Chapter 461: What It Means To Be A Top Sales Champion

Within the Ancient Theater Treasury.

"Achoo!""Achoo!!""—Achoo!!!"

Eldest Senior Brother Ning Ruyu sneezed three times in a row, rubbing his nose with a strange expression, a hint of bewilderment in his eyes.

"Senior Brother, are you catching a cold?" junior disciple Mojiao asked from beside him, puzzled.

The bright sun hung in the azure sky. Ning Ruyu sat in a rocking chair, seemingly enjoying a sunbath... He looked at himself with a strange expression and said uncertainly, "I don't know... I shouldn't be."

"Speaking of which, I've encountered something strange recently," the Third Senior Brother, also seated in a rocking chair nearby, said in a deep voice.

"What?"

"I only realized this morning while cleaning the kitchen that I used sugar instead of salt when cooking last night."

"...How is that strange? You just picked up the wrong ingredient!"

The Third Senior Brother calmly turned to look at them. "Did any of you taste it?"

Ning Ruyu, Luan Mei, and Mojiao all paused, lost in thought.

"...No."

"No wonder last night's meal wasn't as flavorful. I didn't even finish my large bowl..." Ning Ruyu's brows furrowed deeper. "Did we... lose our sense of taste?"

"That's not right. I tasted the lunch today; you put too much salt in it," Mojiao stated confidently.

"It seems it was only yesterday. It's back to normal today."

"That's odd... Why would we suddenly lose our sense of taste?"

Luan Mei pondered for a long time before suggesting a possibility: "Could it be... a karmic backlash?"

"Karmic backlash? Are you talking about that gold?" Mojiao shook his head. "How much karma could that little bit of gold create? In previous years, the backlash was, at most, occasionally tripping while walking..."

"Exactly. For so many years, there's never been a backlash that directly affected us... It's just a bit of gold, surely not?"

"Maybe we just caught a cold these past two days."

"Speaking of which, it's been a few days since our junior disciple went down the mountain... I wonder how he's doing?"

"With Fifth Brother there, there's definitely no danger, but whether he can make money is another matter..."

"How much was the most we ever sold before?"

"It was the year Second Senior Sister went; she earned nearly forty million in total. That was enough to pay salaries for a whole year, making her our sales champion."

"Right, I remember now. The day Second Senior Sister returned, even Master couldn't resist and personally offered her a toast."

"He was grinning from ear to ear."

The four figures sat neatly in their rocking chairs, sunbathing and chatting, the atmosphere one of complete tranquility.

Just then, a faint light flashed across the sky. The four figures simultaneously startled, then exclaimed with pleasant surprise, "Our junior disciple is back?!"

"Come on, let's go meet him!"

The four immediately rose from their rocking chairs and headed straight towards the Sixth Brother's dwelling.

Gentle white clouds drifted across the sky. As the four arrived at the Sixth Brother's dwelling, they saw a figure in red dragging a cart, approaching from the edge of the grassland...

A black cloth covered the cart, resembling a small hill. Seeing this, the senior brothers sighed and whispered, "It seems our junior disciple still couldn't sell everything..."

"But looking at the volume, it's much less than when he left, so he must have had some success."

"After all, our junior disciple lacks strength and experience. It's already quite good that he sold so much."

"Everyone, let's remember to praise him a lot later."

"Okay."

After exchanging whispers, the four stood ready, smiling brightly towards Chen Ling's direction. Even Luan Mei, usually as cool as an iceberg, known as "Plum Blossom K," had a faint, elegant, and relieved smile playing on her lips.

Chen Ling pushed the cart and approached the four senior siblings, smiling. "I was just about to visit all of you, but I didn't expect you'd all be here."

"When our junior disciple returns victorious, it's only natural for us senior siblings to welcome him," Mojiao said gently.

"Indeed, it's good that you're back!" Ning Ruyu patted Chen Ling's shoulder. "You've worked hard on this experience."

"Thank you, Senior Brothers and Sisters, for your concern. Chen Ling is fortunate to have fulfilled his mission," Chen Ling said sincerely.

"Oh, junior disciple, it's enough that you returned safely. As for how much gold you sold, it truly doesn't matter."

"That's right, it was just an experience. It's great that you managed to sell anything at all."

"Tonight, I'll cook a few extra dishes to welcome our junior disciple."

As the senior siblings spoke, they feigned indifference, as if it wasn't them who had been so poor they couldn't afford to eat just two days ago, but some unknown paupers.

Chen Ling's expression was a little strange as he watched this scene.

Once the praise and groundwork were sufficiently laid, Ning Ruyu feigned nonchalance and asked, "By the way, junior disciple, how many pieces of gold are left this time? We can have Third and Fourth Brother take them back to the film later so we can use them again next time."

Chen Ling thought for a moment. "Eleven pieces are left."

"Only eleven pieces left? That's really quite good." Ning Ruyu looked around. "Hey, where's the money you sold them for? Did you put it in your pocket?"

"Oh, it wouldn't fit in my pocket. It's all here."

Chen Ling grabbed the black cloth covering the cart and pulled it away forcefully. Suddenly, a mountain-like pile of banknote boxes was revealed before everyone's eyes...

The four froze simultaneously.

"This is..."

"Banknotes," Chen Ling said. He casually took a box from the pile, opened it, and full stacks of banknotes spilled out, cascading onto the ground like a waterfall.

Seeing the banknotes scattered all over the ground, the senior siblings were simultaneously dumbfounded. Mojiao looked up blankly at the mountain of dozens of stacked boxes and asked uncertainly, "Are all of these...?"

"Yes, they are," Chen Ling said, patting the cart. "It's a total of 230 million. Please count it, Senior Brothers and Sisters."

"How much????"

"How much!!!!"

The first exclamation came from the four dumbfounded senior siblings; the second, from the young Master, who had been secretly hiding in the void, and now fell to the ground with a thump, utterly stunned.

Several figures simultaneously turned their heads, their gazes converging on Master, their expressions priceless.

"Ahem..." Master, realizing his impropriety, dusted off his robes. After a long moment of contemplation, he cautiously asked, "230 million?? Sixth Brother, are you serious??"

"Of course, I'm serious," Chen Ling said. He pushed all the banknote boxes onto the ground and opened them one by one. Countless banknotes were displayed before them, making everyone's eyes go wide.

Chen Ling spread his hands slightly. "230 million, not a single penny less, it's all here."