Ch 114: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

Lu Yao had previously discussed streaming plans with Zhu Ying, but the fake shopkeeper incident delayed things.

Yu Yao, being from the celestial race, looked down on the demon race, and the small demons of Baixian Mountain didn’t even register in her eyes. During her time as the fake shopkeeper, she acted recklessly, offending many regular customers.

After Lu Yao’s return, she held two days of coupon and snack distribution events, gradually restoring the café’s reputation.

Zhu Ying had initially approached the celestial maiden with enthusiasm to discuss the idea but was met with indifference and vague responses. Disappointed, Zhu Ying returned to her cave, puzzled by the shopkeeper’s sudden change in demeanor.

On the day of the small competition, Zhu Ying was present and witnessed the fake shopkeeper being seized by the Demon Sovereign while the real Lu Yao and the little bear demon emerged from the Mirror of Serenity. Only then did she realize what had transpired.

The day after Lu Yao’s return, she sought Zhu Ying to revive their original plan.

Since Zhu Ying was native to the Floating World and bound by system rules, her true appearance couldn’t be shown online. Lu Yao suggested a collaboration between Zhu Ying and Bai Lu: Zhu Ying would prepare the content, and Bai Lu would illustrate and create it in the style of an animated hand-drawn video for posting. The channel’s focus would be on shopping reviews and product evaluations.

Zhu Ying lamented not being able to reveal her true form but agreed to the plan. Lu Yao handed her a spider species guide and asked her to choose a design for the channel mascot that avoided resembling her actual form.

The approach was akin to creating a virtual streamer. However, for now, Zhu Ying’s real voice and form would remain hidden.

After thorough discussions, it was decided that the channel would update weekly, given the complexity of creating each post. Zhu Ying would choose topics she found interesting to share, Bai Lu would illustrate and edit the footage, and Lu Yao would review the final draft before publishing on four platforms: Big Eye, Letter Site, VV Platform (a short video site), and Little Black Book.

Revenue from the content was divided: 10% for the café, 30% for Bai Lu, and 60% for Zhu Ying. While expectations for income were low, Zhu Ying and her collaborators were more excited about having their content seen by others.

The first video, titled “First Unboxing Experience,” underwent several rounds of subtitle corrections before Lu Yao gave her approval. After final edits, the video was successfully uploaded to all four platforms.

Back at their desks, Zhu Ying and her sect brothers and sisters from the Six Realms Sect eagerly began searching for their freshly uploaded video online. Their curiosity about the internet world made the entire process—from creation to awaiting viewer feedback—exciting and novel.

…

Yaoguang City University of Technology, Girls’ Dormitory

On an uneventful Saturday afternoon, Wei Lele’s local roommate had gone home, and the other two were out on dates. Just waking up, Wei Lele sprawled on her bed, unwilling to move. She pulled out her phone from under her pillow and scrolled through social media, finding nothing interesting. She placed a food delivery order and finally got out of bed to wash up.

About twenty minutes later, her food arrived. Looking for a video to watch while eating, Wei Lele opened a video-sharing app. On the homepage of the Letter Site, a video caught her eye: a thumbnail with a bizarre yet oddly cute illustration.

The video had very few views—fewer than a hundred.

Its title wasn’t particularly captivating: “Spider Zhu Zhu’s First Unboxing Experience.”

However, the thumbnail featured large, attention-grabbing text: “A Spider Demon from the Cultivation World Shops Online for the First Time—And Buys These?!”

Curious, Wei Lele clicked on it. The video was short, barely over two minutes.

Thinking it wouldn’t suffice for her meal, she almost exited immediately. But the video had already started playing.

The first twenty seconds introduced the background: Zhu Zhuzi was a spider demon living in a cultivation world.

One day, the barrier between worlds was accidentally broken, allowing the cultivation world and the modern world to connect via the internet.

Zhu Zhuzi, a spider demon, acquired a laptop capable of accessing the internet.

In the cultivation world, spiritual stones could be exchanged for modern currency. Zhu Zhuzi exchanged a pile of spiritual stones for yuan and embarked on her online shopping journey.

There were plenty of virtual IP accounts online—virtual singers, felt wool creators, stop-motion animators, stick figure artists—covering a wide array of styles. However, Wei Lele had never seen a virtual blogger focusing on shopping reviews, complete with detailed character settings and a fleshed-out world background.

A spider demon from the cultivation world, sharing her online shopping experiences in the modern world through videos—this concept was new and intriguing to Wei Lele, who hesitated to exit the video.

Morning came, and Zhu Zhuzi returned from her cultivation. Dew still clung to the fuzz on her legs, and a paper box awaited under the stone table where she placed her laptop. It was her first online purchase.

Zhu Zhuzi didn’t open the package right away. She bustled about her cave, setting up a tablecloth, arranging flowers, and even using cultivation tools as cameras aimed at the box on the stone table.

Wei Lele suddenly had an epiphany—this little demon wasn’t just shopping online; she was filming an unboxing video!

“I’m watching a streamer film an unboxing video during an unboxing video.”

“And the streamer is a round, flashy little spider demon.”

Wei Lele found it even more amusing—she had never seen such creativity.

The next moment, the box was opened, and Zhu Zhuzi took out a pile of freebies and two small, neatly packaged boxes.

Wei Lele immediately recognized the brand—it wasn’t fictional.

For a moment, she wondered if it was another product-pushing gimmick, but with fewer than a hundred views, any sponsor would be livid.

Since she wasn’t planning to buy anything, Wei Lele relaxed and continued watching.

Each frame was a single shot, but the details were meticulous. Zhu Zhuzi testing the products on her fuzzy legs looked oddly professional, like she had studied makeup unboxing techniques online.

While opening her lunch box, Wei Lele muttered, “Pretty legit, but the fuzz makes it hard to see the colors.”

After testing the products on her “arms,” Zhu Zhuzi’s round, red eyes sparkled with excitement, clearly delighted.

Wei Lele couldn’t help but feel a little excited too. She wasn’t sure about other items, but modern makeup was undoubtedly better than the powders and rouges of the cultivation world—better pigments, smoother textures, and more sophisticated color palettes. It was no wonder a little spider demon was captivated.

Suddenly, Zhu Zhuzi leapt off the stone table. Moments later, a slender, fair hand appeared on-screen.

Wei Lele was eating and missed it. By the time she looked back, the moment had passed. A bullet comment flashed across the screen:

[Holy crap!!!!!!]

What happened?

Wei Lele put down her chopsticks and replayed the video, rewinding to a few seconds before the scene she missed.

Initially, Zhu Zhuzi appeared as a plump, round little spider—red eyes, long legs, and covered in fine fuzz. What might have been terrifying in real life was adorably stylized by the artist.

When Zhu Zhuzi left and returned, a bronze mirror had appeared on the stone table. Her fuzzy, stick-like legs transformed into slender, fair arms, which picked up the eyeshadow and lipstick to apply them. The earlier swatches were still faintly visible on her forearms.

The attention to detail was incredible.

But the most amazing part was when those hands wielded a brush and began applying makeup to her face. Frame by frame, her reflection in the bronze mirror transformed—a pair of mesmerizing, elongated eyes, a perfectly sculpted nose, and lips like delicate flower petals. The rapid frames finally slowed to reveal a stunning cyberpunk-inspired look on her face, complete with shimmering lipstick and radiant makeup.

Demon.

Truly a demon—seductive, captivating, yet commanding a powerful presence.

It was impossible to underestimate her, yet equally impossible not to fall for her at first sight.

The final scene was so stunning that Wei Lele froze for a moment before replaying the video.

Unfortunately, that breathtaking moment was fleeting; no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t capture Zhu Zhuzi’s absolute beauty in a still frame.

Growing anxious, she put her meal aside—it was growing cold by now.

Determined, Wei Lele clicked the share button and sent the link to her dorm’s group chat of four.

“You have to watch this! The final scene is amazing!”

Her roommates seemed busy; no one replied.

Unwilling to let it go, Wei Lele shared the link on her social media stories, then returned to the original video.

In the comments section, a few sporadic comments had appeared.

“Divine!”

“Zhu Zhuzi is stunning!”

…

Wei Lele left her own comment below the video:
“The eyeshadow is gorgeous, the lipstick is perfect, and Zhu Zhuzi is breathtaking!”

Barely a minute later, she received a reply from Zhu Zhuzi herself.

Although it was a simple and official-sounding “Thank you,” Wei Lele was thrilled and immediately followed the account.

At the internet café, Zhu Ying, who had been replying to comments, looked up and saw that the account’s follower count, previously at zero, had turned to “1.” She couldn’t contain her excitement and exclaimed, “Boss, Lulu! I have my first fan!”

Thrilled, Zhu Ying exited the Letter platform and opened Big-Eye Video. There, the comments and shares exceeded those on the first platform, and her account already had five followers.

Bai Lu walked over, clicked on the list of shares, and grinned, “Teacher Mei Xue and K king shared your video! Both of them have quite a few fans—Zhu Zhuzi might go viral!”

Although Mei Xue and Zhong Lianjia’s fanbases didn’t overlap with Zhu Zhuzi’s target audience at all—especially Zhong Lianjia’s, which was dominated by straight male fans—Bai Lu’s intricate yet endearing art, combined with the video’s well-paced content and the stunning final twist, captured attention. Even though it depicted only a fraction of Zhu Zhuzi’s beauty, the reversal was undeniably striking.

Before long, Zhu Zhuzi’s new Big-Eye Video account, “Zhu Zhuzi of Baixian Mountain,” gained dozens of followers. The video also started receiving more comments, and someone even tagged the eyeshadow brand for a review.

Half an hour later, the eyeshadow brand itself reposted the video, treating it as a “fan-recommendation video.” More comments related to the product started pouring in.

“Zhu Zhuzi absolutely rocked this palette, and the lipstick matches perfectly!”

“I didn’t expect to be sold on this palette through this video…”

“No wonder I couldn’t pull off this eyeshadow palette—Zhu Zhuzi’s aura is too unmatched!”

…

Zhu Ying was so busy that she could barely sit still, constantly switching between platforms to check comments and replies. Her excitement was nearly uncontrollable.

Lu Yao followed Zhu Zhuzi’s account on her phone and felt genuinely happy for the little spider.

Her assumptions were also confirmed. At present, only two things could be transported from the alternate world to this one: food consumed internally and knowledge stored in the mind.

Of these, knowledge was subject to stricter rules and required certain necessary distortions.

As for the extent of these distortions, Lu Yao intended to continue testing and exploring.

The baby Tangkang lay on the sofa, its hind legs limp as it let out soft whimpers.

Lu Yao guessed it was probably hungry.

Lu Yao wasn’t sure about the feeding habits of a spirit beast on her first attempt at raising one, so she reached out to Jin Huaichen via a voice transmission.

In Dragon Prison City, at the Beast Taming Sect, Jin Huaichen had just finished watching the recording Lu Yao had left for him, his mind brimming with questions. When her transmission arrived, he immediately answered.

Lu Yao: “Brother Jin, can a little Tangkang drink milk?”

Jin Huaichen, who had been momentarily distracted, thinking Lu Yao might regret taking the Tangkang and want to return it, replied, “…Such a weakling, abandoned by its mother, usually doesn’t survive. Nothing beats its mother’s milk for nourishment. But if you insist, try feeding it tender sprouts of Xingxing grass and goat milk.”

Xingxing grass was a spiritual herb with mild healing properties.

Lu Yao was surprised to learn that a Rui beast’s diet could include something as humble as “goat milk.” Curious, she asked, “Do you think feeding it Lihua fruit would help?”

Lihua was an ancient tree that bore red, papaya-sized fruits known for strengthening the body.

Jin Huaichen: “…For a Tangkang in that condition, even piling on spiritual herbs and stones won’t work.”

Lu Yao: “Got it. I’ll try goat milk first.”

She turned to find some powdered milk leftover from what she had bought for Xiong An’an, but Jin Huaichen stopped her.

Lu Yao: “Anything else?”

Jin Huaichen: “I watched the recording you left. Why are there demons, devils, and even cultivators in your store?”

As he watched the recording, Jin Huaichen found it absurd but couldn’t stop himself from finishing it. The video appeared to depict a strange competition. He didn’t mind the presence of demons and devils, but seeing familiar faces like Ling Xiangsi, the lead sword cultivator from Tianyan Sect, Jian Buyi from the Jiujue Sect, and Wen Yuan from Chanxin Sect left him stunned.

Lu Yao: “Oh, that? Hard to explain quickly. My little Tangkang is starving; I’ll go make it some milk. If you’re curious, come visit!”

Jin Huaichen: “…”

The entire situation smelled like a trap. Jin Huaichen set down the voice transmission jade and picked up the teleportation scroll on his table, hesitating.

Should he go?

Meanwhile, the little Tangkang, genuinely starving, buried its snout in the bowl, slurping noisily and eagerly. Translated on hololonovels.

Cheng Ye, curious, pushed open the door to the lounge and peeked in. “Boss, what’s wrong with this little piglet?”

Lu Yao: “It’s a Tangkang.”

Cheng Ye walked in and squatted next to the Tangkang. “Can I pet it?”

Lu Yao: “It’s very weak. Don’t be rough like you are with An’an.”

Cheng Ye raised his phone, took a picture of the Tangkang, carefully petted it once, and immediately posted in the staff group chat.

[Interdimentional Internet Café Cheng Ye: Look, the boss brought back a Tangkang. We’re about to get rich!]

[Hot Springs Inn Bai Lu: !!! That’s a Tangkang? I thought it was food the boss brought back.]

[Childhood Tutoring Center Xu Xiaoxiao: Does petting it bring wealth? I want to pet it too!]

…

[Lu Yao: The Tangkang isn’t Xiong An’an. It’s very weak, so don’t bother it for now.]

The staff did nothing to hide their disappointment.

[Lu Yao: By the way, I’ve bought slimming pills and rejuvenation pills. Alfred has already checked their ingredients.]

[Childhood Tutoring Center Bai Yi: No side effects?]

[Lu Yao: I reviewed them briefly. They’re made from spiritual herbs and materials commonly found on Floating World Continent. The formulas are sound.]

[Childhood Tutoring Center Bai Yi: Ahhh! When will the links be up?]

[Interdimentional Cinema Gao Meng: Will the internal price be higher than the marrow-cleansing pills?]

[Lu Yao: Much higher.]

Ling Shan had explained that to avoid side effects, both pills’ formulas and dosages had been meticulously refined, using only the highest-quality ingredients. The effects were exceptional, but so were the costs. Alfred’s report matched Ling Shan’s statements.

The only downside of these pills was their steep price.

After posting links for the slimming and rejuvenation pills on the shopping street chat, Lu Yao contacted Shi Yan to discuss progress on the game project.

Recently, Shi Yan dreaded hearing from Lu Yao. Though young, she had the demeanor of an old man—rigid, meticulous, and insistent on daily progress checks.

Shi Yan and the Time Traveler team were utterly worn out from Lu Yao’s constant pressure, feeling immense stress.

When Shi Yan received Lu Yao’s latest message, he furiously tugged at his hair, his eyes red as he vented to his staff: “She says she wants it online in a month… She’s insane! This woman is insane!”

His employees, equally haggard, looked pale and exhausted. “Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Boss, pull yourself together!”

[Lu Yao: I have a plan to speed up the progress. Come over to my place tomorrow, and we’ll discuss it in person.]

Shi Yan didn’t reply for a long time.

A few minutes later, a notification popped up on his phone for a strange app installation.

🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️