Chapter 16: This Round, the Advantage is Mine

Chapter 16: Chapter 16: This Round, the Advantage is Mine

"Brother, do you remember why we joined the sect?"

His sister’s words sent him into a reverie.

He and his sister were beggars. They never had enough food to eat or warm clothes to wear. Their aptitude was average at best, and no one would have cared if they had died on the streets.

When they had nowhere else to turn, people from the Hidden Spirit Sect took them in.

They said that if they joined, they could eat delicious food every day.

At the time, they saw it as a wonderful dream.

The two siblings discussed it and agreed.

They had no deep-seated hatred to avenge, nor did they want to be masters over others; the two of them joined the sect purely for a bite to eat.

At first, it was just as promised—no worries about food or drink.

But as the sect weakened over the years, it grew poorer, and their quality of life dropped significantly.

They took on missions to earn more money, just so they could eat well.

But now they were grown up.

Even if they left the sect, they could find enough food to eat and warm clothes to wear.

The two of them together could live just fine without relying on anyone else.

In the sect, however, they often had to complete numerous missions for a meager reward, and if their identities were exposed, they could easily be hunted down.

The risks outweighed the rewards.

In truth, he hadn’t been very loyal to the sect for years.

"Brother, I want to keep eating these kinds of buns in the future."

His sister’s tone was wistful.

’If Boss Lu gets hurt by the sect, does that mean we won’t be able to eat them anymore?’

’Or if we oppose Boss Lu and get slapped to death by the powerful figure behind her, we won’t even have a chance to open our mouths.’

His sister had a point.

After some painful soul-searching, the brother thought about the sect’s "all stick and no carrot" approach over the years and decided to backstab his teammates.

"Sis, let’s go report them. We’ll be the informants."

Dodging his sister’s hand as she tried to snatch the bun, the brother stuffed the last half into his mouth, savoring the bliss. He wiped his mouth and made his decision.

"Humans die for wealth, birds die for food." He wouldn’t be human anymore; he’d be a bird.

"Brother, I want more."

The sister glared angrily at her own brother.

’What kind of brother is so vigilant about his own sister snatching his food?’

"Me too."

The brother looked toward the bun stall. There was still a long line, but the stall’s stock was running low.

"Everyone, there are only enough buns left for ten people! The rest of you, please come back tomorrow."

Lu Wu called out, trying to get the customers further back to stop waiting.

The group of customers behind the tenth person in line immediately looked crestfallen.

They had no one to complain to.

It was their own fault for coming late.

Just as Lu Wu was about to quickly pack up her stall, a loud roar echoed between heaven and earth.

"Boss Lu’s buns are the most delicious in the world!"

A sea of eyes instantly snapped in one direction.

There, Xu Gu was shouting, his eyes red. Facing the crowd’s probing gazes, Xu Gu paused for a moment, then shouted again.

"Boss Lu’s buns are the best in the world!"

He was being completely sincere.

The moment he tasted the bun, all his initial doubts vanished. He knew he had been utterly and completely defeated.

It was his fault.

He was the one who didn’t believe buns in this world could be delicious enough to move a person to tears.

If his professional ethics hadn’t been strictly restraining him, he would have embezzled the two buns his boss had asked for.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t resist temptation; it was that Boss Lu’s buns were just too captivating.

Forget just one shout—from this day on, no matter where he went, he would promote Boss Lu.

Boss Lu, she’s worth it!

Beside him, Wang Changgui smiled, accepting this glory.

He knew it. In the face of Boss Lu’s buns, no one could remain stubborn.

Sensing Lu Wu’s astonished gaze, Wang Changgui put on a reserved expression. He held his head high, glanced at some of his fellow sect members in the crowd who were grinding their teeth, and flashed a wide, pearly-white grin.

The position of Inner Sect Disciple of the Bun Sect was as good as his.

Lu Wu shuddered, her toes curling from the secondhand embarrassment.

She forced a smile, quickly packed up her bun stall, and then, amidst the pleading gazes of the crowd, waved goodbye and made a run for it.

If she didn’t run, she’d cringe hard enough to carve out a three-bedroom apartment with her toes.

After bidding farewell to her customers, Lu Wu saw the time and didn’t linger. She headed straight back to... Uncle Li’s small courtyard.

The night sky of the Green Origin Realm was bright.

Countless stars hung high above.

In a sky free from the pollution of technology, one could see the vast expanse of starlight with a single glance.

Watery moonlight spilled over Lu Wu as she sat in the octagonal stone pavilion, watching Uncle Li show off his tea ceremony skills.

Drinking tea is also an art form.

But Lu Wu felt that Uncle Li’s art hadn’t quite found its way through the door yet.

Although the sky was dark, the Luminous Pearl hanging in the pavilion was bright enough to illuminate the area.

Thus, she could clearly see the slightly murky tea in the cup placed before her.

Even though she knew nothing about the art of tea, the yellowish-brown liquid and the sediment settled at the bottom of the cup just didn’t seem right.

But Uncle Li had no reason to harm her, so Lu Wu picked it up and took a sip.

Just one small sip and Lu Wu’s face scrunched up.

It was bitter and astringent, with a hint of a musty taste. ’I don’t even want my tongue anymore.’

’I let my guard down, I didn’t dodge.’

The look Lu Wu gave Uncle Li was not quite right.

"Ahem."

Uncle Li, who had also taken a sip, nonchalantly pushed his teacup away.

He hadn’t had tea in a long time. This particular tea was one he’d had a hard time digging up; it had probably been sitting around for ten or twenty years.

"Xiao Lu, here’s the thing. Seeing as we’ve known each other for so long, why don’t we add each other as friends?"

Uncle Li took out a One World Communication and offered it to Lu Wu.

Lu Wu’s eyes flickered.

Her expression suddenly went still, a hint of contemplation floating in the depths of her dark eyes.

As everyone knows, a One World Communication cannot be used without Spiritual Power.

Uncle Li had never mentioned this before.

’It was only in the last two days that the system granted me cultivation after I completed the mission, but I should have concealed it right away with the Ruyi hairpin.’

’How did he know?’

She looked at him.

Uncle Li still wore a cheerful expression, his gaze kind.

Even though he understood Lu Wu’s deep thoughts, his expression didn’t change.

"Xiao Lu, you know me. This old man has a greedy mouth. I just want to use my connection with you to get some special treatment, that’s all."

Uncle Li’s gaze swept past the hairpin in Lu Wu’s bun.

What sharp eyes he has.

He had noticed the fluctuation of Spiritual Power in Lu Wu’s body the very moment it appeared yesterday.

The reason no one else noticed was that he had acted to conceal it.

As for what secrets she had, he had no desire to know.

The Green Origin Realm was so vast, filled with countless opportunities.

It wasn’t as if there were no examples of people without a Spirit Root eventually embarking on the path of cultivation.

Between treasures and delicious food, anyone with a brain knew to choose the latter.

"Okay."

"Thank you, Uncle."

Lu Wu had also thought things through.

She broke into a smile and tapped her One World Communication against his. After they were added as friends, Lu Wu noticed Uncle Li was sending a message to someone.

She vaguely saw the words "Sect Hierarch" and "action."

Being a polite person, Lu Wu averted her gaze.

She knew Uncle Li was giving her a hint.

One must always be on guard. She carried a secret, and while her customers loved her food, the foundation for survival in the Green Origin Realm was one’s own strength.

When one possesses a great treasure but lacks the strength to protect it, one should not reveal it.

Fortunately, Lu Wu wasn’t in a hurry.

Others cultivated desperately, risking life and limb. She had a cheat—she could get stronger just by running her stall.

’This round, the advantage is mine!’

Returning to her own residence, Lu Wu felt much more relaxed. She scrolled through her One World Communication in bed for a while before she could no longer stay awake and fell asleep.