After hanging up the phone, Chen Xiaobei was just about to set off when his phone vibrated again.
Great Sage Equal to Heaven: Brother Xiaobei, didn't you promise to send the spicy strips to me today?
Chen Xiaobei froze when he saw the message—he'd almost forgotten about this. In fact, he still owed Lord Yama and Shennong one spicy strip each. However, out of respect for these great immortals, neither of them had taken the initiative to ask for it. But Sun Wukong didn't care about such formalities; he popped up right on time to demand his share.
Chen Xiaobei quickly replied: Great Sage, wait a moment. I'll send them right away.
He found a nearby convenience store, bought a pack of spicy strips, then took out three of them and sent one each to Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Lord Yama, and Shennong.
Yes! Only one per person! If he wanted to sell spicy strips at a good price, he had to fully implement the strategy of hunger marketing.
Soon, the group chat exploded with activity.
Lord Yama: Hahaha! Immortal Xiaobei's spicy strips have arrived! This lord can enjoy them to my heart's content again!
Marshal Tianpeng: Is it really that delicious? (Drooling emoji)
Little Nezha: Not sure what it is, but it sounds awesome! (Curious emoji)
Great Sage Equal to Heaven: It's not just delicious—it's super delicious! I haven't had such a satisfying treat in ages!
Tang Seng: Wukong! Is the spicy strip really that tasty?
Bull Demon King: If my brother says it's good, it must be good! I need to get one to try too!
Erlang Shen: That stinky monkey got to eat it, so I want some too! I definitely can't lose to him!
…
The group was abuzz with excitement, but Shennong didn't say a word. It turned out the old man had already sent Chen Xiaobei a private message.
Shennong: Immortal Xiaobei! The spicy strip is truly a delicacy! I want three more!
"Wow! As expected of one of the Three Sovereigns, Shennong is really wealthy! But I can't satisfy him all at once—otherwise, spicy strips won't be rare anymore," Chen Xiaobei thought to himself, then replied: I'm truly sorry, but spicy strips are precious items. I can only give Your Majesty one more. The rest need to be saved for other group members.
He had already noticed Bull Demon King and Erlang Shen in the group—potential customers. Naturally, he wanted to implement a multi-faceted marketing strategy; diversifying customers was the only way to ensure the sustainable development of his "business."
Shennong: One is fine too. (Disappointed emoji) Shall I still give you 1,000 bottles of Small Hundred Herbs Elixir?
Chen Xiaobei: No! I already have enough Small Hundred Herbs Elixir. This time, I want Three Realms Merits.
Shennong: No problem!
Ding—Congratulations! You've received a red envelope from Shennong, obtaining 10,000 Three Realms Merits, which have been stored in your treasure chest.
Chen Xiaobei grinned, took out another spicy strip, and sent it to Shennong.
Shortly after, Bull Demon King and Erlang Shen also reached out to him. Chen Xiaobei was in a hurry to treat Old Master Wen, so he didn't have time to chat with them. He collected 10,000 merits from each and sent two spicy strips to each of them.
In just a few short minutes, Chen Xiaobei had obtained 30,000 Three Realms Merits.
"Huh? Why hasn't my character leveled up? Didn't the 'Great Kind Person' title level up with just 1,000 Three Realms Merits?" Chen Xiaobei was confused, so he opened his treasure chest to check.
There, the Three Realms Merits appeared as a glowing seven-colored orb, floating gently, with a line of small text below it:
—Unactivated Three Realms Merits. Activate now?
"Oh, so these merits haven't been added to me yet. I need to activate them to make them work. I'll go treat Old Master Wen first, then come back to figure this out later," Chen Xiaobei had wasted a lot of time already. He didn't hesitate any longer, handed the remaining spicy strips to Jin Fei, then drove to the Wen family mansion.
In the northern part of the city, the Wen family mansion—like Murong Tian's estate—was built on North Mountain. However, they were far apart in location and didn't interfere with each other at all.
When Chen Xiaobei arrived, Wen Yuan came out to greet him personally.
"Xiaobei! You're finally here! Hurry inside and take a look—Grandpa's condition is really bad this time. The doctors are helpless!" Anxiety was written all over Wen Yuan's charming little face. Although she had an ulterior motive for winning Chen Xiaobei over, her anxiety wasn't faked—clearly, Old Master Wen's condition was truly critical.
"Take me in quickly," Chen Xiaobei didn't dare to delay and immediately followed Wen Yuan inside.
In the master bedroom, Old Master Wen lay on the bed. His face was purple, his hands and feet trembled slightly, and he was in a deep coma.
On the left side of the bed stood a solemn-looking man—Chen Xiaobei recognized him as Wen Tianyuan, the current president of Wen Group and Wen Yuan's father.
On the right side of the bed stood another middle-aged man. He bore a slight resemblance to Wen Tianyuan, but his skin was bronze-colored, his temples were slightly sunken, and his eyes were as sharp as a falcon's, exuding a faintly intimidating aura.
Obviously, this was Wen Feng's father, Wen Tiandou. Jin Fei had mentioned that this man had been practicing martial arts in Longdu.
Curious, Chen Xiaobei activated his Nether Battle Eye to check. What he saw shocked him.
Ding—Cultivation: Qi Refining Early Stage, Physique: 5,000, Combat Power: 5,000!
This Wen Tiandou actually had the same strength as Murong Tian! He could defeat a thousand weaklings (with combat power 5) all by himself. In ancient times, a master of this level would be called a "Thousand-Man Slayer"—an extremely powerful warrior!
Besides the core members of the Wen family, there was also a doctor standing in the corner. He was around 50 or 60 years old and seemed to be a famous physician. But at this moment, his face was filled with embarrassment—clearly, he was helpless against Old Master Wen's illness.
"Mr. Chen! You're finally here! Please save my father!" Wen Tianyuan hurried over and ushered Chen Xiaobei into the bedroom.
"Don't worry. I can cure Old Master Wen," Chen Xiaobei walked over, took out the Small Hundred Herbs Elixir he had prepared earlier, and was about to feed it to Old Master Wen when someone stopped him.
"Stop!" Wen Tiandou asked coldly, "What are you going to feed my father?"
Chen Xiaobei frowned, clearly sensing hostility. He thought to himself: If you're not nice to me, I won't be nice to you either!
Chen Xiaobei put on a cold expression and snapped, "It's a folk remedy from my hometown. You wouldn't understand even if I explained it."
"You must explain it clearly! Otherwise, I won't let you feed my father random things!" Wen Tiandou's tone was firm.
Chen Xiaobei snorted, "I came here today to save Old Master Wen out of kindness. I don't owe the Wen family anything! If my kindness is taken for ill will, then I'll just leave."
"Xiaobei!"
"Mr. Chen!"
Wen Yuan and Wen Tianyuan quickly ran over to stop Chen Xiaobei.
"Xiaobei, don't go! Only you can save Grandpa!" Wen Yuan clung to Chen Xiaobei's arm to keep him from leaving.
Wen Tianyuan, meanwhile, shouted angrily at Wen Tiandou, "Second Brother! Father's life is at stake! Only Mr. Chen can save him! You're obstructing him like this—you have evil intentions!"
"What are you talking about? I don't understand," Wen Tiandou sneered.
"Father hasn't changed his will yet! You just want him to die so Wen Feng can inherit the entire family!" Wen Tianyuan roared.