Shortly after Lin Jiu posted on Weibo, both Si Xu and Shi ShuQing called him at the same time.
Si Xu wanted to know when Lin Jiu would return, concerned for his safety.
Shi ShuQing also inquired about his return date and reminded him to stay safe, urging him to let them know if he needed any help.
Last time, Lu Yu bought up all of Lin Jiu’s stock of red plum wine. Lin Jiu had only brewed 5 liters, and after drinking a few cups, there was less than 5 liters left. Lin Jiu gave Lu Yu a discount of 30,000 yuan and sold him the rest of the wine, which should be enough for them for a while.
The only remaining concern was Si Xu. Lin Jiu was worried that Si Xu’s health might deteriorate. On his last trip back, he hadn’t caught any more Silver carps, and Demon Lobsters were too tricky to prepare. Even if he gave one whole to Si Xu, he wouldn’t know how to handle it. After much consideration, the only option was to give Si Xu plum wine.
**[Chef God System Reminder]: Don’t forget to collect payment.**
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu: What? The Chef God system tracks that too?
[Chef God System Reminder: Gifting once is okay, but there can’t be a second or third time. The shop needs to make a profit, and if you keep giving things away for free, you’ll need to cover the shop’s losses yourself.] The system is a cold, emotionless system. It’s strictly business: money for goods.
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu: Wait, let me get this straight…
Lin Jiu: So, I can’t even give away stuff from my own shop? And if the shop loses money, I have to cover it? Something doesn’t seem right here.
[Chef God System Reminder: There’s nothing wrong with that. The Demon Fish shop is part of the Chef God system. If you harm the shop’s profits, you harm the system’s interests. The Chef God system must defend its interests.]
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu: Wait… So I’m not the boss? I’m just an employee?
The system paused for a long while before responding again.
[Chef God System Reminder: You are the boss. As the boss, you must ensure the shop remains profitable. No squandering allowed.]
Lin Jiu was speechless, though he still had a question.
Lin Jiu: You don’t spend money, so why do you care?
[Chef God System Reminder: Shop profits can be used to draw blind boxes. 10 million yuan per draw. Keep working hard to earn money.]
Lin Jiu: …
Well, this was an unexpected surprise!
Lin Jiu: So, if I use the profits to draw blind boxes, I get to keep all the earnings?
[Chef God System Reminder: The system also has its own goals. The Demon Hunt system’s goal is to maintain species balance in the Demon Sea by recovering excess magic points from leftover ingredients. The Chef God system’s goal is to spread magical cuisine throughout the Earth realm to achieve the title of Demon Hunt Chef God.]
Lin Jiu: That’s probably not going to work. Ordinary people can’t handle the effects of magical cuisine.
[Chef God System Reminder: The Earth realm will soon be able to handle it. The process has already begun, so please stay focused and prepare.]
Lin Jiu was stunned: What do you mean? What’s already begun?
No matter how much Lin Jiu asked, the Chef God system didn’t respond.
Now wasn’t the time to think about that. The most pressing issue was figuring out how to get enough money to buy Si Xu some plum wine!
Lin Jiu sighed, feeling the weight of his financial woes. He thought that after the lawsuit, his financial troubles would be over, and the shop’s earnings would be enough to cover his expenses. But the moment the lawsuit ended, he found himself facing a financial crisis.
[Chef God System Reminder: Shop funds can be freely used as long as the host doesn’t want to draw blind boxes.]
Lin Jiu: …
You’re saying that—now—do you really think I dare to use it?
Suddenly, Lin Jiu realized something painful: hadn’t he already made over 20 million yuan from selling silver carp? Couldn’t that have been used for two blind box draws?
[Chef God System Reminder: The sale of magical materials doesn’t count as shop profits.]
Lin Jiu quickly figured out that selling red plum and green plum fruit wine from the shop would count as profits.
[Chef God System Reminder: Anything sold by the shop counts as profit.]
Lin Jiu understood. Selling raw materials directly wasn’t worth it—after all, who knows what life-changing item might come from a blind box?
Lin Jiu had originally planned to give the remaining green plum wine to Si Xu. Si Xu would definitely pay, but Lin Jiu didn’t know when. He couldn’t exactly chase Si Xu for the money—that would be too awkward.
Feeling a headache coming on, Lin Jiu decided to call Si Xu to test the waters.
Si Xu, thinking Lin Jiu had already left, was surprised to get a call from him. “What’s up?”
After hesitating, Lin Jiu asked, “Do you need any green plum wine? I can set aside a liter for you.”
Si Xu chuckled, “Sure, should I come pick it up?”
Lin Jiu: “No need. I’ll send it to you. I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
Si Xu: “…”
Si Xu: “That’s not very safe. How about you drop it off at the Chen’s Noodle Shop and give it to the manager? He’ll make sure I get it.”
Lin Jiu was momentarily confused, then realized, “Wait… Did you buy Chen’s Noodle Shop?”
Si Xu responded with a simple “Mm,” without saying much. Given his current status, it wasn’t appropriate for him to mention the idea of gifting Lin Jiu a property. After all, he had worked hard to pressure the owners of Chen’s Noodle Shop into selling their building, and he couldn’t just let someone else benefit from it. In case Lin Jiu wanted to expand in the future, these two storefronts would be useful.
Of course, the real reason Chen’s Noodle Shop couldn’t continue was that Chen Dong and his wife didn’t know how to manage their business. Si Xu had only been waiting for an opportunity, and they handed it to him on a silver platter. Not seizing the chance wouldn’t make him much of a businessman.
Lin Jiu, still confused, could only think about the fact that he might soon be neighbors with Si Xu. “What kind of shop do you want to open?” he asked.
Si Xu hadn’t decided yet. “I haven’t thought about it yet. I’m just clearing the space for now. Property prices in the old street are sure to rise. Would you like to consider buying a few more? If you’re busy, I can handle it for you.”
Lin Jiu, not having the means of a wealthy person, could only say, “Let’s wait and see.”
Si Xu sighed. “If you wait, the property prices won’t wait for you.”
Lin Jiu muttered, “Well, there’s nothing I can do about that.”
He still had 100 Black Star Pearls that hadn’t been cashed in yet, and he didn’t have time to deal with all of this at the moment. He would have to wait until he returned.
Si Xu seemed to sense something. “Are you short on money?”
Lin Jiu immediately responded, “Of course… not.”
As the owner of the Demon Fish shop, no one would believe him if he said he was short on money.
Si Xu knew a bit about Lin Jiu’s situation. He wasn’t lacking small amounts of money, but large sums were a different story. Si Xu had once given Lin Jiu 20 million yuan, knowing that Lin Jiu urgently needed the money. Previously, Ji Anchen had also given him 20 million, and “Creation Star” demanded 40 million in compensation—just enough to cover it.
“Creation Star” had long wanted to invest in a major film production under Huasheng, but had no connections. Si Xu, wanting to help Lin Jiu without being too obvious, let the official owner of “Huasheng” offer “Creation Star” a collaboration opportunity, subtly mentioning Lin Jiu. The boss of “Creation Star” agreed right away, and as a result, the compensation was halved. They did give Lin Jiu some “special treatment,” though they didn’t hold back their greedy demands.
Si Xu waited for Lin Jiu to fight back but only saw him sell Silver Carps and Black Star Pearls to scrape together enough money to cover the rest. In the end, Lin Jiu obediently paid off the settlement.
“Creation Star” thought they had successfully secured their investment and could rest easy, and that Lin Jiu was easy to manipulate. Behind the scenes, they played dirty, making impossible demands, trying to intimidate and pressure Lin Jiu.
But after “Creation Star” formally invested in the major film project, Huasheng quietly pulled out and transferred the project to a small company. By the time “Creation Star” realized what had happened, their capital was tied up. If they wanted to back out, it was too late—the money had already been spent on building the set. To avoid a total loss, they had no choice but to keep investing. Either the “Creation Star” boss would cut their losses and pull out immediately, or they would get deeper and deeper into trouble. After all, building a city as a set would require an unknown amount of money.
As for the big-name actors and actresses? They were never going to be involved. Si Xu had never intended to collaborate with “Creation Star” for real. The so-called “major production” was just a ruse. Si Xu was fully aware of “Creation Star’s” shady reputation in the entertainment industry. If it weren’t for Lin Jiu, he wouldn’t have had any dealings with them.
What gave Si Xu comfort was that, while he had originally thought he’d have to help Lin Jiu file a lawsuit to break his contract, Lin Jiu wasn’t as soft as he seemed. He had toughened up on his own and decided to sue “Creation Star”
Just as the call ended, Lin Jiu received a 10 million yuan transfer.
Lin Jiu: “…”
What the—are you trying to give me a heart attack?
One liter of green plum wine only costs 200,000 yuan!!!
Lin Jiu kept 200,000 yuan and returned the rest of the money to Si Xu.
After delivering the green plum wine to his new neighbor, Lin Jiu didn’t leave home again and headed straight for the Demon Sea dimension.
—
Lin Jiu had already fixed his entry and exit points to Xipuluo Island and his home.
Xipuluo Island was more reliable than the sea reef—it wouldn’t disappear into the vast Demon Sea if he didn’t visit for a while.
Lin Jiu didn’t know what kind of fish the invisible fish was, so he asked the system for information.
[Magical Creature: Invisible Fish]
[Habits: Skilled at camouflage, loves ambushing prey]
[Characteristics: Meat is tender and delicious, highly nutritious.]
[Danger Level: ??]
[Effects**: 1. Boosts the human immune system. 2. Known as the “king of anti-cancer.” 3. Destroys cancer cell activity, inhibits cancer cell spread and metastasis, promotes rapid tumor cell death.]
Upon hearing the effects of the invisible fish, Lin Jiu was stunned for a long time. It seemed like this fish was made specifically for cancer patients. The hunting task only required three fish, but how could three be enough? He needed to catch dozens of such useful invisible fish!
Lin Jiu completely ignored the danger rating and was solely focused on the “king of anti-cancer” title.
Stripping down and leaving his clothes on Xipuluo Island, Lin Jiu grabbed the fishing spear and dove into the sea. The transformation process was still as painful as ever, but once fully transformed, he eagerly swam into the deep sea.
Previously, Lin Jiu had never paid attention to the invisible fish. Even if he had encountered one, he wouldn’t have seen it. After all, spotting an invisible fish in its camouflaged state was difficult.
Lin Jiu swam around the sea for days, getting farther and farther from Xipuluo Island, but found no sign of invisible fish. Instead, he was relentlessly hunted by ferocious sea monsters, barely escaping several times by scrambling onto a reef to rest.
Lin Jiu realized he needed to have a talk with the system. The Demon Sea was vast, and searching for an invisible fish in it was like finding a needle in a haystack.
Lin Jiu called out to the system in his mind: Can you give me an exact location? How am I supposed to find them?
[System: You’re not a siren baby anymore. You need to learn how to hunt on your own.]
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu: Excuse me, when have I not hunted on my own?
[System: Every time I see you wandering aimlessly in search of your target, I want to ask whether you’re human or a siren. You’re clearly a siren, yet you cling to human habits while underwater. If you don’t fix that, I doubt you’ll complete this task.]
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu: Is it the system’s job to crush the host’s confidence?
[System: Then show me some progress, Host! You’ve been doing tasks all this time, but have you ever used your sea demon abilities? You’re a siren. Are you saving your abilities to donate them to a museum as a collection?]
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu: I feel like you’re just making a personal attack.
[System: Do you even react when I attack you? If you did, I’d try even harder.]
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu: Have you been surfing the internet a lot lately? Your tone is full of keyboard warrior sarcasm.
[System: I’m just experiencing life. After being dormant for so long, I’ve finally woken up, so I need a hobby.]
Lin Jiu sighed: Can’t you find a more positive hobby? … Ugh, now’s not the time to talk about hobbies. Back to the point, I know I’m a siren, and isn’t a siren’s ability charm through song? Do you want me to charm these sea monsters with my singing?
The demon hunting system was silent for a long time before speaking again.
[Back in the day, the siren race was the second most intelligent species in the Demon Sea—smart and fierce. Now, the last remaining descendants don’t even know their own racial talents, using brute force for simple hunting, with a soft temperament like a steamed bun, lacking any fierceness. What a tragedy!]
Lin Jiu was speechless: Excuse me, before I became part of the siren race, I was a human. Nobody ever taught me about racial talents, and I only know about the siren’s song because of movies.
[Looking at your not-so-smart state, I suspect it’s because you’re mixed-blood. You need to work harder to wash away your inferior human genes. The purer the siren bloodline, the stronger your power. With your current combat ability, you can only survive against three-star sea monsters at best. You won’t get far.]
Lin Jiu: …
Recalling the time when the two-star Stone Skeleton Fish dragged him all over the sea, Lin Jiu thought it was a good thing he wasn’t the one exerting force, or he might have been the one to tire out, not the fish.
Lin Jiu humbly asked: How do I purify the bloodline?
[You can use a Bloodline Purification Agent to wash away the mixed blood, leaving only the sea demon blood.]
Lin Jiu asked hopefully: Can I use my magic points to buy the Bloodline Purification Agent?
[Buying it with magic points isn’t realistic. You’re better off earning money and relying on luck with mystery boxes.]
Lin Jiu: …
How hopeless must this be if my best bet is a mystery box?
Lin Jiu pressed on: How many magic points would I need?
[The basic one starts at 10,000 points.]
Lin Jiu: …
Looking at his meager 100-plus magic points and then at the 10,000 starting point … Fine, I guess the mystery box really does have more hope.
After some thought, Lin Jiu wasn’t ready to give up: How much do I need for the mid-level gene enhancement serum?
[It starts at 100,000 points.]
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu: … Never mind, pretend I didn’t ask.
It was better to have not asked and still held on to hope; now, there was only despair.
Suddenly, Lin Jiu thought that the chef system charging 10 million per mystery box was actually really kind.
[ … ]
Lin Jiu: What are my racial talents, anyway?
[Even if I tell you, will you use them?]
Lin Jiu: … Probably not, but if you don’t tell me, I won’t know at all.
[Try screaming.]
Lin Jiu: … ???
Lin Jiu let out a scream, and the vast, empty Demon Sea echoed back only his own voice.
[Do you notice any reaction around you?]
Lin Jiu looked around: There’s no reaction at all.
[See? Telling you is pointless if you can’t grasp the essence.]
Lin Jiu: …
What a useful system.