Soul Crystal," Tang Xian said indifferently.

Dong Ran was a bit surprised and suddenly felt a sweet sensation in her heart.

"Thank you, Tang."

Tang Xian nodded, planning to have Tang Xiaojiu melt the cow's head after he finished slicing the stomach. He said:

"Go to the bottom of the wasteland and keep watch. The scent of Yi Niu's death is quite strong and might draw other wasteland cattle."

"Okay!"

Dong Ran was also concerned; having killed the leader of the herd on the wasteland cattle's territory, they could have trouble coping with the enraged herd if discovered.

Once Dong Ran had left, Tang Xian said to Tang Xiaojiu:

"Can you burn the cow's head to ashes?"

"Can't the cow's head be eaten?"

"It can, but it's a hassle. Wait till we have our own ranch, then I'll treat you to a full cow feast."

"Okay."

Tang Xiaojiu didn't know what a full cow feast was, but it sounded delicious.

With her little hands placed upon the cow's head, she didn't breathe out fox-fire, as controlling such a small area of flame was easy for her, even at her young age.

The head of Yi Niu began to burn.

Under the scorching fox-fire, the cow's head quickly reduced to a skeletal frame, with the Soul Crystal exposed, a special mineral of the creature that was hard to destroy.

Tang Xian carefully wrapped the Soul Crystal and then stacked the cow's internal organs, sealing them with the skins from his tool bag.

This process was tedious and full of foul smells, taking a full hour and a half.

After all these tasks, Tang Xian poured water from his canteen over his hands to slowly wash them, finally feeling a bit better.

"Tonight, we can have a genuine Lianqing tripe hotpot."

...

...

After killing the cow, with Dong Ran and Tang Xiaojiu by his side, Tang Xian started making his way back.

The journey back to the forest seemed somewhat lengthy.

Along the way, with some idle time on his hands, Tang Xian pondered some unfinished business.

For instance, arranging an identity for Tang Xiaojiu. In Tang Xian's view, aside from being more gluttonous than average, Tang Xiaojiu seemed in every regard to be a cute little girl. Discover hidden stories at empire

He figured that the adults in the mines would instinctively wish they had a daughter just like Tang Xiaojiu.

As a descendant of fox spirits, Tang Xiaojiu showed no signs of intellectual deficiency, which was quite rare. The creatures encountered thus far, whether it was the Hellhound, Yi Niu, or Tang Gazi the dimwitted bird, all struggled to escape their animal instincts.

Qing JiuYu also displayed a bit of this, though not as prominently.

"Tang Xian, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Tang Xiaojiu, your happy childhood is about to be destroyed by my hands."

Tang Xiaojiu didn't understand, her little face gazing blankly at Tang Xian.

Dong Ran also looked at Tang Xian with a puzzled expression, as if asking a question with her face.