84 In The Future

Shou nodded in approval. As stated before, he too had dabbled in the art of cooking before, though it had been a long time and he imagined that rust had built upon his skill. But his eyes were as good as ever, and he saw that the chef was a decent one. It would help Li Yangyi a lot if he studied under his tutelage. Well, whether he wanted to or not was a different question.

He moved on, wishing to look at some other instances when his eyes fell on Ah Liang, who stood as a supporting character to An Bai who had entered the illusory world. The big man gave out suggestions and commands, to help his friend further his completion rate.

"You don't want to enter the world yourself," Shou asked him.

"Ah, well," Ah Liang took out a handkerchief and cleaned the sweat off his palms. "You see, I haven't quite got the courage to enter, since I am the tactician-type and not a warrior class. I am fine just watching over them."

"That's fine and all," Shou spoke, "but if you don't buy anything in this store, I will kick you out after a while, you know?"

"Eh?" Ah Liang blinked twice, not comprehending

Shou glanced at the two store clerks. "The same goes for you two, too."

"Us?" Ran Wei pointed at Lin Zhuyue and herself.

Ah Liang stepped forward, rubbing his sweaty palms. With a forced smile, he spoke. "W-Wait, Sir, don't be like that. Aren't we friends already? Can't you close one eye?"

"I've only known you for a week," Shou shot him down. "Also, when I first met you, didn't you kick against my door?"

"Wait, wait, you still remember that?" Ah Liang's eyes twitched, as he broke out into a nervous sweat. This was one of the hardest predicaments in his life, and it came so suddenly. If he were to be kicked out, after publicly announcing his investment in this store, would he not be this empire's laughingstock? And even worse, how would he defend against the City Lord? "I see that you are wearing clothes from our store right? I will give you a heavy discount, how about that?"

"That's right! Surely you haven't forgotten us," Ran Wei took the opportunity to vouch for herself. "We also have an employee discount, and I can offer my personal services to you for choosing the perfect clothes."

Lin Zhuyue grabbed Ran Wei's face and shoved the lady away. She held her hand to her chest and spoke, "Actually one employee discount is more than enough, so how about using only mine. I was the first to talk to you, after all, remember?"

"You bitch," Ran Wei shouted. "Are you seriously starting a fight in this situation?" She had forgotten that this woman before her was a ruthless bloodsucker, taking any opportunity to throw her under the carriage, as long as she could further her career. 

The clerk Lin Zhuyue pretended not to hear her. This time, it wasn't anything personal (though she did feel gleeful to sabotage that bitch Ran Wei), but the clerk simply wanted to stay for she had become infatuated with Mei Xue and her beauty. She did not mind if the artifacts were too expensive for her, as long as she got to visit this place since it was the only connection the two of them had.

As she daydreamed with a smile, she suddenly felt a tug on her ponytail and she fell to the ground, while hearing Ran Wei shout, "Say it again to my face, I dare you. Nobody wants your stale little discount."

"Your momma is stale!" Lin Zhuyue turned around and tugged at her coworkers' cheeks.

"Well your moms' a whale, how about that," Ran Wei spat back and also started pinching Lin Zhuyues' cheeks. The fight quickly turned into a mudslinging contest as they spoke profanities while rolling around.

Ah Liang and Shou watched the fight unfold with expressionless faces. The big man thought to himself, 'I hope not all of my employees are like these two idiots, otherwise, I am doomed regardless of my relationship with this store.'

Shou spoke to Ah Liang, ignoring the two women trashing on the ground. "Anyways, does it like I am in need of a discount?"

The big-bellied merchant could not answer. The youth in front of him was right, with the pace he was earning spirit crystals through this store, he could already live decently for a lifetime. He grumbled. Was the only way for him to enter the scary instances? He knew they provided him with matchless riches, and he really did not have anything to worry about, but the last brush with that witch had scared him to death, and he still hadn't gotten over that trauma yet.

Boisterous laughter echoed through one of the screens. It was An Bai, who had listened to everything. "Looks like you're outta luck unless of course you go back to the City Lord and beg for forgiveness." He continued chuckling. "Just man up, 

"Brother Bai..." Ah Liang talked with a melancholic voice. "If you are that loud, the beasts are going to find and eat you."

"Huh?" An Bai had no chance to process his tip when a loud, beastly growl resounded right next to his ear. Turning around, he saw a long, black snake with scarlet red eyes staring into his very soul. Its breath had an acidic smell, while its mouth dripped with saliva. "Fuck this," he shouted and began to run as fast as he could.

In another place, at the same time, Li Yinyi was cleaning the floor of the dilapidated hut. After the witch had told her the statue was of her brother, she had stopped speaking again, as if mute. However, she communicated with gestures which was enough for Li Yinyi to understand. Especially when that masked woman brought her a broom and a bucket.

Li Yinyi saw it in her one red eye: 'If you are going to live here, make yourself useful.'

As such, she was suddenly stuck doing household chores. As she never had to do these things in her own home, this was a rather profound experience, and she wasn't planning on weaseling her way out of responsibility. 

There was just one problem though. The whole situation was rather idyllic. It lacked excitement for a girl like her. The weather was quite refreshing, with a sunny sky and a warm breeze that caressed her gently. And as there were no people around, it felt as if the whole world was just for herself. She felt free, yet anxious at the same time, unsure of what choices to make. "Well, no use crying over spilled milk." She brushed the floors diligently. As long as she was able to hang out with that witch, and one day learns the explosive art, she was happy.

At one point, Ah Liang had also decided to enter the world. He took great precautions to not encounter that witch though. The first thing he did was make his way to the village. But even then, he did not seek out any people. On the contrary, he tried avoiding as many of them as he could. It was incredible how someone his size was able to sneak so well. As such, not a single person was aware he had entered this little town.

He passed the chef's house, and right next to it was the apothecarys' house. He found it interesting how the two oldest people lived just next to each other. Maybe the two of them had something in common that he did not know about?

He also walked past the wizard statue, while making sure not to trigger the sidequest of the woodchipper, as Lin Zhuyue had. Just as he remembered from these screens, it was a beautiful work of art. Those unsure of its story might even think it was a real person, disguised as a stone piece. That was how realistic it was.

Ah Liang thought to himself. Since he was here already, maybe he should find out more about this wizard and its relation to the witch? He knew that they were siblings, but there has to be one more key that ties everything together, no? Maybe it would help the other guys to reach the ending? He was dying to know what the reward was, especially after seeing Li Yinyis' little present. If he weren't a righteous man and a coward, as well as for the backing that young girl possessed, he might have tried stealing it already. 

Whatever. He was a team player after all.

Lan Jiu, just like Shou, watched all these people live within their own instances (and those two girls bickering) with a confused, yet curious expression. None of them was a normal person, to say the least. But he did not feel weirded out. On the contrary, for once, in his lifetime, he felt at peace, as if he could be himself, without having to worry about his surroundings all the time.

He wondered. . . if the Waning Principle Sect was like this, would he have tried to protect it harder?

A vision appeared in his mind, overlapping with the current scene. There, he saw all of the guests together, older now, except for the storeowner Shou, for some reason. They partied heartily, revisiting the memories they had built together, with delicious food and drinks on the table. There were many more people, most whose face he did not recognize. The lights flickered, blurring his sight, but still, his chest felt warm.

Lan Jiu vigorously rubbed his face, and the fantasy disappeared. Yet, he could not help thinking back from time to time. He kept thinking that what he saw was not a dream but a future. If this small, unknown store would truly one day become a sect, he would not mind joining it.