"Ugh, I'm so tired. I really don't want to work," the three of them yawned in unison, struggling to keep their eyes open. They were frustrated with the idea their leader had come up with, making them come here to eat.
They were on their way back to the barbecue shop after a long day of clever maneuvers. They had finally infiltrated the enemy's territory and were now just looking forward to a big meal and a good sleep.
The Immortal Sect had everyone focused on the Mountain River Cauldron, which made them feel extremely worn out.
"Luckily, I had the ghosts prepare the skewers before we came. We can just open up as soon as we get back," Mang Gu said, feeling a bit relieved.
As they reached the barbecue shop, Lu Yang spotted a familiar face.
"Captain Wei? What are you doing here?"
Captain Wei had been knocking on the door for a while but hadn’t seen anyone come out. He thought the shop was closed.
The shop was indeed empty, with only two ghosts working hard on the skewers. When they heard Captain Wei knocking, they were so scared they didn’t dare to open the door.
Just when Captain Wei was about to give up, Lu Yang arrived.
Captain Wei's face lit up. "Manager Lu, you’re finally back!"
Lu Yang nodded and quickly made up a story. "This morning, the weather was nice, so the three of us thought it would be a good day for a little outing. We just got back."
"Are you opening for business today?"
Lu Yang thought for a moment. The leader and about twenty others were coming, so it counted as opening. "Yes, we are."
Captain Wei spoke in a gentle tone, "Manager Lu, your barbecue shop is quite popular around here. I often come here with my brothers."
"I know you all just enjoy the barbecue and don’t want to expand or have others promote you," Lu Yang replied, nodding.
Captain Wei sighed, "My brothers can’t keep their mouths shut. After eating, they praised your place so much that now others are tempted to come. They said they want to eat here after their shifts, and those working night duty want me to bring some back."
Seeing Captain Wei's expression, Lu Yang thought to himself that it wasn’t just his brothers talking; Captain Wei had probably spread the word too.
"So?"
"There are quite a few officers in our district. We could fill up all the tables. The chief is coming too, so I thought maybe we could book the whole place tonight just for us."
Lu Yang realized what he meant and showed a troubled expression. "But I have a few friends coming tonight as well, so I’m afraid..."
Captain Wei quickly said, "No problem, no problem. We can all eat together. More people means more fun."
Before coming, Captain Wei had assured his colleagues they would definitely eat here, and he didn’t want to be embarrassed if that didn’t happen.
Lu Yang agreed, "Alright then, we’ll get ready and open in half an hour."
Captain Wei left satisfied with the answer.
...
As the time approached, people started gathering outside the barbecue shop from all directions: the leader, eleven stewards, and seven new members.
Chi Xulong and Shen Jinyi were smart enough to bring a few jars of wine.
"I was worried this small shop wouldn’t have strong enough wine, so I brought a few jars of thirty-year-old Lingjiu," they said.
This kind of wine was very strong, even someone at the Foundation Establishment stage couldn’t handle it.
The other five new members also wanted to bring wine as a gesture, but they were all at the Qi Refining stage and couldn’t offer anything good.
The leader changed his mask for dinner, now wearing one that only covered the upper half of his face.
Lu Yang and the others came out of the shop and welcomed everyone inside. "Come in, come in! Everything is ready. Originally, someone had booked the whole place, but after some negotiation, they agreed to leave us a table."
The leader nodded. He had been worried that Lu Yang and his friends would be troublemakers who wouldn’t listen, but it seemed they were quite sensible and had reserved a spot ahead of time.
"Don’t just stand there, let’s go inside," the leader urged.
The barbecue shop was empty, and the leader naturally took the biggest table in the center, which was the best spot for his status.
Lu Yang carefully reminded him, "Leader, this table is reserved."
Before the leader could respond, Chi Xulong jumped in, "Let them sit somewhere else! Who do they think they are, trying to take our spot?"
Seeing that the leader didn’t object, Lu Yang didn’t say anything more.
Once everyone was seated, Mang Gu pulled out the menu. "What do we want to eat?"
Shen Jinyi handed the menu to the leader. "Please, Leader."
The leader waved his hand. "You all order what you want."
"You’re treating us, so you should order."
"No need, just order freely."
After a round of back-and-forth, the menu ended up back in Mang Gu’s hands. He rolled his eyes, thinking these people were too picky, even for ordering skewers.
Mang Gu wasn’t one to back down. He ordered and then took the menu to the backyard to have the ghosts start grilling.
Before long, Mang Gu returned with plates of delicious-looking skewers. The aroma filled the air, and everyone knew they were going to taste great.
"Come on, the skewers are here! Pour the wine!" the leader said with a smile, signaling everyone to pour.
Meng Jingzhou laughed, "I think we can skip the wine. I prefer tea and don’t really like alcohol."
The leader chuckled, "Little Meng, you can’t wander the world without knowing how to drink. You’ll have plenty of chances to drink later. Just have three cups to get used to it."
Meng Jingzhou still refused.
The leader felt a bit embarrassed, his brow furrowing. Chi Xulong seized the moment to scold, "What’s wrong with you? The leader asked you to drink, and you refuse? Is that disrespecting him?"
Meng Jingzhou scoffed, "It’s just drinking. How does that relate to respect? If the leader insists I drink, isn’t he disrespecting me?"
Chi Xulong was about to retort, questioning Meng Jingzhou’s worth, but the leader stopped him.
The leader knew Meng Jingzhou had a bright future and didn’t want to argue with him.
The leader was the only one who knew the true evaluation of Lu Yang and his friends, and even they themselves were unaware.
"The welcome dinner doesn’t need to be so formal. Let me introduce myself. My surname is Chu, and you can call me Leader Chu."
After he introduced himself, it was the turn of a tall, thin man who had once gone to a brothel with Qin Yuanhao. "I’m Wang He, and those who know me like to call me Big Mouth Wang."
"White Zifang."
"Peng Shuo."
The eleven stewards introduced themselves one by one. It was more of a formality, as they didn’t share any details about their cultivation, interests, or specialties. They kept their information hidden, as trust was rare among the demon sects.
As if nothing had happened, everyone enjoyed their meal happily.
"This barbecue really tastes great," Chi Xulong said after eating a few skewers, surprised. This was the best barbecue he had ever had.
He felt greedy and quietly asked the leader, "Should we force the shop owner to give us the recipe? Even if we sell these skewers for spirit stones, there’s a market, and we could make a lot of money!"
The leader was tempted too. He had done plenty of things like robbery and extortion, so this wouldn’t be a big deal for him.
Lu Yang asked from the side, "What if the shop owner refuses to give the recipe?"
Chi Xulong's expression turned cold, and he sneered, "Then it’ll be up to him whether he wants to keep his life or the recipe!"
He slammed the table, looking for trouble, and shouted, "Where’s the shop owner? Come out! The skewers are all served, and he doesn’t even show his face. Does he not understand the rules?"
Just then, Captain Wei's voice came from outside, "Haha, where’s the shop owner? I’ve brought my brothers!"
A group of officers rushed in, including the chief at the Core Formation stage, surrounding the leader's table.
(End of Chapter)