Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 13 Goodbye
In the afternoon, the funds were deposited into Chen Xuan's account as promised.

Seeing his account balance jump to seven figures instantly, he finally felt much relieved.

If he had earned this much in the past, he would have jumped for joy, but now he was calm and composed, not feeling overjoyed at the income of over two million. This surprised even Chen Xuan himself. After thinking about it, he figured it was probably because he was not only supporting himself now, but also taking on the responsibility of a power shop.

Now that we have the money, the first thing to do is to contact the wholesalers to replenish the goods that have been used up in the store these past few days.

That's not difficult at all.

He used to work ordering for fast food restaurants, and he still has the phone numbers of local wholesalers in his phone. Many businesses have also kept up with the times, setting up their own WeChat official accounts; customers can place orders by following them and leaving a message, with discounts available for bulk orders.

After all, as long as the money is in place, the other party doesn't care who the supplier is.

"The items that are being consumed the fastest are cigarettes, drinks, and instant noodles... There are also two empty counters, maybe we should put some daily necessities there..."

Chen Xuan tapped on the calculator while scribbling in his notebook.

Suddenly, the surrounding light dimmed.

"Power outage? No way... I just finished charging my electricity..."

He picked up the mouse and shook it, finding that the screen could still be turned on.

It's not a power outage.

It's because the outside light is too dim.

It's only 2 PM!
Chen Xuan initially wanted to turn on the lights, but he quickly realized that the environment outside the window had changed—the sudden darkness wasn't caused by a solar eclipse, but rather because the shop's main entrance had moved again. Through the plastic curtain, he saw a wooden wall surrounding the shop, with a straight corridor directly in front of it.

The sky appeared to suddenly darken because of the buildings blocking the view from so close by.

Wow, this time the shops are finally not appearing in the wild?

Chen Xuan cleared his throat, straightened his collar, and waited for the guests to arrive.

However, after waiting for a while, he still didn't see anyone coming.

What happened... Where are the guests?

Chen Xuan frowned, slowly walked to the front door, and looked around at the surrounding environment. This time, the shop was indeed not located in a desolate mountain wilderness, but its location was still very strange... Not only was the space on both sides narrow, but there was no other way in front of the door except for the wooden plank corridor.

This place doesn't look like a street at all; it looks more like the courtyard of a wealthy family.

Looking back after leaving the shop, Chen Xuan noticed that the shop door and the door frames on both sides blended perfectly together, as if it were originally a house located in the courtyard.

Judging from the corridors and the style of the houses, this place still retains the ancient Chinese style.

Suddenly, he heard the sounds of a man and a woman arguing, and one of them sounded quite familiar.

The sound came from the end of the opposite corridor, less than ten meters away.

"...The method I proposed can resolve the current crisis and quell public anger with minimal impact. Why doesn't Your Excellency use it?"

Liu Shuyue asked with a cold face.

"Is this the Emperor's intention?" Shen Fang still wore a polite smile, seemingly oblivious to the other party's displeasure.

"That's what I meant."

“Then I must refuse.” He shook his head. “The reason is simple: the wealthy families and merchants in the city have done nothing wrong. I have no reason to forcibly seize their money and grain under the guise of a loan. Besides, if they cause trouble, they will be much more difficult to deal with than those outside.”

“If serving the people were so simple, wouldn’t everyone be able to be a prefect? ​​Longcheng and Hexi have been completely devastated, and the number of refugees is countless. A few thousand people now is not a lot, but what if tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands gather? It will be difficult to appease them then!”

"Isn't there you, Immortal Master?" Shen Fang smiled nonchalantly. "With you here... they can't stir up any trouble. I've already spread the word, and the common people and the gentry alike are all praising you as the pillar of our Great Qi—who are you!?"

His expression suddenly changed, and he looked towards the side door.

Chen Xuan happened to appear at the door, and their eyes met.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

"Um... are you having a meeting? I won't disturb you any longer..." Chen Xuan waved his hand, preparing to return the way he came. He had only come to check the situation by following the sound, but who knew that the man who spoke had changed his expression so quickly. He had been all smiles when he was talking to Liu Shuyue, but in the blink of an eye, he had revealed his fierce side.

"There are assassins!"

"Protect the Lord!" The guards at the four corners of the room finally reacted. They drew their swords and rushed towards Chen Xuan's location.

"stop!"

Almost simultaneously, a cold rebuke rang out, causing everyone to tremble.

That was not a verbal command, but a law that directly touches the soul!
Chen Xuan found himself frozen in place... so he maintained his upright, waving posture, seemingly unconcerned about the approaching soldiers. This attitude, in the eyes of the prefect and his men, was utterly arrogant and disrespectful!
Fortunately, his head could still move.

He slowly turned his head and forced a smile at Liu Shuyue, "Hello."

"Immortal Master?" Shen Fang was also unable to move. He maintained the posture of jumping up from his seat and retreating, which showed that he was quite skilled at dealing with assassination attempts.

A crack appeared on Liu Shuyue's previously aloof expression. After a moment of silence, she made a hand seal to release everyone from their immobilization. "Your Highness has misunderstood. He is someone I know."

Shen Fang was taken aback, then looked at Chen Xuan a few more times, his gaze full of strangeness. "The gatekeeper didn't report to me. Did you bring him into the mansion?"

"……Yes."

Whether it was a misperception or not, Chen Xuan felt that the other person had said those words through gritted teeth.

"Oh..." Shen Fang gave a meaningful "oh" before returning to his previous amiable expression. "If the Immortal Master had told me earlier, this misunderstanding wouldn't have happened. May I ask how this young brother is addressed?"

“There’s no need to ask. You won’t see him again.” Liu Shuyue walked towards Chen Xuan. “Come with me.”

Chen Xuan sensed that the atmosphere between the two groups was not quite right, so he followed them without asking any questions.

Stepping outside into the courtyard, Liu Shuyue also saw the shop's entrance.

She was greatly surprised, "Why did you open a shop inside the government office?"

"Because the River of Time is always flowing... and shouldn't you be the one hoping it appears?" Chen Xuan replied calmly. Compared to his first transaction, he was much more experienced this time. Since the shop was choosing its customers, it meant that the customers were the key to determining where the shop would appear.

Liu Shuyue was suddenly startled.

"Let's go to the store to talk," he suggested.

Back inside the shop, Chen Xuan pulled down the roller shutter and closed the curtains before turning on the lights to make the room bright and inviting.

The store manager's handbook mentions that closing the door is equivalent to closing the business, which can isolate you from all external interference.

He was unclear about the specific effects of this isolation.

But the group of people who talked to Liu Shuyue definitely won't find this place.

"I didn't expect to see you again so soon. Please have a seat." Chen Xuan gestured to the sofa, a warm smile spreading across his face. "Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"...This is troublesome." After hesitating for a moment, Liu Shuyue accepted. "Is five years just a passing cloud to you?"

Chen Xuan's heart skipped a beat.

He looked at Liu Shuyue again—her voice and appearance were almost identical to before, which was why he recognized her immediately. But to say that she hadn't changed at all seemed inaccurate; she wasn't wearing that flowing white dress anymore, and she seemed much heavier, as if a half-floating willow leaf had finally landed.

It no longer has that "celestial" feel to it.

He suddenly realized that "five years" was probably Liu Shuyue's concept of time—this was the first time she had seen him in five years.

"It's not like smoke and clouds, but to me, we only met three days ago," Chen Xuan said truthfully.

"Is this also related to the river of time and space?"

"That's understandable."

“No wonder I couldn’t detect any change in you, just like that day.” Liu Shuyue suddenly relaxed, not because she revealed her true colors—even sitting on the soft sofa, she sat upright with her back straight, but because there was a hint of weariness in her voice that she no longer concealed. “I’m sorry, I dragged you into this.”

"Get involved? What do you mean?" Chen Xuan asked, puzzled.

“You’re right. It was my desire for this shop to reopen that led you to be mistaken for an intruder,” she said softly. “Although I hate to admit it, I’ve encountered a problem that I can’t solve on my own. Can you… help me?”

Just like five years ago...

"Of course." Chen Xuan placed the steaming hot coffee in front of her. "Our doors will always be open to our customers."

(End of this chapter)