Chapter 7 — The Bone Marrow and The Wolf Rumor
The Butcher's Mathematics
The sun had not yet risen. The morning air was gray and freezing cold.
Long Tan stood in the courtyard, looking down at the frozen carcass of the Wild Boar.
It was massive. A mountain of muscle and fur.
"300 pounds," Long Tan calculated. "If I try to carry this whole thing to the city, I will be exhausted. The snow is deep."
He shook his head. "Also, city people are picky. The restaurants do not want to pay for heavy bones, thick skin, and waste. They want red meat."
He took out his sharp hunting knife. He began to work.
His hands moved with the precision of a master surgeon.
Slash.
He cut through the fat. He peeled off the thick, bristly skin in one large, clean piece. He rolled it up tight. The tanners would pay for this.
Crack.
He removed the massive head. He carefully pried out the two sharp yellow tusks. These were valuable for medicine.
Chop.
He cut away the heavy spine, the thick ribs, and the heavy leg bones.
He worked for an hour. Sweat steamed off his forehead, but he didn't stop.
When he was finished, the messy beast was gone.
On the table sat a neat pile of high-quality, boneless red meat.
Original Weight: 300 pounds.
Final Meat Weight: 170 pounds.
"Perfect," Long Tan nodded, wiping his knife. "170 pounds of pure meat. Lighter to carry, but higher price per pound."
The Grease of Power
He looked at the pile of discarded heavy leg bones on the ground.
"Waste nothing."
He picked up his axe and used the back of it to smash the bones open.
CRACK.
Inside the white bone was a thick, oily, pink substance. Bone Marrow.
He gathered the marrow and boiled it in a pot of water until it melted into a thick, rich, white soup. The smell filled the hut. It was heavy and smelled like raw life.
He poured three bowls.
"Drink," he told his family. "This will make you strong."
Su Lan took a small sip. Immediately, her face turned pale. She put the bowl down quickly.
"It... it is too heavy," she whispered, covering her mouth. "It tastes like drinking pure melted fat. My stomach hurts just smelling it."
Little San tried one spoonful. He gagged and stuck out his tongue.
"Yuck! It's too oily, Father! It sticks to my teeth!"
Long Tan didn't get angry. He understood.
Their bodies were weak. They were used to eating thin rice porridge and boiled vegetables. This bone marrow was high-grade fuel. It was too potent for them.
"I understand," Long Tan said.
He took their bowls. He poured all the marrow soup into his own large wooden bowl.
He drank it all.
Gulp. Gulp.
It was greasy. It was heavy. It coated his throat.
But the moment it hit his stomach, his body reacted violently.
The Sun & Moon Technique flared up like a fire doused in gasoline. It burned the heavy fat instantly, turning it into raw strength.
Fusing the Techniques
Feeling the energy boiling inside his stomach, Long Tan ran out to the courtyard. He needed to use this energy before it burned him.
He sat under the dead Peach Tree.
He closed his eyes.
"I have the fuel from the Marrow and the Sun," he thought. "But raw energy is wild. I need to give it direction."
He remembered the old book his father had left him: "The Iron Skin Breathing Manual" (Third Grade).
In the past, he couldn't use it because he had no Qi.
But now, he had the fuel.
He began to breathe.
He used the rhythm of the Iron Skin Manual to guide the hot energy.
He pushed the heat into his skin. He pushed it into the membrane covering his muscles.
Sizzle.
His skin turned red. It felt like ants were biting him, tightening his flesh, making it dense like cured leather.
Above him, the dead Peach Tree shook its branches.
Because Long Tan was using the energy so efficiently today, the tree only managed to absorb a tiny bit of waste heat.
Ding…
[Daily Cultivation Complete]
[Nutrition Bonus (Bone Marrow): +5 Jin]
[Technique Efficiency Bonus (Manual Integration): +10 Jin]
[Current Strength: 275 → 290 Jin]
Long Tan opened his eyes. He exhaled a cloud of white steam.
He picked up a frozen stone from the ground and squeezed.
CRUNCH.
The stone shattered into powder.
"290 Jin," he whispered. "I am almost at the 300 Jin limit. I am stronger than any normal man in this village."
The City Deal
Long Tan packed the 170 pounds of meat, the rolled skin, the tusks, and the gray rabbit skin he had saved into a large bamboo basket.
With 290 Jin strength, he lifted the heavy basket onto his back easily.
He walked to Meng City.
He went straight to the best butcher shop in the market.
He dropped the heavy basket on the counter. THUD.
The merchant looked at the meat. It was beautiful. Clean. No bones. No waste.
Then he looked at the tusks and the skins.
"Good quality," the merchant admitted. He looked at Long Tan's serious eyes and decided not to play games.
"Seven silver coins for the meat," the merchant offered. "And two silver coins for the boar skin, the tusks, and the rabbit fur."
Long Tan calculated quickly.
7 + 2 = 9 Silver Coins.
He nodded. "Deal."
He took the heavy silver coins. They felt cold and real in his hand.
He walked out of the city. He stopped at a grain shop and bought a small bag of white rice for Little San, then began the long walk home.
The Wolf Rumor
Long Tan returned to the village at sunset.
The sky was turning a deep purple.
He felt successful. He had 9 silver from the hunt, plus the 2 silver he had saved before. That was 11 silver. Enough for the tax (10 silver) and a little extra.
He walked into the hut, expecting a happy welcome.
But the house was dark.
Su Lan was sitting in the corner, holding Little San tightly. Her face was pale.
"Tan, you are back!" she gasped when she saw him.
"What is wrong?" Long Tan put down the rice and the money.
"It is the well," Su Lan whispered, her eyes wide with fear. "Old Auntie Li went to the well an hour ago. She saw it. A massive Gray Wolf. It was circling the edge of the village. It growled at her and ran into the bushes."
Long Tan's eyes narrowed. "A lone wolf. It must be desperate."
"We must lock the doors," Su Lan said. "We must hide."
Long Tan shook his head.
He thought about the value of a wolf.
"Su Lan," he said calmly. "Do you know why hunters hate wolves?"
"Because they eat people?"
"No. Because the meat is useless," Long Tan explained. "Wolf meat is full of bacteria and parasites. It is sour and toxic. If you eat it, you get sick and vomit blood. No butcher will buy the meat."
"Then why go?" Su Lan cried. "It is worthless!"
"The meat is worthless," Long Tan corrected. "But the Winter Fur is thick and warm. And the Claws and Teeth are used for warrior charms."
He did the math in his head.
A perfect Winter Wolf Pelt: 2 Silver.
A set of Wolf Claws and Teeth: 1 to 2 Silver.
"That wolf is walking around with 3 or 4 Silver Coins on its back," Long Tan said. "With the tax money we have now (11 silver), adding 4 more would mean 15 silver. We could buy you a new coat. We could buy Little San books. We could buy oil for the lamp so we don't sit in the dark."
He looked over at the wall where his old wooden bow was hanging.
He walked over and picked it up.
The wood was old. The string was frayed.
He pulled the string experimentally. It had a draw weight of maybe 40 pounds.
He shook his head.
"This bow is too weak," he realized grimly. "A wolf has a thick skull. This arrow would just bounce off and make it angry."
He put the useless bow back on the wall.
He looked at his hands.
He looked at the Rusty Iron Knife on his belt.
He felt the 290 Jin of strength vibrating in his muscles.
"I cannot use the bow," Long Tan said, turning to the door. "But I cannot let 4 silver coins run away."
He touched the handle of his knife.
"I will not hide, Lan. I am going to hunt."
[AUTHOR'S NOTE]
Did you enjoy the chapter?
If you like this story, please show your support! 👇
📚 Add to Library (So you don't lose the book!)
💎 Drop a Power Stone (It motivates me to write faster!)
✍️ Leave a Comment (I read them all!)
Thank you for supporting a new author! ❤️