The sky was cloudless, and the scorching sun shone above.
The ancient town was filled with grand houses and buildings, while people walked continuously along the long street paved with bluestone.
Qiao Mu walked through the crowd at the market, rubbing shoulders with passersby, and finally stopped at a pork stall.
Behind the pork stall, Butcher Zheng, a burly man with a face full of rough skin and a shaved head, didn’t seem easy to provoke.
"Butcher Zheng… It’s obviously him." Qiao Mu recalled the information he had gathered earlier.
This Butcher Zheng may appear to be a pig butcher, but he’s actually the ruler of this outer city area.
In troubled times, human lives are worth less than pigs. Besides slaughtering pigs, Butcher Zheng is rumored to be involved with gangs and has been trafficking people.
"Boss, bring me ten pounds of high-quality meat, finely chopped into minced meat, and make sure there is absolutely no trace of fat on top." Qiao Mu spoke up.
After hearing Qiao Mu’s question, Butcher Zheng looked up and glanced at him.
Seeing this, the butcher didn’t show any negligence either. He nodded and started cutting the meat, finely chopping it into a minced state.
There were many pounds of meat, and Butcher Zheng chopped and cut it for almost half an hour until he was covered in sweat.
Just as he was about to wrap it up and give it to Qiao Mu, Qiao Mu raised his hand to interrupt.
"Wait a moment, I want another ten pounds of fatty meat, with no lean meat on it. Please chop it finely for me."
Butcher Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly as he carefully observed Qiao Mu in front of him. The smile on his face slowly disappeared, and his voice unconsciously grew a bit louder.
"Are you here to cause trouble?"
As soon as his voice came out, the bustling market suddenly became quieter.
The people around feared Butcher Zheng. When they saw him getting angry, they quickly walked away. The market, which was just lively before, suddenly became empty.
"I came to buy meat." However, the young Qiao Mu remained completely calm, and he simply placed a bulging money pouch on the table. "You go ahead and cut it, I have a purpose for it."
Butcher Zheng frowned, his eyes quickly glanced at the sword and purse on Qiao Mu’s waist, and the anger that had just flared in his heart was now overshadowed by doubt.
Butcher Zheng had a strong and sturdy body, with a face full of meat. He had a fierce look, as if just now he shouted loudly. In front of him, even ordinary young men might not be able to speak smoothly.
But Qiao Mu was too young and too calm.
He has a strong body and looks like someone who has practiced martial arts, and his clothes give the impression of wealth and nobility.
No matter how you look at it, it seems like he is fearless.
Frowning and thinking for a moment, Butcher Zheng, in order to not offend Qian, temporarily held back and started chopping ten kilograms of fatty meat on the cutting board.
In this chop, another half an hour passed, and he chopped until his back was soaked in sweat.
"How could it be? I didn’t come here just to amuse you." Qiao Mu smiled while paying and placed two watermelons on the counter.
"I just bought two watermelons, forgot to ask the seller to cut them. Boss, can you help me cut them?"
"No problem, I can slice the melon for you," said Butcher Zheng. When he saw the money, he felt instantly at ease. He switched to using a sharp knife that had never been used to cut meat before. Just as he was about to cut open the watermelon, he heard Qiao Mu softly say from behind:
"Cut these two watermelons into small pieces for me, with no trace of rind on top."
Butcher Zheng suddenly looked up and glanced at Qiao Mu, feeling an instant surge of anger.
Without saying a word, he grabbed two sharp knives and forcefully chopped at the watermelon as if it was the troublemaker standing in front of him, smashing the watermelon into pieces and splattering juice everywhere.
Bang! The meat counter made a crisp sound under the butcher’s blade. It was evident that Butcher Zheng was now angry, as the two sharp knives caused the counter to tremble and even crack.
No one dared to speak. Seeing Butcher Zheng’s anger, everyone had already distanced themselves. The once bustling market now only had a few people left.
Another knife fell, and the chopping board was completely split in half from the middle. The watermelon juice flowed down along the crack and dripped onto the ground.
Butcher Zheng looked up and looked down at Qiao Mu in front of him.
"Are you satisfied now?" Butcher Zheng shouted in a rough voice.
Qiao Mu, however, smiled and said, "Butcher Zheng is truly exceptionally strong. Despite cutting meat for such a long time, he hasn’t shown any signs of fatigue. It’s a real waste for someone as talented as you to be a simple butcher."
"You-" Butcher Zheng’s heart skipped a beat, the anger on his face momentarily paused, but then he heard the second half of Qiao Mu’s words:
"Since you still have the strength, then give me those two chopping boards as well. Cut them carefully into minced meat, without a trace of pork on them."
"I’ll chop you into minced meat!" Butcher Zheng got completely furious. He took two or three steps, crossed the chopping board, held a sharp knife in one hand, and was about to grab Qiao Mu.
"Well done!" The young man was fearless, he didn’t step back even half a step. He directly launched a set of military punches, and in an instant, he was hit by more than ten knives, covered in blood, and fell to the ground.
"This…" Butcher Zheng was also shocked. He hadn’t reacted yet, and the trouble-seeking young man had already fallen down.
He stood there with a knife, getting closer and bending down to carefully look at Qiao Mu.
But he saw that Qiao Mu, who had fallen to the ground and was no longer moving, had a slight…upturned corner of the mouth on his face?
Despite being stabbed many times and near death, his expression was not fear or panic, but rather…satisfaction?
"Now, I should be able to achieve a splendid Death Assessment, right?" This was the final thought of Qiao Mu before he passed away.
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