Chapter 36: The Decisive Battle at the Peak of Xiaohe Town

"Boss Lu, please save some for me."

After greeting Lu Wu, Lou Xiaotian reined in his eager thoughts and obediently joined the back of the queue. Completely absorbed by the thought of the braised pork knuckles, he failed to notice a man and a woman in the middle of the line exchanging a glance, their faces split by the smiles of those whose schemes had succeeded. These were none other than the disguised Lou Batian and his wife.

While Lou Xiaotian had been busy playing mind games with the empty air, they had long since arrived at the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons with their daughter-in-law in tow.

*Heh!* The brat was still too inexperienced; he clearly needed more practice.

"Young friend, give me three pork knuckles."

Daoist Tianfeng stood before the stall in his white robes, his tall, slender frame perfectly proportioned. Just standing there, he was the center of attention, not to mention the breeze-like smile he wore.

Lu Wu, suffering another critical hit from such beauty, glanced at him. He was handsome, certainly, but why was his tone so elderly? *Young friend?* He looked even younger than she was. And what was the meaning of that benevolent gaze? In a daze, she felt as if she were looking at Old Man Li. Could he be some ancient monster with a strange hobby of playing the youth?

*Ugh!* Lu Wu shook her head, pulling back her wandering thoughts.

"The knuckles are fresh out of the pot and still quite hot, so be careful when you eat," Lu Wu reminded him attentively. She had already accepted that her patrons were all a little bit eccentric.

"Ahem, Master, please don't talk like that," Qin Zhan whispered, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment under Lu Wu's gaze. It was mortifying.

"Call me Junior Brother," Daoist Tianfeng glared, then turned back to Lu Wu with a satisfied smile. "Young friend, you are excellent."

With that, Daoist Tianfeng strolled to the side. Even though they were in the wilderness, he waved a hand, and an antique-style pavilion appeared. A set of tableware was already laid out on a stone table inside. He lifted his robes, sat down, placed a pork knuckle on a plate, and picked up his chopsticks to savor a small piece.

"This is a delicacy of the mortal realm! Truly marvelous!"

He didn't care about the eyes of others, praising the dish from the bottom of his heart. His tone was long and profound, just like some old monster. Several people with decent cultivation levels cast wary glances toward the young man; the spiritual fluctuations coming from the pavilion were enough to show that it was no simple item. It was a spiritual artifact, and a top-tier one at that. The vaguely exposed aura was enough to keep anyone from daring to cause trouble.

Lu Wu, whose cultivation was low, couldn't discern the significance of the suddenly appeared pavilion. She only felt that it was quite the spectacle—and rather pretentious.

"Cough, cough. Boss Lu, I'll take ten... no, fifteen knuckles." Qin Zhan covered his face. He didn't possess his master’s level of nonchalance, and under so many stares, he was blushing.

"Sure." Lu Wu didn't recognize Qin Zhan. Her hands moved without pause, and after handing him the food, she saw the patron flicker and vanish.

*...* Lu Wu blinked. Well, another weirdo.

While Lu Wu’s business was in full swing, Wang Er had practically run through the entire Xiaohe Town. Ever since he tasted Lu Wu’s pork knuckles yesterday, he found everything else flavorless. Even his youngest, the family's little glutton, was now clamoring for more. Unable to bear it any longer, Wang Er had gone out to find where Boss Lu had set up shop, only to discover at Yanliu Street that she was long gone.

Wang Er was deeply disappointed not to find her trace in the entire town. "Where on earth is Boss Lu?"

As he walked, he heard others mentioning her name. After a quick exchange, he realized they were all looking for her just as he was. When these patrons heard that Wang Er had actually managed to eat a pork knuckle, their eyes turned green with envy.

"Is it possible that Boss Lu isn't setting up her stall anymore?" Wang Er suggested.

"Impossible," a patron retorted sharply. "We asked before; Boss Lu said she would keep selling, just not in a fixed location." They adamantly rejected the possibility. If Boss Lu were gone, what would they eat? Their appetites had been spoiled by her cooking; they couldn't even summon the energy to eat buns from other shops, let alone the new pork knuckles. Thinking of the way Wang Er described them, their hearts ached. Why hadn't they been the ones to get lucky?

"Maybe her stall isn't in the town," Wang Er said. As a local, he knew the town well; if he couldn't find her, she couldn't be here. "Shall we check outside the town?"

"Agreed. Let's go." The group decided on the spot and headed out of town.

Just as they reached the city gate, they saw a man holding a pork knuckle and eating it. Wang Er, who had been passing by, caught the scent of meat carried on the breeze and stopped in his tracks.

"That’s the smell!" Wang Er called out to the group, pointing at the young man. "That’s the smell of the pork knuckles Boss Lu makes!"

The others looked over and saw the oily, succulent pork knuckle in the young man's hand. He seemed quite refined, tearing off small pieces of lean meat to eat. As the juices ran down his fair fingers, he hesitated for a moment before bringing his fingers to his mouth to suck them clean. It looked exactly like they did when eating her buns—calculating, not wanting to waste a single drop of broth.

"Are you sure?" Someone sniffed the air. It was fragrant. It was a fragrance that rivaled the buns Lu Wu had made previously. Finding a lead right after leaving the city gate—could it be that "what one searches for far and wide is actually right under one's nose"?

"I'm sure. The scent, the color—I couldn't possibly be mistaken," Wang Er nodded heavily. As the only one in the group who had tasted the knuckles, his words carried weight.

"Let's ask," an older patron said, beckoning the group forward.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist. May I ask where you bought that pork knuckle?"

Jiang Yunhe, who had just finished one, took out a handkerchief and wiped his fingers with elegant, cool detachment. "At the entrance of the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons. A Boss Lu is selling them there."

Seeing no malice in the group, Jiang Yunhe told them plainly. Such good things should naturally be shared. Yesterday, due to Jiang Yunhe’s status, Zhang Xiu had organized the others to hide the news, but they had neglected to include Jiang Yunhe. Thus, unaware of the existence of the "Exclusive Enjoyment Alliance," he let slip the location of Lu Wu.

If any patrons who had experienced the Yanliu Street incident were present, they would surely know that this disciple of the Divine Doctor Valley would eventually pay a heavy price for his choice.

"It really is Boss Lu! Hurry, let's go!" After thanking him, the group rushed toward the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons, using all sorts of techniques to get there faster. Some flew through the sky, others tunneled through the earth—it was a sight to behold.

The dust kicked up by their departure made a young man who had just appeared cough several times.

"Jiang Yunhe, you did that on purpose, didn't you!" Qin Zhan, having eaten a mouthful of dust, looked at him suspiciously. The kid was clearly taking revenge. Just because he had tricked him once before?

Their eyes met, both narrowing. In an instant, killing intent surged, and the air crackled with sparks and lightning. The wind rose, and the clouds churned. The tense, confrontational atmosphere was so palpable that the city guards secretly pressed their hands to the communication jade plates at their waists.

*Town Master, it's bad! Someone is about to fight for the title of the peak of Xiaohe Town!*