After the Zhou family left, Shi Yu found herself with some free time. She decided to bring along the shop deed gifted by Elder Zhou and set out with Qingzhou to look for it.
The small patch of silver snake scales under Qingzhou's eyes was rather eye-catching, as was his calf-length silver hair. While Shi Yu did not mind, he said he was “afraid Sister would be gossiped about,” so he gathered his long hair into a tight tie and put on a veiled hat to cover his face.
Because of his slender frame, the draped veil of the hat made his figure appear faint and indistinct within, making it even harder to distinguish whether he was male or female, giving him a vaguely graceful poise.
Shi Yu sized him up for a few moments, only blinking and looking away when a faint warmth radiated from the life scale beneath her own eye. “Let’s go.”
Just as Elder Zhou and the others had said, the shop's location was far from ideal. After descending the mountain and leaving the lively areas behind, the two navigated through several streets, venturing deep into the alleys before finally locating it.
This alley was quite remote, with sparse foot traffic. The shops along the street sold ordinary pills, spirit talismans, or mediocre spiritual materials and sundries, all of thoroughly average quality.
Their patrons were mostly down-and-out rogue cultivators, making business exceedingly quiet.
This was hardly surprising. The Zhou family was originally just a small clan; purchasing a shop in the main city was already no small feat, leaving them with no capital to acquire a larger property in a prime location.
The two stopped at the end of the alley before a tightly closed, locked shop. This was the store that now belonged to Shi Yu.
Qingzhou glanced around at their surroundings and could not help but remark, “Sister, isn't this place a bit too remote?”
“It doesn't matter.” The location of the shop would not make that much of a difference. As long as the items she sold were of exceptional quality, good wine needed no bush; people would naturally be eager to come and buy.
Qingzhou stepped forward and unlocked the door.
When the two walked inside, they found Dust-Repelling Talismans placed in all four corners. The interior was surprisingly clean, without a speck of flying dust.
However, although there were windows, they faced the alley wall, which blocked out the light completely. Even with the windows open, the inside remained pitch-black.
Shi Yu retrieved a spirit stone lamp she had refined herself and inserted a spirit stone into it, lighting up the lamp.
As the light radiated outward, the modest shop was instantly illuminated.
Qingzhou stared at the gleaming, exquisite lamp, unable to take his eyes off it.
“Do you like it?” Due to the existence of the life scale, though she intentionally refrained from probing or controlling Qingzhou's mind, her perception of his emotional shifts remained quite sharp.
“Just insert a spirit stone into it when you want to use it.” It was only a minor gadget. Handing the lamp to Qingzhou, Shi Yu looked around.
The shop could not be called cramped, but it was certainly small, measuring barely twenty feet across. On both sides stood several display counters that had been long abandoned.
Shi Yu walked over to a display counter, tapped her finger on its surface, and pondered what she should sell.
Artifacts, pills, arrays, and talismans—of the four auxiliary arts she excelled in, array formations were the first to be ruled out.
Most array formations were fixed in a single location. Sects and major clans often spent lavishly to hire array masters to set up grand protective arrays, which could not be easily moved.
As for small, portable formations like the Spirit-Gathering Array, refining their array plates and flags required complex and diverse materials, and their effects were usually remarkable. Once refined, sending them to an auction house would maximize their value.
Refining artifacts was much the same. With her current cultivation, she could refine Tier-2 artifacts. If she poured her whole heart into it, every single piece would turn out exquisite.
However, refining artifacts was time-consuming and labor-intensive. It took anywhere from a week to over a month to finish a single piece, making auctions a far better venue for them as well.
“Still... low-level cultivators make up the majority here. I could refine some Tier-1 artifacts to sell.”
Tier-1 artifacts took far less time to refine.
Then there were spirit talismans and pills. As common consumables, they would never lack buyers, and her production rate was fast.
To build a thriving business in a location like this, her only choice was to establish a reputation through high quality.
After weighing her options, Shi Yu decided to fill the display counters with high-quality Tier-1 spirit talismans, pills, and artifacts first.
With her mind made up, she turned to Qingzhou, who was holding the spirit stone lamp with evident fond fascination. “Give this place a brief cleaning. Once the shop opens, stay here and manage it for me.”
This matter concerned the accumulation of her future cultivation resources, so it had to be handled by someone she trusted.
Qingzhou froze for a moment. Only after a long pause did he show a rare resistance to Shi Yu’s instructions.
Lifting the veil of his hat, he revealed a handsome and striking face. “Is Sister displeased with my service?”
“...No, that isn't it.”
Truth be told, with Qingzhou in the cave dwelling, everything was kept in immaculate order, saving Shi Yu a great deal of trouble.
Qingzhou was afraid of fire, and when he first started cooking, he had accidentally burned himself. But ever since she suggested hiring other servants to do it, he had never hurt himself again, showing that his ability to learn and adapt was actually quite good.
“It's just that managing the shop involves handling a substantial amount of spirit stones. It must be someone I trust for me to feel at ease,” Shi Yu explained.
Hearing the word “trust,” Qingzhou’s expression softened considerably.
“Since you are unwilling,” Shi Yu said helplessly, “I'll see if there is anyone else suitable.”
“If Sister looks for someone else, how can you know if they are trustworthy?” Qingzhou fell silent for a moment before saying, “If Sister commands it, I am naturally willing. However... could you wait a month?”
Opening the store would naturally take time to prepare anyway, but what did Qingzhou mean by waiting a month?
Before Shi Yu could ask, he explained, “In a month, I will molt my skin. By then, I can use my shed skin to form an avatar with intelligence identical to my main body, which can manage the shop for Sister.”
“Shed your skin?” Shi Yu looked at Qingzhou with a touch of surprise.
She had never heard of the Snakefolk clan of the North Rock Desert having the ability to forge avatars from shed skins.
Besides... although Qingzhou displayed some traits of a serpentine spirit beast, he resembled a human youth far more. Shedding skin? How would he shed it?
“Qingzhou,” Shi Yu paused, her sharp gaze locking onto him. “Are you truly the offspring of a North Rock Desert Snakefolk and a human woman?”
Small wonder she had her doubts. The Snakefolk inhabited the desert, and every member of their clan possessed Earth-attribute spiritual meridians. Qingzhou, on the other hand, had a Water-attribute spiritual meridian, which was undeniably strange.
Qingzhou lowered his eyelashes as if recalling an unpleasant memory, letting out a soft sigh. “Why does Sister ask? All I know is that growing up, people cursed at me like that, calling me a Snakefolk half-breed.”
Seeing his dejected look, Shi Yu could not bring herself to press further, offering a soothing word: “I was just asking offhandedly. Don't take it to heart.”
With that, she walked outside. “As it happens, preparing the goods will take time anyway, so waiting a month works out fine.”
Only then did Qingzhou’s expression relax. Watching her retreating back, he lowered the veil to cover his face and followed in her footsteps.
Since she was opening a shop, the alchemy and talisman crafting she planned would require a substantial quantity of spiritual plants and materials. What she had stored in her Fate-Tapping Bell were all high-grade items kept for her personal use, and they were limited in quantity anyway; it was time to make some purchases.
After thinking it over, Shi Yu said, “Take note of these spiritual plants and materials, and buy a generous amount of them back.”
With that, she listed out all the items she would need.
However... counting the few spirit stones she had left on her, it was nowhere near enough to buy much.
She pondered for a moment, then took out a Lesser Longevity Pill. “Take this pill to the Xie Clan Auction House. Use all the proceeds from the auction to purchase those items.”
Longevity-extending items were always in high demand. The Blood Cloud Ginseng that the Zhou family had bought only extended life by three years, yet it fetched a price of nearly four thousand spirit stones. Her Lesser Longevity Pill extended life by ten years without the side effects of Blood Cloud Ginseng; its auction price would easily be several times higher.
This pill was of little use to her anyway. Even if she were to take a longevity item, she would hardly settle for a mere medium-grade Lesser Longevity Pill. After all, any longevity-extending item could only take effect once per major realm, regardless of how many were consumed, so she naturally held little regard for the Lesser Longevity Pill.
Once this Lesser Longevity Pill was auctioned off, she would have the startup capital to open the shop.
Qingzhou put away the item and promised to handle the task well.
Rate on N.U.
