Chapter 324: The Barbecue Shop Reopens

Upon Lu Yang's awakening, Li Haoran and Qin Yanyan followed suit, opening their eyes in turn; the father and daughter cast their gazes around, utterly bewildered by their circumstances.

"All awake, then?" the Fifth Elder remarked, seated upon a wooden bench, looking the very picture of calm and composure.

Qin Yanyan recalled the moment right before she had lost consciousness: the Fifth Elder had merely waved his sleeve, everything had plunged into darkness, and by the time they came to, they were already here.

It was identical to the legendary technique of the Universe in the Sleeve.

"I know! What you just used was the Universe in the Sleeve, wasn't it!" Qin Yanyan exclaimed with excitement, thrilled to have personally experienced such a legendary, grand divine ability.

As expected of an elder from the Seeking Path Sect!

The Fifth Elder offered a serene smile, letting the silence convey everything.

Li Haoran bore a contemplative expression, for he had never heard that his master possessed the Universe in the Sleeve.

Meng Jingzhou, who had been watching the entire affair from the sidelines, raised an eyebrow; he was the only one among the four who had not fallen unconscious.

After knocking the three of them out, the Fifth Elder had even explained to him, claiming he worried Lu Yang and the others feared heights and lacked flying experience. Jumping down directly with them might be too much for them to handle, so it was far more convenient to just knock them out and carry them away.

Then, the Fifth Elder had produced three hemp sacks and slipped them over the trio, his movements so practiced that one could not help but wonder how many times he had done this before.

"So this is the 'One More Time' Barbecue Shop you all spoke of?" The Fifth Elder had done his homework diligently before setting out, having requested the mission report from Dai Bufan regarding Lu Yang and the others, and was well aware of what had transpired in Yanjiang Prefecture.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou looked at the familiar furnishings, their expressions tinged with reminiscence.

Time flew like a shuttle, the world changed, and people passed away; who could have thought that after all these years, even the Immortal Cult had been destroyed, yet they would find themselves back here.

The Fifth Elder wiped a hand across a table, revealing a thick layer of dust: "Three months have passed, it is high time for a cleaning."

Just as the four juniors, including Lu Yang, were preparing to roll up their sleeves, they saw the Fifth Elder wave his hand: "No need for such trouble."

His lips trembled slightly as he chanted an incantation inaudible to anyone else, casting forth a hand seal.

The seal descended upon the floor, and the very space seemed to tremble, rippling with invisible waves that spread out circle after circle.

The dust on the tables, chairs, and floor fluctuated with the rising and falling of the spatial ripples, peeling away from the surfaces they adhered to and diffusing outward.

Even the dust upon Lu Yang and the other three trembled slightly, detaching itself from them.

Once the dust, grease, and other filth had entirely accumulated in the corners, a suction force emanated from the Fifth Elder's palm, drawing the grime inward and forming a vortex.

In the end, the filth compressed into a spherical ball; the Fifth Elder clenched his fist, and the sphere of grime vanished without a trace.

The entire barbecue shop felt completely renewed, as though everything were brand new.

"This is the Dust-Cleansing Incantation, often used for tidying up; in your leisure time away from cultivation, you may practice these practical little spells," the Fifth Elder introduced.

"If you ever find someone disagreeable, you can also use the Dust-Cleansing Incantation to gather the filth into a ball and hurl it at them."

This had been the Fifth Elder's original motivation for learning the Dust-Cleansing Incantation.

"We are open for business once more!"

From his identity jade token, Lu Yang produced various seasonings, skewers, and an automatic skewering formation; as for the grill and other equipment, they were already in the shop, left behind when they departed last time.

"This automatic skewering formation is rather interesting, quite creative," the Fifth Elder noted, scanning the array and instantly deducing its function.

Lu Yang thought to himself that this was the latest achievement of the Immortal Cult's high command, combining the wisdom of four Integration Stage experts.

The Fifth Elder inquired, "Is there an automatic grilling formation or magic treasure?"

Lu Yang shook his head; it had not been designed yet.

"In that case, I shall design one. However, I have never grilled skewers before and lack experience; I need to practice grilling for two days to get the hang of it, so I know how to design an automatic grilling magic treasure."

The Fifth Elder's favorite pastime was refining magic treasures that had never existed before.

Lu Yang rejoiced, for he had been considering whether he needed to capture a couple of ghost slaves from somewhere; now it seemed entirely unnecessary.

Lu Yang mixed the seasonings according to a specific ratio, quickly concocting a jar of vibrant red, Barbarian-style barbecue sauce.

"I'll head out first to buy some raw ingredients," Lu Yang said, leaving the Fifth Elder to try his hand first.

"Go on, go on."

Lu Yang pushed open the main door, drawing astonished stares from the pedestrians on the street.

"Manager Lu!"

"What, is this gentleman Manager Lu?"

"Is the barbecue shop reopening?"

"I heard Manager Lu went out to start a business; did he fail and return to keep running the barbecue shop?"

"Wasn't it said that Manager Lu went home to inherit the family estate? Why is he back?"

"There was such a rumor?"

"Haven't you heard? Manager Lu was separated from his parents when he was a child. The barbecue recipe of this shop was a childhood memory of his. A powerful master came here to eat skewers, and after finishing, tears streamed down his face as he claimed only people from his family could make this flavor. He asked who made it, and father and son reunited, so the barbecue shop closed."

"How come I heard Manager Lu had a very wealthy fiancée, and he was taken away by her?"

The pedestrians gossiped fervently; the "One More Time" Barbecue Shop was the most popular establishment in Yanjiang Prefecture, famous even in the surrounding counties.

Regrettably, after the Spring Gathering Festival, the barbecue shop had closed its doors, leaving people longing for its food more than words could say.

People had come up with all sorts of conjectures regarding Lu Yang's departure.

As for the death of the Prefecture Governor at that time, no one would ever associate such an event with a barbecue shop, let alone one adorned with honorary banners.

"Manager Lu, is the barbecue shop opening again?"

"Exactly! Without eating your skewers in the evening, it always feels like something is missing!"

Facing the enthusiastic citizens, Lu Yang raised his hand and spoke loudly, "Quiet down, everyone. Our return this time is indeed to continue running the barbecue shop, please rest assured of this. Our preliminary plan is to open for business tomorrow!"

"Wonderful!"

By the time Lu Yang finally managed to break through the crowd of citizens, he was cornered yet again at the vegetable market; when he returned to the barbecue shop, he was panting with exhaustion, feeling that stepping out of the door was more taxing than a battle.

"I'm back!"

Lu Yang tossed the meat and vegetables onto the automatic skewering formation; the array automatically sliced the meat and vegetables into small pieces, and the wooden skewers hovered, piercing through them in a remarkably smooth process.

The Fifth Elder brought the prepared skewers to the grill, turning his head to ask, "Do you have a flame specifically for grilling?"

As a grandmaster of weapon refining, the Fifth Elder commanded seven types of True Fire, but they were all fierce and unyielding flames; suitable for refining weapons, but entirely useless for barbecuing.

"I have Samadhi True Fire!" Lu Yang volunteered, his True Fire being the most suited for grilling.

"I also have a True Fire," Meng Jingzhou chimed in, a scorching spark rising from the palm of his hand.

"Pure Yang True Fire?" The Fifth Elder recognized the origin of the flame in Meng Jingzhou's palm; every individual with a Single Celibate Spiritual Root would automatically master this type of True Fire upon condensing a Celibate Golden Core.

"But your flame isn't as useful as Lu Yang's Samadhi True Fire, is it?"

Meng Jingzhou flashed a confident smile, "No, my Pure Yang True Fire is the product of a Double Celibate Spiritual Root, possessing effects that previous Pure Yang True Fires never had."

Curious, the Fifth Elder asked, "What is it?"

"It can enhance virility."

"Any ingredient cooked by the Pure Yang True Fire can enhance virility!"

(End of Chapter)