"Well, even if you say that," Si gazed into the deep night. For normal people, they wouldn't even be able to see the road before them, let alone the houses outside. "What is there to see at this hour?"
"Tsk, tsk." Shou waved his finger. "You are still too shallow, my dear child. Don't you know, when the sun leaves, those who hide from it will naturally come out? In a way, the night is much more interesting than the day. Many adult themes are discussed at this time."
"Whatever you say," Si spoke, shrugging her shoulders—well, she didn't have any in the first place.
Shou placed his hands inside the sleeves of his robe. What Si had said wasn't entirely wrong. No light was on, and no person adorned the usually busy streets. Even though his shop was at a side road, this was still the commerce city and he'd at least see a few dozen people staring out the window (though none of them graced their presence in the Store of Fates). "Oh, there was one place still open, I suppose."
He was referring to a restaurant. No, it was more of a bar, to be exact. In this ancient age, most interests of the populace came from brothels, gambling, hunting, and drinking. Of course, often, those wealthy people would enjoy hosting their own gatherings, but these were no places Shou could enter at his current state.
Si watched over him. "Are you going for a drink? You don't strike me as the type," she asked, curiously. "Well, I suppose you are of age at least."
"You are right, I don't usually indulge in alcohol. It's not my type of stuff," Shou admitted openly. "Also, I tend to get drunk quite fast, which is embarrassing. However, that doesn't mean I don't know how to enjoy myself. Humans do love their drugs and substances after all."
"[Shrug]. If you say so. It doesn't matter to me, just do not forget to open shop the next day due to a hangover," Si said while sighing. These adults always love frolicking around at night.
"Don't worry, I have a neat trick to avoid these types of situations," Shou spoke, striking his chest out proudly. "Oh well. You will see." He opened the doors and entered a dim bar illuminated by candles. Of course, the first thing that hit him was the stingy smell of alcohol.
"Welcome to the Travelling Salesman, how many people do we have today," A young woman asked him. She wore a barmaid's typical outfit and had her hair in a tight bun.
"Just me," Shou answered her. "How long are you open?"
The barmaid thought about his question, as she glanced away to think. "Hmm, around 2 hours?"
"That's more than enough," the youth said. He took a seat and ordered a cup of wine. He twirled it, the alcohol splashing around, though never falling on the table. "It smells nice, what is it? Plum?" Even though he asked, no one was there to answer. This wasn't a high-end pub, so of course, none of the waitresses paid any attention to him after serving his order. He took a sip, and a mellow, yet rich, aroma of cherry blossoms washed down his throat.
"Is it good," Si asked. As she was a system, she never followed the world desires that a human usually did. However, at times, when she watched them eat food with satisfied faces, the girl could not help wonder what exactly the sensation of indulging in delicious dishes would feel like. However, for alcohol, even with all the drunkards over the world, when she saw how they behaved under intoxication, Si held no interest in stuff like that.
Shou gulped the cup down. "It's not that good, quite honestly," he spoke. "It's bitter and leaves an astringent aftertaste. I'd not recommend it." The youth stood up and called for the previous barmaid. "Give me a bottle to go, please!"
He paid them with one gold coin, surprising everyone around them with his riches—especially after he told the girl she could keep the change. Many other coworkers envied the woman, though they'd not go as far as Lin Zhuyue and Ran Wei did. Not everyone was like those two.
"[Hmph] If it is that bad, why did you take more of it?"
The young, black-haired youth walked down the dark alleyway, with only the moon illuminating his back. The whole street was only for him, as he swung his bottle around, smiling. "We've never celebrated our, huh, how do I call it? Our partnership?" He took a sip of plum wine, then stuck his tongue out.
"Is there a need for that," Si honestly asked. There was no one like him, even within all the extraordinary hosts. "You should not mind me and live your life to the fullest. In the first place, we aren't even supposed to be talking." The girl held her head. "I am a system, you are the host. I stand in the background, no, even further away. The connections you have are not to be made with me."
"Are you preaching at me?" Shou pointed at the heavens while taking another sip. "I'll do whatever I want. In this world, there is no one to stop me, for I alone am the honored one. . . or something. It's not actually my saying." He laughed loudly, his voice reverberating through the street. "But the truth is these days have been interesting, and that is reason enough to celebrate. Even a simple immortal like me yearns for happiness from time to time."
". . ." Si did not reply for a long time.
"Why aren't you speaking anymore? Are you shy?" Shou asked, drinking more from the bottle. "You may be a useless and childish system, but I could not have asked for a better one." It did not take long for him to finish it, as the last drops entered his mouth and he threw the whole thing away. He wiped his mouth and wobbled down the streets.
". . .Hey, are you drunk?" The girl squinted her eyes. "Hell no, you are drunk, right?"
"Oh, we have arrived," Shou spoke, not answering Si's question. He stood in front of the city border. There were no guards here, as a several-meter-high wall prevented anyone from entering or leaving. It was no problem for Shou though, as with one only one step, he arrived at the top. Staring out, he only saw a long meadow with sparse trees. But it wasn't as endless as the flowerfield. "The sects and clans reside there, right?"
Si glared at him. "Oi, what are you planning?"
"Don't you want to see who exactly the people outside are, to cause such a stir within the small city? For example, the Waning Principle sect?" Shou was not up-to-date with the news, as such, he also did not know that the problems were just a ruse from the City Lord. "No worries, I just want to talk."
"Why would I worry at all [shakes head]? What's the worst that can happen? You die?"
"Let's not get our hopes up just yet, okay?" Shou jumped down the wall and made his way to the various outskirt sects. "Hic."
...
"Oh, people!" Shou spoke to himself, as he saw a group of older men traverse through the woods. They were spooked by his sudden appearance, as he slid in between the crowd with warning.
These people immediately grew vigilant, drawing their swords. "Who goes there," one person, presumably the leader, shouted loudly. he pointed the bladetip at the intruder.
"I just wanna talk," Shou spoke, and as he moved his hands, all the weapons and armor in their hands broke apart as if fine dust. "Whoa. Sorry."
The leader immediately felt his hair stand on ends. "What did you do!" He readied himself with a fighting stance. "I am the leader of the white tiger bandits, Zhu Tan. Have you come for our bounty? State your name."
"Wait, so you aren't cultists?" Shou sighed, scratching his head. "Also, why such a harsh tone?"
"Brat, do you not understand the situation?" Zhu Tan grit his teeth, angry. His goons also surrounded Shou, ready to strike. "I ordered you to state your name!" Though they are unsure of the black arts that the man in front of them has used, they had nothing to do with martial skill, otherwise, they'd be long dead.
"If you can entertain me, I'll even tell you the Daos' name," Shou said laughing carefreely, while a big fist flew at his face, about to connect. He lifted a single finger, and Zhu Tans punch was stopped, as if frozen in place. Shou sighed, his smile fading. "But I suppose you can't huh?"
"What the fu—"
"Sit." Shou, with the same finger, pointed down. The leader, as if spellbound, crashed down on the ground, his knees breaking the floor and blood spurting out his mouth. Zhu Tan fainted on the spot, his unconscious body laying peacefully in the grass.
The underlings who were ready to fight for their life, suddenly stopped moving. Shou gave the fainted bandit leader an apologetic bow. "Sorry, I'm just here to find some clans or sects, so I have no interest in you." He disappeared into the long night, leaving no trace, just as when he arrived, searching for many more people.
—This particular night would in the future be marked in the calendar as the Night of Judgement.
On that day, the ghost that ruled the underworld had personally come to the Extended Delight and dealt out the punishment the City Lord could not. For a few months, the crime-rate in the outskirts dropped dramatically and many criminals fled to neighboring countries. For those who stray of the righteous path, the ghost serves as a reminder for the dire consequences. The rumors continued spreading far into the capital, though no one knew its true origins.