The male supporting character was actually myself.

As a puppet maid with many years of experience working in the shop, Imi understood that the urgent warning sound meant that the current shop owner was having a very difficult time with the mission.

She looked up at the closed and locked door, and suddenly had the idea to go inside and take a look.

Seeing is believing, and she wanted to see for herself what kind of person the new shop owner really was!

Thinking of this, the puppet maid could no longer suppress her curiosity.

She gently twisted her right hand, and with a soft click, her right arm transformed into the shape of a key. Then, she inserted it into the old-fashioned lock cylinder on the wooden door, moving as smoothly and gently as water, conforming to the shape of the lock cylinder's interior.

A few seconds later, the wooden door to the attic was opened by itself for the first time.

Yimei was a little nervous and scared, and whispered to herself, "I'll just take a look, I definitely won't do anything rash, and it won't affect the new shop owner's mission!"

Pushing open the wooden door, the interior space of the attic was surprisingly not large.

Even though there were no windows letting in light and no electric lights, the attic was not dark.

On the contrary, there is a very gentle light that, combined with the tranquil atmosphere, is perfect for thinking and working.

"Two mirrors?" The sight before her eyes was beyond Yimei's imagination. She tiptoed forward and saw that the alarm was sounding from a small, strange device between the two mirrors.

With its old-fashioned printer-style keyboard, the store maintains its luxurious, retro, and somewhat steampunk style.

The screen directly above, without any sense of incongruity, displays a story of just a few hundred words. The two mirrors on the left and right are shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see what is happening inside from the outside.

"Unexpectedly, the old ox suddenly spoke in human language: 'Cowherd, today the seven fairies will descend to earth to bathe in the Jade Lotus Pond. You can hide among the bushes and secretly observe which one you like, then take her clothes and hide them. If a fairy loses her fairy clothes and cannot fly back, she can only stay in the mortal world to be your wife. I think the Weaver Girl in the red fairy clothes is the most beautiful. She is the Jade Emperor's favorite youngest daughter, so it would be most suitable for you to take her clothes...'"

After carefully examining the rules for using the Mirror World displayed on the screen, Yi Mei silently read through the story entered by the new shop owner, Mu Jiuxiu, and immediately became furious.

"What a lecherous rogue!" she clenched her fists and said angrily, "Compared to the shopkeeper, your job is like heaven. You can write your own stories and perform them in the mirror world to earn points. You can do whatever you want without any risk."

As a result, you actually made up such a story, disregarding propriety and shame in order to obtain a celestial beauty.

Spying on girls while they shower;

You steal a girl's clothes and hide them, preventing her from going home. You then use the clothes to blackmail her into becoming your wife, weaving cloth to earn money, support your family, and have children. You're even afraid of making any mistakes, highlighting how the Weaver Girl helped you become rich and powerful, and how she chased you to heaven to become the Cowherd Star Lord, ascending to the ranks of immortals. Bah! You, this despicable man, get all the benefits!

If an adult could write such a morally questionable and lewd story and even highlight the key points, Yi Mei has every reason to believe that Mu Jiuxiu is a filthy scumbag.

Allowing someone like that to inherit the shop owner's business is an insult to Wonderful Shop!

Chapter Twenty-Five: What a coincidence!

"What should we do now? What can I do to help?" Yi Mei dared not touch anything in the attic, after all, the gentleman who signed the contract on behalf of the shop owner had followed her in to try to stop Mu Jiuxiu.

She was worried that if she touched or moved anything carelessly, she might injure the kind gentleman.

The strange device kept blaring alarms, probably a result of his constant obstruction in the mirror world...

The puppet maid calmed herself down, thought for a moment, and quietly left the attic, locking the wooden door again. She dared not act rashly, but that didn't mean she would just stand by and do nothing. Imei decided to make a transaction in the wondrous shop as a "customer"!

Even if it's just to protect the original intention of the shop owner who has devoted so much effort to running the business, she doesn't want a kind stranger to risk fighting against Mu Jiuxiu alone. As the "housekeeper" who has been in charge of the shop's transactions for many years, she has to fight for the beliefs in her heart!

The existence of the Wonder Shop is quite unique.

Strictly speaking, it does not exist in any one world, yet it exists in all worlds at the same time. All three thousand great worlds have cracks leading to the shop. When the time is right, you will naturally see it and push open the door.

Therefore, not just anyone can make a transaction. This is where Ime, who has lived in the shop for a very long time, has a natural advantage. She doesn't need to search for anyone to sit in the velvet gothic chairs that are used for transactions in the shop.

The biggest question is what kind of trades to make.

One of the rules of the Wonderful Shop is that any magical items obtained by customers are invalid for the shop owner.

This means that Yi Mei's strong desire to drive Mu Jiuxiu out of the shop cannot be achieved directly through a transaction. How can she find a loophole in the rules to prevent Mu Jiuxiu from inheriting the shop?

The puppet maid slowly applied lubricant to her joints, her brows furrowed as she pondered intently.

In the mirror world, it was so dark that even the Weaver Girl didn't know what time it was.

The sky was overcast, and even in open areas without the shade of leaves, one could not see the stars in the sky.

"You must be very tired, Weaver Girl?" Jiang Chen stopped some distance from the big locust tree, patted the old ox on the head and said, "Please wait here for a moment. I'll hurry home to get a lantern for lighting, so you don't twist your ankle in the dark and difficult road."

Taurus Star Lord had already sensed that the young man's true form was nearby, but he was very careful and protected it well, so even he himself could not find out what kind of creature had cultivated into a spirit.

At this point, making an excuse to take the lantern was probably a way to go back and make preparations in advance so that the pretty girl wouldn't notice anything amiss.

We and the Weaver Girl ended up with him by accident. The young man was definitely not prepared at all, so we should give him some time, since we still need him to keep the Weaver Girl occupied!

"Then I'll wait here with the old ox for you, young man. Thank you for your help." The Weaver Girl nodded and sat down to rest on the rock he had helped her find.

It has to be said that after falling to the mortal world, his body became increasingly weak. Even walking on mountain paths, he could only do so slowly. If Jiang Chen walked a little faster, he would struggle to keep up.

"Moo~" The old ox pretended to be silly and simple-minded, turning its head to try and nudge the grass under the big tree, so that the two of them wouldn't notice its overly obvious human-like nature.

Seeing this, the Weaver Girl sighed and pretended not to know anything. "This young man lives alone in the deep mountains and forests. Could he be some kind of spirit that has cultivated himself? How strange, I can't sense it at all."

Taurus Star Lord chewed on some grass, watching her coldly with a smirk in his heart. What did this mean? It meant that her protective magic was also gradually disappearing!

The demonic aura emanating from the young man was very faint, yet easily detectable.

The fact that the dignified Seventh Princess of the Heavenly Palace couldn't even notice this means that the magical artifact protecting her from harm will soon become ineffective. This is truly the second great thing after getting rid of the greedy Cowherd!

Jiang Chen moved much faster on his own. He returned to his original form, the big locust tree, turned left three times, turned right three times, and then whispered "Open!"

A faint demonic aura rose from the wasteland, and moments later, fertile fields and small thatched huts appeared before their eyes.

He first used his magic to build a cowshed in a place that was neither too far nor too near. After carefully checking the room to make sure that the furnishings were simple, comfortable and without any flaws, he took some home-cooked food from the food-making machine and put it in a cold stove and pot. Only after he was ready did he take the exquisite paper lantern, light it, and set off to meet the Weaver Girl.

"Did you build this house yourself?" The Weaver Girl was truly surprised that the little tree spirit had such refined tastes.

According to her understanding of spirits, most of them would find a cave as their dwelling place and wouldn't be particular about their clothing, food, shelter, or transportation.

But here he not only had decent farmland and vegetable gardens, but also a stream that had been channeled to build a thatched hut. Come to think of it, this was the first time she had seen a proper place to live since her fairy clothes were stolen and she was left in the mortal world.

“Even if you’re cultivating in the mountains, you don’t have to live like an ascetic.” Jiang Chen lit a lantern, led the old ox to the new shed he had specially conjured for it with his magic, and then gave the Weaver Girl a look. “It’s getting late. I’ll go boil some water. You must be tired today, so have something to eat and get some rest.”

The chirping of insects and croaking of frogs in the rice paddies made the night even more tranquil, while the old ox lay comfortably in its new cowshed, munching on hay and watching with satisfaction.

Not far away, candlelight shone a warm orange glow from a thatched hut. The door was closed, but the shadows of two people could be seen sitting opposite each other and reflected in the window. Occasionally, one could faintly hear the Weaver Girl covering her mouth and laughing softly, and the young man's voice, which was not very clear.

"The perfect couple has finally been brought together. Now all that's left is for things to fall into place!" Taurus Star Lord breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that he could finally relax and focus on waiting for the newborn to be born and for the magpie spirit to spread rumors and force the Jade Emperor to amend the Heavenly Laws.

Jiang Chen finally managed to temporarily rescue the Weaver Girl. While the two were putting on an act to deceive the Golden Bull Star Lord and discussing which deity to ask for help, Mu Jiuxiu happened to see a "fire dragon" winding its way up the mountain.

Those were villagers carrying torches as they entered the mountains.

Everyone's thinking was very simple—although the female demon had a bad temper, she didn't hurt anyone when they met this afternoon, so they decided to try anything and accompany Niu Da to see what was going on.

If they're lucky, the two brothers might actually be able to reach an agreement and everything will be fine.

Even if you're unlucky and things don't go well, you can just turn around and run back to the village to wait for the Taoist priest to come and catch the demon. It doesn't cost any money, so you might as well believe in it a little.

"How much further? I'm exhausted!" Niu Da, panting heavily as he walked through the crowd, wiped the sweat from his brow and complained, "Is Niulang an idiot? He married a woman as beautiful as an angel and has a whole cartload of good stuff. With so much money, why doesn't he move to town? What is he doing hiding in this remote mountain forest where there's no road?"

A young man laughed upon hearing this, saying, "Haven't you heard the stories and anecdotes told by the storytellers in the teahouses of town? All the spirits and monsters in the mountains have cultivated their powers and can conjure up whatever they need with their magic."

We didn't see much this afternoon, but maybe if we venture deeper, we'll find the grand mansions often mentioned in stories. They'd be even more magnificent than the emperor's residence, with pavilions, towers, and countless servants! At night, the candlelight would illuminate it like daytime! Wouldn't it be much more enjoyable to eat, drink, and have a lively time than in town?"

"Hey, I heard a lot about this when I was working odd jobs at the restaurant. They say that fairies stuff flower petals into their little embroidered shoes, so they smell wonderful wherever they go, and they can bewitch people so much that they lose their bearings!"

"A female demon, of course, must be beautiful and able to bewitch people, otherwise why would the Cowherd seem like a completely different person?"

"That's right. The Cowherd used to be such a kind and honest boy. But the other day, I saw him wearing new clothes and shoes, walking around with his nostrils pointing to the sky. When I talked to him, he barely responded. It was like he had been transformed..."

…………

As everyone chatted idly, Niu Da became increasingly uneasy.

According to the old hunter, the female demon was truly powerful; she could unleash a raging fire with a single wave of her hand.

With such high magical power, living in a magnificent mansion and conjuring up chests and chests of gold, silver, jewels, and silks would be a piece of cake, right?

Even if things don't go well, they are spirits that cultivate in the deep mountains, surely they can find lingzhi and ginseng?

Who knows, there might be ginseng babies in these mountains. If we could get one or two, wouldn't it be possible to get promoted and become a nobleman?

You know, it's very popular to offer treasures these days. As long as the treasures you offer to the government officials are good enough, you can choose between money and official positions!

"It's just ahead, isn't it? Look how badly the fire is burning!" Niu Da became more and more excited, feeling that he could finally make a fortune and become rich overnight. He even had more energy when he walked and was no longer afraid of the dark, burned forest. He was thinking about how to reason with his good brother and get him to give his older brother some benefits.

"Hmph! Hmph!" Hearing the familiar footsteps, the mule, which had been starving all day, twitched its ears and brayed a few times at the distance, even trying to run away.

Mu Jiuxiu could only see faint flickering lights in the woods, and he felt a little scared.

He knew that the villagers didn't dare to go into the mountains. There was a long-standing saying in Taoyuan Village that there were monsters in the deep mountains, and even the old hunters only hunted on the edge of the forest and didn't go deep into it.

Only the stubborn cowherd, for some reason, always goes to the deep mountains to herd cattle when he has nothing better to do.

It is precisely because of this remote location, beautiful lake view, and undisturbed tranquility that the Jade Lotus Pond became the place where the seven fairies descended to earth to bathe, and it was only with the encouragement and help of the old ox that they were able to successfully steal the fairy clothes.

If it weren't for the fact that hunters often roam the deep mountains, why would the fairies dare to choose this place to bathe and play in the water?

It's getting late now, so who could be traveling up the mountain path with a torch?

"It can't be bandits, can it?" Mu Jiuxiu suddenly remembered that in the chaotic ancient times, there were always outlaws who would rob people on the road, and they would often kill them with white knives and throw them into the mountains to feed the wolves.

Oops!

What if I encounter bandits?

The character of the Cowherd is basically a blank slate. His fighting ability has not increased at all. He transmigrated to the mirror world to marry the Weaver Girl and win without lifting a finger. Who would have thought that not only would things not go smoothly, but he would also encounter so many messy and troublesome things.

What if I accidentally get killed and the mission fails?

Mu Jiuxiu stepped forward and pulled the mule back to prevent it from making noise and attracting the firelight's attention, while racking his brains to recall how the machine in the attic was described and what the rules for protecting beginners were.

"Hmph hmph hmph!" The mule didn't listen to him at all. It had already recognized its master's voice from the footsteps. Having been hungry all day and whipped many times, the mule just wanted to rush to its master's side, have a good meal, and rest.

The man and the mule were locked in a struggle, and when the mule saw this, it kicked up and knocked the cowherd, who was pushing hard, to the ground!

Fortunately, the protagonist's halo shielded him from the blow, preventing it from hitting his groin and causing much less serious damage.

"Ouch, you son of a bitch, you've gone too far! You beast dare to bully me? Damn it, if I catch the Weaver Girl and finish my business here, I'll skin you alive!" Without any warning, Mu Jiuxiu was kicked in the leg by the mule and fell into the charred ashes. He was in pain and angry, spitting out a mouthful of dirt and cursing.

Brother Li heard his mule's familiar braying from afar. He forgot all about being afraid of the female demon and charged forward, shouting in his usual mule-training language, "Cheep cheep cheep!"

The mule got even more excited when it heard this, and dragged the loaded cart over. When it saw its master, its big eyes were almost filled with tears. It nudged Li Erge with its nose, looking for something to eat.

"My mule cart has been found!" Brother Li felt a weight lifted from his heart. He then called to everyone, "How about we stop going? What if we anger the female demon and she sets us on fire again?"

The old hunter curled his lip. "Look at you, so spineless. Is it still just a problem with the mule cart? We've come this far, we should at least resolve the hidden dangers. Niu Da is with us, what are you afraid of? Let him have a good talk with Niu Lang!"

“That’s right, as the older brother, I can’t let my sister-in-law harm the villagers. Don’t be afraid!” Niu Da was intoxicated by the prospect of wealth and glory, and with so many people bolstering his courage, how could he bear to give it up?

He patted his chest, full of pride, as if he could immediately obtain a priceless treasure to exchange for an official position in the city and indulge in his desire for power.