Chapter 96: Long Vacation

"Furthermore, I received a communication from the Inspector-General. He mentioned he has long heard of the Sprout Picking Festival's reputation and has moved his schedule forward. He intends to arrive in Yanjiang County during the festival. You must be mentally prepared and not show any timidity in front of him."

Previously, the Inspector-General had stated he would visit Yanjiang County after the conclusion of the Sprout Picking Festival.

"Yes."

As Lu Yang left the branch hall, he crossed paths with the approaching deacons, including Wang He and Bai Zifang.

Wang He and the others nodded slightly in greeting. This newly promoted deacon, Lu Yang, was the favorite in front of Branch Leader Chu and was not someone to be offended.

Having worked at the branch hall for decades, Wang He and his peers were privy to certain matters. They suspected that Branch Leader Chu had directly appointed Lu Yang and the other two because they had received high evaluations during the cult's entrance trial, with Lu Yang likely receiving the highest score among them.

Wang He whispered, "The Branch Leader has always been a man who acts only when there is profit to be gained. It is highly probable he knows Lu Yang will rise to prominence and wishes to establish a good relationship before Lu Yang makes his fortune, facilitating his own future promotion."

They knew the Branch Leader's greatest desire was a promotion to lead a branch in an economically developed region, which was why he placed such immense importance on the visiting Inspector-General.

"Perhaps our summons today is also related to the Inspector-General."

"But come to think of it, the Branch Leader is still missing a prerequisite for promotion, isn't he? Has he reached the Nascent Soul stage?"

Promotions within the cult depended not only on one's devotion to the Immortal Immortal but also heavily on one's cultivation level.

"Who knows? Maybe he reached it long ago and simply kept us in the dark. The old gentleman never explains his actions to us, and we have no idea what his purposes are."

Branch Leader Chu's style reflected the ethos of the entire demonic cult, which was rife with mistrust. Though he appeared to trust Lu Yang, the reality was quite the opposite; he had never disclosed any personal information to him.

Lu Yang knew precious little about Branch Leader Chu.

The Sprout Picking Festival arrived as scheduled, and the barbecue joint's customer traffic reached its peak. Quite a few merchants from outside the county had already recognized the business opportunity and proposed opening branch stores to Lu Yang, offering their capital in exchange for his recipes.

Without exception, all were driven out by Lu Yang with a darkened face.

There were also cultivators who harbored intentions of eating without paying, but upon seeing the three banners hanging on the wall, they swallowed the impractical idea and honestly handed over their money.

With the assistance of the automated grilling array, the two ghost servants found themselves with more time to skewer ingredients. Consequently, even though the crowd was larger than usual, the restaurant managed to function smoothly.

"Another Round Barbecue Joint... Yes, this is the place! My aunt told me their barbecue is exceptionally delicious. If you ever come to Yanjiang County, you absolutely must try it!"

"Look, the shop is running a promotion right now. Spending money here gets you a voucher for a ten percent discount at the tofu shop on Front Gate Street."

"Every tael of silver spent grants one spin on the Lucky Wheel. Spins accumulate without an upper limit. Prizes are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis."

"Come on, let's give it a taste."

The two reached an agreement and lined up at the very end of the queue, uncertain of how long they would have to wait to eat.

In front of the barbecue joint, Meng Jingzhou was busily managing the Lucky Wheel, thoroughly enjoying himself.

The large wheel bore inscriptions such as "Another Round," "Third Prize," "Second Prize," "First Prize," and "Grand Prize."

"Congratulations to this guest for winning the Second Prize, a forty percent discount on this meal! Let us applaud him!" Meng Jingzhou clapped enthusiastically, appearing even happier than the winner.

"First Prize! The First Prize has appeared! This guest's entire bill is waived!"

"The Grand Prize! Someone actually won the Grand Prize!"

The customer, surprised by their fortune, asked cheerfully, "What is the Grand Prize?"

Meng Jingzhou grasped the customer's hand and said warmly, "Congratulations to you! You have won the opportunity to experience being a waiter for a day! Usually, when others come to experience the joy of labor as a waiter here, we charge a fee. You are very fortunate to experience it without spending a single copper!"

"Considering the backyard is thick with smoke and provides a terrible environmental experience, our professional staff will bring the grilled skewers to the backyard entrance. You won't even need to go back there!" Meng Jingzhou wore an expression that practically begged for praise for being so considerate.

The customer replied, "...Can I exchange it for the First Prize?"

"No."

The customer rejected the Grand Prize reward.

Up until now, Meng Jingzhou had not managed to trick a single person into accepting the Grand Prize treatment, yet he thoroughly enjoyed the process of hoodwinking them.

Inside the establishment, Lu Yang carried a tray, weaving back and forth through the dining area. His steps were light, his movements agile, and his lower body exceptionally steady. The tray did not tilt, the skewers did not wobble, and he never brushed against a single customer, moving like a leaf passing through a thicket without being touched.

After more than a month of training as a waiter, his footwork had improved dramatically.

"Officer Ma, Secretary Chi, how is the meal?" Lu Yang greeted the two customers with a smile. They were local county officials who frequently came here to enjoy skewers and wine.

"It is as delicious as ever. Little Manager Lu, if you ask me, your craftsmanship is wasted in a place like this. You ought to open a shop in a larger county; you would surely earn far more than you do now!"

"Go on, don't talk nonsense. Haven't you heard that Little Manager Lu won't even open a branch? It's obvious he runs this shop purely out of interest, not for the money."

Lu Yang could only smile apologetically. "May you two eat well and have fun during the Sprout Picking Festival."

The two had clearly had a bit too much to drink, their cheeks flushed red and their speech boozy. Officer Ma grumbled, "Speaking of the Sprout Picking Festival, it fills me with rage. Originally, the festival meant a seven-day holiday, a proper long break. I don't know whose lousy idea it was to shorten the holiday to three days!"

"What is three days enough for? And they have the nerve to call it a 'mini-long holiday.' Listen to that phrase—does it make any sense? Tacking 'mini' onto 'long holiday,' is it supposed to be long or not?!"

"I wish the person who came up with that phrase a 'mini-long life'!"

Secretary Chi quickly covered Officer Ma's mouth. "You mustn't speak so carelessly. It's normal that you don't know since you arrived late, but this was Magistrate Li's idea!"

Officer Ma snorted coldly. "So it was him. Not much talent, but plenty of ideas!"

Secretary Chi was somewhat better informed. "Keep your voice down. You absolutely cannot speak ill of Magistrate Li right now. I heard that he found the right connections and captured three wicked demonic cultivators within the county. It's a massive achievement, and he is about to be promoted. Chief Constable Fang Qingyun is set to take his place!"

Officer Ma curled his lip, dismissive of Magistrate Li, knowing the magistrate would never care about an insignificant figure like himself anyway. "A few days ago, a colleague complained to me that Magistrate Li was issuing chaotic orders, making the runners work overtime after midnight. He demanded they plant small flags everywhere overnight without a single error in positioning. He even personally supervised the work, putting on quite a show. He's at the Golden Core stage and doesn't need sleep, but others do! Many runners fell fast asleep right while they were working!"

Lu Yang poured wine for the two men. "I shall attend to other matters now."

"Go on, go on. Don't worry about us, Little Manager Lu."

On the night of the first day of the Sprout Picking Festival, the four youths and two ghosts were exhausted to the point of collapse.

Before going to sleep, Man Gu suddenly remembered something. "It seems ghosts don't need to sleep. Should we arrange night shifts for them as well?"