CFSMS -Chapter 177 Pyramid Schemes Lead Nowhere

On the mountain path leading to Tianfo Temple early in the morning, before the sun had fully risen, customers were already making the climb.

Many of Lu Wu’s customers were cultivators, but unlike ascetics, they lacked powerful physiques once they abandoned spiritual energy. Still, they refused to fall behind others. So they started climbing at dawn, all for the sake of getting a sip of milk tea.

“Brother, you’re here for the milk tea too, right?”

Climbing endlessly on foot was both boring and exhausting, so one chatty customer started striking up conversations with people nearby.

The person he approached happened to be the third brother of the trio.

“I…”

The third brother wanted to deny it. They had genuinely come for a mission today. To avoid being tempted by milk tea, they had intentionally started climbing early in hopes of avoiding Boss Lu altogether.

But why were Boss Lu’s customers haunting them everywhere like restless ghosts?

“Yeah, we’re here for milk tea too.”

Seeing the third brother hesitate, the second brother quickly jumped in.

Although they were trying to stay away from milk tea, they had reviewed Boss Lu’s history after returning yesterday.

Saying they weren’t here for Boss Lu in front of so many customers would stand out too much and might arouse suspicion.

“You all look unfamiliar. You probably only learned about Boss Lu through the milk tea, right? Let me tell you, you’ve missed out on so many classic dishes. The milk tea is great, but Boss Lu’s food is even better.”

“…”

The customer rambled on about the legends Lu Wu had created, using the stories to pass the time.

Every now and then, he pounded his aching legs to ease the soreness.

To drink a cup of milk tea, these customers were really giving it their all, climbing Demon-Suppressing Mountain entirely on foot.

The scenes he described sounded so appealing that the simplest-minded of the brothers was soon captivated.

“Is the food you mentioned really that good?”

the third brother asked.

Without realizing it, he had already fallen into step beside the customer, completely forgetting the warnings from his two older brothers.

Watching the third brother stir up trouble again, the eldest brother felt utterly frustrated.

He wanted to pull him back, but the second brother stopped him.

A glance from the second brother made the eldest notice how many customers around them were secretly watching.

Acting rashly would be risky.

Various customers chimed in, each adding their own details about Boss Lu’s food stalls.

In their mouths, everything Boss Lu made was truly one of a kind.

By the time the customers had talked themselves hoarse, one of them looked at the dreamy-eyed third brother and chuckled.

“Want to try them?”

“I do!”

The third brother answered honestly.

“You do? Then come on. Join the Bun Sect. Once you’re in, you’ll get firsthand information about Boss Lu.”

The customer said this with a hint of guilt.

There were plenty of bad apples in the crowd—people who wanted nothing more than to hide Boss Lu from everyone else.

But it didn’t matter.

Because among the bad apples were undercover agents.

Boss Lu now had so many customers that the Bun Sect had expanded tremendously. The moment any news about Boss Lu appeared, it would spread everywhere.

No one could keep it secret.

“Join, join, join! I’ll sign up right now!”

The third brother was already thoroughly confused.

He pulled out his One-Realm Communicator and was about to join when a heavy cough sounded behind him from one of his brothers.

“Uh…”

Suddenly remembering their mission, the third brother awkwardly glanced at the customer.

If he refused now, would he get beaten up?

“Huh? Aren’t you three together? Want to join too? Sure! Come on, come on. From now on, we’re family.”

The customer failed to notice the trio’s hidden intentions and warmly invited the other two as well.

Now the three brothers were riding a tiger and couldn’t get off.

Out of the corner of his eye, the second brother noticed many customers nearby staring eagerly at them.

Those looks practically screamed:

If you don’t want the spot, let me have it.

“Fine. We’ll join.”

Having no better option, the three followed the crowd.

“Brother, from now on you’re my blood brother. But just so we’re clear, even blood brothers settle accounts separately when it comes to Boss Lu.”

“My name’s Xu Gu. What about you?”

As a customer who had followed Lu Wu all the way from Little River Town, Xu Gu was considered a veteran member of the Bun Sect.

Once a professional reseller, he had turned over a new leaf and become a loyal customer of Boss Lu.

Now he worked on the front lines, gathering information about Boss Lu and sharing it everywhere.

Ironically, he earned even more money than before.

The joy on his face after recruiting the three brothers was impossible to hide.

His headcount quota was finally full.

He could now be promoted to Inner Sect Member.

Life was good.

Rumor had it that Inner Sect Members frequently received benefits from the Great Elder.

“Oh, right. You can recruit people too. The more you bring in, the more rewards you’ll get.”

Xu Gu hinted suggestively.

The three brothers exchanged thoughtful looks.

If Lu Wu had been here, she would have found the system strangely familiar.

Wasn’t this just a pyramid scheme?

And everyone knew pyramid schemes led to ruin.

Xu Gu was far too enthusiastic.

He chatted with the trio all the way up the mountain.

As they neared the summit, however, his expression suddenly turned grave.

His eyes sharpened as he stared at the three brothers.

The intense gaze made their hearts skip a beat.

Had they been discovered?

“Brothers, get ready.”

“We’re about to fight for our lives.”

The three were still confused when, the moment he finished speaking, Xu Gu suddenly accelerated and sprinted uphill.

Behind them, the exhausted customers who had been complaining moments earlier seemed to receive an injection of chicken blood.

Instantly revitalized, they launched into a mad dash.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The wind generated by the crowd rushing past whipped the brothers’ robes.

They stared wide-eyed at the customers charging forward as though their lives depended on it.

“What are they doing?”

The third brother scratched his head.

“First! I’m first! Hahaha!”

Before long, manic laughter echoed from ahead.

Someone was dancing wildly in celebration.

“First what? Didn’t you see all those monks waiting there already?”

Someone behind him poured cold water on his excitement.

“The monks have home-field advantage. I’m not competing with them. Anyway, once the monks finish buying, I’ll be the first person to try the new product. You can all stay jealous.”

The man wasn’t discouraged in the slightest.

Instead, he lifted his chin proudly.

And honestly, he had every reason to be proud.

Having made it into the top ten, Xu Gu finally relaxed.

He couldn’t compete with those monsters, so he was perfectly satisfied with his current ranking.

“Why are you three still standing there? Hurry up and line up! More and more people will be arriving soon!”

This was already Boss Lu’s third day of setting up her stall.

All the regular customers who were supposed to come would definitely show up.

To avoid purchase limits preventing them from getting milk tea, everyone fought desperately for spots near the front.

The reminder finally made the three brothers realize what was happening.

“Right! Let’s hurry over!”

The third brother couldn’t wait anymore.

Dragging his two older brothers along, he rushed forward.

In the end, they successfully secured places within the first hundred spots.

Xu Gu gave them a thumbs-up from ahead.

“Hehe…”

The third brother grinned proudly.

Good thing he had reacted quickly.

Behind them, more and more customers gathered until the end of the queue disappeared from sight.

Only after settling into line and calming down did the second brother regain his senses.

“Why are we lining up? Did you forget why we came here in the first place…?”

He stopped halfway through the sentence.

The reminder instantly woke up the other two.

Silence fell between them.

They had agreed not to buy milk tea today.

So why were they standing in line?

“Should we leave now?”

the eldest brother asked.

He was afraid that once Boss Lu arrived, he wouldn’t be able to make himself walk away.