Fan Kuai placed the finely minced meat wrapped in fresh green lotus leaves down, his chubby face filled with confusion. "Fatty meat is greasy and is typically favored by those with little means, like the common folk. A person of your distinguished stature and elegant attire shouldn't despise it," he said.
The phrase "distinguished stature" was well-used!
This term was profound—uh, wait, that's not important.
"Then do you want this gold or not?"
Cao Yi tapped a third of a gold bar against the table, each tap resonating. This was real gold, not a mere showpiece, and he was sure it would sway the butcher.
Fan Kuai's eyes were glued to the gold, the sound of it hitting the table felt like a drum beating in his heart, stirring his blood.
"Yes," he finally croaked, his voice rough after a moment of hesitation.
"Then keep cutting," Cao Yi replied, covering the mesmerizing gold.
Fan Kuai narrowed his eyes and forced a smile, "As long as you pay, of course, whatever you say."
He then raised his thick arms and lifted a not-so-fresh piece of pork off a greasy hook, placing it on the battered meat table to slice off the lean meat.
The knives of that era were not very sharp, so it took some effort for him to cut through the meat.
After a long while, he finally finished slicing and began chopping the meat. After half an hour, his arms felt sore, but for the sake of gold, he gritted his teeth and continued.
Cao Yi turned to Lü Su and softly asked, "Miss Su, are you brave?"
Lü Su paused, a small piece of meat in her hand. Her bright eyes were filled with confusion. "I guess so, why do you ask?"
That's good enough!
Cao Yi closed his eyes again.
Lü Su glanced at the gourd Cao Yi had tucked into his waist, hesitating to say something.
Time passed in the rhythm of chopping meat.
Fan Kuai was still working hard, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, glancing at Cao Yi's back with a flicker of malice in his eyes.
"Hurry up, it's getting dark. I need to go home," Cao Yi's impatient voice broke through.
Fan Kuai's fist clenched tightly around the knife, and suddenly, a small piece of gold fell from a pale hand onto the table. His tense grip loosened slightly.
After a brief pause, the sound of chopping resumed.
This time it lasted twenty more minutes, meaning Fan Kuai had been working for nearly fifty minutes straight.
"Done," he said, sweat-soaked and weary, putting down the knife. He wrapped the fatty minced meat in fresh lotus leaves. Compared to his previous politeness, his demeanor had become terse, clearly irked.
Cao Yi, with his back turned, calmly said, "I want another ten pounds of tender meat, finely minced. There must be no fat on it."
Fan Kuai's body tensed up at this, his hands bracing against the meat table as he leaned forward, forcing a sinister smile. "Are you trying to make a fool of me?"
"Exactly, I don't want you to stray from your path."
"You bastard! Mind your own business!"
Fan Kuai cursed angrily. Who was he? The fiercest man in Pei County! Even the renowned rogue Wang Ling willingly took him as a brother. Today, this unknown outsider, relying on a few coins, wanted to toy with him like a fool. If he didn't teach this person a lesson, the pent-up anger inside him would choke him to death.
A large bowl flew through the air, perfectly landing on Fan Kuai's head, causing the uneaten dog meat to slide down his face and body, covering him in grease and broth, a wretched sight.
This bowl had been thrown by Xiang Yu, who couldn't tolerate the butcher insulting his respected Daoist Priest.
"You—want—death!"
Fan Kuai roared, slapping the bowl off his head and grabbing a sharp bone knife from the table, hurling it at Xiang Yu.
Xiang Yu dodged just in time.
"Ah, that hurts!"
A scream pierced the air.
Xiang Yu turned to see the bone knife embedded in Yi Xiaochuan's shoulder, blood oozing out. Overwhelmed by guilt and fury, he shouted, "Leave it to me!"
Cao Yi restrained the rushing Xiang Yu and picked up a large bowl, tossing it effortlessly.
It struck Fan Kuai's fleshy face, opening a deep cut, blood streaming down uncontrollably.
Fan Kuai wiped the blood from his face, his fury boiling over. He grabbed two meat cleavers and shouted, kicking the table over as he charged at Cao Yi.
It was not far, and in an instant, he closed the distance.
As the cleavers came crashing down, a lightly powerful kick landed in his abdomen, sending him flying backward to crash into the overturned table, groaning in pain.
He struggled to get up, but as soon as he lifted himself, he violently retched, expelling a foul mixture of everything.
"Ah, hiss, ah..."
Meanwhile, Yi Xiaochuan was clutching his bleeding shoulder, groaning, casting resentful glances at the guilty Xiang Yu, the downed Fan Kuai, and the standing Daoist Priest.
He recalled that the plot of "Lu Tizhi Beats the Town's Guanshi" wasn't supposed to unfold like this.
It wasn't supposed to go that way: Xiang Yu or the Daoist Priest stepping out onto the street, Fan Kuai chasing with a knife, and a dramatic battle ensues.
In the end, Fan Kuai would be defeated, and either Xiang Yu or the Daoist Priest would escape.
This story should be called "Xiang Yu or the Daoist Priest Punching the Butcher Fan."
Why did he get stabbed out of nowhere?!