Open twenty-four hours

Reality proved that as long as you dared to stir things up, you would always learn more than other people.

If Lin Bai had followed Luo Congwen's lead step by step, he would still have been at the Luo Residence telling him A Chinese Ghost Story. How could he have uncovered the world's secrets this quickly?

In seven years, the Spirit Realm Rift would open. It had to be either a dungeon or a new map.

It seemed the Game Company had laid some very deep groundwork for its story!

Lin Bai instinctively glanced at [Deng Libuduo] beside him. If only he could pry the general direction of the plot out of a player.

However.

Judging by how baffled the players were by this game, they probably had no idea what would happen next either.

Seven years?

Too long!

I wonder if I can get in early and take a look.

If he could enter ahead of time, he would undoubtedly gain a tremendous advantage in the game, and could even start laying his plans early.

Even if he could not enter early, perhaps he could find other ways to make use of the dungeon.

To Lin Bai, what lay inside the Spirit Realm was unimportant. The players and systems were his wealth. Waiting seven years for a single dungeon was not remotely worthwhile. Cashing in early was the way to go.

Nearby, Song Jinnan and his family looked rather grim. Spirit cultivation? Sure enough, it had all been a lie!

They were nothing more than unpaid doorkeepers.

Although they had escaped such wretched fates as being refined into soul artifacts or steeped in liquor, it was still rather tragic for them.

When the Spirit Realm opened in ten years, they would probably be discarded like worn-out shoes, or casually exterminated by the Taoists of the Returning Dragon Temple.

After all, Daoist Li's public explanation was that, in ten years, their baleful energy would run out and they would naturally dissipate.

When that time came, who would uphold justice for three ordinary ghosts like them?

What a miserable fate!

No.

There was still one person...

Song Jinnan turned his gaze toward Lin Bai.

Every villain had another villain to grind him down.

Lin Bai seemed black-hearted and thick-skinned, but he always left some room to maneuver. Perhaps his family's chance of survival would rest with this young man...

"Shopkeeper Lin, now that you know about the Spirit Realm Rift, do you still think making this shop known to everyone is a good thing? How could mere silver compare to the Spirit Realm Rift behind it?"

Watching Lin Bai suddenly fall silent, Qingfeng Daoist's eyes flashed with satisfaction. He felt he had finally won a round.

"Does it make any difference?" Lin Bai looked at Qingfeng Daoist as though he were an idiot. "The Spirit Realm Rift won't open for another seven years. What's wrong with earning a little spending money before then?"

"If you make the shop known to everyone, some expert might pass through one day and recognize the arrangements inside. That could bring disaster upon us," Qingfeng Daoist said, shaking his head.

"Daoist, you now hold a ten-percent stake in this shop without having invested a penny. Why do you keep saying such discouraging things?" Lin Bai frowned in displeasure. "You said yourself that Daoist Li concealed the information about the Spirit Realm node to reserve some benefits for the disciples of your sect. When the Spirit Realm opens, how many people will be watching this place?

"You must understand that everything in the Spirit Realm belongs to the sect, but every penny you earn from the shop belongs to you! Even if the shop only stays open for seven years, that would be enough to double your assets."

"..." Qingfeng Daoist froze.

"You clearly aren't valued within your sect, Daoist. Otherwise, you wouldn't have only a paltry Shield Armor Talisman to protect yourself." Lin Bai chuckled softly, driving another knife into Qingfeng Daoist's heart. "As the saying goes, a wise bird chooses the tree in which it nests. You could certainly cooperate with me. Our sect treats every disciple equally. With seven years to work on things, coordinating from within and without, we would have more than enough time to peel this Spirit Realm node away from the Returning Dragon Temple. When that happens, your returns would be far more than a measly bit of silver."

"..." Holding his bowl of wine, Qingfeng Daoist stood frozen in a daze.

"I told Little Deng that if you want to make your way in the martial world, you must be good at calculation." Lin Bai tapped the table lightly. "Daoist, you must get your accounts straight if you want to live more and more comfortably in this world!"

Beside him, [Deng Libuduo] eyed Lin Bai sidelong and sighed inwardly. Shopkeeper, everything you say and do makes it very hard for me to hold on to a gentleman's heart!

"That's all I have to say. Why not go back and give it some serious thought, Daoist?" Smiling, Lin Bai raised his chipped bowl again and lightly clinked it against the rim of Qingfeng Daoist's bowl. "A great many things can happen in seven years. You must seize the present!"

"..." Qingfeng Daoist looked at Lin Bai with a complicated expression. "Shopkeeper Lin, please allow this humble Taoist to consider it carefully."

"There's no rush. You can make your decision whenever you've thought it through." Lin Bai smiled calmly. "Before then, sorry for the trouble, but I'll need you to smooth things over with the Returning Dragon Temple regarding the God of Cooking Restaurant. The county magistrate matters less than the man directly in charge. Surely a small matter like this won't be difficult for you."

"I will." Qingfeng Daoist glanced at Lin Bai again, drained the wine in his bowl, then rose and bowed to him. "In that case, this old Taoist will take his leave."

"Take care, Daoist." Lin Bai cupped his hands, observing every courtesy.

After Qingfeng Daoist left.

Unable to contain his curiosity, [Deng Libuduo] asked, "Shopkeeper, what's inside the Spirit Realm Rift?"

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't." Lin Bai glanced at him. "Knowing too much about the affairs of the martial world won't do you any good."

No kidding!

He wanted to know too.

But he had already established his persona as an expert before Qingfeng Daoist. Wouldn't digging for every last detail have exposed him?

No matter how fiercely curiosity itched inside him, he could not ask.

The more he asked, the greater the chance he would give himself away.

He could only look for opportunities to investigate it slowly.

Moreover, he had to hurry with his quests. Different levels brought situations of different tiers. Having caused such a huge stir, his opponents were no longer players still struggling along the poverty line.

"Oh!" [Deng Libuduo] answered sheepishly and fell silent.

"Clean up a bit. You'll sleep in the shop tonight!" Lin Bai said. "The publicity will keep gaining momentum, so business is bound to be good over the next few days. Stop thinking about all that extraneous stuff and take good care of the customers first."

"No problem." [Deng Libuduo] agreed excitedly. He could hardly wait to stay in the shop. This was the entrance to a large dungeon! What if he managed to discover a way inside?

Lin Bai turned to Song Jinnan and his family. "Old Song, you'll still be responsible for the shop's security at night. If you encounter any petty thieves, don't hold back. Throw them all out, and don't say anything you shouldn't."

"Understood, Shopkeeper," Song Jinnan replied. Looking at Lin Bai, he asked hesitantly, "Shopkeeper, what should we do in seven years?"

Lin Bai hesitated for a moment. "Become spirit cultivators. I'll help you find a way."

Qingfeng had said that the Spirit Vein Rift needed their ghostly energy to conceal it. If he wanted fewer problems, he really could not do without them.

"Thank you, Shopkeeper!" Overjoyed, Song Jinnan hurriedly pulled Wu Xiuxiu and Song Ling down to their knees, and they kowtowed to Lin Bai, their foreheads striking the floor with repeated thuds.

"Get up. We don't bother with empty formalities." Lin Bai smiled. "We still have seven years. Who knows what might happen in between? Learn our shop's business philosophy from [Deng Libuduo]. Let's try opening for nighttime business..."

Song Jinnan froze. "Shopkeeper, isn't that inappropriate? We are dead, after all..."

"What's inappropriate about it? Be bold enough, and even ghosts can take maternity leave." Lin Bai smiled. "Jiamao City is so big, there are bound to be people looking for a thrill. Let the people of Jiamao City grow accustomed to your existence step by step, and build a name for both the shop and yourselves. In the future, if the Returning Dragon Temple wants to act against you, they'll have to see whether the people agree."

Growth.

Lin Bai needed to grow at lightning speed.

The appearance of the Returning Dragon Temple had made Lin Bai aware of the danger. That little bit of daytime income was no longer enough.

After all, he had this resource. The shop ought to operate twenty-four hours a day and get everyone in Jiamao City grinding...