They headed to the kitchen, where they ran into Tang Ya and Bei Bei, who were also trying to come up with a solution for them.
They found the person in charge of ordering supplies for the kitchen and negotiated for an extra batch of ingredients, such as ten jin of meat and twenty fish.
That way, they could make barbecue.
They hadn't decided on the exact ingredients yet, but they would definitely be cheap.
There was no way they could afford anything expensive.
After the others left, Tang Ya said with satisfaction, "I didn't expect you to start looking for people to discuss this with as soon as school began. You've got a real eye for making money."
They hadn't relied on her and Bei Bei. They'd come up with a solution themselves.
Though young, Ji Siyuan and Huo Yuhao had already learned to stand on their own.
Huo Yuhao said, "It was all Siyuan's idea. He was the one who brought me here."
Ji Siyuan said, "Honestly, I don't want to take on this kind of work. But we really don't have any start-up capital."
The three of them looked at him, unable to understand what he meant.
"It's not that we can't cook. Top chefs are still incredibly rare. But we're Soul Masters, and we need to spend a lot of time cultivating. So I want to find another way to make money if I can."
In truth, Ji Siyuan had no idea where to find something like a cooking competition in Douluo Continent.
Otherwise, he could have signed up.
His cooking skills and technique might not be God Rank in this world, but they would still be top-notch.
Tang Ya asked, "Are you thinking of doing something else?"
"Generally speaking, aren't Soul Masters richer than ordinary people?"
Everyone nodded.
"If people have more money, wouldn't a greater proportion of them spend it on luxuries?"
"Mm."
"And wouldn't better cooking be worth a higher price?"
"That makes sense, but it wouldn't really work. People care more about the ingredients. Only good ingredients count as nourishing food."
That was Ji Siyuan's disadvantage. He knew nothing about the food combinations used for nourishment in Douluo Continent, and he had no money to buy high-quality ingredients.
Bei Bei patted his shoulder. "No wonder you need to build up some capital first."
"No, that's just one reason. I was only sticking up for chefs just now. What I really want to do is find out if there are any idiots I can fleece."
??
Huo Yuhao said, "Siyuan, isn't that wrong? My mother taught me that extortion is wrong."
He patted Huo Yuhao. "No, you've misunderstood. I've already looked into it. Soul Fights can have private wagers. As long as there are fools around, we can beat someone stronger than us and earn Gold Soul Coins."
The most important thing for making barbecue was Xu Sanshi, who was right up ahead. He could cough up coins.
The Mystic Water Pill wasn't important to Ji Siyuan. What mattered was Gold Soul Coins.
Before the Freshman Assessment, he would need a lot of money.
Xu Sanshi was a walking pile of coins.
Bei Bei said, "He's right. This fifteen-year-old Battle Soul Master, Siyuan, can fool quite a few people."
And this guy was an expert at running betting schemes.
He'd teamed up with Xu Sanshi to fleece who knew how many people.
Tang Ya didn't want to hear any more about the future. "For now, we just need to get the barbecue ready, right?"
"Exactly."
"Then why think about so much else? We can get ready after school starts."
Huo Yuhao asked, "So we don't have to fight right now?"
Ji Siyuan said, "Right. It's not like some weakling is going to show up right in front of us this instant."
As it happened, Wang Dong'er had just walked over and heard him say that.
"What did you say?" She turned around and saw Ji Siyuan and the others. She was so angry she laughed. "You really are everywhere. You finished eating and didn't leave—you were just waiting here to make snide remarks about me?"
What a coincidence. They'd run into her again.
Huo Yuhao tried to explain, but Wang Dong'er cut him off. "You said you're stronger than me. Do you have the guts to fight me?"
"Uh, the school doesn't allow fighting."
"It does. There's the Soul Fight Arena!"
"We're both broke. We can't afford to go to the Soul Fight Arena."
Never mind whether they could afford a match. Just getting in would cost one Silver Soul Coin.
Ji Siyuan couldn't bear to spend that much.
"What are you looking at me for? Do you think I'm going to invite you to fight me? I'm not as stupid as you think."
Tang San said, "Lure her into the Tang Sect. Tang Beast should order her to join."
"Wow, Uncle Tang, you've already come up with a nickname for yourself in this timeline."
"I don't want to share a name with him."
With outside help giving him advice, this was easy. "In that case, we can't afford the Soul Fight Arena. What if we fight outside instead, without using our Martial Souls? How about this: if I can't win in three moves, I lose."
It was a textbook provocation.
Wang Dong'er didn't believe for a second that he could beat her in three moves. "If you win, I'll treat you to dinner for a week!"
"No, no. I can't afford to bet money."
"Then what are you getting at?"
Seeing that the fish had taken the bait, Ji Siyuan immediately started reeling her in. "How about this: if I lose, I'll apologize to you at a place of your choosing for three days in a row. But if you lose, you have to join our sect."
"What do you mean, join your sect? What sect do you belong to?" Wang Dong hadn't even considered that he might ask for something like that.
Hearing Ji Siyuan's wager, Tang Ya immediately gave him a thumbs-up. "Nicely played!"
As for introducing the sect, that was a job for Tang Ya, its sect master.
Tang Ya carefully explained the Tang Sect's history and methods.
As expected of Tang Beast's handiwork: the moment Wang Dong'er heard about joining the Tang Sect, she lost her wits and started chatting with Tang Ya.
She turned around and agreed to Ji Siyuan's terms.
Tang San said, "Too bad she's not in your dorm."
?
"Uncle Tang, get a grip. We're in a double dorm."
"Siyuan, why do you think she's called Wang Dong'er? Shouldn't her surname be Tang?"
People on Douluo Continent identified relatives by their Martial Souls. After becoming gods, they could see it directly, too, so surnames weren't important.
"She's using an assumed name. She'll take the Tang surname once the three parts become one."
After answering, Ji Siyuan suddenly perked up. "Uncle Tang, what are you thinking? You're not planning to take her back right now, are you? We can't do that."
"No. I was thinking that if you got all three of them, wouldn't that count as bringing them together in a way?"
"Uncle's very happy that you can find his daughter, but the one you found isn't complete, and Uncle doesn't like that. Uncle's giving you a mission right now: find all three of them."
???
There were three parts, and one of them was in the Divine Realm. How was he supposed to find her?
The third part was a huge problem. He hadn't even dealt with the first one right in front of him yet.
Wang Dong'er was ready to fight Ji Siyuan.
She wanted to join the Tang Sect, but she couldn't afford to lose to him.
Tang Ya acted as the referee. They tied Blue Silver Grass around their waists, and the fight began.
Without Martial Souls, Ji Siyuan had the advantage in every way.
Before Huo Yuhao could use his cheat, Ji Siyuan had already caught Wang Dong'er by the back of her neck. "You lose!"
"Let go of me!"
He let go, and Wang Dong'er hit the ground with a smack.
"You bastard! I'll fight you to the death!"
Blue Silver Grass hurriedly pulled them apart.
Ji Siyuan rubbed his chin. "It's soft. Not like a chopping board."
Wang Dong'er looked down at her flat chest and flew into a rage. "I haven't developed yet!"
The furious little lion was held back, unable to get over and hit him.
Tang Ya came over and tapped him. "What's wrong with you?"
"It just slipped out."
Ji Siyuan lowered his head and apologized, then left Tang Ya to smooth things over.
Wang Dong'er officially joined the Tang Sect.
She fumed, "When you have money, we're fighting at the Soul Fight Arena!"