Chapter 79: Qianmen Street Tofu Shop

After seeing Lu Yang complete a set of Pachyderm Fist and transform into the likeness of Man Gu, Lan Ting silently retrieved a yellow talisman paper.

"I'd better draw a transformation talisman myself," she thought.

"As expected of an immortal sect renowned for its ingenuity and magical arts," she mused. "To disguise transformation magic as a fist technique—what a profound understanding of magic one must possess to achieve such a feat."

"Fellow Daoist Lu Yang’s comprehension of magic must have reached a realm where he sees methods as non-methods, techniques as non-techniques, directly grasping the essence."

Lan Ting believed that no one at their cultivation level surpassed Lu Yang in magical attainment.

Lu Yang then remembered that Lan Ting had taken the tiger skin earlier to make talismans. It seemed she was quite skilled in the runic arts.

Lan Ting pointed to her eyes. "My eyes possess a certain mystique," she explained. "They are highly sensitive to patterns, allowing me to discern the core of runes and the focal points of formations. I am naturally adept at crafting talismans and setting up formations."

"However, my energy is limited, so I've focused primarily on talisman crafting. I only have a basic understanding of formations."

Lan Ting spoke humbly, but in truth, this was an extraordinary talent—one destined to carry her far in the fields of runes and formations, to the envy of many master runic and formation practitioners.

Soon, Lan Ting finished drawing a transformation talisman. She affixed it to herself, and miraculously, her striking beauty faded, replaced by an ordinary appearance.

Thus, the barbecue restaurant welcomed a new staff member.

Two days after Lan Ting joined, the barbecue restaurant remained as busy as ever. With the addition of a new staff member, the workload for the three of them became significantly lighter.

Lu Yang noticed that Man Gu seemed somewhat unhappy. While serving customers, he communicated telepathically, "What's wrong? You don't seem very pleased."

Man Gu nodded. "Brother Lu, I don't know if you've noticed, but our barbecue restaurant has had fewer customers these past few days. I've calculated the income for these days, and it's definitely true."

Lu Yang paused, surprised, as he truly hadn't noticed. "Is it because of Lan Ting?"

He thought business should improve with a female staff member.

"No, it started decreasing even before Lan Ting arrived," Man Gu replied. "I haven't figured out why, and I don't know what the problem is." Man Gu had been pondering this issue.

Lu Yang didn't pay it much mind; he secretly wished the barbecue restaurant would be less busy. "Well, you keep thinking about it. I'm going to deliver the food."

A month ago, at Meng Jingzhou's suggestion, the barbecue restaurant added a delivery service. During the day, a box was placed at the entrance where customers could write down their desired skewers, delivery time, and address. In the evening, the three of them would randomly take turns with deliveries.

Today was Lu Yang's turn.

Lu Yang hadn't been out at night for the past few days. As he stepped out this time, he noticed that there were fewer pedestrians on the streets compared to usual.

"Perhaps this is why the barbecue restaurant's customer traffic has decreased," Lu Yang mused.

"Let's see where this delivery goes... Front Gate Street Tofu Shop?"

Wen Xiangyu had heard for a long time about a popular barbecue restaurant that opened nearby. She was eager to taste if it was truly as delicious as rumored. However, ever since her husband's death and her inheritance of his tofu shop, she rarely went out at night.

It wasn't boastful to say that with her fair skin and beauty, she was coveted by many, and going out alone was extremely dangerous.

Later, when she heard the barbecue restaurant offered delivery, she wrote down what she wanted to eat on a piece of paper and placed it in the box outside the shop.

She had been very sleepy these past few days, and today it was even worse. Before the skewers even arrived, she couldn't resist the drowsiness and lay down in bed early.

The barbecue shop employee should be able to wake her up.

Lu Zhi was a thief who had recently been a headache for the constables. He often snuck into people's homes at night, stealing money while they slept soundly, then quickly retreating with few clues left behind. When constables questioned neighbors, the common response was that they had been sleeping too deeply to notice any commotion outside.

This time, he set his sights on the tofu shop on Front Gate Street. The tofu shop owner, a famous beautiful widow, made tofu renowned far and wide, and the money she earned over the years made nearby shopkeepers envious.

Lu Zhi was agile, like a monkey. He silently climbed onto the rooftop, twisted his body, and opened a second-floor window.

"They should be asleep," he thought.

Lu Zhi was very confident. He had serendipitously acquired a yellow paper talisman that induced deep sleep. When affixed to the outside of a house, it would affect anyone within fifty meters, causing them to fall into a profound slumber. This trick had never failed him.

Lu Zhi tiptoed cautiously, holding his breath. Seeing the beautiful woman lying in bed, a triumphant smile crept onto his face.

Then he turned to rummage through the cabinet for valuables. In his experience, women liked to keep their belongings there.

"Nothing?" Lu Zhi frowned, turning his head to look at the tofu shop owner's position.

If it wasn't there, it must be under the bed.

He carefully crouched down and peered under the bed. His heart stopped.

There was a human face under the bed!

"Ghost!" he shrieked.

Zheng Shouhe was a seducer who had recently been a headache for the constables. He would often hide under the beds of single women, waiting until they fell asleep before crawling out and assaulting them.

However, he sometimes encountered situations where women were having illicit affairs, in which case he would just have to remain hidden under the bed and patiently wait.

This time, he set his sights on the tofu shop on Front Gate Street. The tofu shop owner was a famous beautiful widow, who had captivated countless men.

As usual, Zheng Shouhe hid under the bed early, waiting for night to fall to have his way with the tofu shop owner.

"So sleepy," Zheng Shouhe muttered. He had never felt this drowsy before. Usually, the longer he waited, the more alert he became, but today, for some reason, an overwhelming sleepiness kept washing over him.

His eyelids drooped, and though he tried to open his eyes a few times, he couldn't resist the drowsiness and fell asleep.

A scream woke him up, sounding like someone was yelling about a ghost.

Zheng Shouhe's eyes snapped open. He saw Lu Zhi peering at him in terror from under the bed. He quickly reached out, clapped a hand over Lu Zhi's mouth, and crawled out from under the bed. With his other hand, he pulled a dagger from behind his waist and pressed it against Lu Zhi's neck.

Zheng Shouhe then saw Wen Xiangyu, huddled and trembling on the bed.

Clearly, Wen Xiangyu had also been awakened by Lu Zhi's scream.

"You too, get up! What an unlucky day this is!"

Zheng Shouhe cursed under his breath, found some rope, and tied up Lu Zhi. He planned to enjoy Wen Xiangyu, then kill both of them.

Just then, a knock came from downstairs.

"Hello? Is anyone home? I'm here to deliver food."

Zheng Shouhe clicked his tongue. "What terrible luck today!" He tied up Lu Zhi and made Wen Xiangyu come downstairs with him.

Zheng Shouhe threatened Wen Xiangyu with the dagger, whispering, "Tell the person outside to leave!"

Everyone in Yanjiang County knew the beautiful tofu shop widow lived alone. If she told the person outside to leave and they heard a man's voice, they would surely become suspicious.

"You can just leave the food by the door; I'll come out to get it in a moment," Wen Xiangyu called out in a soft voice.

"I can't do that. You haven't paid yet," the person at the door replied.

Zheng Shouhe's face hardened. *If you're seeking death, then don't blame anyone else!*

(End of Chapter)