Today, Sui Sui and Yizhou were heading down the mountain.
Today It was Sui Sui's turn to manage the He Huan Sect's store in Qǐ Luó City. So he and Yizhou were currently heading down the mountain.
The He Huan sect, just like any other sect, owns a few shops in the city, it was meant to earn some extra spiritual coins for the sect. And since they were the only cultivation sect in the area, business was booming.
The shops they owned sold all sorts of things. Although the sect primarily focused on Music Cultivation and Illusion Arrays, not everyone in He Huan Sect was suited for those arts.
Honestly speaking, even though many in the sect praised Sui Sui for being a quick learner in both Music Cultivation and Illusion Arrays, he didn't particularly enjoy either. They just didn't feel like his calling. If he had the choice, he'd much rather try his hand at Alchemy or Weapon Forging.
However, even if he did take interest in them, he wasn't very sure if he had any talent for them, especially since he wasn't even sure whether he had Fire spiritual roots in his body.
And even if he did manage to dabble in Alchemy or Weapon Forging, there was no one around to guide him. For one, the sect had no weapon forgers at all. And as for Alchemy, the only one who practiced it was Lian-Shishu, whom Sect Leader Wan had very clearly warned him to stay away from.
Not that the warning stopped Sui Sui entirely.
He still occasionally snuck over to the back mountain to watch her refine pills from afar. But even then, he only observed. He knew better than to blindly mess with cauldrons and fire without proper guidance, alchemy was dangerous in its own way.
Now back to the Sects Business. Just like Sui Sui, naturally, some disciples turned to other paths, like: Talisman Making, Herb Cultivating, Fortune Telling and more similar paths.
While their products aren't quite on par with those crafted by sects that specialized in such fields, they were still very useful for ordinary people.
They sold all kinds of everyday goods: Light Talismans, heating arrays, cooling arrays, and other practical tools for daily use. There were even a few pills scattered among the shelves, though they were all the same kind: basic "stamina" boosters. Nothing too impressive, but apparently popular enough to keep in stock.
Plus they sold them cheaper than other sects. At the very least, it was better than having nothing at all.
—--
Sui Sui and Yizhou arrived in the city just as the sun was rising. It was a little past seven in the morning, and aside from the two of them, their senior sister, Ning-Shijie, had also come along to help manage the shop.
When they reached the storefront, a small crowd was already gathered outside. The moment the customers spotted the signature pink robes of the He Huan Sect, they immediately straightened up and formed a proper line.
Business started early, and as expected, it was booming. Sui Sui's job was to keep the shelves stocked, and when there was nothing left to restock, he'd settle by the shop's entrance to watch the steady stream of customers.
Yizhou sat beside him, wide-eyed and curious, constantly watching people pass by as if it were his first time seeing so many strangers in one place.
Occasionally, he would lean over and whisper questions like, "Gege, why does that man have such a big nose?" or "Is that person's face supposed to look like that?"
Sui Sui could only stifle his laughter. With Yizhou around and making such earnest observations, he wasn't the least bit bored.
Everything had been going smoothly, but that was until noon rolled around.
The store grew noticeably busier, the foot traffic was heavier than usual. Sui Sui had no choice but to jump behind the counter to help Ning-Shijie manage the growing line of customers. Since Yizhou was still young and easily tired, Sui Sui let him stay seated by the door.
Caught up in weighing coins, handling talismans, and answering questions, Sui Sui became too focused on his work to pay attention to anything else. For a while, he even forgot the boy was there until a sudden commotion erupted near the entrance.
Startled, Sui Sui's head snapped up. A spike of worry hit him as he quickly made his way through the crowd to see what had happened.
When the scene came into view, his heart dropped.
Yizhou was on the ground.
Without a second thought, Sui Sui rushed forward and crouched beside him, immediately pulling the boy into his arms.
"What happened, Yizhou? Why are you on the ground?" he asked, with worry lacing every word.
"Gege, that man was stealing something from the store!" Yizhou's voice rang out loudly, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. He pointed directly at a tall man standing near the shelves. "I saw it and tried to stop him, but he kicked me down!"
His voice trembled near the end, and a reddish hue tinged the rims of his eyes, he was clearly on the verge of tears. It was the first time Sui Sui had ever seen Yizhou like this, and the sight made his heart twist.
Under the weight of everyone's stares, the man Yizhou accused stiffened. His expression darkened into a grimace, though he still tried to defend himself.
"You brat," he snapped, voice sharp. "Lying is bad. Accusing someone without proof is worse. I paid for this thing!"
"Gege, don't believe that bad man. I really saw him steal a few more talismans from the shelf," Yizhou insisted, his voice still shaky.
Of course, Sui Sui believed him. He would trust Yizhou's word over a stranger's without a second thought.
He gently helped the boy into a nearby chair. Yizhou winced as he tried to sit, his legs trembling. He wasn't able to walk properly—he must've hit his knees pretty hard when he fell.
Seeing that made something flare in Sui Sui's chest.
Anger.
He had worked so hard to nurse this child back into good health, only for him to be knocked down like this by some shameless thief. Still, no matter how furious he was, Sui Sui forced himself to stay calm.
He turned to the tall man and fixed him with a sharp glare. Though he stood in the body of a young child, his eyes still held the quiet composure of someone who had lived through much more than he let on.
"Sir, please return the items you stole," Sui Sui said, voice calm and even, though his eyes were sharp. "The He Huan Sect forbids theft. If it's proven that you did steal something, we'll make sure you never set foot in this city again."
The man scoffed, expression twisting with arrogance, clearly he did not take a young child threats too seriously "Wow, you He Huan disciples really like to scam people, huh? So young, and already up to dirty tricks. Do you have any proof I stole this?"
He glanced around the shop, gesturing toward a few bystanders. "Some people saw me pay at the counter."
Then he spat on the ground with disdain.
"You people are all the same, you accuse others, take their money, and don't even give them what they paid for. Pathetic."
Sui Sui didn't flinch.
"Sir, you do know we have Crystal Monitors here, right?" he said lightly, almost amused. "Let's check it now. If my Didi is wrong, I'll apologise and even cut out my own and hand it over to you. But if you're the one lying…"
He left the sentence unfinished.
But the implication was loud and clear: the He Huan Sect would make him pay in full.
Sui Sui felt a sudden tug on his sleeves. It was Yizhou, he was very worried of Sui Sui's words.
Hearing Sui Sui's words, the man became visibly tensed. Sweat began to bead on his forehead; a clear sign of a guilty conscience.
The moment Sui Sui reached under the counter and pulled out the Crystal Monitor, the man panicked.
He couldn't wait any longer.
With a sudden burst of movement, he turned and bolted for the door. Even if he got banned from the city, that was fine, so long as he escaped with the goods. If he ran fast enough, maybe he could still get away.
Unfortunately for him, the He Huan Sect was well-prepared.
Just as his foot crossed the threshold, a surge of energy crackled through the air.
ZAP!
A loud snap! echoed through the shop and the man collapsed to the ground with a sharp cry, body twitching from the jolt.
The store fell silent.
That shock came from the security array,
This array personally crafted by the Sect Leader. It worked like the modern world's anti-theft alarms, except this one was far more advanced. Anyone who tried to take an item that hadn't been scanned by Senior Sister Ning would be immediately struck by a paralyzing shock. There was no escaping it.
It was foolproof. And in this case, the perfect evidence of the thief's crime.
Sui Sui crossed his arms and stared down at the man on the floor, the corners of his lips tugging upward in faint amusement.
Serves him right.
—-------
Footnotes:
Crystal Monitor: CCTV of the cultivation world, it can record scenes within a certain radius, it needs to be infused with spiritual power everyday.