Chapter 292: Lure People Away? This Cat is the Best at It

Seeing this, Li Li’s clone didn’t hold back and cupped the teacup with both paws to drink. You have to admit, the tea was quite sweet and refreshing. Places untouched by pollution were indeed different.

The waiter at the side wasn’t surprised. After all, all sorts of people came and went here, and many brought their spirit beasts. Just yesterday, he had served a young master who brought a snake.

“Food’s up! Sir, what we have here is our Drunken Immortal Restaurant’s signature Eight Treasure Duck, fresh seasonal vegetables, and chestnut pastries.” At that moment, the waiter from downstairs shouted as he brought up the dishes.

The waiter who had led the way quickly moved aside to make way for him.

“Sir, please try these. They are all our specialties here. We guarantee you won’t be disappointed,” the waiter serving the dishes said with a smile as he set them down.

“Alright, I will try them.” Hearing this, Hu Xiong nodded with a smile. “If there’s nothing else, you two can go down first.”

“Ah? Yes, yes.” The waiters were stunned for a moment, then replied with a smile and turned to leave.

After seeing them leave, Hu Xiong gestured to Li Li’s clone, inviting him to eat.

Li Li’s clone didn’t hold back and picked up the Eight Treasure Duck to eat. He didn’t forget to comment while eating:

“This duck tastes good, but it seems to be pre-made, not freshly cooked. It feels like it’s missing something.”

“That’s natural. If it were freshly made, we wouldn’t know how long we’d have to wait to eat,” Hu Xiong said with a smile, picking up a chestnut pastry. “It seems there’s nothing happening here now. We can return whenever we want.”

“Yes, but is there a need to rush?” Li Li’s clone said with his mouth glistening from the oil.

It was quite good here, but his world wasn’t bad either. Was there a need to rush back? It would be nice to stay there a bit longer. It wouldn’t hurt to stay a bit longer, and they wouldn’t lose any flesh.

“I’m not in a hurry, but the others are. They all have their own things to do and don’t want to stay there forever,” Hu Xiong explained with a smile, his gaze falling on the bustling crowd outside, his brows furrowing slightly.

Li Li’s clone, seeing this, curiously leaned over. He saw a group of people in uniform searching for something.

“What’s wrong? Do you know these guys?” Li Li asked curiously.

“Yes, these guys are from the Zhengyi Alliance,” Hu Xiong nodded. “They claim to uphold justice, but they are actually a bunch of rotten scoundrels. You see them now, they’re collecting protection fees in the city. If anyone dares not to pay, they will take action.”

“Oh? So direct?” Li Li shook his head. “There’s no skill involved at all. This isn’t how you collect protection fees. They’re obviously amateurs.”

“Uh, Cat Cat Captain, you’re not angry at all hearing this?” Hu Xiong was stunned. Why weren’t his words what he had imagined?

“Why should I be angry? We can manage it for a while, but can we manage it forever? Besides, it’s better for them to manage it than no one at all,” Li Li’s clone muttered as he ate the Eight Treasure Duck.

He was angry, but only for a moment. Then he wasn’t angry anymore. After all, this wasn’t his world, and he couldn’t control everything. Besides, would managing it temporarily be useful? That was impossible. It would only bring them more trouble.

So either don’t interfere, or if they did, they had to be able to uproot the problem completely.

“That’s true. I was being naive.” Hu Xiong nodded with a smile and poured Li Li another cup of tea.

Li Li didn’t hold back and continued eating, taking the opportunity to observe the surroundings. He had to admit, the architecture of this martial world was truly antique and elegant.

Even a simple restaurant looked so luxurious that he couldn’t afford to eat here. Luckily, he didn’t have to pay. Otherwise, he would have lost a fortune.

“Food’s up! Sir!” At that moment, the waiter’s voice came from outside again, followed by steaming dishes being brought in.

Li Li’s eyes lit up at this sight. After the waiter set the dishes down, he started to devour them.

Hu Xiong, seeing this, couldn’t help but shake his head with a smile. His gaze drifted to the distance, where disciples of the Huntian Sect appeared.

The person leading the group was very familiar to him. It was Chi Jing’an, whom he had met in the tomb.

“It seems we’re not the only ones here. There are fellow Daoists too.” Just as Hu Xiong was looking at Chi Jing’an, Chi Jing’an also noticed his gaze. He couldn’t help but smile and say to his companions, “I thought they would show up later, but they appeared so soon. Since we’ve met, let’s go up and greet them.”

“Yes, after all, we’re all players. It wouldn’t hurt to get to know each other.”

“Indeed.”

The others agreed with a smile and walked over with smiles on their faces.

“Cat Cat Captain, there are fellow players coming. Do you think we need to hide?” Hu Xiong asked after noticing Chi Jing’an and the others approaching.

“Why hide? Wouldn’t that make us look afraid of them?” Li Li’s clone said as he bit into the pork knuckle.

What a joke! He was in the middle of eating. Asking him to leave while he was eating? Who did they think they were, the King of Heaven? Even if the King of Heaven came, he’d have to behave while he was eating.

“That’s true. Then let’s wait here for them to come over,” Hu Xiong said with a smile, showing no intention of moving.

Soon, a series of footsteps could be heard outside the private room.

“May I ask if Brother Hu Xiong is inside? I am Chi Jing’an. I’m here to discuss something. May I come in?” Chi Jing’an stood in front of the private room door and said loudly.

“Cat Cat Captain, do you think we should let them in?” Hu Xiong didn’t answer immediately after hearing the voice. Instead, he looked at Li Li’s clone.

“They’ve come all the way here. If we don’t let them in, it would make us look petty,” Li Li said, putting down the pork knuckle.

“Alright, then I’ll let them in.” Hu Xiong smiled and got up to open the door.

“Brother Hu, it’s good to see you! It’s been a while, and you look as radiant as ever!” Chi Jing’an said with a smile and clasped his hands in greeting as the door opened.

“Brother Chi, you too! This is not a place to talk. Please come in and let’s have a chat,” Hu Xiong said with a smile.

“Alright.” Chi Jing’an nodded and stepped inside. Soon, the entire private room was packed with people. When they saw Li Li covered in oil, they quickly bowed and said, “Greetings, Brother Cat! It’s been a while, and you’re still as mighty and domineering as ever.”

“Yes, yes. Your mighty and domineering figure in the tomb is still imprinted in our minds.”

“Indeed. If there’s a chance in the future, we hope to cooperate with you.”

“Sure, sure. Everyone, please sit down. Don’t just stand there,” Li Li’s clone said, waving his paws.

“Thank you, Brother Cat.” Chi Jing’an and the others sat down, taking the opportunity to observe Li Li’s clone, the main player.

“Brother Chi brought so many friends here. I’m sure it’s not just for a simple visit. I wonder what you’re here for?” Hu Xiong asked, seeing this.

After all, Li Li’s clone was focused on the pork knuckle and didn’t seem like he was going to ask anything. So he had to be the one to ask.

“I wouldn’t dare say it’s for guidance. I just wanted to get to know Brother Hu. After all, for so long, I only knew that Brother Hu was the number one rogue cultivator in the Martial King realm. I didn’t know we were actually fellow Daoists,” Chi Jing’an said with a smile.

He had heard of Hu Xiong’s name in his sect before and had even looked down on him, thinking, what skills could a rogue cultivator have? But after seeing his abilities in the tomb, he realized that he had been narrow-minded and underestimated the heroes of the world.

Indeed, every player couldn’t be judged by common sense.

“It’s just an empty title, not worth mentioning. Brother Chi’s reputation is far greater. I can’t even compare,” Hu Xiong said with a smile and waved his hand dismissively. He was just a rogue cultivator. Even with the golden finger of being a player, he was still far behind the disciples of these large sects.

“Aren’t you two being too roundabout?” Li Li’s clone said, looking at them as he gnawed on the knuckle. “Can we speak more directly? Don’t be so hesitant.”

“Alright! Brother Cat is indeed straightforward. Then I won’t beat around the bush. I’m here to ask if you two are interested in doing something big?” Chi Jing’an said, looking at the man and the cat, waiting for their answer.

“I wonder what you mean by something big?” Hu Xiong hesitated for two seconds before asking.

Since the other party called it big, it definitely wasn’t small. He just didn’t know what it was.

“You should have heard that every year, the Zhengyi Alliance gathers the protection fees collected from various places and sends them to the headquarters, right?” Chi Jing’an looked at Hu Xiong and Li Li with a smile. “And now, those protection fees are right here.”

As he spoke, Chi Jing’an tapped his finger on the table. “Aren’t you two tempted at all? You know this isn’t a small sum. If we could get it… Hehehe, I think you both understand.”

“This business is indeed big enough, but the risk isn’t small either. How can you guarantee that this business won’t go wrong?” Hu Xiong said. Since it was the protection fees collected by the entire Zhengyi Alliance, it definitely wouldn’t be a small amount. And if it was being transported to the headquarters, there would probably be countless experts escorting it. Could they rely on just these few people? They might end up throwing themselves into the fire and getting nothing in return.

“Of course, I have my own inside information. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be discussing this with Brother Hu and Brother Cat,” Chi Jing’an said with a smile. He took out a map from his bosom and spread it on the table. “This is the layout of the Zhengyi Alliance branch in the city. The one in charge is a Martial Venerable realm expert. There are also eight Martial Kings in the branch. Of course, it’s a special period now, so there will be more people inside. But according to current intelligence, there’s only one Martial Venerable realm expert present.”

“But the premise is that we have to act fast enough. I wonder if you two are interested? This is a highly lucrative deal. If it’s successful, it will be a huge profit for all of us.”

“That’s true, but if it’s really that easy to solve, your group should be enough. Why do you need to involve us?” Hu Xiong looked at Chi Jing’an and said.

If these were all the people involved, he didn’t believe the other party wouldn’t have a way to handle it.

“Of course, it’s for safety’s sake. After all, no one can guarantee there won’t be other guys there. And dealing with a Martial Venerable realm expert is troublesome. We need Brother Cat to personally take action. Otherwise, even if we can handle it, we might not be able to escape,” Chi Jing’an explained with a smile.

After all, a Martial Venerable realm expert was still a Martial Venerable realm expert. Although they, as players, had many tricks up their sleeves, it wouldn’t be easy to escape if they really encountered one.

The best way was, of course, to have someone who was also in the Martial Venerable realm handle it.

“So when will we strike? This cat’s time is precious, and I don’t want to waste time here. It’s best to get this done as soon as possible,” Li Li asked, wiping his mouth after hearing this.

Money that came knocking on the door shouldn’t be refused. Anyway, he was just a clone. If there was a problem, he could just run away.

“Of course, the sooner the better,” Chi Jing’an said with a smile, pointing a finger outside. “We’ll strike in a moment and catch them off guard. I’m sure they won’t expect anyone to do this in broad daylight.”

“Indeed, barging in during the day, they probably wouldn’t expect it. So how will we split the loot?” Li Li asked, raising the most important point of this operation. With so many people going together, how would they divide the money?

“Of course, it’s a 50/50 split. We won’t take more just because we have more people on our side. After all, Brother Cat, you’re dealing with a Martial Venerable realm expert. The risk you’re taking is much greater than ours,” Chi Jing’an said with a smile, having already prepared his words.

“If you say so, then there’s no problem,” Li Li’s clone said with satisfaction and stood up from the chair. “Alright, since there’s work to be done, this cat won’t eat anymore. Let’s get ready to work.”

“Uh, isn’t that too fast?” Hu Xiong asked weakly.

They were going to rob the Zhengyi Alliance’s protection fees, not play house. Was Cat Cat Captain this excited?

“No, the saying goes, ‘delay leads to changes’. If we hesitate here and don’t make a decision quickly, what if more people arrive?” Li Li’s clone jumped onto the table and said, “Since we’ve decided to do it, we should cut the Gordian knot. What do you all think?”

“You’re absolutely right.”

“Indeed, Brother Cat is right.”

The players nodded repeatedly, agreeing with him. That was the logic.

“That’s good. Let’s sign an agreement and get ready to move,” Li Li said with satisfaction and threw the contract to Chi Jing’an and the others.

“Uh, Brother Cat, you’re really cautious. You even need to sign an agreement for such a small matter.”

“This is just a private activity between us. There’s no need to be so formal.”

“Yes, yes.”

The players who were initially excited said with awkward smiles.

“It’s not okay without an agreement. Although we say it’s a private activity, it’s better to be formal. Otherwise, it’ll be easy to cause chaos without rules,” Li Li’s clone said with a smile and took out an ink pad, placing it in front of them. “Since you’ve found this cat, you wouldn’t be joking with me, right?”

As he spoke, he waved his claws, revealing his sharp, gleaming nails. Seeing this, the players couldn’t help but gulp.

“Cough, cough, of course not. Brother Cat, you can rest assured. We came with sincerity. How could we be joking?”

“Yes, yes, we’ll sign it right away.”

They didn’t expect this demon race to be so cautious, actually requiring them to sign a contract.

“That’s right. It’s good to follow the rules when doing things.” Seeing the names appearing on the contract, Li Li nodded with satisfaction and put it away.

Hu Xiong finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that they would rashly agree to go with these people, leaving them to take the fall.

Now that they had signed a contract, at least they didn’t have to worry about being stabbed in the back later.

“Yes, yes. So can we act now?” Chi Jing’an asked with a smile, his heart becoming wary.

This cat wasn’t as easy to fool as he thought. It seemed things wouldn’t go as smoothly as they had planned.

“Naturally.” Li Li nodded his big head, then packed up all the food. He then said to Hu Xiong, “You go pay the bill first. I’ll go with them. You can catch up later.”

“Alright.” Hu Xiong nodded in response. Li Li then looked at Chi Jing’an.

Seeing this, Chi Jing’an smiled and extended his hand. “Brother Cat, please!”

“Hmm.” Li Li nodded and followed him, contacting Hu Xiong at the same time, telling him not to follow.

“Ah? Cat Cat Captain, you’re not letting me follow? What are you planning to do?” Hu Xiong was shocked.

Why wouldn’t Cat Cat Captain let him go? He couldn’t understand.

“You didn’t sign the contract. What are you going to do? Work for free?” Li Li’s clone said exasperatedly.

“Ah? That’s right. Cat Cat Captain, you didn’t seem to have me sign the contract just now,” Hu Xiong suddenly came to his senses.

He had been wondering what felt off. Now he finally realized it. It was because he hadn’t signed the contract.

“Nonsense! If you had signed it, what if they beat you up after I lured the people away?” Li Li said exasperatedly.

“Then you must have something else for me to do here, right, Cat Cat Captain?” Hu Xiong’s heart warmed as he asked.

He believed the other party deliberately didn’t have him sign it. There must be other reasons.

“Of course! You’re responsible for providing support from the shadows. If these guys fail, you’ll go in and get the stuff,” Li Li said. It was better to rely on himself than on others.

Especially when they were still unfamiliar with each other, it was always right to have more backup.

“Alright, I understand. I’ll do as you say.” Hu Xiong nodded. Cat Cat Captain valued him so much; he wouldn’t let him down.

“That’s right. Hurry up and follow me. We’ve arrived,” Li Li’s clone said, looking at the grand mansion.

“Oh.” Hu Xiong responded and took action.

“This is where the Zhengyi Alliance branch is located. We’ll have to trouble Brother Cat now,” Chi Jing’an said with a smile.

“No problem. I’ll go in and deal with the guards. You guys hurry up and follow,” Li Li’s clone said, and with a few flashes, he rushed inside.

“Uh, is he that reckless?”

“Yeah, wouldn’t he cause a commotion by rushing in like that?”

“Right! How are we supposed to sneak in and get the stuff then?” The players who followed were dumbfounded.

In their opinion, since the other party was so powerful, he should have been able to sneak in quietly, lure the people away, and not just charge in like this.

“Maybe in the eyes of demon races, killing everyone is considered sneaking in,” Chi Jing’an sighed and quickly followed. “Don’t just stand there dumbfounded. Otherwise, it’ll be even harder to get the stuff once they’re on guard inside.”

“Oh, oh.” Hearing this, the others immediately followed.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay