He should have been extremely panicked—the shop had flown to some remote countryside, and outside, there was scarcely a trace of humanity. If he encountered danger, shouting at the top of his lungs would be useless; worse still, he had bumped into a ruthless character who licked blood from the edge of his blade. It wouldn't matter to him whether the blood on the sword was human or beast; he was unarmed. Now, this ruthless character's face showed malice; it seemed like they might attack with just a word, as if he suddenly stood at the edge of a cliff.
Yet Chen Xuan was exceptionally calm at this moment, so calm that he himself was somewhat surprised. Even from the moment the other person entered the shop until now, the smile on his face hadn't diminished.
"Don't mind it. We were still at Celestial Ridge District a second ago, which doesn't mean we are still here at this moment... Just like river water constantly flows, it's normal for me not to notice the minute changes."
He spoke slowly.
"As for what kind of shop this is... It's difficult to explain clearly in just a few words. But if you need some ability or want to improve certain deficiencies, then you've come to the right place."
"Ability?" the girl repeated suspiciously.
"That's right. Would you like a cup of coffee?" Chen Xuan walked right past her nonchalantly, as if he hadn't seen the dripping blood on the long sword behind her.
For some reason, a thought was becoming increasingly clear in his mind.
"She is a customer."
Moreover, she's the type of customer selected by the shop.
Anyone who enters this shop is not an ordinary person!
The girl hesitated.
Her hesitation was obviously not about whether to drink coffee, but the sharp murderous aura in her eyes was no longer as aggressive as before.
Chen Xuan didn't care about her answer; he made a cup of coffee for himself and then returned behind the counter. "If you still don't understand, ask yourself: Since this shop is located in the wilderness, why did you come? It's late at night... For a girl like you traveling overnight, it's not that safe."
He noticed that the shop must have suddenly appeared in the mountain; the change likely involved only the shop door, as all the appliances were still functioning normally, and the hidden ceiling lights hadn't gone out. This indicated that the house was still connected to the power grid.
And the other person was probably attracted by the illumination from behind the curtain.
Why was she attracted, and not someone else?
In other words, why did the shop door appear in the wilderness instead of a big city?
"Warmly welcome every customer."
The first rule of the Manager's Code emerged in Chen Xuan's mind.
To put it another way, every customer who enters this shop is worth being warmly welcomed.
"Ordinary people can't hurt me; I didn't originally plan to come here either." The girl replied after a moment of silence, "I merely saw two broken carriages along the way, tracked the fight marks all the way here, wiped out a group of brigands, and then realized I was deep in the forest."
So... the fresh bloodstains on the sword were left after slashing the brigands?
Would such things happen domestically? Clearly not.
Then this mountain isn't the Lu Mountain behind the district either.
"Someone was robbed... Then what? Are they still alive?"
"I was a step late; everyone who was taken away is dead." She shook her head with regret. "Each of them is covered in wounds; they were likely tortured to exhaustion before extracting the last bit of value. The brigands never intended to leave any survivors."
"What a pity." Chen Xuan sighed softly.
"Where there are killings and robberies, naturally there will be those who launder and buy stolen goods. I originally suspected that this shop was engaging in such shady business, so I decided to come and confirm." She looked at Chen Xuan again. "But you seem to have unsteady steps, lacking the strength to bind a chicken, and speak like a literate person, unlikely to be associated with those brigands."
"Even if you suspect me, you shouldn't suspect this shop." He chuckled. "Judging by the nature of mountain thieves, they could never create such an elegant shop layout."
He understood why the other person had a grim expression when entering the shop and looked at him with scrutiny.
The girl nodded slightly. "Indeed, from the moment I stepped in, I could sense this place was extraordinary. Even in comparison to the place I came from, it's not far behind. But appearances are easy to fake; I still need to verify firsthand."
"I can understand." Chen Xuan took a sip of coffee. "Seeing injustice, drawing the sword to help, and dealing with evil while also cleaning up—I must say, young lady, you have a righteous spirit. But what I want to say is, the reason you've come here isn't because of the robbers, but because of your connection with this shop. You should know, not everyone has the privilege to enter the shop; this opportunity belongs only to a select few lucky ones."
"Fate? Where does fate come from?"
"From the doubt in your heart! You wanted to save them, but failed; although you removed the brigands, you couldn't retrieve the lives of the poor souls. You might ask yourself whether you've tried your best, whether there's an ability to prevent such occurrences from happening again. Perhaps a swifter body technique, fiercer martial arts, or maybe foresight—to stop tragedy before it happens—"
"You can foresee the future?" the girl crisply interrupted.
"These are just examples," Chen Xuan patiently explained. "If there were truly an ability of foresight, it would be invaluable. This shop is precisely such a place... capable of filling gaps and deficiencies in the customer's abilities. If you're uncertain about which ability you need, I can also provide consultation services."
Her eyes widened and, for the first time, showed surprise. "Do you mean this shop can freely trade abilities as goods to customers?"
"That's right."
At least that's how it's written in the Manager's Code.
The girl couldn't help but fall into contemplation. After a moment, she glanced at the lucky cat on the bar, then looked up at the softly glowing strip light overhead, before finally speaking, "I do have doubts."
"My name is Liu Shuyue, a cultivator from the Lotus Cloud Sect. I hadn't introduced myself before, my apologies."
"Chen Xuan," Chen Xuan smiled.
"May I ask if you are the shopkeeper or the owner?"
"The manager. You can consider them both."
"Hmm..." Liu Shuyue mused, "But you've never heard of the Lotus Cloud Sect? The decor of this shop is so unique, I thought its owner must be exceptionally knowledgeable and insightful. It seems I was presumptuous."
Could this sect be so famous that anyone hearing its name would tremble?
"Fame is insignificant in the River of Space-Time. Perhaps one moment it resounds throughout the universe, and the next it's gone without a trace." He said with utmost confidence, "Of course, if you're willing to introduce it, I'm happy to listen. By the way, would you like a cup of coffee—it's a beverage that can refresh and relieve fatigue, similar to tea."
This time she understood, "The kind of thing you're drinking?"
Chen Xuan nodded.
"Thank you."
Seeing her agreement, he took out a new cup and began to prepare coffee. From that moment on, he truly regarded himself as the manager of this mysterious shop, and the girl as his first guest.
"Lotus Cloud Sect is not some reclusive sect, I have nothing to hide." Liu Shuyue spoke openly, "It is located at the Kunlun Cloud Sea Peak, opening its gates once every hundred years. Several disciples of the Lotus Cloud Sect will set out from there to travel down the mountain, choosing a kingdom to assist. Currently, there are six kingdoms, so there are six disciples."
Just this description alone didn't match any history Chen Xuan knew.
"You are one of those disciples?" He vaguely guessed the answer.
"Yes," the girl admitted honestly.
"Are there really no other sects in the world?"
"Not on this land. Others are either deceivers or evil cultivators, not worth mentioning. As for other places, because of the Abyss Sea in between, I don't know."
So it's a monopoly...
In other words, she is an officially recognized cultivator, indeed of significant status.
Chen Xuan handed her a warm latte coffee, "What do you usually assist the monarch with? I guess the sect should have trained you on this?"
"Naturally. For over ten years, I've been studying this. It includes sacrifices, praying for rain, demon slaying, and comforting the people, aiming to bring prosperity and avoid disaster to make the dynasty thrive." She took the cup, cautiously sniffed it first, then took a shallow sip. The moment the coffee touched her lips, her delicate eyebrows knitted together, "So bitter..."
Spitting it out would undoubtedly be rude, so she was trying hard to conceal her distaste.
But just after a moment, her brows smoothed out, and a hint of surprise appeared in her eyes.
Obviously, she had tasted the unique aftertaste and rich aroma of milk coffee.
Chen Xuan smiled slightly, "Are those just the four tasks? But why do I feel... things aren't that simple?"
"Why do you say that?" Liu Shuyue's gaze sharpened.
"Since you are assisting with immortal matters, you are clearly the most professional in these fields. You do what the sect teaches you, so where's the confusion?" He analyzed, "But it seems your attitude isn't so... mentioning the role of assisting, you clearly carry a bit of hesitation, not much, just a bit... but I guess it has nothing to do with those four tasks."
Seeing the girl fall silent, Chen Xuan knew he had guessed correctly.
After all, it wasn't hard to guess.
What's the most distinguishing characteristic of a cultivator? Of course, it's martial prowess! This was evident from her daring to travel alone at night to hunt down bandits; her strength far exceeded that of ordinary people. How could the rulers of a dynasty waste a 'sharp sword' on trivial matters... with a sword, it's obvious what they want to do, even with just a guess. A cultivator doesn't need to be powerful enough to control the wind and rain; being a sniper is frightening enough.
"I have indeed heard some seniors mention... some Lotus Cloud Sect disciples also participate in royal court affairs, forgetting their true purpose... but how did you know?" She asked in confusion after a while.
"If I didn't even understand that much, how could I dare to run this shop? You are worried about an uncertain future because it's a field you haven't learned about. You may want to maintain your integrity, only assuming the responsibilities of a sect disciple, but the fragments of words left by seniors suggest that sometimes things develop beyond one's control." Chen Xuan mystically said, "Let me guess, the current Six Kingdoms probably don't have a long history, right? They were either split from one dynasty or merged from several."
"...Do you really know nothing about us?" Liu Shuyue asked skeptically.
"I genuinely hadn't heard of it before," Chen Xuan spread his hands, showing his sincerity.
"Then do you think this shop can resolve my doubts? Do you have the ability to fill that gap?" She pressed on.