Li Qing's Troubles

However, to Ling Qing's delight, Exploding Corn really did exist on the Douluo Continent.

Of course, the other variety, Butterfly Exploding Corn, was also available.

Without hesitation, Ling Qing bought two large bags of each and put them into his Storage Ring. The four large bags together just happened to fill one of his three-cubic-meter rings.

Ling Qing first took two wooden signs out of his Storage Ring. He placed one to the left of his stall and the other to the right.

They read, "The continent's one and only—Ling Qing's Popcorn!"

Well, that was Ling Qing's sign. He couldn't exactly let customers have no idea what he was selling, could he?

Even though...

They still wouldn't know what it was even if he told them.

After setting up his signs, Ling Qing took out all kinds of equipment from his Storage Belt. Once he had assembled everything, he poured in the corn along with the seasonings.

The kind of popcorn sold in movie theaters was relatively simple and quick to make. He only needed to pay attention to the amounts of seasoning, honey, sugar, and butter.

Ling Qing used an ordinary pot and stirred constantly so that every kernel would be heated evenly.

Before a minute had even passed, a rich, sweet fragrance wafted out from the pot. It drifted onto the nearby streets, into the Gourmet Plaza, and over to Xiangju Building...

The air around them became incredibly sweet. Just one whiff was enough to lift anyone's mood.

"Mm, that smells amazing. What is that?"

"What a sweet fragrance!"

"What kind of food is giving off that scent? It's completely different from anything I've smelled before!"

"It smells so good, so good!"

"It seems to be coming from over there..."

"Let's go take a look!"

Ling Qing continued heating the pot. One kernel after another swelled and grew larger, quickly filling more than half the pot.

At that point, he turned off the heat and used the residual heat from the bottom of the pot to continue cooking them. Otherwise, by the time every kernel had popped, some of the popcorn would have burned, and that taste would be truly awful.

Just as the batch of popcorn was finished, seven or eight people arrived in front of Ling Qing's stall. Every one of them desperately inhaled the air around them, intoxicated expressions appearing on their faces.

Ling Qing shrugged helplessly.

"Boss, this smells incredible. How much is one serving? Give me one!"

Hearing someone ask about the price, Ling Qing poked his head out from behind the pot and pointed beside it with a smile.

"Ling Qing's Popcorn, three Copper Soul Coins per serving!"

Ling Qing had not inflated the price. The ingredients for popcorn were actually very cheap. He estimated that this entire pot had cost only three Copper Soul Coins.

Yet this pot would yield far more than one serving. Based on the size of the buckets he had prepared, one pot could provide fifteen servings of popcorn.

That was a profit fourteen times the cost.

When those people saw how young Ling Qing looked, they were briefly stunned, but they quickly recovered.

What did the owner's age have to do with buying popcorn? As long as they could buy it, that was all that mattered.

"Little boss, isn't three Copper Soul Coins for this Ling Qing's Popcorn a bit unreasonable? Three Copper Soul Coins can buy three buns!"

A shrewd-looking young man spoke with a crafty glint in his eyes.

"Sorry, but my popcorn is one of a kind on the continent! Do you think meat buns can compare to my popcorn? Just smell that fragrance."

As he spoke, Ling Qing deliberately stirred the popcorn. The tumbling popcorn immediately released an even richer aroma.

A smug smile appeared on Ling Qing's face.

Hmph, you think I can't handle you?

"Well? Do you want to try it? Three Copper Soul Coins, and I guarantee you'll want more after one bite."

The fragrance of the popcorn seemed almost magical as it continuously tugged at their heartstrings.

Finally, under the temptation of that irresistible scent, the young man before Ling Qing lost his ability to resist.

"Fine, three Copper Soul Coins it is. Give me one serving!"

"Coming right up. Please wait a moment!"

Ling Qing swiftly took down a bucket, then used a scoop to fill it to the brim before handing it to the impatient young man.

"Here you go!"

After receiving the popcorn, the young man did not waste a word. He immediately grabbed one piece and tossed it into his mouth.

His eyes instantly widened, and his face was filled with bliss.

"Crunch, crunch..."

Crisp sounds rang out, and the young man before them actually...

Started crying!

Crying from happiness!

"It's so good! So delicious!"

The onlookers were dumbfounded.

But soon, a second customer stepped forward.

"Kid, hurry up and get me one!"

"Sure."

After taking the popcorn, this person also quickly grabbed a piece and threw it into his mouth.

Then...

"This flavor... it feels like my first love..."

After that, Ling Qing's stall exploded in popularity. An endless stream of people lined up, and even this normally quiet area became packed with customers waiting in line.

"Here is your popcorn. Please take it!"

Seeing the Copper Soul Coins in the cash box before him pile up at a visible rate, Ling Qing smiled happily.

Making money was way too easy.

After selling out that pot of popcorn, Ling Qing took more ingredients from the bags beside him and poured them in.

That was right. He poured the raw ingredients in right in front of everyone, without trying to hide anything.

Ling Qing had never intended to conceal the method for making popcorn. To be honest, making popcorn was incredibly simple. Its difficulty was not even as high as stir-fried tomatoes and eggs.

Among the people lining up to buy it were quite a few chefs and food connoisseurs. With just one bite, they could identify the ingredients inside. Before long, the method for making popcorn would be figured out.

Rather than being secretive about it, he might as well be open and straightforward. Perhaps he could even make a name for himself that way.

Besides, making popcorn popular throughout the Douluo Continent was one of Ling Qing's goals, wasn't it?

As for his other goal... ahem, didn't promoting other Earth cuisines require money?

Selling popcorn now was also for the sake of promoting other foods more effectively in the future.

That was right. Exactly.

Thinking of this, Ling Qing could not help feeling rather pleased with himself. But suddenly, he realized a serious problem.

"Wait... I've been busy making this kind of popcorn, but what about the other kind?"

He had originally wanted to experience the thrill of that "bang," but now...

He had no time to make the other kind.

What should he do?

Ling Qing felt conflicted.

If he made the other type of popcorn, it would take more time, and he would not be able to make as much at once. At most, he could only make five buckets. That would mean his Earth Cuisine Promotion Fund would earn far less.

If he had known, he would have dragged that fatty Huang Wenxin over to serve as labor.

Looking at the long line of Copper Soul Coins before him... no, customers, Ling Qing hesitated for only a few seconds before making his decision.

With so many customers waiting in line, he couldn't make them wait too long, could he? It would not be too late to make the second kind of popcorn tomorrow.

Tomorrow, he would call Huang Wenxin over, then sit on a little stool and leisurely turn the small stove, enjoying himself...

However, Ling Qing had no idea that tomorrow, someone would suffer terribly because of this decision...