Ch 59: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

After lunch, the sparrow spirits disappeared.

During the midday break, Harold arrived from Dragon Valley on the Alexander Continent. Lu Yao was preparing to head back to Baixian Town with him.

At the counter, Lu Yao took out a plain silver ring and handed it to Cheng Ye. “Wear this. It’s too hot at noon to call for Budu. If you encounter danger, just touch the ring’s surface—it’ll protect you.”

The ring, like the ones Ji Feiming and Ji Zhixin had, came from the Dreamland.

With the Floating World Continent crawling with monsters and demons, Lu Yao had prepared illusion rings in advance and only now gave one to Cheng Ye.

Cheng Ye took the ring, rubbing the smooth surface with his fingers, and asked softly, “A… a magical artifact already?”

Lu Yao couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s not a magical artifact from the Floating World Continent—just a small tool from the shopping street.”

Cheng Ye’s face turned red.

Lu Yao added, “Don’t look down on it. It’ll still keep you safe.”

Blushing furiously, Cheng Ye stammered, “…Thank you, boss.”

After Lu Yao and Harold left, Cheng Ye sat down, covering his face with both hands to collect himself. When he finally managed to calm down and looked up, he saw two figures standing in front of the counter.

Suppressing his emotions, he looked carefully. One of them was the black swallow spirit who had come earlier that morning.

Standing next to the swallow spirit was a boy with a delicate appearance. However, his green pupils, inky black lips, and bluish-green feathered cloak made it clear he wasn’t human.

The black swallow asked, “Where is she?”

Cheng Ye replied, “Are you asking about the boss, Lu Yao?”

The black swallow said, “Her name is Lu Yao.”

Cheng Ye nodded. “The boss went to Baixian Town to take care of something.”

The boy beside the swallow spirit spoke coldly. “She’s not summoning a demon hunter, is she?”

The black swallow countered, “No, she’s raising those sparrow spirits.”

He rebutted firmly, then looked at Cheng Ye, as if unsure how to phrase his request.

Cheng Ye guessed, “Do you want two computers?”

The black swallow nodded and pulled out a coupon from his robe. “Set one up for him. As for mine…”

Lu Yao had mentioned that a single coupon granted three days of free use.

The black swallow had kept careful track—his coupon from the morning hadn’t expired yet.

Cheng Ye was surprised at how meticulous the little spirit was but quickly set up two computers. “All done.”

The black swallow took the numbers and led the green-cloaked boy to their seats.

His memory was sharp. He had retained everything from the morning, easily booting up the computer and navigating to the game interface.

The green-cloaked boy initially looked impatient, but as the computer started and the 6399 mini-game interface loaded, the frustration on his face gradually disappeared.

…

In Baixian Town.

Lu Yao and Harold were there to promote the internet café, distributing teleportation scrolls and free coupons.

Lu Yao didn’t want to draw too much attention and kept Harold to the quieter corners of the town, making the whole endeavor feel like they were handing out flyers.

Harold, growing impatient, asked, “Why make it so complicated?”

Promoting the café while trying to keep it low-key felt more troublesome than the times Lu Yao had him distribute flyers in the past.

Lu Yao explained, “We’re already hosting spirits. Customers can be spirits, demons, or cultivators, but it’s best not to disturb ordinary people.”

Harold, thinking of the stark differences between races, mages, and non-magic users on the Alexander Continent, suddenly understood her reasoning.

There weren’t many cultivators in Baixian Town, and even fewer were interested in taking “flyers.”

After distributing all ten teleportation scrolls and coupons, Harold, needing to return to his lessons, prepared to leave with Lu Yao.

“Miss Lu?” A voice called from behind.

Lu Yao turned to see Jiang Yan and was a bit surprised. “Jiang Yan… Young Master, what a coincidence.”

Jiang Yan had come down the mountain to sell medicinal pills. He’d spotted a woman ahead who vaguely resembled Lu Yao and called out instinctively, not expecting it to actually be her.

Unlike their first meeting a few days ago, when she was in disarray, today she was neatly dressed. Beside her stood a handsome young man with striking blue eyes that seemed almost otherworldly, though there wasn’t the slightest trace of demonic energy about him.

Jiang Yan couldn’t help but glance at Harold a few more times before lowering his gaze to speak to Lu Yao. “Miss Lu, are you living in the town now?”

Lu Yao neither confirmed nor denied it, replying vaguely, “Just out for a walk. Young Master Jiang is here on business?”

Jiang Yan nodded. “I recently made a batch of Qingxin Pills and just delivered them to the pill shop for consignment. And this is?”

Lu Yao introduced him warmly, “My younger brother, Harold. Harold, this is Jiang Yan, Young Master of Hengze Sect. Last time, when I was being chased and pecked by sparrow spirits on the mountain, Young Master Jiang kindly helped drive them away.”

Her composed and straightforward introduction eased Jiang Yan’s suspicions.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Jiang Yan bid them farewell and returned to his sect.

Watching Jiang Yan’s figure retreat into the distance, Harold asked, “Why didn’t you give him a scroll or a coupon?”

Lu Yao replied, “He’s a pill cultivator.”

Harold frowned. “How’s that different from the other cultivators on the road?”

Lu Yao explained, “He doesn’t know how to fight—he can’t even handle sparrow spirits.”

Harold: “…”

The return trip downhill was much faster.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, Lu Yao found a hidden spot and took out a magical scroll, teleporting them directly to the entrance of the internet café.

After dropping her off, Harold returned to Dragon Valley.

…

Lu Yao entered the café and immediately noticed the black swallow and the green-cloaked boy sitting in the main hall.

Cheng Ye stood behind them, occasionally leaning in to murmur instructions.

As Lu Yao approached, she glanced at their screens. The black swallow was playing Super Mario, while the green-cloaked boy was engrossed in Contra.

Cheng Ye, acting as their external guide, was busy teaching them tips and tricks for clearing levels.

Lu Yao observed for a few minutes before turning back to the counter to grab some water.

The sparrow spirits that had been missing since noon were now sprawled across the counter, claws curled and chests heaving, looking completely out of sorts.

Lu Yao asked, “…What’s wrong with the sparrows?”

Cheng Ye looked up. “Not long after you left, they came back. They’ve been like this ever since. The black swallow took a look and said it’s nothing serious, but I don’t really understand.”

The black swallow let out a cold laugh. “They’ve overeaten Fasting Pills. Now they’re bloated.”

Lu Yao lowered her gaze and asked incredulously, “…Why would you eat those? Wait—where did you even get so many Fasting Pills?”

…

Hengze Sect

Jiang Yan had just returned to the sect when a young pill apprentice ran over, grumbling, “Third Senior Brother, the sparrow spirits in the mountains are getting out of hand.”

Jiang Yan frowned. “What happened?”

The apprentice pulled a bitter face. “They broke into the pill room, shattered several bottles of pills, and even made off with quite a few spirit herbs.”

Jiang Yan’s expression darkened as he quickly strode toward the pill room.

By the time he arrived, the room had already been cleaned, and the mess was no longer visible.

After carefully taking stock of the inventory, he found that only a few Fasting Pills and some ordinary herbs were missing.

He exhaled slowly, relieved it wasn’t worse.

Hengze Sect was already struggling, and now these sparrow spirits were adding to their troubles. It was a case of misfortune piling on misfortune—but at least no major damage had been done.

Still, sparrow spirits typically caused trouble only in the mountains. Since they hadn’t yet transformed, why had they suddenly dared to raid Hengze Sect?

🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️