Money to Buy a Life

People left in one wave and arrived in the next.

Outside the Chef God Restaurant, cries of "You love me, I love you" blended into an unbroken chorus, mingling with cheers and teasing calls.

Once people grew accustomed to something, embarrassment ceased to be embarrassment and became a source of fun.

Lin Bai could see this plainly in the income recorded on his backend.

But he paid it no mind.

In a single day, the negative emotions he harvested had made the little tree sprout branches and leaves, growing into a sturdy, towering tree.

A flower bud had even appeared on one branch. Blossoms and fruit were just around the corner.

Now, Lin Bai only had to wait for the negative emotion tree to bear fruit, then plant the positive emotion tree as well.

Things reversed themselves when pushed to extremes. Once the embarrassment caused by "You love me, I love you" vanished, the happiness and delight that replaced it belonged to Positive Emotions.

Without a positive emotion tree,

all those resources were going to waste. What a shame.

With both trees planted, he could be both a spirited young man and a charismatic one.

The bustle continued until evening.

As darkness fell and a cold wind swept in, someone shouted something, and everyone suddenly remembered that this was still a haunted house.

In an instant, they scattered like birds and beasts, leaving in twos and threes.

Even those who remained curious only dared watch from afar, no longer venturing close.

Lin Bai glanced at the sun about to sink below the horizon, then at Zhang Bao and Zhang Dashan, who had long since grown visibly uneasy before him. He smiled. "Come on, let's talk outside."

The two men clearly relaxed, darting through the doorway in a few strides.

[Deng Libuduo] dawdled, unwilling to leave, his eyes wandering around the restaurant. He was intensely curious about the ghosts he had yet to meet. "Boss, are there really ghosts in here?"

"Yes." Lin Bai nodded and picked up the cash box. "Come on, let's go outside and count our takings. You did well today. Thanks for the hard work."

"Just doing my job." Deng Libuduo chuckled. "Boss, about my meal bill..."

“Waived.” Lin Bai waved a hand, making the generous decision. He was now a nouveau riche in Negative Emotions and could no longer be bothered harvesting them from the small fry around him.

Besides, if the Chef God Restaurant was going to stay in business, he needed a few capable helpers.

"Thanks, boss!" Deng Libuduo was overjoyed. His day of hard work had not been wasted.

They went outside.

Lin Bai counted the day's takings. After subtracting the cost of supplies, his net income was twenty-seven taels of fine silver.

Zhang Bao and Zhang Dashan's eyes nearly popped out with envy.

Zhang Bao swallowed. "Boss, you really know how to make money. You earned two months of my dad's wages in a single day."

Lin Bai smiled, took out two pieces of silver, and tossed one to each of them. "Your wages."

The two caught the silver and froze. "Boss, isn't this a bit much?"

"The extra is for your hard work." Lin Bai smiled and cupped his hands. "Sorry for the trouble, but I'll need your help again tomorrow."

"Of course, of course." Having received their reward, the two had already forgotten Lin Bai's earlier nastiness and hurried to agree.

Zhang Dashan hesitated for a moment, then looked at Lin Bai and stammered, "Boss, you need to watch out for the Gale Gang. Two of their men came to eat today. After hearing our prices, they left without eating anything. They looked pretty angry on their way out and said they were going to teach you a lesson."

The Gale Gang—the Zhang Family Martial Arts School—local strongmen—

The connections rapidly fell into place in Lin Bai's mind. He smiled. "Understood. Go home and get some rest. Come early tomorrow. We're shorthanded here, so I'll need your help for a few more days."

Seeing that Lin Bai did not take it seriously, Zhang Dashan grew anxious. "Boss, don't brush this off. The Gale Gang isn't like small households such as ours. Their members all practice martial arts..."

"Relax. If I dare open a restaurant like this, I'm not afraid of offending people," Lin Bai said. "Wherever you go in this world, can anyone escape the demands of reason?"

What Zhang Dashan described was well within Lin Bai's expectations.

After all, his business was offending people. It would have been strange if no one came looking for trouble.

The vast world held every kind of person. He could not expect everyone to be as reasonable as Song Qing and Zhu Huan.

Ultimately,

the God of Cooking Restaurant was merely a tool for Lin Bai to grow and build his reputation.

In society, however you achieved it, a good name or a bad name was better than no name at all. The real danger was remaining so obscure that even players could not be bothered with you!

Zhang Dashan wanted to say more, but Zhang Bao stopped him. "Brother Shan, enough. The boss isn't even afraid of ghosts. Why would he fear the Gale Gang?"

"True enough." Zhang Dashan paused and looked up at the entrance. Suddenly, he shuddered, his teeth chattering. "Boss, w-we'll be going now..."

Before Lin Bai could answer, the two fled, screaming as they stumbled and scrambled away.

[Depression from Song Jinnan, Wu Xiuxiu, and Song Ling: +1+1+1...]

The notification sounded in his mind.

Lin Bai turned around.

Song Jinnan and his family hovered beside the door, their feet off the ground and their faces brimming with resentment.

"Holy shit!" [Deng Libuduo] turned and let out an involuntary cry. "They're real?"

"Old Song, you're out pretty early today!" Lin Bai glanced at [Deng Libuduo] and greeted them with a smile.

Song Jinnan remained silent, his expression dark.

Song Ling looked at Lin Bai reproachfully. "Brother Lin, you've gone too far."

"How?" Lin Bai asked.

"You've turned our home into this ghastly mess, and it was crowded all day. The noise kept us from resting," Song Ling said.

"You rest during the day?" Lin Bai asked in surprise.

"Yes." Song Ling pointed at her weary eyes. "We can't come out during the day, but we can still see and hear what's happening outside. Before you came, we could sleep. But today, the noise went on all day, and we never had a moment's peace. If every day is like this, we really might become Vengeful Ghosts..."

Listening to their exchange, Deng Libuduo suddenly began to question Lin Bai's identity. This hardly sounded like someone who had subdued a Vengeful Ghost!

Lin Bai was taken aback. "This is the first I've heard of a Ghost sleeping."

"It isn't sleep," Song Jinnan said. "It's a strange sensation, neither asleep nor awake. In that state, our bodies are nourished..."

"Ahem!"

A cough interrupted Song Jinnan. Lin Bai turned around. At some point, a plump Taoist in his forties or fifties had appeared behind him. His brow furrowed slightly. Trouble had come knocking!

The instant they saw the Taoist, fear gripped Song Jinnan and his family, and they huddled together.

Deng Libuduo's eyes lit up, his whole body trembling with excitement. All that work had paid off. The plot had finally arrived.

After a moment's silence, Lin Bai bowed with his hands clasped. "Greetings, Daoist."

The Taoist returned the gesture. "Greetings, Proprietor Lin."

Lin Bai smiled. "Daoist, our little restaurant is closed. If you'd like a meal, please come back tomorrow."

“Shopkeeper Lin, I have not come for a meal, but to save your life.” The Taoist shook his head. Without exposing Lin Bai's feigned ignorance, he pointed at the three Ghosts inside and spoke plainly. “Humans and ghosts walk different paths. Your courage is remarkable. Despite knowing there were unnatural beings here, you still dared pluck chestnuts from the fire. Admirable indeed.”

"But forgive my bluntness. Though they are gentle by nature, they are not living people. Prolonged contact with them will inevitably allow yin energy to erode your body. At best, your lifespan will shorten; at worst, you will die. There is no benefit in seeking wealth that destroys your health and takes your life. Heed my advice and withdraw before it is too late. That would be the wise choice."

I finally built this interconnected quest machine, and it's ready for harvesting. Now you want me to abandon it just because you say it's for my own good? Why should I?

Lin Bai grumbled inwardly.

He hated unexpected developments of any kind.

He had arrived in this world only ten days ago and knew nothing about its Martial Arts or Taoist techniques.

Moreover, the Taoist had appeared so suddenly that Lin Bai did not even have a clear grasp of his own abilities. He could not make a comparison, and without one, he had no idea where his combat strength stood in this society.

Facing this unfathomable Taoist, Lin Bai did not want to take risks. He cupped his hands and decided to stall for time. "Daoist, would you allow me one night to consider it?"

“Shopkeeper Lin, failing to act when action is needed only invites trouble.” The Taoist smiled. “This is no matter for hesitation. Why not leave right now, so I may employ my arts and seal this haunted house again, lest anyone else stray down the wrong path?”

Song Jinnan and his family trembled. After Lin Bai's persuasion, they had become deeply wary of Taoists and no longer trusted them.

Holy shit!

That domineering?

Even a demolition crew wouldn't be as quick as you!

Lin Bai took a deep breath and smiled. "Daoist, I invested five hundred taels of silver in this restaurant. Today alone, the net profit was nearly fifty taels, and tomorrow it will only increase. If you want me to move out, how much do you intend to pay? I won't agree if it's too little."

Deng Libuduo's eyes widened.

Isn't that lying through your teeth?

I don't know how much you invested, but we just counted today's profits: twenty-seven taels. After paying those two their wages, you only kept twenty-five. And you open your mouth and call it fifty? Are you really that unscrupulous?

Besides, this Taoist came to save your life. Is it appropriate to talk money with him?

Deng Libuduo gained a new understanding of Lin Bai's character.

The Taoist also seemed to have encountered such a situation for the first time and froze on the spot.

[Resentment from Qingfeng Daoist: +1+1...]

Recovering, the Taoist flicked his horsetail whisk and suppressed his anger. “Shopkeeper Lin, I am saving your life.”

"Daoist, men die for wealth as birds die for food. If I can earn more money, what's a few years off my life?" Lin Bai felt the inner force circulating within him and the Dragon-Subduing Ten-Stroke Palm in his mind, so familiar that it felt as though he had practiced it since childhood. Counting on his fingers, he continued, "My little restaurant earns fifty taels a day. I'm not asking to run it for long. Just one year would come to eighteen thousand two hundred and fifty taels. Add my initial investment of five hundred, and you need only give me eighteen thousand seven hundred and fifty taels to buy my life. Then I'll follow your arrangements and leave the restaurant. How does that sound?"

Lin Bai delivered his speech with complete conviction.

Beside him, Deng Libuduo, Song Jinnan and his family, and the old Taoist stared at Lin Bai in a daze.

Their minds could not quite make the turn. Was that how you calculated money to buy a life?

Thanks to Brother Dai for becoming a Helmsman, and to Reader 20210301106597353882 and Great Grandpa Cat for their tips!