Ch 75: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

Zeyuan set down his teacup and lifted his eyelids. “Give me your hand.”

Lu Yao froze. “Huh?”

Zeyuan raised an eyebrow slightly, his blood-moon-like eyes locking onto Lu Yao with an unwavering, calm intensity.

Lu Yao hesitated, not moving at all.

Zeyuan seemed to lose patience. He leaned across the wooden table, took Lu Yao’s hand, and traced two characters into her palm: “Zeyuan, my name.”

Where his fingertips passed, they left a faint, tingling sensation.

Lu Yao pulled her hand back. In her palm, the two golden characters shimmered and lingered, refusing to fade.

She looked at her hand, then back at the young man across the table.

Her once-certain thoughts began to waver.

With Lu Mingxiao’s awkward personality, it seemed unlikely he’d act so boldly.

Was she mistaken?

Or could it be that he had lost his memory, just as she once had?

After all, most of what Lu Yao knew about Lu Mingxiao was from after she had bonded with the dream fulfillment system.

She had some knowledge of his childhood and their early days together.

But the time between his departure from the Abyss and their reunion was a blank. She had no idea where he had been or what he had done.

For the first time, Lu Yao realized how little she truly knew about Lu Mingxiao.

Zeyuan’s crimson eyes lowered, his expression calm, as though his earlier action was perfectly normal. “What were you about to say?”

Returning to business, Lu Yao quickly pushed aside her scattered thoughts. “Your Excellency.”

Zeyuan lifted his eyelids, silent. His striking eyes, as brilliant as pomegranate seeds, gazed at her calmly.

Lu Yao’s eyes darted away. She cleared her throat. “Zeyuan.”

His face remained composed. “What is it?”

Lu Yao decided to ease into the topic. “Just now, after trying out the internet café, what did you think? Would the demon clan like it here?”

The young man’s expression betrayed nothing of his thoughts. After a brief silence, he finally spoke. “They would like it—especially that game.”

Lu Yao’s spirits lifted. “If you say so, then there’s no problem.”

She murmured to herself, then looked up again. “I’ve heard that the gateway between the Demon Realm and the mortal world was sealed five hundred years ago. Is that true?”

Zeyuan answered without hesitation. “It is.”

Lu Yao propped one hand against the table. “Then… is there any way to reopen it?”

Actually, all she needed was a narrow tear infused with demonic energy beneath the Bodhi tree, just enough for demon guests to travel between the two realms.

But Lu Yao wasn’t sure of the Demon Lord’s true disposition. She aimed high, leaving room for negotiation.

Zeyuan suddenly shifted his posture. Relaxing further, he leaned back against his chair, his demeanor more laid-back than before. “Of course it’s possible.”

Lu Yao’s eyes curved in delight, ready to follow up with some compliments and begin discussing the details.

But Zeyuan wasn’t finished. “However, how will you thank me?”

Lu Yao blinked twice, as if confirming she hadn’t misheard.

The Demon Lord did seem a bit… strange.

Lu Yao couldn’t bear to let the opportunity slip. As long as Zeyuan agreed, the café could openly welcome demon guests. She decided to see what he wanted.

After gathering her thoughts, she responded with a question, “Your Excellency, what is it that you want?”

Zeyuan’s fingers brushed against the cool teacup on the table, tapping it lightly in an absent-minded rhythm. “Many years ago, I lost something in the human world. I’ve searched across the Six Realms but haven’t found it. If I reopen the gateway, you’ll accompany me to search for it during your free time.”

Lu Yao, prepared for some unreasonable demand, found herself surprised—it seemed she had underestimated him.

“What did you lose?” she asked.

Zeyuan lowered his gaze, a trace of confusion in his expression. “To be honest… I don’t remember. I only feel I lost something very important, but no matter where I look, I cannot find it.”

“I see.” Lu Yao took a deep breath, straightened her posture, and replied firmly, “Alright, I agree.”

The two discussed and decided to first open a narrow fissure of demonic energy beneath the Bodhi tree, with a one-month trial period.

To prevent disturbances in the human world, this fissure would connect directly to the café and only allow demons to return to the Demon Realm. In essence, it would be a door linking the café and the Demon Realm exclusively.

Even though Lu Yao wasn’t sure why Zeyuan had sealed the gateway between the Demon Realm and the human world five hundred years ago, the setup seemed to align with his original intentions. It allowed demons in the Demon Realm to access the café without causing disruptions in the human world.

However, the closure of the gateway hadn’t entirely prevented demons from entering the human world. High-level demons with special artifacts could still open narrow passages of demonic energy by themselves. Yet, out of fear of the Demon Lord, these demons rarely dared to cause trouble.

Zeyuan didn’t share these details with Lu Yao. He simply created the fissure on the wall opposite the café’s front door, as she wished. To match the café’s decor, he even fashioned it into the shape of a proper door.

..

Demon Realm: Weak Water Abyss

The Weak Water Abyss was one of the sixteen abysses in the Demon Realm, located at a moderate distance from the Sky Abyss Demon Palace. It was a bustling demon city, its center filled with numerous demons.

The Demon Realm, vast yet desolate, offered little amusement for its powerful inhabitants. With nothing else to do, they spent their days stirring up trouble and seeking fights to pass the time.

Guanzhong walked aimlessly through the city streets, looking for his next fight. He had traveled from the Deep Abyss, defeating countless demons along the way. By now, he had nearly run out of worthy opponents in the Weak Water Abyss.

Planning to stay one more day, Guanzhong resolved to head to the final city of the Demon Realm’s sixteen abysses, the Sky Abyss Demon Metropolis, tomorrow. His ambition lay with the Sky Abyss’s Demon Palace.

Five hundred years ago, the Demon Lord Zeyuan had ascended to power, leading the demons to withdraw from the human world and sealing the gateway between realms. Many high-level demons had been dissatisfied with this and repeatedly tried to dethrone him to reopen the gateway.

But Zeyuan, though not even three thousand years old, was overwhelmingly powerful. Born with demonic eyes, he was heartless and invincible. None of the demons across the sixteen abysses could rival him.

In just a hundred years, Zeyuan had subdued all opposition and become the undisputed ruler of the Demon Realm. Over the next four centuries, the demons settled under his leadership, seemingly resigned to their mundane, restrained lives, no longer yearning for the chaos of the human world.

Guanzhong, however, had been born with an uncontrollable destructive impulse—and he had no desire to control it. Born a demon, violence and bloodlust were his nature.

Because of the Demon Lord, they were forced to suppress their instincts, confined to the Demon Realm, wasting away day after day. Guanzhong had had enough.

He resolved to train relentlessly, traveling to the Sky Abyss to march straight into the Demon Palace and seize Zeyuan’s throne. Once he ascended, he would throw the gateway wide open, leading the demons back to the human world to subjugate humans and other clans beneath their feet.

Having gone so long without meeting a worthy opponent, Guanzhong felt he was now invincible. Even if he encountered the Demon Lord himself, he was confident he could easily defeat him.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, a sense of isolation crept over him—the loneliness of having no equal.

At that moment, he noticed a sudden fissure of demonic energy appear in a nearby alley. More than a fissure, it resembled a door, just wide enough for a fully-formed adult demon to pass through.

Guanzhong’s interest piqued, and he changed direction toward the mysterious door.

As he got closer, he confirmed it was indeed a door, complete with a handle. However, its design was peculiar—unlike anything he’d seen across the fifteen abyss cities of the Demon Realm.

Could this be a new design from the human world?

Guanzhong pondered for a moment. It was clearly a fissure of demonic energy disguised as a door, though who had created it and why remained unclear.

Regardless, he was intrigued. He lacked the ability to open such fissures himself, so stumbling upon one was an opportunity he couldn’t ignore.

The Demon Lord might still be in the Sky Abyss City, but Guanzhong decided he’d take a quick trip to the human world to enjoy himself before returning to claim Zeyuan’s life.

Without hesitation, he pulled open the door and stepped through.

A blinding white light flashed before his eyes, and though the urge to close them was strong, he resisted.

As the light faded, a cacophony of sounds hit him—a mix of urgent chatter, strange tapping noises, and a heavy presence of demon energy. Guanzhong found himself in a bizarre room.

Was this the human world?

Looking around, he was baffled to see the room filled entirely with demons (demon cultivators). None of them paid him any attention.

They sat at tables, each focused on a strange black box in front of them. Their hands tapped furiously, and occasional curses spilled from their mouths.

What was this place? Could it be a trap set by the demons?

Guanzhong spread his fingers, gathering demonic energy in his palm, ready to destroy the room and fight whoever dared challenge him before heading to the human world.

But before he could act, his wrist was firmly grasped.

From behind the counter, Xuanfeng had been watching Guanzhong since the moment he stepped through the fissure. Amused, he wanted to see what the newcomer would do.

Zeyuan’s agreement to Lu Yao’s request had already shocked Xuanfeng, but what truly caught him off guard was that within mere minutes of opening the door, a demon had already walked through.

Clearly, these demons had been longing to leave the Demon Realm.

Xuanfeng didn’t care much for the human world, but the lack of respect these demons showed for Zeyuan irritated him.

When he saw Guanzhong preparing to cause trouble, Xuanfeng stepped in.

Guanzhong froze. There was another demon here, and this one was much stronger than him. The grip on his wrist alone was enough to suppress him entirely.

He struggled but couldn’t break free. Snarling, he growled, “Let me go!”

Xuanfeng’s voice was low and commanding. “I will, but no causing trouble.”

Guanzhong didn’t argue further. He couldn’t overpower Xuanfeng and had no choice but to comply. Reluctantly, he asked, “What is this place?”

After listening to Xuanfeng’s explanation, Guanzhong dismissed the so-called “internet café” as insignificant, especially when he learned the owner was a human.

Still, wary of Xuanfeng, he refrained from making a scene.

Noticing demons entering and exiting through the door on the other side of the fissure, Guanzhong eagerly rushed over, hoping it led to the human world. To his frustration, the door was sealed with anti-demonic magic.

The enchantment was cast by a high-level demon, making it impossible for demons of lower cultivation to break through.

Assuming Xuanfeng was the one who cast the spell, Guanzhong tried several times but failed. Disheartened, he wandered aimlessly around the café.

Guanzhong had little patience and found it hard to stay in one place for long. The demons sitting at their tables were engrossed in something he didn’t understand, so he kept moving until he ended up behind a leopard demon.

The young leopard demon had created a new account for the Canyon game that morning and had been completely absorbed ever since. After transitioning from bot matches, he began playing ranked games.

In his humanoid form, the leopard demon was slender with long legs and delicate features. He had previously played as a female character in A Dream of Rivers and Lakes but had recently become obsessed with tank champions in Canyon.

As a true novice, the leopard demon was a rare sight in this game. Shortly after entering the match, he was ambushed, and his opponents quickly identified him as easy prey, repeatedly calling their jungler to gank him.

Within the first three minutes, the leopard demon had already died three times, and his teammates were berating him in chat.

Despite his poor gameplay, he refused to back down and switched to keyboard mode to argue with his teammates. Though slow at typing, he was relentless, and eventually, his teammates gave up responding.

Guanzhong, watching from behind, grew impatient. Unable to hold back, he nudged the leopard demon. “Stop wasting time—you’ve respawned.”

Already frustrated, the leopard demon turned around and snapped, “Why are you bothering me? Don’t you have your own machine?”

Guanzhong: “…”

Hearing yet another argument, Zhong Lianjia stood up to check. He had grown accustomed to the demons and their fiery tempers.

Recently, Lu Yao had given him a silver ring shaped like a leaf, which bolstered his confidence when dealing with customers.

After venting, the leopard demon felt a little better. Unfortunately, his in-game funds were barely enough to buy a health potion. Frowning, he bought one and returned to the match.

Zhong Lianjia arrived just as the leopard demon was ganked again, prompting him to angrily slam his mouse. Thankfully, the peripherals were reinforced by the owner, or the mouse would have been destroyed.

Zhong Lianjia glanced at the screen, noting the leopard demon’s poor stats. Looking at the map, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

As the leopard demon respawned and prepared to head back to his lane, Zhong Lianjia reminded him, “There’s someone in the bushes.”

The leopard demon, completely unaware of his surroundings after dying so many times, looked both pitiful and hilarious.

Sigh.

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