Tao Yaoye paused for two seconds before blurting out two words: "Excuse me?"
It was not that she had failed to hear what Vice Cult Master Shi said; rather, she felt his words clashed completely with the atmosphere up to this point.
Lan Ting was just as baffled as Tao Yaoye.
Given the mood earlier, she would not have been surprised in the least if Huo Huashen and Vice Cult Master Shi had drawn giant cleavers, held them against their throats, and barked at them to hand over all their money.
Lu Yang, on the other hand, had somewhat anticipated this.
Or rather, the moment Tao Yaoye invented the Dream Bubble, he had already foreseen such a possibility.
Back when Tao Yaoye first accompanied Lu Yang to the barbecue shop and crossed paths with Vice Cult Master Shi, Lu Yang had told her that there was no need to be overly nervous around people from the Nine Nether Cult—a day would come when the Nine Nether Cult came begging for her help.
Tao Yaoye had not understood back then.
Originally, Lu Yang had thought about using his Heavenly Court Cult identity to suggest that Vice Cult Master Shi partner up with Tao Yaoye. On second thought, however, he felt that making such a suggestion would make it seem as though the Heavenly Court Cult placed far too much importance on the barbecue shop, which could easily arouse Vice Cult Master Shi's suspicions, so he had let the matter rest.
It seemed Vice Cult Master Shi was sharp enough after all; even without a reminder, he had thought of partnering with Junior Sister Tao on his own.
Vice Cult Master Shi assumed he had simply spoken too abruptly, and offered a faint smile.
"I wonder if Mister Tao has heard of the 'Try Again Barbecue Shop'? My surname is Shi, and I am the shop's owner."
Seeing Tao Yaoye and Lan Ting still in a daze, Lu Yang put on a look of astonished surprise. "You mean the Try Again Barbecue Shop that's been wildly popular lately, opening branches all across the continent, where everyone who eats there cannot stop singing its praises?!"
"This must be Prodigy Lu. To fight the Young Cult Master of the Heavenly Court Cult to a draw—truly, you are the pride of our generation of cultivators."
Vice Cult Master Shi spoke entirely from the heart. He knew Young Cult Master Lu's background all too well: direct disciple of Dou Tianzun, designated as the next Cult Master. Young Cult Master Lu possessed talent so terrifying that even ancient immortals were wary of him.
Who would have thought that someone as formidable as Young Cult Master Lu could encounter an opponent evenly matched with him!
"I have long heard of Mister Tao's renowned name. Mister Tao is brimming with extraordinary talent to have created such a novel marvel as the Dream Bubble, stirring up quite a sensation across Great Xia. Truly young and promising!"
Vice Cult Master Shi sighed inwardly. This was the gulf between people! Look at Tao Yaoye—not even twenty years old and already wealthy, and this was only the beginning. Then look at himself: squandering two thousand years of life, one billion in debt, struck by lightning every single month.
"The one who brought you here is my subordinate, and also the manager of our very first barbecue shop, surnamed Huo.
"He is a man of few words, and I cautioned him not to speak carelessly. I hope he did not say anything rude on the way here."
Tao Yaoye thought to herself that he indeed had not said anything rude—he had not spoken at all, which had been far more terrifying.
"May I ask what Boss Shi means by advertising through the Dream Bubble? How would such advertising work?"
"It is like this. Before a Dream Bubble begins, isn't there a waiting period? I was thinking of using that window of time to promote our barbecue shop."
Tao Yaoye hesitated slightly. "But that period is only one minute long. Can such a brief window really be used for promotion?"
"One minute is plenty. We will produce a one-minute promotional illusion," Vice Cult Master Shi replied with a smile. He had already investigated the matter thoroughly.
Through his time managing the business, Shi Huagu had summarized two requirements for prosperity: first, a stellar reputation, meaning the flavor and service had to be excellent to bring back repeat customers; second, strong publicity to make a renowned name.
The Dream Bubble's growth momentum was far more explosive than that of their barbecue shops, with countless people watching them every day. It was an exceptional advertising medium—its effect would surely be vastly superior to running advertisements through the intelligence branch of the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce!
Vice Cult Master Shi's choice to advertise through the Dream Bubble came from multiple considerations; as a veteran old fiend, he had his own calculations.
The potent promotional effect was one aspect, but another lay in Tao Yaoye's status as a disciple of the Dao Seeking Sect.
Opportunities to collaborate with the Dao Seeking Sect were exceedingly hard to come by; this was a golden chance to establish a connection with them!
Just look at how the Immortal Cult had exhausted every possible scheme just to breach the Dao Seeking Sect's mountain gate, planting undercover operatives and weaving intricate conspiracies.
Establishing ties with the Dao Seeking Sect was no easy feat.
Once this move succeeded, their Nine Nether Cult would openly collaborate with the Dao Seeking Sect while secretly cooperating with the Heavenly Court Cult. Having footholds in both the righteous and demonic factions, they could advance or retreat at will, adapting to any circumstance and seizing every advantage!
"As for the fee, I wonder what thoughts Mister Tao might have? Everything is open to discussion."
Vice Cult Master Shi was throwing caution to the wind. This was an essential method to promote the barbecue shops and a prime opportunity to link up with the Dao Seeking Sect; he could not afford to pinch pennies over spirit stones now.
Terrified that Tao Yaoye might decline the partnership, he had even deliberately arranged for an actor to pose as the washerwoman's master to intercept and ambush Lu Yang's trio along the road, only to have Huo Huashen swoop in to rescue them.
That way, they would owe him a favor, and he would not have to worry about them refusing to cooperate.
Under such circumstances, they would not dare ask for an exorbitant price either.
In truth, this scheme had glaring flaws if one gave it even a moment's thought: the one sent to ambush Lu Yang's group had been at the Soul Formation stage, yet the washerwoman had spent twenty whole years just to harvest the soul of a single mortal, Squire Song. Even granting that demonic cultivators practiced with caution and killed covertly, such efficiency was absurdly low.
Lu Yang had seen through this, but had chosen not to expose it.
There was no need to. The barbecue shop was his own venture anyway; even if Vice Cult Master Shi had not resorted to these ploys, Lu Yang would have wanted to use the Dream Bubble to promote the shop.
Tao Yaoye fell into a dilemma. Facing this sort of arrangement for the first time, she had no idea how much would be appropriate to ask.
She shot a discreet glance at Lu Yang, silently pleading for his help.
With Shi Huagu sitting right across from them, she dared not use divine sense transmission for fear of being intercepted.
Lu Yang had no idea what the going market rate was either, as this was the very first instance of its kind. Leaning forward slightly, he asked with a smile, "I wonder how many spirit stones Boss Shi is prepared to offer, and for how long you intend to purchase the advertising rights?"
Shi Huagu had not expected the other party to toss the difficult question right back at him.
He gritted his teeth and declared, "Ten million to buy one year of advertising rights!"
Ten million. A regular Soul Formation cultivator might only amass that much over an entire lifetime; only established Soul Formation clans would possess substantially more.
"Boss Shi truly knows how to joke." Lu Yang smiled faintly, retrieving the storage ring provided by the chamber of commerce and placing it onto the stone table.
"The three of us earned six million just by completing a single mission outside. Ten million seems a bit lacking, doesn't it?"
Lu Yang was not merely boasting either. Judging by the rewards from each of his previous excursions, earning six million this time was considered on the lower end. Last time he took on a mission, he went out with Li Haoran to clear his head and ended up establishing the Heavenly Court Cult along the way; the time before that, he went to slay a tiger demon and resolve the chang ghost problem, smoothly infiltrating the Immortal Cult in the process. Those were gains that could never be measured in mere spirit stones—every single mission had yielded far more than this one.
"Twenty... no, thirty million!"
Shi Huagu's heart was bleeding. No one had ever advertised through a Dream Bubble before; if the venture failed, those thirty million would go straight down the drain.
Lu Yang maintained his relaxed, easygoing demeanor. "Non-negotiable price: fifty million. Within that one year, you get a one-minute opening promotional segment, plus scenes woven into the Dream Bubble where characters are shown eating grilled skewers at the Try Again Barbecue Shop."
Vice Cult Master Shi was taken aback. He had never imagined advertising could be done in such a fashion.
If the promotion truly proved effective, fifty million was not out of the question after all.
Reflecting on the booming business of the barbecue shops and the immense financial clout of the Heavenly Court Cult backing them, Vice Cult Master Shi steeled his resolve. "Then fifty million it is!"
"Boss Shi will be glad to have partnered with us."
Chapter 522