Chapter 46: This Pork Knuckle is Good, But the Little Sister Has My Heart
Chapter 46: Chapter 46: This Pork Knuckle is Good, But the Little Sister Has My Heart
"Please instruct us, Senior."
Qin Zhan cupped his hands.
He could feel the aura emanating from the man before him. It placed him in the Divinity Transformation Realm, a full major realm higher than his own.
Coupled with the man’s venerable age, it was only proper for Qin Zhan to address him as "Senior."
Lou Xiaotian also nodded.
He understood the principle of being indebted to those who’ve shown you kindness.
Besides, this might even be a Bun Sect team-building exercise. If there was more delicious food as a reward, Lou Xiaotian would be willing to do just about anything—even commit murder and arson.
"A new Secret Realm is about to manifest in Hong’an City. Only Cultivators below the Divinity Transformation Realm can enter, but there is no lower limit to the cultivation required."
"I intend to let Xiao Lu go and take a look, so I hope you two will enter with her and look after her."
The birth of a new Secret Realm meant that countless opportunities lay within.
The first wave of Cultivators to enter often reap the greatest rewards.
He knew Xiao Lu was all alone, with no one watching her back.
It was fine as long as he was around, but he worried she’d be bullied if he ever had to leave for some reason.
That was why he wanted Xiao Lu to build up her own resources.
An unexplored Secret Realm like this was the perfect opportunity.
But the girl’s cultivation was too low; sending her in recklessly would be dangerous.
He would only be at ease if he found her a Nascent Soul Stage kid to act as muscle and a Golden Core Stage kid to run errands.
Unaware that their cultivation had been seen through in a single glance, the two exchanged a look of surprise.
The major Sects would surely receive news of a new Secret Realm’s appearance.
Given Qin Zhan’s status in his Sect, such news wouldn’t escape him. Yet he hadn’t heard so much as a whisper, while this old man somehow knew ahead of time.
In that instant, their minds raced.
"Alright, Senior. I accept."
Qin Zhan agreed after a moment’s thought.
’He was planning on entering this Secret Realm anyway. Protecting Boss Lu along the way would be no problem at all.’
’Worst comes to worst, I’ll just bring that Jiang Yunhe kid along.’
"I will protect Boss Lu well."
Lou Xiaotian thumped his chest in assurance.
’When I get back,’ he thought, ’I’ll go to my Old Deng and grab some more life-saving treasures. I’ll do whatever it takes to get Boss Lu out of there in one piece.’
"I haven’t discussed this matter with Xiao Lu yet, so don’t let it slip later."
He wanted it to be a surprise.
The two men nodded.
"Tea is ready."
As Lu Wu emerged with the teapot, she saw the three men, who had been sharing a smile a moment before, quickly look away from each other, suddenly acting as if they couldn’t stand the sight of one another.
A large question mark appeared over Lu Wu’s head.
’Am I the third wheel here?’
’My presence must be getting in the way of their bonding, then.’
As she drank the tea and tasted its bitterness, Lu Wu felt a bitter taste in her own heart.
’What was she supposed to do now that her friends were keeping secrets from her?’
’This life... it’s just like this tea. When will I ever get to the sweet aftertaste?’
There were four of them, but with no mahjong table to gather around, they each made an excuse and left after finishing the pot of tea.
This left Lu Wu alone in the empty courtyard, feeling utterly dejected.
’So I’m just the ’tool’ who cooks for them, huh?’
’The kind you just use and toss aside.’
Left to entertain herself, Lu Wu waited for the next day, when it was once again time to set up her stall.
Her regulars arrived without needing a call, and they were joined by a good number of new customers.
Drawn by rumors that the pork knuckles could counteract poison, some regulars from the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons also joined the queue.
The foot traffic in the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons these past few days was several times higher than usual.
Having Dahuang, her stall-watching dog, around saved Lu Wu a lot of trouble.
Minding her own business and selling pork knuckles, Lu Wu didn’t even raise her head when she heard the sounds of a fight break out nearby.
Wherever you find people, you’ll find conflict.
And this world of theirs was a rowdy one.
One wrong word from a diner was enough to start a fight, but everyone had an unspoken agreement to keep their brawls away from Lu Wu’s stall.
As for any bystanders who got caught in the crossfire, well, that was just their bad luck.
So, the timid—and those who just wanted to watch the drama unfold without getting involved—all scurried to hide behind Lu Wu’s stall.
When Lu Wu turned around to grab some ingredients, she was met with several pairs of wide eyes and nearly jumped out of her skin.
’What kind of person just stands behind you without making a sound, staring like some kind of ghost?’
BOOM!
After a loud explosion, a woman in clothes that barely covered the essentials emerged from the smoke and dust.
The woman had arrived fifteen minutes earlier looking for someone. The moment she found her target, she attacked.
She fought with a ferocity that prevented anyone from interfering.
No one knew what the customer she’d caught had done, but he was now lying in a large crater, his condition unknown.
The woman walked straight up to Lu Wu’s stall.
"Boss, I’ll have two pork knuckles."
With her fair skin exposed, the woman cut a voluptuous figure.
She paid no mind to the prying and lustful gazes of the onlookers. The view she presented as she moved was enough to give Lu Wu’s pork knuckles a run for their money.
"Demoness!"
Lu Wu heard the muttering behind her.
From the customers’ chatter, Lu Wu gathered that this was apparently a female cultivator from the Hehuan Sect.
However, the Hehuan Sect she belonged to was one of the major Sects in the Green Origin Realm, a far cry from the Female Cultivators of Yanliu Street.
’But this woman’s identity has nothing to do with me.’
’I’m just selling pork knuckles.’
"Here are your pork knuckles, sister."
Lu Wu couldn’t guess the woman’s age, but calling her "sister" was a safe bet.
"Aren’t you a sweet talker."
The woman’s eyes crinkled into a smile.
She leaned coquettishly against Lu Wu’s stall, her body seemingly as soft and pliant as if she were boneless.
Her face, more beautiful than any flower, held a gentle, seductive smile. Wherever her flirtatious gaze landed, the breathing of the men nearby quickened.
Leaning languidly, the beauty used her long, fair fingers to pick up a small piece of pork skin.
She tilted her head back slightly, parting her lips. Her tongue darted out to retrieve the piece of pork skin, and the corners of her eyes canted upward like a fox’s, creating a breathtakingly alluring sight.
A bit of sauce was left at the corner of her lips.
The woman wiped it away with a finger, then brought the fingertip to her mouth, holding it between her lips as her smiling eyes met Lu Wu’s.
"Am I beautiful?"
Her soft words were like silken threads, weaving a net from which there was no escape.
With such a vibrant, captivating beauty before her, Lu Wu was nothing but honest.
"Beautiful!"
’She really was beautiful.’
’It was no wonder the men were staring transfixed. Even she, a woman, felt the urge to reach out and touch.’
’Who wouldn’t love such a soft, fragrant beauty?’
"These pork knuckles are good, but you, little sister, are even more to my liking."
"My name is Xia Yi. If anyone gives you trouble in the future, feel free to mention my name."
"Of course, I can’t guarantee it’ll work."
That sudden twist nearly gave Lu Wu whiplash.
"I’m Lu Wu."
Seeing that the woman was an interesting character, Lu Wu accepted her show of goodwill.
"Little Lu Wu, when you’re looking for a man, you have to choose wisely. Whatever you do, don’t fall for a heartless, unfaithful man."
She gestured vaguely toward the crater, her eyes filled with a bone-deep chill.
"This man," she said, "tricked my junior sect-sister and took advantage of her innocence to steal a treasure from our Sect. He truly deserves to die ten thousand deaths."
As she spoke, her gaze swept across some of the onlookers.
A moment ago, when she’d made her move, it seemed some of them had wanted to demand justice for that faithless man.
Now, they didn’t dare meet her eyes.
They couldn’t gauge Xia Yi’s true power, and besides, she had a justifiable reason for her actions. To save their own skins, it was best not to meddle in others’ affairs.