"My Lu Family's Shape-Form Fist is profound and vast. It's not something someone with just a single spiritual root like you can fully understand."
"As the saying goes, the heavens have nine layers high, and the earth has nine layers deep. The Lu Family's Shape-Form Fist also has its own nine layers."
"Right now, I'm only about to reach the first level. Once I cultivate to a higher level, I can gain the power, spells, and even cultivation of the things I transform into. If I reach the ninth layer in the future, with just a thought, I could become a powerful being in the tribulation phase, easily suppressing my senior sister!"
Lu Yang spoke proudly, making Man Gu believe him. Man Gu quietly asked Meng Jingzhou, "Is what Lu brother said true?"
Meng Jingzhou rolled his eyes. "True? Nonsense. You can tell it's all made up. If you want to hear, I could come up with eight different versions."
Man Gu was impressed, thinking that the way Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou could spin tales was quite impressive.
A few days passed since Lu Yang gave new meaning to the Shape-Form Fist, and the number of guests coming in increased day by day. Some guests, feeling excited, even tipped with spiritual stones.
"Did we raise our prices? Why are there still so many people?" Lu Yang gritted his teeth, recalling how the biggest restaurant in Yanjiang County wanted to buy their recipe yesterday.
Only he was upset; Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu were quite happy.
Today, Man Gu went upstairs to supervise Qin Yuanhao, while Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou worked as waiters downstairs.
Meng Jingzhou held back his urge to tell jokes and sent a message, "I heard that a table of cultivators came a few days ago, and after eating, they praised our food, saying it was better than what they had from the spiritual chefs they knew."
"Just like that, word spread from one to ten, and now many cultivators know about our restaurant."
Even though there were many spiritual chefs in the Daoist sect, they were actually a rare type of cultivator. In Yanjiang County, there were only a handful, most of whom were at the Qi Refinement stage, with only one at the Foundation Building stage.
Spiritual chefs focus on the five elements, making food that is both delicious and can enhance cultivation, achieving both effects in harmony.
Man Gu's grilled skewers might not enhance cultivation, but they were definitely tasty. The cultivators in Yanjiang County thought that since they couldn't eat food from spiritual chefs to boost their cultivation, they could still enjoy skewers that were even better.
Even though the skewers were ten times more expensive than usual, they were still considered a good deal in the eyes of cultivators.
"We're becoming somewhat famous in the upper circles of Yanjiang County. Many ordinary people who aren't short on money are coming here to eat, almost as a way to show off. Our business experience could soon spread across the continent, how exciting is that?"
"I'm not excited at all," Lu Yang rolled his eyes, welcoming new customers.
"Boss, the first floor is full. Can't we go to the second floor?" A customer saw the lights on the second floor and thought it looked like a nice spot.
"The second floor is under renovation and not open to guests. Please forgive us," Lu Yang said, even though he didn't plan to expand the barbecue shop, he still focused on his work and didn't slack off.
The customers had no choice but to line up patiently at the back.
"Ha ha, we finally made it! Boss, I've brought my brothers again!"
A few constables in black uniforms entered the barbecue shop. Their badges and long knives hanging at their waists were quite intimidating.
People in line behind them didn't want to stand too close, feeling a natural fear.
"Captain Wei, you guys are here!"
Lu Yang smiled, seeming quite familiar with them.
These people were constables from Yanjiang County, and the leader was named Wei. He had a bushy beard and spoke with authority, earning the nickname Iron-Faced Captain. He was quite powerful, at the Foundation Building stage, and even thugs and people from evil sects didn't want to mess with them, fearing trouble.
The other constables were also not ordinary, all at least at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement.
In the world of Xianxia, you couldn't be a constable without some cultivation.
This was Captain Wei's fourth visit, and over time, Lu Yang had gotten to know him.
There were some who thought they could cut in line because of their status and cultivation, but once they learned that Captain Wei often came here for late-night snacks, they dared not act out.
"I just finished my shift and brought my brothers here for some skewers. I have to say, your skewers are really something; once you eat them, you can't forget them," Captain Wei said, smacking his lips, drooling at the thought of the skewers.
"Being a constable isn't easy either; you have to work night shifts every two days," Lu Yang said, feeling sympathetic, as he led them to a private room.
Once in the private room, Captain Wei and the others took off their outer jackets.
"Hey, it's been annoying lately. I don't know what's happening, but a lot of cultivators have flooded into Yanjiang County, and they don't seem like good folks, putting a lot of pressure on public safety."
"The county magistrate has repeatedly ordered us to ensure nothing goes wrong. I have no choice but to patrol more with my brothers. After patrolling, we come here to treat them."
Seeing that Lu Yang was busy, Captain Wei didn't say much and started ordering food.
"Same as last time?" Lu Yang asked, since Captain Wei had ordered the same skewers three times before.
"Let's try something new this time. I wanted to try it last time but my brothers stopped me. Get ten skewers of grilled eyes, ten skewers of grilled silkworms, and ten skewers of centipedes," Captain Wei said, urging Lu Yang to hurry, not giving his brothers a chance to react.
The brothers all cried out in despair; those things didn't sound edible at all.
"Look at you spoiled brats. Just wait until I take you out for a half-month mission without any food pills; let's see what you eat then!"
Once the good wine and skewers arrived, Captain Wei and the others dug in, enjoying their feast.
As they got into the mood, a few of the brothers began to vent their frustrations, cursing.
"Damn it, those little thieves have been so slippery lately, leaving no clues behind after their crimes."
"It must be the work of cultivators; otherwise, even seasoned thieves couldn't be this smooth."
"I suspect it's those out-of-town cultivators."
"When I catch those bastards, I'll whip them a hundred times and throw them in the water prison!"
The thieves were causing trouble, but they couldn't catch them, which was quite embarrassing for Captain Wei. "The county magistrate ordered me to solve this case within a month. If he's so capable, why doesn't he come deal with it himself? Today, those little thieves even stole from the Li and Lu families. The Li family is a relative of the county magistrate; tomorrow, he'll definitely come pressuring me again."
In the next room, a big brother-like customer laid out today's haul on the table. "Today's score was worth it. As usual, I take 40%, and the rest is shared among the brothers."
The brothers were all smiles; today was a big win. "Before coming here, I heard how powerful Captain Wei is, even called the Iron-Faced Captain. Now that I see it, he's nothing special; he can't even catch a whiff of our farts!"
"That’s a bit harsh. At least he can catch farts!"
"The Li and Lu families are really wealthy, especially that Ma guy; his cultivation isn't high, but he has a lot of good stuff."
"Come on, let’s eat and drink freely today. I’m treating! No one is allowed to sober up; we’re going to drink until we drop!"
The thieves drank heartily, and one of them went out for a bathroom break. When he returned, he accidentally walked into Captain Wei's room.
"Uh—big brother, why do you all look different and even uglier?"
"Who’s this drunk fool? Get lost!" One constable said impatiently. They were already troubled about where to catch the thieves, and now a drunk was causing a scene.
The man was furious and wanted to fight, but he was no match for the group of constables, who quickly tossed him out.
The constables noticed he had some cultivation, but they didn't take it seriously and returned to their drinking and complaining.
Feeling wronged, the man went back to complain to his boss.
The thieves were drunk, and when they heard that their brother was bullied, the alcohol fueled their anger. The boss slammed the table and arrogantly said, "How dare they bully me! You go tell the next room that if they have guts, they should come here. Whoever doesn't come is a coward!"
(End of Chapter)