Chapter 53: Getting Rich Overnight

Many knowledgeable cultivators know that the Plague God path under the Compassionate Father is quite comfortable at the Unclean sequence, but the next sequence, "Rotten Person," is the most painful.

Especially for Lu Heng, a Rotten Person whose cultivation has gone awry; the stench on his body often permeates several streets, and not a single resident of Taiping Ward wishes to see him.

They also know that out of ten times he visits the Ghost Market, he only gains something once or twice.

Who would have thought?

This time, a small bowl of thick soup could actually alleviate his suffering?

It is no wonder that the next moment, Lu Heng tossed over a gold card and said:

"I'll take all of this soup you have."

Having said that, he reached out to pick up the entire pot to pour it into his mouth.

But very quickly, he was blocked by Li Yu.

"Senior, wait a moment!"

Li Yu stood up with a brilliant smile, despite the suddenly dangerous gaze from Lu Heng.

As he spoke, he seemed to perform a magic trick, pulling out a much smaller but more tightly sealed soup pot from behind him.

"Senior, you may not know, but this medicinal spirit soup of mine comes in two versions."

"The ordinary one is most effective for fellow cultivators who are unranked or at Sequence 8; for a Sequence 7 existence like yourself, only the first bowl has any effect, and drinking more is just a waste."

"But this pot is quite different; it is called the [Nurturing Nature and Extending Life Hundred-Turn Ascension Soup], and it took me eighty-one days of painstaking effort to brew."

"Senior, would you like to try this soup?"

"Hiss!"

Once Li Yu finished speaking, all eyes immediately converged on the small pot in his hands.

With the first soup as a precursor, no one questioned his words.

Especially Lu Heng, whose eyes were so eager he could barely resist snatching it.

Li Yu was truly afraid this fellow would reach out; setting aside whether it was dirty or would contaminate his soup, the key was that a single touch could be fatal.

Without waiting for an answer, Li Yu opened the pot.

He used the same trick again, but with double the honey dew.

A scene identical to the previous one, yet even more brilliant, appeared once again in the Taiping Ghost Market.

This time, the commotion was even greater.

A large crowd from several streets further away was also attracted.

It is normal for spirit food to glow, but this level of iridescence, mixed with a medicinal fragrance that felt soothing just to smell, meant even a fool knew something good had appeared.

At the stall, an increasing number of people saw with their own eyes:

The "soup" shimmering with iridescence in the pot had actually condensed into a paste, vibrant in color, with fragrance and medicinal Qi intertwined; it was alluring to the extreme, as if no spirit pill or great medicine could compare to it.

Li Yu's exaggerated introduction and that strange, long name naturally contained a fair amount of boasting.

All that talk of seven-times-seven or nine-times-nine was fake; he had made it in a single night.

But in terms of taste and medicinal effect, he had not exaggerated too much.

In fact, he himself was quite surprised!

After all, his first medicinal dish was [Hundred-Flavor Meatballs]; who would have thought the quality of the second would take such a leap.

"Senior, rest assured, although this pot of soup cost me more effort and the ingredients are much rarer."

"The price is only doubled."

"Four hundred taels a bowl, would Senior like to taste it?"

While speaking, Li Yu had already directed Hong Dou to scoop a bowl and pass it over.

Upon hearing the price of four hundred taels, Lu Heng didn't even blink; instead, he eagerly took the bowl, pressed his rotted lips against the bloody opening, and took a sip, the pasty thick soup instantly sliding down his throat.

Immediately, his eyes widened, and an even more foul stench than before "puffed" out.

But this could not stop the crowd from watching this miraculous scene; the sores and pustules on Lu Heng's face were actually receding at a speed visible to the naked eye, and he himself could not help but let out an extremely satisfied moan.

Although after only a few breaths, the malignant backlash within his body grew back.

Yet, Lu Heng did not regret it.

For those two or three breaths of "comfort," a mere four hundred taels was truly nothing to him.

This scene!

While it left the majority of the Sequence 8 crowd in awe, it also abruptly attracted several powerhouses.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, finding something good and not sending me a message—this friendship of ours has truly faded."

"Medicinal spirit food? Not bad, not bad; give me a bowl too."

"Even the sores on Beggar Lu's face can be cleared; this little fellow has impressive skills. I want a share as well."

From these greetings, one could tell that those who arrived later were also at least Sequence 7 existences, and their physical and mental states appeared quite similar to that of the "Rotten Person Lu Heng."

In Li Yu's eyes, every one of them was not just a big customer, but a carrier of extraordinary knowledge.

While entertaining them, he diverted a bit of his attention to eavesdrop on their conversation, learning a few more path sequences.

The charging progress of the sixth Truth Bubble continued to climb forward.

Li Yu wanted to keep collecting money continuously, but unfortunately, he only had two pots of soup in total.

Even though he sold them at a high price, the spiritual efficacy and taste were there, and the crowd queuing up nearly blocked the end of the street.

Only half an hour later, he announced they were sold out.

Then, at the very last moment, a sudden change occurred. Li Yu, who had become wealthy overnight and was stuffed with money, suddenly realized that the enthusiastic flattery that had been pouring in like a tide had vanished without a trace in an instant.

Replacing it was malice, whether thick or thin.

Dozens of Sequence 8 and even Sequence 7 cultivators, each holding a bowl, collectively changed their expressions; their smiles vanished, and they all stared straight at Li Yu.

Some looked at his money, some looked at his pots, and others stared fixedly at him personally.

This scene!

And this transformation from joy to horror was enough to scare some timid people to death.

Seeing this, Li Yu's heart skipped a beat, and a helpless thought emerged:

"Almost forgot."

"Few of those willing to pay this price for a bowl of soup are normal people; most are perverts suffering from torture."

"Both physically and mentally."

As if to confirm Li Yu's thought.

The Rotten Person Lu Heng!

He saw his rotted mouth stretch open, and while spraying foul air, he gave a hypocritical, fake smile to Li Yu:

"Fellow Daoist, are you interested in being a private chef at my home? Rest assured, the reward will definitely satisfy you; I have over a hundred thousand taels in savings and a pile of strange items, all of which I can gift to you."

=9+Book_Bar

"I ask for nothing else, just make a few more pots of this soup for me."

At first glance, Lu Heng's sincerity seemed great.

But anyone who wasn't a brainless fool could tell that once you followed him, you would likely never be able to leave.

Following Lu Heng, another Sequence 7 powerhouse extended an invitation.

This time, it was a middle-aged nun, heavily made up yet wearing Buddhist robes, and so emaciated she was like a "paper person"; it was a mystery how she had survived.

Yet, no one, including Li Yu, dared to underestimate her.

A cultivator from the West District.

Path of the Immaculate Buddha Mother!

Sequence 7 [Sun-Eating Matron].

A normal Sun-Eating Matron is of course not like this; as for this one?

Rumor has it that she picked the wrong person while attempting the "Sun-Eating Ritual" and was instead absorbed by the other party; although she eventually succeeded in advancing to Sequence 7, she became a complete slave to the other party in both body and soul.

Thus, whenever she gained freedom and was allowed to go out, her behavior would become abnormally strange and violent.

"Little one!"

"Come with this nun to the West District; my... my master will surely like your craft."

"At the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Restaurant, you could even go to the fourth floor; you are qualified to be one of my master's chefs."

When this scene and commotion unfolded, although Li Yu wished he could have Hong Dou release the chainsaw sword and hack them all down one by one.

He was also glad that "slaughter" was not allowed in the Taiping Ghost Market, so he only needed to consider: how to leave here safely without future trouble.

Fortunately, he had heard of a special service in the Taiping Ghost Market when he arrived.

"I originally thought that after selling these two pots of soup and getting a large sum of money, I would take the opportunity to browse this [Taiping Ghost Market] further, buy all the spirit materials and pill materials I need, and incidentally replenish Hong Dou's clothing, skin, and weapons."

"Now it seems I will have to issue a bounty later."

"Next time I come to this Ghost Market, I must at least have refined a pill that allows me to transform and change my Qi, otherwise, the danger is hard to avoid."

As he thought this, Li Yu's gaze drifted between Lu Heng, the thin nun, and the other Sequence 7 perverts.

The next moment, without hesitation, he called over a Ghost Market administrator not far away who had been watching them with a smile, also wearing dirty Daoist robes but at Sequence 7.

This person had been waiting for a while, clearly having anticipated this.

"Little brother, are you looking to purchase the [Random Teleportation] service of our Taiping Grand Bazaar?"

"No discount today, it will be five thousand taels."

"I'll buy it!"

Even after hearing that Li Yu had purchased the expensive random departure service, only half of the crowd dispersed.

They continued to stare straight at Li Yu, watching him being taken up to the fleet of airships high above the market until he completely vanished from sight.

Inside a magnificent, retro-style airship, atop a special mechanical device at its center, Li Yu watched as a large number of special marks were removed from his and Hongdou's bodies after a series of "disinfection" and "Qi-extinguishing" procedures, and he could not help but reveal a bitter smile.

If he had chosen to leave on his own!

Without a doubt, he would have been swarmed and looted.

People like Lu Heng, the Sun-Eating Crone, the skinny nun, and a group of diners—they didn't spare their praises while drinking the soup, but in reality, they didn't treat him like a human being at all.

He was both amazed by the viciousness and perversion of these people, and also felt that they were quite stupid.

"Since you wanted to rob me, why reveal your malice?"

"Wouldn't it have been better to mark me quietly, disperse, and then wait for me to leave the Ghost Market before swarming me?"

"They all look like normal people, but in reality, that group is more like a pile of evil things, of ghost-things, wrapped in human skin; drinking my soup was useless—it brought them momentary pleasure, but they immediately reverted to their true selves."

Li Yu had just finished this lament.

Beneath him and his servant, light suddenly surged.

"Heavenly Mystery Workshop!"

"Random teleportation, initiating."

(End of chapter)