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Chapter 325: The Non-Suspicious Barbeque Shop
Fifth Elder inhaled sharply. Based on this effect alone, the Pure Yang True Fire can already rank first among the 108 True Fires.
The 108 True Fires had different functions each. Some flames were weak, unable to kill even mortals, yet they were highly effective at burning space. On the other hand, some flames were powerful but were difficult to control and prone to explosions. There were also flames that didn’t burn the body but only the soul. For these reasons, it was hard to rank the various types of true fire, much less definitively determine a first or second place.
But if you claim that your true fire can boost one’s yang virility...
I can’t speak for others, but I will definitely cast a vote for the Pure Yang True Fire.
“Let me study it and see if your Pure Yang True Fire can be stabilized into a fire seed.
“And your Three Flavor True Fire, let me study that too.”
Fifth Elder asked for Lu Yang’s and Meng Jingzhou’s true fires and worked on forming them into fire seeds that could burn continuously. Otherwise, every time they barbecued, they would need Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou to infuse spirit energy to light the flames. What would be the point of an automated barbecue grill then?
“The best approach is to combine the two flames,” Fifth Elder mused, not expecting to face such a challenge so soon after arriving in Yanjiang Commandery.
“You can combine two flames?” Qin Yanyan asked in surprise. She had never heard of such a theory before.
“It’s possible,” Fifth Elder replied without looking up. “In history, there have been people who fused two, three, or even more flames together and hurled them at enemies. The power was astonishing, and it was an effective means of challenging opponents beyond one’s level.
“Alright, all of you, get out. I’ll research this myself.” Fifth Elder shooed the four of them out like they were little chicks.
~~~
Three formidable cultivators descended upon Yanjiang Commandery. They concealed their auras and blended into the crowd, disguising themselves as traveling merchants passing through.
“Your Excellency, according to the map, this should be Yanjiang Commandery.”
“Mmm, let’s find a place first.”
The three of them entered a private room in a restaurant and set up an array to block external probing methods. Only then did they feel safe enough to remove their disguises.
The visitors were none other than Shi Huagu, the vice creed leader of the Nine-Netherworlds Creed, and his two subordinates. One of them was Huo Huashen, the Nascent Soul cultivator who had brought Qin Haoran’s debt note to Shi Huagu. His parents had named him Huo Huashen in the hopes that his cultivation would reach the Divine Transfiguration Stage.[1]
Shi Huagu lifted the curtain of the private room. Through the window, he could see One More Time Barbeque Shop diagonally across the street. It was now night, and the barbeque shop was bustling, a long line already forming outside.
“So many people?” Shi Huagu was stunned. Since the barbeque shop is a liaison point for the Heavenly Court Creed, shouldn’t it be as low-key as possible? Is this a case of acting the exact opposite of what one would expect, or is it a display of the Heavenly Court Creed’s strength, that they are unafraid of being detected by the righteous path?
He withdrew his gaze and swept a glance across his two subordinates. “The creed leader has entrusted me with a mission for this trip to Yanjiang Commandery. You’ve probably already guessed—it’s to ascertain the strength and depth of the Heavenly Court Creed. If there’s potential for collaboration, I have the authority to act on the creed leader’s behalf and forge a cooperative pact".
“You are my trusted aides. I have faith in you to carry out your tasks without errors.
“Huo Huashen, you were the first to make contact with the Heavenly Court Creed.
“Zhou Shan, with your intensive research in ancient history, no one in our creed understands .”
“Your Excellency, should we make contact with the Heavenly Court Creed now?”
Shi Huagu shook his head. “No rush. Let’s observe for a while first. The two of you, investigate the origins of the barbeque shop and check if there’s anything suspicious.
“Roger!” the two of them chorused in unison before vanishing from the private room.
Not long after, Shi Huagu walked out of the private room. The waiter presented the bill to him. “Dear guest, your two friends have already left. About the payment...”
Shi Huagu’s face darkened. Shouldn’t my subordinates have fought to pay the bill for me?
~~~
During the investigation, Huo Huashen casually asked, “Zhou Shan, everyone says you’re the most knowledgeable about ancient history. Has the archaeology community made any progress in researching ancient history?”
Zhou Shan nodded. “Major progress. It’s related to immortals.”
“What is it?”
Zhou Shan was suddenly all mysterious. He looked around furtively and confirmed there was no one nearby before transmitting an auditory message. “It’s just hearsay, so it might not be true.”
“Don’t worry, I can judge for myself.”
“In the ancient era, there was an immortal named the Heaven Mandate Immortal. He was debonair and dissolute, leaving his seed everywhere and impregnating countless women!”
Huo Huashen leaned his head back slightly. “Something like that happened?!”
Zhou Shan continued, “Based on my analysis, there’s an eighty percent chance this is true. Think about it. He was an immortal who had reached the pinnacle of cultivation. With nothing much to do, it’s reasonable that he’d have such a hobby.”
Huo Huashen nodded, finding Zhou Shan’s analysis very reasonable. “No wonder everyone says you’re the most knowledgeable about ancient history.”
“Not at all, not at all,” Zhou Shan replied modestly with a smile.
“Let’s stop chatting and finish His Excellency’s task first.”
~~~
“Your Excellency, according to our investigation, there are indeed some issues with this barbeque shop.
“The owner of One More Time Barbeque Shop is surnamed Lu, and his real name is unknown. Customers like to call him Manager Lu or Little Manager Lu.
“Four months ago, Manager Lu bought this place and opened a barbeque shop. Thanks to their delicious, tender, and juicy meat with flavors rivaling those of spirit chefs, it received widespread acclaim.
“If it were anyone else, with business booming like this, they would have opened chain stores long ago. But this shop never showed any intention of expanding.”
Shi Huagu nodded. “That makes sense. After all, this is a base of the Heavenly Court Creed. If the creed reappears in the world and focuses solely on expanding their business, it would be putting the cart before the horse.
His subordinates continued with the report. “In addition, the barbeque shop has a good relationship with the local authorities. They often assist in capturing fugitives, for which the local authorities have awarded them several commendation silk banners.
“Adopting a disguised identity to show goodwill to the righteous path can save a lot of trouble. The cultivators in Yanjiang Commandery are generally weak, with the strongest only being at the Golden Core Stage. There’s no way they could see through the Heavenly Court Creed’s disguise.
“We also discovered that all the former members of the Everlasting Creed’s Yanjiang Branch once dined at the barbeque shop.”
Shi Huagu lowered his head pensively. “It’s possible that the Heavenly Court Creed wanted to get in touch with the Everlasting Creed’s higher-ups through the Yanjiang Branch, but before they could establish contact, the Everlasting Creed was annihilated by the Dao-Seeking Sect. What a pity.”
His subordinates’s report went on. “Based on our analysis, four months ago, the cultivation level Little Manager Lu displayed was at the Basic Foundation Establishment Stage, but it’s unclear whether that was a disguise or if he was truly at that cultivation stage and only recently reached the Golden Core Stage.”
“That’s not important,” Shi Huagu commented.
His subordinates added, “The barbeque shop was closed for three months and only reopened half a month ago. It also launched a new product series—the Yang Virility Boosting Series—which caused a sensation throughout the commandery as soon as it was introduced.
“According to our investigation of brothels, there has been a noticeable increase in patron traffic. The yang virility boosting effects are likely real.
“Customers also shared that the barbeque shop’s flavors have improved compared to three months ago.”
Shi Huagu said, “It only reopened half a month ago? It seems like this is a temporary base. The Heavenly Court Creed reopened it just to give us an opportunity to make contact. Not revealing the location of their true base is a sign that they don’t trust us.
“Oh well. Since there’s nothing suspicious about the barbeque shop, let’s pay it a visit and see whether the waters are deep or shallow!”
1. Huashen is the name of the Divine Transfiguration Stage in Chinese. Huo Huashen sounds the same as “obtaining Divine Transfiguration,” though the surname is a different character from “obtain.” ☜
