Chapter 89: Demonic Path Cultivators are Not Recommended to Eat at Barbecue Shops

At this moment, Lu Yang still remained unaware that Lan Ting had secured a massive order; he was currently employing an invisibility talisman and a stealth technique, tailing the government constables in search of the Inverse Longevity Talismans.

The trio had split into three separate routes, aiming to locate as many of the Inverse Longevity Talismans as possible.

It was evident that the government attached extreme importance to the Inverse Longevity Talismans, practically deploying their entire force to turn Yanjiang County upside down.

The authorities began by compiling data on where the common folk most frequently experienced fatigue and drowsiness, dividing the territory into sectors to conduct their search.

Chief Constable Fang Qingyun had even manifested two clones, his true form and the duplicates expanding their divine senses to lead a massive contingent of men in scouring for the talismans.

Fang Qingyun's cultivation realm was far too high, so Lu Yang and his companions did not dare to follow in his wake.

Before long, a constable discovered an Inverse Longevity Talisman, and Lu Yang, concealed in the shadows, silently committed the location to memory.

By dusk, the three of them reconvened and produced a map of Yanjiang County, marking down the coordinates of the Inverse Longevity Talismans.

"One at the Great Stone Bridge, one at the rouge shop on Qianmen Main Street, one at the pawnshop... these are the locations of the six Inverse Longevity Talismans found so far."

"With just this meager amount of information, we cannot be certain if they are arranged according to the Inverse Longevity Array; we will have to observe further tomorrow."

When the trio returned to the barbecue shop, they found Lan Ting wearing a tofu mask, fully engrossed in refining the automatic skewering array.

The skewers hovered above the table, subjected to the scorching heat of high temperatures.

Two changgui ghosts knelt on the ground, weeping tears and snot as they thanked Lan Ting for her immense benevolence, delivering them from an eternity of grilling.

Lu Yang's mind was filled with question marks; they had only been gone for less than an afternoon, so what exactly had transpired?

"Where did you get that mask from?"

Lan Ting spoke with a hint of ostentation: "Oh, the tofu shop proprietress you rescued last night delivered it. She also mentioned she wants to run a joint promotion with our barbecue shop during the Spring Welcoming Festival."

"This is the event proposal the two of us drafted after our discussion."

"Yesterday, while working, I noticed there were only two changgui ghosts handling the grilling, which was far too slow, leaving some customers impatient. So, I designed this automatic barbecue array, vastly improving efficiency."

"The automatic barbecue array is an unprecedented design, a true innovation. Once I return to the Celestial Palace, I can even exchange this for contribution points."

"This array is simple as well; perhaps it can even be promoted on a large scale in the future."

The Laurel Celestial Palace, much like the Dao Seeking Sect, possessed similar long-term missions.

Lu Yang: "..."

It seemed the rapid expansion of the barbecue shop was now utterly unstoppable.

Meng Jingzhou with a grin snatched the tofu mask: "This tofu mask is actually quite nice. Come, one for each of us. Lu Yang, look, how perfectly this tofu mask suits you, it looks exactly like your face."

Lu Yang looked at the square, blocky tofu mask and rolled his eyes, refusing to lower himself to the level of a fool, and accepted the mask.

Lan Ting added: "I have also set up a Spirit Gathering Array and a Sound Isolation Array on the second floor to facilitate cultivation."

Lan Ting waved her hand: "It only cost a few spirit stones, mere pocket money."

Meng Jingzhou snapped his head up, glaring warily at Lan Ting; for the first time, he had met a worthy adversary in the realm of flaunting wealth.

Lan Ting's arrival made the trio's lives considerably more comfortable, allowing them to focus entirely on searching for the talismans during the day.

Over the course of ten days, Lu Yang and his companions mapped out the locations of over two hundred talismans, which aligned perfectly with the nodes of the Inverse Longevity Array.

Having discerned the pattern, they went to search the remaining node locations and indeed found the Inverse Longevity Talismans.

"What should we do, should we inform Constable Wei?" Meng Jingzhou inquired.

Lu Yang felt somewhat conflicted; if they revealed the locations of the Inverse Longevity Talismans to Constable Wei, then Wei's superiors would undoubtedly realize someone was covertly aiding them. Should Sub-rudder Master Chu learn of this, he might suspect the three of them.

Yet if they remained silent, these Inverse Longevity Talismans plastered all over Yanjiang County would pose a perpetual hazard.

"Waiter, bring two hundred skewers of mutton and two hundred skewers of beef!" A booming, boisterous voice resounded, heard with absolute clarity even by the changgui ghosts in the backyard.

Under ordinary circumstances, the sheer volume of work implied by this voice would have frightened their souls to near dissipation.

But now, with the automatic skewering array in place, their workload had been drastically reduced. Never mind two hundred skewers of mutton and beef, you could bring another two hundred skewers of pork and they wouldn't flinch!

"And give me another two hundred skewers of pork!" The boisterous voice continued to shout, evidently belonging to a wealthy patron.

Lu Yang narrowed his eyes, finding the owner of the voice rather familiar: "It is Yi Zhanghong, who participated in the cultist selection. The two men behind him, like Yi Zhanghong, are also in the Foundation Establishment Stage."

These three had failed to pass the selection.

"Will we be recognized?" Man Gu asked, given that the three of them had once impersonated examiners to swindle Yi Zhanghong.

Lu Yang shook his head: "No. The Rudder Master mentioned that for the secrecy of the sub-rudder, those who failed the selection had their memories wiped by headquarters. They cannot clearly recall the events of the cultist selection."

Seeing that no one had come to serve him for some time, Yi Zhanghong barked in a gruff voice: "Where is everyone? Are you deaf?"

"Coming, coming! What would you like to order, honored guest?" Lu Yang came jogging out.

Yi Zhanghong's demeanor was arrogant and overbearing: "Two hundred skewers each of pork, beef, and mutton. As for the rest, serve whatever you see fit. Your granddad only came because I heard your place serves good food. If it tastes bad, see if I don't smash your shop to pieces!"

Clearly, he did not recognize Lu Yang; had he recognized him, he would have smashed the shop immediately.

Lu Yang greeted him with a beaming smile, bowing and scraping: "Rest assured, honored guest, our shop's skewers are absolutely so delicious that you will want to eat them for the rest of your life."

Yi Zhanghong snorted coldly, ignoring Lu Yang entirely.

Yi Zhanghong's two companions also squinted their eyes, disdainful of speaking to Lu Yang.

Lu Yang sent a divine sense transmission to Meng Jingzhou: "Inform Constable Wei that there are three rogue demonic cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage here, and tell him to bring men to arrest them."

This band of demonic cultivators had slaughtered countless people; according to penal law, they deserved execution many times over, so Lu Yang would certainly not show any misplaced mercy.

Allow me to show you a classic demonic method—reporting to the authorities!

Meng Jingzhou was taken aback, transmitting back: "We don't have any evidence, do we? How can we prove they are rogue demonic cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage, and will Constable Wei believe us?"

Lu Yang sneered: "Why wouldn't he believe it? Just say we noticed they possess talismans suspected of inducing slumber."

Meng Jingzhou instantly understood Lu Yang's intent; they happened to have a few Inverse Longevity Talismans on hand, which would serve perfectly to plant evidence.

"Alright, I shall return shortly." Meng Jingzhou jogged out of the shop.

When Constable Wei heard that three demonic cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage had appeared, and were suspected of carrying Inverse Longevity Talismans, he knew this was no minor affair, and immediately reported it to Fang Qingyun.

Upon hearing the news, Fang Qingyun did not hesitate, instantly leading a large force to surround and suppress the trio.

Regardless of whether they possessed the Inverse Longevity Talismans, the mere presence of three Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators justified such a deployment.

Fang Qingyun arrived at the barbecue shop, unleashing the oppressive aura of the Golden Core Stage, rendering Yi Zhanghong and his two companions entirely immobile. With a sweeping wave of his hand, he commanded majestically: "Secure them and search their persons!"

Before Yi Zhanghong and his companions could even comprehend what was happening, they were seized by several Foundation Establishment constables and pinned to the floor.

What in the world is going on? Is eating barbecue in your Yanjiang County a criminal offense now?

Then, Constable Wei discovered a vast quantity of Inverse Longevity Talismans on Yi Zhanghong's person, far exceeding the mere few that Lu Yang had intended to plant.

"It truly was you lot who plastered the Inverse Longevity Array!" Fang Qingyun glared deathly at Yi Zhanghong; it was entirely because of this man that he had not rested for days.

Lu Yang: "..."

Meng Jingzhou: "..."

No, wait, do you really have to be this cooperative?

Yi Zhanghong and his two companions were left utterly bewildered; they had executed this matter flawlessly without leaving a single shred of evidence, so why on earth had the constables come to arrest them?

Where exactly did things go wrong?

"Ding"

If you had to choose one of the following girls to be your girlfriend, who would it be?

a. The girl with terrible grades and a fierce temper who sits at the very top of the school's social food chain, yet opens her heart to you alone, willing to hitting the books for your sake.

b. The genius girl with a detached disposition who loves to read, chases after freedom, and rejects all intimacy, yet reserves her rare smiles solely for you.

c. The sultry upperclassman who loves life, possesses rich experiences, and roams the world, only to wish in the end to settle down by your side.

Wang Ge sneered.

"Only children make choices."

"Adults know that choosing is utterly useless."

"Even if it's useless, I'm still choosing."

(End of Chapter)