53: Chapter 53 Wanbao Pavilion

The red silk fell.

The golden-threaded Phoebe zhennan plaque shimmered under the sun, its three gilded characters—'Myriad Treasures Pavilion'—nearly blinding the passersby.

But that wasn't even the wildest part.

What truly reduced the entire Tianlan Commercial Street to a dead silence was the couplet flanking the entrance, written in black ink on a red background.

Upper Scroll: Opening the Heavens, Opening the Earth, Opening All Things.

Lower Scroll: One Joy, One Sorrow, One Life.

Horizontal Scroll: Take a Gamble, Turn a Bicycle into a Motorcycle.

"Brother Fan, isn't this... a bit too arrogant?"

Fatty Zhang Hao stood on a ladder, still clutching a corner of the red silk, watching the "is this owner crazy?" expressions on the faces of the surrounding pedestrians.

"We haven't even opened yet, and we're claiming to 'Open All Things'? Is it really okay to boast like this?"

"Arrogant?"

Lin Fan stood at the bottom of the steps, hands in his pockets, surveying his masterpiece with satisfaction.

He shook his head.

"This is called style."

"Stop talking nonsense and get down here to work."

Lin Fan waved him off and turned to walk into the shop. "Remember the decoration details I told you about; it needs to look like the old stone gambling dens."

He walked into the main hall.

The quaint, heavy, and oppressive furnishings that originally belonged to the Wang Clan Trading House had been completely cleared away.

In their place was a kind of luxury that made one's adrenaline spike.

A massive crystal chandelier hung from the third-floor dome, refracting a blurred halo of light. The floor was covered with a thick red carpet that felt soft underfoot, like walking on clouds, making people subconsciously let down their guard.

There were no traditional shelves.

In the center of the hall was a massive circular crystal display stand.

Inside the display stand, hundreds of pitch-black blind boxes were neatly arranged, emitting an alluring sense of mystery under the glow of the spotlights.

Surrounding the display stand was a ring of leather sofas and a free drinks area.

This wasn't a weapon shop.

This was clearly a den of dissipation.

"Brother Fan, isn't the lighting a bit too dim?" Fatty ran in, wiping sweat from his forehead. "What if the customers can't see the patterns on the blind boxes clearly?"

"The point is for them not to see clearly."

Lin Fan walked to the crystal display stand and lightly tapped the surface. "If they see too clearly, logic will take over. We aren't selling products; we're selling heartbeats."

Fatty nodded, only half-understanding.

Even if he didn't get it, it sounded very impressive.

"By the way, has the marketing plan been sent out?" Lin Fan asked.

"It's out."

At the mention of this, Fatty immediately perked up, his round face full of excitement.

"I hired thousands of internet trolls on the Jianghai Forums. Now the whole web is discussing our peerless divine weapons. I even had someone Photoshop a few pictures, claiming someone pulled an S-rank Beast Soul here. The post is already in the top three trending topics!"

Building public momentum.

In this age of information explosion, even the finest wine fears the deep alley.

Stoke the hype first, hook people's curiosity, and by opening day, even a piece of crap could be sold at the price of gold.

"Good job."

Lin Fan nodded approvingly. "But hype alone isn't enough; there must be a threshold. Remember those three rules?"

"I remember, I remember!"

"First, ordinary blind boxes are limited to one per person per day—scarcity marketing, I get it. Second, you must hold a Martial Artist Certificate to enter the shop; we're refusing ordinary people who just want to join the crowd. Third..."

Fatty paused, sounding a bit hesitant. "Brother Fan, isn't this membership system a bit too predatory? You have to pre-charge one million just to become a Silver Member and enjoy the new stock notification service. One million... that's enough to buy half a piece of top-tier equipment. Who would be such a sucker?"

One million for the right to a "notification"?

In Fatty's eyes, this was practically robbery.

"A sucker?"

Lin Fan smiled.

He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked at the bustling crowd outside.

"Fatty, never underestimate the anxiety of the wealthy. For those martial artists stuck at a bottleneck, or scions of great families desperate to grow stronger, one million in exchange for a head start is too cheap."

Before his voice had even faded...

A fiery red sports car roared as it executed a beautiful drift, coming to a steady stop right in front of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.

The car door opened.

Two long legs stepped out first.

Chu Yaoyao was wearing a black racing suit today. The tight-fitting design outlined a violent figure that completely contradicted her loli-like face. She took off her sunglasses, tossed her hair, and shouted toward the shop:

"Lin Fan, this young lady is here to support you!"

Immediately following her...

A low-profile, luxurious black sedan slowly came to a halt.

Su Qingxue stepped out.

She was still dressed in white, cold as snow, but the moment she saw Lin Fan, a trace of warmth that was hard to detect flickered in those eyes that usually kept everyone at a distance.

"So this is your new shop?"

Su Qingxue entered the hall and looked around, her gaze lingering for two seconds on the extravagant crystal chandelier and the red carpet. "...Very much your style."

It was impossible to tell if this evaluation was a compliment or a jab.

"Su, the Campus Beauty, your presence brings light to my humble shop."

Lin Fan greeted her with a smile. "What, are you here to get a membership? Since we're so close, I'll give you a one percent discount."

"In your dreams!"

Chu Yaoyao skipped over and gave him a sharp, annoyed look. "We're here to back you up. Look outside!"

Lin Fan turned his head.

He saw two rows of uniformed staff members struggling to carry two massive flower baskets to the entrance.

The baskets were two stories high and filled entirely with precious spiritual plants and flowers. A single basket was worth no less than a hundred thousand.

Even more intimidating were the banners on them.

Left side: The Su Family congratulates Myriad Treasures Pavilion on its grand opening; may wealth flow in from all directions.

Right side: The Chu Family wishes Mr. Lin a prosperous business; may gold pour in every day.

The Su Family.

The Chu Family.

Of the four great families of Jianghai City, two had shown up at once.

The passersby who had been watching from the entrance and criticizing the new shop instantly erupted into a frenzy.

"Holy crap. The Su and Chu families sent flower baskets at the same time? What's the background of this owner?"

"This is too much face. I remember when the City Lord's Manor opened a business, it only had this much pomp."

"I thought it was just some attention-seeking scam shop, but now it looks like... they've actually got something!"

This was an endorsement.

In this circle, while strength was important, connections and background often determined the life or death of a shop.

With the Su and Chu families' flower baskets displayed here, anyone who wanted to cause trouble for the Myriad Treasures Pavilion in the future would have to first weigh whether they were qualified.

"Thanks."

Lin Fan looked at the two massive flower baskets, his mind clear as a mirror.

These weren't just flower baskets.

This was Su Qingxue and Chu Yaoyao announcing to the whole city: Myriad Treasures Pavilion is their ally.

"Don't just say thanks."

Su Qingxue walked to the crystal display stand, her gaze falling on a blind box priced at one hundred thousand. "I'll take this one. Consider it the first order of the opening."

"I want some too, I want some too!"

Chu Yaoyao refused to be outdone, pulling out a black card and slapping it on the table. "Give me ten. If I don't pull something good today, I'm not leaving!"

The atmosphere instantly became lively.

Fatty grinned from ear to ear and quickly ran to process the orders.

Just then...

Fatty's phone suddenly rang.

He answered the call, and before he could even listen for two seconds, his face, which had been beaming like a chrysanthemum, instantly froze and then turned deathly pale.

"Okay... I understand."

He hung up the phone.

Fatty walked quickly to Lin Fan's side, his voice kept extremely low, carrying a trace of panic he couldn't hide.

"Brother Fan, something's happened."