There were cultivators engaged in Dòufǎ here.
The dazzling Fǎshù attacks made Lu Wu’s eyes burn with excitement. Every move was lethal; an unknowing observer would have thought these people shared some life-or-death grudge.
But in reality…
“You dare steal my person? This old man will kill you.”
“In the Cultivation world, strength reigns supreme. So what if I’m stronger than you? If you’ve got the guts, then don’t buy the buns.”
“Heh heh, you think I don’t know your little scheme? Isn’t it just that the Flower Girl you fancy was willing to be kept by me? Don’t blame the road for being bumpy if you can’t perform.”
“What a joke. You really think it’s your own strength? It’s all because of Boss Lu’s amazing buns.”
The story was simple. Zhang San had taken a liking to a Flower Girl, but the Flower Girl had been conquered by Li Si’s prowess the night before and was willing to be with him again tonight. Naturally, Zhang San was not convinced.
After finding out the reason, he wanted to stage a comeback by relying on the buns, but would Li Si allow that?
The argument escalated into a fight.
And that led to the scene Lu Wu was now witnessing.
Many people were watching the spectacle, and some were even cracking melon seeds. Quite a few had benefited the previous night, and with their endorsement, the reputation of Lu Wu’s bun stall had spread throughout Huāliǔ Jiē.
Some quick-witted small vendors had even moved their stalls over.
Lu Wu glanced around and saw that a large crowd had gathered. Even the Flower Girls from many of the brothels were poking their heads out to watch the excitement.
Completely surrounded, Lu Wu couldn’t break through.
Small and helpless, Lu Wu watched as those people fought fiercely over buns, while she, the bun seller, was blocked outside. She couldn’t help but raise her hand.
“Um, excuse me, could you please let me through?”
Her voice was drowned out by the crowd, and some people were even egging the two on to continue.
Lu Wu also spotted Lou Xiaotian. His aloof face had eyes that darted around, as if he were plotting something mischievous.
Perhaps Lu Wu’s gaze was too obvious, as Lou Xiaotian looked over. The moment he spotted Lu Wu, his eyes lit up like light bulbs.
He opened his mouth as if to shout, but then quickly covered it, having thought of something.
Then, he stealthily slipped out of the crowd, walked over to Lu Wu, and deliberately shielded her from view.
“Boss Lu, let’s make a deal. Don’t go over there. I’ll buy all of today’s buns.”
After the verification from last night’s customers, he had already confirmed that Boss Lu’s buns had some special enhancing effects.
He was a man too, and he was tempted.
“Probably not.”
Lu Wu shook her head. The system showed that she was not currently within the stall’s designated area, so any buns sold now wouldn’t count.
Furthermore, she had made a promise to her customers yesterday, so she certainly couldn’t let one person buy everything.
“Ah!”
Lou Xiaotian’s disappointment was all too obvious. Just as he was about to try persuading her again, someone shouted.
“Boss Lu is here!”
There were quite a few sharp-eyed people around.
And so, the two men fighting in the center of the crowd tacitly stopped. Zhang San even snapped his fingers, restoring the shattered ground.
Fǎshù was so useful. Lu Wu was green with envy.
Pairs of eyes turned to look at her. Under the watch of these laser-like gazes, Lu Wu put on a smile and greeted them.
“Hello everyone, I’m here. Could you please make way and let me through to set up my stall?”
Whoosh!
The crowd parted in a second.
Someone even thoughtfully came over to help Lu Wu push her cart.
“Boss Lu, I hope you’ve prepared enough buns today. I’m ready for a feast!”
“Boss Lu, I’m a new customer. You can’t show favoritism!”
“I’m not greedy, I just want the same kind as yesterday.”
“Hey, make way, everyone. I was Boss Lu’s first customer yesterday. I helped her get her business started, so I should get to go first today, right?”
Amid the banter, a Flower Girl from the previous night came before Lu Wu, her gaze intensely hot.
Feeling as if she were about to be eaten alive, Lu Wu saw the slightly faded spots on the other woman’s clean face and understood what was going on.
“Little sister, thank you for your buns.”
“My name is Furong. From now on, you can set up your stall here without worry. As long as I’m here, no one will dare to touch you.”
As Furong said this, she swept her gaze over everyone, and many people didn’t dare to meet her eyes.
Although it wasn’t directed at Lu Wu, Lu Wu could still feel a powerful pressure from her. Furong’s Cultivation seemed to be very high among this group.
“I’ll be first in line. No objections, I presume?” Furong asked with a smile.
“Of course not. Lady Furong, you should be first.”
A group of people nodded with laughter. Before they could react, the little tyrant who had just been rejected cleverly stood behind Furong.
“Everyone, be considerate and form a line. And no more fighting, be careful not to hurt Boss Lu.”
Lu Wu had no Cultivation, a fact any cultivator could see at a glance.
For a mortal, a mere ripple from a cultivator’s Dòufǎ could kill Lu Wu several times over.
Thanks to Lou Xiaotian’s thoughtful reminder, the crowd began to organize themselves into a line.
A few minor scuffles over who was ahead were still unavoidable.
Lu Wu moved with practiced ease.
Even though the meat filling was still raw and cold, it was enough to make the customers’ eyes gleam.
They watched as Lu Wu’s fingers deftly stuffed a large dollop of filling into a thin bun wrapper. The skin was thin, and the filling was generous.
They could already envision the scene after the buns were steamed: through the thin wrapper, the meat filling would gently sway in the savory juices.
Gulp!
A chorus of swallowing sounds came from the crowd.
As the object of their anticipation, Lu Wu arranged the steamers.
Furong wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief and, to distract herself, started chatting with Lu Wu.
“Boss Lu, can you provide a long-term supply of these buns for the sisters in our establishment?”
In the line, the Flower Girls cast fiery gazes her way.
They weren’t interested in the Yāozi Bāo or the Little Meat Bao, but no woman could refuse the Měiróng Yǎngyán de Dòushā Bāo.
“Ah, you can all come and buy them for the next five days.”
Having customers who were willing to patronize her stall was the best affirmation for Lu Wu as a chef, and she was very happy.
Unfortunately, she was doing a system mission.
The food she would sell in the future, as well as the locations, were all arranged by the system. She couldn’t make any promises.
Although she felt sorry for the sisters, she wanted to pursue Cultivation.
For the sake of the system’s rewards, she definitely wouldn’t stay in one place for too long.
“Why only five days?” Furong asked, and the others pricked up their ears as well.
“Boss Lu, if you’re in any trouble, just say the word. I believe there’s nothing in Xiaohe Town that I can’t handle,” Lou Xiaotian also chimed in.
“That’s right, Boss Lu. Is someone giving you trouble? Or did someone threaten you? Just tell us, and we’ll go smash his head in.”
Faced with the protectiveness of a group of violent cultivators, Lu Wu was touched, but she politely declined.
“No, there’s no trouble.”
“I just want to try making more types of food, and my stall’s location won’t be fixed in the future, so I can’t make any promises.”
Under the puzzled gazes of the crowd, Lu Wu set out the freshly steamed buns. She glanced at the long queue that had already formed and hesitated for a moment before saying, “To make sure everyone gets some, there’s a limit of two buns per person today.”