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[1] "Come debate me!" (不服来辩): A classic Chinese forum baiting tactic. Politely asking for help gets zero replies, but posting a confidently wrong statement triggers thousands of angry experts correcting you—the best way to get answers online isn't to ask a question, it's to post the wrong answer.
[2] "After listening to your words, I'll be working ten extra years" (听君一席话，多打十年工): A cynical twist on the classical idiom "Listening to your words is better than reading for ten years." In modern "lying flat" culture, this implies the advice was so terrible that following it put the listener in debt.
[3] "Money makes millstones push ghosts" (有钱能使磨推鬼): Chen Shu's excited scrambling of the proverb "Money makes ghosts push millstones" (有钱能使鬼推磨). His verbal slip—reversing "ghosts" and "millstones"—shows his mind racing with entrepreneurial greed.
[4] "Match-three game" (消消乐): Refers to games like Candy Crush where matched items disappear. Chen Ping mocks his son for applying gamer logic to demographics—treating humans like puzzle tiles that vanish when paired.
[5] "Fake items refunded ten times" (假一赔十): A standard Chinese consumer protection guarantee. The comedy lies in Chen Shu's unauthorized use of a government official's name to back his street stall—turning a serious legal promise into shameless marketing.
[6] "Make it bigger and stronger, create a new era of glory" (做大做强，再创辉煌): A famous Chinese corporate/government slogan seen on red banners at state enterprises and business seminars. Chen Shu applies this grandiose Fortune 500 rhetoric to his illegal street vending operation.
Leveraging the reputation of the Spirit Suppression Bureau's Wang Qian, Chen Shu not only repaired his own name over the next three days but also sold out all thirty-nine bottles of Medium-Grade Strength Potion.
"Finally got 400,000 Huaxia Currency. What should I do with it?"
Chen Shu lay at home, contemplating his plan to get stronger.
He casually opened an unofficial online Beast Tamer forum, hoping to tap into the infinite wisdom of its unvetted netizens for some crowdsourced inspiration.
"I have 400,000 Huaxia Currency and want to improve my contract spirit's strength. Does anyone have recommendations..."
Chen Shu muttered to himself as he prepared to post a discussion thread.
Then he suddenly thought for a moment and deleted it all.
"Come debate me![1] 400,000 Huaxia Currency is completely useless for improving contract spirits!"
Chen Shu nodded with satisfaction. Now this is how you get real answers.
As soon as the post went up, netizens started leaving comments.
I Hammer Stone Your Demacia: "What the hell do you know? 400,000 can at least buy ten bottles of your contract spirit's primary attribute potions. That's guaranteed stable improvement."
Night Raid on Widow Village: "Why buy potions? Just go directly to a Beast Taming Dojo to train. You can at least rent a premium training room, and you might even level up as a Beast Tamer. Isn't that more cost-effective than downing potions?"
Only Study Can Strengthen the Nation: "If you ask me, just directly buy a Variant-grade fierce beast. What if it comprehends a skill? Going all-in is a kind of life wisdom. Do you guys even understand?"
Handsome Pervades My Life: "Thanks to the all-in guy above. After listening to your words, I'll be working ten extra years![2] I still haven't paid off the debt from back then."
Chen Shu's mouth twitched; this batch of netizens seemed completely unreliable. He browsed hundreds of replies ranging from suggestions to train at dojos or hire mercenary corps to the most outrageous idea of all: buying a rich lady's contact list to reach the pinnacle of life.
Still, the netizens' replies did give him a bit of inspiration.
Although he couldn't buy Alternate Dimension materials in stores, he could post Beast Tamer missions!
Money makes millstones push ghosts![3]
Chen Shu grabbed his phone and rushed to the Beast Tamer Association without stopping.
"What? 30,000 per Power Flower?!"
The staff member was dumbfounded. She'd never seen such an outrageous reward.
Although due to market influences, the current average price of Power Flowers had reached 20,000, 30,000 still seemed way too high.
Right now the profit margins on Strength Potions had already dropped. No company would purchase at this price—they'd only lose everything.
"That's right!" Chen Shu waved his hand grandly with a magnanimous expression.
His unique potion proficiency, which yielded thirteen bottles per batch instead of the usual five to ten, afforded him a much higher profit margin. This meant he could easily absorb the steep material cost; even with a 70,000 yuan investment per batch, the thirteen resulting potions would sell for 100,000 yuan, netting him a clean 30,000 yuan profit.
At the same time, his slime was about to become a Level 7 contract spirit. He could already prepare High-Grade Strength Potions in advance.
"Okay! But you need to deposit Huaxia Currency first so we can distribute rewards anytime."
The staff member nodded. Although Chen Shu was only an Apprentice Beast Tamer, he still had the qualifications to post Common-level missions.
"I'll purchase ten Power Flowers for now!"
Chen Shu deposited 300,000 Huaxia Currency at the Beast Tamer Association, then immediately left.
He had no idea that the purchase mission he'd posted was the beginning of Nanjiang City's Strength Potion market collapse...
After returning home, Chen Shu kept giggling foolishly during dinner. If he kept purchasing at this price, he could earn 30,000 Huaxia Currency with each batch.
Over the course of the summer vacation, wouldn't he easily make several million?
"What are you thinking about? Eat your food!" His father Chen Ping scolded.
"Nothing, nothing." Chen Shu shook his head and said, "Mom, Dad, I suddenly discovered a bug."
"You two have one kid, a hundred people have fifty, fifty becomes twenty-five. Logically people should be getting fewer and fewer, so how come there are more and more?"
As soon as these words fell, both his parents' expressions froze.
"I've been completely puzzled by this recently." Chen Shu shook his head.
His father Chen Ping looked at Chen Shu like he was an idiot and said, "After having you, I've decided I want to live a few more years. Are you playing a match-three game with the human race?"[4]
"......"
Chen Shu's eyes shifted. Uh... it did kind of become an elimination game...
Just then, his phone suddenly rang. It was a call from the Beast Tamer Association.
"They already received six Power Flowers this fast?"
Chen Shu's expression showed surprise. He hadn't expected this method to be so efficient.
Who said Alternate Dimension materials were scarce? That's completely because the money wasn't enough!
As long as the purchase price could compete with those big companies, wouldn't Alternate Dimension materials just keep flowing in continuously?
Chen Shu casually shoveled down two bites of rice, then immediately rushed to the Beast Tamer Association and brought all the Power Flowers back home.
This was the beginning of his money-making enterprise!
"Come take a look! Cheap and delicious Strength Potions!"
Chen Shu shouted loudly. Above him were displayed a full hundred bottles of Strength Potions. This kind of scale was already comparable to a proper shop.
And beside the stall, there was even a sign that read: "The Spirit Suppression Bureau's Wang Qian personally guarantees—fake items refunded ten times!"[5]
Wang Qian never imagined that after just signing his name for someone, he'd directly become the street stall's image spokesperson, and Chen Shu hadn't given him a single cent...
He wasn't alone; he'd hired several employees, including the original Wang Tianbao, who proved to be a model worker with his superb acting and extremely high efficiency.
In just one afternoon, all the Strength Potions at the stall sold out completely.
"Packing up! Packing up! Come back tomorrow!"
Chen Shu shouted, looking at the balance on his phone with complete satisfaction.
"Boss Chen..."
A few people gathered around with restrained smiles on their faces.
"Five hundred each! Five hundred each!" Chen Shu waved his hand, extremely generous.
Hearing this, everyone's faces showed delight. Wasn't this faster money than scamming people?
Wang Tianbao accepted the crisp new Huaxia Currency and asked: "Brother Chen, you're not actually some big company boss slumming it to experience street stall life, are you?"
Every day there were over a hundred bottles of Strength Potions. Small shops really couldn't produce that much.
"What are you talking about? I also started from scratch!"
One employee asked: "Boss Chen, do you have any secrets to success?"
Everyone looked over with expectant faces.
"Start small, then get big. Step by step, make it bigger and stronger, and create a new era of glory!"[6]
With his back turned to them in dramatic mentor fashion, Chen Shu delivered his wisdom, then immediately left the black market.