Teaching through entertainment

The fuse planted at the City Lord's Residence had gone off.

Lin Bai quickly reviewed his own strength.

That afternoon, he had completed the task of making three thousand people appreciate the beauty of incompleteness. His Inner Force now stood at 12.69 years, theoretically enough to execute two full sets of the Dragon-Subduing Ten-Stroke Palm.

His lightness technique, Morning Flight, would probably become usable in another six to eight hours.

At noon, he had eaten a Spirit Fruit, and even now he remained brimming with energy, without the slightest trace of drowsiness.

After an afternoon of watering, the second Spirit Fruit on the Negative Emotion Tree had already begun to emerge. He estimated he could harvest it the day after tomorrow.

With Spirit Fruits, Lin Bai felt as though he had twice the lifespan of everyone else. It felt fantastic.

His only concern was whether going without sleep for long periods would have side effects. But he couldn't worry about that now. Grinding up his levels mattered more!

As the Chef God Restaurant's influence grew, Lin Bai had mastered fifteen knife techniques awarded by the God of Cooking System. With those fifteen techniques, he could practically turn ingredients into flowers...

Those were all the abilities Lin Bai currently possessed.

The God of Cooking System's next task was still to expand the Chef God Restaurant's fame, and the reward was still knife techniques.

Lin Bai had no idea how many knife techniques chefs had, but the God of Cooking System's rewards did practically nothing to help him survive, so he paid them little attention.

Although he had opened a restaurant, Lin Bai had yet to cook even a single meal.

His God of Cooking Restaurant currently resembled an entertainment venue more than anything else.

As for the Incomplete System, its current task was [Have three thousand people experience the beauty of imperfection..., reward: Seven Wounds Hand · Incomplete].

It sounded like the Seven Wounds Fist, but Lin Bai had no idea what it actually was.

The systems had too many tricks up their sleeves for him to figure them out.

Still, even if it was the Seven Wounds Fist, that wasn't anything good. A Martial Arts technique that wounded the enemy by a thousand and oneself by eight hundred was something he probably wouldn't use even after learning it.

Lin Bai had no miracle medicine for healing injuries. What the hell was the point if beating someone up left him flat on his back too?

However, he did have the Know-It-All Teacher System. He could use it to teach disciples and harvest Negative Emotions along the way...

In short, having more skills never weighed anyone down.

Besides, the systems could work in tandem. Even the most worthless rewards could eventually find their proper place.

His combat strength seemed a little lacking.

Lin Bai sighed. He would just have to play it by ear.

The city lord hadn't killed him outright, but had sent a Shadow Guard to invite him over. That undoubtedly meant there was room for negotiation. Living in this world, he couldn't avoid dealing with the powerful.

"Sir Shadow Guard, please wait a moment. I still have a few friends inside. I'll go in and soothe their nerves." Lin Bai smiled politely at the Shadow Guard named Zhou Jiang. "There's no rush, is there?"

Friends?

Zhou Jiang had witnessed Lin Bai's entire performance. Despite his rigorous training, his eyebrows still twitched involuntarily. Expressionless, he said, "Go ahead."

He could even stall for time. Apparently, the city lord either had no intention of making things difficult for him or had some reservations about him. Lin Bai relaxed a little more and continued his invitation. "Are you sure you won't come in for some tea and experience the Ghosts' service, Sir Shadow Guard?"

"I have no money," Zhou Jiang said coldly. The first rule of a Shadow Guard: never place yourself in danger.

"What a shame." Lin Bai smiled and pushed open the door.

Several pairs of eyes shot toward him in unison.

"Lin Bai!"

Zhu Huan's eyes were bloodshot. He glared at Lin Bai through gritted teeth, as though he wanted to swallow him alive and flay him whole.

Song Qing held a chipped bowl, sipping water mouthful by mouthful. Wu Xiuxiu gently patted his back to calm him. When Lin Bai entered, he looked up once before averting his gaze again. Dazed and vacant, he still hadn't recovered from the shock.

"Brother Lin, you..." Luo Congwen looked at Lin Bai, wanting to speak but holding back. There was simply too much to say.

"Young masters, how was the experience?" Lin Bai surveyed everyone and asked with a cheerful smile, pretending not to notice their disheveled state.

[Resentment from Luo Congwen, Song Qing, and Zhu Huan: +1 +1 +1]

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

"What an ingenious arrangement, Proprietor Lin." Song Qing looked up and gave Lin Bai a cold glance. "From now on, the road is as broad as the sky, and we'll each go our own way. A friend like you is far above my reach."

"If word of what happened here gets out, I swear we will never live under the same sky," Zhu Huan said bitterly.

"And you, Brother Luo?" Lin Bai turned to Luo Congwen and asked with a smile. "Have you nothing to say?"

"Brother Lin, you should play fewer pranks like this in the future." Luo Congwen looked at Lin Bai, shook his head, and advised him, "Keep this up, and in a few days, I'm afraid there won't be anywhere left for you in Jiamao City..."

"Young masters, if all you'd done tonight was enjoy a peaceful meal with Old Song's Family, wouldn't you have gone home feeling it was dull and never come back?" Lin Bai smiled unconcernedly. "But after taking a walk along the edge of life and death and landing safely again, although you might have felt tension, fear, and regret at the time, doesn't looking back leave you feeling exhilarated, wistfully empty, and even filled with a delight you can't put into words?"

[Excitement from Luo Congwen, Song Qing, and Zhu Huan: +1 +1 +1]

They didn't need to speak. The backend already clearly displayed their current emotions.

He'd hit every mark! Luo Congwen opened his mouth and nodded instinctively.

"If you three could choose, would you prefer the first option or to play the second?" Lin Bai struck while the iron was hot.

"If you could tell us beforehand, Proprietor Lin, naturally we'd choose the second." After comparing the two, Song Qing felt he had fallen into Lin Bai's trap again. In just a few words, his resentment toward him had already taken wing and vanished.

Luo Congwen glanced at Song Ling, wanting to mention a third option. But the moment he recalled her face bleeding from all seven orifices, the thought vanished.

"Of course, there's a third option, and that would be even more exciting. But first, Old Song's Family were all respectable people in life. Second, humans and ghosts walk different paths, and such things can easily damage one's vital energy. I'm an honest businessman, so naturally I wouldn't do anything so contrary to heaven and morality." Having seen through Luo Congwen's thoughts, Lin Bai explained with a smile.

Luo Congwen blushed.

Song Jinnan's expression shifted slightly.

Wu Xiuxiu turned her head and spat softly, her face red.

Only Song Ling looked puzzled. She tugged at Song Jinnan's sleeve. "Father, what's the third option Brother Lin mentioned?"

"You're a grown young lady. Don't ask so many questions," Song Jinnan scolded, his face dark. "If the proprietor forbids it, naturally it's something contrary to heaven and morality."

"Oh," Song Ling answered timidly.

At this sight, Luo Congwen's amorous thoughts surfaced again. If Song Ling kept looking like this, losing a little vital energy wasn't entirely unacceptable.

"Young masters, there's another meaning behind what I did. Ghosts and spirits excel at changing their appearance. Mortal eyes simply cannot see through them. In your future dealings, never let appearances entangle you, or you'll suffer dearly. Had I not arranged things with Old Song's Family beforehand, the three of you would likely have lost your lives here today." Lin Bai surveyed those in the room and spoke earnestly, his gaze lingering pointedly on Luo Congwen for a moment. "What leaves a deeper impression than experiencing something firsthand?"

The expressions of Song Qing and the other two changed abruptly.

The three exchanged glances, then rose together and bowed deeply to Lin Bai. "Thank you for your instruction, Proprietor Lin."

"Calling it instruction is far too much. Ultimately, I'm merely a merchant. All my thoughts revolve around earning a little more money," Lin Bai said with a smile.

"Please don't belittle yourself, Proprietor Lin. We've also heard about the Heavenly Fragment Collection, and we deeply admire your righteous deed," Song Qing said sincerely.

Harvesting the Positive Emotions the three provided, Lin Bai smiled. "Since you put it that way, Young Master Song, any further modesty would only seem insincere."

He paused and cupped his hands. "Now that you three understand my methods and intentions, would you be interested in buying a stake in my Chef God Restaurant? Together, we could carry this righteous enterprise forward and let more people experience a thrilling, exciting life.

"I'm sure you've all noticed that, since adding the Night Service, I can no longer keep up with the Chef God Restaurant's staffing and financial needs alone. I won't boast about anything else, but I do have a few ways of making money. I shouldn't let any of you lose your investment."

"Brother Lin, I'll take a stake." Luo Congwen had been worrying about finding an opportunity to get closer to Lin Bai. At these words, he was the first to commit, without even asking the price.

"I'll take a stake too!" Song Qing looked at Song Jinnan and his family beside him, recalled his experiences over the past two days, and sighed.

"I'll take a stake." His soaking trousers felt chilly against his skin. Zhu Huan gritted his teeth. "More people ought to experience a business like this that teaches through entertainment."

"Excellent." Lin Bai clapped his hands. "The Returning Dragon Temple contributed three thousand taels, along with manpower and labor, in exchange for a ten-percent equity stake. If you three brothers paid the same price, it might not sit well with the Returning Dragon Temple. In my opinion, how about adding two thousand taels each for your stakes?"

"I have no objection." Luo Congwen's eyes lit up, and he once again spoke first. "We ordinary mortals can only offer worldly possessions. Naturally, we cannot compare with the Taoist priests of the Returning Dragon Temple. It's only right that we contribute a little more silver."