However, Chen Shu had a backup plan. He gathered everyone around and whispered something to them.
After a moment, everyone looked troubled and started chiming in.
"This isn't right, is it?"
"I agree, it would damage our image."
"I, Wang Tianbao, have lived my life with integrity! I would never do something like this!!! ...Unless you're willing to pay more."
"..." Chen Shu looked speechless: "Two hundred each."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone jolted as if they'd been injected with chicken blood, instantly entering character.
"I want all these potions! Anyone who tries to steal them from me better watch out!"
"Damn it, someone in the black market dares to mess with me, Wang Batian?"
Everyone started 'spitting fragrance'—cursing up a storm¹—and the intensity of the scene immediately escalated.
Soon, punches were flying as over a dozen people erupted into a chaotic brawl, the commotion naturally attracting a large crowd.
"How did they suddenly start fighting?"
More and more onlookers gathered—one of humanity's instincts is loving to watch drama unfold.
Chen Shu was surprised by how professional the group was; though they were scammers, their dedication to the craft was admirable.
"Everyone, please break it up! Don't let them keep fighting! Eight thousand yuan medium-grade strength potions for everyone!"
Chen Shu appeared to be mediating, but was actually advertising his potions, deliberately emphasizing the words 'eight thousand yuan.'
A crowd of onlookers rushed forward to separate the fighters.
Among them, Wang Tianbao looked utterly miserable, covered in blood as he crawled with great difficulty toward Chen Shu before spitting out bloody saliva.
"Holy shit, do you have to go this hard?"
Chen Shu instinctively beat a strategic retreat, looking shocked at Wang Tianbao, though he faintly smelled tomato sauce.
"Give me... one bottle of eight thousand yuan genuine medium-grade strength potion..."
After saying this, Wang Tianbao's head tilted to one side and he actually passed out directly.
"Now that's a pro..."
Chen Shu's mouth twitched, his eyes full of admiration.
"Are you okay? Are you okay?" The others rushed forward to help Wang Tianbao up.
Just then, Wang Tianbao's body suddenly convulsed, and he said groggily:
"Quick... quickly give me a medium-grade strength potion..."
"..." Chen Shu looked speechless. Even he had to admit the performance was getting a bit over the top.
With a look, he signaled the other dozen or so shills to forcibly drag Wang Tianbao away.
"Little Chen, I told you before—you can't sell medium-grade strength potions for eight thousand. You're disrupting the market!"
Stall owner Brother Wang Ba walked over, speaking with a tone of advice.
"Medium-grade strength potion for only eight thousand??"
Only then did the crowd react, looking toward the yellow potions on Chen Shu's stall.
According to market prices, medium-grade strength potions cost around ten thousand, and in the black market they sold for twelve thousand.
"It's got to be fake, right?" a college student asked as he walked over, his eyes full of suspicion.
Chen Shu sized him up. "Are you a student from Nanjiang University?"
"Yeah, are you one too?" the student, Luo Yu, asked. Chen Shu looked no different from any other college student, so the assumption was natural.
Chen Shu shook his head. "Do you have your student ID? If you want to buy, you can test it first." He had some faith in college students' character—if the guy deliberately lied about the results, he'd naturally go to his school to sort him out.
Luo Yu thought for a moment and pulled out his student ID.
"Nanjiang University Year 982, Combat Department Class 2, Luo Yong."
Chen Shu nodded and returned the student ID.
Then he opened a bottle of potion and proactively handed it to Luo Yong.
Luo Yong's heart stirred, and he summoned his contract spirit. As long as it didn't affect the city or harm people, briefly summoning contract spirits was legally permitted.
A blue flying insect about half a meter long appeared, with transparent wings that looked quite beautiful.
"A D-rank Blue-winged Bug?"
After Luo Yong took the strength potion and had his contract spirit consume a small amount, his expression lit up with excitement and he nodded firmly.
"It's real medium-grade strength potion!"
Instantly, the crowd became extremely excited, having no doubt about Luo Yong's words.
A beast taming university student had a certain degree of credibility in society.
"Only eight thousand, only eight thousand! Limited time offer! Authenticated by a Nanjiang University student!"
Chen Shu started hawking loudly.
As long as he could prove they were genuine, eight thousand for medium-grade strength potions was absolutely worth it.
Soon, all of Chen Shu's potions sold out, including the remaining low-grade ones, earning him over three hundred thousand Huaxia yuan—which, fortunately, he had a bank card ready for.
Luo Yong played a huge role in this. Chen Shu specially sold him three bottles at seven thousand each.
"This is really money-printing, damn."
Old Wang watched dumbfounded from the side. Even working a black market stall for a whole year, he might not earn this much.
"Old Wang, your payment."
Chen Shu took out five hundred yuan and packed up his stall.
Old Wang looked speechless, staring at the five hundred yuan in his hand, feeling it wasn't satisfying at all.
At the same time, Chen Shu found the group of shills from before. They had played an indispensable role in selling out the potions so quickly.
Chen Shu was feeling generous and directly gave each person three hundred yuan as performance fees, with an extra seven hundred for Wang Tianbao.
"No need, I brought my own tomato sauce—I'm not actually hurt."
Wang Tianbao declined, saying that since everyone else only got three hundred, he felt embarrassed taking a thousand.
But Chen Shu insisted on giving it to him, and also added him on ChaoXin.
What's most precious in today's world? Talent, of course!
Being able to carry tomato sauce with him—just that professional dedication alone was admirable.
Chen Shu hurriedly left the black market and, since it was already nine o'clock, grabbed some barbecue on the way before returning home contentedly.
The next day, Chen Shu went early to Zhou Xiaoming's family material shop and bought five gigantification fruits.
This was the main ingredient for crafting body-type potions, and he also bought all the other medicinal materials.
Unlike strength flowers, body-type potions weren't divided into low, medium, and high grades, but were called Basic Level, Black Iron Level, and Silver Level, respectively for contract spirits of three different tiers.
Gigantification fruits cost much more than strength flowers, with a market price of thirty thousand each.
Chen Shu spent a full one hundred eighty thousand to buy all five gigantification fruits from Zhou Xiaoming's family inventory.
Just like that, a few words had cost him one hundred eighty thousand.
After buying the gigantification fruits, Chen Shu couldn't wait to return home and craft twenty bottles of body-type potion in one go.
Since he didn't have Control-level proficiency, there was no bonus production.
But twenty bottles of body-type potion was already extremely rare. Most shops didn't have this much inventory. In terms of value, each bottle was worth about thirty thousand.
He had no intention of selling them—naturally, he prioritized developing his golden slime.
With the help of various system rewards and potion infusions, even an F-rank contract spirit could become the strongest creature.
Chen Shu was already imagining the outrageous scene of his golden slime crushing a dragon to death with its butt.