There were no cottages nearby, nor any sign of people. A stream flowed gently past. Jack Ross put down the cart, stepped forward to open the door, then entered the courtyard and quickly lit a candle.

“Come in.”

Edward Brooks hesitated for a moment, then stepped into the courtyard.

The courtyard was extremely dilapidated, and there was still a faint, fishy stench lingering in the air. Mixed with a musty odor, it rushed at Edward Brooks, making him instinctively hold his breath, only exhaling after quite a while.

“This is where I used to slaughter pigs. Not many people know about it.”

Jack Ross explained with a smile, “I haven’t checked on it for a long time, so it’s a mess. Brother Xiao Yi, Sister Jiu’er, please forgive me.”

The slaughterhouse wasn’t large, just a single thatched shed.

Jack Ross walked over to check the kitchen, then turned back with a smile: “We’re in luck, there’s still some dry firewood.

Sister Jiu’er, you boil the water. Brother Xiao Yi, give me a hand and help carry the pigs in.”

Nancy Johnson quickly agreed and hung the lantern on the wall.

In one corner of the courtyard stood a bluestone platform, now stained a dark red. Who knows how many pigs Jack Ross had secretly slaughtered here over the years. The dark red stains on the platform were probably traces left from those times. Edward Brooks and Jack Ross carried the two tied-up pigs into the courtyard.

Jack Ross drew a bucket of water from the well and washed the slaughtering platform clean.

Perhaps sensing danger, the two pigs squealed loudly, their cries extremely miserable. Edward Brooks felt dizzy from the pigs’ wailing, but there was nothing he could do. As for Jack Ross? He seemed not to hear it at all, calmly and methodically going about his work. After cleaning the platform, he fetched a gleaming, razor-sharp slaughtering knife from the cart and handed it to Edward Brooks.

This slaughtering knife had clearly tasted much blood.

A faint, cold, blood-tinged gleam ran along the blade, sending chills down one’s spine.

Jack Ross’s slaughtering knife was noticeably larger than an ordinary one, and felt heavy in the hand.

But when Edward Brooks took it, he was at a loss, not even knowing how to hold it.

“Brother Xiao Yi, you can’t hold it like that.”

As he spoke, Jack Ross stepped forward to show Edward Brooks the correct way to grip the knife.

“When it’s time to slaughter the pig, strike here—one cut will do the job. Follow through with the force, don’t use brute strength... Heh, this isn’t easy to learn. Back then, I practiced for a long time before I got the hang of it.

Here, follow my movements and practice a bit.

Later, I’ll call you over. Don’t go soft when the time comes...”

Jack Ross demonstrated a stance for Edward Brooks to imitate, then ran off to the kitchen to check on Yan Nu boiling water.

Edward Brooks could only smile bitterly to himself—there was no other choice.

Standing before the slaughtering platform, with the two pigs’ shrill squeals ringing in his ears, he repeated the motion over and over.

Jack Ross came by from time to time to correct Edward Brooks’s mistakes.

After about an hour, Jack Ross finally told Edward Brooks to stop.

Only then did Edward Brooks realize that slaughtering pigs was truly a skilled craft. In just this short time, he was drenched in sweat. He sat down, took a ladle of well water from Jack Ross, and gulped it down.

“Uncle Six-Four, I never thought there’d be so much to slaughtering pigs.”

“Ha! Did you think anyone could just grab a knife and get it done? It’s not that easy... A good butcher only needs one cut. With that cut, the pig shouldn’t feel any pain, and you should avoid letting too much blood out. There’s a lot to it—you’ll figure it out in time.”

By now, Yan Nu had finished boiling the water.

Jack Ross rummaged through the pile of odds and ends, found another ladle, scooped up some boiling water, and splashed it onto the bluestone platform.

He and Edward Brooks lifted one of the pigs onto the platform. Jack Ross signaled that Edward Brooks could begin.

But holding the knife, Edward Brooks was at a loss. He gestured left and right, the pigs’ miserable squeals ringing in his ears, his mind in turmoil, unable to bring himself to act. Jack Ross, watching from the side, grew impatient and shook his head repeatedly. Suddenly, Nancy Johnson stepped forward and grabbed Edward Brooks’s hand.

“Why are you hesitating like an old woman? It’s just slaughtering a pig...”

As she spoke, she gripped Edward Brooks’s hand and suddenly swung the knife down.

The pig’s screams grew louder, its struggles fiercer. If it hadn’t been tied tightly, it would have broken free by now. Yet, with that cut, Edward Brooks’s mind suddenly calmed.

Yan Nu was right—wasn’t it just slaughtering a pig... not a person?

He pulled out the knife, and a gush of hot, stinking blood splattered his face. Without a word, Edward Brooks followed Jack Ross’s earlier instructions, running the knife along the pig’s neck, then pressed the struggling pig down with one hand, and with a light flick of the knife, the pig immediately fell silent.

“Not bad!”

Jack Ross laughed heartily at the side. “Brother Xiao Yi, that was a real skillful cut.”

But as for Edward Brooks, after pulling out the knife, he felt weak in the limbs, almost unable to hold onto the blade.

He let out a sigh of relief, swallowed, and looked at Jack Ross with a wry smile: “Uncle Six-Four, don’t laugh at me... I’m not afraid of fighting, but this is my first time slaughtering a pig. My heart’s still pounding.”