As one group left, another arrived.
The front of Chef's Divine Food Stall was filled with chants of "you love me, I love you," which formed a wave of sound that never ceased. This mingled with the sounds of encouragement and applause, creating a cacophony.
When people became accustomed to something, the sense of shame they initially felt disappeared and transformed into fun.
Lin Bai could see this clearly from the backstage income figures.
But he didn't really care.
In only one day, he had harvested so many negative emotions that the small tree had sprouted and grown into a magnificent tree.
It had even grown a flower bud, meaning fruition was imminent.
Now, Lin Bai was simply waiting for the Negative Emotion Tree to bear fruit, after which he would plant the Positive Emotion Tree as well.
As the saying goes, 'When things reach an extreme, they reverse.' Once the shame from "you love me, I love you" disappeared, it transformed into happiness and joy, which are positive emotions. But there was no Positive Emotion Tree. It was a shame to waste all those resources. Once both trees were planted, he could be both a vibrant and refined lad.
「...」
The bustling scene continued until evening.
As darkness fell and a cold wind blew, someone shouted, and everyone suddenly remembered that the place was the Dreadful Mansion.
Immediately, they rushed to leave in small groups.
Those who were curious dared not approach but watched from afar.
Lin Bai glanced at the setting sun and then at Zhang Bao and Zhang Dashan, who were visibly anxious. He smiled and said, "Let's go outside to talk."
Zhang Bao and Zhang Dashan clearly breathed a sigh of relief, and with a few strides, fled from the shop.
Dumbelldore was reluctant to leave, his eyes fluttering around the shop, full of curiosity about the spirits he had never seen. "Shopkeeper, are there really spirits in the shop?"
"Yes," Lin Bai replied, picking up the money box. "Let's go out and count today's harvest. You did well. Thanks for your hard work."
"You're welcome." Dumbelldore gave a sheepish grin. "Shopkeeper, my food expenses..."
"Forget it." Lin Bai waved his hand generously. Now that he was amassing a fortune of negative emotions, he no longer cared for the negativity of such small fry.
Moreover, if the Chef's Divine Food Stall was to operate for a long time, it needed some handy employees.
"Thank you, Shopkeeper!" exclaimed Dumbelldore, overjoyed. A hard day's work had not been in vain.
Once they were outside, Lin Bai counted the day's profits. After deducting the costs, the net income was twenty-seven taels of silver.
Zhang Bao and Zhang Dashan's eyes were practically popping out of their heads in envy.
Zhang Bao swallowed hard and said, "Shopkeeper, you really know how to make a fortune. You earned in one day what my dad earns in two months."
Lin Bai merely smiled and handed them each a piece of broken silver. "Here is your salary."
The pair took the silver, stunned. "Shopkeeper, this is a bit too much!"
"The extra is for your hard work." Lin Bai chuckled, cupping his hands. "I will need your help again tomorrow."
"Absolutely, absolutely." Having received benefits, Zhang Bao and Zhang Dashan had already forgotten about Lin Bai's previous harshness and readily agreed.
Zhang Dashan hesitated, then looked at Lin Bai and stammered, "Shopkeeper, you must be careful of the Wild Wind Gang. Today, two members came to eat. They left angrily without eating anything after hearing our prices. They said they'd teach you a lesson."
The Wild Wind Gang—Zhang Family Punch Palace—Local Bully— A chain of thought swiftly connected in Lin Bai's mind. He chuckled. "Got it. You two should rest early and come over early tomorrow. We'll need your help for a few more days."
Seeing that Lin Bai wasn't taking it seriously, Zhang Dashan anxiously said, "Shopkeeper, you can't ignore this. The people in the Wild Wind Gang are different from small families like ours; they're all martial artists..."
"Don't worry. I wouldn't be running this kind of business if I was afraid of offending people," said Lin Bai. "No matter where one goes in this world, can anyone truly escape reason?"
Zhang Dashan's mention of the situation was within Lin Bai's expectations.
After all, his business thrived on offending people, so it would be strange if no one came looking for trouble.
In the Vast World, all sorts of people exist. He can't expect every person to be as understanding as Song Qing and Zhu Huan. After all, the Chef's Restaurant was just a tool for Lin Bai's growth and increasing fame. In society, regardless of the method, being infamous or famous is better than being unknown. The worst fear is being unnoticed, to the extent that even Players can't be bothered with you!
Zhang Dashan wanted to say more, but Zhang Bao stopped him. "Dashan, don't bother. If the Shopkeeper isn't afraid of the spirits, why would he be afraid of the Wild Wind Gang?"
"You're right," Zhang Dashan responded, glancing absentmindedly at the entrance of the shop. Suddenly he shivered, his teeth chattering. "Shopkeeper, w-we'd better go..."
Before Lin Bai could respond, the two men were already shrieking and staggering away.
[Depression from Jimmy Navada, Sera Wade, and Song Ling: +1+1+1...]
A prompt sounded in his mind.
Lin Bai turned around.
Jimmy Navada, Sera Wade, and Song Ling were floating near the door, their faces filled with resentment.
"Holy fuck!" Dumbelldore exclaimed as he turned around. "They're real?"
"Old Jimmy, you've come out quite early today!" Lin Bai glanced at Dumbelldore and greeted them with a smile.
Jimmy Navada remained silent, his face grim.
Looking at Lin Bai mournfully, Song Ling said, "Big Brother Lin, you're so cruel."
"How am I cruel?" Lin Bai asked.
"You've turned our home into such a ghostly mess, and it was so noisy all day that we couldn't rest," Song Ling replied.
"Rest during the daytime?" Lin Bai asked, surprised.
"Yes." Song Ling pointed to her tired eyes. "We can't come out during the day, but we can see and hear what's happening outside. Before you came, we could still sleep. But today, we've been restless all day long because of the noise. If it continues like this, we might really become fierce ghosts..."
Listening to their conversation, Dumbelldore suddenly began to doubt Lin Bai's identity. This doesn't seem like he has subdued these fierce ghosts at all!
Lin Bai was startled. "This is the first time I've heard that spirits need to sleep."
"It's not actually sleeping," Jimmy Navada said. "It's a peculiar state that resembles sleep but isn't, and resembles being awake but isn't. In that state, our bodies replenish themselves..."
"AHEM!"
A cough interrupted Jimmy Navada. Lin Bai turned around. Suddenly, behind him stood a portly, middle-aged Taoist. Lin Bai's eyebrows furrowed. Trouble's here!
At the sight of the Taoist, fear gripped the Navada family, and they immediately huddled together.
Dumbelldore's eyes lit up, his body shaking with excitement. It wasn't a wasted effort; the plot is really unfolding!
Lin Bai remained silent for a moment, then saluted the Taoist. "Greetings, Reverend Taoist."
The Taoist returned the salute. "Greetings, Storekeeper Lin."
Lin Bai smiled. "Reverend Taoist, the shop is closed now. You can come back for a meal tomorrow."
"Storekeeper Lin, this humble Taoist is not here for a meal but to save your life." The Taoist shook his head, not bothering to expose Lin Bai's pretense. He pointed to the three spirits in the shop and said directly, "Humans and ghosts walk separate paths. Storekeeper, your courage is admirable. You knowingly operate your shop with this unnatural presence, like taking a chestnut from a fire. Although they seem good-natured, they are not living beings. Prolonged coexistence will inevitably lead to corrosion by their yin energy. In mild cases, it will shorten your life; in severe cases, you will lose it. It's not worth seeking wealth that harms your body and life. Listen to this humble Taoist's advice: it is wise to withdraw as soon as possible."
Why the hell should I back down just because he says it's for my own good? I've spent so much effort setting up this interconnected mission, and I'm just waiting to reap the rewards! Lin Bai cursed silently.
He hated any kind of unexpected interference.
He had only been in this world for ten days and knew nothing about the martial arts or Taoist magic of the outside world. Moreover, the Taoist had appeared so unexpectedly that he wasn't even clear about his own abilities. Without a point of comparison, he had no idea where his martial power stood in society.
Facing such an unpredictable Taoist, Lin Bai was unwilling to take risks. He cupped his fists towards the Taoist and decided to employ a delaying tactic. "Reverend Taoist, could you give me a night to think it over?"
"Storekeeper Lin, indecision breeds trouble," the Taoist said with a faint smile. "Such matters shouldn't be delayed. You might as well leave now while I take measures to reseal this Dreadful Mansion, preventing others from being led astray."
The Navada family shivered in fear. Having been tricked by Lin Bai, they had grown wary of Taoists and no longer trusted them.
Damn! So domineering? Even a demolition team isn't this efficient!
Lin Bai took a deep breath and said with a smile, "Reverend Taoist, I've invested five hundred taels of silver in this shop. Today's net profit is close to fifty taels, and tomorrow it will only be more. If you want me to move, how much are you willing to pay? I won't do it if the price isn't right."
Dumbelldore's eyes widened in shock.
Isn't this blatant lying? Although I don't know how much he invested, the profit today was just calculated at twenty-seven taels. After paying the wages of those two, he only has twenty-five taels left. Yet he asks for fifty! Isn't he being too greedy? Moreover, this Taoist is here to save his life. Is it appropriate to talk about money with him? Dumbelldore's opinion of Lin Bai's character underwent a considerable change.
The Taoist also seemed to be encountering such a situation for the first time and was momentarily stunned.
[Resentment from Daoist Priest Qingfeng; +1+1...]
Regaining his senses, Daoist Priest Qingfeng flicked his horsetail whisk. He suppressed the anger in his heart and reminded, "Storekeeper Lin, this humble Taoist is saving your life."
"Reverend Taoist, people die for money, and birds die for food. If I can earn more money, what does it matter if I lose a few years of my life?" Lin Bai assessed the Inner Strength circulating within his body, along with the Dragon Subduing Palm techniques that felt as familiar as if he had practiced them since childhood. He counted on his fingers, "My little shop earns fifty taels a day. I don't plan to run it for too long. Just one year, and that comes out to eighteen thousand two hundred and fifty taels. Add the initial capital of five hundred taels, so Reverend Taoist only needs to give me eighteen thousand seven hundred and fifty taels as life-buying money. Then I will listen to your arrangements and move out of the shop. How does that sound?"
Lin Bai spoke with complete conviction.
Beside him, Dumbelldore, the Navada family, and the old Taoist stared at Lin Bai, dumbfounded.
Their minds couldn't quite wrap around it. Is ransom money calculated like this?