It was another new day. Around seven or eight in the morning, Huo Yuhao had already set up his barbecue stall.
Outside Shrek City's eastern gate, there were always plenty of vendors catering specifically to students, but now one stall stood out from the rest.
The stall stood against the city wall, with a specially made, elongated grill in front, large enough to roast eight big fish side by side. A pile of uncleaned black carp lay beside it.
Behind it was a large reclining chair. An enormous parasol sheltered the entire stall, keeping out both the scorching sun and torrential rain.
A sign stood beside it, bearing bold, vigorous lettering in slender gold script, its strokes like iron lines and silver hooks: "Brother Hao's Barbecue."
Enrollment registration was still underway these past few days. There were hardly any people this early in the morning, but the crowds would pick up in a few hours.
Huo Yuhao sat contentedly in his reclining chair, surveying the area outside the gate.
He had discovered an excellent spot. It offered a superb view, everyone entering the academy could spot it, and the aroma could drift a long way out.
Unfortunately, the one blemish in an otherwise perfect picture was the lack of live, fresh fish. The cold-chain logistics industry still needed developing.
Huo Yuhao took out the White Tiger Dagger and twirled it deftly in his hand. Deciding it was about time, he began preparing the black carp.
With his left hand, he picked up a large black carp over thirty centimeters long. His right hand swept the White Tiger Dagger swiftly along each side, scraping off all its scales.
Another cut opened a small slit in its belly. He scooped his right middle, ring, and little fingers inside, pulled out all the innards, then threaded the black carp onto a wooden skewer and rubbed seasoning inside and out.
Just like that, one black carp was ready. His movements were clean and crisp, without the slightest dragging through mud and water. The whole process took no more than fifteen seconds.
Huo Yuhao placed the prepared black carp on the grill, then went on to the next one.
But as he prepared the remaining fish, the skewers of those already grilling would turn from time to time so they heated evenly. Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao constantly used his finely controlled spiritual power to monitor their doneness, regulating the fire's temperature with cold air.
Grilling fish helped Huo Yuhao's cultivation the most, since different parts required different levels of heat.
Grilling eight fish at once kept his hands moving nonstop and made him look extremely busy, but a closer look revealed that Huo Yuhao maintained a steady rhythm throughout, everything proceeding in perfect order.
His stall had only just opened and had no customers yet. Nor did he shout out his wares to attract buyers like the other vendors.
Huo Yuhao was confident that business would come.
"These should be done."
Huo Yuhao took the grilled fish off and set them aside, then sprinkled a handful of mysterious yellowish-brown powder over them. A rich aroma instantly filled the air-the best advertisement he could ask for.
The aroma spread farther and farther, its distinctive fragrance soon attracting a nearby male student in a yellow uniform.
He approached and asked, "Junior, how much is your grilled fish?"
Huo Yuhao had already put on his white school uniform, so the other student naturally recognized his status.
He answered, "Senior, five copper coins per fish."
"Then give me one to try. That smell is killing me." The student readily handed over five copper coins.
Just as he was about to take the fish, he suddenly heard a sound growing louder as it approached and hurriedly turned to look.
"Aaaah-Brother Huo, here I come!!!"
Her voice arrived before she did. Accompanied by that excited shout, the student finally got a clear look at the newcomer: a youthful girl with a black ponytail.
"Huh? Tang Ya?" The male student recognized her.
"Isn't this Xu Bo? You're far too kind." Tang Ya recognized him too. They were classmates in the same year.
Since they knew each other, Tang Ya stood on no ceremony. She snatched the grilled fish straight from his hand, took a bite, and casually patted his shoulder.
"Treating me to Brother Huo's grilled fish? Well, this young lady will look out for you from now on."
The male student said, "...I was going to eat that."
Seeing Tang Ya so brazenly steal his food, the male student put on a friendly smile, looked behind her, and said through gritted teeth, "Bei Bei, could you keep your Xiao Ya under control?"
"Ahem... Xiao Ya couldn't help herself. It's all because Little Brother Huo's grilled fish tastes so good. I'll pay for yours."
Bei Bei explained helplessly to the male student, then turned to Huo Yuhao.
"Little Brother Huo, we meet again. I didn't expect you to actually set up shop outside Shrek Academy. Xiao Ya's been talking nonstop about your delicious grilled fish."
Still busy with his hands, Huo Yuhao replied, "Brother Bei Bei, you can hardly call this a shop. It's just a little stall."
Bei Bei smiled. "Give us five to start with. If we hadn't just had breakfast, we'd definitely eat our fill here. Xiao Ya, hurry up and eat."
Tang Ya protested, "I haven't had my fill yet."
Bei Bei gave a wry smile. "We still have to prepare for the fourth-year assessment. We can eat to our hearts' content once it's over."
"All right..."
Hearing that, Tang Ya could only finish quickly and leave with Bei Bei.
Before leaving, she reluctantly looked back and waved at Huo Yuhao.
"Little Brother Huo, wait for me-"
At the sight, some of the students watching nearby began to talk.
"Is... isn't that Senior Thunderbolt Bei Bei?"
"He's a powerful fighter on the verge of becoming a Soul Ancestor. He could've skipped ahead to fifth year ages ago."
"I heard he's certain to enter the Inner Court within two years!"
The students chattered over one another, turning their eyes toward Huo Yuhao as they talked.
Even Senior Bei Bei thought this grilled fish was delicious. Surely it couldn't taste bad?
With that thought, the crowd around the barbecue stall gradually grew.
Huo Yuhao couldn't help smiling.
The celebrity endorsement effect really was remarkable. In that brief span, his stall had gone from so deserted that sparrows could gather at its door to so packed that not even water could get through.
However, the crowd also caused some problems.
One student said impatiently, "Give me two."
Someone beside him cut in, "I was here first."
Huo Yuhao smiled and said, "Don't worry, everyone. There's plenty of grilled fish. First come, first served, and everyone will get some."
He knew he had made a name for his stall.
He stayed busy from that morning until around one in the afternoon. The fierce afternoon sun scorched the earth, and it was time to close the stall and rest for a while.
Huo Yuhao stored the unprepared black carp in his belt, then lay back in his chair and tallied the morning's earnings, feeling rather displeased.
It wasn't because he had earned too little. He had sold fifty or sixty grilled fish today, and at five copper coins each, that brought in two or three gold coins. Besides, Huo Yuhao wasn't selling grilled fish to make money; his main aim was cultivation. After all, how much could a little stall like this earn?
He simply hadn't expected anyone to deliberately underpay. He had been busy grilling fish the entire time and had no time to collect the money, leaving payment entirely to his customers' honesty.
"I'll have to find someone to handle the money."
Huo Yuhao didn't care about money, but he utterly loathed people taking petty advantage of him like this.
"Who should I ask..."
After pondering for a while, Huo Yuhao left the stall.
Before long, he returned with a little blond girl in a white coat.
"Tian Meng, could you help me look after the stall?"
"Mission accomplished, guaranteed~"