Xiao Ya blinked, still groggy from the events of last night, but Liu Xiaoyu's energetic presence forced her to stay alert. Her mother, though cautious, eyed the young woman dressed in peculiar clothing warily.
Oblivious to the tension her presence brought, Liu Xiaoyu stepped inside as if she owned the place. "I came to check on you! And good thing I did! You look like you got steamrolled by a divine beast."
She placed her hands on her hips and examined Xiao Ya with a critical eye. As a self-proclaimed prodigy, she knew a thing or two about bloodline physiques. She read it from her family's scripture hall! There were records of experts bearing ancient bloodline physiques that defied the conventional scaling of the cultivation world.
"Yup. Something definitely awakened in you. I wonder… is that a common physique?"
Xiao Ya hesitated. "You… you knew?"
Liu Xiaoyu huffed and grinned. "Of course, we knew! Yangyang figured it out last night. Your body went boom with spiritual energy, and we sensed it even inside the city."
Xiao Ya's mother stiffened. "Then… you're saying this was caused by your store?"
Liu Xiaoyu tapped her chin before shaking her head. "Not exactly. But this was related to the Shopkeeper. More like something related to him helped trigger the bloodline dormant inside her. Is any of you a descendant of an ancient clan or sect?"
Xiao Ya's parents looked at each other, communicating through their gazes.
Eventually, Xiao Ya's mother opened her mouth, "It is a story passed down in our family. That we have an ancestor who transcended the heavens and became an immortal. However, no one in our family was born with a spirit root suitable for cultivation, not even my great-grandparents. For all my life, I believed we descended from a mortal family. Until…"
Her voice trailed there as she looked at her oldest daughter.
Liu Xiaoyu nodded but didn't say anything. She used her spirit senses, checking out Xiao Ya's siblings, and sure enough, they were mortals through and through.
Xiao Ya was truly just nothing but a lucky girl who got Lin Mo's Celestial Providence's luck leaking on her. Her spirit root has been strengthened and became the catalyst to awaken their bloodline physique.
Xiao Ya's father, a pragmatic man, spoke up with a cautious and protective tone, "Miss, what does your store intend to do about it? Are you here to claim her as one of yours?"
Liu Xiaoyu blinked. "Eh? Claim her? What do you think we are, a sect? Pfft. Boss isn't looking to recruit disciples. We're running a store, didn't you hear from your daughter?"
She crossed her arms and gave a mischievous grin. "But! Since she's already involved with us, we figured she might need some help."
Xiao Ya's heart pounded. "Help…?"
Liu Xiaoyu nodded. "Yup! You see, when someone suddenly glows in the middle of the night, word spreads. If I found you this fast, others won't be far behind. And those people might not be as nice as me."
She pointed a finger at Xiao Ya's parents. "You two seem like smart folks. You already know this, right?"
Xiao Ya's parents exchanged worried glances.
Liu Xiaoyu continued, her tone softening slightly. "So, before trouble comes knocking, Boss wants to offer a little protection. We're not some big righteous sect, but we do take care of our customers."
Lin Mo didn't exactly say that but Liu Xiaoyu decided she might as well make it sound like he did. Otherwise, how could she convince them to entrust their daughter to them?
Xiao Ya was still processing her words. Protection… from the store? Yesterday, her only problem was how to sell the mushrooms she foraged. Then all of a sudden, she got lucky with exchanging it in the store. She earned store credits that allowed her to gather hundreds of gold coins for her family…
What a laughable turn of events. It's like her fate had become a plaything of someone unfathomable.
Her mother looked skeptical. "And what does this protection entail?"
Liu Xiaoyu grinned. "Simple! Come to the store, work with us, and in return, you'll have a safe place to grow. You don't have to become a full-fledged cultivator or anything, but if you want to learn, we won't stop you."
Xiao Ya clenched her hands. Her heart warred with itself. On one hand, she wanted to learn, to understand what was happening to her. On the other, could she really leave her family?
Liu Xiaoyu seemed to read her thoughts. "And don't worry about your family! If you decide to stay in the city, we'll even help you guys move in."
Xiao Ya's father looked at her seriously. "Child… what do you want to do?"
For the first time, Xiao Ya felt she had a real choice.
And she knew what she wanted.
"…I want to go to the store." Her voice was quiet but filled with determination. "I want to learn."
Liu Xiaoyu's grin widened. "Good choice, Mushroom Girl! Welcome to the Divine Convenience Store!"
Meanwhile, beyond the Abyssal Forest, the Poison Demon Cult's forces had begun final preparations.
Luo Ming, following behind the advance forces sent to help him distract the guards and open up a path to infiltrate the city, crouched on a high ridge overlooking Fanling City's western outskirts.
The High Priest was truly determined to get his sample products. He mobilized half of their forces just to make the forces on this side of the Abyssal Forest.
Watching the battle happening down below, he saw groups of cultivators engaging the demonic beasts they nurtured and corrupted using powerful talismans and other peculiar items.
One cultivator pulled out a small rectangular piece of glossy paper, imbued with energy, and plastered it on his arm.
In an instant, a glowing purple silhouette materialized, a towering warrior clad in spectral armor which then merged with him. The cultivator roared before charging into the ranks of the cultists and demonic beasts, cutting down two before jumping back to escape.
Luo Ming's eyes narrowed. "W-what kind of talisman is that?"
He watched as more of these peculiar talismans were activated by sticking it to their bodies, summoning an array of creatures. Some were humanoid warriors, others were bizarrely shaped spirit beasts that all fused to those who used them.
A cultivator wielding a slick rapier released another type of talisman that summoned an enormous, shadowy falcon, which immediately swooped down and raked its talons across a Poison Demon Cult acolyte.
More and more of these talismans were appearing, used by disciples from different sects. This wasn't a coincidence.
"…These cultivators are from different forces. How come they're using the same techniques and talismans?" Then, a realization hit Luo Ming, "... Those talismans came from the store!"
The Divine Convenience Store's product was being displayed by these cultivators!
He exhaled slowly. The High Priest would not news.
A movement in the distance caught his attention. His trained eyes spotted a lone figure dashing away from the battle, slipping through the chaos undetected. Luo Ming recognized the insignia on the man's sleeve—one of the Acolytes cultists. A survivor of the initial skirmish, trying to flee back to their ranks.
Luo Ming raised his hand, halting the few Priests and Acolytes specialized in covert operations positioned around him. They're the ones responsible for clearing a path for him.
"Let him run." His lips curled into a smirk. "He'll report everything he saw to the High Priest. He'd understand how serious of a threat this store was. You too should go back. I'll infiltrate the city alone, see how I can persuade him to not meddle in this conflict."
Although he spent most of his time in the cult attending to the High Priest, Luo Ming knew not to underestimate the growing influence of the store.
If even the High Priest had started seeking it out by only tasting a few of its products… they might be facing something they wouldn't be able to cope with.
"... They welcome any customer, right? Good, I'll approach them as one."