After three or four days of frantic activity, Lu Kaifeng handed over all the shop’s affairs, and the two siblings bid their farewells to return to the mountain. Over the past few years, my Eldest Senior Brother had been constantly traveling between the north and south. Although his sister was stationed at the shop, she was hardly any help at all; every minor detail and major task had been handled by his own hands. Even so, his cultivation had not lagged behind; he was already on the verge of attempting a breakthrough into the mid-stage of the Cloud-Feasting Realm. Master had sent me to relieve him and recalled him to the mountain out of consideration for his hard work, wanting him to enjoy a few days of peace at home before entering a quiet period of secluded meditation.
Of the two bedrooms, the one facing the street was slightly larger. Naturally, Eldest Senior Brother had given it to his beloved sister. Seventh Brother, in turn, insisted I take it, while he moved into the more cramped room facing the backyard. It didn't even have a window, and for a tall young man like him, there was hardly room to stretch his limbs. Feeling quite guilty, I purchased several comfortable furnishings for his room and even paid out of my own pocket to hire a specialist. Using spatial arrays, the specialist expanded the bedroom by about two feet in length and width, giving him a bit more breathing room. These so-called "specialists" were everywhere in the capital; this one was an outer disciple of the Boundless Sect. Lacking the talent for higher arts, he had left the sect after learning a few practical arrays for daily use, yet he managed to earn enough in the capital to own a house with a small courtyard.
The day after Eldest Senior Brother left, Seventh Brother rose early and ducked into the tiny kitchen on the first floor to make me breakfast. Once we finished eating, we worked together to unlock the cabinets, arrange the stock, and carefully inspect the condition of our precious spiritual artifacts.
To be honest, when I first learned Master had a branch in the capital, I thought it was for taking on commissions to solve the troubles of the nobility. When we first opened, my heart was set only on finding Wei Qingming to play. Although I had handled some goods under Lu Kaifeng’s guidance, I hadn't paid much attention to the details. I hadn't expected Master to be intent on running a legitimate business. In just a few years, progress had been rapid; Dreamscape had already made a name for itself among the twenty or thirty nearby merchant houses, establishing a firm foothold. Our average daily turnover exceeded three hundred thousand. There was no secret to it—the items were simply outrageously expensive.
Eldest Senior Brother even had a keen sense for marketing, popularizing a local catchphrase: *"With spirit stones in hand, the world is yours; a thousand wonders await within the Dreamscape."* I flipped through the ledger recording the origins of our stock while examining the items at hand. After three years with the Nie family, my eyes were no longer as undiscerning as they once were, back when I had to rely entirely on Muyu’s prompts. For instance, take this Seven-Heart Seven-Leaf Flower of the South Seas, specifically used to treat various forms of depression and melancholy. The ledger stated it was produced on the volcanic islands of the Boundless Sea at the southernmost tip of the Great Jing. However, the further south and hotter the climate, the better this plant grew. The specimen in our shop was of even higher quality than the ones the Nie family smuggled in from the even more distant Kingdom of Leitian. Because the loss during refinement was immense, a typical medicinal dose required an entire plant. But for the one in our shop... a single petal or half a leaf would suffice, and the efficacy would be far superior. Naturally, the price was marked up more than tenfold. The wealthy families of the capital didn't fear high prices; they only feared having nowhere to buy the best. Guarding a room full of such treasures, it was impossible not to be successful.
I clicked my tongue in admiration, carefully explaining the methods of appraisal for each item to Seventh Brother. At the same time, I wondered what miraculous channel Master and Eldest Senior Brother had found to secure such high-quality stock. It wasn't just a one-off occurrence; every single item was like this! If Nie Xueqing ever found out, she would surely come galloping over to swallow us whole...
The first day went well; we took in two hundred thousand by noon. It was currently the season of the "Autumn Tiger," and the dense crowds of the capital only added to the sweltering heat. Pitying Seventh Brother for the physical labor of moving crates and the chore of cooking, I told him we would order meals from a nearby restaurant from now on. Since the afternoon heat meant there would likely be few customers, I told him to go take a nap without worry. Du Chuilun obediently said, "Thank you for looking after things, Sixth Sister," and retired to his room.
Bored, I spread out a book of lyric poetry to read. Indeed, for over two hours, not a soul entered. Our shop followed the trend of the surrounding merchant houses, locking the doors promptly at the start of the Hour of the Rooster. Seeing the western sun spilling into the room, I was just about to go out and find a messenger boy to order dinner from Chunan Tower when a customer arrived. He was a middle-aged wealthy merchant with soft skin and delicate hands and feet; one look told me he lived off his ancestral estate. I smiled and said, "Welcome." With a wave of my hand, a fragrant breeze drifted forth, and a shimmering phantom of a celestial maiden appeared to offer tea and snacks before dissolving back into the wind with a soft, sweet laugh.
The customer was greatly startled by this display of illusion magic. He froze for a moment, and it wasn't until I personally took the tea and handed it to him that he nervously reached out and took it. He didn't even have the heart to look at the beautiful phantom; he clearly had some unspeakable trouble on his mind. I took the initiative to ask with a smile, "What does our honored guest require?"
I packaged his items beautifully and presented them to him, but he was in no hurry to take them. He stammered, "If I may be so bold as to ask... has this shop changed owners?"
"You mean the one surnamed Lu?" I said. "To tell you the truth, he is my Senior Brother. This is our sect's property, and I have taken charge for the next few years. My name is Su."
"Oh? A sect..." He hesitated for a moment. "In that case, does Boss Su also know how to catch ghosts?"
I understood immediately. This man had come looking for Lu Lingfeng. His house was likely haunted, and having heard that there was an expert at Dreamscape who could perform exorcisms, he had come seeking help, though he was too embarrassed to say it directly. Money is money, regardless of how it's earned, and the fee for an exorcism was quite respectable. I nodded with a smile. "I can." We made an appointment to visit his residence the following day, and the merchant, surnamed Wu, took his leave.
I stretched my limbs just as Du Chuilun walked down, still holding the ledger. He gave an embarrassed smile. "Big Brother and Sixth Sister have both traveled the world and have great vision. I was afraid that if you weren't in the shop, I wouldn't even be able to explain the origins of the goods."
"Don't worry, take it slow," I laughed. "Besides, I'll certainly be keeping watch over the shop. Big Brother said the stock for the next few months is mostly settled, and he'll have Yixin come to help with that before the end of the year."
He blinked, then suddenly said slowly, word by word, "Now that Sister has returned to the capital, you will surely go to visit old friends, won't you?"
The setting sun bathed him in gold, filtering through the long, fuzzy lashes of the young man and tinting them a transparent, soft brown. I suddenly felt that the boy had truly grown up; it seemed he had things on his mind as well. What kind of "golden hand" did Master have? Every male disciple he brought to the mountain was more delicate and gentle than the last, completely unlike the rough men outside... Oh, wait, there was also my thick-skinned Third Brother. The success rate dropped to seventy percent.
After he spoke, he looked at me from under his lashes, a strange sort of expectation in his eyes. I smiled. "Actually, I've seen everyone I needed to see over these past few years. My sisters are all doing well, so I'm not worried at all. I won't go to disturb them."
He gave an "un" of acknowledgment and went back into the kitchen to cook.
While the sun was up, the ground was stiflingly hot, but as soon as night fell, the temperature plummeted. The autumn wind swirled withered leaves into the shop with a rustle. We partially closed the doors, lit the lamps, and ate a quiet meal together, using a simple spell to sweep the fallen leaves out the door. Just as I stepped out to add a wind-shielding array, I saw a dark figure darting out from a closed merchant house in the distance. He was weaving through the alleys to evade pursuers, his footwork quite impressive.
Seeing that he would be able to escape the East Market once he turned the corner of our T-junction—and once he vanished into the slums of the southern streets, no one would ever find him—I chuckled. Timing it perfectly as he ran past our door, I stuck out my foot to trip him.
The man was quick-witted; before hitting the ground, he shifted his step and, incredibly, leaped backward instead. I had anticipated this. While he was mid-air, I raised my hand and used a clever pull of force to reel him inside. I spun him through the doorway and slammed the door shut with a *thud*.
Du Chuilun, who was still clearing the table, was just as startled as the thief. I hissed a "shh" and gestured for them to look at the window. Outside, a duplicate of the thief appeared on the spot, pretending to scramble up from the ground, cheekily tugging up a half-slipped boot before vanishing in a flash. The pursuers went thundering past.
The thief said with a grin, "Is this sister a celestial? To tell the truth, I, Old Gu, saw this same spell three years ago..."
I rolled my eyes at him. "I'm the one you saw back then."
Gu Shuguan let out a "Heh!" and jumped up. "Sister has saved my life twice! I must repay this debt even if I have to carry grass in my mouth like a bird or a ring in my beak! But why does Sister look different than last time?"
I mimicked his old mannerisms, curling my fingers into a delicate gesture and wailing affectedly, "How can you be so unreasonable, Master? This humble girl said she only sells her art..." Gu Shuguan burst into laughter. Du Chuilun, ever the gentleman, neither spoke nor smiled, simply lowering his head to gather the cups onto a tray. I huffed, "A celestial can take any form they wish, of course. Otherwise, how would 'Little Lady Gu' have made it through the gates?"
Gu Shuguan gave me a thumbs-up and launched into a series of tall tales. Smelling the aroma of noodles, he lunged toward the dining table with a watering mouth, reaching out to grab the leftover bowl I had finished. Du Chuilun frowned and snatched the bowl away. Seeming to suppress a flicker of anger, he said, "If you want to eat, there is more in the kitchen."
"Much obliged, much obliged!" Gu Shuguan bowed with thick-skinned bravado.
A moment later, my virtuous Seventh Brother thrust a bowl of plain noodles into Gu Shuguan’s arms. Unfazed by the heat, the thief used his chopsticks to swirl a large clump of noodles into his mouth. I rested my chin on my hand, watching him with a smile, and said casually, "My brother is good, isn't he?"
"Good!"
"I saved your life, and he gave you food. According to the rules of the road, we split the take three ways."
To my surprise, Gu Shuguan gallantly pulled a large string of jewelry from his back pocket. He roughly divided them into three piles and handed one to me and one to Du Chuilun. He truly was a thief with high aspirations and a code of honor. Du Chuilun frowned, looking as though he found the items filthy and didn't want to touch them. I glanced over and saw the split was indeed fair, so I said, "Take it. It's yours." Only then did he reluctantly accept.
After finishing the noodles, Gu Shuguan wiped the non-existent grease from his mouth and offered another basketful of flatteries. All the while, his thieving eyes darted around our shop. I remained composed, not fearing his light fingers. He tried to go into the kitchen to grab the braised chicken on the stove, but Du Chuilun slapped his dirty hand away, saying coldly, "That is for Sister." His posture suggested he was ready to fight to the death with anyone who touched it...
Gu Shuguan’s cultivation was actually much higher than his, but the thief just chuckled and retreated, rubbing his hands sheepishly. Suddenly, he dropped his playful grin and asked me seriously, "What is in your backyard?"
"Beautiful women," I teased him with a grin. "Do you dare go and touch their little hands?"
A thief is no fool, and Gu Shuguan was sharper than most. He must have instinctively sensed that it was a dangerous place... after all, it was the headquarters of the very person who had captured him the first time.
I cracked the door open, and Gu Shuguan slipped out like a thin sheet of paper. I locked the door, added a restrictive seal, and said to Seventh Brother, "Go and rest."
Du Chuilun pulled out the small bag of jewelry and said softly, "Sister, you take it. It might be useful."
"It's fine, you can use it too. You'll need things to give away in the future," I laughed. "Oh, right, give it to me first. I'll return it to you after I've removed the markings, otherwise it'll be trouble."
He nodded then, gently placing the jewelry on the counter with a series of small, delicate clinks. He extinguished a few unnecessary wall lamps and prepared to go upstairs, saying, "Goodnight."
"Rest early."
I sat alone in the dim little room for a while, silently thinking of "old friends." It wasn't until the rustling sound of Seventh Brother flipping through books upstairs stopped that I rubbed my eyes, massaged my aching back, and went upstairs to sleep with a self-mocking smile.
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
入梦来 | Dreamscape | The name of the shop (literally "Entering a Dream").
餐霞境 | Cloud-Feasting Realm | A stage of cultivation.
无竟宗 | Boundless Sect | A cultivation sect.
南海七心七叶花 | Seven-Heart Seven-Leaf Flower of the South Seas | A rare medicinal plant.
顾殊观 | Gu Shuguan | The name of the thief.
秋老虎 | Autumn Tiger | A Chinese term for a spell of hot weather in late autumn.
初南楼 | Chunan Tower | A local restaurant.
酉初 | Hour of the Rooster | Approximately 5:00 PM.
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