After finding out their target location, Lu Yang met up with the other two and they analyzed the situation.
"From the way Qin Yuanhao walks and his breathing rate, he should be at the late stage of Foundation Building," Lu Yang said.
"The place he’s staying is just an ordinary house, not very big, and it doesn’t seem like he has servants. It looks like he lives alone."
"We should stay nearby and observe him for a while. First, we can learn about his habits, so if we get questioned after joining the Demon Sect, we won’t be completely clueless. Second, we can follow him to see if we can find the location of the Yanjiang Branch."
The barbarian looked confused. "Qin Yuanhao has so many little brothers. Why don’t we follow them to find the Yanjiang Branch?"
Meng Jingzhou disagreed with this idea, as he knew more about the Demon Sect. "Those guys don’t have any cultivation. They are indeed Qin Yuanhao's followers, but they aren’t members of the Demon Sect. Joining the Demon Sect isn’t as easy as you think, and it’s uncertain if those people even know that Qin Yuanhao is part of it."
"But where can we hide to observe him? There are no inns around here, just a few tea houses and taverns. We can drink tea during the day, but what about at night?"
The Demon Sect prefers to act at night.
Lu Yang was also a bit troubled until he suddenly spotted a tea house with a rental sign. His eyes lit up. "This tea house is perfect! We can use the second floor to observe Qin Yuanhao. We can rent this tea house and pretend we’re opening a shop while keeping an eye on his movements!"
Meng Jingzhou nodded and then asked, "What kind of shop should we open?"
"Even though opening a shop is just a disguise, it has to look convincing. I’m not good at making tea, so I definitely can’t run a tea house. I have a relative who is good at language spells, and I learned a bit of storytelling from him."
Meng Jingzhou was quite enthusiastic. "I suggest we open a crosstalk house. I can perform solo crosstalk."
Lu Yang admired Meng Jingzhou's talents. "But crosstalk is lively during the day and there won’t be many people at night. The best idea is to find a lively night business, like an entertainment place where people can drink and have fun. That way, we can observe Qin Yuanhao from the second floor without him noticing us."
Meng Jingzhou blushed, hesitating but also excited. "Are you saying you want to open…?"
Lu Yang nodded. "Yes, I’m talking about a barbecue place."
Meng Jingzhou replied, "…Yes, that’s what I was thinking too."
Lu Yang felt this was a good idea. Barbecue is simple and easy to manage. Even if someone is inexperienced, after burning a few batches, they should get the hang of it.
"I can handle the barbecue," the barbarian said confidently, pulling out a piece of paper that said "Family Secret Barbecue Recipe."
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou recognized this recipe. It was the one that cost a hundred contribution points to exchange for on the list!
The barbarian smiled innocently. "When I was back home, I often grilled wild animals like black bears, wild boars, and rabbits. I noticed that the shops in the Wenda Sect sell a lot of food but there aren’t many barbecue places, so I put my family recipe up for exchange."
Lu Yang was puzzled. Who would put a barbecue recipe on the exchange list? So it was you!
"Did anyone buy it?" Meng Jingzhou asked curiously.
The barbarian replied honestly, "A senior brother told me that after he bought the barbecue recipe, he went on a mission with a senior sister. He won her heart with his barbecue."
Meng Jingzhou was speechless. "…I shouldn’t have asked."
The barbarian smiled slightly. "And there’s another benefit to opening a barbecue place."
"What is it?"
The barbarian summoned two ghost servants. "I don’t have to do the cooking myself. These two can handle the barbecue in the kitchen without needing to pay them. It’s very convenient."
With this, they wouldn’t even need to hire waiters, saving money and keeping things discreet. It was a thoughtful plan.
Having followed Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou for so long, the barbarian had learned a thing or two.
Lu Yang refused to admit that the barbarian had learned from him.
The barbarian spent the night studying the secret recipe. Since his home was in the wild, many of the ingredients in the original recipe were unique to that area. He needed to figure out what could be replaced.
"By the way, do you guys eat roasted bugs or roasted cow eyes?" the barbarian suddenly asked.
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou shook their heads, advising him to stick to things that most people would accept.
The barbarian thought for a moment. Since he was a normal person and could accept those things, he figured others could too.
After reasoning it out, he included roasted bugs and cow eyes on the menu, hoping the people of Yanjiang County would like them.
The next morning, Meng Jingzhou showed off his extraordinary wealth by buying the entire tea house.
"Wait, didn’t we agree to rent it?" Lu Yang was taken aback. Before he could react, the tea house was under their names.
Lu Yang looked at Meng Jingzhou in shock. They had only been on a mission for a few months. Did he plan to keep it forever?
Meng Jingzhou said firmly, "I always use my own things. If I can buy it, I won’t rent! Worst case, we can sell it after our mission."
The former owner of the tea house, seeing Meng Jingzhou pay so readily, quickly packed up and left.
After the owner left, a serious question arose for the three of them—what to name the barbecue shop.
"I suggest we call it Meng Xiaoyi Barbecue Shop," Meng Jingzhou said.
Lu Yang rolled his eyes at him. "That name is too common. I suggest we call it San Wan Bu Guo Gang Barbecue Shop. We can eat skewers, drink, and then go up the mountain to hunt tigers. It fits perfectly."
Meng Jingzhou and the barbarian both shook their heads, not agreeing.
The barbarian rarely voiced a different opinion. "San Wan Bu Guo Gang is too long. We should use our tribe’s style and call it Haha Barbecue Shop or Hehe Barbecue Shop."
Lu Yang had heard of the naming style of the wild barbarians. It was quite advanced even in the Wenda Sect: Heihei Weapon Shop, Hahaha Tavern, Aowow Brothel…
"What about the Crossing Tribulation Barbecue Shop?"
"How about the Becoming Immortal Barbecue Shop?"
"I think Light Boat Barbecue Shop sounds good."
"Who names a barbecue shop so elegantly?"
After discussing for a while, they had to admit one fact—they were all terrible at naming.
"Forget it. Let’s each write a name on a piece of paper and draw lots. Whatever name we get is it." Lu Yang suggested, and both agreed.
Considering that Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou might not be very honest, it was safer to let the barbarian draw the lots.
The barbarian clasped his hands together, holding three small pieces of paper, and shook them. He opened his thumbs, and two pieces flew out.
He looked at one and saw it said, "Try again."
Confused, the barbarian opened the other one, which said, "Thank you for your patronage."
The barbarian was baffled. "???"
He couldn’t wrap his head around it. Wasn’t he supposed to be naming the shop, not drawing lots… right?
(End of Chapter)