It was a dark and windy night. By the time the master and disciple pair snuck into Lu Wu’s alley, all was deathly silent.
Some heartless person had spread a great deal of false information about Lu Wu’s residence throughout Xiaohe Town, which was why it had taken them until now to find the correct location.
“This should be the place, right?”
Qin Zhan stood at the entrance, his heart pounding as he stared at the tightly shut door.
It seemed like a trick of the mind, but Qin Zhan felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were being watched by some great terror.
Qin Zhan raised his hand to knock.
His knuckles fell, successfully striking the door. But what rang out was not a “thump, thump” sound, but Qin Zhan’s own miserable shriek.
“Ah!”
“My hand!”
Qin Zhan abruptly pulled his hand back, clutching his fingers and grimacing in pain.
This whole twisted performance of song, speech, and acrobatics made Tianfeng Daoren’s face darken.
He slapped Qin Zhan on the back of the head.
“Stop acting.”
Did he not know his own disciple’s strength? How could knocking on a door make it seem like his hand was broken?
“It’s for real, Master.”
With reddened eyes, Qin Zhan looked mournfully at Tianfeng Daoren and held up his hand as proof.
After a quick glance, Tianfeng Daoren sneered.
“Isn’t it perfectly fine?”
Not only was the skin not broken, but there wasn’t even a hint of red.
Qin Zhan cried out that he had been wronged.
He once again stepped forward to knock. The moment his fingers touched the door, they felt as if they had been run over by a heavy cart. The pain was so intense he felt like his hand was about to break.
“Master…”
Qin Zhan’s voice held a sob. He wiped the corner of his eye, feeling that he could no longer be strong.
It hurt so much.
This time, Tianfeng Daoren did not refute him. Just a moment ago, he had seen fluctuations of spiritual power on this wooden door that looked like it could be sent flying with a single slap.
“It’s a formation.”
Tianfeng Daoren walked over for a closer inspection, a thoughtful look on his face.
“Someone has placed a formation on this. It’s very high-level; I can’t break it for the time being.”
“If I’m not mistaken, someone doesn’t want us to disturb the owner of the house.”
Tianfeng Daoren stroked his beard.
He knew many formation masters and could tell that this formation was incredibly powerful, not something he could undo.
Since it couldn’t be broken, their hopes of eating baozi tonight had completely gone down the drain.
“Let’s go!”
Tianfeng Daoren was quite regretful. He gestured for Qin Zhan to lead the way, his hands clasped behind his back, his appearance that of a venerated master quite convincing.
In reality, the hand he held behind his back was tingling numbly.
From just that tiny collision, he knew that the person behind this had a higher cultivation than his own.
But his disciple was still right there. For the sake of his image, Tianfeng Daoren absolutely could not admit that he had been slightly bested in this invisible clash.
In the house next door, Old Man Li only let out a derisive laugh after seeing the master and disciple pair walk away.
“Well done.”
He praised the members of the Baozi Cult.
An outer disciple had discovered the master and disciple asking about Lu Wu’s residence early on, so Old Man Li had long been prepared to stand guard. The false information had also been deliberately spread by the Baozi Cult disciples.
After duly praising the disciples, Old Man Li gazed at Lu Wu’s small courtyard, his eyes profound.
Two battles, two victories. He was the undisputed guardian god.
Boss Lu, as long as I’m here, you are invincible.
…
The next day, Lu Wu couldn’t get up. She was lazing in bed.
The seven-day mission was over, and she didn’t have to set up her stall today. Unable to find anything to do for the moment, Lu Wu could only pass the time with her Universal Realm Communicator.
This internet addiction of hers, she just couldn’t kick it no matter where she was.
The Universal Realm Communicator is so much fun, hehe!
After playing until the sky turned dark, Lu Wu put down the Universal Realm Communicator and realized it was already afternoon.
Half the day had passed just like that.
Having idled away her time, Lu Wu rubbed her slightly hungry stomach. Just as she was about to whip up something to eat, she heard a “ding-dong.”
It was a message from the system.
【Mission Updated.】
【Current Mission: Sell 500 portions of braised pork knuckle within seven days.】
【Designated Location: Entrance of the Ten Thousand Poison Valley.】
【Designated Time: From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.】
That was from eleven in the morning to three in the afternoon.
With the new mission came a recipe for braised pork knuckle provided by the system.
The complexity of the ingredients was enough to give one a headache, but what gave Lu Wu an even bigger headache was the location.
The Ten Thousand Poison Valley was outside Xiaohe Town. It was a natural treacherous land, and also a place where many cultivators went for training and treasure hunting.
And inside, there were not only heavenly materials and earthly treasures, but also a large number of poisonous creatures.
When Lu Wu first arrived in this world, she had heard that about three years ago, a tide of poisonous insects had erupted from the Ten Thousand Poison Valley, and Xiaohe Town had almost not survived.
This showed just how dangerous the place was.
People who entered the Ten Thousand Poison Valley were either thinking about how to stay alive or how to find treasures. How could they possibly come to gnaw on her braised pork knuckles?
But looking at the plump flesh of the braised pork knuckle in the recipe, Lu Wu slurped, feeling that she could give it a try.
The mission would only start tomorrow, which gave Lu Wu just enough time to prepare the ingredients.
When she had bought pork before, she had met a butcher whose family ran a pig farm. Lu Wu decided to pay him a visit to make a purchase.
The location was a bit remote. When Lu Wu arrived, Lin Tufu was waiting at the gate.
“Boss Lu, you’re here.”
Lin Tufu led the way for Lu Wu. Only after walking in did Lu Wu realize that this was not some family-run sty, but a small-scale farm.
Besides a large number of spirit pigs, there were also some poultry. She even saw several fish ponds under construction.
It was clear that Lin Tufu’s family was well-off.
“Brother Lin, you’re amazing. In the future, I can come directly to you for chicken, duck, and fish.”
She had gotten along well with Lin Tufu during their previous dealings. If possible, she would source all these things from him.
“Feel free to come to me, Boss Lu. I guarantee that my livestock here is of the highest quality in Xiaohe Town, and even in Hong’an City. I would never try to pass off inferior goods as high quality.”
“From now on, whenever you come to purchase, Boss Lu, I’ll give you a ten percent discount.”
Lin Tufu was a straightforward man and made the promise on the spot.
Xiaohe Town was under the jurisdiction of Hong’an City.
Speaking of Hong’an City, Lin Tufu spoke with great eloquence; he was clearly a man who had seen the world.
Lu Wu followed Lin Tufu to where the spirit pigs were raised.
The pigs here were free-range. On the hillside, the spirit pigs were chewing on grass, each one massive, fat, and sturdy.
Lu Wu even saw that the food some pigs were eating was imbued with spiritual energy.
It was precisely because they were nourished by spiritual energy that the pork here had no gamy or foul taste, and the meat was rich and fragrant when eaten.
Lu Wu’s gaze fell upon the large knuckles of those pigs.
That scorching gaze caused a commotion in the pig herd. They kicked their hooves and ran to a more distant spot.
Oh no, the living Yama is here!
“Brother Lin, this time I need to purchase some pork knuckles, at least five hundred portions.”
Lu Wu estimated.
In fact, given how supportive her group of customers was, she could probably sell five thousand portions. But since the location was changing this time, some of her old customers might not be able to find her.
So Lu Wu gave a conservative number.
Still, five hundred portions was not a small amount.
“Alright.”
“It just so happens that a batch of adult pigs is scheduled to be slaughtered today. I’ll have them delivered to you this evening, Boss Lu.”
Even though she only wanted the knuckles, Lin Tufu didn’t say another word.
His pigs were high quality anyway. The remaining parts could be sold separately to other people. One pig, multiple sales—there was no fear of waste at all.
After they came to an agreement, Lu Wu left the farm carrying the cured pork sausage Lin Tufu had given her.
She had made up her mind. Tonight, she would treat herself to steamed rice with cured sausage.