Chapter 10: Of course you can have my turn.
A few weeks passed in the blink of an eye.
The Street Food Shop of The Immortals Shopping Mall had rapidly gained popularity in the remote neighborhoods of Rising Sky City. And the greatest factor behind this rise was Lin Feng.
Lin Feng had been like a bamboo seed hidden beneath the earth for many years. He had lived for years as an ordinary, unnoticed person. Silent and shrouded in the shadows. However, once bamboo seeds sprout, they shoot up rapidly, exhibiting a dazzling growth. Lin Feng was just like that: after years of a calm and dim life, he suddenly transformed, creating a huge impact in the remote neighborhoods and even in the outer regions of Rising Sky Forest. The reason for this was that he had, not long ago, formed his Tao Heart.
His sudden rise also increased the fame of the Street Food Shop in The Immortals Shopping Mall. Lin Feng’s reappearance here and the rumors spreading about him caught the attention of other stray cultivators, causing them to flock here.
The second major reason for this popularity was the Zou Gang.
They, too, had significantly contributed to expanding the customer base by attracting at least dozens of new customers to the shop.
Lin Feng and the Zou Gang were the names elevating The Immortals Shopping Mall. Yet, the real magnet drawing people here was the unique and enchanting trio of bagel, tea, and ayran.
Of course, popularity brought along its own problems.
Those who rose quickly always became the center of attention and gathered the hatred of their enemies. Therefore, the number of people coming to cause trouble at The Immortals Shopping Mall was by no means small.
After all, opening a shop wasn’t as easy as it looked from the outside. Every industry that makes money eventually becomes embroiled in mafia-like dealings. Why would any merchant allow a rival shop to open? Especially in a world where the strong have the final say…
Moreover, this wasn’t something unique to the xianxia world.
Even in the mundane worlds where mortals lived, the same situation applied. Every money-making industry was shared by certain individuals. Newcomers either bowed to these people’s rules and endured for a lifetime or were eliminated.
Of course, this only applied to ordinary people. If someone had a sufficiently grand background, the balance would change. At that point, even some hidden powers might have to yield or be eradicated.
The same rule applied in the xianxia world as well: If one is strong enough, who could possibly do anything to him?
Unfortunately—
?
Uh-oh!
Jin Kai was exactly such a powerful person.
(Help me…)
And so, every day, people came to cause trouble for Jin Kai. But… after taking a beating, they all turned into little puppies trying to appear cute to their master.
At this moment, the sun had not yet risen and the shop was closed.
Yet, despite this, dozens of people were already lined up in a single file in front of the shop.
What was even more interesting was that these people were lined up not according to their power levels, but according to the order in which they arrived at the shop.
“How can this be? Why don’t the strong beat the weak and jump to the front of the line?” you might ask.
The reason is…
Three men were advancing toward The Immortals Shopping Mall.
The man at the front (Person X) strode forward with heavy steps, a haughty smile on his face.
The second man behind him (Person Y) could not hide his excitement, while casting disdainful glances at the third man beside him.
The man at the very back (Person Z) proceeded silently, his face filled with repressed hatred.
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As X continued walking, he cast a look of satisfaction toward Y and thought to himself:
“Hehe, just wait until I show Young Master the breakfast I’m going to bring him! But first, I must try these things called ‘bagel and ayran’ myself. Let’s see if they are really as wonderful as they say, or just something ordinary exaggerated by a few insects? If they truly are as good as they’re praised, when I bring the chef to serve Young Master, I will undoubtedly be rewarded!”
Seeing X look at him, Y’s smile widened. The disdainful look he threw at Z became even more pronounced:
“Hahaha. Even if I can’t claim the entire reward for myself, just strengthening my ties with my cousin X is reward enough!”
Z, upon seeing the look of satisfaction that X directed toward Y, grew even angrier. When he caught Y’s disdainful glance, his anger soared all the way to Mount Tai:
“Fuck, fuck!! This lowlife bastard! How could I be so stupid! I thought that, just because he’s my cousin, he wouldn’t betray me! He acted like my brother for so long, yet all this time I was just calling him my scorpion brother! I discovered the exquisite cuisine of The Immortals Shopping Mall, not him! Now, because of my stupidity, he will take the entire reward for himself!”
The three continued advancing toward The Immortals Shopping Mall.
Meanwhile, the doors of The Immortals Shopping Mall were still closed and the queue of customers outside grew ever denser. People passed the time chatting until the doors opened.
One of those waiting in line scanned the crowd in anger and shouted in a haughty voice:
“Hey! What’s going on here?! Get out of my way, you lowly creatures! What nerve do you weaklings have to block the very front of the line?!”
In response to this insolent outburst, one of those in line shot him a disdainful look, waved his hand as if shooing away a fly, and spoke in a cold voice:
“Martial Novice, get back to your place. Otherwise, it won't end well!”
Then, as if nothing had happened, he turned away.
Seeing his indifferent attitude, the man’s eyes widened in astonishment. Looking around, he noticed that some people were laughing at him secretly, while others did so openly.
“Hahaha.”
A random laugh rising from within the crowd was the last straw that tipped the scales. His astonishment swiftly turned into anger. He quickly directed the Qi within him to execute a martial arts technique.
How dare these weak ants insult him?!
How dare they laugh at him?!
He had found someone to vent his anger on. To teach a lesson to everyone laughing at him, he attacked the man who had just looked down on him!
However, everyone else in line seemed to be directing disdainful glances at him as if they already knew what was about to happen, impatiently waiting for something to occur.
The man’s hand descended onto the back of the person who had just humiliated him—
“AHHH!!”
A scream echoed through the crowd.
But… this scream did not come from the person who was attacked, but from the attacker!
A lash from a whip struck him directly, dispersing his Qi!
And the one wielding this whip was none other than Picockyo.
Seeing the attacker writhe in pain, the crowd turned on him with mocking glares. Those glares made the man feel even more humiliated. He had never felt so degraded. Clenching his teeth in anger, he cursed:
“Which son-of-a-—”
But before he could finish his sentence—
“AHHH!!”
…
It all happened in 3.14 seconds.
Now there lay a man on the ground. Clutching the whip, he trembled as he pleaded:
“I’M SORRY, PLEASE DON’T HIT ME!!!”
A deep, authoritative voice ordered him:
“Go to the very back of the line and wait.”
“OKAY! OKAY! PLEASE DON’T HIT ME, I’M LEAVING RIGHT NOW!”
(‘Damn it, no wonder so many people are looking at me like I’m a fool! Why didn’t anyone warn me? Why is there a hidden expert here?! And why does no one ever mention him?! Damn, I’m so unlucky! This is the most shameful day of my life!’)
The man, covered in whip marks, bowed his head in shame as he shuffled to the very back of the line. He trembled with fear. He desperately wanted to run away from here, but since the person who had just spoken ordered him to go to the very back of the line, he couldn’t muster the courage to do so.
His only consolation was occasionally spotting others on their bodies bearing whip marks as well.
(‘They really knew I’d end up like this. They treated me like a circus monkey… At least I’m not the only disgrace. In fact, those bastards who just laughed at me probably went through the same ordeal a few days ago.’) he consoled himself.
Seconds passed, and the incident was quickly forgotten as if it had never happened. It wasn’t the first time, after all. People had become so accustomed to it that the fun was only short-lived.
“Boss Jin, when is your shop going to open? My stomach is growling!” mumbled someone.
“Boss Jin really is the best! He can make even a simple pastry taste better than a dish made from Beast meat!” replied another.
Just an ordinary man, Xinxi Jia Ren, suddenly raised his voice, drawing the attention of the crowd:
“Hah! And that’s not all. I heard that the bagel Boss Jin is making right now is entirely made from mortal ingredients! If mortal ingredients can create such effects, imagine the flavor and impact of a bagel made from spiritual plants!”
The crowd froze in an instant. Everyone was in great astonishment. No one had ever heard such a thing before, yet somehow, deep down they felt it must be an absolute truth.
“What?! Then does this mean that Boss Jin is one of the legendary chefs?!” someone shouted.
Xinxi Jia Ren nodded confidently. “Of course he is!”
Then, a great wave of cheers that shook the entire area rose up:
“BOSS JIN IS THE GREATEST!”
“BOSS JIN IS THE GREATEST!”
“BOSS JIN IS THE GREATEST!”
The crowd grew more and more excited. Shouts and cheers echoed everywhere.
Before long, amid these cheers, three figures appeared on the horizon. They were none other than the trio of Person X, Person Y, and Person Z from earlier.
