Three Visits to the Barbecue Shop

"Are you sure this is the barbecue shop in Yanjiang Commandery that boosts virility?" "Of course it is! Hurry up and get in line. I thought we came early enough, but who knew there'd still be a queue!" "This place closed down three months ago, but now that it's reopened, business is even better than before. I came once during the Spring-Plucking Festival, and the flavor was outstanding!" "So the whole staff really just went away for training, made great gains, and came back?" "That must be it." "Who knows if we'll even get to eat today. I heard some folks waited in line for days and still didn't get served." ... *What roaring business!* Watching from the upper floor of a tavern hadn't made much of an impression, but standing right before the entrance of the barbecue shop, Shi Huagu truly felt how wildly popular it was. The Nine Nether Cult ran numerous businesses, yet not a single one enjoyed such an absurd volume of customer traffic. The line stretched from the doorway all the way past the neighboring shop, completely blocking its entrance. The neighboring shop wasn't angry either; whenever people in line grew impatient waiting, they would pop into their shop for a meal instead. As a result, their business was actually better than before. Huo Huashen sent a voice transmission: "I heard this shop used to offer home delivery as well, but now they can barely handle the dine-in crowd, so they scrapped that service. "Zhou Shan and I wanted to taste the food ourselves, but we couldn't get a spot in line, so we could only ask around among the patrons who had already eaten here." Shi Huagu gave a cold snort and headed straight to barge into the shop. "Have you forgotten who we are? Why would we ever need to stand in line?" Two Soul Formation stage cultivators and one Body Integration stage cultivator—this lineup was enough to establish a second-rate sect. Even first-rate sects would respectfully invite them in. It was a mere barbecue shop, not the Heavenly Court Cult's headquarters. "Hey, someone's cutting in line!" "Hey, do you three have any manners?" "No upbringing!" The people queuing behind cursed aloud when they saw the three striding inside. Shi Huagu and his subordinates turned a deaf ear, but just then, an elegant figure stepped forward to block their path. "Hold it right there. Don't you know how to queue?" Qin Yanyan stood at the door, her eyes flashing with anger. Everyone else was queuing; what made these three think they were above the rules? Qin Yanyan did not recognize them. Back then, Huo Huashen had remained hidden in the shadows, and only Lu Yang had sensed his presence. Just as Shi Huagu was about to flare up, Huo Huashen hastily sent a voice transmission: "My lord, this is the reincarnation of Cult Master Qin—Qin Yanyan." "What?" Shi Huagu was taken aback. Qin Haoran had served as the Nine Nether Cult Master for nine hundred years. Though he had fallen, his prestige within the cult remained immense. In both methods and cultivation, Qin Haoran had surpassed him. Shi Huagu held a fair amount of respect for this former cult master. *It seems the Heavenly Court Cult already knows we've arrived and deliberately sent Cult Master Qin's reincarnation to bar our way!* *Are they hinting that this is Heavenly Court Cult territory, and once we're here, we must obey their rules?* *Moreover, having Cult Master Qin's reincarnation maintain order here—is that their way of saying that no matter how grand our background, we're nothing special before the Heavenly Court Cult?* Shi Huagu was a sharp man and quickly deduced what he assumed was the hidden motive. He dared not offend the Heavenly Court Cult. They hailed from ancient times and possessed profound foundations, boasting at least one Tribulation Transcendence realm expert—perhaps even several. That was far beyond what a mere Body Integration stage cultivator like him could afford to provoke. "Queuing it is!" And so, three high-ranking members of the Nine Nether Cult took their places at the back of the line. They waited until the dead of night, and just when only four or five people remained ahead of them, Qin Yanyan poked her head out the door. "Terribly sorry, but we're closing for the night." Shi Huagu's face turned livid, but he dared not unleash his fury. "Hmph, we'll be back tomorrow!" ... The next morning, before the barbecue shop had even opened, Shi Huagu led his two subordinates to the storefront. He refused to believe they would have to queue in broad daylight. The barbecue shop's main doors swung open. Inside sat Constable Wei, chatting and laughing merrily with Lu Yang. "Congratulations, Constable Wei! No, I suppose I should call you Chief Constable Wei now!" Lu Yang said with a smile. After they took down the commandery governor, the previous chief constable was promoted to governor, and Constable Wei was smoothly bumped up to chief constable, saving him over a decade of effort. It was truly a meteoric rise. Chief Constable Wei beamed. "You flatter me. Chief Constable sounds mighty enough, but I work myself to the bone every single day. My monthly stipend probably doesn't even match a single day's revenue at your barbecue shop." Lu Yang smiled without replying. It was the truth, and there was no polite way to answer. Chief Constable Wei did not dwell on the topic and continued warmly, "My promotion to chief constable wouldn't have happened without the arrest made right here in your shop. I still remember when a few of your friends came to eat, started a brawl, and got caught red-handed. They were locked up for days, and later, when the Immortal Cult was wiped out and their roster made public, it turned out both brawlers were Immortal Cult members! "Shopkeeper Lu, you've got to be more careful about the company you keep. Your judgment of character needs work! Think of how dangerous that was—they probably had their eyes on you and wanted to turn you into a sacrifice for the Immortal Cult!" Lu Yang burst into laughter, declaring that he would certainly be more careful when making friends in the future. "Your barbecue shop has been reopened for over half a month, but sadly, no criminals have walked right into our net. If only some blind fool came knocking here—preferably a demonic cult member. That way, my seat as chief constable would be rock solid." Realizing his words sounded inauspicious, Chief Constable Wei shook his head with a self-deprecating chuckle. "Listen to me. It sounds like I'm cursing your shop to draw demonic cultists." At that moment, Chief Constable Wei noticed Shi Huagu and his two companions standing at the entrance. Curious, he asked, "Are those three at the door your friends?" "Where?" Lu Yang turned around, but Shi Huagu and the others had already fled without a trace. "There's no one there?" "Perhaps they were just passing by." ... *What an impressive Heavenly Court Cult—chatting and laughing with the righteous path, and with a chief constable eager to catch demonic cultists, no less! Are they flaunting their power to us?!* Shi Huagu had dealt with imperial officials many times and knew that someone at the chief constable level always carried a medallion. If they encountered an enemy they couldn't handle, shattering the medallion would summon reinforcements from immortal cultivation powerhouses. "My lord, what should we do?" "We keep queuing tonight!" ... "We've been staking out this place for over half a month. Why haven't the Nine Nether Cult people shown up yet?" Meng Jingzhou asked, puzzled. He felt they should have arrived by now. "Niece, you stand guard at the door every day. Have you seen anyone who looks like they belong to the Nine Nether Cult?" Qin Yanyan shook her head innocently. A couple of unreasonable folks had tried to barge in once or twice, but after a scolding from her, they had obediently gone to the back of the line. Surely the Nine Nether Cult wouldn't be that reasonable. Lu Yang found it strange as well. Anyone with insight into the ancient era should have believed the Heavenly Court Cult tale he concocted, and he assumed someone like that had to exist in the Nine Nether Cult. Since they believed in the Heavenly Court Cult's existence, they would definitely send someone over. "Let's wait a little longer." ... When evening fell, Shi Huagu and his companions learned their lesson and arrived early to queue. Their luck was good this time—only twenty-some people stood ahead of them. After waiting for half a day, their turn finally came. "Three jin of mutton skewers!"