A few minutes of consultation later, Lin Mo took a sip of the soda that had already sweated all its coldness. Nevertheless, the sweet, fizzy liquid became a refreshing contrast to the lingering taste of his current frustration.
"Thanks, Xiaoyu. You're really helpful, aren't you?" He teasingly said to his assistant sitting in front of him.
She rubbed her nose and smugly declared, "Of course I am, boss! Ask away!
They drank in comfortable silence for a moment, the gentle hum of the store settling around them.
The street outside was growing quiet as dusk approached, the city sounds fading into a low murmur. He thought he saw a shadow lurking somewhere in the streets. A pair of red eyes before it quickly disappeared.
"So… let's continue, boss. I'll drill into you the basics of cultivation," Liu Xiaoyu said after a while, breaking the silence. "Or at least, what I know about it. Hehe"
Lin Mo sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Yes. Yes. Oh. Great Xiaoyu. It's… harder than it looks. I thought if I just followed the steps in that book, the spiritual energy would just magically start flowing, but nope. I still feel as clueless as before. Maybe I am actually lacking in comprehension?"
"Well, it might be. But boss, like I told you. You can't expect it to be that easy. Cultivation takes time, patience, and a lot of practice. It's not something you can master overnight, especially if you're not like me. Someone born with a strong spiritual affinity." Liu Xiaoyu said, her lips twitching upwards as she tried to look as humble as possible.
Lin Mo rolled his eyes at his quirky assistant, "Right, because you're the cultivation prodigy, and I'm the clueless shopkeeper."
"Hey!" She said, playfully nudging him in the arm. "Boss, you already got me convinced yesterday! Even if you look like a dullard and out of place when I first saw you, you're now a dignified shopkeeper! See how you tricked those rich cultivators into paying with high-grade Spirit Stones. Don't sell yourself short. You've got that divine luck thing going on. That should help you catch up to us faster."
"Ugh. Now, I'm being comforted by you. But thanks, Xiaoyu. Maybe I should start treating you better."
"Hey! Don't say maybe. Do it right away! I'm your one and only assistant!"
"Sure. Sure. Anyway," Lin Mo waved his hand playfully, his gaze shifting back to the cultivation manual. "What's with my Celestial Providence? I can feel it flowing through my customers. A traveler getting a breakthrough, a street performer attracting an audience, bandits struck by lightning. And yet, all I feel is… nothing. Am I doing something wrong? Didn't Taihao say it would be helpful in my cultivation?."
Liu Xiaoyu hopped off her stool and peered over his shoulder, her face thoughtful. "Maybe you're trying too hard, boss. Or you need a teacher. A mentor to guide you through the steps. Oh! Maybe you can get that cultivator from yesterday. He's strong! You know… our first customer. The one who bought the talisman."
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow. "You mean the one who was about to be overpowered by a bunch of thugs that Taihao turned into ash? You're correct in saying he's strong but I doubt he'll be coming back to our store. As of now, only Yu Qingyan is a repeat customer."
Liu Xiaoyu shrugged. "You never know, boss! But anyway, the fact that you can feel the spiritual energy is already a huge step. For now, why don't we look over what you learned? You looked like you were about to explode after that meditation you did earlier. You also looked constipated. Like that other customer."
Lin Mo chuckled, setting aside the cultivation manual and turning his attention to Liu Xiaoyu. "Alright, let's hear it then, oh wise cultivation expert. Maybe you're the mentor I need, don't you think so?"
"Boss, not to brag but learning from a prodigy is oftentimes more difficult because our thinking speed and quality are different."
Although there's a certain pride in her voice, Lin Mo genuinely understood what she was trying to convey.
Liu Xiaoyu might be seen as his goofy assistant but her talent in cultivation wasn't made up. He could sense her improving even while working diligently in the store.
She may be lower in cultivation than those thugs yesterday but it's only a matter of time before she catches up to them.
At the moment, she's only at the 5th level Spirit Condensation Stage but it's the realm before Foundation Establishment that the customer from yesterday has reached.
For the next few minutes without a customer, Lin Mo listened as Liu Xiaoyu resumed explaining the various terms from the book and her own experiences.
He learned about the different stages of cultivation – from the basic Spirit Gathering and Spirit Condensation to the more advanced realms that sounded like the stuff of legends.
He learned about meridians, dantian, and the importance of spiritual resonance.
Most of the terms didn't feel like a foreign language to him since he had read about them before but to apply it to his body right now boggles his mind. He appreciated the effort Liu Xiaoyu put into explaining it all.
"So, basically," Lin Mo said after a while, "I need to become a human battery for all of this to work?"
Liu Xiaoyu giggled. "Something like that! But a really powerful battery that can blast people with magic and fly. You'll get there eventually, Boss!"
"Oh yeah? If I don't die from overwork first," Lin Mo muttered.
"You won't!" She said, puffing her chest out. "I'll protect you!"
Lin Mo chuckled, shaking his head. "Right. You and your 'Heaven's Reflex.' I bet those thugs would've had a good laugh at that."
Liu Xiaoyu pouted, her cheeks flushing slightly, "Hey! I was conserving my energy! I can handle those thugs now! With my reflexes, it's like they're moving in slow motion!"
"Sure, sure," Lin Mo said, his lips twitching as he tried not to laugh.
He stood up, stretching his arms above his head, the lingering weariness from the day settling into his bones. He knew he had a long way to go, but he was starting to find a strange sort of purpose in this chaotic new reality.
As the day wound down, the store saw its last rush of customers. A scholar purchased a Traveler's Respite Charm, a group of mortals bought snacks, and a pair of cultivators argued over who got the last Heavenly Dew Soda in stock only to Liu Xiaoyu to restock it in front of their eyes.
Lin Mo kept his business as he rang up the purchases, his exhaustion restrained.
Compared to him, Liu Xiaoyu remained energetic as she leaned against the counter with a grin.
"Boss, I think we're getting better at this. We didn't even have a robbery attempt today!"
"Don't jinx it," Lin Mo said, glancing at the system panel.
[Daily Tasks Updated:
Restock Inventory: Completed
Enhance Customer Satisfaction (5/5): Completed
Prepare for Tomorrow's Opening: Pending]
[Sales Summary: 289 Spirit Stones Earned (Mixed Grades)]
"Look at that, our sales are more than four times than yesterday," Lin Mo exclaimed, causing Liu Xiaoyu to jump like an excited rabbit.
As he prepared to close the store for the day, the system chimed with a new notification.
[System Notice: Day 2 Complete. Evaluation Pending.]
"Pending?" Lin Mo frowned. "Wait, it's not yesterday?"
Before Liu Xiaoyu could chime in with a snarky remark, a soft, melodic chime filled the air. The store's lights dimmed, and a golden glow suffused the room.
"Oh no," Lin Mo sucked his breath while Liu Xiaoyu ran to his back as though using him as a shield in case a blinding light covered the whole store. "Is Taihao back?"