“Brother, do you still remember why we joined the sect?”
His sister’s words sent the brother down memory lane.
He and his sister were beggars, unable to eat their fill or dress warmly. Their aptitude was mediocre, and no one would have cared if they had died on the streets.
When they had nowhere else to turn, the people of the Hidden Spirit Sect took them in.
They said that if they joined, they could eat delicious food every day.
At that time, they saw it as a beautiful dream.
The brother and sister discussed it and agreed.
They had no deep-seated hatred to avenge, nor did they wish to lord over others. The two of them joined the sect purely for a bite to eat.
At first, it was just as promised—they had no worries about food or drink.
But as the sect declined over the years, it grew poor, and their quality of life dropped significantly.
They had come out to complete this mission in hopes of earning more money to eat well.
But now, they were grown up.
Even if they left the sect, they could still eat their fill and dress warmly.
The two siblings could live well together without relying on anyone else.
In contrast, within the sect, they often had to complete a huge number of tasks for a meager reward, and they were easily hunted down if their identities were exposed.
The losses outweighed the gains.
In truth, he hadn’t been very loyal to the sect for years.
“Brother, I want to eat these kinds of baozi in the future, too.”
His sister’s tone was forlorn.
If Boss Lu was harmed by the sect, would they not be able to eat them anymore?
Or, if they went against Boss Lu and were slapped to death by the great power behind her, they wouldn’t even have the chance to open their mouths.
His sister had a very good point.
After some painful soul-searching, the brother thought about the sect’s style over the years—all stick and no carrot—and decided to turn on his teammates.
“Sister, let’s go report them. We’ll be tainted witnesses.”
Dodging his sister’s hand as she tried to snatch a baozi, the brother stuffed the last half into his mouth, savoring the bliss. He wiped his mouth and made his decision.
Men die for wealth as birds die for food. He would stop being a man; he would be a bird.
“Brother, I still want more.”
His sister glared angrily at her brother.
What kind of brother was so vigilant against his own sister snatching food?
“Me too.”
The brother looked over at the baozi stall. There was still a long line, but the stall’s stock was running low.
“Everyone, there are only enough baozi left for ten people! The rest of you, please come back tomorrow,” Lu Wu called out, trying to get the customers further back to stop waiting.
The group of customers behind the tenth person in line instantly looked crestfallen.
They had no one to complain to.
It was their own fault for coming late.
Just as Lu Wu was preparing to pack up her stall with practiced ease, a loud roar echoed between heaven and earth.
“Boss Lu’s baozi are the most delicious in the world!”
Swish, swish, swish. A crowd of people instantly turned their eyes toward a certain spot.
There, Xu Gu was shouting, his eyes red. Faced with the crowd’s probing gazes, Xu Gu paused for a moment, then yelled again.
“Boss Lu’s baozi are the best in the world!”
He was being completely sincere.
The moment he ate the baozi, all his initial doubts vanished. He knew he had lost, utterly and completely.
It was his fault.
It was his fault for not believing that baozi could be so delicious they could move a person to tears.
If his professional ethics weren’t strictly restraining him, he would have been tempted to embezzle the two baozi his boss had asked for.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t resist temptation; it was that Boss Lu’s baozi were just too delightful.
Never mind a single shout—from this day on, no matter where he went, he would promote Boss Lu.
Boss Lu, she was worth it!
Beside him, Wang Changgui wore a smile, accepting this glory.
He just knew that no one could remain stubborn in the face of Boss Lu’s baozi.
Feeling Lu Wu’s astonished gaze, Wang Changgui maintained a reserved expression. He held his head high, his eyes sweeping over some of his grimacing, teeth-gritting fellow sect members in the crowd, and flashed a wide, white-toothed grin.
The position of an inner disciple of the Baozi Cult was his for the taking.
A shiver ran through Lu Wu, and she cringed so hard her toes curled.
She forced a smile, quickly packed up her baozi stall, and then, amidst the pleading gazes of the crowd, waved her hand and fled.
If she didn’t run, she was going to cringe hard enough to build a three-bedroom apartment.
After bidding farewell to her customers, Lu Wu saw the time and didn’t linger, heading straight back to… Old Man Li’s small courtyard.
The night sky of the Qing Yuan World was bright.
Countless stars hung high above.
In a sky free from technological pollution, one could see the vast expanse of starlight with a single glance.
Moonlight, like water, cascaded over Lu Wu. She sat in an octagonal stone pavilion, watching Old Man Li perform a tea ceremony.
Drinking tea was also an art form.
But Lu Wu felt that Old Man Li’s art had probably not yet found its way.
Although it was very dark, the Night-Shining Pearl hanging from the pavilion was bright enough to illuminate the area.
Thus, she could clearly see the slightly murky tea in the cup placed before her.
Even though she knew nothing about the art of tea, this yellowish-brown liquid, along with the fine dregs settled at the bottom of the cup, just didn’t seem right.
But Old Man Li had no reason to harm her, so Lu Wu still picked it up and took a sip.
With just one small sip, Lu Wu’s face scrunched up.
It was bitter, astringent, and had a hint of a musty taste. She felt like she didn’t even want her tongue anymore.
She had been careless; she hadn’t dodged.
The way Lu Wu looked at Old Man Li was no longer the same.
“Ahem.”
Old Man Li, who had also taken a sip, nonchalantly pushed his teacup away.
He hadn’t drunk tea in a long time. He had gone to great trouble to find this tea; it seemed like it had been sitting around for ten or twenty years.
“Little Lu, here’s the thing. Seeing as we’ve known each other for so long, why don’t we add each other as friends?”
Old Man Li took out a Universal Realm Communicator and held it out toward Lu Wu.
Lu Wu’s eyes flickered a few times.
Her expression suddenly stilled, and a hint of contemplation floated in the depths of her dark eyes.
As everyone knew, the Universal Realm Communicator could not be used without spiritual power.
Old Man Li had never mentioned this before.
It was only in the last two days, after completing the mission, that the system had granted her a Cultivation. But she had quickly used the Ruyi Hairpin to conceal it.
How did the old man know?
She looked at him.
Old Man Li still wore a cheerful expression, his gaze kind.
Even though he understood Lu Wu’s deep thoughts, his expression didn’t change.
“Little Lu, you know me. I’m just a glutton who wants to use the back door with you. I have no other intentions.”
Old Man Li’s gaze swept past the hairpin in Lu Wu’s hair.
What kind of discerning eye did he have?
He had noticed the fluctuation of spiritual power in Lu Wu’s body the very first moment it appeared yesterday.
The reason it hadn’t attracted anyone else’s attention was that he had acted to conceal it.
As for what secrets she had, he had no desire to know.
The Qing Yuan World was vast, with countless opportunities.
It wasn’t as if there were no examples of people without a Spirit Root eventually embarking on the path of cultivation.
Between a treasure and delicious food, anyone with a brain knew to choose the latter.
“Alright.”
“Thank you, Old Man.”
Lu Wu had also thought it through.
She broke into a smile and tapped her communicator against his. After adding him as a friend, Lu Wu noticed Old Man Li was sending a message to someone.
She vaguely saw words like “Sect Master” and “action.”
Being a polite person, Lu Wu averted her gaze.
She knew Old Man Li was giving her a warning.
One could never be too careful. She carried a secret, and although those customers liked her food, the foundation for establishing oneself in the Qing Yuan World was still one’s own strength.
When one possessed a great treasure but lacked the strength to protect it, one should not reveal it.
Fortunately, Lu Wu was not in a hurry.
While others cultivated desperately, she had a cheat. She could become stronger just by running her stall.
This round, the advantage was hers!
Returning to her own residence, Lu Wu felt much more relaxed. After scrolling through the Universal Realm Communicator in bed for a while, she finally succumbed to sleep.