In the end, Shou decided on a few pieces of clothing, from robes to shirts to accessories; As long as they looked interesting enough. He took out a spirit-stone, dazzling the pair of employees. They were happy to know their instincts were right—that youth indeed had a lot of money! Too bad, the two of them had to share the commission; If not, they'd have been on their way to a promotion, and the first thing they'd do was ask for the other person to be demoted.
Shou held a bag with his newly acquired clothes and headed out, not minding the two quarreling ladies.
"That was my customer at first!"
"So what? I closed the deal. I should get at least 80%."
"You ruined my makeup!"
"There was no saving it anyways."
"Huh, you calling me ugly?" Lin Zhuyue's mouth twitched in exasperation. How could she harshly go after every womans weak-spot?
Ran Wei showed her the middle-finger. "I'm not saying you aren't."
Shou stopped and looked at the two of them, "For what it's worth, I find you two very beautiful when you aren't fighting," he said with a brilliant smile and then walked out the door, his hair waving in the wind and the light illuminating his back.
The two promptly turned quiet while watching the figure disappear. They looked at each other, afraid that they had misheard.
Lin Zhuyue felt an abrupt blush creeping up her neck, painting her face red. She clasped her hand around her cheeks, abashed.
What did he just say?
She immediately remembered the moment she fell into his arms, and how his hands had tightly grasped her shoulders—now that she thought about it, their faces were rather close, she didn't realize at first, but he was quite pleasing to the eyes. Could it be—
"...Maybe I should visit his store," Ran Wei suddenly mumbled, her eyes possessing a weird gleam.
Lin Zhuyue stared at her in disbelief. "You shallow broad, don't tell me you fell for him with only one sentence?"
"Of course not, idiot, but you don't find a rich and handsome partner everyday." Ran Wei kicked her. "I'm just taking a look, mind your own business!"
"Oh yeah, almost forgot." Unexpectedly, Shou's voice had returned and he poked his head through the door. He stared at Ran Wei. "Thanks for the meal," he said and bowed down, before disappearing once more. In the distance, one could hear his fading voice whisper, "It's called Store of Fates, by the way~"
Ran Wei raised her eyebrows in confusion. She then seemed to realize something, as her eyes opened wide and her face grew beet-red. Her knees quickly lost their halt and she started wobbling.
Lin Zhuyue pursed her lips. "Huh, what's wrong? Finally kicking the bucket, I see."
Ran Wei grabbed Lin Zhuyue's cheeks and pulled them apart. She angrily stared at her with tear-filled eyes. "You showed him my boobs, you bitch!"
"Ah."
She grabbed Lin Zhuyue's breast and squeezed tightly. "Too bad your meager chest ain't worth revealing, or I would fling them out this instant," she growled.
"Ouch, that hurts!" Lin Zhuyue screamed out, " you can't blame me, I thought he was a girl!"
"How does that make it any better?" She strengthened her grip.
"You slut, so are we not going to talk about last week when you flung my dress up, showing every customer my ass and panties?" Lin Zhuyue rebutted and slapped Ran Wei's butt.
"Hyan~" she groaned in pain. "Shouldn't you be thanking me? At least someone is looking at you."
Lin Zhuyue felt a vein on her forehead pop. "Fine! I'm gonna go to the store and steal him from you. Watch me flaunt him while you continue working in this dead-end job!"
"I'd love to see you try bitch, I will be there before you!"
The two returned to fighting again. Any customer entering, walked a big curve around them that day.
Far away, Si asked Shou, "Why did you say those lines?"
He tilted his head. "I thought it would be funny if I did. Aren't those two interesting?"
And he did not lie: the two did look good. after all, they were working in the harsh service-industry, in the top-fashion branch, in the city of commerce; They would not make it without great appearances.
"I see your mischievous side is extending further than just teasing me now. We are all doomed."
Shou swung the bag around with a smile. "Come on, that's the only thing keeping me sane, don't take that from me." He walked the streets, already far away from the clothing store.
Around him small chatter kept resounding from the people. He silently listened to the citizens. Within the myriads of topics discussed, there was one that he found particularly intriguing.
"Have you heard? The City Lord is planning on stationing the outside troops inside here. No one's allowed to leave anymore, and security will be tightened. Really, it's scary to even walk out these days. I hope his majesty gets well soon," an older lady said.
The man next to her replied, "I don't know who are more scary anymore—the criminals or the police! Last week, I saw them taking my neighbors son. Can you believe it? 22 years, would never hurt a fly. My neighbor wasn't even allowed to see him since then. He's been devastated."
"Psst! Watch out what you say," the lady whispered. "What if someone hears you?" She placed a few copper coins on the stall.
The fish-monger placed a big tuna in her hand. "Did you know that someone important has visited the Wang Family? I wonder what for?"
"Are you sure it's not some drunken babble you heard in a bar? How would someone like you receive such important news?" The lady frowned. "But that may explain all the tumult. If it's for the most beautiful lady in the world..."
"Ah, who knows, who knows!" The man threw his hands up. "I just want to see the light of another day. That's all. Politics are too complicated."
Shou listened attentively. "It would seem the next few days are going to be fun." He paused. "Well, not that it has anything to do with me."
A window flashed in front of him.
[Chain Quest - Run a successful business.
Second Chain Quest: Find Your Roots.
Description: Get at least 10 people to buy and enter the illusory world 'Deadly Witch Hunt'. 7 remaining. Time limit: 6 days.
Reward: Store size upgrade. Ascending to the 'Mortal Fortification' stage.]
"Don't you think the time limit is a bit tight?" Shou looked at the gleaming countdown.
"I trust you fully [hehe]. Don't try to bargain, the numbers won't change, they are very special numbers, you see."
"Hmm," Shou grumbled. He lifted his head and looked at the vast expanse of blue sky. "6 days... Why does it feel like something special is about to happen soon?"
Out of nowhere, the enticing aroma of meat entered his nose, stimulating his appetite. He searched for the source and found a small stall where an old woman was turning skewers around.
Immediately, Shou went and bought one. While he was about to pay, he realized he only had spirit stones and gold on him. He decided to give her a gold coin, since the money didn't matter to him anyway. However, the woman was incredibly stunned by the coin, an amount she would normally have to work almost a year for.
"Young man, I don't have enough change for this!" The woman frantically shook her head.
Shou took a bite. "It's fine, keep the rest." The delightful taste of roasted meat permeated in his mouth and coated his tongue. "I used to dabble a little in cooking too, so I can kind of tell the skill involved in this dish. I think it deserves the price."
With a gaping mouth, the woman watched the youth blithely wave the skewer in his hand. She then laughed loudly. "You are not from here, are you?"
"Oh, how could you tell?" Shou took another bite and the sauce adhered to his lips.
"There's no citizen who can be as carefree as you right now." The woman hid her mouth behind her hand. To laugh so uncouthly, she felt rather embarrassed now. "Ever since his majesty, the emperor, fell ill, the empire has been suffering. Especially the City of Extended Delight."
"How so?"
"You don't know? Where are you from?" The old woman looked a bit surprised.
"Hmm, I guess, north?" That's where the cliff was after all.
"If you wish, I can explain it to you." She paused and waited for Shou to nod. "Though the city is officially part of the empire, it is only so by name. It is right at the edge of the country, thus the oppression of the royal family runs thin here. And since this is the heart of commerce, many different powers wish to get a hold of it. One of the biggest current competitors is the Waning Principle Sect. I hear they have a lot of incredible cultivators—Daoists and Fairy Maidens alike. That's why the current City Lord is building up defenses... or so he says." The woman gave a long sigh afterward. "Well, I'm sure I must be boring you."
"Not at all." He ate the last piece of meat and threw the stick away. "Thank you for the information."
"Hopefully I will see you soon. Bring some copper coins next time, please. I'm old, my heart can't take this much stimulation."
Shou smiled slightly and walked towards his store again. He had satisfied his curiosity. He muttered silently, "Waning Principle Sect..."
As he came closer to the Store of Fates, he heard the thumping rhythm of someone knocking on wood. The sound grew louder the nearer he got.
When he passed the last alleyway, he saw a fat man furiously kicking against his door. Behind him, three other men stood. They all wore beautiful clothing adorned with gold, indicating their standing.