Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 27 The Edict of Punishment
Back in the shop, Liu Shuyue insisted that Chen Xuan recount the events in a way she could understand.

"Otherwise, if I followed along the whole way but only had a vague understanding of the whole thing, wouldn't I have suffered a huge loss?"

Chen Xuan didn't intend to hide anything and fulfilled her request as if they were just having a casual chat. Seeing her listening with great interest, he suddenly asked abruptly, "Does that Eight Gates Formation of Life and Death really need to be cast for so long? You were ready just when I was on the defensive. You weren't doing it on purpose, were you?"

Liu Shuyue's gaze shifted two degrees in an instant. "How could that be? Eight light talismans need to be pasted... It does take some time. Are you implying that I'm not putting in the effort? I can't accept that kind of accusation!"

Chen Xuan could tell that she rarely lied.

But this is understandable. If it were me, I'd probably want to see just how capable the manager of this mysterious shop really is, and whether he can actually fight. The only way to stay out of the loop is to keep your distance from customers and always work alone.

But he wants to be a store manager, not an idol, and getting along well with customers seems to be more beneficial than harmful at the moment.

"Speaking of which, why are you using the Thousand Thoughts Sword so... clumsy?" Liu Shuyue changed the subject guiltily. "With the skills I taught you, you should be able to easily take down the opponent."

Speaking of this, Chen Xuan took the opportunity to ask the question that had been on his mind for a long time, "What level did you reach in your Thousand Thoughts Sword training?"

“Level?” She thought for a moment. “You mean the tiers, right? It’s clearly written above, nine tiers.”

But what he saw was LV8.

"How many floors are there in total?"

"The tenth level is the Great Perfection realm."

He was only one level away from the Great Perfection, but his level was displayed as LV8. There was clearly a conversion relationship between the two. Chen Xuan wondered if the level number actually referred to a percentage, and the Great Perfection was a full 20% stronger than the ninth level? He was currently a LV2 shopkeeper, and the Thousand Thoughts Sword he was using was only equivalent to 20% of that level. In Liu Shuyue's eyes, that should be about the same as a beginner.

Of course, all of this speculation is based on the premise that the highest level is LV10, since he has never seen an ability above level 10.

"So how do you usually improve your cultivation level?"

Liu Shuyue raised an eyebrow. "You can't ask about this casually. Every cultivator has their own cultivation method, and no one will easily reveal it to another fellow cultivator. If you ask casually, it might even be seen as a provocation."

"That's it..."

"But it's not like I can't give you some pointers." She changed the subject. "Simply put, the Thousand Thoughts Sword is a practical sword technique, and the ideal way to improve it is through combat. I was able to become a disciple of the sect by fighting my way through a large pool of candidates."

Chen Xuan couldn't help but be surprised, "Then you must have killed someone when you were just a few years old?"

"Huh?" Liu Shuyue was stunned for a moment before she couldn't help but laugh. "The fighting I was talking about was normal competition, what are you thinking! The Lotus Cloud Sect isn't some evil cult. What I mean is, although sword sparring is very dangerous, it's also the most controllable cultivation method. Because your opponents are either experienced or of similar skill, you can make significant progress with each fight. If you just use magic to bully the weak and slaughter the innocent, you'll hardly improve in your entire life."

I understand that; it's the same principle as a terrible chess player getting worse and worse.

"The guidance you mentioned... do you mean you're willing to spar with me?"

"If you agree to reduce the rent a bit more, it wouldn't hurt for me to have a friendly spar with you occasionally," Liu Shuyue revealed her true intentions.

Seeing the expectant look in the other person's eyes, Chen Xuan deliberately replied in a helpless tone, "Then... okay."

I'll double your rent right away!
A mere tenant trying to fight the landlord? What a pipe dream!
……

……

Liu Shuyue returned to her room on the second floor, completely unaware that her rent had doubled.

She felt that she had made great progress. When she first came down the mountain, she was left speechless by the cunning Chen Xuan, but now she could hold her own in a confrontation.

Liu Shuyue suddenly felt an urge to record everything that had happened that day.

She hadn't written anything in a long time... the last time was when she was copying the sect's books. From any perspective, these things were unrelated to the duties of a sect disciple and offered no benefit to cultivation, so they shouldn't have been worth her time recording. But she felt happy at the moment, and even thinking about it made her smile unconsciously.

This was certainly not because it saved the life of a foreigner from the Abyss.

Rather, it was the first time she had embarked on an unexpected "adventure" as a partner with someone else.

She not only earned herself a month's rent, but also made the other party owe her a small favor.

This is a feeling I've never had before.

Everything she had done before was for the sake of the sect and her duty; she hadn't benefited from it in the slightest. She didn't see anything wrong with that, and she would probably continue to do so in the future.

However, this event, which brought no benefit to either the sect or the Great Qi Kingdom, gave her the urge to record it. Liu Shuyue couldn't explain why, but she decided to follow this natural, pleasant reaction.

After grinding the ink, Liu Shuyue was troubled again by coming up with a name for the shop manager.

Chen Xuan was definitely out of the question. Whether it was her real name or not, it would sound too formal in her travelogue. A more elegant pseudonym would be better. She thought for a moment, then pulled a stack of shiny scraps of paper from her waist pocket—they were instant noodle packaging bags. One line of small print indicated the place of production: "Lushan XX Food Processing Factory." Chen Xuan might not have noticed, but she had already scrutinized every detail. This location wasn't recorded in any of the six kingdoms, so it was most likely the shop's permanent location.

Since that's the case, let's call him the Hermit of Lushan.

dong dong.

Just as Liu Shuyue put down her pen, she heard a knocking sound coming from the warning talisman posted inside the door.

That means someone is touching her door.

It wasn't Cave 201 inside the shop, but rather the accommodation located in the government office.

She put down her pen, left the cave through the back door on one side of the pool, and returned to her room in the government office. By then, the muffled sound of knocking on the door was clearly audible.

"Immortal Master, are you inside?"

"I'm sorry to bother you so late at night, but I have something important to discuss with you!"

Liu Shuyue straightened her clothes, put on her outer robe, and then opened the door. Standing outside was Tang, the second-in-command of Zhang Weicheng.

He cupped his hands and said, "General Gong has just arrived in Zhangwei with a large number of troops. He is carrying the King's edict and is currently waiting in the Weiwu Hall, wanting to meet with the Immortal Master immediately."

"From the royal city?" Liu Shuyue's spirits lifted. "Yes."

"I'll be there right away."

The troop coming from the capital could only be a force transporting disaster relief supplies. The general surnamed Gong is no nobody; the entire Gong family, young and old, serves in the Imperial Guard and has always been a favorite of the current emperor.

Although instant noodles are delicious and filling, the shops obviously won't keep supplying them indefinitely. They just need to get through the most difficult initial period until the relief supplies from each state arrive. Liu Shuyue estimated it would take about half a month, but unexpectedly, the supplies from the capital arrived in just one week.

High speed also means traveling light, so the vehicles probably won't carry too many supplies.

"How much money and food did they bring?" Liu Shuyue asked. "If Your Excellency doesn't mind, I can oversee the distribution."

The prefect's eyes flickered slightly. "I don't know either... You can ask the general yourself when the time comes."

Upon entering the Hall of Martial Might, Liu Shuyue immediately spotted General Gong—or more accurately, Gong Lingwu, the youngest son of the Gong family. The last time she saw him was five years ago in the royal city. He was a typical spoiled brat, fond of street brawls and intimidation, with a terrible reputation. She never expected him to now be wearing armor and serving the Emperor.

Normally, Liu Shuyue wouldn't even give such a person a second thought.

However, since it was now business, she still took the initiative to clasp her hands in greeting and said, "General Gong, you must be tired from your journey. May I ask what brings you here?"

"The king has issued a decree to you."

Gong Lingwu pulled a paper tube out of his backpack.

Disciples of the sect have a special status and are not required to kneel unless they are in direct contact with the king. Therefore, Liu Shuyue simply nodded slightly and waited for the imperial edict.

"Immortal Master Liu Shuyue, from the day you receive this edict, proceed to the capital immediately without delay." General Gong closed the edict and handed it over with one hand. "That's all."

That short sentence sent a jolt through Liu Shuyue's heart.

It's not about exorcising demons, nor is it about pacifying the people... It's just about me going back?
But the current emperor cannot be unaware of the reason why she has been traveling to various places and rarely returned to the central government in recent years.

"Are you going to answer or not? Not answering will be considered disobeying the imperial decree," Gong Lingwu said impatiently.

Liu Shuyue could only accept it, but in her heart she was thinking that she would no longer have the opportunity to cooperate with Chen Xuan in taking care of the refugees. "I understand."

"Good to know. The higher-ups are pressing us hard. Take a rest tonight, and we'll set off with you tomorrow morning."

Should we set off with him?

There probably isn't even enough time to unload the cargo overnight, right?

"What about the disaster relief grain funds? Aren't you going to stay here and supervise their storage?"

"What grain or money? Did you distribute it?" Gong Lingwu scoffed. "My orders didn't include disaster relief. I brought so many people here to suppress the riots. Aren't you leaving? Without the Immortal Master in charge, we'll naturally have to leave more troops in Zhangwei City..."

Liu Shuyue could no longer hear what he said after that.

Only one sentence kept echoing in her mind.

Where is there any money for grain?
Where is there any money for grain?
Where is there any money for grain?
She glanced at the prefect and the county magistrate standing beside her. The two men were expressionless, like stone statues, neither surprised nor angry, just quietly listening to the general's sneer.

"You...already knew about this?"

"Well... I wasn't aware of that beforehand." Shen Fang coughed twice. "I only heard that food supplies are being tightened in various places, so it might not be easy to allocate some to disaster victims—"

"You have no shortage of food at all!" Liu Shuyue couldn't help but interrupt loudly. "This year isn't a famine year. Apart from Qingzhou being harmed by monsters, how could the other prefectures not be able to spare disaster relief grain?!"

The fact that disaster victims were able to buy food with their money after selling instant noodles at high prices is the best proof of this!

"Those wealthy and powerful families are just insatiably greedy!"

Shen Fang sighed softly, "First of all, it's understandable that they want to sell their goods at higher prices, but secondly... this is not the fundamental reason why the states can't distribute grain."

"Master Liu, do you really know nothing?" Gong Lingwu sneered. "At this critical moment for the survival of the nation, you're still only concerned about those refugees in Qingzhou. Don't make me laugh."

Life or death? Liu Shuyue looked at him.

What is he saying?
"The Luo Kingdom has hundreds of thousands of troops stationed on the border, with camps stretching for hundreds of miles. Evidence from all sides indicates that they will launch a full-scale invasion of our Great Qi Kingdom within one to two years at most! War is about to break out, Liu Shuyue! And their leader is none other than the eldest disciple of the Lianyun Sect, Immortal Master Lanqin!" He pointed at Liu Shuyue and shouted, "Look at them, and then look at you—if Great Qi is defeated, you will be the culprit!"

Is Lanqin going to help the Luo Kingdom invade the Qi Kingdom?
How can this be?

Isn't the duty of a sect disciple to assist the kingdom, to ensure the orderly operation of the world, and to bring peace and prosperity to all living beings and industries?
"There must be some misunderstanding here!" Liu Shuyue said incredulously. "Let me write a letter to Senior Sister Lan Qin..."

"There's no need. What you need to do is emulate Master Lan and pass on powerful cultivation techniques and immortal arts to the sons of military families. It would be best if you could also bear a few children for the King. That way, we can afford to endure the protracted war." Gong Lingwu shrugged lightly. "I've been wondering for a long time why the immortal masters of the Great Qi are nowhere to be seen. Shouldn't assisting the King and strengthening the royal family be the immortal masters' duty? It's all the King's fault for being so lenient, allowing you to indulge yourself to this day."

That's why Prefect Zhangwei disagreed with the large-scale distribution of grain... Liu Shuyue looked at Shen Fang, because he was also waiting, waiting for the Emperor's reaction! After today, I'm afraid there won't be any more thin porridge.

Once the war entered the preparation stage, all regions had to procure food for the army, and naturally no one wanted to share even a single grain with the disaster victims in Qingzhou.

"Speaking of which, why is it so peaceful here? I thought those people would have started causing trouble long ago after being starving for so many days," General Gong asked curiously. "Lord Shen, you wouldn't be secretly providing relief to the disaster victims, would you?"

"That's not true. I've just been maintaining a small-scale distribution of porridge to keep the refugees concentrated here and prevent them from wandering around," Shen Fang replied immediately. "Thanks to Master Liu's miraculous magic, the disaster victims were able to get a convenient food called instant noodles, so they didn't go hungry."

"Huh? There's even a magic spell that can conjure up food?" Gong Lingwu was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. "Great! This way, the army will have food wherever they go! Are the disaster victims still receiving food distributed by the immortal masters?"

"some."

"Please take them, I want to take them all with me."

“This…” Shen Fang hesitated for a moment.

"What's there to be afraid of? My soldiers are at your command; they won't cause any trouble." General Gong glanced at Liu Shuyue sideways. "Just kill those who refuse. They'll starve to death anyway after the Immortal Master leaves. Sending them on their way early is a form of mercy, isn't it?"

(End of this chapter)