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Chapter 673: Pointing the Way

The three men looked at the bones at Ji Yuan's feet. His appetite was quite exaggerated. This was no small wild boar; even after removing the bones, there must have been dozens of catties of meat left. Even considering shrinkage after roasting, it was still a considerable amount. Yet, the three of them combined had eaten less than ten catties.

They looked again at Ji Yuan's barely noticeable stomach and found it even more absurd. However, the man closest to Ji Yuan quickly said,

"Uh, haha, as long as you can eat it, sir, it's good. After all, roasted meat is meant to be eaten."

The man who had been roasting the meat, clearly the leader, spoke up before the younger man beside him could, pointing directly at the wild boar on the spit.

"Yes, yes, as long as you can eat it, sir! Oh, and there's still an untouched foreleg here. If you can eat it, please do."

On the spit where the wild boar had been roasted, there was still a boar's head, a foreleg, and a spine with some meat attached. Although Ji Yuan could still eat, having consumed such a large portion of the boar, even he felt satisfied. He smiled and shook his head.

"I've eaten very heartily. It's been a long time since I've had such a meal. Thank you for your hospitality!"

As he spoke with a smile, Ji Yuan shook his hands, and all the grease on them fell to the ground, leaving no stains or oil on his hands or fingernails. He then reached into his sleeve and pulled out two pieces of broken silver.

"How much is this cooked wild boar meat?"

Ji Yuan could tell that the three men had originally intended to dry the pork for easier transport. If he had only eaten a meal's worth, they wouldn't have minded. But carried away by the moment, he had almost devoured the entire boar, making Ji Yuan feel a bit guilty.

However, as soon as they saw Ji Yuan produce the silver, the two older men immediately shook their heads and waved their hands.

"No, no, no, you mustn't, sir. Your profound wisdom and guidance are worth more than a mere wild boar. Such animals can be hunted again, but your wise words are not something one can hear everywhere!"

"Indeed, Master Ji, it's just a bit of pork. We're actually upset we couldn't host you better. If only we had known we'd meet you today, we wouldn't have finished all our wine yesterday! Now we only regret having no wine. Oh, right, there's still a spine, a foreleg, and a boar's head here. Please eat to your heart's content, sir!"

Hearing their refusal to accept money and their regret over having no wine, Ji Yuan could no longer hold back. He immediately stood up and said,

"You gentlemen reminded me; I had almost forgotten! I actually have some luggage in the woods behind us. I didn't bring it initially as a precaution, so I hope you won't mind my earlier vague remarks. My luggage contains some fine wine. Please wait a moment; I'll fetch the wine and be right back!"

The man in the middle didn't hesitate, immediately standing up and cupping his hands in greeting.

"Please go, sir. If the wine is heavy, would you like me to accompany you to help carry it?"

"No, no need. Just trust me, I'll be right back!"

With that, Ji Yuan turned and walked toward the woods.

Watching Ji Yuan disappear into the edge of the forest, the young man who had been holding back his words could finally no longer contain himself.

"Brothers, Master Ji eats an incredible amount! This wild boar was supposed to be our food supply for ten days, and he nearly finished it in one meal. He offered to pay, so why didn't you accept it? That broken silver piece must have been almost half a tael, right?"

The two men looked toward the woods, then at the young man. The man who had been roasting the meat smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Xiao Qi, can an ordinary person eat this much meat?"

The young man quickly shook his head.

"How could that be!"

"Then let me ask you again: when Master Ji was talking about Duke Yin just now, what did he say Duke Yin represented?"

The young man frowned, a little puzzled.

"The Wen Qu star, of course. What about it? He even pointed to the stars for us to see. Is there a problem?"

The other man couldn't help but chuckle.

"Xiao Qi, how exactly did Master Ji point it out to us? I've forgotten. Can you remind your elder brother?"

"How could you forget so quickly? It was just..."

The young man looked up and pointed into the sky, but his arm immediately froze. His eyes widened, his mouth slightly agape, his finger pointing nowhere in particular.

"Where are the stars...?"

"Hey, Xiao Qi, it's broad daylight and a clear sky. How can you see stars?"

"But just now, Master Ji..."

At this point, the young man fully understood, looking at his two elder brothers with an exaggerated expression. The man who had been roasting meat nodded again, patting the young man's shoulder once more.

"Xiao Qi, you're still a bit green. Master Ji is profoundly knowledgeable and speaks elegantly; he's definitely no ordinary person. For the sake of our fortune and to avoid misfortune, how could we treat him lightly?"

After a long wait, Ji Yuan returned, his face full of smiles. In his hands were several vibrant green bamboo tubes with carrying cords, evidently serving as wine containers.

"Come, come, you invited me to eat meat, so now I invite you to drink wine!"

"There's really wine? That's wonderful!" "Hahaha, Master, please take a seat quickly! This boar's head meat is perfect with wine!"

The three men's enthusiasm didn't wane. They came over to help Ji Yuan with the wine and urged him to sit down.

Ji Yuan handed a bamboo tube to each of the three men, making four in total, one for each person. He then uncorked his own, and immediately, a rich aroma of wine wafted out.

"This wine is called Da Jiao Wine, from the Tianbao Kingdom. It's strong and mellow, very rare and almost impossible to find here. As the saying goes, 'rarity makes it precious.' So, I'll consider it payment for the meat, hahaha."

"You're absolutely right, sir! In this situation, a catty of wine is worth an ounce of gold!"

The three men took their wine and uncorked them one after another. They found the wine's aroma, mixed with the fresh scent of bamboo, incredibly tempting. The bamboo tubes themselves looked as if they had just been cut.

"I'll drink first as a sign of respect!"

Ji Yuan had already been craving alcohol; earlier, when he went into the woods, he had taken out his Thousand-Measure Gourd and taken several sips. Now, he raised the bamboo tube to his lips and drank. The other three men exchanged glances, and with their mouths watering, they also raised their bamboo tubes and took a sip. Immediately, the potent liquor flowed down their throats, both stimulating and comforting, and after one gulp, they were sweating all over.

"Good wine! Excellent wine!" "It truly is good wine!"

"Delicious, truly delicious!"

Hearing their genuine praise, Ji Yuan became even happier, and the slight tension he had felt recently in his nerves began to ease further.

"Glad you like it, haha."

The three men sparingly cut the remaining pork with small knives, savoring it with the strong wine—a rare treat.

The wine not only lifted their spirits but also emboldened them. Gradually, the three men became more relaxed. When Ji Yuan was almost finished with his bamboo tube, the eldest man, who had drunk less than a third of his, seized a pause in the conversation to ask,

"Master Ji, you are very knowledgeable and insightful. Could you possibly show us three a clear path forward?"

Ji Yuan took a sip of wine but didn't speak immediately. The man quickly added,

"Listening to your words today, sir, we understand that great changes are coming to our Zu Yue Kingdom. We are merely humble hunters with no grand ambitions, just hoping to live in peace, well-fed and clothed."

Ji Yuan swallowed the wine in his mouth, then smiled and said,

"That's simple enough. Give up the idea of joining the army at the Zu Yue military camp, go home, and live your lives well. With your skills, you certainly won't starve."

"This..."

The three men exchanged glances, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Sir, we didn't mean to hide anything from you, but after hearing your earlier words, it became even harder to bring up..."

"Yes, and even without you saying so, even if that southern camp were wonderful, we wouldn't join the army anymore!"

After talking for so long and almost finishing an entire wild boar, how could Ji Yuan not realize what the three men had originally intended to do? With the wine in his bamboo tube now gone, Ji Yuan patted his bottom and stood up, giving a slight bow towards the three men.

"I've eaten and drunk to my heart's content, feeling quite satisfied. It's time for me to take my leave. Oh, and a word of advice: if you're going southwest over the mountains, avoid the narrow canyon path—it's a place for fiends. If you're heading directly south through the woods to the plains, do not stop at night—that's a dark realm. Try to pass through it in one stretch during the daytime. My words are finished; I bid you farewell!"

"Uh, sir, are you leaving already...?"

"Sir, please wait!"

Two of the three men stood up. The man in the middle rummaged through his satchel behind him, pulled out an oil-paper package, emptied its dry rations back into the satchel, then quickly sliced meat from the remaining half of the boar's head with a knife. He put the meat into the oil-paper package, then stood up and approached Ji Yuan.

"I know you are an extraordinary person, sir. We have nothing valuable to offer, but please accept this small token of our appreciation!"

Seeing the oil-paper package offered by the man with both hands, Ji Yuan hesitated briefly before accepting it. He then thought for a moment, reached his left hand into his right sleeve, and produced three fresh green fruits.

"I almost forgot. We've eaten so much meat, and it's quite rich. These dates are sweet and refreshing, perfect for cutting through the greasiness. One for each of you."

Handing the dates to the three men, Ji Yuan picked up the oil-paper package and headed northeast, away from the riverbank. After Ji Yuan had walked so far that he was out of sight, the man who had given him the meat suddenly slapped his thigh hard.

"Oh no! How foolish we are! We didn't even introduce ourselves or our families. No wonder Master didn't seem to want to linger with us!"

"Huh? Oh dear! We were so engrossed listening to Master talk about the world that we completely forgot about that!"

Seeing his two elder brothers filled with regret, the young man quickly said,

"Should we go after him now?"

"Ah, forget it. We probably wouldn't catch up anyway."

As he regretted, the man took a bite of the fruit in his hand. Immediately, a refreshing aroma filled his mouth, his saliva flowed, and even the tipsiness from earlier was dispelled by the sweet crispness...

By this time, Ji Yuan had already walked far away; even if the three men had truly given chase, they certainly wouldn't have caught him. He held the oil-paper package, which still retained some warmth, weighed it in his hand, and then smiled as he tucked it into his sleeve.

This meal by the wild river was not only satisfying and hearty, but Ji Yuan also used the opportunity to understand the mindset of some of the people in Zu Yue. This was, in fact, one of the things he had wanted to learn about in the Zu Yue Kingdom. Compared to the imperial court in the capital of Zu Yue and the so-called immortal masters and sorcerers who had now boarded the Zu Yue "ship," Ji Yuan was more concerned with the affairs of the common folk.

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