Hot Pot Restaurant Opens

In a dark room in the back hall of the Prefecture Office.

Compared to the hustle and bustle of the front hall, this place was much quieter.

At the table sat a young man with a gloomy face, dressed in a white robe, drinking alone.

If he goes outside, he will surely be recognized.

Yin Huacheng.

Not long after.

The door to the dark room swung open with a loud bang. Prefect Cui subtly channeled his inner energy, and the smell of alcohol on his body evaporated, while the drunkenness in his eyes seemed to be sucked into a vortex and vanished without a trace.

In an instant, his drunken state vanished, replaced by shrewdness.

"I apologize for keeping you waiting, True Disciple Yin Hua. I have been extremely busy with official duties. You deserve to be punished."

Prefect Cui chuckled as he sat down opposite Yin Huacheng and poured him a cup of tea.

Yin Huacheng squinted at the teacup, then drank it all in one gulp and chuckled softly:

"There are only the two of us in private, why bother with an act? Or have you been the lord of the manor for so long that you've started to take it seriously yourself?"

"Judge Cui?"

The smile on Prefect Cui's face gradually disappeared.

He poured himself a cup of tea as well, and then said:

"Neither Li Mo nor Ying Bing came today. You've waited in vain, Yin Hua Reception Envoy."

"Didn't come?"

Yin Huacheng tapped the table with his index finger:

"It's alright, just let me know as soon as you find them."

"I've come here for another matter."

"The goods I Demon Summoning Cult Sect have been met with either wind or rain. Judging by the dates, they should have arrived by now, right?"

"This matter needs to be addressed. You can't just use minor issues to cover it up and say they were incompetent."

At this point, Yin Huacheng's tone subtly carried a questioning undertone.

"Things are tense right now. If even a fraction of my business dealings with you are leaked, my position as the lord of this prefecture will be over."

"The headquarters will hold me accountable, so I have no choice but to be careful."

Prefect Cui seemed somewhat tired, and squinted as he spoke.

Yin Huacheng's expression was unpredictable, shifting between light and dark.

The business they were referring to was not a collaboration between the Drizzle Pavilion and the Demon Summoning Cult.

It was something that Prefect Cui did privately with his father.

But Yin Huacheng pressed on, asking again:

"Didn't you already leave all the people from the major and minor sects at the Prefecture Office? They're all under your nose, what's there to be afraid of?"

"They're right under my nose, but I'm also right under theirs."

Prefect Cui slammed his teacup on the table, a forced smile on his face, and said:

"I'll send someone to figure out a solution for the business, and I'll give you an answer. I already informed your father about this beforehand."

"That would be best."

Yin Huacheng also snorted coldly:

"If this causes serious problems for the sect, I won't be the one coming to talk to you then."

After saying that, he suddenly got up and left.

Prefect Cui watched his retreating figure disappear and then let out a sneer.

"How could Yin Huaxuan have given birth to such an idiot?"

He stopped talking and started fiddling with the teacup in his hand.

Time passed.

After an unknown amount of time, there was a sudden knock on the door of the dark room.

"Who?"

A voice, condensed into a thin line, came in, but no one except Prefect Cui could hear it.

"Me." The voice came again.

Come in.

A shadow suddenly slipped in, skimming along the ground.

The shadow twisted a few times and then solidified into a human shape.

This person wore a loose monk's robe and a smiling Buddha head on his face.

"Judge, Swallow Before the Hall have been distributed."

The voice beneath the Buddha's head was neither male nor female.

"Well, I have something personal to ask you."

"Since it's a private matter, why don't you hang the Bounty in the Dark Pavilion?"

The person wearing the Buddha head responded.

The Drizzle Pavilion values money above all else; apart from the head of the pavilion, there are no superiors or subordinates among the other members.

Even a top-tier assassin cannot command a low-ranking killer.

"Even with the reward of Bounty, who else in the Prefecture City besides you, Laughing Maitreya, can I trust?"

"Why don't we skip those procedures?"

Prefect Cui took a bag out of his bosom.

Laughing Maitreya raised his hand, took the bag into his palm, sensed it slightly, and then put it away, indicating that he was quite satisfied with the reward.

"Speaking."

"The Prefecture City is becoming increasingly chaotic. I'll have you take advantage of the situation and abduct some orphaned children, then bring them to my private residence."

"It's nothing."

Laughing Maitreya agrees.

With the deal done, the two began chatting casually.

"Do you have anyone you think is promising for this trial?"

"The Three Baleful Fiends of Locust Mountain, He Bin with Flying Sand Blade, Chu He with Thousand Net Hand, Liu Heng Night Ghost all have a chance to survive to the end."

"The Three Baleful Fiends of Locust Mountain you mentioned died this afternoon. It seems they were no match for Zuoqiu Yang."

Prefect Cui took out a register from his bosom.

This is a special roster issued by the main building; one can sense the presence of the Swallow Before the Hall.

"See for yourself."

"..."

After glancing at it, Laughing Maitreya raised his head again.

That smiling Buddha face seemed to be saying, 'Do you think I'm blind?'

Prefect Cui raised an eyebrow and lowered his head to examine him.

However, they discovered that the names of the Three Baleful Fiends of Locust Mountain were still on the roster.

He had clearly noticed that their names had disappeared.

Could it be that something's wrong with the Swallow Before the Hall?

If only one person has a problem, that's fine, but three together?

Surely he, a dignified Divine Observation Realm, wouldn't be mistaken?

Inside the Post House.

The Post House had been cleaned spotlessly.

[You have a reward waiting to be claimed.]

[Successfully claimed]

[Investment Feedback: The Wishful Art]

[Wishful Art]: "It can change one's form, alter one's appearance, and even change one's aura. Even Divine Observation Realm would find it impossible to detect any flaws."

"I Formless Glazed Veil, so there's nothing to worry about."

Li Mo raised his eyes and looked at the others.

Those who dare to participate in the Avici Trial are mostly seasoned veterans.

If they don't try to hide it, they will be easily identified.

"I have a martial art that alters one's appearance and aura, so subtle that even those at the Divine Observation Realm cannot detect it."

Li Mo took out a piece of parchment from his pocket.

"The Wishful Art?"

Xiao Qin looked at this amazing martial art.

The Thousand Forms Martial Venerable told him that this was a rare and precious item.

Ying Bing lowered her eyes and took it in her hand.

She only looked for a moment before her aura gradually disappeared.

Li Mo had initially wondered if this could be considered an investment.

Unfortunately, this was not what they needed, and the system did not provide any notification.

Then.

The Post House has a new waiter, cook, owner, and owner's wife.

As for why a chef is needed...

Because Li Mo provided Xiao Qin with the hot pot base recipe.

That's what he thought.

The better the business, the more people come.

Those aspiring assassins who are participating in the trials will definitely come to popular places to gather information.

So the Post House was turned into a hot pot restaurant.

A few days later.

"Hmm? Wasn't this originally a Post House?"

A team of escorts' carriages and horses stopped at the post house... oh no, outside the hotpot restaurant.

"Things are tense lately, let's talk about this once we're in the Prefecture City."

"That's precisely why we should gather some information before entering the city."

That makes sense.

"So... are you sure it's not because it smells too good in here?"

The escort stared at the name of the hot pot restaurant:

[Xi Yangyang.]

After a moment, he nodded.

"Stay here tonight."

As the bodyguards entered the shop, they were immediately greeted by a bustling atmosphere.

This newly opened hot pot restaurant is doing so well?