256: Chapter 254 Opening of the Grocery Store

Day broke.

Yun Ming did not return to the Xianke Residence.

Those five days in the Heaven-grade room were a ruse from the very beginning.

He had guessed that Boss Zhao would be waiting for him at the Xianke Residence; fine, let them wait there until the end of time.

Taking Ah Yuan with him, he left the small courtyard in Huai Tree Alley, traversed several alleys, and arrived at Heavenly Street.

The shop was located in the middle section of Heavenly Street, near the Vermilion Tower. The storefront wasn't large—one room wide and about twenty feet deep. The door panels were made of pine and painted red; the paint was a bit old, but it looked decent enough. There was a blank plaque above the lintel that hadn't been inscribed yet.

Yun Ming took out a pre-prepared plaque from the map of mountains and rivers and hung it up.

Two characters were written on the plaque: "Sundries."

The characters were written by Yun Ming himself; the strokes were casual and untidy, but legible.

Ah Yuan stood at the entrance, looking up at the plaque, her lips twitching slightly.

"Master, it's just called 'Sundries'?"

Yun Ming nodded.

"What else? Call it 'Myriad Treasures Pavilion'? We don't have that kind of capability."

Ah Yuan thought about it and felt he was right, so she didn't say anything more.

Yun Ming pushed the door open and walked inside.

The shop was empty, with only a few shelves and a counter covered in a layer of dust. Ah Yuan held the fox and looked around. Yun Ming performed a few hand seals, and the dust was swept away, the windows were pushed open, and sunlight streamed in, making the shop bright and airy. Then, he began pulling things out of the map of mountains and rivers.

Medicinal Pills. From first to fourth grade, jars and bottles filled half the shelves. spring return pills, yangqi pills, Peiyuan Powder, foundation establishment pills, yunling pills, ningzhen pills, jinyuan pills, and Xuan Ying Pills. Some he had refined himself, some were drawn from the System, and some were scavenged during his travels.

Cultivation Techniques. Stacks of Jade Slips were piled in the corner, ranging from Qi Refining to Golden Core, and from the Five Elements to mutated Spiritual Roots—there was everything. Some were from the System, some were copied from the Xuanhuang Pill Mansion's library, and some were things he had no use for.

Spirit Medicines. Dragon Saliva Grass, Phoenix Tail Flower, Profound Ice Fruit, Red Flame Fruit—grades ranging from first to fourth. Some were grown in the map of mountains and rivers, and he had plucked a few on a whim.

Yao Beast Materials. Scales, bones, horns, hides, tendons, and Yao Cores—mostly from first to fourth-grade sea creatures, filling a whole chest.

Artifact Refining Materials. Ores, spirit wood, spirit silk, spiritual liquid—all sorts of miscellaneous items.

Magical Artifacts, Magic Treasures, Spiritual Artifacts, and Spirit Treasures, from first to fourth grade. Sabers, spears, swords, halberds, cauldrons, bells, seals, pagodas, handbells, and whisks—every type was represented. Some were from the System, some were captured from enemies, and some were items he had outgrown and discarded.

No two items were the same; every single one could be considered a unique piece.

Ah Yuan stood by his side, watching Yun Ming pull things out one by one, her eyes growing wider and wider.

She thought Yun Ming was just opening a small general store to sell odds and ends. She hadn't expected the items he brought out from the map of mountains and rivers to be more numerous, more varied, and more valuable than those in the century-old shops on Heavenly Street.

The fox jumped out of her arms and onto a shelf, crouching next to a pile of pill bottles and squinting its eyes as if inspecting its territory.

Yun Ming busied himself for half an hour before finally finishing the sorting.

Medicinal Pills in one row, Cultivation Techniques in another, Spirit Medicines in another, Materials in another, and Magical Artifacts and Magic Treasures in another. What could be displayed was put on the shelves, and what couldn't fit was put into storage.

Yun Ming clapped his hands, looked around, and nodded with satisfaction.

"Alright. We're open."

Ah Yuan was stunned for a moment.

"Master, no firecrackers? No ribbon-cutting? No inviting friends to show support?"

Yun Ming glanced at her.

"Who do you know?"

Ah Yuan opened her mouth and then closed it again. She didn't know anyone in Tianyuan City.

Yun Ming didn't know many people either. Su Mubai was at the Xuanhuang Pill Mansion, Shen Yizhi's whereabouts were unknown, and the Fourth Elder had returned to the Sect. Other than them, he had no acquaintances in Tianyuan City.

Should he invite the Princess Royal for the ribbon-cutting? Yun Ming thought about it and shook his head, deciding against it.

Ah Yuan asked again, "Then what is our shop's name?"

Yun Ming pointed at the plaque at the door.

"Sundries."

Ah Yuan fell silent. She decided not to ask anymore.

Yun Ming moved a chair, sat behind the counter, and poured a cup of tea.

He took a sip, set it down, and looked toward the door.

"Today is the first day, so I'll stay here with you. If a customer comes in, try to attend to them. It doesn't matter how much we sell; don't force it. If there's nothing to do, just Cultivate. Memorize the formulas of the Daoist Scripture and practice whenever you have time."

Ah Yuan nodded, moved a small stool, and sat beside the counter.

Not long after, the door curtain was lifted. An middle-aged man walked in, about forty years old, wearing a green brocade robe with a jade pendant hanging from his waist, which was engraved with the character "Zhou."

With a cultivation at the Golden Core Middle Stage and an extraordinary bearing, he clearly came from a prominent Family.

He walked in, looked around, and swept his gaze over the shelves, appearing somewhat surprised.

"When did this shop open? I didn't see it when I passed by yesterday." He seemed to be talking to himself, yet also asking Yun Ming.

Yun Ming didn't stand up; he held his teacup and leaned back against the chair.

"Just opened today. Feel free to look around."

The middle-aged man's gaze lingered on the shelves for a while, and then his eyes lit up.

He walked to the Medicinal Pill shelf, picked up a bottle of Xuan Ying Pills, opened the stopper to sniff it, and then recapped it. Fourth-grade High Grade, of excellent quality—even better than what he had seen at the Wanzhen Pavilion. He then walked to the Magical Artifact shelf and picked up a Flying Sword; the blade was entirely azure with water-wave patterns on the spine—Third-grade High Grade, with a chilling Sword Intent. He then picked up a small cauldron with three legs and two ears, its body engraved with intricate formation patterns—Fourth-grade Low Grade, combining offense and defense. The more he looked, the more surprised he became, and the more he felt this shop was not simple.

The storefront was inconspicuously small, yet the stock was absurdly plentiful. Moreover, they weren't common goods used to make up numbers; every item seemed like a carefully selected unique piece.

The middle-aged man turned around and looked at Yun Ming. "Shopkeeper, are all these goods yours alone?" Yun Ming nodded. The middle-aged man was silent for a moment and didn't press further. He was an old hand in the Jianghu and knew that such small shops often had big figures backing them. A shopkeeper at the mere Golden Core Stage couldn't possibly produce so many fourth-grade items. It was either the property of some major Sect or the private assets of a powerful individual. He didn't want to pry, nor did he dare to. He hadn't come today for window shopping; he was here for Family procurement.

"Shopkeeper, I've come out this time to make purchases for my Family." The middle-aged man took a Jade Slip from his sleeve and handed it to Yun Ming. "The list is on here; see if you have anything that matches."

Yun Ming took the Jade Slip, sent his Divine Sense into it, and scanned through.

The list was long, with a wide variety of Medicinal Pills, Magical Artifacts, talismans, and Formation Materials in significant quantities.

After reading it, he returned the Jade Slip to the middle-aged man. "I have most of these. But the ones you've listed are all common goods; I don't sell those in this shop."

In reality, it was because Yun Ming didn't have such large quantities.

"Then what do you sell in your shop?" Yun Ming leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. "I sell things that can't be bought in ordinary shops." The middle-aged man was stunned again, then he laughed.

He picked up the Flying Sword again and examined it closely. "How much for this Flying Sword?" Yun Ming gave a price. It was ten percent higher than the market price, but not unreasonable. The middle-aged man didn't haggle and paid with Spirit Stones directly. He then picked out a few more items, paid for them, and put them into his Storage Pouch. As he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and turned around.

"Shopkeeper, there's one more thing. Do you have anything here that can break through Formation barriers? Not ordinary Formations, but the kind of Restriction arrays on the periphery of ancient Secret Realms. It needs to be of a High Grade, at least third-grade."

Yun Ming set down his teacup, stood up, and walked to the shelves.

He waved his hand, and several items flew down from the shelves and landed on the counter.

Four spirit talismans. The talisman paper was golden, inscribed with complex runes in cinnabar. Fourth-grade Low Grade, specifically for breaking barriers.

A bracelet made of some kind of black beast bone, with intricate runes carved on each bone bead. Fourth-grade Medium Grade; when worn, it could tear through spatial seals.

A Yao Beast horn, a foot long, curved like a hook, entirely pitch-black and gleaming with a cold light. Fourth-grade Low Grade, specifically for breaking Restrictions.

A flower petal, palm-sized and pure white, with a faint golden glow at the edges. Fourth-grade High Grade, a petal from an ancient spirit flower containing the power to break Restrictions; a gentle blow could disperse a layer of barrier.

The middle-aged man's eyes went wide.

He had seen fourth-grade treasures before, but seeing them in such a small shop was a first.

He picked up the bracelet and turned it over to look, then picked up the Yao Beast horn and probed it with his Divine Sense. Finally, he picked up the petal and held it in his palm like a collector holding a peerless treasure.

His expression changed from pleasant surprise to embarrassment. He was short on funds.

He was purchasing for his Family, and his budget was limited.

He had already spent most of his Spirit Stones on the items from the list; the remaining Spirit Stones weren't even enough for a fraction of these fourth-grade treasures.

"Shopkeeper, these... are too precious. I can't afford them." The middle-aged man's voice was a bit dry, as if he had swallowed a very bitter medicine.

Yun Ming didn't show any disappointment, nor did he urge him to buy.

He simply put those fourth-grade treasures back on the shelves and took a few other items from another shelf, placing them on the counter. Three Third-grade High Grade formation-breaking talismans. A Third-grade High Grade formation-breaking dagger. A Third-grade High Grade formation-breaking pearl.

"Are these enough?" Yun Ming asked.

The middle-aged man picked up the formation-breaking pearl and sent his Divine Sense in to feel the spiritual power within.

Third-grade High Grade was enough to deal with ordinary Secret Realm Restrictions. Although not as strong as fourth-grade ones, the peripheral Restrictions of the Secret Realm they had discovered shouldn't be that absurd.

He took all three items and paid the Spirit Stones.

"Shopkeeper, my thanks." The middle-aged man cupped his hands and turned to leave. At the door, he looked back once more at those fourth-grade treasures, his eyes full of reluctance. Yun Ming didn't look at him and continued drinking his tea.

Ah Yuan sat nearby, watching this first deal being completed with mixed emotions.

A few more groups of customers came. Some were passing Loose Cultivators who came in to see something new; some were workers from nearby shops coming to check out the market; and some came specifically looking for items, like that middle-aged man. Every time, Yun Ming would say "feel free to look around," never taking the initiative to introduce or promote anything. If someone asked, he'd give a price; if no one asked, he'd drink tea. Watching from the side, Ah Yuan felt this wouldn't do. Her Master was too indifferent; how could anyone do business like this? But she was the disciple, and it wasn't her place to criticize her Master.