Ch 40: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

“Temple Knight?”

Lu Yao stood at the doorway, her gaze drifting toward the Rose Garden House.

Ziye was still holding Jiexiang tightly and hadn’t heard the commotion. The thunder rumbled, and the small figures, who had just started to lift their heads, huddled back into a ball.

Lu Yao squatted down, her expression showing slight surprise.

The two little people were the same guests who had checked out earlier that morning.

“What happened?” Lu Yao asked gently, lowering her voice.

Qianlang and Beibei clung protectively to the box in their arms, ignoring her inquiry.

Beibei, soaked to the skin with her hair plastered to her face, knelt on the ground, her expression stricken. “Temple Knight, please, save our child!”

Lu Yao rose and walked toward the Rose Garden House, giving Ziye a light nudge. “Those guests who checked out this morning are here, asking for your help.”

The small figures huddled on the steps began lifting their heads. Xia Yin was the first to stand, quickly walking to the edge of the window to peer outside.

Ziye gently released Jiexiang, soothing her. “I’ll go take a look.”

At the entrance, Qianlang and Beibei’s faces lit up with desperate hope when they saw Ziye. They crawled forward on their knees, clutching the hem of his clothing.

Beibei pushed the wooden box containing their fetal seed toward Ziye, her voice hoarse. “Temple Knight, please, save him.”

…

Earlier that day, after checking out of the inn, Qianlang and Beibei had continued their journey toward the Blackrock Tribe, determined to reach home as quickly as possible.

But midway, Beibei noticed something alarming—the fetal seed seemed to have stopped moving.

The special wooden box holding their fetal seed was made from sacred wood, designed to relay the state of the fetal seed through the box’s surface.

Throughout their journey, their fetal seed had been relatively quiet, occasionally moving after long periods of stillness. Beibei had thought their child was simply reserved, even commenting about it to Qianlang.

But since their departure that morning, there had been no movement at all.

Beibei repeatedly checked the box, noting that its surface, which should feel warm to the touch, was steadily cooling until it was left with only a faint warmth.

Finally, they realized something was wrong—but they didn’t dare open the box recklessly.

In her panic, Beibei recalled seeing a pair of unusual companions at the inn earlier: a male with short golden hair and a female with distinct markings—a pair of black moles near her lips and furry ears.

Golden hair was a mark of the Shenmu Tribe.

While seeking the fetal seed at the temple, Beibei had overheard two knights whispering about a fellow knight who had left the tribe years ago with an outsider companion, rumored to hail from the Luoxiong Tribe.

The image of the knight aligned with Ziye, making him their last hope.

…

The rain outside pounded relentlessly, filling the inn with a heavy silence.

Qianlang and Beibei, deeply wary of Lu Yao and the other human staff, refused to let them approach.

Ziye stepped forward, gently feeling around the surface of the wooden box. His expression remained composed as he instructed the pair to carry the box to an open area in front of the brick guesthouse.

The little people gathered around as Yuanwei and Zhu Zhou brought three clean towels from the laundry room and handed them over to the trio.

Qianlang and Beibei clutched the towels absently, their focus entirely on the box holding their fetal seed.

Ziye carefully wiped the moisture off the box, pressing his ear against it. He listened intently but could hear no movement inside.

He raised his head and looked at the couple. “There’s no sound. The only way to check is to open the box.”

The fetal seed box is sacredly connected to the unborn child, and under normal circumstances, it should never be opened until birth.

But this was an emergency, and Ziye feared the worst—the fetal seed might already be lost. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud.

Qianlang and Beibei turned toward the human staff standing behind the preparation counter, their eyes filled with despair.

They didn’t want to open the box here. It wasn’t just the presence of others; the big humans looming nearby made them deeply uneasy.

Lu Yao stood up from her seat behind the counter and spoke decisively. “Zhu Zhou, prepare a private room for them. Ziye, take them upstairs.”

After giving her instructions, she turned toward the human staff. “You’re off this afternoon. Feel free to leave early.”

Her swift reaction caught Bai Lu off guard, and it took her a moment to realize Lu Yao’s intention.

Ji Qingyan and Zheng Ziyang, however, were already up and heading out, though they didn’t plan to leave. They carried their sketches for the cable car project to another shop to continue working.

Bai Lu followed them to the entrance and watched as they headed toward the pet cafe before deciding to tag along.

Soon, the inn was quiet, with only Lu Yao and Budu, who was napping in the icehouse, remaining behind. Lu Yao headed to the kitchen, intending to take a much-needed nap in her room.

“Shopkeeper,” Ziye called out, stopping her.

She turned slightly, her gaze questioning: What is it?

Ziye hesitated, his lips moving faintly before he finally forced out the words. “The Yangju Flower—can you lend it to me?”

“Sure,” Lu Yao replied softly. She went to the glass flowerhouse behind the Rose Room and retrieved a tea bowl containing the Yangju Flower, handing it to Ziye.

Those who had visited the Shenmu Tribe recognized the flower immediately. It only grew near the temple, and they couldn’t understand how Lu Yao had one.

Ziye, however, didn’t have time to ask questions. He accepted the flower and entered the guest room with Qianlang and Beibei, shutting the door behind them.

Outside, the other little people lingered in restless silence. Jiexiang, feeling bored, grabbed Lu Yao’s pinky finger and gently swayed it. “When did you plant flowers behind the Rose Room?”

“Just recently,” Lu Yao replied.

Xia Yin stared at her intently. “How do you have the Yangju Flower?”

Lu Yao answered matter-of-factly, “I got it by chance.”

Xia Yin frowned. “That flower only grows near the temple.”

Lu Yao blinked, realizing, “No wonder Ziye asked about it the other day. I wasn’t lying; it truly was a coincidence.”

The atmosphere turned tense as Xia Yin’s expression darkened.

Jiexiang quickly changed the subject. “What else have you planted in the flowerhouse?”

“Nothing much,” Lu Yao said. “The flower seedlings I ordered haven’t arrived yet. Other than the Yangju Flower, there are just a few acorus plants.”

In an instant, the little people snapped their gazes toward Lu Yao, their eyes wide and shining like tiny bells.

Jiexiang spoke each word deliberately. “You. Said. What. Else?”

“Acorus,” Lu Yao repeated calmly.

At that moment, the fourth-floor guestroom door opened, and the sound of heartbroken sobs drifted down the staircase.

Ziye stepped out and met Lu Yao’s gaze, shaking his head with a somber expression. “The fetal seed’s outer membrane is pale, there’s no heartbeat, and even Yangju Flower dew didn’t work.”

The fetal seed was gone.

The little people below had already guessed the outcome from the sobbing, their expressions turning blank and helpless.

Suddenly, the door upstairs slammed open, and Qianlang stormed out, leaning against the railing with a ferocious glare at Lu Yao.

“It’s you! It has to be you! Our fetal seed was fine on the road, but after staying at your inn for one night, this happened!”

“It’s my fault for believing those two from the Shenmu Tribe. If we hadn’t come to Thorn Valley, if we hadn’t trusted the humans, if we hadn’t stayed at this inn, our fetal seed wouldn’t have died!”

Qianlang was distraught, consumed by grief, and utterly irrational.

Hearing his cries, Beibei ran out, joining him at the railing to hurl accusations at Lu Yao.

The inn became oppressive, like a suffocating iron box.

Heici covered his ears and squatted down, closing his eyes and shouting, “Stop arguing! It’s your own fault for not protecting it!”

The shouting halted abruptly as if seized by an invisible force.

Qianlang and Beibei collapsed to the ground, clutching their heads in agony.

Ziye took a deep breath, his voice steady and firm. “Your fetal seed … was weak from the start. This has nothing to do with the inn or the humans.”

The sobbing grew more heartbreaking, and even the little people waiting downstairs began to shed large tears.

For the Nitean smallfolk, a fetal seed was of immense importance. Even if it wasn’t their own, witnessing the death of one before their eyes was unbearable.

The couples Yuanwei and Zhu Zhou, as well as Xia yin and Fengqin, had all gone to the temple to request a fetal seed before but were denied.

Qianlang and Beibei, who had been fortunate enough to receive one, failed to protect it.

Their emotions were a tangled web of sorrow and bitterness.

Puddles of tears quickly accumulated on the windowsills. Lu Yao raised her hand to press her temples, opened her eyes, and said evenly, “Why not let me see the fetal seed?”

She looked directly at Ziye, ignoring everyone else.

Qianlang and Beibei were no longer capable of making decisions.

Ziye froze, his hands at his sides clenching and releasing as he exhaled slowly. He turned and went back into the room, returning with the now-open fetal seed box.

When Qianlang and Beibei saw this, they desperately tried to stop him, but their limbs were weak and unresponsive.

Lu Yao reached out and gently held them down, her voice soft and steady. “Don’t cry. Let me take a look. I’ll do my best to save it.”

Her tone was calm, as if she were about to perform the simplest of tasks.

The crying ceased abruptly. The smallfolk tilted their heads back, gazing at her with awe, as though they were in the presence of a deity.

Even Qianlang and Beibei stopped their weeping, staring at her with a mixture of astonishment and fragile hope.

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