Chapter 35: Showdown—He Is a Dog with Connections

In the crowd, Qin Zhan, currently disguised, tugged at the sleeve of the young man beside him, signaling for him to join the queue. A hint of speechlessness lingered in his eyes. His master was already of a ripe old age, yet he had disguised himself as a young lad to act youthful. With such delicate and refined features, he was clearly the type to catch a woman's eye—hadn't even Boss Lu taken a few extra glances?

*Pah, this old geezer, he really has no shame!* Qin Zhan grumbled inwardly.

Lu Wu, having refreshed her eyes by appreciating the beauty, withdrew her gaze and sighed to herself. It had to be said, in this Qingyuan Realm, there were truly many beauties, regardless of gender. The boy’s face was as exquisite as a prince’s; back in her previous life, he would have taken the entertainment industry by storm. However, currently focused on running her stall, she placed the day’s braised pork knuckles on display.

The appearance of the steaming, fragrant knuckles sent the crowd into a frenzy.

"I want five."

"Five? Heh, get lost, you penniless wretch. Make way for me—I want ten!"

A chorus of voices rang out, the people wishing they could hack away anyone standing in their path.

"No rush, take it easy," Lu Wu said. There were enough knuckles today, and the turnout was lower than she had estimated, so everyone should get their share.

Lu Wu noticed, however, that there were several new faces. It seemed they were all headed for the Ten Thousand Poison Valley. Listening to their idle chatter, she gathered they had heard her knuckles could neutralize poison and, half-skeptical, were planning to stock up before venturing into the valley.

"Go away, go away! What are you joining in for, you dog?"

In the middle of the line, Gou Aotian was waiting behind someone. He sat on the ground, suppressing the aura of a demonic beast, and due to his size, he was almost swallowed up by the crowd. A customer ahead, not watching where he was going, accidentally stepped on Gou Aotian and nearly tripped, losing his footing. Discovering that his rival in the queue was a dog, he immediately began to drive it away with disgust. He recognized it as a demonic beast, and his prejudice made him disdainful of standing in line with one.

"Woof!"

Gou Aotian’s bark was muffled; he bared his teeth and let out a low growl, refusing to budge an inch. His pitch-black eyes were sharp. After a night, the aura around him was much more solid than the day before. To earn his meal money, he had spent his time after leaving Lu Wu yesterday exploring the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Poison Valley, engaging in fierce combat. Perhaps having survived his previous trials, he was now met only with opportunities. Gou Aotian had discovered some rare treasures; after consuming them, his internal spiritual power had condensed, and he now possessed the cultivation of the sixth level of Qi Refining. He had committed the scent of Boss Lu to memory and had come running the moment he sensed her approaching the Ten Thousand Poison Valley. He, Gou Aotian, was a dog with a strong sense of civic duty; he could have easily used the back door, yet he chose to wait obediently in line. And now, this detestable human was being unreasonable and trying to drive him away.

Gou Aotian was very angry. He decided to show his hand—he was done pretending. He was a dog with connections. So what if he used the back door?

After casting a look of disdain at the man, Gou Aotian stepped out of line. The man thought he had successfully intimidated the large yellow dog and was smiling triumphantly, only to watch as Gou Aotian swaggered up to the stall and rubbed his head against Boss Lu.

"Oh, you're back," Lu Wu said, genuinely happy to see the yellow dog.

"Woo-woo."

After whimpering and acting spoiled for a moment, the dog wagged his tail and placed something at Lu Wu’s feet. It was a fruit about the size of a fist, bright red and very pleasing to the eye. Since arriving here, Lu Wu had crammed her knowledge of the Qingyuan Realm and recognized it as a Jade Beauty Fruit. This fruit could be used to make Foundation Establishment Pills, with a market value of about two hundred low-grade spirit stones—which, converted, was worth twenty large pork knuckles.

"Well done." Lu Wu praised him, and then, to the shock of the customer who had tried to drive him away, she placed two hot, steaming knuckles in front of the dog. "Eat up, there’s more if you need it."

It looked like the dog’s meal expenses were covered for the next few days.

"Woof! Woof!"

Realizing Lu Wu was pleased, the dog was overjoyed, lying on his back and exposing his belly to show off. *Dear Boss Lu, I shall provide for you!*

After barking a few times, Gou Aotian clamped a knuckle in his mouth, deliberately walked over to the side of the rude customer, and lay down to enjoy his meal slowly. Every time he took a bite, he would shoot an arrogant look at the man. It was a blatant act of showing off. Attacked at such close range by the intoxicating aroma of the pork, the surrounding customers began to glare at the man with fury. If it weren't for him offending Boss Lu's dog, they wouldn't have to suffer here.

"It’s not my fault," the man muttered, keeping his head down and playing the coward amidst the glares of the crowd. Leaving was not an option; he hadn't eaten a knuckle yet.

In the crowd, the disguised Qin Zhan also witnessed Gou Aotian’s shameless display. Every time he thought about how people were still discussing his duel with the dog that day, his teeth ached.

"Not bad, this dog has the bearing of a Great Emperor," Master Tianfeng said, nodding in approval, completely indifferent to the blow this dealt to his disciple.

To vent his anger, Qin Zhan pulled out his communication talisman and began to contact Jiang Yunhe.

"Where shall we meet?" He needed to wash away his shame at Jiang Yunhe's expense.

"Half an hour from now, at the gates of Xiaohe Town."

The reply came quickly. Seeing the location, Qin Zhan frowned. Why exactly Xiaohe Town? Could it be that his opponent was nearby? For some reason, he had a bad feeling.

In the crowd, the likewise disguised Jiang Yunhe put away his talisman and stepped forward. It was his turn.

"Boss Lu, I want ten knuckles, and add a bit more broth."

He had spent the entire afternoon yesterday studying the knuckles, eating until he was stuffed, yet he still couldn't figure out why they could neutralize poison. Instead, he had ended up pestered by numerous other cultivators. Being a disciple of the Divine Physician Valley, he was popular wherever he went, so he had to disguise himself to avoid unnecessary trouble. He concluded that it wasn't his lack of skill, but that he simply hadn't eaten enough. He needed more research material—and, well, filling his stomach was just a secondary benefit.

Jiang Yunhe, who refused to admit he had been looking forward to this since morning, took the knuckles and immersed himself in the aroma of the meat. As for his duel with Qin Zhan, he was certain of victory. When the time came, he would leave one—no, half—a knuckle for that brat to taste as a favor.

"Next."

Although the number of customers wasn't high, each one bought a substantial amount, and Lu Wu’s business was doing quite well. By the time Lou Xiaotian arrived, all he saw were fellow enthusiasts squatting on the ground, gnawing on knuckles. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, rushed to the stall, and let out a sigh of relief upon seeing the food.

"Thank goodness I made it."

As Lou Xiaotian caught his breath, he received a strange look from Lu Wu. Why did this kid look so drained, as if his soul had been sucked out?

Lou Xiaotian was indeed drained. It was all the doing of his unreliable parents. In the face of Boss Lu’s delicacies, his sense of filial piety was truly hard to maintain. Ever since he had tasted the knuckle given to him by Old Man Li, his parents had been watching him like hawks, terrified he would abandon them to sneak a bite. To reduce the competition, Lou Xiaotian had been forced to pretend he hadn't discovered Boss Lu’s whereabouts. After a long act of deception, he had finally found a chance to slip away. He had only tasted it before and hadn't been satisfied; now that he was here, looking at those succulent, juicy knuckles, his mouth began to water uncontrollably.

*Slurp!*

That skin, that lean meat, and that broth. Lou Xiaotian’s eyes turned red; he felt like pouncing on the stall.