"Who dares pick on my brother!" The bandit boss roared with heroic bluster, ordering his lackey to call the other side over. One of his boys had been bullied; if he, as the boss, didn't reclaim their face, how could he establish authority in the future?
Seeing that he had his boss backing him, the bandit lackey straightened his spine at once. He kicked open the neighboring door and shouted insolently, "Our boss says picking on me won't slide just like that! He wants to have a word with you lot! Whoever doesn't show is a grandson!"
The constables were startled. In their decade-plus on the job, they had never seen anyone brazen enough to provoke them like this.
Constable Wei shook his head with a chuckle. As the most senior among them, what kind of scene hadn't he witnessed? It was merely a bunch of blind fools looking for trouble. An easy case walking right up to the door like this was bound to happen a few times in a lifelong constable's career.
"Who's afraid of who? Let's go!"
The bandits rubbed their fists and wiped their palms, determined to teach the other side a lesson. As newcomers who hadn't yet entered the demonic cult, they couldn't rely solely on thievery to build their name. It was high time to make a dazzling debut!
Then, the bandits saw a squad of constables storming in, clutching government sabers and wearing official waist tallies that plainly displayed their identities.
The constables were also dumbfounded when they saw the table crammed full of gold, silver, jewelry, rare medicinal herbs, spirit stones, and spirit crystals.
Why did this hoard look so familiar? Didn't someone just file a report earlier claiming to have lost these very items?
The constables: "..."
Constable Wei: "..."
The bandits: "..."
"Would you believe us if we said we picked all this up on the roadside?"
Even Constable Wei had never seen a scene quite like this. It was his first time encountering criminals who threw themselves into the net so eagerly.
The bandit lackey still had no clue what was happening and kept hollering for his boss to strike.
"Boss, teach 'em a lesson!"
As he hollered, he even hurled tough talk: "See my eldest brother's thinning hair? Every time he kills a man, he plucks out a strand! Folks in the jianghu call him Devil's Despair!"
"See this one wearing the eye patch? That's my second brother! The eye he lost was blinded in a fight against a late Foundation Establishment titan! And that late Foundation Establishment titan didn't fare much better either—my second brother blinded both his eyes! Folks in the jianghu call him Desperate Second Brother!"
"See my third brother's leg? When he went to steal from the imperial palace, he was surrounded by over a hundred imperial guards and escaped at the cost of a single leg! Folks in the jianghu call him Grass Flyer!"
The bandit boss, second brother, and third brother kicked out at the same time, sending the lackey sprawling. *Nobody asked you to talk so damn much!*
"I heard you say just now that whoever didn't show was a grandson?" Constable Wei grinned fiercely. It was this very bunch of bastards who had forced him to work night shifts back-to-back.
"I'm the grandson, I'm the grandson!" The bandit boss stammered in utter terror.
How could the bandits dare to fight back now? Seeing the doorway blocked by the constables, they crashed right through the partition wall and bolted, pouring into the main hall in a frantic mob.
Their gang specialized in speed; their direct combat strength was thoroughly mediocre. Not to mention, not one of them had even attained the Foundation Establishment stage—their boss was only at the ninth layer of Qi Refinement.
"Some of you run through the front door! The rest follow me out the back!" the bandit boss shouted, directing the crowd to scatter.
Lu Yang had noticed the commotion and quickly figured out the situation, finding it rather comical.
*The thieves and constables were separated by only a single wall, and the thieves actually went and provoked the constables?*
*Wait... they're trying to flee through the backyard. What happens if the constables discover the chang ghosts?*
Lu Yang immediately realized the danger. If the chang ghosts were slain, who would grill the skewers? How could the barbecue shop stay open, and how could they keep monitoring Qin Yuanhao?
Seeing Lu Yang standing blankly in front of the back door as if scared out of his wits, the bandit boss reached out, intending to hurl him aside.
Lu Yang was carrying a basin of dough drop soup. Seeing the bandit boss charge forward with such ferocious momentum, his hands trembled, and the dough drop soup splashed right out.
The bandit boss hadn't anticipated such a sudden development. He hastily erected a barrier of spiritual qi to block the soup.
That split-second delay was all it took. Constable Wei drew a bundle of iron chains that shot forth like serpents, binding the bandit boss fast.
"Go, bring the rest of them back! This meal today was well worth it!" Constable Wei swept aside all his gloom, feeling thoroughly refreshed as if the entire world had brightened.
The bandit gang that had troubled him for days had finally been brought to justice. What a blessed place this shop was!
Constable Wei slapped Lu Yang on the shoulder, laughing heartily. "If you hadn't gotten in his way like that, this little brat really might have slipped away!"
"A righteous deed! Just you wait, tomorrow I'll deliver a commemorative silk banner to you!"
Lu Yang hastily waved his hands to decline, but Constable Wei was so elated that he insisted on giving one regardless.
The struggle between the constables and thieves had been so chaotic that they had smashed the wall, leaving the entire dining hall shrouded in dust and disarray.
The diners had no choice but to wrap up their meals early, though getting to witness the constables arresting criminals in person made it well worth their while.
"This Try Again Barbecue Shop truly is an auspicious place! The constables can catch crooks just sitting down for a bite!"
"Coming here was completely worth it. You couldn't buy a show like this with gold!"
"This must be a nexus of gathered good fortune. For business to become this booming in such a short time, even if the food is delicious, the hype is almost exaggerated. There definitely has to be a degree of luck involved."
"We all saw it today. The constables making an arrest right here proves it beyond doubt!"
"Looks like I'll have to come often in the future. If I drop by more, maybe I can rub off some of that luck!"
"Makes sense, totally makes sense! Let's come together next time!"
Listening to the patrons' fading chatter as they walked away, Lu Yang felt a deep sense of despair regarding the barbecue shop's future—it was undeniably fated to grow bigger and stronger.
"When I deliver the silk banner tomorrow, I'll bring the silver to repair the wall along with it!" Constable Wei waved goodbye to Lu Yang, leaving behind those words before escorting the wretched thieves away.
Lu Yang stood by the entrance and sighed. Suddenly, he noticed Qin Yuanhao leaving his residence once again.
"Brother Lu, Qin Yuanhao has left the residence again," Man Gu sent a voice transmission from the second floor. He took his duties very seriously, not caring in the least about what was happening downstairs, keeping his eyes on Qin Yuanhao's movements at all times.
"I saw him. You and Jingzhou patch up the broken wall together; I'll go tail Qin Yuanhao."
"Understood."
Lu Yang cast Shrinking the Earth, quickly following behind Qin Yuanhao once more.
Back at the shop, Meng Jingzhou sighed with admiration. "Lu Yang's spell talent is truly formidable. I tried learning from him for half a day, but I couldn't pick up a single thing."
"And why do I always feel like the chant he taught me has something to do with spatial spells? Is it just my imagination?"
Meng Jingzhou didn't dwell on the question for too long. Lu Yang's spell talent could only be described as utterly absurd. Hoping to learn spells from him was nothing short of a pipe dream.
If even someone with a magnificent Bachelor Spiritual Root like him couldn't do it, everyone else stood even less of a chance.
...
Lu Yang followed Qin Yuanhao for a long distance without hearing Meng Jingzhou's complaints. He noticed that this time, Qin Yuanhao walked with a grand and imposing stride, even humming a cheerful little tune, as if he were on his way to do something momentous.
Qin Yuanhao arrived before a grand manor. Instead of knocking on the door, he cast a spell against it.
Before long, a tall, thin man emerged. Upon meeting, he immediately asked, "The day has come?"
"Today is the day."
"I've been preparing for this for a full half month."
"Who hasn't? We have to make a huge splash this time! Going without any action these days has nearly driven me mad! Once we pull off this big job, you must make sure to spread the word far and wide. Let's see who dares look down on me ever again!" Saying this, Qin Yuanhao revealed a cruel smile.
"Without a doubt, without a doubt." The tall, thin man was a well-known blabbermouth in the Yanjiang Branch.
The two spoke in cryptic phrases incomprehensible to bystanders, their chuckles carrying a chill.
Lu Yang grew vigilant, uncertain of what the pair intended to do.
The two men walked until they reached a bustling commercial district, where one building stood out above all the rest, brightly adorned and resplendent with dazzling colors.
Qin Yuanhao and the tall, thin man strode inside and were warmly received.
Lu Yang looked up at the horizontal plaque above the entrance. It was a brothel.
Chapter 61