"Who was brave enough to buy the Dreadful Mansion? Who in Jiamucheng would dare to eat in such a restaurant?"
"I really don’t care who would go in there to eat. I just want to either fix the missing character ’shop’ on the sign, or smash the sign down altogether. It’s simply an eyesore."
"Yes, indeed. A seven-character side of a couplet matched with a six-character side... nonsense."
"A sheer desire for cheap popularity. Do they really think that with such flattery and cheap tricks they could lure custors into the shop?"
"Honestly, if it were not for the fact that soone died in there, I might give it a try..."
The lion dance troupe perford with full energy amid the rolling drums and cymbals, as the surrounding crowd murmured among themselves. If it were the old days, a new eatery opening with a lion dance troupe would have ant a full house instantly. But the reputation of the Dreadful Mansion was too great. Even though everyone in Jiamucheng knew the spirits inside didn’t co out during the day, no one was willing to risk being tainted by bad luck to go in and try the food. Moreover, the restaurant’s signboard and couplets were incomplete in several places, looking incredibly awkward. Combined with the mansion’s eerie reputation, it gave the establishnt a feeling of not belonging to the mortal realm.
The surrounding crowd was making all sorts of guesses about the restaurant when suddenly, a rather handso young man appeared at the entrance, drawing everyone’s attention.
Dumbelldore stood at the door. His mouth felt completely dry; he opened and closed it, but no sound ca out. He had evidently overestimated his own bravery. How embarrassing!
He didn’t understand why an NPC like Lin Bai would appear in a ga about immortal warriors, completely out of step with the rest of the world. Lin Bai was just too unique.
"Little Deng, sing!" Lin Bai, standing behind him, clenched his fists and made an encouraging gesture.
"Boss, is it really free food?" Dumbelldore swallowed hard, turned back to Lin Bai, and confird again.
"It depends on your performance." Lin Bai glanced at him. He even started to miss Dragon Breath, who would strip in the middle of the street. It’s just a ga, why have so much psychological burden? I, an NPC, am more like a Player than you are! Once the Positive Emotion Tree is planted, I’ll definitely have to feed you a few bowls of ’chicken soup’ to help boost your personal confidence.
Dumbelldore scanned the crowd and didn’t notice any other Players. He took a deep breath and yelled, "You love , I love you. Chef’s Divine Food Stall welcos you."
Silence fell in an instant. Even the lion dance troupe paused for a mont.
"Go on," Lin Bai whispered.
If it weren’t for the System and the Players, he definitely wouldn’t have done such a shocking thing. But the Nine-Days True Scripture and the "Descending Dragon’s Palm" gave him ample motivation. The safety brought by keeping a low profile and forbearance was like an ostrich burying its head in the sand—all illusory. When danger struck, it would prove utterly fragile. Only true strength was one’s own. Since increasing his strength required such thods, then no matter how outrageous his actions, it wasn’t shaful.
Everything is hard at the beginning. After bravely singing the first line, that thread of tension in Dumbelldore’s heart snapped. He had successfully broken through his own barrier. Mobilizing the emotions of so many NPCs, he even felt a faint sense of pleasure. After all, this is still a ga!
So, he courageously lifted his head: "You love , I love you, Chef’s Divine Food Stall welcos you! You love , I love you, Chef’s Divine Food Stall welcos you..."
"Shaless!"
"It’s an affront to public decency!"
"A restaurant singing such vulgar words in broad daylight! Is this an eatery or a brothel? Utterly scandalous!"
The carpenter and the Blacksmith, along with the restaurant’s suppliers, all swallowed hard. Is this guy out of his mind? Yesterday, although arrogant, his speech was still normal. Has he lost it today?
As it turned out, the destructive power and influence generated by a System holder plus Players were far more than a simple case of one plus one equaling two.
CLANG! Lin Bai had found a mont to borrow a gong from the lion dance troupe. Seizing a gap in Dumbelldore’s singing, he struck it forcefully.
Dumbelldore shivered and stopped singing.
CLANG! Lin Bai struck the gong again, then smiled as he scanned the crowd, announcing loudly, "Everyone, I am the Shopkeeper of Chef’s Restaurant! Our humble shop is newly opened, and to show our appreciation for your support, we’ve decided to offer so benefits back to our Jiamucheng neighbors! You must have all clearly heard the lyrics our waiter just sang. Any custor willing to sing those few lines at our shop’s entrance can enjoy a twenty percent discount on their al. If you can bring friends to sing with you—two people singing together get a thirty percent discount, three people singing get forty percent off, and four people singing get a fifty percent discount! Our shop operates on thin margins, so this offer lasts for seven days only. Supplies are limited, first co, first served!"
To ensure everyone heard the announcent, Lin Bai utilized his Inner Strength. Perhaps because it was his first ti using it, or because his Nine-Days True Scripture was incomplete, his voice fluctuated wildly in pitch, sounding quite uneven. However, the area was open, and the crowd, silenced by the gong, still heard the promotional details clearly.
Dumbelldore, standing closest to him, felt his ears ringing from the force. This only further convinced him of his suspicion that Lin Bai was an expert. He had co to the right place.
The crowd erupted! This novel marketing strategy caused an uproar. Twenty percent off for one person, thirty percent off for two, forty percent for three, and fifty percent off for four—just for singing at the entrance? It sounded very tempting!
"Is this for real?"
"It’s probably real. His shop just opened, but it’s in such a remote location and it’s the Dreadful Mansion; he definitely needs this to attract people. And singing that embarrassing song in public is enough to filter out a large number of thin-skinned people. Due to this alone, his investnt won’t be too large. Once this peculiar thod spreads, it will surely arouse many people’s curiosity. Even if they don’t eat, they’ll co here to see the spectacle. After all, such opportunities are rare. I believe that in less than three days, most people in Jiamucheng will know that the Dreadful Mansion has beco a restaurant."
Soone nearby chid in, "If people co, so will inevitably be unable to resist going in to eat. Then, as long as the quality of his food isn’t bad, he’ll definitely survive. The incomplete signboard and asymtrical couplets show this Shopkeeper is skilled at taking unconventional paths. He’s a clever one."
"Will people really go eat there?" soone asked.
The previous speaker shook his head. "You underestimate human nature. There aren’t that many wealthy households in Jiamucheng, after all. For ordinary folk, what’s singing a couple of lines if it ans a cheap al? ’You love , I love you...’" As he spoke, he suddenly started singing. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he added resentfully, "Shaless."
"He even practices martial arts."
"At such a young age, yet his Inner Strength cultivation is already profound. But instead of focusing on Martial Arts, he’s wasted his potential on these tricks."
"This man opened his restaurant in the Dreadful Mansion; perhaps he truly believes Martial Arts can fight off ghosts?"
"Whether or not he can fight ghosts, we’ll know tonight. He’s causing such a commotion; if I were the resentful souls inside, I certainly couldn’t endure it."
"He’s courting death. Back then, Daoist Master Li expended his spiritual power to trap Old Song’s entire family. Originally, things could have returned to normal in ten years. With him making such a fuss, let’s just hope they don’t get provoked into becoming fierce ghosts."
"You’re absolutely right. Regardless, let’s report this to the City Lord first. There have been too many strange occurrences these past few days. I suspect Jiamucheng might be on the verge of so major upheaval."
Lin Bai couldn’t hear the various discussions and speculations from the crowd, nor did he want to. The arrow has been nocked; there’s no turning back. Right now, his sole focus is on acquiring Martial Arts techniques to arm himself. The Incomplete System, unlike the Emotional System, counts by headcount. Lin Bai must find a way to attract more people to appreciate the beauty of incompleteness.
Handing the bronze gong to Dumbelldore, Lin Bai instructed, "Little Deng, don’t rest. Keep singing!" With that said, he walked towards the Blacksmith and the others who were watching the spectacle from the side.
Seeing Lin Bai approach, the Blacksmith and the carpenter naturally didn’t give him a warm look.
"Masters, could you perhaps do a favor?" Lin Bai first cupped his fist in his other palm in a salute, speaking with a smile.
"Dream on," the carpenter coldly replied.
"There’s an old saying: no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. A businessman can’t afford to be at odds with money." Lin Bai took out the ten taels of Silver he had just exchanged and said with a smile, "Masters, with this promotion of mine, many people will surely co to eat. Dumbelldore and I will definitely be overwheld. I’d like to trouble you two to find so of your forr staff to co and lend a hand. After all, it’s better to work with familiar faces; I’m new here and don’t know anyone, so looking for others would waste ti. Naturally, I won’t ask you masters to help for free. In seven days, not only will all your outstanding wages be fully paid, but when I pay the wages for the staff you bring, I’m also willing to give you an additional thirty percent on top. How does that sound?"
Staring at the Silver Lin Bai offered, both craftsn were dumbfounded. Could a person really be this shaless?
"It’s better to resolve enmity than to create it. Masters, are you willing to befriend ?" Lin Bai pushed the Silver in his hand forward a bit more, a smile in his eyes, and said sincerely, "We’ve all made mistakes in the past. Why don’t we let this matter be a chance to turn over a new leaf? After all, my humble shop has just opened, and I plan to stay in Jiamucheng for a long ti!"
Lin Bai wasn’t afraid they’d take the Silver and then go back on their word; the spirits in the shop were a secondary concern. The key was human nature. Ten taels of Silver were just shy of settling their full wages, but it was certainly enough to cover material costs, so technically, they weren’t at a loss. However, people are driven by profit. By paying a portion of their wages while holding so back, and then offering an additional thirty percent, Lin Bai knew anyone would be tempted to take the chance to recover their full paynt and earn that extra sum. Moreover, Lin Bai deliberately projected a hint of vulnerability, psychologically suggesting to them that he intended to run his business here for the long term. The physical presence of the shop served as collateral, invisibly boosting their confidence in getting the rest of their wages...
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