Two hours later, Kitamura Bolo and the two servants neared the front of the line.

The servants heaved sighs of relief at the sight of the onigiri stand and its fifty-year-old caretaker. Finally, they could confirm once and for all whether this unrecognizable disciple was the person he claimed to be.

“Xiu Shang, Confirmed,” said the old lady from behind the counter before giving the man in front of the counter a pair of freshly-wrapped onigiri with no filling.

Senior Sister Dandan, also known as Demon-Eyed Dandan, held an honorary role amongst the outer sect disciples. Her memory was outstanding even when comparing her to other Foundation Establishment cultivators, and her strict adherence to sect protocol gave her the opportunity to run this stand on behalf of the sect’s administration, netting her a good amount of sect credits per month.

As a result, after one’s first trip to her onigiri stand where she would ask for your name, she would forever memorize your face and name, no longer requiring you to announce your name on subsequent visits. Thankfully, this proficiency of hers sped up the onigiri-serving process immensely.

But more importantly, the two servants would just need to wait and see if she recognized this chubby outer sect disciple as the ‘one and only’ Kitamura Bolo and not some new disciple trying to showboat.

Given Bolo’s comment on the line’s length today, this instance was unlikely to be his first time visiting the stand. It was already suspicious that someone supposedly wealthy would opt into a long line for free balls of rice. No one could blame them for wanting to verify his identity.

“Wan Ruogang. Confirmed.”

The person in front of Bolo received a pair of rice balls and left the line.

It was finally Kitamura Bolo’s turn. He was in the middle of recounting how he had persuaded two beautiful girls to dance with him at one of the Ryuga palace’s formal events, so it took him a second to notice that he was next.

Dandan gave Bolo a stern look, her cinnabar earrings intensified the venomous feeling of her gaze. Even though she had turned fifty this year, her Foundation Establishment cultivation combined with a ‘Beautifying Solution’ given to her by an admirer two decades ago had allowed her to retain the appearance of a woman in her late twenties.

Bolo was unfazed by her stare. He spoke up before she could confirm his identity, “Oh, beautiful big sister! I have met my first two friends in the sect today. Can we have an extra helping to celebrate?” As he spoke, he patted the taller backs of the friendly-looking servant and his dopey-looking companion.

The servants gulped for the second time in the brief period they had known Bolo while receiving what could only be described as a death stare from Senior Sister Dandan. The focused gaze of a Foundation Establishment cultivator could place a hefty pressure on the shoulders of one still at the Qi Flourishing stage.

To address her with such familiarity and request that she bend the rules for, not just him, but them as well? Was he tired of living? Did he desire a natural high that could only be fulfilled by seeking death? Why must you drag us down with you!

After looking at both their faces for several breaths, she stated in an indifferent tone, “Kitamura Bolo. Confirmed. Zhuo Jian. Confirmed. Shan Huai. Confirmed.” A pen placed on the stand floated upwards and scribbled their names onto a list in a notebook.

A bundle of, not two, but three onigiri were handed to each of them wrapped in a cheap cotton shawl.

Trying his best not to salivate over the wrapped food, Bolo gave Dandan an earnest smile. “Big sister’s beauty is matched only by her kindness.”

While Kitamura Bolo did not have much success with women, made obvious by his embellished stories of wooing girls with greatly-exaggerated progress, he had tons of experience buttering up his papa and mama for benefits such as a fourth and fifth meal, hard-to-procure cultivation resources, or some fancy threads to impress girls.

Dandan returned a cold stare of indifference and a single word, “Next.”

Bolo took that as his cue to leave and the two servants fumbled along after him, shocked at the outcome of the exchange.

Not only was this young man the Kitamura Bolo that was practically giving away his wealth to the entire sect, but he also managed to sweet-talk the Demon-Eyed Dandan into bending the rules for them.

If they played their cards right, could they get in his good graces as well, just like Big Brother Migawari Puchi?

Little did they know that Dandan was in an exceptionally good mood today.

She had just rented out her keystone for a fourth ‘Foundation Fortifying Pill’ and would retrieve it in ten days. The same time she would get paid for this month’s food-distribution, allowing her to buy a ‘Core Formation Pill’ that would also increase her chance of a breakthrough to the Core Formation stage.

Combine that with the fact that some monstrous disciple had beaten several records in the challenge pit which would fill her cave with an abundant source of Qi, everything was coming together to increase her chance of success.

The Heavens were truly paving the way for her!

Since the famous Little Brother Bolo had a hand in assisting her, how could she not return the favor? If he wanted some extra onigiri, forget one extra helping, she wouldn’t mind giving him three dozen.

Big sisters should always watch out for their little brothers, especially those that knew how to appreciate beauty!

…

The two servants followed Bolo a dozen steps away from the stand where he hastily unwrapped his onigiri and devoured them before they could unwrap their own bundles. Seeing that Bolo had finished his food and might leave at any time, they panicked at the thought of losing an opportunity to get closer to him.

“Senior Brother Kitamura, you are very kind. You didn’t have to do this,” said the friendly Zhuo Jian while motioning to his three onigiri.

The dopey Shan Huai agreed, “Yes, senior brother. Since we are at the Qi Flourishing stage, two onigiri is more than sufficient for one day.”

It was a fact that the more one’s cultivation advanced, the less one’s body required food for nutritional intake. By absorbing Qi from your surroundings and circulating it through your meridians and dantian, your body could obtain a more purified form of energy for its bodily functions.

For Immortals, food was more of a luxury than a necessity. And not just any food, but exquisitely prepared food, cooked with rare ingredients or in a specific manner that reduced the number of impurities while elevating the dish’s flavor and beneficial effects.

“In that case, I won’t stand on ceremony.” Bolo picked up an onigiri from each of their bundles and began eating them leisurely. Three wasn’t enough to fill him up, so he decided to take his time and enjoy these last two.

The two robbed servants were struck speechless.

Their initial refusal was clearly an act of routine politeness. What happened to celebrating our new friendship? Shouldn’t you insist that we eat them!

They frowned simultaneously at each other as their stomachs tightened after witnessing the sudden loss of food. While they could survive on two onigiri each day, they were far from being satisfied.

Bolo laughed at their faces. “Not just your names, but even your expressions match! I like you guys. How about you both become my followers?”

Zhuo Jian and Shan Huai’s eyes shimmered in delight at his offer. They looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

“We will follow senior brother,” they stated in perfect unison. The sect servants must have repeated this line several hundred times for it to sound so rehearsed.

Bolo nodded at his two taller and older recruits. “Now if you are free, follow behind me! I am still new to the sect, so I want to find other places to meditate aside from my cave…for a change of scenery. Can you two show me a good location to use?”

“Oh, senior brother, a good place did spring up yesterday that everyone is taking advantage of,” Zhuo Jian spared no time and quickly answered his question in an effort to win more points with his new boss.

His new followers were celebrating their new station as personal servants for this wealthy senior brother when they heard this request. Because of their newfound bliss and absolute certainty that this man was the Kitamura Bolo, it did not occur to them how strange his request was.

An Immortal’s cave was not an ordinary cave. They were made with the intent of gathering, filtering and condensing the world’s Qi while fortified with walls that blocked sounds and impurities from entering the cave. In other words, they were the perfect place for one to meditate and cultivate for extended periods of time.

A desire to change scenery was not unusual from time-to-time, but how long had Kitamura Bolo used the cave? Five days at most? Considering advanced cultivators would sometimes spend months, even years, locked inside their cave without leaving, wasn’t it too soon for Bolo to want a new location?

Not wishing to fall behind his companion, Shan Huai followed up with extra information, “Yes, Brother Jian is right. In front of the central pillar’s fifth face, three elders are cultivating together. Such an event has not been recorded before in the history of the sect.”

Kitamura Bolo stopped walking and turned to face them with a creepy smile plastered across his chubby cheeks.

“Is Elder Kazane one of them?”

If he could cultivate while spectating a beautiful woman like Elder Kazane, wouldn’t everything in the world be perfect? He might see the princess or the twins as well.

Despite advancing his cultivation stage forward another notch and supposedly being closer to an enlightened individual removed from the world’s six desires and seven emotions, he had made zero progress in overcoming the most common feeling a sixteen-year-old male experienced: lust.

The servants shook their heads.

“Although the central pillar’s fifth face does belong to Fifth Elder Kazane, she is currently away from the sect. The three elders cultivating there are the Second, Fourth and Sixth Elder.”

Bolo pouted at the news, but perked up the next instant when he considered that one of the three other elders could also be a beauty beyond measure.

“Very good. Brother Shan Huai, lead the way. Brother Zhuo Jian, tell me more about these elders.”

If a young master had to be proficient at only one thing, it was shepherding his stooges. Proper division of labor to make each of them feel useful while complimenting them together to keep them on equal footing yet motivated.

And just like that, Shan Huai trotted ahead of them with a smile while Zhou Jian walked to the right side of Bolo with a kindly grin, neither of them realizing that they were being manipulated.

In their hearts, all they could feel was that the Heavens were finally paving the way for them.