By afternoon, the funds were deposited into Chen Xuan's account as promised.
Seeing his balance leap to seven figures, he finally felt somewhat relieved.
If he had earned so much from part-time work before, he would have jumped with joy, but now his heart was calm, not at all ecstatic about this over two million income, which even surprised Chen Xuan a little. Thinking about it, it's probably because he's not only supporting himself now, but also carrying the responsibility of an Ability Store.
Now that he had money, the first thing to do was contact wholesalers to replenish the goods consumed in the shop over the past few days.
There was no difficulty in that.
He had previously worked on ordering supplies for fast food restaurants and still had the numbers of local suppliers on his phone. Moreover, many businesses had kept up with the times and built their public accounts, allowing orders to be placed simply by leaving a message after following them, with discounts for large volumes.
After all, as long as the money was in place, the other party didn't care who the buyer was.
"The fastest-selling items are mainly cigarettes, drinks, and instant noodles... also, two counters are empty, perhaps we should put some household products there..."
Chen Xuan tapped on his calculator while jotting down notes in a notebook.
Suddenly, the surrounding light dimmed sharply.
"Power outage? That can't be... I just topped up my electricity bill..."
He shook his mouse and found that the screen could still light up.
It wasn't a power outage.
The outside light had dimmed.
It was just two in the afternoon!
Chen Xuan was about to turn on the lights but quickly realized that the external environment had changed—the sudden darkness wasn't caused by an eclipse but because the shop's entrance had changed its location. Through the plastic door curtain, he saw that outside there was a circle of wooden walls, and directly ahead was a straight corridor.
Due to the building's close proximity blocking the light, it seemed like the sky suddenly turned dark.
Wow, so this time the shop didn't end up in the wilderness?
Chen Xuan cleared his throat, adjusted his collar, and patiently waited for customers to arrive.
However, after a moment, no customers appeared.
What's going on... where are the customers?
Chen Xuan furrowed his brow and slowly stepped to the doorway, examining the surrounding environment. This time the shop wasn't in the desolate wilds, but its location was still quite odd... not only was the space narrow on both sides, but in front of the door, aside from that wooden corridor, there were no other roads.
This place looks nothing like a street, more like a courtyard of a large household.
Exiting the shop and looking back, Chen Xuan noticed that the shop's door and its frame seamlessly blended into the environment, as if it were originally just another room within the courtyard.
Based on the corridor and architectural style, this place was still retaining a traditional ancient Chinese atmosphere.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of a man and woman arguing, one of whom sounded quite familiar.
The voices came from the end of the corridor opposite, less than ten meters away.
"...The method I proposed can solve the current crisis with minimal impact, quelling public anger, why doesn't the Lord use it?"
Shuyue asked with a cold face.
"Is this the Emperor's intention?" Shen Fang continued to smile politely, seemingly indifferent to the other's displeasure.
"This is my intention."
"Then forgive me for not agreeing," he shook his head, "The reasoning is simple; the big households and merchants in the city aren't at fault, and I have no reason to collect their funds and grains under the guise of borrowing. Besides, if they start causing trouble, they are much harder to deal with than those people outside."
"If serving the people were so simple, wouldn't anyone be able to be a Governor? The Long City and Hexi areas are all affected by disasters, with countless refugees, a few thousand people might not be much now, but what about when it gathers to tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands? By then, it will be even harder to appease them!"
"Isn't there still you, Immortal Master?" Shen Fang laughed nonchalantly, "With you here... they can't stir up much trouble. I have already spread the word; whether it's the common people or the Noble Clan, they're all praising you as the stabilizing force of our Great Qi—who's there!?"
His expression suddenly changed, looking towards the side door.
Chen Xuan happened to appear at the doorway, making eye contact with him.
The scene fell silent instantly.
"Uh... having a meeting? I'll leave you to it then..." Chen Xuan waved his hand and prepared to return the way he came. He had only followed the sound over to check the situation, not expecting the man's face to change so quickly; just now, he was amicable with Shuyue, but in the next moment, his hostility was evident.
"An assassin!"
"Protect the Lord!"
The guards at the four corners of the room finally reacted, drew their swords, and rushed towards Chen Xuan's position.
"Stop it!"
Almost simultaneously, a cold and clear scolding bloomed, making everyone tremble.
It wasn't a verbal command but a rule that directly seized the soul!
Chen Xuan found himself frozen... so he still held his upright waving pose, seemingly ignoring the approaching guards. His attitude seemed utterly arrogant and extremely insolent to the Governor and others!
Fortunately, he could still move his head.
He slowly turned his head and squeezed a smile towards Shuyue, "Hello there."
"Immortal Master?" Shen Fang also couldn't move; he maintained the posture of jumping up from his seat, clearly adept at dealing with assassination attempts.
A slight crack appeared on the previously cold face of Liu Shuyue. After a moment of silence, she made a hand gesture, releasing the immobilization on everyone, "The Lord misunderstood; he's someone I know."
Shen Fang paused and glanced at Chen Xuan a few more times, his expression filled with curiosity, "The gatekeeper didn't report to me, did you bring him into the government office?"
"…Yes."
For whatever reason, Chen Xuan felt her words seemed squeezed out through clenched teeth.
"Oh..." Shen Fang responded meaningfully, and then returned to his previous affable expression, "If the Immortal Master had told me earlier, there wouldn't have been such a misunderstanding. May I know how this young man should be addressed?"
"There's no need to ask, you won't see him again." Shuyue walked towards Chen Xuan, "Follow me."
Chen Xuan sensed that the atmosphere between the two groups was a bit off, so he followed without asking much.
Upon reaching outside the courtyard, Liu Shuyue also saw the store's door.
She was greatly surprised, "How did you set up your store inside the Government Office?"
"Because the River of Space-Time is always flowing... and shouldn't it be you hoping it appears?" Chen Xuan replied calmly. Compared to the first transaction, he was more experienced this time. Since it's the store choosing the customer, it means the customer is the key to deciding where the store appears.
Liu Shuyue was suddenly taken aback.
"Let's talk in the store." He extended a cordial invitation.
Upon returning inside, Chen Xuan pulled down the roller shutter, closed the curtains, and then turned on the lights, making the room bright and warm.
The Manager's Code mentioned that closing the door signifies a closed state, isolating any external interference.
He wasn't sure what this isolation specifically entailed.
But the group with Liu Shuyue definitely couldn't find this place.
"I didn't expect to see you again so soon, please sit." Chen Xuan pointed to the sofa, putting on a warm smile, "Would you like a cup of coffee?"
"...Thank you." Liu Shuyue hesitated for a while, then accepted, "Is five years merely a moment's passing for you too?"
Chen Xuan's heart skipped a beat.
He looked at Liu Shuyue again—her voice and appearance were almost unchanged from before, which was why he recognized her immediately. But to say she hadn't changed at all seems inaccurate; she didn't wear that flowing white dress, and she seemed more grounded than ever as if a floating willow leaf had finally landed.
She no longer had that "Immortal" air.
He instantly realized that "five years" was likely Liu Shuyue's sense of time—this was her first time seeing him again after five years.
"It's not just a moment, but for me, it was only three days since we last met," Chen Xuan said honestly.
"Is this related to the River of Space-Time?"
"You could say that."
"No wonder I can't detect any change in you; you're just as you were that day." Liu Shuyue suddenly relaxed, not that she was revealing her true self—she still sat upright with a straight back on the soft sofa, but her tone carried an undisguised weariness, "I'm sorry, I got you involved."
"Got involved? What do you mean?" Chen Xuan was puzzled.
"You're right. It was my hope for the store to appear again that caused you to be seen as an intruder," she said in a soft voice, "Though I hate to admit it, I'm indeed facing a problem I can no longer solve with my own capabilities. Can you... help me?"
Just like five years ago...
"Of course." Chen Xuan placed a steaming cup of coffee before her, "This shop's doors will always remain open for its customers."