After sending the message, Old Man Li watched the envy, jealousy, and hatred from the other members of the cult. He lifted his chin, his eyes filled with pride.
He, the Grand Elder of the Baozi Cult, the one who established and executed its creation, would certainly lead by example to bolster the cult’s prestige.
Sooner or later, his Baozi Cult would conquer the entire Qing Yuan World and let everyone eat these baozi.
Old Man Li was ready to put his old bones to work.
Meanwhile, Lu Wu, who had been playing with her Universal Realm Communicator, had unknowingly fallen asleep.
By the time she woke up, it was nearly dusk.
She yawned and began to prepare the things she needed for her stall that night.
The evening glow spread across the sky above Xiaohe Town. The orange hues stretched for thousands of miles, looking just like colorful cotton candy—it was exceptionally beautiful.
Many new faces appeared on Yanliu Street today. They had all seen the news on the Universal Realm Communicator and, curious about the taste of these heaven-praised baozi, had rushed over.
They had originally thought this was some kind of snack street, but when they saw that both sides were lined with brothels, many of the foodies’ expressions turned grim.
Could it be that the disciples of the Hehuan Sect had fallen so low as to use such bizarre gimmicks to attract customers these days?
Or perhaps the men here had already been sucked dry, and those temptresses needed to expand their business outwards.
“Is there really good food here?”
Xu Gu was highly skeptical.
Ever since the Universal Realm Communicator came into existence, the animosity between the major powers of the Qing Yuan World had lessened, replaced by a bit more gossip.
News traveled fast, and there were many new and interesting things happening everywhere.
And Xu Gu was a professional runner.
Whenever a ruin was discovered somewhere, someone would hire him to go and verify if it was true.
Of course, that was considered a big job. He usually did small tasks, like buying local specialties from various places for different bosses.
Today, the person who hired him was a young mistress from a wealthy family.
He didn’t know her specific background, but she was generous. For two baozi, she had given him ten spirit stones, which was more than the baozi themselves were worth.
Visiting Xiaohe Town for the first time, Xu Gu looked at the crowded street and hesitated.
Are they really selling baozi?
This isn’t some kind of cult gathering point, is it?
Maybe… he should report them.
As Xu Gu seriously considered this possibility, he met the gloomy gaze of the person he had just asked.
“Of course there is! Boss Lu’s skills are top-notch. Not a single person who’s tried them has had a bad word to say.”
He was the drunkard who had been the first to eat the baozi, and his name was Wang Changgui.
From that day on, he became Boss Lu’s most loyal fan.
As one of Boss Lu’s regular customers, Wang Changgui would absolutely not allow anyone to question Boss Lu’s greatness.
“Let me tell you, you wouldn’t trade Boss Lu’s baozi even for Jade Nectar. As for Dragon Liver and Phoenix Gall, hah… that’s just pig swill. There’s no comparison at all.”
Spittle flew as Wang Changgui passionately lectured Xu Gu, but the more he talked, the more Xu Gu felt it was an exaggeration.
Seeing Xu Gu’s wary gaze, Wang Changgui grew anxious.
“Hey, you still don’t believe me, do you? How about we make a bet? If Boss Lu’s baozi aren’t delicious, I’ll give you a hundred spirit stones.”
“Of course, if I win, I don’t want your spirit stones. I just want you to shout ‘Boss Lu’s baozi are the most delicious in the world!’ How about it?”
He was very confident in Boss Lu’s skills, and his gaze towards Xu Gu was filled with self-assurance.
Just you wait, I’m about to put you in your place!
“Ah, this…”
Xu Gu hesitated.
A hundred spirit stones was no small amount; he’d have to run several errands for that. Even if he lost, he would only have to shout a single sentence.
“Fine, I agree. But I’m here to buy them for someone else. These baozi have a purchase limit, right? I won’t be able to eat them.”
He had a strong sense of professional ethics; he couldn’t touch what his client wanted.
Hearing this, Wang Changgui’s expression crumpled.
Faced with Xu Gu’s hesitation, Wang Changgui steeled himself.
“How about this? I’ll give you one of mine later. You can tell me after you’ve tried it.”
To ensure the bet went ahead, he was offering one of his baozi for free.
He was already feeling the heartache before he even got to eat, and Wang Changgui felt he was losing too much. But for the sake of the Baozi Cult, it was worth it.
“That should work, right?” he said to Xu Gu.
Wang Changgui’s proactive offer of benefits was, naturally, for a reason.
As an outer disciple of the Baozi Cult, he needed to let more people know about Boss Lu’s delicious food in order to enter the core of the cult.
He had heard that the mysterious Grand Elder got to enjoy food personally made by Boss Lu every single day.
He was so envious it was killing him.
He, Wang Changgui, would definitely climb on the shoulders of these undiscerning people to successfully enter the cult’s upper echelons and be fed by Boss Lu.
“Fine, fine, fine.”
Stared at by Wang Changgui’s fierce gaze, Xu Gu agreed verbally, but his suspicions grew stronger.
He had read up on it. In their early stages of recruitment, cults would use this kind of fervent and generous behavior to lure people in.
But the other party was offering too much, so he decided to observe for a while.
Wherever there are people, there is conflict.
The foot traffic on Yanliu Street had been immense these past few days. The originally wide street was no longer enough to contain the crowd.
After some people learned from the old customers that Lu Wu’s baozi had a purchase limit and a limited daily quantity, those who arrived late were unwilling to queue up peacefully.
At the end of the day, they were all cultivators. When reasoning failed, of course they would resort to fighting… or not.
They couldn’t fight.
A few outsiders were initially defiant and wanted to start a brawl.
But before they could even unleash their ultimate moves, an irresistible spiritual pressure pinned them down.
The sense of crisis, of hovering on the brink of death, told them that if they made a move, they would instantly kick the bucket.
There was a powerful expert presiding over this place.
As the news spread from one person to the next, everyone, for the sake of their own lives, didn’t dare to act recklessly anymore.
One by one, they obediently lined up in order of arrival.
Among them was a group of young children.
There were both boys and girls, whispering quietly to each other, their expressions bright.
Many people’s gazes fell on them, simply because all of their faces bore mottled marks.
Xiao Hua was also among them.
A day later, even when being watched by the crowd, Xiao Hua could now hold her head high with confidence.
If one looked closely, they would find that the spots on her face had faded a lot.
According to her prediction, after eating two more Dousha Bao today, the spots would fade completely.
Thinking of how she used to wallow in self-pity, Xiao Hua felt she had let her mother down.
Fortunately, Boss Lu had appeared.
It was Boss Lu who had saved her.
After all, those people had said that while the poison they were afflicted with could be cured, they had no solution for the side effect—the spots on their faces.
It was Boss Lu who allowed them to live with clean faces.
To repay Boss Lu, she had decided to join the Baozi Cult. Her application was currently under review, but Xiao Hua was very confident.
“Boss Lu is here! Make way!”
A shout came from the end of the street, and the long-waiting crowd looked over, their eyes shining.
Whoosh!
A path opened up before Lu Wu.
Lu Wu, who had just arrived, stared at the exaggerated scene with a dazed expression.
She hadn’t taken a wrong turn, had she?
Or had she walked into a scene of a high-ranking leader’s inspection? Did these people have to look at her with such gleaming eyes? Why was she so flustered?