Ch 23: My Multiverse Supermarket

Worried that the Yue soldiers waiting below the mountain might disturb the villagers, Zhao Changyan simply decided to bring them all up the mountain.

By the time they reached the top, daylight had fully broken.

The second floor of the small supermarket was lit, but the shop itself had not yet opened.

Zhao Changyan said, “The goddess’s dwelling opens only at certain times. It’s not time yet—we’ll wait here.”

Gong Qiongxian was too busy examining the so-called “immortal cave dwelling” to respond.

*

Inside her house, Zhou Li watched Zhao Changyan through the security camera feed.

“So the little princess has returned,” she murmured.

Seeing the soldiers outside—armored, neatly lined up—Zhou Li couldn’t help thinking of a melodramatic line from some tacky drama: ‘The three-year pact has ended; we humbly welcome the Princess’s return.’

What caught her eye, though, was the woman beside Zhao Changyan.

The woman wore a purple round-collared robe with a golden-buckled belt and a fish-shaped pouch hanging from it—obviously an official of high rank.

“Purple robe… that means a senior officer,” Zhou Li reasoned.

Outside, the crowd was growing impatient, but since Gong Qiongxian and Zhao Changyan both stood quietly waiting, no one dared to sit down or complain aloud.

Among the entourage was a palace eunuch, who suggested to Gong Qiongxian that they knock.

She was tempted—but decided against it.

Though she disliked being made to wait like this, she would not act rashly before understanding who or what she was dealing with.

Gong Qiongxian had survived many years in the imperial court precisely because of this kind of cautious diplomacy. She never volunteered to play the villain unless absolutely necessary.

So the group waited a while longer.

Only after Zhou Li had finished her leisurely breakfast did she go downstairs to open up shop.

When the lights came on, Zhao Changyan—hot and sweating under her armor—finally allowed herself to relax.

She said to Gong Qiongxian, “The lights are on. It means the goddess has ended her meditation to handle worldly matters. Please, follow me inside. The rest shall wait here.”

Gong Qiongxian nodded.

Once inside, Zhao Changyan saluted Zhou Li. “Little Boss, I’ve returned.”

Gong Qiongxian wasn’t surprised by the title, since Zhao Changyan had already explained that the goddess preferred to be addressed as “Little Boss,” claiming she emulated the mortal world by helping people through commerce.

Zhou Li said, “So you’ve brought me a big customer this time.”

Zhao Changyan wanted to explain—but with Gong Qiongxian present, she dared not.

In truth, she hadn’t warned Zhou Li beforehand before using the goddess’s name to attract the Great Yue emperor’s attention. To someone in power, that kind of presumption could be seen as deeply disrespectful.

She had used the supermarket as a stepping stone toward influence—something few would forgive.

So now, Zhao Changyan felt nervous.

But Zhou Li saw it differently. In life, being used by others was inevitable.

If one obsessed over fairness in every exchange, the only result would be self-torment.

She and Zhao Changyan had no bond deeper than that between shopkeeper and customer.

Being “used” didn’t count as betrayal—so long as it brought some real benefit to her store.

Zhao Changyan said, “Little Boss, this is Gong Qiongxian, Court Attendant of Great Yue. She’s been sent by imperial order to pay you respects.”

She looked at Gong Qiongxian, signaling her to bow.

Since entering the shop, Gong Qiongxian had been staring openly at Zhou Li.

She found it hard to believe that this “goddess” was such a young woman.

But she certainly looked the part—unpainted face, graceful features, fair and smooth skin, and a faint fragrance unlike Zhao Changyan’s.

Had Zhou Li known what Gong Qiongxian was thinking, she would have told her that this was just the healthy complexion of a well-rested, well-fed 22-year-old with a stable lifestyle.

To Gong Qiongxian, the only thing lacking was divinity itself; Zhou Li seemed too human.

But of course, her mental template for “divinity” came from witches like Fan Yuxian—and Gong Qiongxian, being one of their circle, knew full well Fan Yuxian was a fraud.

So she bowed and asked politely, testing, “May I know Your Grace’s heavenly title from the Celestial Registry?”

Zhou Li: …

How was she supposed to know that?

The whole “goddess” identity had been Zhao Changyan’s invention—and the “Little Boss” persona was her own careless creation that had now come back to bite her.

Zhou Li ignored the question and instead turned to Zhao Changyan. “So, what are you buying this time? I’ll be returning at midnight tonight, and it might take longer than last time before I come back.”

Time in her world was frozen while she was away, but the time in an alternate world flowed equally fast.

If she spent five days restocking supplies, five days would pass here. And since she also planned to visit another world for trade, her next return here might be after ten days.

…

Gong Qiongxian had not been treated with such disregard in years.

A flicker of murderous intent rose in her chest.

Behind her, the eunuch lost his patience entirely, shrieking, “Insolence! How dare you speak so rudely to Court Attendant Gong!”

Outside, the Yue soldiers heard the noise and quickly surrounded the shop.

The air grew tense.

Zhao Changyan hurried to say, “Do not offend the goddess!”

The eunuch sneered. “Goddess? I see only a fraud you’ve conjured up to deceive His Majesty!”

Fan Yuxian had been created and controlled by Shao Chenshu and the eunuch faction; they knew exactly how such “divine personae” were fabricated.

They assumed Zhou Li’s supermarket was another of Zhao Changyan’s political ploys.

As for the so-called celestial lamps, divine pens, heavenly scrolls, and clocks—they would expose all those tricks soon enough.

Zhao Changyan turned quickly to Zhou Li. “Little Boss, they do not answer to me.”

She was eager to distance herself, fearing that she too might be punished.

At the same time, her mind was working fast: once she returned to the capital, she would tell the emperor these people had offended the goddess and been cast out.

That way, she alone would be entrusted with future dealings.

Seeing Zhao Changyan’s reaction, Gong Qiongxian hesitated.

If this had been a staged act, Zhao Changyan would have defended Zhou Li and presented “proof” of her divinity to win their trust—not immediately disavowed her own people.

This showed that, in Zhao Changyan’s mind, the goddess ranked higher than worldly power.

If she wasn’t motivated by ambition, why go to such lengths to invent a goddess?

Gong Qiongxian quickly turned on the eunuch. “Insolent fool! Get out!”

Though resentful, he had no choice but to obey.

The soldiers outside, however, remained in formation, encircling the building.

Gong Qiongxian struggled internally for a moment before lowering her head and apologizing to Zhou Li, pushing the blame entirely onto the eunuch.

Zhou Li didn’t care about their palace games—but blocking her storefront and scaring off customers was unacceptable.

She said flatly, “The last group that surrounded my place can’t feed themselves anymore.”

She was referring to the bandits.

The supermarket’s defense system had activated then, leaving them oxygen-deprived for four minutes—enough to cause mild brain damage.

They had survived, but now suffered from poor coordination, weak limbs, and confused speech.

Zhao Changyan hadn’t seen that punishment firsthand, but she knew what had happened to Chen San’s group, who had also been chastised by the goddess—yet they had fully recovered.

That meant those bandits must have committed far worse offenses.

Realizing the implication, Zhao Changyan quickly said to Gong Qiongxian, “Tell them to withdraw. The Little Boss dislikes such behavior.”

One glance at Zhou Li’s face made it clear she was displeased.

After a moment’s hesitation, Gong Qiongxian ordered the troops to fall back a hundred meters.

Still uneasy, the eunuch left a few guards outside to protect her.

The villagers, seeing the soldiers retreat, were disappointed.

“Why’d they leave so soon?” they whispered. They had wanted to see the soldiers punished like the bandits.

They kept such thoughts to themselves, of course, but the schadenfreude in their eyes was obvious.

Gong Qiongxian suddenly realized that if she hadn’t pulled her troops back, something might indeed have happened—something that would’ve delighted these villagers.

To them, the officials and soldiers of the court were enemies.

If misfortune befell the imperial envoys, they would only rejoice.

The thought weighed heavily on Gong Qiongxian’s mind.

This goddess’s origins and powers… perhaps “fraud” no longer seemed an adequate word.

☢️☢️☢️