Chapter 167: This Thing Seems to Make More Money Than Working at the Immortal Sect

As night fell, the cultivators began to crave a delicious and relaxing meal.

A street away from the Martial Arts Square, an unassuming little shop, the "Come Again BBQ Shop," drew people in. Drawn by the aroma, they spontaneously chose this place, without any prior arrangement.

True to its name, customers who tried the BBQ once always wanted to come back again, eager to satisfy their perpetually insatiable appetites.

Many customers came to the shop specifically for the Barbarian Tribe's specialty lamb skewers. The Barbarian Tribe's BBQ recipe, passed down for hundreds of thousands of years, has remained enduring and fresh from ancient times to the present.

The BBQ recipe required daily preparation. Generations of the Barbarian Tribe had perfected the art of grilling beef and lamb and preparing their unique spices. The subtle differences in taste among the dozen or so skewer shops in the Dao Seeking Sect were all attributed to these special seasonings.

Master Liu, who also served as the Vice-Sect Master of the Immortal Sect, held a different opinion. He believed that the best ingredients only required the simplest cooking methods. For skewers, he asserted, the most crucial aspects were precise heat control and the dedication of the cook.

Master Liu treated every skewer grilling session like a battle. He poured his heart and soul into it, never slacking off. Even when orders piled up like mountains, Master Liu remained calm and unhurried, meticulously controlling the heat and immersing himself in his craft.

"Eating is like fighting," an eternal truth. For a BBQ shop to operate well, it naturally required the coordinated efforts of its logistics staff.

The logistics personnel of the Come Again BBQ Shop, serving as temporary staff, had never encountered such tasks before, yet they seemed born for it. When serving customers, they had an unspoken understanding: one would handle accounts, another would clean up, and a third would wash dishes. Their cooperation was seamless, as if they were biological brothers.

However, no shop in the world is perfect. No matter how well they cooperated, there were still some who were distracted and lost in thought.

"Xiao Lu, what's wrong with you? Can't you focus on your work!" Master Gao, who also served as the Vice-Sect Master of the Immortal Sect, scolded Xiao Lu for being inattentive.

Lu Yang was speechless. *Was I too hasty in becoming the Immortal Sect's Patriarch?* he thought. *This Immortal Sect doesn't seem to have much of a future. I should just stick to being a disciple of the Dao Seeking Sect.*

"You want to quit the sect?" The Immortal Fairy stared at Lu Yang with an unkind expression. It took a lot of nerve to talk about leaving the sect in front of her, the very object of their faith.

"Fairy, do you need something?" Lu Yang asked. "If not, go back to sleep."

"Of course I do!" she retorted. "Go tell Xiao Gao that his method of grilling skewers is wrong. They're too tender. He needs more heat; they need a slightly burnt aroma to be truly flavorful."

"Go quickly and tell him, this is an immortal command!" the Immortal Fairy urged.

In ancient times, whatever she said, people took very seriously, viewing it as an immortal revelation. They would analyze her meaning from every conceivable angle.

Now she didn't have that privilege; Lu Yang seemed to ignore her words completely.

Mang Gu secretly approached Lu Yang, a worried expression on his face. "Brother Lu," he whispered, "this can't go on."

Lu Yang's heart brightened. *Has someone finally realized the problem?* he wondered.

"We haven't prepared this many skewers," Mang Gu continued. "At this rate, we'll run out very soon!"

Lu Yang was speechless. He began to reflect, wondering if Mang Gu had a problem, or if he himself was foolish for having expectations of him.

"What? There aren't many skewers left?" An Immortal Sect elder's expression changed upon hearing this. This was no small matter.

This elder, Jiang Yitian, was in charge of collecting payments.

"Then hurry up and buy some more from outside!" he exclaimed.

Mang Gu shook his head. "The skewers are all marinated in advance," he explained. "Not only is the quality of freshly bought meat not guaranteed, but the marinating time wouldn't be enough either."

As a member of the ancient Barbarian Tribe, Mang Gu could not tarnish the reputation of the Barbarian BBQ clan.

"You have conviction!" the Immortal Fairy praised. In ancient times, she had also eaten Barbarian BBQ; the taste was indeed superb, though they didn't pay attention to nutritional balance.

The Immortal Fairy always paid attention to nutritional balance when cooking. She had offered constructive suggestions for improvement to the Barbarian Tribe, but they didn't listen, sticking to their traditional methods.

By the time the competitions in the Martial Arts Square reached the end of the Nascent Soul group, the skewers had been completely sold out.

Everyone began to summarize the day's gains.

"Damn it, weren't we here to cause trouble for the Dao Seeking Sect? What are you all doing? Are you playing house here!" Vice-Sect Master Liu seized the initiative, speaking first. He realized he had been engrossed in grilling and had neglected their mission, but he couldn't possibly admit his mistake publicly.

As expected of a Vice-Sect Master of a demonic sect, he was naturally cut out for mischief. His skill at a villain making the first accusation was simply masterful.

Vice-Sect Master Gao also scolded everyone: "Where is your stance? How can you be so unmindful when doing a mission? Are you worthy of the Immortal Immortal?"

Everyone thought to themselves, *weren't the two of you the most enthusiastic ones just now?*

Jiang Yitian, the elder previously in charge of collecting payments, thought for a moment, then said seriously, "Is it too late for us to switch professions and open a BBQ shop now?"

Another elder raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, open a BBQ shop? Are you going to abandon your faith in the Immortal Immortal?" he demanded.

"But opening a BBQ shop in the Dao Seeking Sect is really profitable," Jiang Yitian replied.

This elder said disdainfully, "How profitable can it be?"

"Equivalent to a month's worth of offerings," Jiang Yitian stated.

This elder lowered his head in thought. *Worshipping the Immortal Immortal statue while operating a BBQ shop doesn't seem to conflict with the doctrine,* he mused.

Vice-Sect Master Liu reprimanded this elder for his wavering stance. "This is preposterous!" he exclaimed. "We, as loyal followers of the Immortal Immortal, how can we have such..."

"It's equivalent to a month's worth of offerings for *all of us combined*," Jiang Yitian quickly interjected.

"Having thoughts like yours is the Immortal Sect's fortune!" Vice-Sect Master Liu immediately changed his tune.

Vice-Sect Master Liu immediately changed his tune and began to plan for the future. "We can open chain stores all over the continent!" he declared. "This will solve the employment problems of our disciples and also make money. By then, we'll be major taxpayers of the Great Xia Dynasty!"

Vice-Sect Master Gao was furious. "Have you ever considered if prices elsewhere would be as outrageous as in the Dao Seeking Sect?" he roared. "Would holiday spending levels be the same as usual? You only see immediate profits, without any long-term consideration! Most importantly, once chain stores are opened, who can guarantee that all disciples' grilling skills will be as good as ours!"

"Prepare to depart for the Martial Arts Square!"

Lu Yang sighed inwardly. His original plan was to use the customers to delay them, giving this group a chance. Unfortunately, the skewers sold too quickly and wouldn't last until the event ended.

"For the Yellow Millet Dream Pillow to have its maximum effect, specific positions are required," Liu Vice-Sect Master explained. "Xiao Lu, you three lead us to the Martial Arts Square to scout the location. Once the time is right, immediately activate the immortal treasure. At that point, you will be great heroes!"

Lu Yang lowered his chest, his expression stern, looking like he was nobly sacrificing himself. "We don't want credit," he declared. "It's our inescapable duty to dedicate ourselves to the Immortal Sect!"

"Good, I certainly didn't misjudge you!" Vice-Sect Master Liu exclaimed, greatly admiring Lu Yang. *As expected of someone the Sect Master pays close attention to,* he thought, *he truly has admirable qualities.*

The Immortal Sect Patriarch led his subordinates to the Martial Arts Square, and they took their dispersed positions.

Vice-Sect Master Liu watched the battles in the Martial Arts Square and nodded slightly. *As expected of disciples from the Five Great Immortal Sects,* he mused, *though their cultivation isn't high, their combat methods are commendable, and there's nothing to criticize.*

He said to the great Patriarch, "Xiao Lu, watch these battles carefully; they will be very helpful to you."