Chapter 61: Dicer

Di Jie, the master of the Di Family Sword Manor, had a distinct pair of hobbies. One was collecting famous swords; as for the other—eating feces—that was out of the question. Even a dog with meat to eat would never touch excrement. His other true hobby was eating human flesh. Therefore, when Shi Yongfang had Ma Zengsan visit this place, it was practically walking straight into a tiger's den.

Upon entering the Di Family Sword Manor, a bizarre spectacle met their eyes. The figures coming and going on the streets were mostly dog-headed humans, amidst whom a few normal, beautiful women could be seen. These women skipped and hopped along the street, shopping joyfully.

Xiao Bugui found this amusing, but Hao Meili rolled her eyes, pouted, and muttered, "Those women must be demonesses, chatting and laughing so happily with these monsters."

Ma Zengsan explained, "Among these canine demons, the males have dog heads and human bodies, while the females are all blessed with beauty. Legend has it that only on the night of the full moon do the female demons transform into actual dogs."

The dog-headed monsters on the street also grew interested in them and their donkey, their expressions verging on drooling greed. In the eyes of the monsters, they were fresh donkey meat and human flesh. Fortunately, Ma Zengsan had hidden the little ox upon his person; otherwise, drool would likely have flooded the entire street.

Shi Yongfang rolled along at the very front, pushing his ball of dung. To dispel Ma Zengsan's suspicions, he said, "Every time I come here, these brothers drool just seeing the dung ball at my feet. Last time, I lost one on this street that was even bigger than this."

Ma Zengsan retorted, "I'm afraid these monsters aren't drooling over your dung ball, but over us. Nowadays, even if a dog has meat to eat, who on earth would want to eat shit?"

Seeing the parading canine demons fixate their gazes on the leisurely moving donkey cart like hounds waiting for a meal, ready to pounce at any second, Shi Yongfang shouted loudly to avoid any complications, "We are friends of the Manor Master, here to deliver gifts to him!"

Having traveled the martial world for many years, Ma Zengsan remained deeply guarded. He whispered instructions to Xiao Bugui and Hao Meili, "Once we reach the manor, do not eat or drink casually. Be on your guard."

Fortunately, the Di Family Manor was not large, and the master's residence doubled as a butcher shop. Half a side of pork lay on the cutting board, while iron hooks hanging from a rack held a wild boar head, large bones, and various internal organs.

The Manor Master, Di Jie, possessed a black dog head and a sharp gaze. His muscular torso was bare, covered in thick chest hair, and he wore blue silk trousers with traditional thousand-layered cloth shoes. In his hand, he held a short blade, which he used for cutting meat and mincing stuffing.

Shi Yongfang stepped forward and bowed to Di Jie, saying, "Big Brother Di, I've brought you gifts!"

Di Jie was looking down, slicing meat. Hearing the voice, he looked up and recognized Shi Yongfang. He began to say, "Aside from eating shit, what else could you possibly—" However, his sense of smell was far sharper than his eyes and nose; he caught a whiff of human scent mingling with the stench of dung and spotted the three people and one donkey behind Shi Yongfang. Changing his tune mid-sentence, he said, "Well, what do you know, you actually brought some good stuff. Are these three people and the donkey brought by you?"

Shi Yongfang leaned close to Di Jie's ear and whispered a few words like a buzzing fly. Dog ears are exceptionally keen, and Di Jie heard him clearly. He understood in his heart that these three and the donkey were merely pre-arranged meat fillings presented by a swindler. Furthermore, the old man among them carried a gut-piercing sword and possessed formidable martial arts, meaning they could not take him by force and must instead rely on cunning.

Learning that the butcher shop was the master's home, the three of them dismounted from the cart. Ma Zengsan cupped his fists in salute to Di Jie and said, "I am Ma Zengsan, here to pay a visit to Manor Master Di."

Di Jie stabbed his short blade straight into the cutting board and shouted, "Senior is too polite! Since guests have arrived, please come inside the courtyard to sit. Er Gouzi, tell Xiao Bai to steep a pot of fine tea."

Er Gouzi, the bone-cutter who possessed a ferocious dog face with sharp fangs and teeth, slammed his knife onto the cutting board upon hearing the master's order and silently departed.

In the back courtyard, Di Jie had arranged tea sets, an incense burner, tables, and chairs. This elegant environment formed a stark contrast to the bloody scene in the shop. Di Jie remarked, "I enjoy selling meat, but I also love drinking tea and making friends."

Xiao Bai was a pretty young girl, save for the swaying tail behind her, which revealed her identity as a demoness. She walked in with a smiling face carrying a tea tray and served tea to every guest. When she handed a cup to Xiao Bugui, Xiao Bugui reached out to take it, and their hands brushed against each other. Inevitably, their eyes met. Perhaps captivated by Xiao Bugui's handsome appearance, the young girl cast a lingering, affectionate glance his way before respectfully retreating.

Di Jie said, "This is the finest tea I have here. Please partake, honored guests."

Ma Zengsan walked up to Di Jie, produced a pouch of fragmented silver as a greeting gift, and spoke bluntly, "I heard from Brother Shi that there is a shortcut leading to the outside world within this manor. Please, Manor Master, lead the way and see us out."

Di Jie replied, "Senior Ma, let us sit and drink tea first. The secret passage in this manor can only be traversed after nightfall."

Ma Zengsan asked, "What if I wish to leave right now?"

Remaining entirely calm, Di Jie bared the red bat birthmark on his arm and explained, "Even I am unfamiliar with this secret passage. Every time, I must rely on my blood bat to lead the way. It is daytime now, and my bat is still sleeping! How about this: if the three of you are tired, I will have Miss Xiao Bai show you to the guest rooms to rest."

Ma Zengsan declined, "There is no need to trouble the Manor Master. My young master has come to the Di Family Sword Manor for the first time and wishes to look around and sightsee. We will return by nightfall."

Di Jie cast a suspicious glance at Xiao Bugui, who bowed and said, "Manor Master, I enjoy taking in the scenery and wandering about freely. Thank you for your generous hospitality. We shall meet again tonight. Farewell!"

Dropping all false pretenses of civility, Di Jie smiled coldly and said, "Senior Ma, there is a matter upon which I too must ask for your guidance."

Ma Zengsan had no choice but to play along: "Speak freely."

Di Jie declared, "I love swords and enjoy sparring with swordsmen. Might I request a friendly bout with Senior Ma to exchange martial arts pointers?"

Ma Zengsan agreed, "Very well!" After all, fighting in broad daylight would make it easier to guard against sneak attacks and allow him to gauge the opponent's true strength.

The courtyard was sufficiently spacious. Miss Xiao Bai brought out a sword case, and Di Jie drew forth a blue sword, holding it high to boast to Ma Zengsan, "Senior Ma should surely recognize this blade!"

"This is a demonic sword. It ought to be blood-red; its current appearance merely indicates that it has not tasted blood in a long time," Ma Zengsan evaluated the opponent's weapon before drawing his own gut-piercing sword.

True to his reputation as a sword-loving demon, Di Jie's eyes lit up at the sight of the gut-piercing sword, and his tone turned pleading: "Senior Ma, might you let me admire it first?"

Ma Zengsan replied, "Let us spar with our swords first; there will be plenty of time for admiration afterward."

Having agreed to fight, the two men stood facing each other with their swords drawn. The prolonged silence of their mutual staring stretched on so long that it turned the nervous anticipation of the spectators into sheer boredom and irritation.

Hao Meili, however, remained intensely focused. Xiao Bugui muttered, "Eldest Miss Hao, it has been a full hour. The two of them haven't moved an inch. I honestly can't fathom what on earth you can possibly see in this."

Hao Meili scolded, "What do you know? A duel between masters is not about flashy, superficial movements; it is about sword intent. Though they appear motionless to your eyes, they have already crossed swords countless times within their virtual mental realms."

True to Hao Meili's words, Ma Zengsan had indeed grown tired of standing. He plopped down straight onto the ground and shouted to Xiao Bugui, "Young Master Xiao, hurry over here and massage my legs. My legs have gone numb."