Lu Yang stood nearby and joked, “This invisible force is everywhere; it’s called gravity, right?”
Lanting thought the voice sounded familiar and looked up to see Lu Yang. “Oh, it’s you.”
“Come in and talk,” Lu Yang said, worried that Lanting might reveal her true identity.
Lanting was very beautiful, standing at the door and easily catching attention, making it easy for someone to overhear their conversation.
As soon as she entered, she saw the ghosts working hard to skewer meat. She realized these were the ghosts left behind by the tiger demon.
When the two ghosts saw Lu Yang and Lanting enter together, they silently picked up a bowl of meat and skewers, sitting at a corner table to continue their work.
Seeing their skilled movements, Lanting thought the ghosts must have done this when they were alive.
In the backyard, the strong man heard the noise, stopped his training, and came to the main hall.
Meng Jingzhou, who had finished a day of wandering, burst in and said, “Have you heard? Yanjiang County has its own festival called the Spring Gathering Festival, just half a month away! People will go out to enjoy the flowers and mountains, and at night, there will be poetry gatherings. It’s going to be quite lively, and people from nearby counties will come too.”
“The locals in Yanjiang County get a three-day holiday.”
“I also found out that the brothels raise their prices during those days and make a lot of money. Should we take advantage of this and have a big promotion to celebrate our store’s two-month anniversary?”
Meng Jingzhou proved he wasn’t just out for fun; he was also gathering information, but this information wasn’t really helpful for the three of them.
The strong man’s eyes lit up, ready to speak, but then he saw Lu Yang’s emotionless gaze and silently closed his mouth.
Meng Jingzhou noticed Lanting and was surprised. “I remember you! You’re Lanting from the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace, right?”
They had been staying here for over a month to run a barbecue shop, or rather, to infiltrate a demonic sect. What was Lanting doing here?
“Indeed, that’s me,” Lanting replied softly.
Lanting found the three of them interesting. She had been in Yanjiang County for over a month and had heard of this barbecue shop, but she preferred quiet places and hadn’t come until today. Passing by, she realized this shop was run by acquaintances who were also disciples of the immortal sect.
It seemed these three were genuinely working hard in Yanjiang County.
Could it be that the tasks of the Wendaozong included opening shops and making money, in addition to fighting demons?
Considering the reputation of the Wendaozong, it wasn’t impossible.
Lanting had heard from her senior sisters that the Wendaozong had a reward system that included a “one-day tour with the sect leader,” which the other four immortal sects didn’t have.
“You’ve been in Yanjiang County for so long; are you on a mission? If you need help, just ask. We have connections with the local constables, and we know people in the jail,” Lu Yang said enthusiastically.
As fellow members of the five great immortal sects, they should help each other.
Now, Lu Yang and the others could easily control things in Yanjiang County. On the surface, they were helpful residents who assisted the head constable in catching criminals, and the constables often came here to eat. Secretly, they were favored seeds of the demonic path, with their true identities as core disciples of the Wendaozong.
Who could compete with their background?
Lanting fell silent. She was here on a secret mission and shouldn’t interact with outsiders. Otherwise, after helping Lu Yang fight the tiger, she wouldn’t have just taken two tiger skins and left.
Now, over a month had passed without any progress, and she was anxious.
These three were an opportunity; they might be able to help her!
After a moment of silence, Lanting took a deep breath to steady herself and said seriously to the three, “I’m on a secret mission. You must not tell anyone what I’m about to say; it concerns my safety! Don’t be surprised when you hear it!”
Seeing Lanting so serious, the three straightened up.
“I need to go undercover in the Undying Sect!”
The three blinked in surprise, thinking they had misheard.
Lanting continued, “This is reliable information we got through special channels from the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace. Recently, the four major demonic sects are planning to recruit followers on a large scale. The Radiant Sun Sect has already finished recruiting, and the other three are still in the process.”
“There’s an Undying Sect branch in Yanjiang County called the Yanjiang Branch. The branch leader is mysterious, and no one knows their identity or even their last name.”
“The Yanjiang Branch is ranked lower among all the Undying Sect branches, and the members’ overall cultivation is relatively low, making it suitable for me, a foundation-building disciple, to infiltrate. If the plan goes well, it’s possible for me to rise to a high position in the Yanjiang Branch.”
“My senior sisters are too powerful and too noticeable; they have a big reputation outside, which isn’t good for infiltration. After some discussion, this task fell to me.”
When Lanting mentioned her senior sisters’ big reputation, she meant they were too beautiful and had appeared in certain forbidden books to satisfy some men’s fantasies.
Lanting sighed, “But I’ve been in Yanjiang County for over a month and still haven’t found the Yanjiang Branch’s location. I don’t even know if the trial is over. I hope I’m not too late!”
Lanting looked at the three with hopeful eyes, especially at the very reliable Lu Yang, hoping they could provide help.
The three silently took out the tokens given by the branch leader, with the word “Steward” prominently displayed.
“Sorry, but we’re already members of the Undying Sect.”
Lanting: “!!!”
“Oh, don’t be nervous. What we mean is that we successfully infiltrated the Undying Sect,” Lu Yang added.
Lanting relaxed a bit, thinking the three had betrayed her, but it turned out they were just undercover… Wait, that didn’t sound right.
“How did you get into the Undying Sect?”
Lu Yang felt a bit awkward. How to explain? They just participated in a trial and passed.
Meng Jingzhou proudly said, “We performed excellently in the selection of followers. The Undying Sect saw that we were very suitable for joining, so they chose us.”
The strong man didn’t understand what Meng was so proud about.
Lu Yang explained in simple terms how they found Qin Yuanhao in the tiger demon’s lair. Based on that, they learned about the recruitment of followers and the location of the Yanjiang Branch.
Lanting felt regretful. If she had known, she would have acted with Lu Yang from the start. Now, she had wasted over a month without even finding the entrance to the Yanjiang Branch, while they had already mixed into the higher-ups.
“You should be able to recruit ordinary followers like Qin Yuanhao, right? Can you let me in?”
Lu Yang shook his head. “Ordinary followers can’t access the Undying Sect’s secrets. You have to take the trial organized by the Undying Sect headquarters. Honestly, I don’t think you can pass; the chances of exposing your identity are quite high.”
Lanting lowered her gaze, feeling disappointed. Lu Yang continued, “But we can create a fake identity for you, saying you’re my distant relative who came to seek refuge. You can stay with us and pretend to work in the barbecue shop. When we take action, you can help us on the side. That way, you’ll still complete part of your mission.”
“Really?” Lanting didn’t expect such a good opportunity.
The strong man also didn’t expect the barbecue shop had finally found a new recruit.
Lu Yang nodded. “Of course! As a foundation-building disciple, you’re quite a strong asset and will be a great help to us. But you stand out too much; you’ll need to disguise yourself. By the way, can you change your appearance? If not, I can teach you.”
(End of Chapter)