Ch 85: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

When Lu Yao returned to Baixian Mountain, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

Cheng Ye was switching shifts with Xiao Zhong.

Seeing Lu Yao back so early was already surprising, but even more so was the stunning beauty following behind her. Meanwhile, Zeyuan and Mo Bao trailed behind, looking a bit dispirited.

Lu Yao gave Jiao Niang a tour of the shop. “Most customers manage themselves while they’re online, so they won’t bother you much. Your work area is behind the bar—occasionally handing out water or delivering food to tables.”

After joining, Jiao Niang’s initial role in the shop was to be its “poster girl,” primarily managing the convenience counter.

During her time among humans, she had picked up some literacy, basic arithmetic, and other skills under the influence of the eldest young master’s refined preferences. Running a counter and managing the shop wouldn’t be difficult for her.

Standing by the bar, Jiao Niang gazed at the main hall for a long time before speaking. “There are many demons and demon cultivators here.”

Lu Yao nodded. “That’s right. Our primary customers at the internet café are demons and demon cultivators.”

Jiao Niang gave Lu Yao a curious look. “But you’re human.”

Lu Yao smiled. “So what? As long as they pay in spirit stones, they’re welcome.”

Jiao Niang thought of Zeyuan and realized that with Lu Yao’s partner being a demon, nothing else seemed strange anymore.

The more she thought about it, the more envious she felt of Zeyuan.

Initially, Jiao Niang had believed Lu Yao didn’t know Zeyuan’s identity. However, during their journey from the Sea of Tears, she had noticed that Lu Yao not only knew but also fully accepted Zeyuan as a demon.

Lu Yao said, “Take a look around. If you feel comfortable, we’ll sign the contract.”

The shop was entirely different from what Jiao Niang had imagined. Knowing the customers were primarily demons and demon cultivators made her feel more at ease than dealing with humans.

Following Lu Yao into the break room, Jiao Niang carefully read the contract to confirm it wasn’t a binding demon contract, then readily pressed her fingerprint.

She signed both a confidentiality agreement and a seven-day probationary employment contract.

Afterward, Lu Yao handed her a new phone. “Don’t worry if you don’t know how to use it yet. Take your time learning.”

Jiao Niang, not yet understanding its purpose but hearing that all employees had one, accepted it.

Once the onboarding was complete, Lu Yao brought Jiao Niang out and introduced her to Cheng Ye. “This is Jiao Niang, our new shop assistant. Show her around for the next few days.”

Cheng Ye greeted Jiao Niang and then pulled Lu Yao aside, whispering, “Jiao Niang is a demon?”

Lu Yao nodded. “A mermaid. Isn’t she stunning?”

Cheng Ye’s eyes widened as he slowly processed the information. “Will she join the group chat?”

Lu Yao replied, “I gave her a phone. Once she learns how to use it, I’ll add her to the group.”

Cheng Ye nodded and sat back down.

Though the café often saw demons come and go, having a mermaid as the first new hire—a mermaid who had never even visited the café before—was unexpected.

Unable to contain himself, Cheng Ye posted in the employee group chat:

[Interdimensional Internet Café Cheng Ye]: The boss is back.

[Childhood Tutoring Center Bai Yi]: So soon? Didn’t she say she might be gone for a few days?

[Interdimensional Internet Café Cheng Ye]: The boss brought back a new employee.

[Hot Spring Inn Ji Qingyan]: Male or female? From which realm?

[Interdimensional Internet Café – Cheng Ye]: Female. The boss said she’s a mermaid.

[Interdimensional Cinema Die Qi]: mermaid? Is she beautiful?

[Hot Spring Inn Bai Lu]: mermaid? She must be absolutely gorgeous.

[Little Pet Cafe Lei Lei]: Like the Great Goddess of Emerald Star?

Objectively speaking, Jiao Niang was extraordinarily beautiful, perfectly fitting the image of a femme fatale from Eastern mythology—stunningly gorgeous, alluring, yet exuding a delicate, pitiable fragility.

But Cheng Ye said nothing about it.

After arranging Jiao Niang’s duties, Lu Yao was about to update the group chat with her findings from this trip. Noticing that Cheng Ye had already mentioned Jiao Niang, she decided to skip the preamble and directly posted a photo.

[Lu Yao]: The internet café’s new shop assistant, Jiao Niang.

[Childhood Tutoring Center Bai Yi]: Sister! Sister! Sister! Sister!!! My god, what a beautiful sister!!!

[Snack Shop Xingzi]: Truly stunning—her beauty is striking.

[Snack Shop –Xiao Qie]: She looks perfect for playing an NPC at our theme park.

…

After the employees had their fill of admiring Jiao Niang’s beauty, Lu Yao pulled out a stack of items she had bought in Ni City and recorded a short video.

[Lu Yao]: I bought some storage pouches, pills, talismans, and jade tokens. No luck with weight-loss pills this time, but I did mention it to a few alchemists—maybe next time they’ll have some.

[Lu Yao]: These items can only be used within the shop—they won’t work outside.

[Hot Spring Inn Ji Qingyan]: I want a storage pouch! Even if it only works here, that’s fine.

[Hot Spring Inn Bai Lu]: Storage pouch +1

[Childhood Tutoring Center Bai Yi]: @Hot Spring Inn Bai Lu, didn’t you want pills last time?

[Hot Spring Inn Bai Lu]: Ordinary pills don’t appeal to me. Storage pouches are way cooler.

[Lu Yao]: By the way, I bought some low-grade marrow-cleansing pills. Even used here in the shop, they can help cleanse impurities from your body.

Even in the alchemy holy land of Ni City, the price of mid-grade or higher marrow-cleansing pills was prohibitively high. After much deliberation, Lu Yao settled for a bottle of low-grade ones.

[Hot Spring Inn Bai Lu]: !!!

[Interdimensional Cinema Ming Shi]: Marrow-cleansing pills? Do they actually work?

[Childhood Tutoring Center Bai Yi]: Will they make my skin better if I take one?

[Interdimensional Internet Café Cheng Ye]: They improve skin, enhance sleep, and make your body feel lighter overall.

[Interdimensional Internet Café Zhong Lianjia]: How do you know all that? Don’t tell me you’ve already taken one?!

Zhong Lianjia, who had just returned home from his shift, checked the group chat out of habit and couldn’t believe his coworker had secretly taken a pill so quickly.

[Lu Yao]: The alchemist told me that low-grade marrow-cleansing pills can detoxify and improve overall health for mortals. Effects vary by individual but generally last three to six months. Decide for yourselves if you want to try them.

Pills were a product where results were immediately visible. Lu Yao planned to list them on the internal shop network and promote them slightly among VIP clients, hoping to earn some extra income.

…

Zeyuan and Mo Bao had just returned to the café when Xuanfeng arrived with a message.

The Demon Realm had sent word—something urgent required Zeyuan’s return.

Xuanfeng’s and Whirlwind’s employment contracts had reached their term, so they were leaving together. Of course, they intended to return when they had time.

After all, gaming was far more enjoyable than the monotony of physical contests. And with the Demon Lord’s personally opened rift in the Demon Realm, they had an excuse to come back to the café.

Zeyuan approached Lu Yao. “I need to return to the Demon Realm for a while.”

Lu Yao nodded. “Alright. Stay safe.”

Zeyuan stood still, his crimson eyes blinking as if something didn’t feel right. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to hear from her.

Xuanfeng had already opened a direct rift to the demon palace, his forehead faintly sweating as he maintained it.

Mo Bao turned to urge him, “Your Excellency, we need to go. Xuanfeng can’t hold it much longer.”

Xuanfeng: “…”

Zeyuan stared at Lu Yao for a long moment before finally turning and stepping into the rift.

After they left, Jiao Niang approached Lu Yao, her expression complicated. “So, he’s the Demon Lord. Have you really thought this through?”

Romance between humans and demons was even more challenging than between humans and merfolk, especially with his exalted status.

As an ordinary mortal without cultivation, Lu Yao would suffer the most if things went wrong.

Lu Yao didn’t respond. A faint smile appeared on her face instead. “What about where you’ll stay? Have you thought about that?”

Jiao Niang noticed that Lu Yao’s eyes held no trace of gloom, making it unclear whether she had genuinely moved on or simply hadn’t thought about the future at all.

As someone who had been through similar situations, Jiao Niang thought she understood Lu Yao’s mindset and didn’t push further. Instead, she followed the topic. “The little sparrow demon showed me a nearby river. I found a pond with just the right depth—enough for a place to rest at night.”

The sparrow demon, intrigued by the news that Jiao Niang was the new assistant at the internet café, had been curious and even a bit jealous.

But Jiao Niang’s beauty and strong demon power won the little demon over. Rarely mischievous in this case, the sparrow demon even went out of its way to be helpful, second only to its treatment of Lu Yao.

Lu Yao asked, “The rivers nearby are freshwater—does that not matter to you?”

Jiao Niang found Lu Yao’s focus amusing. It was rare for anyone, human or demon, to notice such details. Smiling, she shook her head. “Living on land is no problem. Having a pond to soak my tail in each day is more than enough for me.”

Life on Baixian Mountain turned out to be much better than Jiao Niang had anticipated.

The work at the shop wasn’t hard, though it was a bit tedious.

For the first time, Jiao Niang found herself doing human tasks, and she took them seriously, even learning how to use computers and smartphones.

Her human colleagues were different from the mortals she had encountered in the past. Men and women alike were warm and friendly, often praising her beauty.

While some showed curiosity about her identity as a demon, Jiao Niang could see that their wonder held no disdain or hostility.

In her first few days on the job, she stayed busy, leaving her little time to think about Ni City or the Sea of Tears.

…

At the Xie family manor in Ni City, Old Madam Xie had been reluctant to let Xie Zili leave after escorting her back.

Master Xie and Madam Xie also visited him, subtly expressing their desire for him to stay for a while. There was no trace of the fear or rejection they had shown when they first saw his demon form in the garden pond half a year ago.

Xie Zili was baffled, unable to understand why his parents were suddenly unafraid of him.

Though he had intended to leave and return to the Sea of Tears where Jiao Niang was waiting, Old Madam Xie cried herself into a faint.

Left with no choice, Xie Zili stayed, planning to leave once his grandmother woke up.

However, every time he mentioned leaving, his grandmother wept uncontrollably.

Having grown up doted on by her, Xie Zili kept delaying his departure. Before he knew it, he had stayed three days at the Xie family estate.

Xie Zili began to worry that Jiao Niang might come looking for him if he didn’t return soon, which would undoubtedly create an unpleasant scene.

But three days passed without a sign of Jiao Niang, and even the communication talisman he carried remained silent.

Feeling uneasy, Xie Zili tried contacting Jiao Niang through the talisman for the first time.

Half a day went by with no response.

Unable to sit still, Xie Zili stood and decided to inform the main house that he planned to return to the Sea of Tears to check on Jiao Niang.

He heard that after lunch, Old Madam Xie had gone to the lakeside pavilion to relax, accompanied by his father and mother. Heading toward the pavilion, he passed by a rockery and overheard voices.

Intending to announce himself, he froze when he heard his name.

The voices were unmistakably those of Madam Xie and her maid, who had accompanied her from her natal family.

Madam Xie said, “The old madam and the master are already discussing finding a suitable match for Xie Zili in the city. It’s absolutely maddening!”

Nanny: “Who would have thought that little demon would return? The old madam and the master have no other choice. By the way, the medicine has been brought back. When will you prepare it for the master?”

Madam Xie lowered her voice. “Be careful with your words; the master cannot bear to hear of this. Tonight, I will persuade him to drink it. This must succeed, no matter what.”

…

Unaware that someone was behind the rockery, the nanny and Madam Xie continued their conversation before heading toward the main house.

Once they left, Xie Zili slowly emerged from behind the rockery. His expression was one of confusion mixed with pain.

So everything had been an illusion. It was all because…

He suddenly recalled Jiao Niang’s words: “Zili, you are a merfolk. You shouldn’t return to the human world—you’ll only get hurt… I can’t… I can’t let you end up like me.”

Turning back to his temporary residence, Xie Zili wrote a letter, left it on the table, and walked out.

Perhaps Jiao Niang was right. He was a half-demon and should no longer be attached to the human world.

…

Demon Realm, Demon Palace

Zeyuan had been back in the Demon Realm for a few days, busily handling accumulated affairs.

He governed the Demon Realm by mirroring human systems, and as its ruler, his daily responsibilities were immense.

One day, a young female official arrived at the Hall of Diligence, claiming to have an urgent state document for the Sovereign.

The attendants in the outer hall allowed her entry. At the time, Xuanfeng and Mo Ba were in the hall, pestering Zeyuan.

They wanted to go to Baixian Mountain to visit Lu Yao, but Zeyuan, swamped with duties, had no time to return to the human world anytime soon.

Even though he couldn’t go, he also didn’t want others to go.

Dejected but persistent, Xuanfeng and Mo Bao tried to press him further.

Suddenly, a young female official who bore a six or seven-part resemblance to Lu Yao entered the hall. Both Xuanfeng and Mo Bao froze, their expressions subtly changing.

Xuanfeng immediately abandoned Mo Bao and, disregarding decorum, stepped forward to intercept the young woman. “I’ll deliver the document to His Excellency.”

Mo Bao stared at Xuanfeng in confusion. He, too, felt an inexplicable sense of unease, though his reaction wasn’t as swift as Xuanfeng’s.

Lu Yao instinctively stepped back and whispered, “Lord Xuanfeng, please don’t make this difficult for me. Lady Zhuxiang instructed that the urgent document must be delivered directly to His Excellency.”

Xuanfeng himself couldn’t fully understand his anxiety, but something told him the young official shouldn’t meet the Sovereign face-to-face.

Lu Yao, however, remained adamant, refusing to hand over the tray to Whirlwind.

The two ended up in a standoff in front of the hall.

Without lifting his head, Zeyuan said, “Xuanfeng, step aside.”

Xuanfeng hesitated. “…”

He had truly done all he could.

Lowering her head slightly, Lu Yao bit her lip, then stepped forward, holding the black lacquer tray with both hands.

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