Ch 80: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

Cheng Ye didn’t return to the office but instead headed straight to the café with his medical results.

Expressionless, he approached the counter and quietly said to Lu Yao, “Early-stage liver cancer. No significant clinical symptoms yet. The doctor said it’s a good thing it was caught in time—any later, and it would’ve been much worse.”

When Cheng Ye first saw the results, he was too shocked to speak.

He had guessed that the Marrow-Cleansing Pill would help, but he hadn’t expected such dramatic effects.

From “late-stage” to “early-stage,” his chances of a cure had greatly improved—whether through surgery or medication.

In the consultation room, he had even broken down crying, much to his embarrassment.

The doctor assumed he was overwhelmed with worry and reassured him, saying his condition wasn’t as dire as it seemed.

The results showed the issue had just surfaced and was caught immediately.

Only Cheng Ye knew the truth: he had narrowly escaped death.

He couldn’t stop the tears from falling, though they were tears of joy. Unable to explain the situation to anyone, he simply nodded along with the doctor’s comforting words.

On the way back to Shopping Street, he worked hard to regain control of his emotions, worried that his colleagues might notice something was amiss.

He had kept it a secret for so long, and now that things were improving, there was no reason to let anyone else know.

Lu Yao wasn’t surprised by the results. She had suspected the Marrow-Cleansing Pill wouldn’t completely cure Cheng Ye’s illness—it was, after all, only a mid-grade pill.

For an ordinary human, however, its effects were already remarkable.

Even the alchemist from Hengze Sect had consumed countless pills without improving his constitution and had recently resorted to yoga exercises out of desperation.

Lu Yao asked, “What’s your plan from here?”

Cheng Ye had already made up his mind. “I’m going to have surgery. Now that it’s been downgraded to early-stage, I don’t want to risk it progressing to mid- or late-stage again.”

Lu Yao nodded approvingly. “That’s a smart decision. Once you’ve set a date for the surgery, let me know in advance so we can adjust things here.”

Cheng Ye hesitated, then spoke. “Will I still be able to come back to work after the surgery?”

It wasn’t a minor operation, and recovery—from surgery to removing stitches—would take a long time. He didn’t know what the store’s situation would be by then.

Even after recovery, Cheng Ye didn’t want to leave Shopping Street or give up this job.

Lu Yao chuckled. “Of course, you’ll be back. We have a contract—don’t think you can just leave after getting better. It’s not that easy.”

Cheng Ye finally relaxed, a faint smile appearing on his face.

…

When Zeyuan entered with Mo Bao and Xuanfeng, they saw Lu Yao and Cheng Ye chatting and smiling.

Mo Bao huffed indignantly. “We’ve been out there working our tails off, and this guy gets to stay here and enjoy himself.”

Xuanfeng replied calmly, “Xiao Cheng had personal matters today. He probably just got back. The boss was the one managing the store during the day.”

Zeyuan, seemingly oblivious to their conversation, strode over in a few quick steps. “What are you discussing? You look so cheerful.”

Lu Yao replied, “Nothing important. Are you heading out now?”

Cheng Ye, wary of the legendary demon lord, nodded politely as a greeting and took a step back.

Zeyuan glanced briefly at Cheng Ye before turning to Lu Yao, his crimson eyes cool. “Yes. Are you ready?”

The day of Lu Yao’s agreement with Zeyuan had arrived. With everything at the café in order, she could leave without worry.

Lu Yao nodded. “Yes. Shall we leave now?”

The night-shift attendant, Zhong Lianjia, hadn’t arrived yet, but Cheng Ye could hold down the fort, with Xuanfeng staying to assist.

Lu Yao, Zeyuan, and Mo Bao left together, heading for a human city called Ni City.

Ni City was under the domain of the Pill Sect, home to the large sect Wen Tian Sect and countless smaller sects in its vicinity. Nearby was also a sword cultivation sect—the Lingxiao Sword Sect.

Heading into a territory of cultivators, two demons and one human marching in openly would draw far too much attention.

Lu Yao proposed that she and Zeyuan disguise themselves as cultivators while Mo Bao would pretend to be a spirit pet for their entry into the city.

But Mo Bao, being the proud companion of the Demon Lord, found the idea utterly offensive. His temper flared, and he huffed angrily, “I’d rather jump off this cliff than pretend to be a spirit pet!”

Unbothered by Mo Bao’s tantrum, Zeyuan cast a spell to transform Lu Yao’s attire. She now wore a flowing white dress, her long hair styled into a bun adorned with a pale purple flower pin. A faint purple ribbon trailed from the back of her hair, and her waist was cinched with a light purple sash.

Zeyuan himself donned a black Daoist robe, his hair tied back with a simple ribbon instead of a crown.

To Lu Yao’s surprise, Zeyuan’s hair ribbon and sash matched her outfit in color.

This must be the Demon Lord’s sense of aesthetics, she thought.

Fortunately, the purple accents were so pale that they didn’t clash with his black attire, making the ensemble look harmonious. However, Zeyuan’s crimson eyes were still strikingly conspicuous. Noticing Lu Yao’s gaze, he casually popped a pill into his mouth, and his eyes transformed into a deep, glossy black, like polished onyx.

“This pill’s effect only lasts half a day,” he remarked.

Lu Yao nodded in approval. “Now you look no different from a young cultivator from the human realm. But what about Mo Bao?”

Without looking up, Zeyuan replied, “If he doesn’t want to come, let him stay at the café with Xuanfeng. Let’s go.”

Mo Bao, who had been waiting for some coaxing or at least a gesture of invitation, was stunned.

Not even a word from the Demon Lord? His temper tantrum had backfired!

Was it possible the Demon Lord didn’t want him to come along in the first place? If he refused to go now, wouldn’t that just play into Zeyuan’s hands?

At that moment, Mo Bao was absolutely convinced he had uncovered the truth: the Demon Lord found him troublesome but didn’t mind having Lu Yao around.

Lu Yao interjected, “Why not bring Mo Bao? He’s been looking forward to this for days. Besides, having him around makes things livelier.”

Zeyuan considered briefly before crouching down to poke Mo Bao. “Want to come?”

Mo Bao, pitifully, jumped into Zeyuan’s arms and let out a low “Mm.”

The little creature was thoroughly aggrieved but knew Zeyuan had already shown him the maximum amount of affection he could muster. Any additional warmth was impossible.

The Demon Lord was, after all, inherently cold and emotionless, unable to comprehend others’ attachment or admiration for him. Even if he understood, he wouldn’t care.

…

Ni City was near the sea, and its nightscape was breathtaking.

It wasn’t until they arrived that Lu Yao understood why Zeyuan insisted on traveling at night.

At night, Ni City glowed like a lantern drifting atop the sea, flickering with radiant light yet shrouded in mystery.

As the Pill Sect’s stronghold, Ni City was brimming with alchemists.

Stalls selling pills lined the streets, offering an astonishing variety. Upon inquiry, Lu Yao discovered the prices were far more reasonable than in Liuxian City.

Her previously suppressed desire to shop for “proxy purchases” resurfaced.

Here, even the lowest-quality pills started at spirit stones, giving Lu Yao the illusion of being able to “sweep the shelves.”

Hearing of her interest in shopping, Zeyuan accompanied her through the streets, visiting everything from pill shops and talisman stalls to weapon shops, gold and jade pavilions, and general stores.

Ni City was also home to many mortals, and the overall cost of living was noticeably lower than in Liuxian City.

Items that were once out of reach—pills, talismans, and storage bags—were now within Lu Yao’s grasp. She bought a bunch of them.

However, even in this holy land of the Pill Sect, there was no sign of the slimming pills she sought.

These alchemists were too narrow-minded, constantly researching things like Heartbreak Pills, Forgetting Pills, Rejuvenation Pills, and Essence Fortification Pills…

Lu Yao couldn’t help but strike up a conversation with one alchemist at a roadside stall, launching into her wishlist: slimming pills, hair growth elixirs, bone regeneration and muscle-building pills, skin-whitening and wrinkle-removal pills…

The alchemist frowned and replied, “Cultivators wouldn’t buy such things.”

Lu Yao: “Sell it to mortals! We need this—desperately!”

The alchemist frowned, staring at Lu Yao for a long moment before his expression gradually shifted, as though a new idea had dawned on him.

Bidding farewell to the slightly dazed alchemist, Lu Yao turned and entered a weapon shop with Zeyuan and Mo Bao (disguised as a spirit pet).

Strictly speaking, it was a shop for magical artifacts. The owner was an artificer, and the shop was filled with swords, knives, robes, and small weapons—all priced on the steep side.

Lu Yao browsed for a while but didn’t make any purchases.

They then moved on to the Gold and Jade Pavilion and a cosmetics shop at the end of the street.

The Gold and Jade Pavilion sold gold and silver jewelry as well as ornamental magical artifacts, but the prices were exorbitant. Lu Yao only glanced around briefly before heading next door to the cosmetics shop.

The shopkeeper there was a slender, charming woman with narrow eyes. She occasionally glanced at Zeyuan, who stood behind Lu Yao, and teased, “Your Dao companion has quite the pleasant temperament.”

Lu Yao scratched her head, about to explain, “We’re not Dao companions.”

But before she could, Zeyuan interjected, “We’ll take everything.”

Lu Yao turned to him in shock. “No need! I’m just looking—I don’t need that much.”

She had specifically come to check out the cosmetics to gauge the quality and style of goods in the Floating World Continent, comparing them to those of the Great Wu Dynasty.

Zhu Ying and Danxi’s interest in makeup had left an impression on her.

Luxury cosmetic products had an incredibly high profit margin, and while Great Wu’s current technological level wasn’t quite there yet, Lu Yao was considering the feasibility of launching a high-end cosmetics line.

Of course, this was just an initial idea. Starting an entire cosmetics line just to save on proxy shopping fees was like making a whole batch of dumplings just for the dipping sauce—not exactly practical.

Still, she was taking the opportunity to evaluate things carefully.

Apparently misunderstanding her intentions, Zeyuan assumed she liked the items and quietly remarked, “It’s getting late. We should find lodging. Pack these up first, and you can look at them in detail tonight.”

Lu Yao: “If it’s getting late, let’s find lodging first. No need to buy anything—we don’t need it.”

The shopkeeper, her narrow eyes gleaming with amusement, said with a knowing smile, “No need to be shy, young lady. The cosmetics in my shop aren’t your average products. You won’t regret buying them.”

Zeyuan nodded. “Then pack them quickly.”

The shopkeeper stopped joking and brought out a three-tiered makeup box with intricate carvings.

Noticing Lu Yao’s curiosity about the box, the shopkeeper began chatting, “Beautiful, isn’t it? Ni City is near the sea, and there’s a legend about mermen living in the waters nearby. Fishermen say this box was found washed ashore. I thought it was stunning and bought it. Who knows? It might’ve been a beloved treasure of a merfolk, swept away by the waves and lucky for me to stumble upon.”

Lu Yao forced a laugh.

In her limited experience, shopkeepers who loved telling stories often turned out to be price sharks.

As expected, the shopkeeper skillfully packed the delicate jars and bottles into the box, neatly arranged in the blink of an eye.

Lu Yao decided to just roll with it—if she was buying, she’d figure out the finances later.

She reached for her storage pouch of spirit stones, but Zeyuan was faster.

He tossed a pouch of spirit stones onto the counter, took the box, grabbed Lu Yao’s wrist, and whisked her away. In the blink of an eye, they were standing outside an inn adorned with bright red lanterns.

Zeyuan released her hand and stepped forward. “This place closes at midnight. Any later, and we won’t get a room.”

Lu Yao followed him, exasperated. “Aren’t there other inns?”

Zeyuan shook his head. “There are, but this one’s my favorite. I think you’ll like it too.”

Lu Yao: “…”

This… didn’t feel very demon lord-like.

The two entered the inn, and Zeyuan seemed genuinely in a rush, quickly heading to the front desk to book a room.

Lu Yao trailed behind, her steps slowing as her eyes fell on a table in the center of the lobby. A group of people was seated there, and her footsteps faltered.

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