Mo's Miscellaneous Shop opened again at dawn.
Just as before, the storefront was unremarkable. The signboard was unchanged, the shelves were still sparsely stocked, and the shopkeeper remained a young man who looked more like a bored noble than a cultivator.
But the street outside was no longer quiet.
Several figures lingered nearby, pretending to browse other stalls while their gazes drifted repeatedly toward Lin Mo's shop.
"Is it that one?"
"That's what I heard."
"They say the pills have no poison."
Lin Mo noticed everything.
He noticed the controlled breathing of a cultivator hiding his aura.
He noticed the way another man's gaze lingered too long on the doorframe, as if measuring something invisible.
He noticed, most of all, the imbalance in the air.
The Heavenly Ledger within his soul quietly responded.
Expectation. Greed. Suspicion.
Lin Mo did not react. He simply sat behind the counter and waited.
The first customer of the day entered soon after.
It was the same gray-robed cultivator from yesterday. His cultivation aura was still at Qi Refinement Stage 3—but steadier, cleaner, more refined.
He bowed slightly the moment he stepped inside.
"Shopkeeper Lin," he said, his tone noticeably more respectful. "I came to thank you."
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow. "For?"
"That pill," the cultivator replied earnestly. "I used it last night. Not only did it restore my Qi, it helped me stabilize my meridians. I've never felt this… clean before."
Lin Mo nodded. "Did you come to buy more?"
The cultivator hesitated, then smiled wryly. "I wish I could. But I only managed to gather one spirit stone."
He placed it on the counter with both hands.
Lin Mo accepted it.
***
[Sale Complete]
[Spirit Coins +5]
[Ledger Record Updated]
***
The cultivator did not leave immediately.
Instead, he lowered his voice. "Shopkeeper Lin… word has spread. Be careful today."
Lin Mo met his gaze calmly. "Thank you."
The cultivator left, and the door barely had time to close before the second customer entered.
This time, it was a man wearing the insignia of a merchant guild—not a cultivator, but his steps were steady, his eyes sharp.
"I'm here on behalf of the Eastern Trade Guild," the man said smoothly. "We are interested in cooperation."
Lin Mo did not invite him to sit.
"What kind of cooperation?" Lin Mo asked.
The man smiled. "Exclusive supply. You sell to us, we handle distribution. You'll earn more and attract less trouble."
Lin Mo's expression did not change.
"No."
The guild representative blinked. "You haven't heard the terms yet."
"I don't need to," Lin Mo replied evenly. "I don't do exclusivity."
The man's smile stiffened. "Young Master Lin, you're operating in Ming City. You should understand—"
"I understand perfectly," Lin Mo interrupted softly. "Which is why I said no."
A subtle pressure filled the room.
It was faint, almost imperceptible, but the guild representative's heartbeat stuttered. For a brief instant, it felt as if something unseen had taken note of him.
The man swallowed.
"I see," he said quickly. "Then… we won't disturb you further."
He left without another word.
Lin Mo exhaled slowly.
The Heavenly Ledger was quiet again.
***
By midday, all five sales were gone.
Qi Recovery Pills.
Body Tempering Powder.
A single Clear Mind Talisman.
Each transaction was fair.
Each exchange was recorded.
Outside, the whispers grew louder.
"Five items only!"
"He turned down the guild!"
"They say forcing him is impossible!"
In a teahouse across the street, two men sat facing each other.
One was a middle-aged cultivator at Foundation Establishment, his aura restrained but heavy. The other wore the robes of the Lin Clan.
"The shop belongs to Lin Mo?" the cultivator asked.
"Yes," the Lin Clan man replied carefully. "Second young master."
The cultivator frowned. "The useless one?"
"That was before," the clan member said quietly.
The cultivator tapped the table. "Interesting."
***
That evening, Lin Mo closed the shop earlier than usual.
Instead of cultivating immediately, he checked the system interface.
***
[Reputation: 3]
[Daily Transactions Recorded: 10]
[Ledger Stability: Increasing]
***
Three points of reputation in two days.
It was slow—but stable.
"Good," Lin Mo murmured.
Too fast would attract predators.
He sat down and circulated the Heavenly Ledger Dao Scripture.
This time, the sensation was clearer.
Each recorded transaction strengthened the invisible ledger within him, reinforcing his Qi circulation, smoothing out flaws that would normally take months to correct.
Lin Mo's cultivation did not break through.
But when he opened his eyes, his Qi felt denser than ever.
Outside, night settled over Ming City.
Somewhere within the Lin Clan, elders began to speak in hushed tones.
Within the merchant guilds, reports were written and rewritten.
And within the city's shadows, a few individuals quietly shifted their plans.
Lin Mo looked toward the darkened window, his expression calm.
"Let them watch," he thought.
He reached out and extinguished the lamp.
The ledger within his soul remained open.
*****
Morning light spilled across the stone-paved street as Mo's Miscellaneous Shop opened for the third day.
The shop looked no different than before.
But the people outside were different.
Two cultivators stood across the street, no longer bothering to hide their interest. One wore dark green robes, his aura at Qi Refinement Stage 5, while the other carried himself with the restrained confidence of Foundation Establishment.
Lin Mo noticed them the moment he opened the door.
Curiosity has weight, the Heavenly Ledger whispered faintly.
Lin Mo sat down behind the counter and did nothing else.
Not long after, the first customer entered.
It was a young woman in light-blue robes, her face pale and her breathing shallow. Her cultivation was unstable—Qi Refinement Stage 4, but teetering on the edge of regression.
She bowed deeply. "Shopkeeper Lin, I was told you sell Clean Qi pills."
"I sell Qi Recovery Pills," Lin Mo corrected calmly. "They happen to be clean."
"I'll take one," she said without hesitation, placing a low-grade spirit stone on the counter.
As the transaction completed, Lin Mo felt a subtle fluctuation in the ledger.
***
[Sale Complete]
[Spirit Coins +5]
[Ledger Record Created]
***
The woman hesitated, then asked softly, "Why are yours different?"
Lin Mo met her gaze. "Because I don't sell flawed goods."
She bowed again, deeper this time, and left.
Outside, the two cultivators exchanged looks.
The Qi Refinement Stage 5 cultivator was the next to enter.
He did not bow.
"You're Lin Mo?" he asked bluntly.
"Yes."
The man's gaze swept the shelves. "You only sell five items a day. Why?"
"Because that's all I'm willing to sell."
The cultivator snorted. "You're wasting opportunity."
Lin Mo's eyes flickered. "Opportunity is wasted when taken too quickly."
The cultivator frowned, clearly displeased. "How much for all five?"
Lin Mo shook his head. "One item per person."
Silence stretched.
The man's aura surged briefly, pressure filling the small shop.
Instantly, the Heavenly Ledger reacted.
The pressure collapsed.
The cultivator staggered half a step back, his face draining of color.
"What did you do?" he demanded, voice tight.
"I did nothing," Lin Mo replied calmly. "You did."
The man clenched his fists, then slowly exhaled. "Fine. One pill."
The sale completed.
***
[Sale Complete]
[Spirit Coins +5]
[Ledger Record Updated]
***
He left without another word, but his eyes were no longer arrogant—only cautious.
The third customer was unexpected.
A man dressed as an ordinary traveler stepped inside, his aura seemingly nonexistent.
Yet the moment he crossed the threshold, Lin Mo's ledger trembled.
Hidden depth detected.
The man smiled. "Interesting shop."
"You're not here for pills," Lin Mo said.
The man laughed softly. "No. I'm here to see if you're worth watching."
Lin Mo held his gaze steadily. "And?"
The man glanced at the shelves. "You sell scarcity. You enforce fairness. And the world itself seems to back you."
He placed a spirit stone on the counter. "One Clear Mind Talisman."
Lin Mo handed it over.
***
[Sale Complete]
[Spirit Coins +5]
[Ledger Record: VIP Observation Flagged]
***
The man's smile widened slightly.
"I'll come again," he said. "When your shop grows."
Then he left.
Lin Mo exhaled slowly after the door closed.
"A hidden expert already," he thought. "Earlier than expected."
By noon, all five sales were gone.
Outside, the crowd dispersed reluctantly.
That afternoon, a message arrived from the Lin Clan.
The elders request your presence.
Lin Mo read the message once, then smiled faintly.
"So it's finally time."
He closed the shop for the day and stood.
The Heavenly Ledger within his soul turned another page.
Curiosity, once recorded, demanded resolution.
*****
The Lin Clan compound stood at the heart of Ming City, its walls tall and austere, carved with faded beast patterns that spoke of past glory.
Lin Mo walked through the main gate calmly.
Along the way, servants and clan disciples stopped what they were doing, their gazes following him with poorly concealed surprise.
"That's Lin Mo?"
"The second young master?"
"I heard he opened some strange shop…"
Whispers trailed behind him like shadows.
Lin Mo ignored them all.
He was escorted into the Elder Hall, a wide chamber supported by thick stone pillars. Incense burned faintly in the air, masking the subtle pressure of cultivators seated above.
At the front sat five elders.
At the center was his father, Lin Huang, expression unreadable.
To Lin Huang's left sat Elder Lin Qiu, a sharp-eyed man with thin lips, known for controlling the clan's external affairs. To the right was Elder Lin Shen, whose cultivation was rumored to be only half a step away from Core Formation.
"Lin Mo," Elder Lin Qiu said first, his voice cool. "Do you know why you were summoned?"
"I can guess," Lin Mo replied evenly.
"Oh?" Elder Lin Qiu raised an eyebrow. "Then speak."
"My shop has drawn attention," Lin Mo said. "Enough to concern the clan."
A murmur spread among the elders.
"You admit it freely," Elder Lin Shen said, studying him. "Tell us—where did your pills come from?"
Lin Mo met his gaze calmly. "From my own means."
"That's not an answer," Elder Lin Qiu said sharply. "A Qi Refinement junior cannot refine pills of such purity."
"I never said I refined them," Lin Mo replied.
The hall fell silent.
Lin Huang finally spoke. "Mo'er. This concerns the safety of the clan. You must be clear."
Lin Mo nodded. "Father, Elders. I will not bring disaster to the Lin Clan."
"That's a promise, not an explanation," Elder Lin Qiu said.
Lin Mo took a breath.
"I have an inheritance," he said slowly. "Left behind by a wandering cultivator. It focuses not on battle—but on trade."
"Inheritance?" one elder scoffed. "Convenient."
Lin Mo did not argue.
Instead, he continued, "This inheritance allows me to obtain items of consistent quality. Limited quantity. Fixed rules."
Elder Lin Shen narrowed his eyes. "And the price?"
"Opportunity," Lin Mo replied.
That answer made several elders uncomfortable.
"Enough riddles," Elder Lin Qiu snapped. "If your shop continues like this, merchant guilds and even sect branches will interfere. When that happens, the Lin Clan will be dragged in."
Lin Mo bowed slightly. "Which is why I came prepared."
He raised his hand and placed a small jade bottle on the table.
"Inside is a Body Tempering Powder, refined to remove impurities and stabilize the flesh. It is safe for Qi Refinement cultivators."
The elders stiffened.
Lin Shen reached out, examined it carefully, then his expression changed.
"This… is genuine."
Lin Huang looked at Lin Mo sharply.
"I offer this," Lin Mo said calmly, "as a gesture of cooperation. The Lin Clan supports my business publicly. In return, I will supply a small number of items exclusively to the clan—under my rules."
"And if we refuse?" Elder Lin Qiu asked coldly.
Lin Mo looked at him directly.
"Then I continue as a private merchant," he said. "And the attention I draw will not consider the Lin Clan at all."
The implication was clear.
Support him—and share the benefits.
Oppose him—and lose control entirely.
Silence stretched.
Finally, Lin Huang stood.
"The Lin Clan will not suppress its own blood," he said firmly. "We will support Lin Mo's business."
Elder Lin Qiu's face darkened, but he did not argue.
"However," Lin Huang continued, turning to Lin Mo, "you must not exceed your limits."
Lin Mo bowed deeply. "I understand, Father."
As he left the Elder Hall, the weight on his shoulders felt lighter.
Behind him, the elders began to argue in hushed tones.
Outside, the sun was already setting.
Lin Mo returned to his shop and closed the door.
The Heavenly Ledger shimmered.
***
[Faction Support Acquired: Lin Clan]
[Reputation Increased]
[New Rule Unlocked: Clan Transactions]
***
Lin Mo smiled faintly.
"The board is set," he murmured.
And the game had only just begun.