"Furthermore, I received a transmission from the Inspecting Emissary. He said he has long heard of the Spring-Plucking Festival, so he moved his schedule forward and intends to arrive in Yanjiang Commandery during the festival. Prepare yourself mentally, and do not show any weakness or timidity before him."
Previously, the Inspecting Emissary had claimed he would only visit Yanjiang Commandery after the Spring-Plucking Festival had concluded.
"Understood."
As Lu Yang exited the branch hall, he bumped into Wang He, Bai Zifang, and several other deacons walking in his direction.
Wang He and the others nodded slightly in greeting. Lu Yang, the newly promoted deacon, was the Branch Master's current favorite; none of them dared offend him.
Having served in the branch hall for decades, Wang He and his peers were privy to certain things. They suspected that Branch Master Chu had directly appointed the trio because they had received exceptionally high marks during the entrance trials—Lu Yang in particular, who had likely earned the top score among the three.
Wang He murmured under his breath, "The Branch Master has never been one to rise early unless there is a profit to be made. He most likely foresees Lu Yang's rise and wants to cultivate good relations before the kid makes his fortune, paving the way for his own future promotion."
They knew what the Branch Master craved above all else was a promotion to lead a branch in an economically prosperous region. That was precisely why he attached immense importance to the Inspecting Emissary's upcoming visit.
"Calling us here today might also be connected to the Inspecting Emissary."
"Still, speaking of which, doesn't the Branch Master still lack one condition for promotion? Has he reached the Nascent Soul stage yet?"
Promotions within the cult depended not only on one's devotion to the Immortal Celestial, but also heavily on cultivation base.
"Who knows? Maybe he reached it long ago and simply kept it from us. His Eminence never explains his actions to us, nor do we ever know his true motives."
Branch Master Chu's conduct mirrored that of the entire demonic cult—suffused with suspicion and mistrust. While he appeared to place great trust in Lu Yang on the surface, reality painted a different picture; he had never revealed the slightest detail concerning himself.
Lu Yang still knew next to nothing about Branch Master Chu.
***
The Spring-Plucking Festival arrived as scheduled, and customer traffic at the barbecue shop surged to an all-time high. Several visiting merchants quickly recognized the lucrative business opportunity and approached Lu Yang with proposals to open franchise branches, offering to provide the capital if Lu Yang supplied the recipe.
Without exception, Lu Yang threw every last one of them out with a scowl.
There were also rogue cultivators who contemplated dining and dashing, but upon noticing the three brocade banners hanging prominently on the wall, they swallowed their unrealistic ambitions and obediently paid their bills.
With the aid of the automatic barbecue array, the two chang ghosts had far more time to skewer ingredients. Thanks to this, the shop managed to keep up with the rush despite the overwhelming crowd.
"Try Again Barbecue Shop... Yes, this is the place! My aunt told me their barbecue is extraordinarily delicious. She said you absolutely have to eat here if you visit Yanjiang Commandery!"
"Look, they even have an event going on right now! If you spend money here, you get a voucher for ten percent off at the Front Gate Street Tofu Shop!"
"Every silver liang spent earns one spin on the Lucky Wheel! Spins can be accumulated with no upper limit! Prizes are limited, first come, first served!"
"Come on, let's give it a try."
The two came to an agreement and joined the back of the queue, having no idea how long they would have to wait before getting a table.
Outside the shop's front doors, Meng Jingzhou was having the time of his life operating the Lucky Wheel.
The wheel was divided into sections labeled "Spin Again," "Third Prize," "Second Prize," "First Prize," and "Grand Prize."
"Congratulations to this distinguished guest for winning the Second Prize: forty percent off your entire meal today! Let us give him a round of applause!" Meng Jingzhou clapped enthusiastically, looking far more ecstatic than the winner himself.
"First Prize! The First Prize has appeared! This guest's entire bill is completely on the house!"
"Grand Prize! Someone actually landed on the Grand Prize!"
The customer had never expected to strike the Grand Prize and asked with a beaming smile, "What is the Grand Prize?"
Meng Jingzhou grabbed the man's hands and declared with fervent warmth, "Congratulations to you, sir! You have won the exclusive opportunity to experience life as our shop waiter! Normally, when people come to experience being a waiter and savor the joy of labor, we charge a fee! You are exceedingly fortunate—you get to experience what it feels like to be our waiter without paying a single copper!
"Taking into account that the backyard is choked with smoke and offers an awful working environment, our professional staff will carry the skewers straight to the backyard entrance. You won't even need to step foot inside!" Meng Jingzhou wore an expression of utmost thoughtfulness that practically pleaded, 'No need to praise us for being so considerate.'
The customer was speechless. "...Can I trade it for the First Prize?"
"No."
The customer flatly rejected his Grand Prize reward.
To this day, Meng Jingzhou had yet to successfully swindle a single person into accepting the Grand Prize, though he thoroughly relished the process of trying.
Inside the shop, Lu Yang wove deftly through the dining hall holding a large serving tray. His steps were brisk and agile, his lower body rock-steady. The tray remained perfectly level without a single skewer wobbling, and he never once brushed against a customer, maneuvering like a master slipping through a shower of leaves untouched.
After over a month of training as a waiter, his footwork had improved by leaps and bounds.
"Merit Officer Ma, Registrar Chi, how is everything tasting?" Lu Yang greeted two diners with a bright smile. Both were officials from the commandery government who frequently dropped by to enjoy skewers and wine.
"Delicious as always! Boss Little Lu, if you ask me, your culinary skills are completely wasted here. You should open a shop in a much larger commandery! You're guaranteed to earn much more than you do now!"
"Bah, stop spouting nonsense! Haven't you heard? Boss Little Lu won't even open franchise branches. It's obvious he runs this shop purely out of passion, not for profit!"
Lu Yang could only offer an apologetic smile. "I hope you two eat well and enjoy yourselves during the Spring-Plucking Festival."
The two officials had clearly had a few cups too many; their cheeks were flushed, their speech slurred. Merit Officer Ma grumbled angrily, "Just mentioning the Spring-Plucking Festival makes my blood boil! Originally, the festival had seven full days of leave—a proper long holiday! Who knows which idiot came up with the rotten idea to cut our holiday down to a measly three days?!
"What can anyone even do in three days? And to top it off, they have the audacity to call it a 'mini long holiday'! Does that sound like a coherent phrase to you?! Slapping the word 'mini' in front of 'long holiday'—does it count as a long holiday or not?!
"I wish whoever invented that term a mini-long life!"
Registrar Chi hastily clamped a hand over Merit Officer Ma's mouth. "Watch your mouth! You arrived here late, so it's natural you wouldn't know—that was Commandery Governor Li's idea!"
Merit Officer Ma scoffed coldly, "So it was him! Little talent, yet endless bad ideas!"
Registrar Chi, being somewhat better informed, cautioned him in a hushed tone, "Keep your voice down! You can't speak ill of Commandery Governor Li right now. I heard through the grapevine that Commandery Governor Li found the right connections and recently captured three wicked demonic cultivators within our commandery. That's a major accomplishment! He's about to be promoted very soon, and Chief Constable Fang Qingyun is going to take over his post!"
Merit Officer Ma curled his lip dismissively, paying Commandery Governor Li no heed. In any case, Commandery Governor Li would never spare a thought for a minor officer like him. "A few days ago, a colleague was complaining to me that Commandery Governor Li had issued arbitrary orders, forcing the bailiffs to work overtime in the wee hours of the morning. He demanded they plant little flags everywhere overnight without a single misplaced position! He even stood guard as an overseer, putting on a grand show. He's in the Golden Core stage and doesn't need sleep, but regular folks do! Several bailiffs literally collapsed asleep while on the job!"
Lu Yang poured them more wine. "I'll leave you to your drinks; I have other tables to attend to."
"Go on, go on! Don't mind us, Boss Little Lu!"
By the end of the festival's first night, the four of them and the two ghosts were completely run ragged.
Right before turning in, Man Gu suddenly recalled something. "Wait, ghosts don't need sleep, do they? Should we assign them a night shift too?"
Chapter 96