470: Chapter 470 Million Pre-made Dishes

"Where's the goods I wanted?"

"You know, inspections have been strict lately."

"What do you mean? You trying to double-cross me!"

"Don't be so nervous. I just want our transaction to be more secure."

In a quaint little alleyway, some very suspicious sounds were drifting out.

At the end of the alley, a man with a red headscarf and another man wearing sunglasses and a black Face mask were acting furtively, as if conducting a deal.

"I need to see your sincerity first."

The black-masked man took a few steps back, looking around to ensure it was safe.

Seeing this, the red-masked man opened his Storage Pouch, revealing the Spirit Stones inside.

These Spirit Stones were a mix; only a few were High-Grade Spirit Stones, while most were Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

It was clear the red-masked man was professional, knowing to break up the funds to avoid drawing outside attention.

After sweeping his Divine Sense over them, the black-masked man confirmed the value of the items.

"Four hundred thousand? Indeed, just right."

"Enough talk. I've brought what you wanted, so where's mine!" The red-masked man interrupted the black-masked man's muttering. He sniffled and his whole body shook, as if he could hardly contain himself.

The black-masked man didn't say much. After stepping closer, he pulled out a Storage Pouch and opened a small slit, letting a wonderful aroma waft out.

When the red-masked man saw the Storage Pouch, his eyes nearly bulged out from behind his sunglasses. His breathing grew rapid, but he suppressed his excitement and reached out his hand.

"I want to inspect the goods."

The black-masked man tossed the Storage Pouch to the red-masked man, then tucked his hands into his robes, continuing to scan the surroundings while offering a reminder.

"Hurry up. Inspections have been too strict lately. I didn't even dare to move goods in the morning or evening, which is why I chose the afternoon."

"If you're any slower, once night falls, we'll both be in trouble."

"Yes, yes, stop rushing me." The red-masked man waved his hand dismissively and began to inhale deeply to inspect the goods.

"Pure, pure, pure, pure, pure! Ah~ your goods are still the most authentic!"

The black-masked man didn't think much of it and just replied casually.

"The source is different, so there's a reason they're expensive."

"But I'm out of stock now too. This is my last shipment; don't come looking for me next time."

After finishing the inspection, the red-masked man tossed the Storage Pouch filled with Spirit Stones to the black-masked man and said with some regret.

"Sigh, what a shame. Another channel gone."

"In this business, your source is the best. Now that you're quitting, it looks like it'll be even more expensive to have an authentic pre-prepared meal in the future."

"I tell you, those cops from Liyan Holy Land have too much time on their hands. Just because the Taiyi Sect was absorbed into the Truth Cult, they started a total ban on the import of pre-prepared meals."

"They were semi-legal before anyway. Even if they've been incorporated now, that's just standard practice in the Eastern Region. They haven't done anything wicked. The Northern Frontier and West River haven't banned it either. It's just them poking their noses into everyone's business, meddling in this and that."

With the transaction complete, the black-masked man also felt relieved. Listening to the red-masked man's words, he felt a bit of interest in chatting.

"You can't say that. After all, the Southern Desert has always been like this. If they made an exception for such a small thing and broke the rules, it would lead to trouble later."

"Liyan Holy Land follows the principle that 'to right a wrong, one must exceed the proper limit; without exceeding the limit, the wrong cannot be righted.'"

"Otherwise, the Southern Desert wouldn't be so clean."

The red-masked man shrugged. Just as he was about to say something, he heard a sudden sound of footsteps from the entrance of the alley.

"Smuggling pre-prepared meals! You're under arrest!"

"Go, go, go! Catch them!"

"Stay where you are and surrender immediately!"

The red-masked man was startled. He turned to flee, only to see that the black-masked man had already scaled the wall and escaped, leaving only his silhouette behind.

"Damn! Not a single person in this world has any loyalty!"

After saying that, he drew a mark on the ground pointing in the direction the black-masked man had fled, while he himself ran off in another direction.

On the other side, the black-masked man expertly erased his tracks as he ran, occasionally tossing out a couple of Talismans to disrupt the fluctuations of the surrounding Spiritual Qi.

"What bad luck. It's the very last deal; why did this have to happen?"

"I clearly calculated it. As long as I didn't come out in the morning or evening today, there shouldn't have been any trouble."

The black-masked man ran all the way to a small bamboo hut. Only then did he shed his black outer clothes, revealing an awe-inspiring, righteous Face and his Daoist robes.

Then he took out a banner from the bamboo hut, which read:

"One divination to know your destiny, five Spirit Stones."

On the side, there was a line of small characters:

"Determine fortune and misfortune, calculate prospects, glimpse into marriage."

After finishing all this, the Daoist finally breathed a sigh of relief and began to mutter to himself.

"Good. Now I'll head to the divination stall at the edge of the city and stay there for a few hours. No one will suspect me then."

"After finishing this deal, I've saved up nearly three million. I've achieved financial freedom again; it should last me quite a while."

"I just don't know when the person the old man told me to wait for will finally arrive."

As he spoke, his grip on the banner pole tightened involuntarily.

"Old Zhou, oh Old Zhou, where on earth did you go? I've been out of stock for so long; what am I going to do in the future?"

"Xiao Sheng!"

A booming voice came from the entrance of the bamboo hut, startling him.

He reflexively threw the banner pole aside, then clutched his head with both hands and shouted.

"Officer, this is really my first time! I don't know anything!"

"I'm a law-abiding... Old Wang!"

That's right. This smuggler of pre-prepared meals was none other than Xiao Sheng, who had been kicked out of his sect by his Master due to certain matters.

It was also because of his habit of spending lavishly that he quickly burned through his accumulated funds. Since he had no money and couldn't return, he had no choice but to temporarily take up the business of smuggling contraband.

He thought that after selling this last batch of pre-prepared meals, he would wash his hands of it and never do it again, but he hadn't expected to be pursued by the Law Enforcement Team.

Just when he thought his hideout had been discovered and was ready to surrender and go to jail, he realized the person who had come was actually his good friend, Wang Yao.

It was a complete emotional roller coaster.

Inside the bamboo hut, the two sat by a small table, picked up their teacups, and drank heartily.

"Old Wang, we haven't seen each other in years, have we? Being able to see you here, I really... I'll say no more. I'll toast you with tea instead of wine!"

Xiao Sheng was in a truly great mood. He hadn't been this happy in a long time, not since he was inexplicably kicked out of his sect by that cheap Master of his three years ago.

But Wang Yao's expression was very strange. He looked at Xiao Sheng, hesitating to speak, but finally sighed and said it.

"Old Xiao, have you gotten yourself into some kind of trouble? Look, if something's happened, just turn yourself in. As your good brother, I'll do my best to put in a good word for you."

"You must not stray into the wrong path."

Strangely enough, after Wang Yao arrived here, he somehow saw a squad from the Liyan Holy Land Law Enforcement Team chasing a group of masked men.

Overwhelmed by a sense of justice, he had charged straight after the one who had run the furthest, wanting to help.

He never expected that the person he was catching would be his own good brother, which left him somewhat at a loss.

Reasonably speaking, Xiao Sheng was his good brother, and they had a life-and-death friendship; he should let him off. But if Xiao Sheng had truly committed a major crime, he couldn't just ignore it.

Thus, he was torn, but he still believed that given Xiao Sheng's character, he wouldn't have committed any major crime. So, he wanted to offer some advice and see if he could learn the truth to help him.

"Sigh, don't be fooled by the big commotion. I haven't actually committed any major crime; I was just selling some pre-prepared meals."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yao also relaxed.

He had been in the Southern Desert for some time now and was quite familiar with the customs here.

Most external tools or items, as long as they were related to demonic sects, were basically considered contraband.

Although enforcement wasn't extremely strict, and some items with little impact could be privately owned if reported in advance.

But looking at Xiao Sheng's situation, he must have held a significant amount in violation of the rules and traded it away. Still, such a minor matter wasn't actually that big of a deal.

He had a bit of Face with the Law Enforcement Team in this area, so putting in a word for him should be possible.

"I thought it was something major, but it's just this little thing."

"This kind of behavior is indeed not very respectable, but it's not a major issue. I originally wanted to help catch some criminals, but I didn't expect to catch you."

"Since it's not a big deal, then forget it; I won't interfere. Just don't do it again in the future, and I'll help you speak to them later."

Wang Yao raised his teacup, took a slight sip, and a smile appeared on his Face.

Xiao Sheng, on the other hand, was pleasantly surprised.

Although he concealed his aura and wore a mask every time, if he ever slipped up, there would be a criminal record.

When the time came for combined punishment for multiple offenses, he would definitely be in trouble.

But he hadn't expected that Wang Yao actually had connections with the Liyan Holy Land Law Enforcement Team and could help him clear those records.

Consequently, he became instantly excited, grasping Wang Yao's hand and thanking him repeatedly.

"Old Wang, you're doing well for yourself! You've done me a huge favor!"

Wang Yao also smiled and waved his hand.

"It's nothing. We're brothers; it's just a small matter."

"Holy crap, a matter involving three million Spirit Stones is a small matter? Old Wang, you've really struck it rich!"

While Xiao Sheng was still flattering him, Wang Yao's smile had already frozen.

"How... how much?"