"I can finish it," Chen Cheng confirmed with a slightly awkward smile. Tier Four Demon Beast Meat cost ten taels of silver per pound; ten pounds would be a hundred taels. Taking such advantage of his generous host seemed a bit excessive.

The Great Yu Monster Collection recorded that Tier Four Demon Beasts were incredibly powerful. Some could even crush a Perfect Martial Artist of the Marrow Cleansing Realm. It was easy to imagine just how precious Tier Four Demon Beast Meat was.

Even in a Prefecture City like Linji City, fresh Tier Four Demon Beast Meat only came to market a few times a year. Each opportunity to eat it was one less that existed.

A single pound of Tier Four Demon Beast Meat was as effective at replenishing qi and blood as a twenty-year-old mountain ginseng. If not for the recent flood driving large numbers of Demon Beasts out into the open, and the Martial Artists leaving the city to hunt them, the price of their meat would never have dropped so sharply. There was no way you could get it for a mere ten taels of silver otherwise.

"Whoa!" Shen Qingpeng shot to his feet, his eyes wide. He stared at Chen Cheng as if he were looking at some kind of monster.

As a Direct Descendant of one of the Inner City’s Four Great Clans, he wasn’t about to fuss over a mere hundred taels of silver. He waved his hand magnanimously.

"If that’s the case, then get Young Master Chen ten pounds of Ink Flood Dragon Meat! Hmm... let me see, how many pounds do we need in total? Half a pound for me, a pound for Miss Wu..."

Shen Qingpeng might not be a successful Martial Artist, but his mind was exceptionally quick. He rapidly did the math and said to the waiter, "Nineteen pounds in total. All Ink Flood Dragon Meat. And add a few jugs of Drunken Immortal Brew."

"Right away." The waiter had seldom encountered such an extravagant patron. He acknowledged the order and hurried off.

Moments later, a stunningly beautiful woman in light purple martial attire with a Longsword hanging from her waist hurried over.

It was none other than Sha Yu, the daughter of the Giant Shark Gang’s Leader, whom Chen Cheng had met once before.

Any patron who ordered nearly twenty pounds of Demon Beast Meat at the Drunken Immortal Tower was bound to be extraordinary, most likely a scion of one of the Inner City’s great clans. Such people were often difficult to handle, so as Sha Yu approached, she was already mulling over the best way to explain the situation.

But her eyes lit up the moment her hurried glance fell upon Chen Cheng. She quickly offered a respectful greeting. "So it is Chief Chen who has graced us with his presence. Sha Yu is deeply honored."

Chen Cheng rose, clasping his hands in a fist-and-palm salute. "Miss Sha, you’re too kind," he said with a smile.

Sha Yu beamed, her tone playfully chiding. "When Chief Chen visits the Drunken Immortal Tower, you should have sent word. I would have arranged a Heaven-grade suite on the third floor for you."

"I’m just here mooching a meal off Young Master Shen," Chen Cheng chuckled, then proceeded to introduce everyone to Sha Yu.

Sha Yu was stunned anew upon learning their identities. She was particularly struck by the peerless looks of Shen Junmo and Mu Xiaowan, and couldn’t help but feel a slight pang of disappointment.

’Sigh... to think Chief Chen’s wife is such an otherworldly beauty!’

After that secret thought, Sha Yu got down to business. "Young Master Shen," she said to Shen Qingpeng, "our establishment was only allotted one hundred pounds of the Ink Flood Dragon Meat. We’ve been selling it for a couple of days and have thirty pounds left, which should have been plenty.

"However, just before you arrived, another table of honored guests ordered fourteen pounds. That means we only have sixteen pounds of Ink Flood Dragon Meat left. Would you be willing to substitute the missing three pounds with meat from another Demon Beast?"

Shen Qingpeng waved his hand casually. "Miss Sha, that’s a decision for Young Master Chen."

So, Sha Yu turned her gaze back to Chen Cheng.

Chen Cheng smiled. "That’s fine."

Sha Yu thought for a moment. "For the other three pounds of Demon Beast Meat, how about we substitute it with Purple-eyed Frenzied Tiger Meat?"

The Purple-eyed Frenzied Tiger was a Tier Three Demon Beast. Chen Cheng had read a rumor in a notebook about one that had once appeared in Qingyuan County, which was under Linji Prefecture’s jurisdiction. It had terrorized several towns, and three Great Success Martial Artists of the Bone Forging Realm had teamed up to hunt it down. Two of them ended up in the tiger’s belly, with only one managing a narrow escape.

Afterward, the Linji City Demon Suppression Department sent two Perfect Martial Artists of the Bone Forging Realm after it, but they only managed to severely wound the Purple-eyed Frenzied Tiger and force it to retreat into the mountain forests. This alone was a testament to its fearsome power.

"That works too." Chen Cheng nodded, then asked casually, "Is this the same Purple-eyed Frenzied Tiger from Qingyuan County?"

Since the Giant Shark Gang was in the business of procuring Demon Beast Meat, they naturally picked up a lot of information. Sha Yu thought for a moment before replying, "No, it’s not that one. This Purple-eyed Frenzied Tiger came from Xin’an County. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"You’ve likely all heard of the one who slew this Purple-eyed Frenzied Tiger. It was none other than the Demon Suppression Department’s Lord Chief Steward, Young Master Jiang Lang. Rumor has it that Young Master Jiang battled the tiger for three days and three nights before finally killing it."

"Jiang Lang killed the Purple-eyed Frenzied Tiger by himself?" Shen Junmo, who had been silent all this time, suddenly asked.

Sha Yu glanced at him and replied, "That’s what the rumors I’ve heard claim. I don’t know the exact details.

"Oh, by the way, Young Master Jiang is the honored guest I mentioned who ordered the fourteen pounds of Ink Flood Dragon Meat. They’re in the main hall on the first floor."

As she spoke, Sha Yu walked to the window and gestured toward the open-air hall on the deck below. "That table at the far end, near the bow—that’s Young Master Jiang’s party. If you’re curious about the details, Young Master Shen, you could go ask him."

Chen Cheng got up and leaned out slightly to look down. He saw a young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, dressed in lavish green robes, sitting at ease. He was drinking wine and eating meat, laughing and chatting with his four companions. They were none other than Ji Jingbei, the Lishui Division Chief Constable, and three young Chief Constables.

These three Chief Constables were all young prodigies cultivated by the Jiang Family.

Ji Jingbei and his three companions were all in plain clothes and showed immense respect toward Jiang Lang.

Just then, two men in martial attire, looking like they were from the Jianghu, stepped away from a nearby table. They approached Jiang Lang and offered a fist-and-palm salute. Jiang Lang responded with a smile and a very amiable nod.

The two men’s faces were flushed with excitement. They bowed deeply once more before returning to their table.

"The number one expert of the younger generation’s Martial Dao in Linji City... just as approachable as the rumors claim, I see," Shen Junmo remarked with a slight curl of his lip.