A deep voice, filled with killing intent, erupted with a pressure that made one’s legs go weak. Streaks of spiritual energy slashed forth.
A continuous series of explosions rang out.
In the blink of an eye, several of his subordinates were decapitated.
The sharp attacks left the group dumbfounded.
The violent spiritual energy made the leader not dare to clash head-on; he couldn’t even probe the specific cultivation realm of the person behind him.
Panic grew, and the thought of retreat instantly arose.
Unwilling to give up, the leader took a tentative step forward.
The next instant, a killing slash swept toward him.
If the leader hadn’t been prepared and swiftly twisted his body to dodge the blow, his head would have likely been relocated by now.
“You little rats, go back and tell those people in your sect that no one is to touch Boss Lu!”
The icy voice, tinged with a thousand years of frost, rolled in.
The sharp, imposing might extinguished any thought of resistance in the leader.
“Go!”
His voice trembled.
The mission had failed. The leader took his men and fled in disgrace.
The alley fell quiet once more. The remaining corpses and the stench of blood spoke of the slaughter that had just occurred.
“Hmph.”
Someone snorted lightly.
If he didn’t need someone to carry a message back, none of them would have left alive today.
In the small courtyard next door, a wisp of flame drifted out and landed on the corpses, erasing all traces.
He, Old Man Li, would definitely be Boss Lu’s strongest guardian!
After all the commotion had died down, a head peeked out from the shadows at the alley’s entrance.
It was the big yellow dog that had fought with Qin Zhan over a bun today.
Big Yellow’s round doggy eyes were filled with terror.
His dog clan was skilled at tracking, and he, the future Crouching Emperor, was even more so. He had followed Boss Lu’s scent all the way here.
He had originally planned to find a way to scam Boss Lu into taking him in, letting this human boss keep him from now on.
But as soon as he arrived, he witnessed this one-sided slaughter.
He, Dog Proud Heaven, was no match for this!
He didn’t dare show his head at all, and as for the idea of scamming her, it was burned to ashes along with that corpse-destroying flame.
After circling the alley entrance unwillingly for a few rounds, the Crouching Emperor lifted his hind leg and took a piss against the wall.
He’d leave a mark first. When he, the Crouching Emperor, rose to power in the future, he would come back and snatch this human woman to make meat buns exclusively for him.
Feeding meat buns to a dog must be a two-way street!
He, the Crouching Emperor, had lurked in the human world for many years and deeply understood the principle of sustainable development.
Filled with ambition, Big Yellow tucked his tail between his legs and ran away.
Deep in her dreams, Lu Wu smacked her lips, sleeping soundly, completely unaware that she had almost kicked the bucket.
The sun rose in the east.
The morning is the most important part of the day.
In the Qing Yuan World, many cultivators would train in the morning to absorb the Eastern Purple Qi.
Lu Wu decided to give it a try as well.
There were some very common, basic cultivation methods in the Qing Yuan World, and she had bought a book on one.
She recognized all the words and followed the instructions.
But after she sat cross-legged on her bed with her five centers facing up for half an hour, the spiritual energy in her body didn’t fluctuate in the slightest.
Lu Wu deflated.
It seemed that even with spiritual energy in her body, she couldn’t advance further through cultivation.
However, after she consumed it, it would naturally recover by absorbing spiritual energy from the surroundings.
“Sigh!”
She let out a long sigh, tidied herself up, and opened her courtyard gate.
The clean bluestone path looked as if it had been washed with water.
“Strange, did it rain last night?”
The thought drifted past as Lu Wu headed for Xiaohe Town’s morning market.
“Yo, Boss Lu is here again! What ingredients are you planning to buy today?”
Some of the vendors in the market now recognized Lu Wu and greeted her enthusiastically.
Lu Wu had been buying quite a lot these past few days; she was a major customer.
Lu Wu was also pondering this point.
She had promised her customers a change of pace today.
Spoiling her fans? She was very good at that.
She still had a lot of the red bean paste filling left, so she would keep that flavor.
The market was bustling with people, filled with the constant cries of vendors.
Some people laughed and joked, others bantered and bickered, smiles blooming on their faces.
It was a slice of life, full of worldly charm.
Lu Wu liked it here very much.
Spicy Beef Buns, Soul-Snatching Crab Roe Buns, Life-Taking Egg and Chive Buns, and Sweet Red Bean Paste Buns—this was the menu Lu Wu laid out.
She began her shopping.
She needed a lot of side ingredients, and the quantities were large.
Only after wandering around the market for a few rounds did Lu Wu manage to buy everything.
Returning to her residence, Lu Wu began to prepare the ingredients.
The mitten crabs of the Qing Yuan World were huge, each one weighing a good seven or eight taels. They brandished their large pincers menacingly in the basin of water.
Lu Wu flicked out a strand of spiritual energy, knocking the crabs unconscious, then washed them clean and put them on the steamer to cook.
Digging out the crab roe and meat was laborious work.
Nourished by spiritual energy, the crab meat was tender, white, and springy.
The crab roe, in particular, was incredibly rich and oily. Simply steaming it was enough to leave one’s mouth greasy with satisfaction.
The crab meat and roe were mixed evenly, then combined with minced pork and chopped water chestnuts to enrich the texture and balance the richness.
Finally, she added fine sugar, salt, and sesame oil that Lu Wu had specially pressed herself.
When the filling was evenly mixed, Lu Wu sniffed the air, her eyes curving into crescents.
Perfect score.
Compared to the crab roe buns, the process for the remaining fillings was simpler.
Lu Wu didn’t grind the beef into a paste but diced it into small cubes to prevent the final texture from becoming tough.
She marinated the beef for 20 minutes with minced ginger, Sichuan peppercorn powder, five-spice powder, and various other seasonings.
When the time was up, she heated oil in a wok and stir-fried the filling until cooked.
The aroma produced from just preparing the ingredients was enough to awaken one’s inner glutton.
In the courtyard next door, Old Man Li smelled the increasingly distinct fragrance and swallowed his saliva uncouthly.
“Boss Lu really did change the menu today.”
“Smells so good!”
After a loud slurp, Old Man Li cast a spell on himself to block out the scent.
He couldn’t see it or eat it; he was about to die from craving.
It wasn’t just Old Man Li. People passing by the alley at this time also cast lingering glances.
It smelled too good.
They all wanted to rush in and ask the person in the courtyard if they were deliberately tempting them; they were about to be lured into pouting fish.
Gulp, gulp.
The sound of swallowing saliva could be heard from every passerby.
Fortunately, no one disturbed her.
In the process, Lu Wu had made herself hungry.
After preparing all four types of fillings, she simply made a full-flavored steamer basket to reward herself.
A short while later, Lu Wu randomly picked a bun from the freshly steamed batch, blew on it a few times, and took a bite. Mmm… it was the egg and chive one.
The egg was tender and smooth, dotted among the emerald green chives. One bite carried the unique flavor of the chives.
The fresh fragrance of the chives and the delicate texture of the egg intertwined, the two blending perfectly. Neither overpowered the other; instead, they complemented each other beautifully.
After a few gentle chews, the food slid down her throat. Her hungry stomach was not satisfied, urging Lu Wu to eat more.
“Hoo!”
Blowing on the bun, Lu Wu gave herself a thumbs-up.
So delicious!
Her skills were truly excellent.
As she walked out of the kitchen with the steaming hot buns, she saw a sneaky figure flash across her courtyard wall.
It was so fast that Lu Wu didn’t even get a clear look at the person’s face.
In broad daylight, she almost thought she had seen a ghost.
Chewing on her bun, Lu Wu had a strange look in her eyes.
If she remembered correctly, Old Man Li lived over there.
For an old man of his age, Old Man Li was so agile he could even climb walls? But why did he look a little shifty?