Ch 82: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

Zeyuan didn’t glance at Chi Jiumeng as he lifted his foot and stepped inside.

Lu Yao heard the noise and rose with Mo Bao in her arms. “You’re back. Where are they?”

Zeyuan’s expression was unreadable. “They?”

Lu Yao: “Wuling and Jizhuang.”

Zeyuan said nothing, stepping past Lu Yao. He went straight to the table, sat down, and poured himself water without a word.

Chi Jiumeng stood a step away, slightly lowering his head as he saluted Lu Yao. “The Demon Emperor and Wuling have already left. Regarding the commotion downstairs earlier, I came to offer my apologies.”

Lu Yao replied, “You’re too polite, Shopkeeper Chi. I’m fine. No need to worry.”

Chi Jiumeng smiled warmly. “You have such a gracious temperament. Earlier, I heard you speaking—do you happen to know the Demon Emperor and the great demon Wuling?”

Lu Yao turned, walking to the table to put Mo Bao down. “We’ve met a few times, but we’re not close.”

Chi Jiumeng, not at all shy after offering his apology, casually pulled up a small stool by the table and sat down.

“I don’t recall seeing you around before. Is this your first time in Ni City?”

Lu Yao: “Yes.”

Noticing her faintly forced smile, Chi Jiumeng, not one to ignore social cues, shifted topics. “Yesterday, Zeyuan came to book this room. I initially declined, but he insisted. Now, there’s something important I must inform the three of you about.”

Zeyuan sat nearby, drinking water with a tight, grim face, exuding an imposing air.

Just as Chi Jiumeng finished speaking, Zeyuan started coughing violently. His blood-red eyes flicked a furtive glance at Lu Yao before quickly turning away, covering his mouth with his hand. His flushed ears and neck were painfully conspicuous.

Lu Yao tilted her head, giving him a calm glance before turning back to Chi Jiumeng. “What is it?”

Chi Jiumeng’s expression nearly broke into laughter at the scene, barely holding herself together. Looks like this thousand-year-old iron tree is finally blooming—a rare sight and quite amusing.

Suppressing her mirth, she maintained a serious demeanor. “Recently, there have been reports of merfolk coming ashore and abducting mortals. Just the other day, an elderly lady from the Xie family was taken, and she still hasn’t been found.”

Ni City had cultivators, and ordinary small demons rarely dared to cause trouble within its borders.

Even demons like Chi Jiumeng, a great demon running a business here, would avoid provoking mortals.

After all, harming mortals left karmic consequences, making tribulation even more challenging to survive. Great demons cherished their reputation and wouldn’t risk ruining their future.

Lu Yao: “What does this have to do with the guest room?”

Chi Jiumeng: “I’m not sure if Zeyuan mentioned it, but this room is unique—it constantly moves. At night, it approaches the Sea of Tears, and by morning, it’s near Ni Bay. If merfolk are appearing near Ni City, they can only be coming from the Sea of Tears. Given the recent incidents of abductions, for the safety of our guests, we’ve stopped renting out this room.”

This information had already been shared with Zeyuan. It was the first time Chi Jiumeng had seen him so stubborn, insisting on reserving the room.

She had figured that with Zeyuan’s cultivation, even if he encountered the merfolk, it was more likely he’d beat them than the other way around.

Who would’ve thought he’d bring along a delicate young lady—one who happened to be a mortal without any cultivation.

Zeyuan sat like a statue. If not for the redness of his ears, Lu Yao might have thought he’d choked to death on water.

Lu Yao: “…We understand. We’ll be extra cautious. Thank you for the warning.”

This room was unlike typical guest rooms. It was massive, with windows on three sides and ample space, including a bed.

Zeyuan had only booked this one room, but it was more than enough for three people.

Before leaving, Chi Jiumeng mentioned one more thing: the recent merfolk abductions weren’t the first occurrence.

About half a year ago, the young master of the Xie family was also taken by merfolk and never returned.

That young master, named Xie Zili, was just sixteen and had been training with the Lingxiao Sword Sect outside the city.

Half a year ago, on the birthday of the Xie family matriarch, the young master Xie Zili returned home to celebrate with his elders but was abducted by merfolk, his fate unknown.

The ever-annoying Chi Jiumeng finally left. Zeyuan, though mentally envisioning eighty-one ways to kill her, didn’t dare glance at Lu Yao even once.

Lu Yao, sensing he needed time to process his emotions, thoughtfully left him alone. She sat under the lamp, pulling out items one by one from her storage pouch.

Medicinal pills were cheap, so she had visited several small stalls and bought a pile.

Among them were two bottles of pills for rapidly healing wounds, which might come in handy after Cheng Ye’s surgery.

Though she couldn’t find weight-loss pills, she bought one bottle each of beauty-enhancing pills and disguise pills.

She also purchased several storage pouches for the shop staff who had requested them, as well as sound transmission talismans and recording talismans.

The sound transmission talisman functioned like a cellphone—except it didn’t need a network.

Lu Yao planned to leave one at the internet café as a fixed communication tool. Sometimes, when she was out of town and couldn’t use her phone, the staff could contact her through it.

She set aside talismans for Harold and Budu, as they were the most likely to need her. In emergencies, even if others had talismans, they might not necessarily be able to find her.

She also bought some talismans for later use and stored them in her personal inventory.

Lastly, there was the three-tiered black makeup case. Upon closer inspection, it was truly beautiful. Its surface was inlaid with pink mother-of-pearl and surrounded by a ring of shimmering pink merfolk pearls. The lid was adorned with colorful seashells and conch fragments, possibly once a cherished treasure of some merfolk.

Zeyuan couldn’t help but glance over to see what Lu Yao was doing. The moment he spotted her pulling out the makeup case, he whipped his head away as if his tail had been stepped on.

The magical treasure resting on his lap tilted its head up to look at him curiously. “Your Excellency, what’s wrong?”

Zeyuan: “…”

Lu Yao opened the case and saw rows of neatly arranged rouge inside. Thinking of his earlier reaction, her heart softened a little.

Even without his memories, he was just the same as before—completely lacking in growth.

In his flustered attempts to cover his thoughts, he ended up only revealing them further.

Lu Yao casually closed the case, packed up the items on the table into her inventory, and walked over to Zeyuan. She gently tapped his shoulder.

Zeyuan lifted his head, his black hair cascading like seaweed. His red eyes, vivid as morning stars, shimmered faintly with what seemed to be an unacknowledged grievance.

Lu Yao asked, “This is my first time staying at a demon-operated inn, especially one with a moving room. Could you show me around?”

Zeyuan stood up, placing Mo Bao on the table, and led Lu Yao toward the west side of the room.

Mo Bao: “…”

Zeyuan pushed open the west-facing window.

The night outside was deep, and the starry river seemed almost within reach.

Perhaps it was an illusion, or perhaps they were in some celestial realm.

The stars, like stones, drifted gently with the flow of the night.

Leaning against the window ledge, Lu Yao bent down and scooped up a handful of night. To her surprise, two golden stars rested in her palm.

She brought them to Zeyuan. “Look, how beautiful.”

Zeyuan stared at her radiant smile, his hand unconsciously pressing against his chest, his expression dazed.

Lu Yao noticed his strange look. “What’s wrong?”

Zeyuan shook his head. A sudden idea struck him, and he grabbed her hand, leading her to the neighboring room and pushing open the north-facing window.

This side faced a desolate countryside, where an inky sky cradled a lone crescent moon. The breeze carried a faint floral fragrance as it brushed past them.

Lu Yao rested her hands on the windowsill, where two fireflies alighted on her fingertips, glowing faintly.

“When I was young, my mother and I lived in the countryside. In summer, there were always fireflies in the grass by the river.” She turned to Zeyuan. “It’s been more than ten years since I’ve seen them. Seeing them again reminds me of my childhood.”

Her memories didn’t include a father; it had always been her mother raising her alone.

A young single woman with a child must have had a difficult and impoverished life.

But Lu Yao’s mother was a gentle and resilient woman, so Lu Yao’s childhood wasn’t marred by especially painful memories.

After her mother’s sudden passing, Lu Yao lost her final safe haven and gradually became the person she was today.

Zeyuan gazed at Lu Yao’s dazed expression and instinctively reached out, gently touching her cheek.

The cool sensation startled Lu Yao back to reality. She looked at him in surprise. “What… are you doing?”

Zeyuan stared at his own hand, equally perplexed. Then, as if brushing aside the moment, he took her hand again and led her to the neighboring room, pushing open the final window.

The east-facing window opened toward the Sea of Tears. As soon as it was unlatched, the soft sound of waves filled the air.

Under the night sky, the Sea of Tears appeared calm yet filled with an indescribable melancholy.

The moon cast its reflection on the water, creating shimmering ripples tinged with a faint violet hue.

Countless tiny glimmers danced and flickered on the surface, like the dewy trails of a garden at dawn.

Zeyuan instinctively turned to watch Lu Yao’s expression.

If she was happy, it would put him at ease.

Leaning against the windowsill, Lu Yao listened intently. The song of the merfolk seemed to echo nearby—mournful yet enchanting, weaving an inescapable spell.

She tilted her head to call him over. “Listen… the merfolk’s song…”

Zeyuan’s gaze dropped, his eyes drawn irresistibly to her face. He slowly leaned closer, his heart pounding wildly.

Closer. Just a little closer, and he could taste that sweetness.

His instincts screamed for him to close the distance.

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