“How’s that? Two weeks ago, you didn’t even dare to compete, and now you think you can beat me?” Teng Master sneered to the fullest. “I’ve seen your concoctions— they’re trash, absolute trash, full of loopholes!”
“Heh, before I won the match, say whatever you want. There’s no point in bragging before proving yourself.”
After all, I had fled in fear two weeks ago, which gave Master Lu the upper hand during the competition. He had no quick comeback.
“The opening time’s here. Let’s settle this hands-on!”
Both shops unveiled the red cloth covering their signboards simultaneously.
At first glance, the Dali Magic Potion Shop utterly crushed the Xianlu Magic Potion Shop in terms of presence.
The larger, more luxurious storefront radiated a reliable, high-end vibe that immediately inspired confidence.
In contrast, Xianlu’s shop was cramped, and its selection of potions was limited.
There was no choice— the funds just couldn’t match up.
“Even the best wine fears a deep alley!” Master Lu fretted. “The flashy drums and gongs over there have already drawn all the customers’ attention. No matter how good your potions are, no one will notice!”
Outside Dali Magic Potion Shop, firecrackers exploded, drawing the entire street’s eyes.
Through the smoke, a luxurious black sedan pulled up to the entrance.
Mu Tianzhou stepped onto the red carpet, like a president arriving at a grand ceremony.
“Thank you all for coming to our Mu Family’s new potion shop.”
“Mu Family quality, guaranteed.”
“On behalf of the Mu Family, I hereby guarantee… all our spirit potions— tenfold compensation if any are fake!”
The atmosphere surged to a peak as Mu Tianzhou cut the ribbon amid cheers.
At that moment,
Cluru and I finally arrived, riding a shared electric scooter.
“Hey, I was wondering who it could be— how dare you open a shop right in front of the Mu Family’s store.” Mu Tianzhou immediately played the villain, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Sorry folks, maybe you should move somewhere else. Otherwise, don’t say I didn’t warn you… you’ll lose everything!”
“Oh? Then keep trying. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Well then, watch closely!”
Back inside, Cluru and I sat by the window, casually glancing across the street.
Our attitudes couldn’t have been more indifferent.
Master Lu awkwardly bent over. “Bosses, maybe we should postpone the opening for another day…”
“Hm? Why hide?”
“Isn’t that a rhetorical question?”
If Master Lu hadn’t seen Little Luo Xian’s skills before, he might have started doubting my intelligence by now.
“They have such a grand setup; customers walking by will definitely see them first! Besides, it’s the Mu Family’s store— a well-known chain with quality assurance! How can we possibly compete?”
“Oh… so they’ll attract tons and tons of customers?”
“Exactly! And look.”
Master Lu pulled out his phone.
The Kangcheng social circle was buzzing: “The Mu Family just opened a new shop in Kangcheng, grand opening sale today!”
Such spontaneous ads were everywhere.
After all, Kangcheng is a small city; previously, summoners here found it very inconvenient to buy potions.
They either risked going to unsafe small shops or traveled four to five hours to the big city,
wasting too much time and energy.
Now, with a big-brand potion shop opening in Kangcheng, it’s a celebration for all local summoners.
“The news will spread fast, from one to ten, ten to a hundred. Soon, all the summoners in Kangcheng will rush to buy.”
“Then we’ll just look like a joke.” Master Lu sighed.
“The more the merrier.” I calmly said, moving a piece in Gobang against Cluru, suddenly calling out, “Checkmate!”
Cluru blinked, stunned. Two white stones were already lined up to four in a row; no matter how she blocked, it was too late.
She gritted her teeth.
“Eight-Tentacle Formation!”
A few faint black shadows flickered, and the white stones on the board vanished without a trace.
“…How do you cheat in Gobang?”
“Hmph! I won~!” Cluru gloated.
“…” Master Lu looked speechless.
At a time like this, you still have the mood to play?
“Stop playing Gobang— you’re cheating.” I flipped the board in frustration. “Let’s change games. Master Lu, sit down, let’s play Dou Dizhu.”
“…”
After losing two rounds in a row, Master Lu looked even more anxious.
“Boss, they have reputation and brand effect. In this age of Attention Economy, they’ve built their name first. Even if their potions are diluted tenfold, people will still buy them. After all, customers aren’t potion masters— they can’t tell the difference. They’ll happily drink the diluted stuff, even if it’s garbage. Plus, they have tons of capital for marketing… We’re doomed. Just close shop; we can’t win.”
“Oh.” I replied nonchalantly. “Alright, next round.”
“Our potions might be better, but what use is that? Your potions work a bit better, but at what cost? How many times higher is the cost? With such high costs, how can you compete with their diluted potions? They dilute to increase profit insanely and sell a ton… You can’t win a price war, and without capital or influence, you can’t win a marketing war either!”
“You fishy carp! Are you hiding cards?”
Seeing Cluru once again played two Kings and four Twos, I nervously glanced under the table.
Under the table, Cluru’s tentacles retracted lightning-fast.
Luckily, I was quick enough to grab one.
A suction cup stuck to a King card.
“You’re cheating!”
“Alright, alright, no more cheating. When will you lose all your cards?” Cluru winked. “Once you lose, let’s bet our bodies. You bet, I follow.”
“Get lost!!!”
“Even crawling is fine.”
“…”
She’s completely impervious.
But to Master Lu, I’m just as unyielding.
“Sigh—”
Master Lu thought the boss had already been utterly defeated.
Sitting here calmly was just avoiding reality.
Looking out the window, the shop across the street was packed.
Our side? Deserted— not a single customer since opening.
Not a single customer— it was absurd.
“Wait a little longer.”
I finally replied to Master Lu.
“Wait? They’re waiting for promotional guests; what are we waiting for?” Master Lu was confused.
“For their customers.”
“?”
“Be patient; let’s play another game.”
Lost in the game, I didn’t notice the time passing.
Only Master Lu and the staff felt like they were sitting on pins and needles, days dragging on.
The shop assistants had mentally prepared for unemployment.
First day open, first day closed, first day working, first day jobless.
What can you do when the boss is so stubborn?
Shrug~
As time went on, the crowd outside the Dali Magic Potion Shop grew.
A line formed, stretching visibly longer as more people heard the news and came.
The line looked like a gluttonous snake, its tail growing endlessly, now reaching the street corner.
“What exactly are we waiting for?” Master Lu anxiously scratched his head.
“Calm down, there still aren’t enough people.”
“Isn’t this enough? Then what counts as enough?”
I smiled faintly and saw Cluru picking up her phone to start a game.
“Mid-lane solo. Winner hands over their body to the loser—deal?” Cluru looked at me expectantly.
Hand over the body? Geez, almost got caught in that trap.
Who surrenders faster, huh?
“Not a chance.”
“Tch.”
Seeing me saw through her trick, Cluru lowered her eyes, scheming anew.
Time slipped by as we played.
Another hour passed.
I glanced outside.
The queue outside had grown to an absurd length.
It wrapped the entire block multiple times, layered and packed to the brim—no room left.
The scene was spectacular.
I stood up.
“That’s enough.”
Master Lu had completely lost his fighting spirit.
He chuckled foolishly. “It’s too late. Nothing we do now will help.”
“Why not?”
“People are already lining up there. No matter what we do, they won’t give up their hard-earned spot. Besides… customers just follow the trend. The longer the line, the bigger the fame.”
“Then that means you’re not good enough.”
“Not good enough? How good can you be?”
I just smiled and said, “Bring me a board, an advertorial.”
Master Lu shook his head, not believing me, but still went to fetch a large whiteboard with pens and erasers.
“Here you go. What are you planning to do with it?”
I took the marker and wrote boldly:
[Price is half of theirs]
[Effect is twice as strong]
Master Lu stared blankly at the whiteboard.
“You… are serious?”
“Of course. Hang it at the door. Also, write two couplets. The upper line: ‘Price is half of theirs,’ the lower line: ‘Effect is twice as strong,’ and the horizontal scroll: ‘Light After Darkness.’”
“Put the couplets by the door… and make sure the characters are big.”
“…”
The plan was straightforward and brutal.
“Won’t you lose your shirt?” Master Lu asked anxiously. “Costs are sky-high. You lose money on every sale. How long can we last?”
“You don’t have to worry about costs.”
You don’t talk about costs with the First Alchemy God of Nine Provinces.
One bottle of their potion— even diluted ten times— is equivalent to one of my pills.
Dissolve the pill, and it yields ten bottles, all twice as effective as theirs.
Cost equals just one-twentieth of theirs.
Lose money? Cry me a river. I’m making four times the profit through tears…
“Our funds are tight; we can’t do marketing, so we’ll ride on their coattails.”
“They’re kindly helping us bring in customers.”
“How could we betray such goodwill?”
Now Master Lu understood what I was waiting for: waiting for their customers to come over.
But… he still didn’t know the true cost of these pills.
So he kept his worried frown.
“Sigh, if we lose money, we lose money. I’ve got some savings; at worst, I’ll just put a sign on the small shop.” Master Lu muttered, dejected, and stepped outside.
“Look at the shop opposite.”
“Daring to open right in front of the Mu Family’s potion shop… they’ve got no fear.”
“The storefront is so shabby; no one feels like going in.”
“Looks unsafe.”
“Such a huge gap.”
Teng Master lurked among the customers, listening to these critiques with satisfaction.
He glanced up just as Master Lu came out.
“Oh, little Lu, no longer hiding like a scared turtle?”
Master Lu snorted coldly and ignored him.
I raised the whiteboard high.
With a bang, I placed it at the most conspicuous spot by the roadside.
Instantly, every customer at Dali Magic Potion Shop saw the sign.
Price half?
Effect twice as strong??