258: fan economy

"VIP students can make advance reservations for brain-refreshing services."

Ming Xuan shook the gold-plated membership card in her hand, the tiny diamonds studded at the corners of her eyes sparkling with the movement.

"Oh right, the knitted hats designed by Horse-Face have already sold one hundred thousand units, and the two characters 'Must Pass' were written by Bai Xuan with a calligraphy brush."

You Yu rubbed his throbbing shenting acupoint: "Aren't you afraid that candidates will discover that the set of past papers is filled with advertisements for milk tea with insect-gu flavor?"

"How could that be?"

Ming Xuan triumphantly flipped open the 《Universal Template for Underworld Examination Essays》, with a milk-scented coupon tucked between every hundred pages.

Niu Mengmeng's Q-version image was winking while holding a milk tea cup...

"This is called immersive marketing!"

She lowered her voice, blinking mysteriously.

"Ma Sanqiang's knitting tutorial DVDs have already sold out, and purchasing one now also gives you a chance to win an Underworld Marshal postcard—the kind where Hei Jing is taking a bath~"

You Yu rubbed his forehead, already imagining the expression on the Emperor's face when he came out of seclusion—twitching corners of the mouth, dull eyes, looking like a stone statue struck by lightning.

His divine sense swept across the Netherworld, and everywhere were figures running wildly while carrying banners that read "Must Win the Underworld Examination."

In a daze, one might think they had stumbled into the battlefield of the mortal realm's Double Eleven shopping festival.

Fortunately, Ming Xuan still had a bottom line; at least she didn't sell meng pos soup mixed with milk as "brain-boosting soothing liquid."

...

After the new system was implemented, the Netherworld completely changed.

By the banks of the Wangchuan River, ghost messengers held 《Deep Analysis of Underworld Examination Past Papers》 and quizzed each other.

For every question missed, they had to drink a mouthful of cola soup spiked with millet pepper and wasabi.

Peddlers on Yin Street hawked glowing "Underworld Examination Good Luck Charms," the golden light on the talismans actually made from the leftover gold thread from Ma Sanqiang's knitting.

The most ridiculous were the Iron-Haired Dog packs, running around the streets with flyers covered in paw prints in their mouths.

The back of the flyers even had advertisements saying: "Apply for exclusive positions at Fierce Dog Ridge, dog food provided, enjoy a life of scooping poop (a miserable life)."

The Goddess of Desire's fan club even came up with new tricks.

In the "Charismatic Communication Course" video released, Her Excellency Olexia did nothing but bat her eyelashes and twirl around.

Yet the comment section was flooded with sycophantic praise like: "Follow the Goddess, pass the interview for sure!"

You Yu stood at the offline verification counter, looking at the ghost messenger subordinates in the queue who used to slack off until they were unreachable.

They were holding little notebooks, diligently recording precautions for the human race members beside them.

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Minister You, hello!"

Yin Shu's camera was suddenly shoved into You Yu's face.

"May I ask what your thoughts are on the popularity of this first Underworld Examination?"

Yin Shu held a selfie stick, and on the live broadcast screen behind him, a series of lovestruck bullet comments floated by: "Minister You is so handsome," "Licked, licked," "Darling, look at me~," "I can wrap around this waist three times."

You Yu resisted the urge to cringe so hard his toes curled.

He stared expressionlessly at his number one toxic fan leader: "What are my thoughts?"

"I suggest adding an 'anti-surveillance' test site, allowing candidates to complete the interview under 360-degree, dead-angle-free filming."

The live broadcast room was instantly flooded with "Hahahaha."

"Ahhh... Hubby is still so sarcastic."

"Love it, love it. ＾ 3 ＾"

"Slurp slurp, licking the screen, licking the screen, licking the screen crazily."

...

"Zzzzt—"

Ming Xuan took the opportunity to squeeze over.

She flashed the golden booklet in her hand in front of the lens.

"Attention all candidates! Purchase the Underworld Examination Sprint Gift Pack》 now to receive a tear-off card with Minister You's autograph."

"Purchase the luxury package of Underworld Examination Sprint Gift Pack》 + 《Deep Analysis of Underworld Examination Past Papers》 + 《Basic Regulations for Underworld Civil Servants》, and you can get Minister You's bathroom..."

"Enough, Ming Xuan!"

You Yu's expression was gloomy.

His patience had been completely exhausted by these two clowns. He snatched the promotional brochure from Ming Xuan's hand, but froze when he opened it.

Tucked inside the pages were a few yellowed paper boats with "Overtime Dog Protection Association" written on them in crooked handwriting.

They were the exact "evidence" that had been floating on the Wangchuan River a while ago.

【Oh no! The mastermind has been caught~ red-handed.】

Seeing her disguise exposed, Ming Xuan rarely put away her merchant face, her tone carrying a hint of emotion.

"Minister You, look at those ghost messenger colleagues. They used to either slack off or complain, but now there is light in their eyes."

"Even if it is just for their boyfriend/girlfriend."

"Boyfriend/girlfriend??? What the hell?" You Yu's eyes rolled in confusion as he lifted his gaze to look at Ming Xuan.

He hadn't seen her in a few days; why was this woman talking so strangely, full of curiosity?

"Sigh! Minister You doesn't know? The Bixia Garden around the Earth God Temple has been perfectly completed, and they are currently running a promotion—launching four-bedroom, two-living room couple suites."

"For the candidates who pass the first exam, the discounts at Bixia Garden are huge. Rent halved, utilities free, permanently valid..."

"And so, as soon as the document came down, basically all the candidates who could participate in the Underworld Examination became a couple."

Ming Xuan looked at You Yu with hidden meaning. "The ghost messenger colleagues, of course, also have to work hard to study with their boyfriends/girlfriends!"

"Besides, any creature that can successfully sign up, no matter the race, must have impeccable character and loyalty."

"Ghost messenger colleagues who have been single for hundreds of years, how could they not seize the good opportunity to get out of the single life."

You Yu suppressed his breathing and sighed softly.

"Tch! Everyone is quite realistic."

"If you had said earlier that you lacked a partner, I would have just been a matchmaker for you."

He thought of the long line of candidates verifying their information offline and wept silently in his heart!!!

Ming Xuan laughed, her hand twirling the tassels on her gold-plated membership card.

"How can being a matchmaker earn as much as building a career? I still need to earn a big seaside villa for my Ling Yao."

"However, if Minister You really has such an intention..."

She suddenly leaned in, the abacus in her heart almost poking You Yu in the face.

"We can open a knowledge club, the paid kind."

You Yu rolled his eyes at her.

"Who wants to do this with you."

Ming Xuan wasn't afraid of his refusal and set up a soundproof barrier as if no one else was around: "The lowest tier membership fee is 400,000 incense offerings, and you can take 30% of the annual profit."

"Ahem~ as for the others, we have to grease the wheels..."

She stopped at the right point, confident that You Yu would understand.

Anyway, it wouldn't harm the interests of the Underworld; at most, it would let the human cultivators get fleeced a bit.

You Yu's heart stirred slightly, but he showed nothing on the surface, remaining as gloomy and cold as ever.

His thumb unconsciously rubbed the rough edges of the brochure's inner pages, his spiritual sense calculating rapidly.

【30%?】

It sounded good, but this woman was very slippery; the profit margin was definitely more than what she said.

He calmly raised his eyelids, his voice flat and waveless: "30%? Are you trying to brush off a beggar?"

"I take the risk, I put my reputation on the line, and all I get is this pittance?"

You Yu deliberately bit the words "pittance" clearly, carrying a bit of disdainful chill.

"Deputy Minister Ming's cost of 'greasing the wheels' is a bit too calculating."

When Ming Xuan heard this, her heart skipped a beat.