The moment that man entered, he whistled out in amazement. "That is a good thing you have here."
From outside, it looked no different than an ordinary store—maybe even slightly worse—but when he actually walked through the door, he was surprised. It was like he entered a different world. He loved the ambiance of this store; the wall ran straight, no cracks, and no grooves. He looked at the ground, and realized he did not feel the familiar squish of old wood behind his soles.
"He's reached the late-middle of the Spirit Ascension Realm. You know, the second Realm. I thought you'd want to know."
"Is that good," Shou asked quietly.
"In this city," Si answered, "well, he's passable."
The man turned his head—at Shou, then above him, at the painting. It hung on the furthermost left side, almost touching the corner, leaving a lot of space on the right. One would think it was for other paintings, but the wall was empty. "That thing above you..."
"It is what I sell."
"You sell art?"
"No." Shou shook his head. "I sell fate."
"Puhaha," the man burst into rough laughter, "you sell what? Brother—no, boss, you can't just drop a joke out of nowhere. I was not ready." The man patted the counter with his heavy hands. He continued laughing until his belly ached and he had to curl his body. he took a breather and stared at Shou, expecting him to laugh, but all he saw was his serene face. "Wait, you are joking, right?"
"I'm not."
The man furrowed his brows. His eyes seemed to quiver a little. "Look boss, I am saying this because I can't stand the sight of injustice, and I don't want to see someone running head first into a failing business, but you should really think it through again."
"Think what through again?" Shou tilted his head.
"I see that you're only a mortal, thus I can understand the ignorance toward the spiritual affairs, but for us cultivators, the words such as fate, destiny and karma hold a special meaning," the man kindly explained, "if you don't wish to catch the ire of daoists and monks—or worse, the ire of the universe—I advise you not to use these words foolishly."
"Oh, okay." Shou nodded. Though fate might not be something holy to him, it was for others. And since he had opened his shop here, he should follow their customs. "You seem like a kind person. Rare for cultivators."
"Thank you." the man cupped his hands and bowed down. "But I am not, I just believe that all humans need to be as just as they can."
"You know, you might get along well with a different customer of mine," Shou muttered, "someone who believes everyone is just and someone who tries to be just. Great combo."
"So, what is it that you're selling?"
"I sell fate."
"...Boss," he said with a low voice, "I do not like being made fun of, do you understand?"
"It's true though, didn't you see the sign outside? Says Store of Fate. Black on wood. You're right, I shouldn't say these words randomly, but I also shouldn't lie about what I am selling; that would be dishonest, don't you think?"
The man grunted in disdain. All previous goodwill he had, disappeared, just like that. "I have to give it to you, those words were admirable, if it wasn't for the obvious lie. I would call you courageous, but bravery without wisdom is only foolhardiness."
"I am not lying, though," Shou told him, "how about this, why don't you simply try it?"
"Ah," the man was about to shout, but he belatedly realized, "wait, that is a good idea. How much is the cost?"
"It depends from memory to memory, but I currently only have one. Check for yourself," he knocked on the wall behind him.
"Fifteen crystals! Do you take me for a fool? That stuff costs more than a mortal could earn in a year!" The man violently slammed his fist on the table. He sneered, and the vein on his forehead started popping. "So this is clearly a scam. I'm utterly disappointed. I hate dishonest people like you the most. They are a menace to society." In the next instant, the Spiritual Qi with in his body began to stir, releasing it all out in the form of a mountain of pressure. It was an intangible energy, coming from the arduous road of his cultivation. He now focused it on the youth at the counter to daunt him into confessing his crimes.
Shou, to the furious mans surprise, did not seem to be affected at the slightest. Instead, he nodded with a supportive smile. "Yes, that is the reaction of a normal person, after all." Li Yinyi had truly given him a fright. How could a woman like her exist?
Si said in a giddy tone, "Is someone causing trouble? Is some on finally causing trouble? [claps hands]!"
The man, unable to react, was stumped silent. He thought the youth would try to argue, find excuses, but before that, break down in fear. However, the youth did no such thing, and all the lines he had prepared entered the trash-bin. "Uh, You—what is your name? I am Zhang Yong from one of the three big families, the Zhang family. Before striking down evil, I would at least know its name."
"My name's Shou. Just Shou," the youth answered, and to Zhang Yong's utter astonishment, leisurely stood up. As if the energy he emitted did not exist. "Also, do you mind keeping it down a notch? You will scare potential customers from entering."
"Who'd enter this house of lies," Zhang Yong shouted, but obliged by retracting the pressure. The man took a deep breath and calmed down, only a glint in his eyes remaining. "Fine. I will follow your rules for now." He rummaged around in his robe and took out 15 crystals; no more, no less. The sight of this made his heart hurt. "It truly is expensive to uphold justice." He bit his lips. "If it doesn't reach my standards, I will shut down this store!"
"Ah! [haha] He said the line, he said the line!"
Shou's smile turned more radiant. "Really, it's good to see someone like you." He patted the man on the shoulder. "You're doing great. Now if you'd just say 'A mere mortal dares to defy me', that'd be nice."
"..." Was that youth messing with him? Zhang Yong gritted his teeth.
Shou stood up. "Follow me," he said, and waved for him to come. They passed the glass-wall and entered the room with the cores.
"What are those shiny objects? Some kind of 'treasure' you use to trick the unknowing?" Zhang Yong sneered.
"Those are cores. They will bring you into an illusory world, where you can experience another life.
"You're out of your mind," Zhang Yong scoffed. These scammers really had no conscience. After being caught, instead of admitting the truth, they continue their lies which turn grander and grander. Was there anything more pathetic then this. "Forget it, we will just see how long you can keep it up. So what do you want me to do?"
"Inject some Spiritual Qi into the thing."
The man looked skeptical. Still, since he had decided to put Shou to justice, he had to go all the way. He reached hand out and hovered it above the the orange-glowing cube.
He then fell unconscious.
"You know," Shou said, "there has to be a better way than this."