Demon Capital Slayer

Chapter 118: Give and take
The three-meter-tall stature of this mysterious shop owner did not make him appear clumsy; on the contrary, his movements were exceptionally agile, like a deer in the forest.

But the moment she opened her mouth, Yu Jian felt like he was living in Bengbu.

"Oh my, sit down, sit down. You've been so busy all day, stumbling and tumbling. Where did you come from, little kid? You're so skinny. Can't we chat?"

"...Uh, okay."

The shop owner, a woman with deer antlers on her head, spoke with a strong regional accent, which Yu Jian found hard to understand, but surprisingly gave him a friendly feeling.

The shop owner waved to Yu Jian while pushing the tall shelf aside like a cardboard box. She didn't use any fancy magic; she just moved it as easily as removing something in the way at home.

Behind the shelves was a living room, which was also filled with all sorts of clutter, except for a mahogany daybed in the middle that was relatively tidy.

Although the name "Luohan Bed" includes "bed," its actual function is closer to that of a sofa. However, the size of the one in the store is almost that of a canopy bed, large enough for several adults to roll around side by side.

The shop owner noticed Mingmei's unusual behavior only after she hadn't seen any customers for a long time and was perhaps too happy to notice.

"Is the little girl an ordinary person? Did she accidentally fall into the mortal world? Oh dear, quickly lay her down. Oh no, I wasn't paying attention while I was at home and actually knocked her unconscious, this is not good."

As she spoke, the shop owner hurriedly took out a white porcelain bottle, looked at its contents, and immediately put it down.

"This won't do; an ordinary person would collapse if they drank it."

"Hey, I remember two hundred years ago we got a batch of medicine that ordinary people could use from Niu Bizi. Where did we put it?"

The older sister hurriedly plunged into the pile of miscellaneous items, her three-meter-tall figure completely submerged, demonstrating just how vast and varied the goods piled up in the store were.

Left behind, Mitsurugi felt bewildered and looked down at Inugami Milo.

"Ahem, this should be the legendary Drifting World - Buddhist Chanting Abode, but according to recent information, it seems to have been renamed Meadow Shop." The dog spoke without any attempt to hide its true feelings.

"shop?"

Yu Jian was taken aback. The first name sounded very grand, meaning a cultivation ground filled with celestial music. The second name, however, suddenly sounded very common, literally meaning the place, and could even be called a grassland general store.

Looking around at the various odds and ends piled up, it really did have the feel of an old-fashioned general store from decades ago.

However, the shop smelled wonderful, with a grassy and woody aroma mixed with a very light sandalwood scent. There wasn't a speck of dust around; it was slightly cluttered but not dirty.

“Young man, haven’t you noticed? This is already a completely different world.” Milo’s words were startling.

"Although it is one of the smallest in terms of area among the Flower Dew-level shops, this shop will randomly appear on the outskirts of other worlds. Its main body is attached to the outer wall, and the shop door is embedded in the interior. It provides assistance to cultivators who are exploring the worlds. It is rumored that it only accepts barter and the prices are fair to all, but customers who can see the shop door must meet the broad standard of goodness."

"Sounds like doing charity work?" Yu Jian said immediately.

"Otherwise what?" For some reason, Milo immediately rolled his eyes upon hearing this.

"This shop owner is very impressive. I don't know why he's so friendly, but you should still be respectful to him later."

"Hmm?" Yu Jian asked, sounding puzzled.

"..." Milo didn't say much, but simply aligned the fleshy balls of his two forelimbs with each other, making a gesture similar to clasping hands.

Yu Jian wasn't stupid; he immediately guessed that the other party was probably a senior Buddhist monk, and his tense heart finally relaxed a little.

Just now, he was on edge. Although the shop owner was friendly, her mere presence made him vaguely sense something was off.

The source of this strange feeling is simple: a creature more than three meters tall is standing there, but you feel very normal and ordinary, without the slightest bit of tension. Isn't this strange enough?
Supporting the unconscious Akemi as she lay on her side on the daybed, Yujian couldn't help but show a worried expression. Her face looked like she was having a nightmare.

According to publicly available information from the International Spiritual Energy Organization, the mere existence of high-level spiritual practitioners has a profound impact on ordinary people, as they are themselves an extremely powerful supernatural phenomenon.

Scholars call this condition 'SPRS,' short for 'Supernatural Phenomenon Reality Shock,' which refers to the short-term mental disorder caused by ordinary people witnessing extremely powerful supernatural phenomena, which severely challenges their common sense and usually manifests as loss of consciousness or falling into chaos and loss of control.

Most sufferers will lose the relevant memory after the onset of the disease, and repeated occurrences may lead to long-term, uncontrollable and irreversible mental disorders.

"found it!"

With a whoosh, accompanied by the sound of items being overturned, the shop owner's white antlers were the first to emerge from the pile of miscellaneous items.

Then came the blue porcelain bottle that she held high.

"Although it's been sitting for a while, it's still usable."

As she spoke, she handed the simply shaped blue porcelain bottle to Yu Jian. She could easily pick up the bottle with just two fingers, but in Yu Jian's hands it looked like a vase.

Upon opening the porcelain bottle, Yu Jian discovered that instead of pills, it contained a transparent liquid with a faint plum scent.

"Press under her nose for three breaths, and she'll probably sleep for about fifteen minutes. When she wakes up, she'll be fine," the shop owner explained.

Intuition told him that everything was well-intentioned, and rational analysis also indicated that overthinking was pointless. So Yujian didn't hesitate and immediately placed the opened porcelain bottle in front of Mingmei.

The girl's furrowed brows immediately relaxed, and she even let out a "chichichi" laugh, as if her nightmare had turned into a sweet dream.

"Little one, are you feeling unwell? Even if you are, take a sniff and calm your mind." The shop owner, who had just sat down and caught her breath, suddenly said:

"Well, you have the aura of a true master of the Xuanmen sect. It seems there's no need to worry about being shocked."

"what?"

Yu Jian was pushing the porcelain bottle back along the small square table in the middle of the daybed. Hearing this, I was taken aback. When did I join the orthodox Xuanmen sect?

But he reacted quickly.

Oh, is it "All Things in the Universe"...?

"Judging from this, could it be that they fell in while chasing after the victims of the spiritual disaster? I was wondering which old geezer was so irresponsible as to let his apprentice who hadn't even finished his apprenticeship go straight into this depth."

"Although doing this was a bit reckless, he's still a good kid."

The shop owner launched into a rapid-fire speech before remembering something, she stood up and placed a small enamel cup, about the size of a bucket, in front of Yu Jian.

"Drink the three cups of tea while it's hot."

so much!?!
As soon as Yu Jian raised his hand, he watched in astonishment as the enamel mug instantly transformed into a regular size, with the words "Labor is the most glorious" written on the side.

"Thank you."

He said thank you sincerely before taking a sip of the tea in his cup.

Instantly, a sweet taste filled his lungs, making Yu Jian feel completely relaxed.

It's not simply overly sweet, but rather a complex flavor that combines longan, goji berries, raisins, red dates, dried apricots, rock sugar, and tea, resulting in a blend of tea and fruit aromas.

The shop owner sat at the other end of the daybed, looking at Yu Jian curiously across the square table, his eyes narrowed into two crescent moons, seemingly quite pleased with his performance.

"What's your name, baby?"

"Ming." Because he sensed only goodwill, Yujian readily gave his name.

"This name is straightforward and simple, without any beating around the bush," the shop owner exclaimed, slapping the table.

"What's your name, shop owner sister?" Yu Jian greeted her smoothly.

"Call me Sister Lu Jiu or Sister Lu, it's fine either way." Lu smiled and offered a name.

Upon hearing this, Yu Jian's heart stirred, and he vaguely guessed what was going on.

"Kid, want to buy something? I can't get into that little place outside, so I can only give you a discount. Remember, when entering and leaving the mortal world, be decisive. If your destiny is strong enough, just go for it. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Let me take a look at your birth chart... Oh wow, whose child is this? Their birth chart is so strong it could be used for blacksmithing." Ah Lu's eyes widened and she slammed her hand on the table again.

"I'm self-taught and don't belong to any sect yet," Yu Jian said honestly.

"Self-taught?" A-Lu raised her eyebrows and carefully examined the sword, her expression becoming quite subtle.

"She really is self-taught," she murmured.

"Moreover, I came in such a hurry this time that I didn't bring any money or anything with me."

Yu Jian scratched his cheek sheepishly. Apart from a few gold coins he had left, all he had was the magic revolver he always carried.

After thinking it over, Yu Jian took out everything he could exchange, leaving only the katana that came with his identity as Ming Qing Shi.

As a swordsman, one cannot exchange one's livelihood for gold. "Gold is a good thing." Aru smiled, casually fiddling with the few gold coins without revealing the slightest greed, simply stating a fact.

"Kid, let me teach you something. Gold is essentially a fragment of a star that has shattered in the sky. Even in the Netherworld, it's a form of hard currency. I remember that the Central Plains used it as currency more than two thousand years ago. I think the gold coins back then were called 'Yingyuan'."

"As for this thing." Ah Lu looked at the magic revolver, and immediately pinched her nose as if she had smelled something rotten, her face showing undisguised disgust.

"Western things are still creations of this world. If you take them to the mortal world, you have to make a container to hold them, and they have a strong sense of karma inside."

"I don't accept this kind of thing, and you'd better use it sparingly."

"I see." Yu Jian nodded, glanced at the tea stove next to him, and suddenly had an idea.

"Can it be melted?"

"Hmm? You're willing to part with it?" A-Lu was somewhat surprised, then a smile appeared in her eyes.

"This is a bad thing, isn't it? And I'm not good with guns anyway."

Perhaps Ming Qing Shi is good at it, but that's not me...

The idea of ​​swordsmanship is not complicated. As he said, a swordsman naturally uses a sword.

"Wrong, wrong, wrong." Ah Lu shook her finger.

"What?" Yu Jian asked, puzzled.

"Although it is said that you have to give up something to gain something, it is not a utilitarian exchange, but a relinquishment of greed and attachment. Since you have no attachment to this thing, simply throwing away external things will not help your spiritual practice or your current situation. It is better to keep it to ward off disasters. When this thing becomes your attachment, that is the time to truly give it up."

"Hmm..." Yu Jian fell into thought, which made A Lu's smile even more obvious.

"If you must let go now, first let go of that obsession in your heart."

As she spoke, she tapped the table lightly. In an instant, Yu Jian seemed to hear the morning bell and evening drum, and she fell into a strange state of being both dazed and clear-headed.

Ah Lu beckoned to Milo, who had remained silent, and lifted the big dog onto his lap.

Samoyeds can barely be considered large dogs, but when placed on the lap of Alu, who is over three meters tall, they look like Pomeranians being picked up with one hand—they are quite 'mini'.

"What's your name? You even have merit on you, you seem to be a good dog." Ah Lu asked while petting the dog.

"Woof woof, woof woof woof," Milo barked.

"Oh, so you used to be a search and rescue dog. No wonder."

"Good dog, good deeds are rewarded, continue to cultivate virtue in the future." Ah Lu's tone was very gentle as she rubbed the Samoyed's white fur.

"Woof woof!" Milo immediately became excited.

"Shh~"

Ah Lu gestured for him to be quiet.

A few breaths later, Yujian suddenly exhaled and placed the katana hanging at his waist on the table.

"Did you gain anything?" Ah Lu asked.
"A sword is not such an inconvenient thing..."

"Swordsmanship, how can it be such an inconvenient thing?!"

Yu Jian happily tossed aside his sword, put his five fingers together, raised his hand and swung out a seemingly ordinary hand chop, the air instantly emitting a sharp slicing sound.

He had already realized that a swordsman could also be seen as a sword, but he did not want to retain the obsession with the sword in his hand. At this moment, he felt a lightness all over his body and his realm had been subtly improved.

"Congratulations." Ah Lu clapped her hands lightly.

Then, she pushed the ordinary-looking katana back in front of Miken.

The latter showed no doubt about this and naturally hung the weapon back on his waist, unaware of the golden fingerprint on the scabbard.

"Thank you... thank you, sister." With this gain, Yu Jian felt that nothing else was needed, but at the same time, he felt that simply saying thank you was not sincere enough, and he wanted to ask if there was anything he could help with.

Before he could even open his mouth, Sister Lu in front of him said, "Go on, go on, don't forget to take your little pot of oil with you, and also help me deliver a message outside."

Pointing to Mingmei, whose eyebrows were trembling and who was about to wake up, Aru Yunben smiled and seemed to be in a very good mood.

Then, her expression suddenly turned serious.

"The tide rises and falls, the time has come."

"Tell who?" Yu Jian didn't understand the meaning but thought it was normal. After all, they were Buddhists, always full of riddles.

At the same time, he also felt a greater sense of urgency. The senior master said that the world might be about to undergo great changes, and he had to work harder in his cultivation.

“Just find any Taoist temple or Buddhist monastery, and tell whoever is on duty. They will understand,” A-Lu added.

"I'll take half a tael of gold from you as payment for tea and your trouble."

As she spoke, Ah Lu raised her hand and pointed at the black and gold revolver. The black and red colors that were originally attached to it disappeared along with the hissing blue smoke, leaving only gold and iron gray as the base color of steel in the gaps.

Yujian's eyes widened. Although he felt a strong sense of déjà vu about this development, and although he hadn't lost his axe, he still managed to retrieve the Magic Revolver.

I'm not stupid.JPG
But then, Yu Jian realized something else.

"Half an ounce?"

He didn't have many small gold coins on him, but the total amount of those gold coins must have been more than half a tael, right?

Wait, could it be...?

“Kid, the gold coins in this little nest only have a gold content of 20%. Even Buddha would shake his head if he saw them.” Ah Lu said, shaking his head.

“Indeed.” Miken shook his head in agreement, silently sulking at the Tokugawa family.

With such a low gold content, how dare you call this a gold coin!
"Little boy." Before leaving, A-Lu called out to Yu-Jian again.

"Has your great wish come true?" she suddenly asked out of the blue.

Upon hearing this, Yu Jian felt as if he had been transported to another world.

Reflecting on this second youth I'm experiencing, even though I've embarked on three great adventures in the mortal world in less than a week since the start of the semester, it's been absolutely fantastic, and I can't help but break into a bright, healthy smile.

"We're working on it!"

A few minutes later, supporting the dazed Akemi, Yujian walked out of the store carrying a bulging bag, with a shiny, juicy dog ​​beside him.

Judging from his eating and taking things, you'd think he was shopping, but if you didn't know better, you'd think he was taking his girlfriend to his grandma's for a free meal during Chinese New Year.

The bag was a square canvas fanny pack, looking quite ordinary. It could be worn across the chest or hung on the waist, but when opened, it was found to be filled with gleaming gold bullets.

Sister Lu said it was a free gift for first-time customers. It can fight off demons, monsters, and fallen angels, as well as evil people, beasts, and wicked devils, but it can't harm good people.

Incidentally, the waist pouch is a free gift; opening it reveals ammunition compatible with the weapon you're carrying.

For example, if you are carrying a slingshot, a bag of silver bullets will appear in your pouch.

Once all ammunition is used up, simply place it in metal or gold and let it sit for a few days, and it will be refilled with ammunition.

Yu Jian was about to marvel at the incredible opportunity with Milo.

But as soon as I stepped outside, I was filled with the sound of violent explosions.

Looking up suddenly, I saw a huge, dark ship casting its shadow over the entire city.

Along with that came countless heavy shells whistling as they landed.

Each shot caused houses to collapse and the ground to crack.

At this moment, Edo is ablaze! And the story of fate in this eternal world is beginning to reach its climax!

(This is a two-in-one video; I'll catch up on the previous one when I have some free time in the next couple of
(End of this chapter)