20demayo Chapter 9 Meng Po's Old Iron, Let's Join Forces!
Chapter 9 Meng Po's Old Iron, Let's Join Forces!
Chu Jiang's few lines of text seemed to possess a magical power.
The chaotic group of souls, which had been in complete disarray just moments before, fell silent instantly.
All the ghosts craned their necks, staring at the black stone, reading it word by word.
"Line up, call your number, board the boat, and keep quiet," a ghost reciting, shaking his head.
"Queue cutter, shall we throw you into the river to calm down?" Another ghost gasped, instinctively touching his neck as if the icy water whip was still before his eyes.
"There's a VIP channel? With great merit or... a huge amount of ghost money?" A ghost who was a wealthy businessman in life had his eyes light up instantly.
This rule is simple and crude, but effective.
The few troublemakers who had tried to push forward earlier silently retreated to the back of the line.
Just kidding, Scarface's screams are still echoing in the river, who would dare to try the taste of that water whip?
Chu Jiang nodded in satisfaction.
He walked to the stone table covered with ashes, plopped down, and crossed his legs.
This place is in dire need of cleaning up.
On a whim, he brought up the system panel.
"System, open the store."
The God-Tier Ferryman Shop is now open.
[Current host's merit points: 103,600. (Note: Underworld merit points have been automatically converted into system merit points)]
Chu Jiang looked at the long string of zeros and felt relieved.
This was all the start-up capital he earned by risking his dignity and life.
The shop interface is dazzling with all kinds of items, from magical treasures and elixirs to supernatural powers and techniques.
Chu Jiang skipped over these and clicked on the "Buildings and Facilities" category.
He didn't want to live in that drafty bone house anymore.
[Basic-level tomb (bone house): Requires 10 merit points.]
[Intermediate-level Yin House (Stone House): Requires 100 merit points.]
……
Chu Jiang's fingers flew across the screen, scrolling directly to the very bottom.
[Top-tier configuration - Netherworld River View Cave: Warm in winter and cool in summer, equipped with a Yin-gathering array to isolate resentment. Includes a complete set of Soul-Nourishing Wood furniture, a "Netherworld Connector" connecting to the Three Realms Information Network, and... a Nine Netherworld Profound Ice refrigeration air conditioner and a fully automatic soul-power massage chair.]
[Price: 100,000 merit points.]
"This is it." Chu-Jiang made the purchase without hesitation.
[Confirmed to consume 100,000 merit points to upgrade the current residence to 'Netherworld River View Cave'?]
"confirm."
The voice just fell.
The dilapidated bone house on the shore made a series of "crackling" sounds.
To the astonishment of all the ghosts, the pile of bones and mud seemed to be crushed by an invisible hand, turning into dust that filled the sky.
Immediately afterwards, pieces of black jade rose from the ground and were quickly pieced together.
A two-story building, both rustic and with a touch of modern minimalism, rises from the ground.
The windows were bright and clean, the eaves were flying and the brackets were in place, and two red lanterns hung at the door, emitting a soft light.
The ghosts in line had their jaws dropped.
"My goodness! Is this...is this magic?"
"It was just a thatched hut a moment ago, and in the blink of an eye, it's a mansion?"
"Just who is this Lord Chu?"
Chu Jiang acted as if he had done something insignificant.
He stood up, dusted off his robe, pushed open the door to his new home, and went straight inside.
The first floor is a lobby, which is spacious and bright.
In the very center sits a sofa and coffee table made of soul-nourishing wood.
A black square box stood in the corner, blowing cool air; this must be the so-called "Nine Netherworld Ice Refrigeration Air Conditioner".
Chu Jiang walked to a strangely shaped chair and lay down on it.
[Soul detected. Fully automatic massage program activated.]
A gentle yet powerful force emanated from all parts of the chair, precisely pressing every acupoint on his soul.
The tingling sensation made him almost groan with pleasure.
"This shift was worth it." Chu Jiang closed his eyes, enjoying this hard-won decadent lifestyle.
He is now considered a successful businessman with a house, a car (or boat), and a career.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, a familiar voice rang out from outside the door.
"Brother Chu, you've made quite a commotion."
Chu Jiang opened his eyes and sat up from the massage chair.
Meng Po was standing at the door, curiously looking at his new home.
"Senior Meng Po, what brings you here?" Chu Jiang quickly stood up to greet her. "Please come in, please come in."
"If I hadn't come, this Three Crossings Ferry would have turned into Fengdu City's CBD." Meng Po walked in, circled the air conditioner, and then poked the soft, soul-nourishing wooden sofa.
A hint of curiosity shone through her blurred face.
"My wife and I were on the Bridge of Helplessness when we saw a flash of golden light from your place, and all the houses had changed. When we came over, we found that you had even set up rules and implemented a numbered queue system?"
Meng Po pointed to the stone tablet outside, her tone full of admiration.
"Your method works."
"There's no other way. There are too many ghosts and the place is too small. We can only follow the rules." Chu Jiang poured Meng Po a cup of tea made with holy water of merit.
Meng Po picked up her teacup, took a sip, and sighed contentedly.
She put down her teacup, looked at Chu Jiang, and her expression became more serious.
"Brother Chu, I've come today to learn from your experience."
"A pilgrimage?" Chu Jiang was taken aback. "You flatter me. You've crossed more bridges than I've walked roads."
"Don't give me that." Meng Po waved her hand. "My Bridge of Helplessness is overflowing with ghosts lately. They all complain that my soup tastes bad and they drink it too slowly, which delays their reincarnation. After seeing your business model, I have some ideas."
She leaned closer and lowered her voice.
"I'd like to set up a self-service soup-drinking system like yours in my area."
Chu-Jiang almost burst out laughing after hearing this.
He thought it was something serious.
He looked at Meng Po and shook his head.
"Senior Meng Po, your perspective is too narrow."
"Hmm?" Meng Po stopped moving.
"Self-service soup drinking only solves the efficiency problem, not the fundamental problem." Chu Jiang held up one finger. "The fundamental problem is that your product is too limited."
"Single product range?" Meng Po clearly didn't understand.
"Yes." Chu Jiang stood up and paced around the living room, looking just like a product manager giving a presentation to a client.
"Think about it, ghosts these days are getting more and more picky. You can't please everyone, and if you only offer one kind of original Meng Po soup, of course they'll have complaints."
"What can we do? The recipe for this soup is determined by the laws of heaven and earth, and it can't be changed." Meng Po said helplessly.
"Who said we'd change the formula?" Chu Jiang snapped his fingers. "We won't change the core; we'll only make minor innovations! We're going to do co-branded products!"
"A collaboration?" A question mark seemed to appear above Meng Po's head.
"That's right!" Chu Jiang's eyes lit up. "We can launch different flavor series!"
"For example, 'Meng Po Soup Latte'!"
"Or, 'American-style Meng Po Soup,' emphasizing the original flavor—it's just bitter!"
"For those who prefer sweeter flavors, let's try the 'Meng Po Soup Fruit Tea Flavor,' with a touch of dew from the red spider lily—the taste is absolutely superb!"
Chu Jiang became more and more excited as he spoke.
"We could even create a 'Secret Formula' of Meng Po's Soup, called 'One Cup of Forgetfulness.' Limited quantities available daily, and you'd have to draw lots to buy it!"
"We can also release related merchandise! For example, commemorative editions of 'Meng Po's Bowl' and scenic postcards of 'Naihe Bridge'!"
Meng Po was completely dumbfounded.
She held the teacup, her mouth agape, unable to close it for a long time.
Latte? Americano? Fruit tea?
What kind of insane and rabid words are these?
"Brother Chu... I don't understand a single word you're saying!"
"You don't need to understand," Chu Jiang smiled slightly. "All you need to know is that doing this will not only shut those ghosts up, but also allow us to... make a fortune!"
"Make money?" Meng Po was stunned. "How could I, a soup maker, make money?"
"It's about accumulating merit!" Chu Jiang slapped his thigh. "The original flavor is free, but the flavors are charged. You can exchange it for merit accumulated during their lifetime, or you can buy it with incense and prayers. Think about it, those wealthy families in the mortal world, to ensure their ancestors depart with dignity, wouldn't they burn paper money? Wouldn't they perform rituals?"
"Won't this incense offering and the power of prayer then come?"
A storm was brewing in Meng Po's usually calm and collected eyes.
She looked at Chu Jiang as if he were a monster.
How is this kid's brain structured?
How did they turn the business of reincarnation into a chain of milk tea shops?
"I...I provide the soup and the venue," Meng Po's voice was a little hoarse. "You...you are in charge of planning and operation."
"It's a pleasure to work with you!" Chu Jiang extended his hand.
Meng Po hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently shook his hand.
Just then, a sharp system notification sounded in Chu Jiang's mind.
[Warning! A special soul carrying the 'Heavenly Shackles' has been detected approaching the ferry!]
[This soul does not belong to this realm; danger level: extremely high!]
Chu Jiang's heart sank.
He subtly withdrew his hand, his gaze passing through the gate to the end of the long queue.
A Taoist priest, dressed in a tattered robe, with disheveled hair and vacant eyes, was slowly walking towards the ferry.