CFSMS -Chapter 36 The Showdown at the Peak of Little River Town

“Boss Lu, save some for me!”

After greeting Lu Wu, Lou Xiaotian quickly put aside his less-than-wholesome thoughts and obediently joined the queue.

Completely focused on the pork knuckles, he failed to notice that in the middle of the line, a man and woman exchanged glances and revealed triumphant smiles.

They were none other than Lou Batian and his wife, both having changed their appearances.

While Lou Xiaotian was still playing chess against imaginary opponents, his father had already brought his wife to Myriad Poison Valley.

Heh!

The little brat was still too green.

In one sentence:

He needed more training.

“Young friend, three pork knuckles, please.”

Daoist Tianfeng stood before the stall dressed in white. His tall, well-proportioned figure naturally drew attention wherever he stood.

Not to mention the warm, spring-like smile on his face.

Struck once again by overwhelming beauty, Lu Wu glanced at him.

He really was handsome.

But why did he speak with such an old-fashioned tone?

Young friend?

He looked younger than she was.

And what was with that kindly, grandfatherly gaze?

For a moment, she almost saw Grandpa Li standing there.

Could he be one of those old monsters with a weird hobby for pretending to be young?

Yikes!

Shaking her head, Lu Wu pulled her wandering thoughts back.

“The pork knuckles just came out of the pot, so they’re still hot. Be careful when eating them.”

She offered the reminder thoughtfully.

At this point, she had already accepted the fact that all of her customers seemed to have something wrong with their heads.

“Ahem, Master, don’t talk like that.”

Qin Zhan whispered a reminder.

The moment Boss Lu looked his way, his cheeks heated up.

It was embarrassing.

“Call me Junior Brother.”

Daoist Tianfeng glared at him before turning back to Lu Wu with an approving smile.

“Young friend, you are quite impressive.”

With that, he leisurely walked aside.

Though they were standing in the wilderness, a casual wave of his hand summoned an ancient, elegant pavilion.

Inside stood a stone table furnished with a complete dining set.

Lifting his robe, Daoist Tianfeng sat down, arranged the pork knuckles neatly on a plate, and picked up his chopsticks.

After taking a small bite, his eyes brightened.

“This is a delicacy worthy of the mortal world!”

“Marvelous! Truly marvelous!”

Ignoring the gazes of others, he praised it wholeheartedly.

His drawn-out tone made him sound exactly like an ancient monster.

Many cultivators with decent cultivation levels cast wary looks at the youthful-looking man.

The spiritual fluctuations coming from the pavilion alone were enough to show that it was no ordinary item.

It was a spirit artifact.

And not just any spirit artifact—a top-grade one.

The faint aura it released was enough to deter anyone from offending him.

Lu Wu’s cultivation was too low to understand the significance of the pavilion’s sudden appearance.

She only thought one thing:

The display was extravagant.

And incredibly flashy.

“Ahem, Boss Lu, I’d like ten… no, fifteen pork knuckles.”

Qin Zhan covered his face.

He hadn’t reached his master’s level of composure.

With so many eyes on him, his face was burning red.

“Sure.”

Lu Wu still didn’t recognize him.

Without pausing her work, she handed over the goods.

The next moment, the customer’s figure flickered and disappeared.

…

Lu Wu blinked.

Well, there went another strange person.

While Lu Wu’s booming business continued, Wang Er had practically run around the entirety of Little River Town.

Ever since tasting Lu Wu’s pork knuckles yesterday, every other food felt bland and tasteless.

Even Little Chubby, the family’s biggest meat lover, kept shouting that he wanted more pork knuckles.

Unable to resist his own cravings either, Wang Er had gone searching for Boss Lu’s stall.

Only after visiting Willow Smoke Street did he learn that she was no longer there.

After failing to find any trace of her anywhere in town, Wang Er was deeply disappointed.

“Where exactly is Boss Lu?”

As he wandered around, he overheard others mentioning Boss Lu as well.

After asking a few questions, he discovered they were all searching for her too.

A brief conversation later, they quickly became acquainted.

When the other foodies learned that Wang Er had actually eaten the pork knuckles, their expressions immediately turned sour with jealousy.

“Could it be that Boss Lu stopped setting up her stall?”

Wang Er voiced his speculation.

“Impossible.”

The others rejected the idea outright.

“We asked before. Boss Lu said she’d keep selling food. The location just changes.”

They firmly denied the possibility.

Without Boss Lu, what were they supposed to eat?

After she had spoiled their appetites, they could barely muster any interest in other vendors’ buns.

And now there were pork knuckles too.

Thinking of Wang Er’s vivid descriptions earlier, their hearts ached.

Why hadn’t they been the lucky ones?

“Then maybe Boss Lu’s stall isn’t inside town.”

As a local resident, Wang Er knew the town inside and out.

If even he couldn’t find her, then she probably wasn’t there.

“How about we search outside town?”

he suggested.

“Sounds good. Let’s go.”

The group immediately agreed and headed toward the outskirts.

As soon as they reached the city gate, they spotted a young man eating a pork knuckle.

At first, Wang Er intended to walk right past him.

Then the breeze carried over the aroma of meat.

He froze.

“That’s the smell!”

Stopping everyone, he pointed at the young man.

“That’s Boss Lu’s pork knuckle!”

The others looked over.

In the young man’s hand was a glossy, richly braised pork knuckle.

He appeared well-mannered, delicately tearing off pieces of lean meat and eating them.

Sauce dripped down his pale fingers.

After hesitating briefly, he brought those fingers to his lips and sucked the sauce clean.

The sight was exactly like how they ate buns—unwilling to waste even a single drop of precious juice.

“You’re sure?”

Someone sniffed the air.

It smelled incredible.

The aroma was every bit as tempting as the buns Boss Lu used to make.

Could it really be true?

Had they stumbled upon a clue the moment they left the city?

“Absolutely sure.”

Wang Er nodded firmly.

“That smell, that color—I’d never mistake it.”

As the only person among them who had actually tasted the pork knuckles, his words carried considerable authority.

“Let’s ask.”

One of the older foodies led the group over.

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

The man they questioned was Jiang Yunhe.

Having just finished one pork knuckle, he elegantly wiped his fingers with a handkerchief.

“At the entrance of Myriad Poison Valley. Boss Lu is selling them there.”

After a glance confirmed they meant no harm, he answered directly.

Good food was meant to be shared.

Yesterday, when Zhang Xiu organized everyone into keeping the secret, Jiang Yunhe had been overlooked because of his special status.

Thus, completely unaware of the existence of the Pork-Knuckle Monopoly Alliance, Jiang Yunhe casually exposed Lu Wu’s location.

Anyone familiar with the events on Willow Smoke Street would have known:

The disciple of Divine Physician Valley was about to pay a painful price for this decision.

“It really is Boss Lu! Hurry! Let’s go!”

After thanking him, the group charged toward Myriad Poison Valley.

To arrive faster, they employed every method imaginable.

Flying through the sky.

Burrowing underground.

Running like thieves on the wind.

The dust they kicked up caused a newly arrived young man to cough several times.

“Jiang Yunhe, you did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

After swallowing a mouthful of dust, Qin Zhan eyed him suspiciously.

This brat was clearly taking revenge.

Just because he’d tricked him once before.

Their eyes met.

Both narrowed their gazes.

In an instant, murderous intent crackled through the air.

It was like sparks colliding with lightning.

The wind stirred.

Clouds gathered.

The tension between them felt so intense that the city guards quietly pressed their communication jade tokens at their waists.

Town Lord, this is bad!

Someone’s about to fight a decisive battle at the summit of Little River Town!