Chapter 7: Free buns!

Guan Dahai and Gao Zhuben thought that, having traveled all over the land with trade caravans in their youth, they had seen a thing or two.

But at this moment, they felt as if they were children again, following their village elders into the city for the first time—everything was so novel and unknown, making them both nervous and afraid.

They snuck a glance at Granny Hua and Huaxin, who both walked straight ahead without glancing sideways, and tried their best to straighten their backs, restraining their wandering eyes.

But in the very next second, a familiar voice sounded from nearby.

“Wow, uncle, your baozi smell amazing!”

Huaxin stopped in her tracks and turned her head.

In the distance, a mud stove had been built up with yellow clay, and several tiers of steaming baskets were stacked high atop it.

Steam billowed from the baskets, and an enticing aroma wafted through the air.

Yun Miao, who had just been following behind Huaxin, was now standing by the stove, curiously peering into the topmost basket, which was packed full of plump, white baozi.

The vendor was a very short old man, barely taller than the mud stove itself, so he had to stand right at the edge of his stall to avoid being hidden behind the tall baskets.

He was also very broad, with a pale, plump figure—he looked almost as round as the baozi he steamed.

When he heard Yun Miao’s praise, he grinned proudly, the wrinkles on his face crinkling like the folds on the baozi.

“Of course they smell good! These aren’t just ordinary meat buns, you know—these are meat buns loved by the Xuantian Sect Master! The Yaofeng Peak Lord can’t sleep at night without eating one!”

Yun Miao exclaimed, “Wow, that amazing?”

The old man grew even more pleased.

“When the Xuantian Sect Master first came up the mountain to become a disciple, he bought a hundred meat buns from my great-great-great-grandfather. After that, he entered Xuantian Sect without a hitch.”

“Qian Peak Lord of Fu Peak, and the Sect Master’s current Chief Disciple, have all bought meat buns from us—and they all passed the entry test, too.”

That’s why our meat buns are called Shengtian Giant Meat Bun—not only are they delicious enough to send you to the heavens, but after eating one, you’ll ascend to the heavens in one step and join Xuantian Sect that very day!”

Yun Miao was shocked. “No way, baozi can do that?”

Could this meat bun be a quest item?

She immediately opened her System panel for a look. After Huaxin had mentioned Xuantian Sect, her previously empty quest log now had a new mission:

Participate in the Xuantian Sect Disciple Recruitment Ceremony and join Xuantian Sect.

The old man said, “Aiya… As for effects, well, my baozi are just made from ordinary water, flour, and pork. They’re not some magical elixir. But everything I just said is true.”

“So, what do you say? Little girl, want one? Just one baozi for good luck. You won’t lose out, and you won’t be fooled either.”

Yun Miao waved her hand grandly. “I’ll take them all!”

How could a player pass up such miraculous baozi!

“All of them?”

The old man rubbed his hands together in delight. “Little girl, you must know this isn’t an ordinary market. “

“Xuantian Sect holds the Disciple Recruitment Grand Ceremony only once every twenty years, and this market only opens every twenty years, too, for the convenience of those arriving early at Black Jiao Ridge.”

“I’m just doing small business here. Hauling goods over in this scorching summer isn’t easy, and these aren’t just ordinary meat buns, but the very same buns loved by the Sect Master and Yaofeng Peak Lord.”

“So the price is just a little higher than usual—five taels of silver apiece… I’ve got over a hundred left. Are you sure you want them all?”

Five taels of silver for one?

Guan Dahai sucked in a cold breath.

Ordinary meat buns were only two or three copper coins each, but this old man dared to ask five taels of silver for one? Even bandits weren’t this good at making money!

Yun Miao frowned. “Five taels of silver each?”

The old man chuckled and patted his round belly.

“If you think it’s too expensive, little girl, you can buy fewer. But I can tell from your face—you have a full forehead and a square chin, a rare and auspicious look.”

“Eat my Shengtian Giant Meat Bun, and you’ll surely ascend in one step, join Xuantian Sect, and have a limitless future!”

Yun Miao still frowned, and tried to bargain: “No, what I meant was… do you have any meat buns for zero taels of silver each?”

As soon as she said this, Huaxin and the other three, who were about to step forward to stop her, all froze in their tracks.

They almost forgot—Yun Miao’s bundle was picked up from that dead man. She didn’t have any money at all.

The old man’s smile vanished instantly.

He waved his hand like shooing a fly. “Go on, get out of here! If you don’t have money, what are you even talking to me for?”

“Zero taels each, you say it so seriously, made me almost think I’d forgotten how to do math. See that tree over there? Go sit in the shade and cool off!”

Yun Miao had no intention of sitting in the shade.

Her crafty little mind started to hatch an immature scheme—but when she glanced up and saw the prompt above the old man’s head:

[Realm: ??? Health Bar: ???], she quickly gave up on the idea of stealing an NPC’s items.

A player at Fanjing Realm could see through Granny Hua, who was at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, but couldn’t see through this fat old man = the fat old man was stronger than Granny Hua = the fat old man could beat players to a pulp.

So, the cautious player tried reasoning with the fat old man. “Isn’t there really a way to get a baozi without spending money?”

The old vendor gave Yun Miao a sideways glance, his expression a mix of disdain and a hint of admiration.

“Heh, usually I, Tian Laokou, am the one freeloading from others, but this is the first time someone’s tried to freeload from me, and with such confidence, too. Not bad, you’ve got a bit of my, Tian Laokou’s, shamelessness.”

“Fine, since I like your attitude… See that Bamboo Grove over there? I’ve been craving Sanding Bun lately, and one of the ingredients is diced bamboo shoot.”

“If you can bring me five bamboo shoots within one stick of incense, I’ll give you a meat bun for free.”

He held out a fat hand to show the required height.

“Let me be clear—I only want bamboo shoots this tall, don’t try to fool me with old, tough ones. And you can’t get help from anyone else. Also, even if you fail, whatever shoots you find are still mine.”

Yun Miao mimicked the height against the steaming basket. “I want them all.”

“So greedy, little girl.”

Tian Laokou grinned slyly and held up two fingers. “Two sticks of incense. If you can find ten shoots, I’ll give you all these baozi for free. How’s that?”

“Right now!”

Yun Miao immediately hit Save Point in her mind, then gave a little snort and strode off.

“Forget it, I suddenly don’t feel like eating baozi anymore. You can keep them for yourself.”

“Eh? Wait!”

Tian Laokou leaned forward in surprise, calling out loudly.

“You’re leaving just like that? Really not going to try your luck? At your age, you should be hot-blooded, get mad, and vow to smack me in the face with bamboo shoots if you lose, not just give up and leave!”

“Don’t go, give it a try! What if you succeed?”

A lame old granny nearby gave him a sidelong look. “Heh, Tian Laokou, you finally got a taste of your own medicine.”

Tian Laokou sullenly looked away, shooing her off like a fly. “Go on, mind your own business.”

He’d lived a long life, outwitted countless old men and women in the cultivation world, but today he’d been played by a little girl—twice! Was he seeing ghosts?

***

On the other side, Guan Dahai saw Yun Miao return to the group and sighed in relief. “Good thing you didn’t agree.”

“It’s summer now, and even in the shade of the mountains, there aren’t many bamboo shoots, let alone ones as long as a forearm poking just out of the ground.”

“Not to mention us—even the best bamboo digger couldn’t find two in one stick of incense, let alone ten in two sticks. If you’d really taken that bet, you’d have lost for sure!”

“Not too foolish after all.”

Huaxin, still worried, grabbed the silly child’s hand again. “Come on, let’s find a shady spot to rest for a bit.”

But Yun Miao, like a husky on a leash, dragged Huaxin straight toward the nearby Bamboo Grove.

“No, I want to go to the Bamboo Grove!”

Huaxin stumbled and had to keep up. “Going to the Bamboo Grove to rest? That works.”

Yun Miao: “No, to look for bamboo shoots!”

Huaxin was puzzled. “Bamboo shoots? You want to eat them? But we don’t have a pot to cook them, so we’d have to roast them.”

The others also thought Yun Miao wanted to eat bamboo shoots or just wanted to dig for fun.

Although Guan Dahai and Gao Zhu were already tired, they kindly helped search as well.

Just as Guan Dahai had said, it was hard work finding shoots in this season—but fortunately, the Bamboo Grove was vast, so if they weren’t pressed for time, they could eventually find some with effort.

But strangely, after finding the shoots, Yun Miao wouldn’t let anyone else dig them up.

She just stood nearby, staring intently at each shoot, as if she could glare them out of the ground.

Everyone: ???

What kind of bamboo digging technique was this?

As everyone watched in confusion, Yun Miao glared at each shoot she found, then beamed at them. “Just wait, I’ll treat you all to baozi soon!”

As soon as she finished speaking, she hit Load/Reload.

Hey, hey, hey! Free giant meat buns—your noble player grandma is here to collect you!

“Hm?”

In a spacious Stone Hall somewhere, a White-Haired Woman knelt at a stone table, pouring herself tea.

She looked at her teapot, then at her empty cup.

She remembered she’d just finished a pot of tea and was reading a book—so why was she pouring tea again?

She touched her hair, which flowed down like a waterfall, her eyes full of confusion.

She knew her lifespan was running out and she didn’t have many years left, but surely she wasn’t senile already?

“So greedy, little girl.”

Tian Laokou grinned slyly and held up two fingers. “Two sticks of incense. If you can find ten shoots, I’ll give you this whole batch of baozi for free. How’s that?”

Yun Miao: “Deal! A gentleman’s word is as good as gold—whoever goes back on it is a turtle bastard!”

She said this loudly, drawing the attention of many passersby and vendors, all trying to figure out who the “turtle bastard” was.

Tian Laokou gave her a thumbs-up. “You’ve got guts, little girl. All right, whoever backs out is the turtle bastard!”

A busybody nearby asked curiously, “What’s going on?”

Tian Laokou cheerfully explained his bet with Yun Miao.

Some people frowned, thinking the bet was impossible for the girl to win.

But most were just there for the spectacle—someone immediately offered a free incense burner and two sticks of incense, generously letting Yun Miao and the others inspect them, swearing up and down that he and the baozi vendor weren’t in cahoots, he just liked a good show.

Huaxin had already started to walk away, but before she could stop Yun Miao, the girl had already agreed.

So she and Granny Hua helped check the incense burner and incense sticks.

There wasn’t much to check anyway—the bet was so lopsided that everyone knew it was impossible.

How could a teenage mortal girl dig up ten tender bamboo shoots in a summer Bamboo Grove?

Everyone knew Yun Miao couldn’t win, so the vendor, as the destined winner, had no reason to cheat.

The two sticks of incense were soon lit and placed in the burner.

Yun Miao patted her chest confidently at the others. “Don’t worry, there will be bamboo shoots, there will be baozi, there will be everything!”

With that, she hurried off toward the Bamboo Grove.