"Anyway, who cares about the boring details!" Shou slammed his hands on the table and bend forward in excitement.
"Did you just dismiss my whole life as 'boring details'?"
"You are looking to sell this place, right," Shou asked, "then how about selling it to me?"
"You?" The kid squinted his eyes, showing he was rather surprised by the question from the brother in front of him. "Could it be, are you a weirdo too?"
"How rude, I am a perfectly normal 22 year old. Don't categorize people by their weirdness." He placed his hand on his chest (an action that looked very feminine), as he said so.
The kid was rather skeptical. Shou more or less understood why. The kid indeed was looking for someone to take this burden off him, but when the windfall came so suddenly, he didn't know how to react. "Do you even have the money to do so?"
"Name any price, I will pay." Shou further struck his chest out.
"Then, how about 50.000 Go—"
"Sold!" He nodded with fervent eyes.
"All right, somethings seriously wrong here!"
Shou didn't mind the kid and simply stared into the sky. He shouted, "Si, give me money," and stretched his arms out while grabbing the air.
"..." Si, who had watched the whole ordeal, fell silent. "Am I your mother? get your own money!"
"You still have to give me a reward, since I completed the Quest. Isn't it the perfect time to show your prowess?"
"Ugh, [tilts head in serious contemplation], okay I get it. But ask him if he wants something else?"
"Why would he want something else?"
"Damn, I just don't want to give him money. Do you know how hard it is in this age to hold liquid assets? Ask him if he wants some item, like the teeth of a Gold Dragon, Blood of a Millennia Turtle, or maybe some Heavenly Refined Lightning."
"Who'd want that kind of Junk?" Shou's brows started to furrow. Who knew the girl was so stingy?
"Ahhhh~ [rustles hair furiously] Fine. Take it. Take it and go away," Si said. Her voice was full of sadness.
"Reward has been issued," the mechanical voice said and a window appeared in front of him.
[Reward: 50.000 Gold and Refined Blood of the Volcano Phoenix.
*Click here to confirm reward*]
"Blood of a Phoenix?"
"I added it as a bonus," Si answered, "it should help alleviate his father stomachache."
Shou's eyes widened slightly, as he did not expect her to be so nice, when just a second ago, she tried bargaining for a few coins.
Realizing Shou's skepticism, Si explained, "don't think I am some stingy bastard. I just don't want to pay money."
Soon, a small pouch appeared in Shou's hand. As not to scare the kid and his parents, he pretended to have taken it out of his robe. "What's the problem with giving some coins anyway?"
"You wastrel wouldn't understand it, [pouting]."
"I guess not, if you don't tell me."
"Okay, I will explain. We systems run on money. All the operations requires energy, which can all come from different sources. The default setting usually is money."
"I thought you only needed a host to complete your quests."
"Completing quest is for survival, collecting energy is for sustenance."
'What a complicated race,' Shou thought to himself. he didn't want to say it out loud, as she seemed like the type to cry really easily.
Shou placed the pouch on the table, dazzling the boy with the sound of jingling money.
Looking at it, the kid realized the brother in front of him was richer than he thought. He took the pouch to ascertain the amount, but in fact, he didn't really care for the money, as he only wished to get rid of this store. The moment he opened it, the glittering light refracting of the gold blinded his eyes. However, except for coins, he also saw a small bottle with a red viscous liquid inside.
"What is this?" The kid picked it up and held it against the open window.
"Medicine for your father."
The kid pursed his lips. "Does that thing work?"
"Of course, what is the point of giving you some defective goods. Also, do you think an ordinary mortal can afford tricking a cultivator?"
"True enough." The kid nodded. "Also," he looked at his father, "I don't think it can get any worse anyway."
He walked to his parents who were both sitting on the ground. The father was rubbing a suspicious black substance on the mothers face, while she kept trying to push him away, her tears welling up in pain.
"Dad, drink this." The son said and shoved the bottle into his fathers mouth.
Si, looking at the kid, could only smile wryly. Though it was true that Shou and her meant no harm, it was still weird to see someone willingly drink an unknown concoction from a stranger. Then again, he might have already been used to it.
The father was unsure at first, but soon after, his pale expression turned rosy, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise. He took the bottle off the kids hand and drank everything up, fearing to leave even a single drop.
"How is it, dad?" The kid asked. The mother similarly, with her black-painted nose, looked at him.
"This things is incredible!" He jumped up, filled with vigor. The man that had been laying sickly in his bed was nowhere to be seen. "It was like I took a sip out the immortal spring, I feel great energy burning in my chest."
The kid stared in astonishment. He knew very well how weak his father had been. Though not life threatening, it was still an obstinate illness. Anything that could affect his father, who had tested countless dark inventions, was worthy of praise—something that could last for months truly had to be a unique poison. But now, it disappeared just like that.
He turned to Shou. "What are the ingredients of that medicine you gave me?"
"Nothing special, the blood of a bird or something. It's been refined though, so maybe there was something special about that."
He grabbed Shou's shoulders. "Do you have some more of that?"
"Sorry that is all I had."
"I see," the kid said in disappointment. He truly wanted to know what exactly that red liquid was. As the son of a herbalist shop-owner, he could tell instinctively that it was something special. The kid sighed. However, it may have been for the best, because if he found out how special it really was, feeling only disappointment would probably have been bliss. "I've never seen such potent medicine before."
"Hmph [strikes chest out] of course not, it's my production after all."
"Dad, since you are healthy, pack your things, we are moving out. Mom you too." The kid grabbed his parents away, so swiftly, they didn't even have the chance to be confused yet. They disappeared in a room, leaving Shou alone. There were some shouts, some bickering, and finally silence. After a while, they returned, in their hands various bags, the parents carrying satisfied smiles.
"young man," the father said and placed his hands on Shou's shoulders, "I leave this shop to you. With such great potions, I know I will leave it in good hands."
"Huh—uh. yes. Sure." Shou nodded absentmindedly. Due to the fast turning events, he couldn't even find the time for correcting the father, because he wasn't planning on opening a herbalist store.
"Dad, stop dawdling, let's go," the kid shouted, as he already stood at the door. His normally dull eyes, glimmered sharply, showing how excited he was. The mother followed right behind.
"Ah, wait," Shou reached his hand out, "is there anything I have to do to take over this shop?"
"Oh that is right. A lot actually. You have to fill some forms, and other annoying stuff. Since many people open shops in this city, it is especially hard. If you go there, in times like these, they might just arrest you."
"The police in this city need to calm down."
"That is just how it is. But don't worry, I will clear everything for you, take it as a thanks for the medicine," the kid had to shout, because he was already walking out the door. "The lease is under the counter!"
The family then disappeared behind a corner, bringing silence in the store. He really was swift.
"Oh yeah," the boy suddenly poked his head around the wall, "I need to register your name."
"It's Shou."
"Mine's Meng Du. Who knows, if the store didn't kill you yet, we might see each other again." He laughed and this time vanished completely.
For a while, Shou stood in front of the entrance, staring at the empty alleyway. "So he knows how to smile after all," he muttered.
Afterward, he returned into the store.