This arrangement meant that Lu Yang's side only had to provide the barbecue grills and fire seeds, leaving the actual operation of the shops entirely to the Nine Nether Cult, while taking sixty percent of the profits.
Even Fifth Elder had never imagined Lu Yang would dare pull off something like this.
This was far more lucrative than when he had tagged along with Old Ninth in their youth selling copies of *Size Manipulation (Localized Edition)*!
Truly, every generation produces its talents, and the pupil outshines the master.
Nor was Lu Yang afraid that the Nine Nether Cult might unravel Fifth Elder's restrictive seals, duplicate the fire seeds, and kick the Heavenly Court Cult aside to run the business themselves.
He had already dropped clear hints that the Heavenly Court Cult possessed both their Cult Master and Dou Tianzun, wielding power far superior to the Nine Nether Cult. Cooperating so cordially with them now was solely out of respect for the ancient Nine Nether. If the Nine Nether Cult refused to recognize the Heavenly Court Cult, then the Heavenly Court Cult would turn hostile and refuse to acknowledge them in return.
For the Nine Nether Cult to try such a thing would be seeking their own destruction.
Lu Yang had another motive for having the Nine Nether Cult open a chain of barbecue shops: restricting the movements of the Nine Nether Cultists.
Under current circumstances, the Nine Nether Cult could not yet be uprooted, and during this interim, their members might easily commit murder, arson, or other atrocities.
Rather than letting them run amok, it was better to give them something to do.
Having fulfilled the mission assigned by his Cult Master and settled the details of the collaboration, Shi Huagu was overjoyed.
Before long, he would surely be able to pay off that one-billion debt in full.
Speaking of the one-billion debt, Shi Huagu turned his gaze toward the taciturn Qin Yanyan, rising with a chuckle. "I presume this lady is Cult Master Qin's reincarnation, found by your esteemed cult?"
Lu Yang smiled as well. "Whether she is or isn't, didn't Cult Master Shi already have the answer in his heart?"
Qin Yanyan kept a blank face, not wishing to utter a single word.
What could she possibly say? The Nine Nether Cult was already convinced she was Qin Haoran's reincarnation; even if she claimed Li Haoran was the real reincarnation now, the Nine Nether Cult would hardly believe it.
"Who could have imagined that Cult Master Qin, who once commanded the Nine Nether Cult, would reincarnate as a woman? Truly, nothing is more capricious than the ways of the world."
Though he said this, Shi Huagu still held immense admiration for Qin Haoran.
Every sign indicated that the man had successfully reincarnated, likely linked to the Reincarnation Dao fruit.
The Reincarnation Dao fruit was what Shi Huagu cared about most.
Why were the three Vice Cult Masters so obsessed with fighting over the legacy Qin Haoran had left behind? It was precisely because they suspected it contained traces related to the Reincarnation Dao fruit!
Shi Huagu had already made up his mind: the cultivator he had previously pushed forward to pose as Qin Haoran's reincarnation was no longer needed. The real reincarnation of Qin Haoran was right before his eyes.
When the time came to contest the legacy, he would invite Qin Yanyan to step forward.
However, the Nine Nether Cult and the Heavenly Court Cult had only just established a cooperative relationship; now was not the time to bring up such matters.
Since the Cult Master had sent him to negotiate this collaboration with the Heavenly Court Cult, any subsequent matters would certainly require him to handle further discussions as well. There was no need to rush.
"I wonder if Qin Yanyan might accompany me back to the Nine Nether Cult? Cult Master Qin led the Nine Nether Cult for nine hundred years and left behind countless traces. Perhaps returning to the Nine Nether Cult and seeing those familiar sights might stir up fond memories and help her recall more?"
Qin Yanyan felt a flash of panic. Returning alone to the Nine Nether Cult would be no different from walking into a tiger's den; a single misstep would mean eternal damnation.
Seeing this, Li Haoran stepped forward, placing half his body in front of Qin Yanyan, and said in an unhurried tone, "As far as I know, your esteemed cult is hardly a monolith. Setting aside the new Cult Master's attitude toward Qin Yanyan, how would those old subordinates view her? Would they rally behind her as the new Cult Master? Wouldn't that plunge your cult into internal chaos?
"Furthermore, the essence of reincarnation lies in severing ties with one's past life, cutting off all further connection. Deliberately seeking memories of a past life actually falls into a lower realm of understanding.
"As a Vice Cult Master, is this the full extent of your comprehension regarding Nine Nether and reincarnation?"
If one were to ask who in the room understood the Nine Nether Cult best, it was not Lu Yang, who spun solemn nonsense, but Li Haoran.
Relying on the fragmented memories of his past life, Li Haoran could roughly piece together Qin Haoran's understanding of reincarnation and Nine Nether.
After reincarnation, all karma was extinguished. Nine Nether was the land of reincarnation, as well as the place where karma was purged.
Shi Huagu did not doubt why Li Haoran possessed such profound comprehension of reincarnation. The man was an ancient genius who frequently dealt with the ancient Nine Nether; knowing these things was only natural.
He had merely wanted to test the waters and see if he could claim Qin Yanyan from the Heavenly Court Cult. Since it would not work, he let the matter drop.
He let out a hearty laugh. "That was all in jest just now. Pay it no mind, pay it no mind."
Lu Yang smiled as well. "It's good that it was a joke. For a moment, I thought your esteemed cult intended to snatch someone from our Heavenly Court Cult. That is something not even Immortal Ying Tian and his peers ever dared to do."
Shi Huagu sensed that beneath Lu Yang's calm tone lay a thread of displeasure, and he dared not probe any further.
"Never mind. It is a wonderful thing that our two cults have reached a cooperation. Consider this barbecue shop yours. Take this jade pendant; if you wish to contact me, simply crush it," Lu Yang said languidly, tossing a jade pendant to Shi Huagu.
It was impossible for Lu Yang and his companions to stay in the barbecue shop forever, so transferring the shop to the Nine Nether Cult was the better choice.
Whenever they wanted to find the Nine Nether Cult, they could come here at any time.
Shi Huagu knew this was a gesture of trust from Lu Yang and dared not treat it lightly. He turned to instruct Huo Huashen, "Take a few trusted subordinates and run this barbecue shop well!"
Once the chain expanded in the future, this place would serve as the flagship store. Having a Soul Formation cultivator stationed here would hardly be an exaggeration.
"Understood!"
Huo Huashen thought to himself that he must seize this opportunity to earn spirit stones. If the fact that he was the one who had brought back the billion-spirit-stone promissory note ever came to light, he would at least have some merit to plead his case.
Shi Huagu deactivated his lie-detection secret technique; keeping it active continuously placed a heavy burden on his mind.
Throughout the entire conversation, he had discovered that this Young Cult Master Lu had not spoken a single falsehood. He felt secret admiration: such was the bearing of the future Master of the Heavenly Court—open and honorable, scorning the use of lies to evade or test him.
Looking at himself, gingerly employing an appraisal secret technique the entire time, he had truly stooped to a lesser path.
In truth, right at the beginning, the Immortal Fairy had warned Lu Yang that Shi Huagu was using a lie-detecting technique and asked whether she should block it.
Lu Yang had declined, feeling that doing so would be too much trouble for the Immortal Fairy. He could deceive people using nothing but the truth, so why would he fear Shi Huagu detecting anything?
***
On the way back to the Nine Nether Cult, a sudden possibility struck Shi Huagu.
*Could it be that this Young Cult Master knew about the one-billion promissory note all along and deliberately delivered it to me?*
*He saddled me with a billion in debt, then showed me the glittering prospects of the barbecue shop, leaving me no choice but to agree to the partnership?*
Cold sweat broke out across Shi Huagu's back. The Young Cult Master's scheming was terrifyingly deep! What formidable calculation!
Moreover, it was an open gambit; he had been left with no alternative.
As expected of Dou Tianzun's disciple! The future Master of the Heavenly Court!
***
On the way back to the Dao Seeking Sect, the flying shuttle traveled at a leisurely pace. Fifth Elder asked curiously, "Lu Yang, your analysis of the realm's situation, the plans you laid out for the Nine Nether Cult, and that barbecue chain afterward—you never mentioned any of that to us beforehand!"
In their original plan, there had been no prepared response to the two questions posed by the Nine Nether Cult Master.
"Oh, I just made all of that up on the spot."
Chapter 331