Chapter 8: I, Uncle Li, Will Protect Boss Lu’s Steamed Bun Shop

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: I, Uncle Li, Will Protect Boss Lu’s Steamed Bun Shop

"Youths of Xiaohe Town Infected with Strange Black Spots, Evil Cultivator Suspected."

The person who posted the news couldn’t be traced, but the story was true.

In the Green Origin Realm, children could have their aptitude tested and begin their path of cultivation once they turned twelve.

If he hadn’t accidentally run into Xiao Hua and her mother, Uncle Li never would have discovered that Xiaohe Town held secrets he knew nothing about.

After using his connections last night, he discovered that many children in Xiaohe Town who were about to turn twelve had contracted a strange illness. Just like Xiao Hua, they had developed black spots on their faces.

Uncle Li hadn’t yet been able to dig up whether the black spots caused any harm beyond disfigurement, but he had also learned that Boss Lu’s red bean buns could get rid of them.

Once the news got out, it led to the current scene.

It was too much of a coincidence.

Uncle Li strongly suspected the mastermind behind it all was targeting Boss Lu.

Thinking about how delicious the buns were, Uncle Li swallowed hard, his expression resolute.

He would absolutely not allow anyone to interfere with Boss Lu setting up her stall.

’I, Uncle Li, will protect Boss Lu’s bun shop!’

At that moment, a blazing fire ignited in Uncle Li’s eyes. Many of the people around him looked at him with awe.

...

"You want two red bean buns, too?"

Lu Wu glanced at the masked person in front of her stall.

The strange outfits, the similar ages, the identical orders... She was growing more and more suspicious. ’Have I stumbled upon some weird organization?’

Lu Wu noticed that in a corner, all the masked people who had bought red bean buns earlier were gathered together, whispering amongst themselves, alternately crying and laughing.

’They don’t seem entirely stable,’ she thought.

But they were paying customers. As the owner, Lu Wu couldn’t very well refuse them.

"Please wait a moment, then."

With a worried expression, Lu Wu stuffed the soft, sticky red bean paste into the dough.

The cooled red bean paste was like a shy maiden, slowly enveloped by the dough. To meet the demand from the masked people, Lu Wu decided to make the entire next batch red bean flavored.

Despite her wariness, the masked people didn’t cause any trouble. They all bought their buns and left peacefully, one after another.

Only after the last masked person had disappeared did Lu Wu finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Uncle Li, you’re back again."

Lu Wu smiled when she saw him.

"That’s right! This old man will have two ’Innocent Little Meat Buns.’"

Uncle Li replied with a wide grin.

He looked at Lu Wu with the kindness of a doting grandfather.

But the gleam in his eyes struck Lu Wu as a little strange.

The line moved forward.

When a middle-aged man reached the front of the line, he stared at Lu Wu and sneered.

"Well, well. So this is the supposedly miraculous bun shop? Doesn’t look so special to me."

"One low-grade spirit stone for a single bun? Heh, you’ve sure got a lot of suckers lined up."

"You’re not all paid shills, are you?"

"I’m gonna have to try one of these ’Immortal Buns’ for myself."

’Those fillings look average at best,’ he thought.

’The aroma is strong, but who knows if they’re all smell and no substance.’

Lu Wu’s hands paused as she was bagging an order.

She looked at the man and blinked.

’Unremarkable features, a Cultivator, but only at the Qi Refining Early Stage. He doesn’t look like he has any powerful backing, yet here he is, picking a fight.’

’This is a perfect fit for one of those cannon fodder villains from a novel!’

’Am I about to become the protagonist in one of those ’from zero to hero’ stories?’

Lu Wu rubbed her hands in anticipation. Just as she was considering how to handle the situation, she saw Lou Xiaotian walk over with a smile and sling an arm around the man’s neck.

"Wu Dalang, not busy selling your flatbreads? What are you doing here buying buns?"

Wu Dalang sold baked flatbreads on the next street over. He also ran his business at night, just one street away.

These past couple of days, business at Lu Wu’s bun shop had exploded. Customers flocked to her stall after hearing the buzz, and Wu Dalang’s flatbread business had slowed down considerably.

He had originally come to taste them and scope out the competition.

But seeing so many customers waiting eagerly made him resentful, and he had spoken without thinking.

Warned by Lou Xiaotian’s cold glare, Wu Dalang came to his senses.

He averted his gaze and mumbled, not daring to speak anymore.

"That’s two low-grade spirit stones. Here are your buns."

Lu Wu handed him the kidney bun and the small meat bun he had ordered, sighing with a touch of disappointment.

’I didn’t even get a chance to make my move, and the cannon fodder has already fizzled out?’

"Hmph."

Unable to back down and lose face, Wu Dalang grunted, then grabbed a bun and shoved it into his mouth.

He took a bite. The soup inside the freshly steamed bun was scalding hot, and his tongue instantly flared with pain.

But along with the pain, an incredibly savory flavor exploded in his mouth. It was so delicious he felt his tongue might melt.

Wu Dalang froze.

In disbelief, he took another bite of the kidney bun.

The chili oil for the spicy kidney bun was a special blend Lu Wu had created from a system recipe. It was numbing, spicy, savory, and fragrant. The taste lingered after just one bite; it was addictively delicious.

His taste buds were conquered in an instant.

’Compared to this bun, my family’s three-generation-old flatbread recipe—the one I was so proud of—is just a lump of dead dough. It’s not even worthy of comparison.’

’I was wrong. I was so narrow-minded.’

"SOB SOB SOB!"

His mouth burning but unwilling to spit out a single morsel, Wu Dalang kept chewing. The way he looked at Lu Wu completely changed.

When Lu Wu looked up, she saw Wu Dalang with tears blurring his eyes.

Lu Wu tilted her head, confused.

’I didn’t see Lou Xiaotian do anything. Why is this guy crying?’

’Did he suffer some kind of internal injury that I can’t see?’

[DING! Congratulations, Host. Mission complete.]

[Reward: Third Level of Qi Cultivation, one random prize draw.]

As she was pondering, the system’s notification chimed. Lu Wu checked and saw that her mission progress bar was full.

At the same time, she felt a warm current surge through her body. It was incredibly gentle, flowing slowly through her meridians and washing away all her fatigue.

She felt full of vigor, as if she had just taken a Ten-Complete Great Replenishing Pill.

’So this is Spiritual Energy?’

Lu Wu was delighted as she felt the changes in her body.

However, she didn’t close up shop just because of this. The mission was complete, but she had promised to be here for seven days, and she had no intention of slacking off.

"Boss Lu, my turn! I’ll have one meat bun and one red bean bun."

"By the way, Boss Lu, do you have any other flavors?"

A customer asked. Lu Wu thought the person looked familiar—probably a regular.

"I’ll have a new flavor tomorrow."

In high spirits, Lu Wu agreed to the customer’s small request.

’The system gave me so many recipes. I can use the next few days to try out some new flavors for my regulars and new customers.’

Amid the cheerful chatter, the buns Lu Wu had prepared for the day were once again about to sell out.

"No more ’Innocent Little Meat Buns’?"

A customer frowned upon hearing this.

"That’s right, we’re sold out for today. You could try the kidney bun or the red bean bun. Both of those are excellent, too."

Lu Wu explained to the new customer.

The customer was a young woman, perhaps in her twenties. She was dressed in fine, bright clothes. To Lu Wu’s eye, she looked like she came from a wealthy family.

And her accent wasn’t local to Xiaohe Town.

’A customer from out of town?’

Still unaware of the post on One World Communication, Lu Wu waited for the customer to decide.

"What? I came all the way across two cities just to try your meat buns, and you’re already out?"

The young woman grumbled, clearly unhappy. But she didn’t give Lu Wu a hard time, ordering one of each of the two remaining flavors.

After getting her buns, she didn’t eat them right away. Instead, she took out her One World Communication and began to type a message.