One plus one is greater than three

"Who's bold enough to buy a haunted house? Who in Jiamao City would dare eat at a restaurant like that?"

"I don't care who eats there. I just want to fill in the missing piece on the sign and finish that last character. Either that or smash the sign down. It's driving me mad."

"Exactly. Who puts seven characters on one side of a couplet and six on the other...?"

"Cheap sensationalism. Does he really think these little tricks will lure people into his shop to eat and drink?"

"To be honest, if someone hadn't died in there, I'd actually want to give it a try..."

The lion dance troupe performed energetically to the clang of gongs and drums while the onlookers buzzed with discussion.

In the past, whenever a new shop hired a lion dance troupe to attract customers, it would already have been packed.

But the haunted house's reputation was too formidable. Even though everyone in Jiamao City knew the Ghost inside never appeared during the day, nobody wanted to risk picking up bad luck just to try something new.

Besides.

The restaurant's sign and couplets were incomplete in all sorts of places, making them unbearably awkward to look at. Combined with its identity as a haunted house, the place somehow felt like a restaurant that didn't belong to the living world.

The onlookers were making all manner of guesses about the restaurant.

Suddenly.

A reasonably handsome young man appeared in the doorway, drawing everyone's attention.

[Deng Libuduo] stood in the doorway, his mouth dry. He opened it, but not a sound came out. He had still overestimated his courage.

This is so embarrassing!

He couldn't quite understand why a game with an immortal-hero theme would have an NPC like Lin Bai. He seemed utterly out of place in this world, marching far too much to his own drum.

"Xiao Deng, sing!" Behind him, Lin Bai clenched his fist in an encouraging gesture.

"Boss, you really will waive my meal bill?" [Deng Libuduo] swallowed and turned to Lin Bai for confirmation once again.

"If you perform well, of course I will." Lin Bai gave him a sidelong glance, already beginning to miss [Long Xi], who had stripped in the street. It was just a game. Why burden yourself with so many inhibitions?

Even I, an NPC, act more like a player than you!

Once I plant the Positive Emotion Tree, I'll have to pour a few bowls of motivational chicken soup down your throat and build up your confidence.

[Deng Libuduo] scanned the crowd without spotting any other players. He took a deep breath and let his voice ring out. "You love me, I love you, Chef God Restaurant welcomes you."

A moment of silence.

Even the lion dance troupe's movements paused for an instant.

"Again," Lin Bai said softly.

Without the systems and the players, he would never have done anything so outrageously shocking.

But the Nine Suns Scripture and the Dragon-Subduing Ten-Stroke Palm gave him all the motivation he needed.

The safety that came from keeping a low profile and enduring in silence was as false as that of an ostrich burying its head in the sand. When danger struck, it would crumble at the first blow.

Only strength was truly his own.

Since growing stronger required these methods, no matter how far he went, there was no shame in it.

The first step was always the hardest.

After bravely singing that first line, something inside [Deng Libuduo] snapped. He had successfully broken through his own limits, and stirring up the emotions of so many NPCs even gave him a faint sense of pleasure.

It's only a game, after all!

And so.

He boldly lifted his head. "You love me, I love you, Chef God Restaurant welcomes you. You love me, I love you, Chef God Restaurant welcomes you..."

"Shameless!"

"An affront to public decency."

"A restaurant singing such filthy words in broad daylight! Is this a place to eat or a brothel? An utter affront to public decency!"

The carpenter, the blacksmith, and the restaurant's suppliers all swallowed at the same time. Was something wrong with this fellow's head?

He had been arrogant yesterday, but he had still spoken normally.

Was he having an episode today?

Reality proved it.

The destructive power and influence of a system holder combined with a player went far beyond something as simple as one plus one equaling two.

Clang!

A gong rang out.

Lin Bai had found a moment to borrow a gong from the lion dance troupe. During a pause in [Deng Libuduo]'s singing, he struck it hard.

[Deng Libuduo] shuddered and stopped singing.

Clang!

Lin Bai struck the gong again, smiling as he surveyed the crowd and called out, "Everyone, I'm the proprietor of the God of Cooking Restaurant. Our little establishment has just opened. In gratitude for your support, we've decided to offer some discounts to our neighbors in Jiamao City.

"I'm sure you all heard the lyrics our employee just sang. Any customer willing to sing those lines at our entrance will receive twenty percent off their meal. Bring a friend and sing together, and both of you get thirty percent off. Three singing together get forty percent off, and four get fifty percent off.

"Our shop has little capital and slim profits. These discounts will last seven days. Supplies are limited, so it's first come, first served."

To make sure everyone heard his pitch, Lin Bai used his internal energy.

Whether because it was his first time using it or because the Nine Suns Scripture was incomplete, his voice rose and fell erratically, sounding anything but smooth.

Still, the area was open, and the gong had drawn everyone's attention and silenced their conversations. Every person present heard his announcement clearly.

Standing closest to him, [Deng Libuduo] felt his ears buzzing from the force of his voice. He became even more convinced that Lin Bai was an expert. He had come to the right place.

An uproar erupted!

The novel marketing tactic sent the crowd into a commotion.

Twenty percent off for one person, thirty for two, forty for three, and fifty for four, all for singing at the entrance. That sounded very tempting!

"Is that really true?"

"Probably. His shop has just opened, but it's in such an out-of-the-way spot, and a haunted house at that. He must be using this to draw a crowd. Singing that embarrassing song in public will weed out plenty of thin-skinned people. That alone will keep his expenditure low.

"And once word of this strange method spreads, it's bound to pique people's curiosity. Even those who don't eat here will come to watch the spectacle. Opportunities like this don't come along often, after all. I reckon that within three days, most of Jiamao City will know the haunted house has become a restaurant."

Someone nearby chimed in, "Once people come, some won't be able to resist going inside to eat. Then, as long as his food is decent, he'll certainly stay afloat. An incomplete sign and mismatched couplets—this proprietor knows how to take the unorthodox edge of the sword. He's a talent."

"Will anyone really eat there?" someone asked.

The earlier speaker shook his head. "You underestimate human nature. There aren't that many wealthy households in Jiamao City. For ordinary folk, what's singing a few lines if it means a cheap meal? You love me, I love you..."

As he spoke, he suddenly slipped into singing. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he snapped indignantly, "Shameless."

"He's actually a martial artist."

"So young, yet his internal energy cultivation is already considerable. Instead of diligently practicing martial arts, he wastes his thoughts on these clever little schemes. He's thrown away his future."

"He opened his shop in a haunted house. Surely he doesn't actually think martial arts can fight ghosts?"

"We'll find out tonight whether they can. With all this commotion, I certainly couldn't stand it if I were one of the restless spirits inside."

"He has no idea what he's courting. Daoist Li expended his magical power to imprison Old Song's Family back then. Things would have returned to normal after ten years. Let's hope this uproar doesn't provoke them into becoming vengeful ghosts."

"You make an excellent point. Whatever happens, we should report this to the city lord first. There have been too many strange incidents these past few days. I suspect some great upheaval may be coming to Jiamao City."

Lin Bai couldn't hear the crowd's various discussions and speculations, nor did he want to.

Once an arrow left the bow, there was no calling it back.

Right now, all he wanted was to grind out his martial arts techniques and arm himself. Unlike the Emotion System, the Incompleteness System counted individual people. Lin Bai had to find ways to draw more people over to appreciate the beauty of incompleteness.

He handed the bronze gong to [Deng Libuduo] and instructed him, "Little Deng, don't stop. Keep singing."

With that.

He walked toward the blacksmith and the others watching from the side.

Seeing Lin Bai approach, neither the blacksmith nor the carpenter showed him a friendly face.

"Masters, might I ask you for a favor?" Lin Bai first cupped his hands and bowed to them, speaking with a smile.

"Dream on," the carpenter said coldly.

"As the saying goes, there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. A businessman shouldn't quarrel with money." Lin Bai took out the ten taels of silver he had just exchanged for and smiled. "Masters, this promotion of mine is bound to bring plenty of customers in to eat. Xiao Deng and I certainly won't be able to manage alone.

"Sorry for the trouble, but could you ask the workers in your shops to come lend a hand? After all, better to work with familiar faces than strangers. I'm new here, and finding other people would only waste time. Naturally, I wouldn't ask you to help for nothing. After seven days, I'll settle all your outstanding wages. Besides paying your workers, I'm also willing to add another thirty percent. How does that sound?"

Looking at the silver Lin Bai offered, both craftsmen froze. Could anyone's skin really be this thick?

"Better to untie a knot of enmity than tie one. Masters, would you be willing to be my friends?" Lin Bai extended the silver a little farther, his eyes smiling as he spoke sincerely. "We all made mistakes before. Why not use this opportunity to turn the page? After all, my shop has only just opened, and I'm hoping to keep doing business in Jiamao City for quite some time!"

Lin Bai wasn't afraid they would take the silver and then go back on their word. The Ghost in his restaurant was only a secondary consideration.

The key was human nature. Ten taels of silver fell just short of settling all their wages, but it would certainly cover the materials. In that sense, they were no longer losing money.

But people pursued profit. By paying some of their wages while withholding the rest, then offering an extra thirty percent, Lin Bai had given anyone reason to take a chance on collecting the full amount and earning another sum on top.

Moreover, by showing weakness, Lin Bai had planted another suggestion in their minds: he intended to do business here for the long haul, and his shop stood here as collateral. Without their realizing it, that gave them greater confidence that they would recover their wages...