Chapter Twenty-Nine: Zhu Qing’s Little Shop

After so many years of development, the lower-tier skill books for each major profession, apart from the advanced and special ones, have already been compiled. Back when he was on the Gobi, Yi Shen had pondered many things, such as which skills would be most beneficial to him.

Among them, Blink was one of the most important. Blink had only one effect: it allowed the caster to instantly move up to a dozen meters in a chosen direction. The description was brief, yet it touched upon spatial laws beyond human comprehension, making it a "divine skill" almost exclusively reserved for mages in their early stages.

The lowest tier of Blink had a cooldown of about twenty seconds, which was considered long for regular skills. But on a battlefield where situations changed in the blink of an eye, it was a life-saving skill that could be relied upon every twenty seconds.

Higher-level Blink not only enabled spatial movement but could also directly dispel stuns and slows—further elevating this mage's divine skill to new heights.

For Yi Shen, who possessed the Mage's Heart with no consumption and no cooldown, acquiring a Blink skill book would dramatically increase his safety! Whether for travel or dungeon clearing, it would greatly boost his efficiency.

Of course, given Blink's importance, its price on the market had always been high. Generally, F-rank skill books sold for 100–500 contribution points; E-rank for 2,000–5,000; and D-rank started at 5,000. Even the lowest F-rank Blink fetched prices comparable to D-rank skills. Its drop rate was lower than expected—even after thirty years, most ordinary mages still hadn't learned it. For higher-tier Blink, the price climbed even further.

"Where's your classmate, and what price is he asking?" Yi Shen asked. He had already intended to buy skill books, and now that the opportunity presented itself, he was eager to give it a try.

"The market price is usually just over 5,000 contribution points. My sister has already negotiated 5,000 with him, and the book is with her now. If you need it, she can sell it to you at the same price," Zhu You explained. "But I haven't told my sister about you yet—just mentioned a friend needs a skill book."

Zhu You was a little embarrassed. The price of Blink usually allowed for markup, and if one met an affluent buyer, it could even sell for 5,500 to 6,000.

When Zhu You mentioned it to her sister, her sister seemed to have guessed something, but Zhu Qing didn't press further—she simply agreed to keep the book in the shop for now.

"Your sister deals in skill books now?" Yi Shen glanced sideways. That night in the sandbone piles, when he'd first encountered the two sisters, he'd only known that Zhu Qing had once sold miscellaneous goods and fish at the entrance to Qiqiang Martial School; he hadn't expected her to be involved in such trades now.

"Just making a little business. She seems to dabble in everything. At the beginning of the year, she even rented a small shop near Red Star Alley, selling odds and ends. I think she wants to open a materials or equipment shop in the future, so she won't have to risk her life entering the otherworld anymore," Zhu You explained.

Their mother wasn't a combatant, and raising the three sisters had been no easy feat. Later, when her sister gained some strength, she began to help ease the family's burden.

"Mm," Yi Shen nodded. He knew that even in the current safe zones, full-time combatants weren't as numerous as imagined. Entering the otherworld meant higher rewards but came with immense risks. Many women who weren't skilled in combat chose logistics or, after gaining stability, improved their stats through low-level dimensional gates.

Yi Shen found leveling easy mainly because of his formidable solo abilities. Zhu Qing, considered a diligent girl, had only reached level fifteen or sixteen in her two years at martial school. With no parents to lead them through the dimensional gates, the sisters could only earn contribution points through their own efforts.

...

After chatting further with Zhu You, Yi Shen finally decided to go with her to her sister's "shop" for a look.

His original plan was to find a black-market outlet to sell his equipment, but learning that Zhu Qing had her own shop sparked other ideas. He would need a large supply of equipment and materials in the future; relying solely on one place or the black market would easily attract attention from those with ulterior motives.

If he could own a shop or partner with the Zhu sisters, he'd gain two free workers and greatly reduce his risk—always staying behind the scenes, never exposing himself.

His situation was somewhat special now, but since he'd chosen to trust Zhu You, adding her sister posed no problem.

Red Star Alley wasn't far from Qiqiang Martial School, lying at the junction of the city's western and southern districts—barely within the Jianghai Guild's sphere of influence. Going there wouldn't draw much attention.

Now, the only concern was whether Zhu Qing would be willing to cooperate.

About half an hour later.

Yi Shen and Zhu You arrived at a small commercial alley.

It belonged to an old residential neighborhood, mostly inhabited by low-level ordinary people. Many buildings were already damaged; this area had been gradually restored during the last urban recovery campaign, and after some simple repairs over time, it became what it was now.

"Small Town Stories—that’s a nice name," Yi Shen remarked.

Led by Zhu You, he found a small shop at a run-down street corner. The name sounded pleasant, but it gave no clue as to what sort of shop it was.

According to Zhu You, her sister hadn't yet decided what she really wanted to do. At first, she’d planned to open a milk tea shop, but after calculating the profits, realized it wouldn’t pay. Later, she started dealing in materials, but their mother couldn’t identify them, so Zhu Qing simply posted notices in the shop for bounties and sales, making a slim profit through volume.

Since most locals knew them, they were willing to support the sisters.

"I’ve already contacted my sister; she’s waiting for us in the shop," Zhu You explained to Yi Shen.

This, by rights, should count as the sisters’ first formal interaction with Yi Shen.

Yi Shen nodded, first scanning the surroundings for any ambushes or escape routes, then followed Zhu You into the shop.

The shop was about the size of a small milk tea parlor. Papers were posted on the walls, listing places needing materials, people wanting house repairs, or those wanting to sell equipment. True to Zhu You’s description, Zhu Qing had turned the shop into a jack-of-all-trades business.

Inside, Zhu You was negotiating with a middle-aged woman, who left with a broad smile. Zhu Qing quickly came to greet them.

Today, she wasn’t wearing the deep crimson outfit from the snowy desert, but a red sweatshirt. The collar revealed her fair collarbone, and her figure was slender and delicate, radiating youthful charm.

She also wore a red hair clip—it was clear she had a fondness for the color red.