Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 77 "Then... I'll leave it to you."

Upstairs in the restaurant, the three of them sat around the table and enjoyed a Chinese feast prepared by Lin Qing.

The main dish was a roast duck. It was just an ordinary duck that I bought casually from the market, but after putting it in the machine, it turned out to be just as good as a well-established restaurant like Jingjing Roast Duck.

Even Liu Shuyue, who has never had any food preferences, couldn't help but eat a few more pieces of the crispy, oily duck skin.

Chen Xuan listened to everything she had encountered along the way.

Why didn't you ask me to come along?

He almost lost an important client.

“I never imagined there would actually be a sect disciple hiding there, and that he had fallen so completely…” Liu Shuyue’s spirits were noticeably lower than before. Even when she learned that no disaster relief supplies had been sent to Qingzhou, she wasn’t as devastated as she was now. “Besides, this is an internal sect matter, and I shouldn’t trouble you any further…”

Chen Xuan nodded, understanding her belief that "family scandals should not be aired in public." Perhaps she had also considered that if a disciple failed to achieve anything in the secular world, even if he left behind some information, it was unlikely to be anything good.

"If Liu Zhidong wasn't lying to you, then wouldn't all of you disciples be considered exiled by the sect?" Lin Qing said, sipping her cola.

“It’s definitely not exile!” Liu Shuyue immediately denied. “The Lotus Cloud Sect spends so many resources and energy to cultivate cultivators, and then they have to go through multiple rounds of screening to select qualified disciples to leave the mountain. If they just throw them out and leave them to fend for themselves, that’s obviously illogical.”

“Liu Zhidong did try to return to the sect.” Chen Xuan recalled the dark blue gate standing atop the snow-capped mountain. “However, no one in the Lotus Cloud Sect paid him any attention.”

"How did you know?" Lin Qing asked curiously.

“One side effect of the coin toss is that it allows me to see some of his memories from his previous life.” Chen Xuan didn’t go into details. “In short, he spent a long time traveling around, which matches what Liu Shuyue said. He even went to the sea and saw a monster of enormous size swimming in the sea.”

“Yuanhai…” Liu Shuyue asked in surprise, “What would he be doing in a place like that?”

"I don't know, maybe they wanted to see the other side of the sea?"

“Yes, he’s doubting the sect.” She sighed. “Master said that the Abyss Sea is an extremely dangerous natural barrier, a place where monsters roam since ancient times. Those who can cross the Abyss Sea to reach this continent are extremely lucky. In front of it, cultivators and ordinary people are no different.”

Once doubt arises, all the knowledge taught by the sect becomes less credible.

"The key question is what you think?" Chen Xuan asked. It's not surprising that Liu Zhidong lost faith in the Lianyun Sect after experiencing various changes, but Liu Shuyue was his guest.

“I think… perhaps this is a test on the path of cultivation.” She hesitated for a moment before murmuring, “Cultivators cultivate both body and mind. My master taught that the more indomitable one’s heart, the more spiritual energy will favor such a person, and the less they will suffer from the backlash of inner demons. The essence of cultivation is to row against the current, to fight against heaven and earth. The reason why those rogue cultivators can spend several times more time but still cannot catch up with the level of sect disciples is the same—they are too easily swayed by their hearts and defeated by desires.”

"Liu Zhidong guessed one thing wrong. His rapid aging was not due to any restrictions imposed on him by the sect, but rather because he had strayed from his own heart and had given birth to a demon in his heart."

"Inner demons?" This was the first time Chen Xuan had heard her talk about the details of cultivation.

"Yes, heaven and earth are divided into yin and yang, where there is positive, there is negative. We absorb too much spiritual energy, and naturally we will also attract corresponding impurities. When a cultivator's level is not high, it manifests as abnormal emotions and surging desires... But when a cultivator's level is high, it can even evolve into a tangible entity."

This theory sounds... kind of like the annihilation of positive and negative particles.

"You've seen it too? A physical manifestation of an inner demon." Chen Xuan couldn't help but become more interested.

"How could that be!" Liu Shuyue waved her hands repeatedly. "My level is only equivalent to a novice. Even if everything goes smoothly, I would probably have to cultivate until I'm sixty or seventy years old before I have a chance to develop inner demons."

"What about the disappearance of the soul?" Lin Qing interjected. "It sounds like the consciousness was suddenly taken away."

"Well... I'm not sure either." She thought for a moment, "Maybe we'll all return to our sect after we die? To be honest... that does go against the natural order of things."

"If all else fails, we'll just have to wait until the sect opens its gates again to ask." Lin Qing suddenly grabbed Liu Shuyue's hand. "But you can't be too careful about the Lotus Cloud Sect!" "I know... but death is a different story..."

Chen Xuan coughed twice. "You're making it sound like you're telling her not to die." Does anyone think they're too old for their own life?

"No, no, no, what I mean is, death is passively triggered. What if they have a way to trigger it actively? That's what Miss Liu is worried about," Lin Qing said seriously. "In my opinion, sects are like big companies, and they're in a monopolistic position at that. If it were me, I would never believe they could have any good intentions."

Uh... your line of thinking is really quite unique.

Just then, his phone rang.

Chen Xuan picked it up and saw that it was a text message from Lin Qing: "Hurry up and cooperate with me to smear this damn sect! Right now, all she cares about is her own sect and this shop. Completely crush the Lianyun Sect, and she and Spicy Village will be our solid allies in the fight against the Limitation Agency!"

Looking up at Lin Qing again, she was there blinking hard.

"Even if what you're saying is true, how can we prevent it?"

Chen Xuan examined all of Liu Shuyue's abilities but found nothing amiss.

“There is a way. Install a consciousness backup device on her, or simply do what I did and put an auxiliary mind chip on her,” Lin Qing said immediately. “It will periodically back up all the electrical impulse signals in her brain. In other words, it can archive memories. Even if her consciousness is taken away, Liu Shuyue can still wake up.”

"New...movie?" Liu Shuyue looked blank.

"Is the person who archived the file still considered to be her?" Chen Xuan had some doubts.

"Of course! It's just like having general anesthesia. When a person is anesthetized, it's equivalent to a complete loss of consciousness. After the anesthesia wears off, the brain will gradually resume its original pulse, and on the surface, it will look like you've woken up. You can't say that you're no longer the original you after general anesthesia, can you?"

"That makes sense." Chen Xuan thought about it and agreed. "But how do we get our hands on such a prosthetic body?"

“That’s the real challenge.” Lin Qing tapped her forehead. “As far as I know, there’s an intrusion point that connects to a world similar to the future, and the technological path is the same. However, this place was discovered by the Dimensional Authority two years ago and has been under strict surveillance. The risk of infiltrating it is extremely high.”

"Wait... are you discussing my affairs?" Liu Shuyue didn't understand most of what was being said, but she did understand the last part about the extreme risk. "Shopkeeper, you've already done so much for me. I have no right to ask for more help until I've paid off this debt. I'll find a way to handle the sect's affairs myself. It's best if you don't interfere."

Another text message arrived: "Don't believe that excuse. She's shy, but you're not. Be tough, fists/shops/fire."

Chen Xuan was inwardly amused and exasperated, but outwardly he had to maintain a serious demeanor. "This is just a discussion, it doesn't have to be done this way. Besides, don't you think that from the time we met until now, our relationship has become more than just that of a customer and a shop owner?"

Liu Shuyue was stunned for a moment, then unconsciously looked away, a blush creeping onto her face.

“Considering the potential fierce counterattack from the King of Qi, the armies led by disciples of neighboring sects eyeing us covetously, and the uncertainties surrounding the Lotus Cloud Sect, it’s time for us to make some progress.” Chen Xuan spread his palms out to her and said, “I hope you can join the shop and become my employee and partner—the shop is currently in a period of expansion, and we will not only face many challenges but also attract many powerful enemies who see me as a thorn in their side. After you join, our interests will be essentially tied together, and our cooperation will not be a one-sided help but a mutually beneficial one.”

Liu Shuyue clenched her fists. "Aside from cultivation and demon slaying, I don't know much else. Can this really achieve the effect you're talking about?"

"Of course," Chen Xuan affirmed. The fact that this shop has managed to stay open until today is largely thanks to the abilities provided by the Immortal Master.

She took a deep breath, then loosened her fist and placed her hand in Chen Xuan's palm.

A warm feeling flowed into her heart through her palm.

"Then...I'll leave it to you."

(End of this chapter)