Don't Push Your Luck, You Two!

Seeing this, Meng Jingzhou stopped faking agony and abruptly sat up from the stretcher. Master Liu and Master Gao were not wearing their grease-stained barbecue shop uniforms, nor did they bear the simple, honest smiles they used when serving customers. Dressed in formal attire, their faces were grave and solemn, as if reminiscing about the glorious years of the Immortal Cult. When they turned their gazes upon Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, a gloomy chill ran down the two youths' spines. "Gentlemen, please accompany us. We have a favor to ask of you." Master Liu and Master Gao had already investigated thoroughly. After Lu Yang and Yun Zhi returned, Yun Zhi had left the Dao Seeking Sect again on some unknown business. Now was a heaven-sent opportunity to make a move on Lu Yang! If they didn't act now, then when? There were too many eyes and ears around here to conduct business, so they had to invite Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou to the Immortal Cult's headquarters—the Try Again Barbecue Shop! Previously, the Try Again Barbecue Shop had merely been a small eatery struggling to gain a foothold on the commercial street, surrounded by enemies and closely watched by covetous Body Integration experts. Its situation had been perilous. Yet under the subsequent guidance of both the Cult Master and the Immortal Celestial, combined with the cult leadership's meticulous planning and step-by-step winning strategy, the barbecue shop had officially degenerated into an Immortal Cult devil's den. And as for how the Try Again Barbecue Shop had entrenched itself on the commercial street while quietly expanding its power, the Dao Seeking Sect remained completely in the dark... "Fine, let's go," Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou said, refusing to lose their nerve. Flanked by two Body Integration cultivators, how could the pair possess the strength to resist? Even if they refused, they would likely be dragged along anyway. Rather than suffer that indignity, they might as well walk on their own two feet. "This way, please." Master Gao extended a hand, escorting the two to the barbecue shop. Standing before the entrance, Lu Yang found the interior pitch-black, save for the faint outlines of two figures swaying in the dark. As the two stepped inside, Master Liu and Master Gao stood silently by the door like a pair of iron statues on guard. The moment Lu Yang entered the barbecue shop, he felt entirely cut off from the outside world. He could hear nothing of the bustling street outside, nor could he see through the threshold. What he did not know was that far beyond merely blocking sound and sight, the Cult Master had long since set up a peerless array inside the shop, completely sealing off divine sense as well. Light with no discernible source gradually filled the barbecue shop, revealing the true faces behind the two silhouettes: the Cult Master and the Immortal Celestial. Both were likewise dressed in formal attire, seemingly determined to accomplish something monumental. "Please, have a seat, gentlemen," the Cult Master offered politely. "Speak. What is this about?" Lu Yang asked coldly, unable to figure out what game the Cult Master was playing. Even so, Lu Yang was not afraid. The Immortal Celestial was sitting right beside him. As the master of the Immortal Lineage, the Immortal Fairy held complete control over the Immortal Celestial, the cult's very origin. With that connection in place, there was no way the Cult Master could stir up any real trouble. "It isn't anything major. I merely wish to ask Fellow Daoist Lu for a small favor. Given your standing in the Dao Seeking Sect, it is a matter of a single word. "You see, upon learning that you two had just formed your cores, I specifically prepared modest gifts as a token of my regard. Please, grant me this face." Silently, the Cult Master pushed two gift boxes across the table toward Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. With a flick of his wrist, the Cult Master opened the boxes to reveal their contents: Foundation-Consolidating and Vitality-Nourishing Pills worth a fortune, capable of consolidating Golden Core cultivation and converting the remaining medicinal potency into foundation to aid future breakthroughs without leaving a shred of medicinal residue to hinder later advancement; A defensive artifact capable of withstanding a full-strength strike from a Body Integration cultivator; A copy of Golden Core Stage Cultivation Insights; Five small vials containing Five Elements materials, including True Fire, Pure Water, Breathing Earth, and others, suitable for crafting growable Five Elements artifacts. In addition to these were various other precious treasures, not a single one of which an ordinary Golden Core cultivator could ever hope to afford. Neither of the youths reached for these "modest gifts." Lu Yang went straight to the point: "Cult Master, we're old acquaintances. Let's not beat around the bush. Out with it." The Cult Master slowly voiced the scheme he had harbored in his heart for so long: "To be specific, we want to absorb rogue cultivators into our ranks, expand the operational scope of our organization, heighten our faction's influence over the Great Xia Dynasty, and make it so the world cannot live without us! "Once the deed is done, we will certainly not treat you two shabbily. There will be further generous gifts! "You two may not yet know this, but our power has already been spreading in secret, quietly encompassing the entire commercial street. And the Dao Seeking Sect knows nothing of it!" Lu Yang frowned. The Cult Master's words implied that the entire commercial street belonged to their people, and if they didn't agree, they might not make it out alive. Even so, he refused to yield. "And what if we refuse to help with your 'small favor'?" "Refuse to help?" The Cult Master rose slowly, like a mountain god awakening from an age-old slumber, exerting immense pressure upon the two youths. Narrowing his eyes at them, the Cult Master threatened with a savage scowl, "I have already treated you two with the utmost courtesy! All we want is to open branch locations of our barbecue shop out in the outside world! If you two push your luck, don't blame me for dropping to my knees and begging you!" The Cult Master felt he had done everything humanly possible. He had instructed Master Liu and Master Gao not to wear their grease-stained uniforms, to dress up formally to invite the two over, and to wear smiles on their faces. Taking into account that it was currently June and scorching summer, he had specifically reminded Master Liu and Master Gao to cast cooling spells upon meeting Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou so they wouldn't suffer from the heat. To ensure complete secrecy and prevent competitors from eavesdropping, he had erected a peerless array to block all outside probing. He had scrubbed the barbecue shop spotless, without a speck of grease left behind. The two defensive artifacts were treasures he had personally crafted in every scrap of spare time left over from running the slaughterhouse. The cultivation insights had been compiled and handwritten by the Immortal Celestial himself, drawing on the collective memories of every single member of the Immortal Cult. And as for the Five Elements materials, he had gone door to door visiting every shop owner on the commercial street, haggling and pleading until they finally agreed to sell them. Opening branches out in the wider world was just a matter of a single word from these boys. Could they still be dissatisfied? The Cult Master steeled his heart. A true man knows when to yield and when to stand tall! For the ten-thousand-year grand design of the barbecue shop, kneeling down was no big deal! Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou hurriedly held the Cult Master back, utterly bewildered by this bizarre turn of events. "You just want to open branch locations of the barbecue shop?" "Of course!" "Then what was that about absorbing rogue cultivators into your ranks?" "Hiring shop staff, obviously!" None of them could leave the Dao Seeking Sect. If they wanted to open branches outside, they had to hire clerks. "And expanding the operational scope of your organization?" "Opening barbecue branches outside the Dao Seeking Sect." "Heightening your influence over the Great Xia Dynasty?" "Becoming major taxpayers." "Making it so the world cannot live without you?" "Getting more people to frequent our shop." Meng Jingzhou eyed the Cult Master with deep suspicion. "And you said your power has already spread across the entire commercial street while the Dao Seeking Sect knows nothing of it?" "We underreport our revenue so we can pay less in management fees." At his side, the Immortal Celestial piped up to add, "There is another meaning to it: profits from our barbecue shop within the Dao Seeking Sect have reached saturation, so we need to open branches outside to develop new markets." Lu Yang: "..." Meng Jingzhou: "..." Did you really need to make opening a barbecue branch sound like a grand conspiracy?!