Chapter 23: The Piggies: The Living King Yama Is Here
Chapter 23: Chapter 23: The Piggies: The Living King Yama Is Here
On a dark and windy night, a master and his disciple snuck into the alley where Lu Wu lived. By then, all was silent.
Some heartless person had spread false information about Lu Wu’s residence in Xiaohe Town, which was why it had taken them until now to find the right place.
"This should be the place, right?"
Qin Zhan stood at the door, staring at the tightly shut entrance, his heart pounding with unease.
It might have been his imagination, but Qin Zhan felt a chill crawl up his spine, as if some great and terrible presence had its eyes on him.
Qin Zhan raised his hand to knock.
His knuckles fell, striking the door. But the sound that followed wasn’t a KNOCK KNOCK, but Qin Zhan’s own pained scream.
"AHH!"
"My hand."
Qin Zhan snatched his hand back, clutching his fingers and grimacing in pain.
This theatrical display made the Heavenly Wind Taoist’s face darken.
He slapped Qin Zhan on the back of the head.
"Cut the act."
’Did I not know my own disciple’s strength? How could knocking on a door be enough to break his hand?’
"But it’s real, Master."
With red-rimmed eyes, Qin Zhan gave the Heavenly Wind Taoist a wounded look and held up his hand for inspection.
After a quick glance, the Heavenly Wind Taoist sneered.
"It looks perfectly fine, doesn’t it?"
’It wasn’t even red, let alone scraped.’
Qin Zhan cried that he’d been wronged.
He stepped forward to try knocking again. The moment his finger touched the door, a pain like it had been run over by a heavy truck shot through it. It hurt so much he felt like his hand was about to snap.
"Master..."
Qin Zhan’s voice was on the verge of tears. He wiped the corner of his eye, feeling like he couldn’t be brave any longer.
’It hurts so much!’
This time, the Heavenly Wind Taoist didn’t argue. Just a moment ago, he had detected fluctuations of Spiritual Power from the wooden door—one that looked like he could send it flying with a single slap.
"It’s an Array."
The Heavenly Wind Taoist walked over to inspect it carefully, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Someone has placed an Array on this door. It’s a very advanced one; I can’t break through it for the time being."
"If I’m not mistaken, someone doesn’t want us to disturb the owner of this house."
The Heavenly Wind Taoist stroked his beard.
’He knew many Array masters, and he could tell this one was incredibly powerful. It was not something he could break.’
’Since he couldn’t break it, his hopes of eating buns tonight had completely gone up in smoke.’
"Let’s go!"
The Heavenly Wind Taoist looked quite regretful. He motioned for Qin Zhan to lead the way, clasping his hands behind his back. His posture, that of an enlightened master, was quite convincing.
In reality, the hand he held behind his back was throbbing with numbness.
From just that tiny collision, he knew that the cultivation of the person responsible was higher than his own.
But his disciple was right in front of him. For the sake of his image, the Heavenly Wind Taoist absolutely could not admit that he had come out slightly worse in their unseen exchange.
In the house next door, Uncle Li only let out a derisive snort after seeing the master and disciple walk away.
"Nicely done."
He praised the members of the Bun Sect.
An Outer Disciple had discovered the master and disciple asking about Lu Wu’s residence early on, so Uncle Li had long since made preparations to protect her. The false information had also been deliberately spread by the Bun Sect members.
After offering his due praise to the sect members, Uncle Li gazed at Lu Wu’s small courtyard, his eyes profound.
’Two battles, two victories. I am the undisputed guardian.’
’Boss Lu, as long as I’m here, you’re invincible.’
...
A new day began, but Lu Wu couldn’t bring herself to get up. She was sleeping in.
The seven-day mission was over, and she didn’t have to set up her stall today. With nothing else to do for the moment, Lu Wu could only rely on her One World Communication to pass the time.
’I just can’t kick this screen addiction, no matter where I am.’
’One World Communication is so much fun! Ehehe!’
Having played until she’d lost all track of time, Lu Wu finally put down her One World Communication and realized it was already afternoon.
Half the day had passed just like that.
Feeling like she’d wasted her day, Lu Wu rubbed her slightly hungry stomach. Just as she was about to whip up something to eat, she heard a "DING!"
It was a message from the system.
[Mission Updated.]
[Current Mission: Sell 500 portions of braised pork knuckle within seven days.]
[Designated Location: Entrance to the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons]
[Designated Time: From Noon to 1:00 PM]
This referred to the hours between 11 AM and 3 PM.
With the new mission came a recipe for braised pork knuckle, also provided by the system.
The complexity of the ingredients was enough to give her a headache, but what truly gave Lu Wu a headache was the location.
The Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons was outside Xiaohe Town. It was a naturally perilous area, and also a place where many Cultivators went to train and search for treasure.
The valley not only contained Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, but also a large number of poisonous creatures.
When Lu Wu had first arrived in this world, she’d heard that about three years ago, a plague of poisonous insects had erupted from the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons, and Xiaohe Town had nearly been wiped out.
This showed just how dangerous the place was.
’People who enter the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons are either thinking about how to stay alive or how to find treasure. Who would possibly stop to gnaw on my braised pork knuckles?’
But looking at the plump, meaty pork knuckles in the recipe, Lu Wu found herself drooling. ’I might as well give it a try.’
The mission didn’t start until tomorrow, so Lu Wu had just enough time to prep the ingredients.
She had met a butcher while buying pork before. His family ran a pig farm, so Lu Wu decided to pay him a visit to make her purchase.
The location was a bit remote. When Lu Wu arrived, Butcher Lin was waiting for her at the entrance.
"Boss Lu, you’re here."
Butcher Lin led the way. After walking inside, Lu Wu realized this wasn’t some family-run operation, but a small-scale farm.
In addition to a large number of Spirit Pigs, there was also some poultry, and she even saw a few fish ponds under construction.
’It’s clear Butcher Lin’s family is quite well-off.’
"You’re doing great, Lin. From now on, I can come straight to you for chicken, duck, and fish."
’She had gotten along well with Butcher Lin during their previous dealings. If possible, she’d prefer to source everything from him.’
"Feel free to come to me anytime, Boss Lu. I guarantee my livestock is the highest quality in all of Xiaohe Town, or even Hong’an City. You’ll never find any fraud or shoddy goods here."
"From now on, whenever you come to buy, Boss Lu, I’ll give you a 10% discount."
Butcher Lin was a straightforward man and made the promise right then and there.
Xiaohe Town was under the jurisdiction of Hong’an City.
When Hong’an City was mentioned, Butcher Lin spoke with the easy confidence of someone who had seen the world.
Lu Wu followed Butcher Lin to where the Spirit Pigs were raised.
The pigs here were free-range. On the hillside, the Spirit Pigs were grazing on grass, each one of them massive, fat, and healthy.
Lu Wu even saw that some of the pigs’ feed was infused with Spiritual Energy.
Because it was nourished by Spiritual Energy, the pork here had no gamy taste; instead, it had a rich, savory flavor.
Lu Wu’s gaze fell on the pigs’ large knuckles.
Her scorching gaze sent a ripple of unease through the herd. They kicked up their hooves and scampered further away.
’Oh no, the Living King Yama is here!’
"Lin, this time I need to buy some pork knuckles. At least five hundred portions," Lu Wu estimated.
’To be honest, given how enthusiastic my customers are, I could probably sell five thousand. But since I’m changing locations this time, some of my regulars might not be able to find me.’
So Lu Wu gave a conservative estimate.
’Still, five hundred portions is no small number.’
"Alright."
"I happen to be slaughtering a batch of adult pigs today. I’ll have them delivered to you this evening, Boss Lu."
Even though she only wanted the knuckles, Butcher Lin agreed without a second thought.
In any case, his pigs were high quality, and he could sell the remaining parts to other people. Selling one pig off in pieces, he wasn’t worried about any waste.
After they settled the details, Lu Wu left the farm carrying some cured pork sausage that Butcher Lin had given her.
’I’ve already decided. Tonight, I’ll treat myself to some steamed rice with cured sausage.’