Ch 99: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

“What’s wrong with her?” Ignoring the youth’s sneer, Lu Yao asked directly.

Xue Ge paused, suddenly remembering his unconscious companion. He lifted the frail Zhong Ruying, his voice cold and firm, “We’ve reached the blind box shop. Wake up already!”

Zhong Ruying’s face remained pale, her eyelids twitching slightly, but she showed no signs of regaining consciousness.

Xue Ge was flustered; Lily of the Valley had told him that finding the blind box shop would save Zhong Ruying. Yet here they were, right at the store’s entrance, and her condition was unchanged—she still looked as if she were on the brink of death.

“Hey, wake up! If you don’t get up, I’ll bite you,” Xue Ge threatened, opening his mouth to reveal rows of sharp, serrated teeth.

Ji Feiming, seated near Lu Yao at the entrance, initially thought they were just customers. But when he saw Xue Ge’s teeth, a chill ran down his spine. As a former god’s envoy, he often dealt with strange beings before the gods’ fall, but those in his world were more subtle, not this blatantly eerie.

Seeing this creature so up close felt like a hardcore horror movie coming to life. And yet, the shop owner sat nearby, less than two meters away from the creature, utterly unperturbed.

Recalling the strange staff in the neighboring shops, Ji Feiming couldn’t help but wonder if the shop owner was already accustomed to such oddities—perhaps even calculating whether to hire this creature.

Those teeth are impressively straight, he mused.

Lu Yao watched silently for a moment, catching three more mutant fish in the meantime. As the youth leaned down, seemingly ready to bite, she murmured, “Is it possible she’s unconscious and can’t hear you?”

Xue Ge tilted his head toward Lu Yao, suppressing his unease, and replied flatly, “Zhong Ruying can’t hear, but Lily of the Valley is still here; Lily of the Valley will respond to me.”

Lu Yao raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean—what’s the relationship between Zhong Ruying and Lily of the Valley?”

“Zhong Ruying is the gardener, and Lily of the Valley is her companion.” Xue Ge withdrew his teeth but continued trying to shake his unconscious companion awake.

Whether from lack of restraint or on purpose, he pushed hard enough that Zhong Ruying tipped over, her head hitting the woven vines of the boat’s deck, leaving a small bruise on her forehead.

“So… you’re saying they both exist in this body?” Lu Yao asked.

Xue Ge nodded, still unsure what to do, and prepared to continue his physical attempts to revive her.

It looked a bit harsh, so Lu Yao quickly stopped him, gesturing to the notice on the door. “Can you see the paper posted here?”

Ji Feiming glanced at where Lu Yao pointed, seeing nothing but the doorframe.

Xue Ge nodded. “It says you’re hiring.”

Do mutant plants attend school? she wondered. They can read?

Lu Yao regained her composure. “Is she injured or sick? The blind box store has medical supply boxes, which you can purchase if needed.”

Xue Ge’s eyes brightened. He jumped from the boat and hurried inside.

Ji Feiming calmly closed his book, preparing to guide the customer.

Standing in front of the blind box currency machine, Xue Ge’s expression darkened. Humans killed his kind and used their hearts as currency to exchange for items.

These humans were just as brutal and bloodthirsty as the beasts, taking pleasure in it.

The unmanned boat was beginning to drift away on the floodwaters. Lu Yao reeled in her fishing line and reached over to secure the boat’s edge.

The woman lying in the boat lacked the delicate, plant-like aura of the young man; she looked entirely human. Lu Yao noticed a delicate bracelet of lily-of-the-valley flowers on her wrist, fresh and vibrant, as if recently picked.

Intrigued by the beautiful bracelet, Lu Yao reached out, tempted to touch it.

The white flower buds perked up as if they had a mind of their own, revealing tiny teeth hidden beneath the bell-shaped petals. The string of white flowers all tilted their “faces” upward, tiny mouths opening and closing, snapping at the air.

Only then did Lu Yao notice that the lily-of-the-valley stem wasn’t just worn on the woman’s wrist—it was growing from her skin, the green stem coiling into a circle like a bracelet.

A chill ran down Lu Yao’s spine; this was downright eerie.

“Is she parasitized by a mutant plant?” she murmured.

Xue Ge, just emerging from the shop, scowled upon hearing this, looking displeased. “No. Beasts attacked the base, piercing Zhong Ruying’s chest. She was near death. Lily of the Valley tried to save her, temporarily fusing with her in a symbiotic bond.”

He and Lily of the Valley had been raised at the base since childhood, with Zhong Ruying responsible for feeding and caring for them. During the beast attack, everyone else perished. Zhong Ruying, mortally wounded, would have soon died without intervention. Lily of the Valley merged with her, preventing immediate death, and the two became a single entity.

Due to Zhong Ruying’s frailty, Lily of the Valley eventually handed Xue Ge a box, instructing him to find the blind box shop before she, too, fell into a deep slumber. Occasionally, Lily of the Valley would awaken, her original form extending out from Zhong Ruying’s body.

Realizing this, Lu Yao glanced at Xue Ge’s empty hands. “No blind box? Are you out of crystal cores?”

Xue Ge shook his head and, spotting Lily of the Valley’s stem around Zhong Ruying’s wrist, crouched down, gently brushing his fingers over the tiny buds snapping at the air.

“Lily of the Valley, you’re finally awake. I found the blind box shop, but I still don’t know how to separate you from Zhong Ruying.”

Lu Yao looked surprised. “You want to separate them?”

Xue Ge nodded firmly. “The human body is too fragile. Fully merging with Zhong Ruying would make Lily of the Valley much weaker.”

The tiny buds mouthed the air, and Xue Ge froze, stunned. After a moment, he looked at Lu Yao, puzzled. “Lily of the Valley is asking if this shop really has instant noodles, fruit, and sweet, fragrant water.”

Lu Yao wasn’t sure what he meant but nodded. “Yes, it does.”

Xue Ge conversed briefly with Lily of the Valley before looking back at Lu Yao. “Lily of the Valley says she wants to stay here.”

Lu Yao blinked, “Can I ask why?”

Xue Ge wasn’t entirely sure. Lily of the Valley, still young and in plant form, often acted on instinct. He had been surprised when she chose to merge with Zhong Ruying.

“She seems to really like it here,” Xue Ge replied.

Lu Yao reached out again, attempting to touch the lily-of-the-valley bracelet on Zhong Ruying’s wrist. The tiny buds withdrew their teeth and leaned into her touch, brushing against her fingertips.

This little plant could even act coy.

Intrigued, Lu Yao gently stroked the buds to her heart’s content, satisfying her curiosity. Then she stood, looking at Xue Ge. “If she wants to stay in the blind box shop, there’s only one way—become a shop employee.”

Xue Ge frowned, clearly hesitant. With his base gone, he was finally free and wasn’t eager to become entangled with humans again, especially a store that collected the hearts of his kind and beasts. He strongly resisted the idea of joining them.

Lily of the Valley wiggled her stems and buds, stretching from Zhong Ruying’s body to wrap around Lu Yao’s wrist.

“No biting!” Lu Yao lifted the end of Lily of the Valley’s stem, gently pulling it away. Turning to Xue Ge, she added, “If you both become employees, I’ll try to separate Lily of the Valley from Zhong Ruying, and she’ll have access to all the instant noodles, fruit, and sweet, fragrant drinks she desires.”

At this, Lily of the Valley twisted her slender stems eagerly, switching her grip to Xue Ge.

Xue Ge looked at the suddenly affectionate Lily of the Valley, baffled. “You’re really this eager to stay here? This shop collects the hearts of our kind and beasts—aren’t you afraid?”

After a silent exchange with Lily of the Valley, Xue Ge turned to Lu Yao, resigned. “We’ll become employees. But only if you separate them first. She doesn’t want to stay fused with Zhong Ruying.”

Lu Yao, who had expected them to hesitate longer, was pleasantly surprised by their decision.

Now that these two little mutant plants were willing to join as employees, things would be easier to manage.

Lu Yao instructed Xue Ge to carry Zhong Ruying inside the store and had Ji Feiming arrange for a surgeon willing to make a house call. Then she headed to the nail salon to search for a method to separate the plant and human.

Merulu and Puxiu, who were fairies and also light magic users, were well-versed in plants and herbs. When they heard that a lily-of-the-valley plant spirit (as they understood it) had fused symbiotically with a human, they turned green with concern.

They immediately informed Lu Yao of a secret fairy magic, known only to fairies, capable of separating two intertwined entities. In Alexander, a high-magic world, it was relatively easy to study and practice magic, making such fusions manageable. However, in the low-magic Unchanging World, magic could be used but not easily mastered.

Worried that something could go wrong during the separation, Lu Yao practiced the spell repeatedly in the research lab. Zhong Ruying lay asleep on a temporary hospital bed nearby, still in a coma. A small side table was set up next to her bed, laden with fresh fruit, instant noodles, and drinks.

Lily of the Valley extended its stem from Zhong Ruying’s wrist, munching eagerly on the fruits scattered across the table. Xue Ge watched her while gnawing on an apple, savoring the crisp sweetness as it slid down his throat. Suddenly, he understood why Lily of the Valley was so eager to stay here.

The doctor Ji Feiming had contacted, Dr. Bai, was out of town but promised to come by in two days. Meanwhile, Lu Yao continued practicing the separation spell.

…

The flood season in the Impermanence World continued with relentless rains, and water levels kept rising overnight. Early the next morning, Jiang Han and Chi Jin arrived at the blind box shop on a makeshift raft made of floating wood lashed together.

Jiang Han first visited the research lab to check on his grandfather. Old Jiang and Luo Hui’an had been so absorbed in their research that they hadn’t even noticed the onset of the flood season. Upon stepping outside, they saw that floodwaters had already reached the shop’s entrance.

Jiang Han explained that, with constant rain before the latest Impermanence occurrence, everyone had anticipated a flood season and prepared water channels in advance. Residents on the first and second floors of the base dormitories had already moved to higher ground, so no one had been injured.

People, now accustomed to rationing, had stocked up on supplies during the cold wave. Instead of using them all up, most chose to store a portion at home. Encountering a rare situation where two Impermanence occurrences came almost without pause, the community found itself unusually calm. With stored supplies, there was no need to panic.

Some people still wanted to visit the blind box shop during this period, but the rising water and the prevalence of mutated creatures in the murky depths made it dangerous for ordinary people to venture out without proper equipment.

Jiang Han’s visit had two purposes: to check on his grandfather and to see if there were any new products in the store. After browsing, he discovered a new crystal core blind box had been released. The winter-limited series was retired, and a new “Water Adventure Series” was launched.

This set had only five items: four regular designs and one hidden. The complete set included four boxes, priced at two hundred yuan each, and only twenty sets were available for a limited time. The outer packaging bore a prominent red note suggesting the boxes be opened outdoors.

Jiang Han immediately picked up a set and urged Chi Jin to get one too.

The two sat outside the shop to unbox their purchases. Jiang Han, spotting the designs printed on the box, grew excited. No wonder it was so expensive and came with instructions to open it outdoors.

If he managed to pull the hidden item, it would be worth every penny. Even if he didn’t, he figured a rubber dinghy would still be a solid win.

Sitting outside the shop, Jiang Han and Chi Jin began unboxing. Jiang Han opened his first box, revealing an inflatable life preserver. Surprisingly, the life preserver was initially the same size as a typical crystal core box but expanded to full size upon contact with air.

“Is this magic?” Jiang Han murmured. “Or has the shop owner managed to miniaturize and enlarge objects using crystal core technology?”

He wasn’t far off; Lu Yao had indeed used magic to shrink items, lighten them, and package them into blind boxes. However, the process was complex, involving intricate spell sequences and magic arrays, making it viable only for limited-edition items.

Next to him, Chi Jin opened his first box, pulling out a black card. Jiang Han, recognizing the familiar sight, whispered excitedly, “Chi Jin, did you get another hidden item?”

Sure enough, the card gleamed with the word “Hidden” in gold letters. Chi Jin sighed, a mix of frustration and unease in his heart. His streak of good fortune continued, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that an intense backlash was coming.

The two finished unboxing their sets. Jiang Han obtained five life preservers, five life jackets, a crystal core-powered dryer, and an inflatable boat. Chi Jin, meanwhile, pulled a hidden motorized speedboat, a regular inflatable boat, life jackets, and a dryer.

Because the speedboat and inflatable boat were large, Lu Yao used a makeshift raft to reach her warehouse and retrieve the items. She attached the inflatable boats to the back of the speedboat and returned to the shop.

Chi Jin, who struggled with machines, let Jiang Han take the speedboat back to base, grinning ear to ear as he imagined the boat becoming a community resource like the snowmobile.

Shortly after they left, others began arriving at the shop, seeking the Water Adventure Series boxes. By afternoon, only seven sets remained.

…

Meanwhile, in the western forest, Yao Yiyi, Wei Quan, and Li Xin were running for their lives through the muddy water.

They had been ambushed by a group of mutated beasts moving eastward, and two of their teammates had perished in the fight. Now, desperately regretting not heeding Xue Ge’s warning, they fled eastward toward the blind box shop, hoping to warn others to evacuate.

“The mutated beasts have a king now,” Yao Yiyi murmured, fear gripping her heart. “Humans can’t fight that.”

…

Inside the shop’s sterile room, Lu Yao carefully wielded magic to separate Little Lily and Zhong Ruying’s fused body, taking cautious, deliberate steps in the intricate process.

Dr. Bai and Ji Feiming stood at the entrance of the blind box shop, watching the floodwaters surging outside in silence.

Dr. Bai had taken time off to come to the shop, signed the confidentiality agreement, and prepared to see the patient—only to find that he couldn’t enter the treatment room. The space was unique, hidden from ordinary perception.

Hearing that Lu Yao was working with a mutated plant and preparing for surgery, Jiang Shanjun and Luo Hui’an immediately put aside their research and gathered outside the treatment room to watch. Xue Ge kept vigil nearby, gazing longingly at the bed inside.

At the critical moment, the room’s curtains automatically closed, blocking everyone’s view.

A few minutes later, Lu Yao drew back the curtains, holding a pot of lily-of-the-valley flowers in her hands.

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