Chapter 165 Not a Single Person Bit the Bait

Xiao Yang was left completely dumbfounded.

He looked the person up and down.

The appearance was dainty and effeminate, yet the voice sounded like a rugged brute.

"My wife. Do you have a problem?"

Shock!

Astonishment!

Utter bewilderment!

The crowd froze, staring at Xiao Yang in disbelief.

However, someone quickly shot back.

"Hmph! As if you're worthy. Lady Zhou Yan is a top-tier disciple of the Gigantic Spirit Sect, and the only person in the sect worthy of her is Zhang Long."

Over the past few days, news of Zhang Long's powerful breakthrough had swept across a radius of a thousand miles.

For a time, Zhang Long's name was known to everyone, young and old alike.

In a sense, that name had come to represent the contemporary generation of disciples of the Gigantic Spirit Sect.

"Zhang Long?"

Xiao Yang narrowed his eyes.

"I'll treat you all to breakfast. Don't be polite."

His tone suddenly shifted as he addressed the crowd.

"Hmph! For the sake of Lady Zhou Yan's culinary skills, I'll let you off."

A trace of smugness crossed that man's face as he spoke indifferently.

He stepped forward, reaching out to pat Xiao Yang on the shoulder.

Yet, the moment his hand lifted, he felt a burning pain across his face.

Slap, slap, slap!

A rapid succession of crisp sounds echoed.

The young man was slapped into a daze.

Didn't he say he was treating us to food? Why did he suddenly start hitting people?

"How does it taste? This is my signature 'big-mouth' pancake."

Xiao Yang's voice rang in his ear.

Finally, someone snapped back to reality and let out a furious roar.

"You're courting death! Brothers, beat him up!"

At that cry, the crowd swarmed forward.

"It seems my 'Big-Mouth' brand pancakes need an extra serving."

With those words, Xiao Yang plunged straight into the crowd, swinging left and right, ensuring every single customer received the utmost attention.

One cheek, one big mouthful.

Not a single person was missed, not a single one was spared.

Dozens of breaths later.

Twenty or thirty people stood there, clutching their faces, gazing resentfully at Xiao Yang.

They had come to the painful realization that they were no match for Xiao Yang at all.

"What are you looking at? Are you full yet?"

A stern shout boomed out.

No one in the crowd dared to make a sound.

"Looks like you aren't full. I'll give each of you two more."

Hearing this, the crowd shuddered violently. Abandoning all pride, they frantically waved their hands.

"No, no! We're full, we're full!"

"We've eaten our fill."

Xiao Yang nodded with satisfaction.

Seeing this scene, Zhou Yan burst into a giggle.

"Sorry, everyone, we are returning to the sect with our Senior Brother. If there's a chance, I'll sell breakfast again."

She smiled and explained to them.

At these words, disappointment washed over the crowd.

If they had never tasted Zhou Yan's breakfast, they could perhaps make do with ordinary food.

But now, they were at a point where anything else was impossible to swallow. Every single moment, their minds were haunted by the image of the steamed soup dumplings, fried dough sticks, and soybean milk.

And all those rare, exquisite breakfast delicacies.

Although quite a few people had tried to imitate Zhou Yan, the taste of their attempts could only be described with an awkward laugh.

At best, it was all show and no substance.

"Lady Zhou Yan, can you not leave?"

A young man clutching his face shouted loudly.

Xiao Yang stepped forward instantly and knocked the fellow flat with a single punch.

It took me so much effort to make my Junior Sister quit being a chef, and you damn well still want to drag her back into the water?

Slap, slap, slap!

This brutal display made many shrink their necks in fear.

No one dared to utter another word.

"You're the one talking too much. You were just asking for a beating."

After delivering the blows, Xiao Yang swept his gaze over the crowd.

Immediately, everyone lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.

"You can stop dreaming. This shop will never open again. Now, all of you go back to your respective homes and find your respective mothers. Don't force me to use violence."

Hearing this, many of them sheepishly dispersed.

"Senior Brother, is it really okay for us to do this?"

Zhou Yan looked at the jewelry adorning her body and asked with some worry.

A glance at Zhou Yan at this moment revealed a dazzling, almost blinding sight.

Her entire body was draped in pearls, jades, precious stones, and agates.

Just this outfit alone was easily worth several million taels of silver.

Any ordinary woman would feel exhausted just walking under such a heavy load, but fortunately, Zhou Yan was a powerful martial artist.

The weight of these ornaments meant nothing to her.

It was just that she had been thrifty since childhood, and suddenly dressing in gold and silver made her rather unaccustomed to it.

"Senior Brother, why do I have to dress like this?"

Zhou Yan asked softly.

Hearing this, Xiao Yang simply smiled.

Not daring to speak the truth, he came up with an excuse.

"We were poor when we were little, so now we're making up for it."

In reality, Xiao Yang had heard that mountain bandits were rampant around here and wanted to earn some pocket money.

He was afraid that if they looked too destitute, a band of robbers wouldn't even bother to attack.

That was why he had resorted to this desperate measure.

He wanted to dazzle the bandits' eyes with glittering treasures.

Today, he was actively tempting bandits to commit a crime.

"But I don't like these. Can I take them off?"

As Zhou Yan spoke, she reached out as if to remove a jade pendant from her neck.

"Don't! These cost your Senior Brother over two million taels. You mustn't let down Senior Brother's heartfelt intentions."

Xiao Yang reached out and grabbed Zhou Yan's hand, instantly making the young girl's face flush red.

Heartfelt intentions.

Her mind involuntarily drifted toward a wonderful future.

"Alright! I'll wear them."

Her little head nodded slightly, and with a blushing face, she continued on their journey.

Half a day passed in this manner.

Yet, frustratingly, throughout the entire journey—let alone robbers—not even a single shadow of a person crossed their path.

"Sigh! My plan backfired. How could this happen?"

"Could it be that I wasn't flashy enough?"

He muttered quietly under his breath.

At the same time, his gaze fell upon Zhou Yan. This outfit alone was worth over two million.

Forget small-time bandits; even if a large faction of bandits came along, this would still be a lucrative haul.

So why was no one coming to rob them?

This threw Xiao Yang into a deep state of doubt.

Yet, he felt utterly helpless.

Since the bandits wouldn't come out on their own, could he really be expected to scour the mountains and plains searching for them? That was hardly realistic either.

"Sigh! Such is fate!"

He let out a soft sigh.

This reaction finally caught Zhou Yan's attention.

She asked softly, "Senior Brother, what's wrong? Why are you sighing so much?"

"Nothing, nothing!" Xiao Yang shook his head.

He certainly couldn't tell her that he was using her as bait and not a single fish had bitten the hook.

If he actually admitted that, no matter how good-tempered the young girl was, she would surely be furious with him.

Zhou Yan suddenly nudged her Shadow Leopard beast closer, reached out, and gently molded Xiao Yang's lips into the shape of a smile with her fingers.

A bright smile bloomed on her face.

"Cheer up. We're almost at the sect. If my dad sees you looking like this, he'll think you don't want to see him."

"Who says that? I've actually been missing Master quite a bit; I can't wait to see him right now."

Xiao Yang said with a righteous expression.

Meanwhile, a hundred miles away, deep within a dense mountain forest, a grand feast was underway.

A single glance across the scene revealed at least six or seven thousand people gathered there.

Furthermore, every single one of them exuded a fierce and menacing aura.

At the front-most tables sat a group of burly men, every one of them towering at over two meters tall.

With fleshy, menacing faces, one could tell at a glance that they were not to be trifled with.

"Eat well and drink up, everyone! From now on, the bandits of Thousand Mountain Ridge are people with an organization."

A one-eyed brute raised his wine goblet and proclaimed to the assembly.

Those words immediately sparked roaring cheers from the crowd.

"With our alliance this time, we can run rampant across the entire Thousand Mountain Ridge."

Another brawny man declared boldly and heartily.

Hearing this, the nine men seated at the head table all nodded in unison.

Clearly, they were in complete agreement with the sentiment.