Chapter 0: The Young Shopkeeper (Bonus Chapter)
“How can this be!”
“It’s precisely because it can’t be done that we must do it.”
“But if the Palace Lord finds out, she will surely kill me,” Yi Chengying said in a panic.
“Wouldn’t that be even better?” Qin Gou clapped his hands in delight.
Yi Chengying was so flustered by him that she couldn’t utter a word, frozen in place.
Qin Gou smiled gently, “Don’t be shy. I’ll tell you, this face I’m wearing now is also fake. Even if you kiss me, it won’t count for much. It’s just a play, so you don’t need to have too much of a psychological burden.”
“If Little Chair continues to refuse, will the Celestial Master’s patience run out and he’ll try to kill Little Chair?” Yi Chengying asked timidly.
Qin Gou lightly tapped the Silhouette Lamp, injecting spiritual power, and a faint radiance illuminated it. “Guess?”
Suddenly, Yi Chengying sat up from her deathbed. In the glow of the Silhouette Lamp, her little face blushed, her eyes filled with tender affection, and she kissed Qin Gou’s cheek. Her acting skills were exquisite, and her will to survive was so intense it was infuriating.
Qin Gou immediately stopped injecting spiritual power, and the recording was complete.
“Celestial Master, is it alright now?” Yi Chengying clasped her fair little hands together again, asking with some apprehension.
“You should know what will happen if this scene falls into the hands of that Qishuang Wench and she discovers you dared to be so disrespectful to me?”
“Little Chair will wish for neither life nor death.”
“Then immediately make a Spirit Oath, guaranteeing that you will not reveal what has happened today to Ye Qishuang. Otherwise, the moment you leak the secret, This Seat will make this Silhouette Lamp appear before Ye Qishuang immediately,” Qin Gou said sternly.
Yi Chengying was so terrified that she no longer dared to resist and honestly made the Spirit Oath.
This earned Qin Gou a look of admiration. He nodded, “Very good, keep up the good work. This Seat thinks highly of you, little clever ghost. In the future, if This Seat needs anything in the Mystic Maiden Palace, I won’t be polite to you. After all, this Silhouette Lamp is still in my hands, understand?”
“I understand, Little Chair understands everything. From now on, Little Chair is Celestial Master’s puppet. If Celestial Master tells Little Chair to go east, Little Chair will never dare to go west,” Yi Chengying said with a mournful face and a simple, honest tone.
“Mmm, not bad,” Qin Gou nodded with satisfaction. “Don’t be so unhappy. Working under This Seat, you naturally won’t be treated poorly. By the way, when I came to your cave dwelling earlier, a kind disciple of the Mystic Maiden Palace guided me. She’s quite a good little girl. I’ve restrained her not far outside your cave dwelling. Remember to give her a few instructions later, and absolutely do not leak today’s events!”
“Alright, now close your eyes.”
After waiting for a long time, when Yi Chengying slightly opened her eyes, she found that Qin Gou was indeed gone. Finally, the Lone Shadow Saintess, who was once renowned and worshipped by thousands, could no longer suppress the grievance in her heart and let out a wail of tears.
“Damn it, it’s truly detestable!”
“I said before that Celestial Master isn’t a normal person, but the Palace Lord still punished me by slapping my mouth. But now, in what way was Little Chair wrong! Wuwu, it’s too bullying!”
“Demon Master, Demon Master, Demon Master! I want to speak, I want to speak!”
Suddenly, a gentle wisp of night wind stirred the curtains.
“Slap!”
Yi Chengying quickly slapped her own little mouth. After coming to her senses, she pitifully clutched her head, crying, “Damn wind, you scared me to death!”
…
Ten thousand miles away, in a border town of the Great Liang Dynasty.
The shopkeeper of a pawnbroker, who had already closed up for the night, was awakened by an urgent knocking. He put on his clothes and opened the door with sleepy eyes.
An old man with white hair and a face full of apology said, “Young shopkeeper, I am truly ashamed to disturb you so late at night.”
Though she hadn’t been here long, the pawnbroker, who was already considered the most beautiful woman in the small town, smiled gently like a blooming epiphyllum. She shook her head, “It’s alright. Old Mr. Xu must have encountered some difficulty, right? Please come in and sit.”
The old man entered the shop with a worried expression. “Indeed. My son is leaving to take the imperial examination tomorrow, but I’ve tried every way I could these past few days and still couldn’t gather enough travel expenses. Now I can only pawn my wife’s heirloom bracelet to you.”
“I see,” the pawnbroker nodded, but she didn’t take the bracelet from the old man. Instead, she walked behind the counter, took out some silver fragments, and pressed them into the old man’s hand without explanation. With a knowing smile, she said, “Old Mr. Xu, you treat me too much like an outsider! Why didn’t you come to me sooner? Don’t pawn the bracelet to me. This money is a loan from me, with no interest. You can repay me when your elder son achieves success in the imperial examinations!”
The old man’s eyes immediately welled up with tears. He clasped the shopkeeper’s hand with immense gratitude and knelt on the ground. “Young shopkeeper, you are truly a great person! I knew you were indeed the kindest young girl in our Fengjiang City. I don’t know which lucky young man will marry you, this Bodhisattva, in the future.”
The pawnbroker quickly helped the old man up and smiled helplessly. “Old Mr. Xu, how many times have I told you? Xiao Xin is a man.”
The old man wiped his tears and laughed heartily. “I know that as a young lady traveling alone and as beautiful as a celestial being, you’re afraid of encountering villains, so you’ve always insisted you’re a man. But even though my old eyes are blurry, I’m not completely blind. Can’t I tell if you’re a man or a woman?”
The pawnbroker smiled bitterly, wanting to explain further, when a clear, bell-like laugh suddenly rang out as if from a ghost.
“What good luck today! I merely wanted to rest in this small town for a while, but I didn’t expect to see such a handsome young gentleman. This charming little face must make countless women so jealous!”
Only then did they notice that a mysterious woman, with a graceful figure and her face covered by a white veil, revealing only a pair of soul-stirring, captivating eyes, had appeared outside the shop without them knowing. As she spoke, the woman gracefully strode into the shop and, with one palm, lifted the pawnbroker into the air. She licked her rosy lips and said, “It’s a pity for a young gentleman like you to stay in this desolate place. It’s like a pearl cast into darkness. Come back to the Mystic Maiden Raksha Palace with your sister. There, you’ll live as happily and joyously as in the immortal realm every day.”
