The Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce had remarkably advanced business philosophies. To increase brand recognition, they had invented the concept of a "brand mascot." They commissioned Xuan Daozi, a grandmaster of the Way of Painting, to design it. After three rounds of revisions, they ultimately decided that the first draft would be their mascot.
That first draft was a chubby little pig clutching a coin in its trotters, and it looked delightfully charming.
Once the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce had its mascot, its fame truly skyrocketed with extraordinary results. When other merchants saw this success, they rushed to follow suit, adopting unique mascots of their own.
The tofu shop on Front Gate Street in Yanjiang Commandery was one such business.
Qin Yuanhao had not actually killed his lackey. Once he cooled down and thought about it, the lackey was a diligent worker who never slipped up. If the man said someone couldn't be found, that meant they truly couldn't be found.
It was hardly possible that the tofu shop's mascot had actually come to life to spread rumors and stir up trouble.
"Someone with such distinctive features couldn't be found? It seems one of my fellow cultists is trying to frame me!" Qin Yuanhao sneered. He had immediately deduced that someone was doing this deliberately; he just didn't know who.
This was hardly unusual in the demonic cult. Qin Yuanhao had undermined his own comrades plenty of times.
So much time had passed that every lead had gone cold. Qin Yuanhao had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill and bide his time, planning how he would settle the score later.
"Since you can't find him, there's no need to look any further."
Qin Yuanhao drew a stack of papers and several silver ingots from his robes and tossed them to the lackey.
This was another reason he hadn't killed the man: the tasks assigned by the branch master had to be carried out by someone. If he killed his helper now, where would he find another on such short notice?
"First thing tomorrow morning, gather the boys and head out to the eight neighboring commanderies. Secretly distribute these papers into the black markets. This silver covers your monthly stipends and travel expenses. Did you hear me clearly?!"
"Y-Yes, loud and clear!" The lackey was startled by Qin Yuanhao's thunderous final shout.
"Louder!"
"Loud and clear!" The lackey straightened his back and bellowed at the top of his lungs, his neck turning beet-red from the effort.
From next door, an elderly woman yelled furiously, her voice carrying through the wall clear as day: "Do you have any idea what time it is? What are you shouting for!"
The old woman's voice was even louder than the lackey's.
A flicker of murderous intent flashed in Qin Yuanhao's eyes.
"Boss, she's a Foundation Establishment cultivator living here in seclusion," the lackey whispered hastily. Many cultivators enjoyed passing time incognito among mortals; for all they knew, even the fellow grilling skewers down the street could be one.
Qin Yuanhao gave a cold snort. Without another word, he turned and left.
The lackey yawned. *The boss is finally gone,* he thought, collapsing onto his bed and falling asleep almost immediately.
He had to wake up early tomorrow to get to work.
Qin Yuanhao frequently assigned his underlings bewildering tasks. To preserve secrecy, Qin Yuanhao never explained anything to them, simply instructing them to carry out orders.
This time was no different.
Once the lackey was fast asleep, Lu Yang burrowed out of the earth, swiped three sheets of paper, and tailed Qin Yuanhao.
Qin Yuanhao had only stepped out to find his subordinate, so once his instructions were delivered, he headed straight back.
As he passed the "Try Again Barbecue Shop," he paused in his tracks.
"I was only in seclusion for four days, and a new barbecue shop opened already? And it's this popular?"
The thought of having a meal crossed Qin Yuanhao's mind. A crowd meant nothing to him; at worst, he would simply cut the line. A Foundation Establishment cultivator gracing such a humble joint ought to be welcomed on bended knees—who dared expect him to wait in line?
Ultimately, however, Qin Yuanhao dismissed the notion. Barbecue was something best enjoyed with lively company; eating alone took away the fun.
"Some other time."
Qin Yuanhao returned home.
Lu Yang slipped back into the barbecue shop to help. The moment he walked in, he saw Meng Jingzhou performing a solo comic routine while the diners cheered and shouted for an encore.
Lu Yang inhaled deeply. *Are you two genuinely trying to turn this barbecue joint into a thriving empire?*
Sensing Lu Yang's razor-sharp glare, Meng Jingzhou promptly shut his mouth and dutifully resumed his duties as a waiter, ignoring the diners no matter how loudly they called out.
After a long flurry of work, the patrons finally dispersed one by one, and quiet returned to the shop at last.
The two chang ghosts cleaned the grills, cleared the dishes, took inventory of the ingredients used today, and estimated what needed to be purchased tomorrow. Meanwhile, the three young cultivators sat on the second floor, discussing today's harvest.
"How much silver did we make today?" Meng Jingzhou asked eagerly, rubbing his hands together. Building a business from scratch gave him a tremendous sense of accomplishment.
"Who said anything about that kind of harvest!" Lu Yang slapped the table and glared. "Did you forget what we're actually here for?"
"Opening a chain of restaurants?" Man Gu offered, still intent on expanding his family's craft.
Lu Yang gave up on reasoning with these two fools. Pulling out the three sheets of paper, he recounted the events of his surveillance mission.
"Blank sheets?"
Meng Jingzhou examined one piece of paper front and back, unable to make sense of it.
Lu Yang was equally uncertain how to handle it. "Qin Yuanhao told him to distribute these to the black markets. There's definitely information recorded here; we just don't know how to read it."
"Is it some unique form of communication used exclusively by the demonic path?"
Meng Jingzhou nodded in agreement with Lu Yang's guess. "Very likely. Those shady types are always fond of secret codes and hidden tricks."
"These papers are meant for all demonic cultivators, so any of them should be able to read them," Lu Yang reasoned. "If our vision at the Foundation Establishment stage can't pick up any writing, demonic cultivators in the Qi Refinement stage have even less chance."
"So the issue isn't a cipher—it's the paper itself."
Lu Yang pondered for a moment, then held one of the sheets over the glowing charcoal.
"What are you doing?" Man Gu asked, puzzled.
Lu Yang toasted the paper carefully and replied offhandedly, "I read in a book that if you write on paper with sugar water, nothing shows once it dries. But if you apply heat to dehydrate the sugars, brown letters will appear."
Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu found this bit of trivia fascinating.
After toasting it for about five minutes, nothing appeared on the sheet, so Lu Yang had no choice but to abandon the method.
Next, Lu Yang summoned a small sphere of water in his palm and squeezed it until it burst, showering a fine mist over the blank paper.
"What are you doing this time?"
Lu Yang explained, "Certain liquids, like body wash and laundry detergent, have distinct absorbency properties. If you write with them, nothing is visible once dry. Only by misting water across the surface, relying on the differential absorption rates, will the characters appear."
The Central Continent might appear ancient on the surface, but that was far from the case. Thanks to magic, whether through deliberate invention or happy accidents, many items that had never existed in ancient times had cropped up here—such as the body wash and laundry detergent Lu Yang had mentioned.
Unfortunately, the paper remained completely blank.
Lu Yang did not lose heart. After a moment of contemplation, he conceived a new approach.
"Since this is a means of contact among the demonic path, perhaps it requires methods typical of them to unlock?"
Lu Yang bit his thumb and let a few drops of fresh blood fall onto the paper. As if coming alive, the blood began to slither across the surface.
"As expected. This paper was refined using demonic arts; ordinary logic doesn't apply." Lu Yang let out a sigh of relief. It had finally worked.
Invisible grooves seemed to crisscross the blank sheet. As the blood flowed into them, it filled the channels, forming words.
"On the first day of the fourth month, the Yanjiang Branch of the Immortal Cult shall recruit new members. The exact location will be announced one shichen beforehand."
Chapter 57