Chapter 93: Formation of the Adventure Squad

Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Formation of the Adventure Squad

She awoke from her dreams to a new day.

After playing with her dog and bird for a bit, Lu Wu stretched languidly and practiced her forms in the courtyard.

Her poor aptitude wasn’t just limited to her Spirit Root; her progress was also incredibly slow when it came to practicing things like Swordsmanship and martial arts forms.

When she first gained some cultivation, she had wanted to work hard and prove her worth as a transmigrator, but she gave up that same day.

’Honestly, who manages to get so winded while practicing that they nearly kick the bucket?’

It seemed she was only suited to lying flat and waiting to be carried by her system.

Now, she practiced purely for the exercise.

She finished her routine in the time it takes an incense stick to burn. After a bath, Lu Wu felt refreshed and invigorated.

Business had been booming the day before, so she didn’t have many ingredients left.

Lu Wu took Huohuo to the market in Hong’an City to restock, leaving Dahuang behind to guard the house.

"Back again, Boss! Getting the usual?"

The moment Lu Wu appeared, someone waved and called out to her.

The ingredients she’d bought before had all been excellent, so Lu Wu stuck to the vendors she knew. As a result, she got a much better price this time.

The meat stall was run by the same woman, Aunt Lin. Today, a little tyke was standing beside her.

He was a boy of about seven or eight, with clothes so neat that not a single hair was out of place. Standing in the chaotic market, his brow was furrowed so tightly he looked like a grumpy little old man.

"Hello, Boss Lu! This is my son, Zeng Sheng. Xiao Sheng, say hello to Boss Lu."

Aunt Lin smiled, her expression growing even softer as she looked at her child. It was a face etched with a gentleness carved by time.

"Hello, Boss Lu."

Zeng Sheng looked over and greeted her stiffly.

He dodged Aunt Lin’s hand, his eyes filled with disdain.

It wasn’t Aunt Lin he disdained, but her hand, which was a little dirty from having just handled raw meat.

He was a neat freak.

A place like this was his natural enemy. Unfortunately, his dad had snuck out earlier, claiming he had business to attend to, and his mom didn’t feel comfortable leaving him home alone. That’s why she’d brought him to the market.

Lu Wu, taking all this in, simply nodded at the precocious little guy.

"Nice to meet you."

"I’ll take all of this."

With that, Lu Wu pointed to all the chicken, duck, and pork on the stall, indicating she was buying everything.

At that, Zeng Sheng’s eyes lit up.

If she sold out, they could go home, and he could escape this chaotic place sooner.

"You got it!"

Aunt Lin didn’t question Lu Wu. She knew Lu Wu had a stall on Free Street. Although she wouldn’t dare go there herself, she’d heard through the One World Communication that Boss Lu’s customers were flocking to find her.

Business was absolutely booming.

Buying out the entire stock like that—Lu Wu’s ’boss’ style was a rare sight in the Green Origin Realm.

The other female vendors nearby cast envious glances at Aunt Lin. They all wished for a high-rolling customer like that.

"Boss Lu, I’ll throw in these extra scraps for free. They’re still good cuts, I hope you don’t mind."

This just went to show that Aunt Lin knew how to do business; she had added quite a lot to Lu Wu’s purchase.

With this kind of give-and-take, they built a good relationship. That way, she wouldn’t have to worry about other ’little demons’ poaching her biggest client.

The transaction was quick and decisive on both sides—a truly satisfying exchange.

...

As night fell over Hong’an City, a few figures hurriedly left their homes.

Wang Xie looked at the brothers willing to risk it all and follow him, his eyes filled with gratitude.

After being rescued by Yang Jiang the previous day, he had left the casino and immediately reported what he knew to the Law Enforcement Team. They had assured him they would conduct a thorough investigation.

But he had waited an entire day and seen no sign of any action.

He concluded that the Law Enforcement Team probably hadn’t taken him seriously.

If the Law Enforcement Team wouldn’t take it seriously, he would have to find a way to rescue his benefactor from the casino himself.

To that end, he had sought out some of his friends to make a move that night.

"Old Zeng, are you sure you want to come? You’ve got a wife and kid at home. Why don’t you head back..."

Wang Xie looked at Zeng Si, his tone earnest.

There was no telling how tonight’s operation would end, which was why he had only asked brothers who had no one depending on them.

Zeng Si was different.

He had a wife, a child, and a warm bed to go home to; there was no reason for him to get involved.

"What kind of nonsense is that? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have the life I do now. Don’t worry, my wife fully supports me coming."

Zeng Si’s confidence wavered a little as he said this.

His gaze drifted away.

The truth was, for the past two days, his wife had been talking nonstop about some Boss Lu who sold skewers on Free Street, saying the food from that stall was incredibly delicious.

As it happened, Wang Xie needed help, and the location was on that very street.

’What a coincidence,’ he’d thought upon hearing this.

So, he simply used "buying skewers" as an excuse to get his wife to let him leave the house.

"Alright. Then tonight, we..."

The group walked and talked, and soon they arrived at Free Street.

According to their plan, they were supposed to find a way to sneak into the casino, locate their target, and then slip out just as quietly.

But the very first step of their plan fell apart.

"S-so many people?"

One of the brothers stammered as he stared at the crowd blocking Free Street.

The place was packed to the gills.

It looked as if some major event was taking place, but Wang Xie noticed that despite the boisterousness, the people were all lining up in an orderly fashion.

That’s right, they were in a line.

After exchanging bewildered glances, the men had no choice but to move closer and try to find out what was going on.

It turned out they were all here to buy skewers.

Buying skewers?

Zeng Si was dumbfounded.

His wife had said that Boss Lu’s business was explosive, but she hadn’t said it was so explosive that customers would line up down the entire street—and without a single complaint, at that.

"Make way, make way! Boss Lu is here!"

A voice called out from a distance, and the crowd automatically parted to form a path. Zeng Si watched as a young woman with delicate features walked calmly toward the center of the throng, unfazed by the dozens of fervent gazes fixed upon her.

Her composed demeanor, seemingly untouched by the trials of the world, was captivating.

’She’s a master,’ Zeng Si couldn’t help but conclude.

In reality, despite everything she’d been through, Lu Wu still found the scene so awkward it made her skin crawl.

She opened her storage bag, took out her stall, and with a snap of her fingers, the Glazed Fire ignited beneath the pot.

The front of the stall was laden with skewers.

Red, white, and green—the ingredients were threaded onto bamboo sticks, displaying their perfect forms as they awaited the customers’ selection.

The warm flames swayed, and the broth began to boil.

Steam billowed into the air, carrying with it an aroma that instantly captivated the entire crowd.

"That’s the smell! I brought some skewers home yesterday, and my little grandson ate them until he cried, it was so good! He’s been pestering me for more all day."

The older woman who had been skeptical the day before had become the skewers’ best promoter. She recounted her "eating her words" experience to some new customers, and many in the crowd chimed in with agreement.

"Boss Lu, I’ll take three orders, all meat, in the spicy broth!"

"I’ll have a half-meat, half-vegetable order in the numbing peppercorn broth! I want that feeling where my whole tongue goes numb."

The line moved forward as customers called out their orders.

The savory aroma of meat, the fresh scent of vegetables, and the numbing heat of peppercorns and chilies intertwined in the air, carried by the wind to the very edge of the crowd.

Wang Xie recognized it at once. This was the scent that had saved him last night.

’The fragrance my benefactor had me smell yesterday... was from these skewers?’

GULP!

Someone gulped audibly.

It was Zeng Si.