Ch 18: My Multiverse Supermarket

No one wanted to be beaten.

And worse—they were facing a band of vicious marauders.

Terrified out of their wits, the captives had long forgotten that, before being caught, they too had carried sickles and hatchets in their hands.

Yet even so, none of them dared be the first to betray the divine lady, fearing divine punishment from above.

Then, Qiao Sinang came running back. “You want to know where the goods came from? Fine. I’ll take you there.”

The bandits froze for a brief moment before rushing forward to seize her.

Qiao Erlang was aghast. “Why did you come back!?”

Looking around at her terrified companions, Qiao Sinang said firmly, “You were hired by me. I brought you out here. It’s my responsibility to protect you.”

The bandits burst out laughing. “Protect them? You can’t even protect yourself!”

Qiao Sinang replied calmly, “They came with me. Even if I can’t protect them, I can’t have the shame of returning alone.”

The bandit leader looked down from his horse, smirking. “So this woman’s got some spirit, at least.”

Qiao Sinang silently cursed him but kept her expression steady. “We bear you no grudge. I know you came for these goods—maybe for something else as well. But allow me to explain who we are and where these came from. After that, you can decide what to do.”

The leader gave a low chuckle. “I’m not in such a hurry anymore. Once I drag you back to my camp, I’ll have plenty of ways to make you talk.”

Qiao Sinang met his gaze coldly. “Actually, any one of us could tell you the truth. So go ahead—kill us all, leave one alive. But—”

Her companions stared at her in shock.

Two cowards screamed, “If you want to die, die yourself! Don’t drag us down with you!”

“Shut up!” Qiao Erlang snapped, losing his patience.

Qiao Sinang had nearly gained control of the situation, and these fools were going to ruin it. Were they afraid the bandits might suddenly grow merciful?

The bandit leader truly did intend to kill—but not her.

Still, something about her composure unsettled him. A woman with this much confidence meant these goods were not ordinary.

He turned to the two cowards. “Tell me where they came from, and I’ll spare your lives.”

At that, fear overpowered faith. The two tripped over each other’s words. “It’s a goddess! There’s a divine lady cultivating on the mountain! We traded for these in her cave!”

The bandits froze—then burst into raucous laughter.

“A goddess? If gods exist, why do they watch the world burn? Why let our families die and our homes fall?”

“In Prince Xing’s Palace, there’s a witch who claims the Jade Emperor possessed her, that she rules in Heaven’s name! So tell me—which is higher ranked, your so-called goddess or hers?”

“And it’s that same witch who ruined our lives!”

If they hadn’t been forced into desperation, they wouldn’t have turned to banditry.

Now these fools dared to mock them with fairy tales!

“I thought you’d at least have a better lie,” the leader sneered—and without hesitation, struck both men dead.

Blood sprayed across the dirt. Everyone trembled, their courage utterly gone.

Even Qiao Sinang’s heart quaked with fear.

But she knew—if she let the bandits take control now, they were all doomed.

Steeling herself, she glared at the leader, her voice sharp as a blade. “I thought you were warriors. Turns out you’re just brutes—no wonder you’re stuck as bandits.”

“You dare insult me!?” the men roared in fury.

But the leader raised a hand. “It seems you really aren’t afraid of dying.”

Qiao Sinang said, “My father once served as a soldier. He died on the battlefield. The weather was hot, and the generals feared the corpses would rot and bring plague, so they burned them all. What came home to us was a handful of ashes, passed off as his remains.”

The leader frowned. What was she trying to say? Did she think reminding him he’d once been a soldier would earn pity?

But Qiao Sinang continued, her tone steady. “I’m not telling you this to beg sympathy. My father used to say that in war, the greatest fear wasn’t the enemy—it was running out of rations.

“When soldiers go hungry, they lose their strength, and their will to fight. So every army, whenever it marched through a town or a village, looted first to fill its bellies.

“A wise general earns loyalty not by his words, but by ensuring his men eat. Feed them, and they’ll fight to the death for you. Let them starve, or drive them to robbery, and soon they’ll turn on you once there’s nothing left to steal.

“So, General—do you want to be the first kind of leader, or the second?”

The bandit leader’s eyes, once filled with disdain, grew serious.

He hadn’t expected such insight from a woman.

And damn it, she made sense.

He didn’t want to remain a bandit forever. He wanted to grow stronger—perhaps even carve out his own domain.

Looking over the trembling captives, he scoffed. “Useless lot. You can’t even measure up to a woman.”

He dismounted and faced Qiao Sinang. “This goddess—what’s her origin?”

Qiao Sinang quietly exhaled in relief.

“She’s a celestial being cultivating in this world. We met her by chance…”

She didn’t hide the story of their encounter.

But the bandits focused on one thing. “She’s alone on that mountain?”

Qiao Sinang nodded. “The goddess practices in solitude. She doesn’t let anyone disturb her.”

A calculating light flickered in the leader’s eyes. “Take us to her.”

He said nothing about what would happen to the others, but it was clear he’d chosen—for now—to spare them.

The prisoners, realizing they’d live, burst into tears of relief.

Qiao Sinang glanced at the two corpses on the ground. “General, please allow us to take them back to their kin.”

“Carry them off,” he said carelessly.

…

On the way back, Qiao Erlang kept glancing at Qiao Sinang, opening his mouth several times but never finding the words.

Qiao Sinang asked, “Second Brother, what is it you want to say?”

Qiao Erlang lowered his voice. “When did Uncle ever say those things?”

After their father was conscripted, he never returned. Every month, he only sent a small sum of money and a short message home.

Paper was expensive, so even a letter had to be written with as few words as possible.

Those things Qiao Sinang said—there was no way they came from their father.

Qiao Sinang answered, “That was something Zhao Changyan told me.”

Qiao Erlang was surprised. “Zhao Changyan?”

“Mm. I learned a lot from her.”

Qiao Erlang sighed. “If Zhao Changyan were here, she’d surely find a way to get us out of this.”

He glanced toward the direction of the mountains. Their family was still there. If they returned now, leading a band of bandits behind them, wouldn’t they bring disaster upon their own people?

But Qiao Sinang was certain. “They won’t kill us.”

Once those men witnessed the goddess’s powers for themselves, they’d understand how important it was to curry her favor.

Besides, there were only about twenty of these bandits. If they wanted to grow their numbers quickly, they needed to preserve manpower.

Most likely, they’d seize both settlements and force everyone under their control.

But with the goddess present, how could she possibly allow that to happen?

*

The bandits marched faster than ordinary travelers.

Qiao Sinang and the others had to jog behind the horses.

When they grew too exhausted, they took turns riding in makeshift wagons—flat carts pieced together from the small folding carts, pulled by the horses for a while.

The bandit leader had taken note of those little carts. The more he looked, the more convinced he became that this so-called “goddess” wasn’t divine at all, but a clever craftsman who used ingenious contraptions to deceive the masses.

He decided to play along for now—to pretend to believe in the “goddess.” Once he uncovered her secret, he would take her down.

Under their relentless pace, it took only one day to reach the fork along the Yangshan Pass ancient road.

Qiao Sinang led the way, her people following eagerly, desperate to return.

The bandits, seeing their urgency, grew even more certain—there must really be a hidden base up ahead.

On the way, they encountered a patrol of villagers.

One of them, seeing Qiao Sinang, called out in surprise, “You sold out your goods so quickly?”

But his expression changed when he spotted the rough-looking men following behind.

Qiao Sinang said calmly, “This general wishes to pay respects to the goddess.”

The villager instantly understood—they had run into bandits!

He barely had time to pity her. The arrival of bandits meant disaster for all of them.

Yet there was nothing he could do; caught up in the crowd, he was swept along toward the settlement.

After all, it wasn’t him who brought the bandits—whether he resisted or not, Qiao Sinang would still lead them there.

And so, the settlements where the refugees from Chu and Yue had gathered were invaded by the bandits.

To the marauders, it was paradise.

Food, shelter, women—it was far better than their ruined hideout in the mountains.

The leader immediately ordered that everyone be rounded up under his control.

Qiao Sinang interjected, “This is Taoyuan—our home. No one here will leave it. Besides, it’s getting late. General, shouldn’t you meet the goddess first?”

“That charlatan? Why wait? We’ll go up the mountain right now and drag her down!” one of the bandits scoffed.

“The goddess enters seclusion precisely at the hour of Hai,” Qiao Sinang replied evenly. “No matter what happens or who calls for her, she cannot be disturbed. And besides, she may depart at any time.”

What she meant, of course, was that Zhou Li and the little supermarket could vanish together.

But the bandit leader misunderstood—he thought the “goddess” was planning to flee under cover of night.

He didn’t want to give her that chance, so he led his men up the mountain immediately.

He left no one behind. Though the villages were filled with old and weak folk, there were still plenty of able-bodied men.

He feared that dividing his forces might lead to their defeat, so he decided to face this “goddess” first.

Just then, Xian Sanniang came running toward them, breathless. “I’ll lead you up the mountain,” she said.

The bandits eyed her warily. “And who are you?”

Xian Sanniang replied, “The goddess dislikes speaking with ordinary folk, but she favors those who can speak in elegant speech. I can speak the refined tongue.”

The bandits exchanged looks.

Favors those who speak the refined tongue? More like that witch only knows the court dialect!

The leader studied her. She didn’t look brave enough to lie—probably just another fool duped by the “goddess.”

“Fine,” he said. “You and Qiao Sinang will lead the way.”

But by then, someone else had already raced up the mountain to warn Zhou Li.

“Goddess! Trouble! Bandits are coming up the mountain!”

[Author’s Note]

Zhou Li: “Someone’s causing trouble? Finally, something to do! System, let’s go!”

System: “…Do you even remember what our job is?”

☢️☢️☢️