Liu Shuyue walked far ahead before slightly slowing her pace.
She turned back, the magical shop already a mountaintop away, hidden behind layers of forest, only a faint glimmer of light visible.
The shopkeeper did not chase after her.
Perhaps, as he said, the transaction was a fair deal, but she still couldn't let her guard down.
After realizing what she had obtained, Liu Shuyue recognized that her initial judgment was entirely wrong! What did it mean to exchange four abilities for one? Had she known the Encyclopedia of Ancient and Modern was like this, she would have willingly exchanged even more abilities!
She saw another piece of history, an extremely vast history! Within it, various figures established various dynasties, flourishing and declining like a magnificent canvas, its complexity far exceeding her imagination and surpassing everything she had learned.
She couldn't comprehend why a capability that could so greatly expand her knowledge and experience was classified as a mere ordinary eighth rank. And its introduction was completely opposite to reality: what does it mean "you think you can learn lessons from it, but actually can't"? Many people in this history clearly pointed out, like using history as a mirror to understand the rise and fall, and not forgetting the lessons of predecessors... It must be said, the shopkeeper either made a careless mistake, swapping labels on the abilities, or was deliberately testing her.
But now it seems, the answer is likely the latter.
Returnable within a month?
She would never return the ability in her lifetime.
Liu Shuyue hadn't fully expressed her thoughts.
Since her enlightenment, she always harbored doubt. Given that the Lotus Cloud Sect's existence is to assist the Monarch in governance, why does the Sect's library have scarce records of past disciples' assistance? Logically, regardless of their achievements, good or bad, they should be recorded truthfully; the good to emulate, the bad as warnings, yet she found no such records. When asked, her mentor always smiled without answering, or the Sect elders showed indifference to disciples leaving the mountain, as if worldly changes had nothing to do with the Lotus Cloud Sect.
With Liu Shuyue's foot speed, it should take at most a month to travel from Kunlun to the capital of the Qi Kingdom, but she had been delayed on the road for almost half a year.
During this half year, she passed through more than ten towns, witnessing scenes not seen in the Sect, and learning things not taught in books. In theory, with the assistance of Sect disciples, the dynasty should be thriving, people living peacefully, yet what she saw along the way was not so. Small areas were rampant with bandits, official roads and villages deserted, with only a few big cities slightly better.
Moreover, no matter how she inquired, she couldn't learn any news of previous disciples, which baffled her.
The mountain gates open once every hundred years, and as long as practitioners don't meet accidents, most can live past this age. Even if disciples perished halfway, they should have left behind numerous deeds and achievements.
Yet, there were hardly any legends of Immortal disciples among the populace.
Liu Shuyue almost certainly concluded, the previous disciples failed.
Perhaps, as the Sect elders mentioned as a negative example, they fell into worldly desires, forgetting their original intent, or got too deeply involved in court affairs, straying from the Sect's purpose.
She couldn't yet verify this with the government, because that would shake the image of the Lotus Cloud Sect assisting disciples with omniscience.
If the previous disciples failed, then what about her?
After all, every disciple learns the same things as her, and talents are only higher, not lower; if they achieved nothing, would she follow suit?
This series of worries and misunderstandings made her struggle to travel peacefully.
Now, however, Liu Shuyue was no longer as worried.
Because she had gained guidance from countless "ancestors," observed many court disputes, and knew how to maintain her true self and fulfill her responsibilities. She seemed to glimpse countless futures of herself, and had the chance to pick the best one.
What a miraculous ability this is!
Her mentor told her that one's mindset should always be as calm as water, but Liu Shuyue couldn't help but lift the corners of her mouth.
She absolutely profited!
In this light, the shopkeeper wasn't so opportunistic, taking advantage of her?
However, thinking about the young shopkeeper's unchanged fake smile from start to finish, she was still somewhat displeased and snorted lightly. Everyone is a capable person, why speak so cheekily like a vendor, why not openly introduce the abilities?
Moreover, the name of this shop being "Mala Tang" is quite peculiar.
Not only is it inelegant, but even a bit vulgar.
Could these three characters hold some deeper meaning?
"Mala Tang… Chen Xuan..."
Liu Shuyue silently repeated, which faction do you belong to? Are you among the Wilderness Strange Gods or the Overseas Mystic Sect? Which world do these historical stories belong to?
If there's a chance to meet again, she must ask thoroughly.
...
...
Having dealt with the bloodstains, Chen Xuan let out a sigh of relief.
He truly was the shop's manager now.
This feeling of both ephemeral and real sensation lingered in his mind; if not for fear of disturbing others at night, he would've loved to shut the door and shout out loud. Wanting to vent yet forced to restrain, at this moment, he felt like pretending to be ordinary in an extremely bizarre dream.
But no matter what, facts are facts.
He took two deep breaths to calm himself first.
Now that he was the manager, what should he do next?
"Right… check inventory."
Chen Xuan threw the rag into the sink, went to the bar counter computer, and maximized the inventory window.
Only to see the overview written with ability inventory number: [4], available ability provider: [1]. The "1" still represented Chen Xuan himself; Liu Shuyue's name did not appear among them.
"Seems like ability number and provider are not directly correlated," he contemplated, "Once these abilities are traded, they become ability without ownership? And as the manager, I can always act as a temporary provider?"
Can I use these abilities?
He opened his own section, then dragged the ability "Pill Medicine Study" into it.
In an instant, a stream of information rushed into his mind, prompting a muffled groan.
It truly worked!
The feeling of intense pressure came quickly and left just as swiftly; moments after, Chen Xuan felt his mind filled with a plethora of knowledge, such as how to distinguish ordinary herbs and spirit plants, and how to formulate them into pills. Undoubtedly, these were all what Liu Shuyue had learned, now belonging to him.
The inventory number changed to 3.
But what does that matter? He's the manager, he can always engage in transactions, it doesn't hurt to give himself abilities! If abilities were like money, it would be like he could draw from the store's funds freely without paying any interest.
Abilities, after all, are more substantial than money!
He eagerly wanted to transfer other inventory abilities over as well, but found he couldn't do it—his page only had four columns, looking like an Excel sheet in the software, yet unable to add or delete entries.
So he could only have four abilities at once?
Is it the same for everyone, or does it vary from person to person?
Chen Xuan immediately thought, the answer should be the latter.
Simply put, Liu Shuyue traded four abilities at once. If the limit were four, she would've effectively exchanged everything for "Encyclopedia of Ancient and Modern," logically incompatible. Additionally, judging from her reaction, trading one for four, though somewhat unpleasant, was still acceptable; she wasn't too regretful about losing those four abilities, indicating that Liu Shuyue's trading chips were far beyond just a few.
After all, she's a cultivator, whereas he's an ordinary person.
Chen Xuan readily accepted this point. Four it is, four abilities, if the limit can't be increased, he can always adjust the content, right? He dragged "Special Eating" and "Extraordinary Sleeping Ability" into the inventory column, then transferred "Purifying Heart Technique" and "Spirit Sword Technique" onto himself, and this series of operations succeeded.
A chill stream rose from his soles, within moments sweeping through his body—he immediately understood the effect of the Purifying Heart Technique: it's a passive cultivation technique, like inner strength in martial arts films, once learned it can operate autonomously, enhancing physical health and complementing other abilities.
Moreover, he sensed that even entry-level cultivation techniques have rather strict aptitude requirements. If he tried learning the Purifying Heart Technique through conventional means, he might train for a decade without success, yet ability trading could bypass this hurdle, as if forcibly grafting the ability onto the body, not only could he grasp it, but also use it proficiently.
As if Liu Shuyue's memories and experiences of cultivating the Purifying Heart Technique also transferred to him.