Ch 246: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Lu Yao glanced at the visitor, not understanding their purpose, and greeted them first, “Mr. Zhou.”

Zhou Jing was from the auction house, and he was the one who had assisted Lu Yao a few days prior.

The emerald gemstone had been auctioned off the previous night, and after deducting commission and taxes, the remaining funds had been transferred to her account.

The consignment contract was fulfilled, so she hadn’t expected to see him here.

Behind Zhou Jing was another person, a young girl around ten years old, wearing a beautiful puffy dress. She had big eyes, a delicate nose, and cherry-red lips, resembling a doll from a store window.

Before Zhou Jing could speak again, the doll-like girl stepped forward, standing in front of him and looking at Lu Yao with an arrogant expression. “Who are you?”

Ever since becoming the owner of the store on this street, Lu Yao had grown accustomed to introducing herself to guests.

“I am Lu Yao.” The shop owner’s answer was brief as usual.

The doll’s expression became intriguing. “So you are Lu Yao, the owner here?”

Lu Yao glanced at her and then looked up at Zhou Jing, silently asking for their purpose with her eyes.

Zhou Jing was about to speak when the doll-like girl interrupted again.

“I want to buy this shop. Name your price.” With that, she sat down, ready for negotiation.

Hu Jiao stood behind Lu Yao, glancing at the little girl and letting out a soft scoff.

The doll-like girl noticed and looked at him dismissively, not taking him seriously at all.

Bai Yi and Xie Molin exchanged glances. Bai Yi had no idea who this young girl was, but Xie Molin knew a bit.

In brief, the Xin family of Sanhua was the wealthiest family in the city, ranking seventh in the national wealth rankings.

The girl’s name was Xin Xin, the eldest granddaughter of the Xin family, an undisputed heiress.

Xie Molin, who had gradually familiarized himself with the tutoring center’s work, remembered the shop owner mentioning that he would soon start taking on tutoring students himself. He had been looking forward to it, but now he felt somewhat uneasy.

It wasn’t that he underestimated the shop owner; it was just that, apart from superpowers, there was also the power of money, which was formidable.

There were many rumors about this Xin family heiress—bold, willful, spoiled, and demanding. But there was nothing people could do about her; money opened all doors, and most people were willing to step aside.

If she were to throw a few million or even tens of millions to buy the store, it would be understandable if the shop owner was tempted.

Lu Yao stepped aside and sat at the table, smiling at the doll-like girl. “And who might you be?”

Xin Xin felt annoyed.

Was this person doing it on purpose?

She walked to the table, and Zhou Jing considerately pulled out a chair for her.

After sitting down, she still had to look up at the shop owner. “Who I am doesn’t matter. Just name your price.”

With professional instinct, Zhou Jing silently prepared himself. Having dealt with the shop owner before, he knew she wouldn’t make a losing deal. But with the young lady’s stance, she was clearly ready to be taken advantage of.

Zhou Jing tried to speak up a few times but couldn’t find the right opportunity. Now, he waited for Lu Yao’s price, ready to intervene and push it down to a reasonable range.

Lu Yao had many things to handle and no patience for dragging things out with a child. She simply said, “Sorry, not for sale.”

Those four simple words stunned Xin Xin for a moment. “Why not? I’ll give you a good price. How about three million?”

Zhou Jing raised his hand to cover his face.

Ji Feiming and Ji Zhixin walked in just in time to see this scene.

Xin Xin, seeing that Lu Yao remained silent, raised her offer. “Five million?”

Lu Yao didn’t budge.

Xin Xin: “Ten million.”

Bai Yi and Hu Jiao’s expressions shifted slightly, their faces showing only one word: “Wasteful.”

Lu Yao noticed the Ji family duo and suddenly smiled.

Xin Xin’s brows furrowed tightly. “What are you laughing at?”

Lu Yao shook her head. “I just remembered that someone once came to me, wanting to buy my street.”

Ji Feiming’s face flushed with embarrassment.

Back then, he had been quite arrogant, even offering a billion.

Xin Xin raised her eyebrows. “And what happened?”

Lu Yao said, “I refused.”

And even managed to recruit them to work at her store.

Xin Xin’s expression turned bored. “Then the offer must have been too low. I’ll double it. Twenty million for your shop, and you can keep working for me.”

Zhou Jing nearly dropped to his knees.

Ji Feiming, Ji Zhixin, and Bai Yi all had rather nuanced expressions.

Lu Yao fell into thought, and Xin Xin assumed she was hesitating, her face full of anticipation, waiting for her to concede.

Instead, Lu Yao asked, “Is there something here that interests you?”

Xin Xin shook her head. “No, why do you ask?”

Lu Yao: “Then why spend so much to buy it?”

Xin Xin: “Because I’m rich.”

Lu Yao nodded calmly. “I see.”

Xin Xin felt something was off and frowned at Lu Yao.

Others had asked her the same question before, and when she used that response, their reactions were always a mix of speechless admiration and silent envy.

Who wouldn’t want to be rich?

She was sure that money was the most interesting ability in the world, bar none.

She’d encountered people who refused her offers before, but usually, it was because the price wasn’t high enough.

If there was a dollar on the ground, someone might not pick it up.

If there were a thousand dollars, many would bend down for it.

If there were a hundred thousand dollars, people would scramble for it.

Xin Xin had a vague feeling that this person was different. She was too calm.

Not giving up, Xin Xin raised her offer again. “Fifty million.”

Zhou Jing had already turned away, covering his face, regretting the morning chat he’d had with a colleague about the “emerald gemstone seller,” which Xin Xin had overheard.

Lu Yao still shook her head.

Ji Feiming, already curling his toes from embarrassment, looked at the girl and thought she was foolish. Reflecting on himself a few months ago, despite being older by decades and having once served as a god’s envoy, he had been just as brazenly presumptuous.

Staying there a second longer felt like the dead past was relentlessly attacking his fragile mental defenses. He couldn’t help but interrupt, “Shop owner, Zhixin and I have something to discuss with you.”

Lu Yao noticed their strange expressions and stood up. “Alright, let’s go.”

Xin Xin tried to say something, but Zhou Jing finally managed to hold her back.

Xie Molin watched the three leave and fell into contemplation.

Their respectful attitude towards the shop owner seemed too reverent for mere employees, more like… loyal retainers.

As Lu Yao walked away nonchalantly, Xin Xin gradually realized that she truly didn’t intend to sell.

She looked at Zhou Jing in confusion. “Why?”

Zhou Jing: “?”

Xin Xin: “Was fifty million too little?”

Zhou Jing: “…Ms. Lu probably isn’t short of money.”

Xin Xin turned away in frustration, unwilling to leave.

She was certain her offer simply wasn’t high enough.

…

The shopping street.

Under the awning of the Childhood Tutoring Center, Ji Feichen said gravely to Lu Yao, “Shop owner, we received news that the Divine Child is coming to Yaoguang.”

After losing the Divine Child, Ji Feichen couldn’t care about the open and covert rivalry with Ji Feiming. The person who understood gods and the Divine Child best was someone who had truly served as a god’s envoy, so he had to reveal the Divine Child’s whereabouts when he called Ji Feiming for advice.

Ji Feiming was silent for a while after hearing this, until Ji Feichen asked, “Are you still there?” Then Ji Feiming sighed and replied, “Since you know the Divine Child is heading to Yaoguang on foot, then hurry and take a plane, train, anything you can to Yaoguang to welcome them.”

“…” Ji Feichen was also stunned.

The Divine Child couldn’t use transportation, but they could. It was just that the Divine Child’s disappearance had thrown them into a panic, making them lose their composure.

Hanging up, Ji Feichen suddenly recalled that ever since Ji Feiming had stepped down from his role as a god’s envoy, he had also gone to Yaoguang, and a multitude of thoughts crossed his mind.

Was the Divine Child’s journey to Yaoguang related to him?

When Ji Feichen tried calling again, the line was dead. With no other choice, he set this aside and swiftly organized the clan members to head to Yaoguang City as quickly as possible.

Lu Yao assumed the uncle and nephew had urgent matters to discuss, but it turned out to be more news about the Divine Child.

Was it really okay for them to share such secret clan information with her?

Lu Yao gauged their intent and openly asked, “You need time off, right? How many days? I’ll ask Jiu Hua to fill in at the pet cafe, and Xiao Ji can hand over you job to Fu Chi. I’ll talk to him in a bit.”

Ji Feiming’s face looked slightly anxious. “Shop owner, it’s not about taking leave. You need to prepare yourself. This Divine Child might be coming to see you. I just spoke to my cousin, and it seems the new Divine Child cannot use transportation. His divine power clashes with modern civilization. This Divine Child is exceptionally powerful, unlike ordinary gods.”

Lu Yao frowned, her expression saying, “What does that have to do with me?”

Ji Feiming took a deep breath, looking at Lu Yao helplessly. “Shop owner, I’m certain the Divine Child is coming for you. To achieve his godhood, he will personally come to slay you.”

Gods do not kill mortals directly but instead deliver divine punishment. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t eliminate demons and evils.

Ji Feiming had harbored suspicions for a while, and seeing the Divine Child’s face confirmed his thoughts.

The shop owner was the obstacle that stood in the way of the Divine Child’s ascent to godhood.

After working alongside the shop owner for months, he knew she was not some malevolent being. This left only one possibility: her existence defied the rules of this world and was viewed as a threat that needed eradication.

It wasn’t that she had done anything wrong; her existence was simply contrary to the laws of the world. She, and this street, were anomalies.

Ji Feiming and Ji Zhixin knew what the best course of action was but couldn’t bring themselves to make the decision. Having delayed until now, they even considered facing the challenge alongside her.

Living a life always bound by rules felt too dull.

Ji Feiming’s mind swirled with melancholy thoughts, and he even had a plan ready. Yet, despite his grave warning, the shop owner still looked unfazed, making him and Ji Zhixin exchange silent glances.

Lu Yao patiently listened to Ji Feiming’s account, staying silent for a while before asking, “Are you two planning to kill the Divine Child?”

Would that count as deicide?

She recalled that the Deep Sea Goddess had once mentioned that the death of a god could lead to the collapse of the world and endless calamities.

Suddenly, Lu Yao wondered why, after the demise of the old god here, there had been no disasters and why a successor had emerged so swiftly.

Unable to hold back, Lu Yao asked, “When and why did the old god die?”

Ji Feiming, seeing Lu Yao deep in thought, assumed she was considering the Divine Child situation, but she was just curious about something like this.

“……”

Ji Zhixin saw that his uncle was almost fuming with anger and frustration, so he couldn’t help but say, “Shop owner, the most urgent matter right now is the Divine Child.”

Lu Yao realized she wouldn’t get any answers at the moment, so she suppressed her questions and summoned the system. “Should I be worried about this?”

The system, unsure about the origin of this Divine Child but for some reason feeling confident, replied: “Our sole mission is to run the shop. Don’t get distracted by other matters.”

Lu Yao nodded internally, and her demeanor relaxed as she turned back to the uncle and nephew. “Don’t worry, nothing will happen. This is just an abandoned old street with a few shops that barely do any business. Why would the Divine Child pay attention to this place?”

Ji Feiming sighed. “You still don’t believe us.”

His expression was filled with particular sadness, with an undertone of indescribable grievance.

Ji Zhixin turned his head away, afraid he would burst out laughing.

Lu Yao felt defeated under Ji Feiming’s intense gaze. “Alright, alright, I believe you. So, what do you suggest? I’ll cooperate fully.”

The Ji clan’s uncle and nephew suddenly remembered that this was the shopping street and that the shop owner was, in fact, just an ordinary person.

Ji Feiming & Ji Zhixin: “…”

After their discussion, they informed Lu Yao that they would set up a barrier around the shopping street.

The shop owner simply needed to hide in any of the shops and enter another world, as an unascended Divine Child would not be able to touch her.

With the plan settled, the two felt an unusual embarrassment, as if their intelligence had been dragged down by Ji Feichen and his entourage.

Following that, the Ji clan’s uncle and nephew went all over the hills and fields to set up the barrier, while the shop owner returned to the tutoring center.

That afternoon, heavy snow began to fall over Yaoguang City.

It didn’t stop through the night.

By evening, the Ji clan arrived in Yaoguang City, including Ji Feichen and the younger generation of the Ji family.

Even Ji Zhixin’s mother, Ji Feirong, came and called her son as soon as she landed.

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