…The faint pressure of disappointment lifted.
A small price for silence.
Just as the tension was about to settle, Lin Yijun’s easygoing voice cut through them.
’I get where you’re coming from, Senior Yue.’
’The elders did tell us to keep the store hidden from prying eyes. And we’ve been doing pretty well on that front.’
His smile faded just a little.
’But with this… second entry point, it’s like someone else flipped the board while we weren’t looking.’
Hua Feixue and Xiao Lianfeng nodded.
’Still.’ Lin Yijun continued, tone shifting back to breezy confidence.
’Maybe it’s not all bad.’
He gave them a knowing look, one brow raised.
’Isn’t this also a chance?’
The others turned toward him, listening.
’I mean, think about it. This store’s not normal. Not even a little. And if it’s now connected to multiple places, that means we’re at the center of something big.’
He gestured casually toward the shelves.
’We’ve already got products that’s not only ridiculously tasty but packed with effects that really shouldn’t exist in this realm.’
He chuckled.
’But it’s more than that. This place can be more than just a food stop. It can be a bridge.’
’A neutral ground. Where people from different places meet. Trade not just items… but information.’
’And let’s not forget.’ Lin Yijun added with a wink.
’A good meal puts everyone in a good mood. Makes negotiations way easier.’
’Brother Yijun’s right.’ Xiao Lianfeng replied firmly.
’If this place becomes known as neutral ground for trading and diplomacy, it’ll benefit not just our sect, but the entire city.’
’If we keep good relations with Senior and learn how the store works… we’ll grow stronger. That’s reason enough.’
Meanwhile, Hua Feixue had tuned out halfway through Xiao Lianfeng’s message.
Her eyes sparkled for an entirely different reason.
’But more importantly.’ Hua Feixue suddenly beamed.
’What kind of people are we going to meet?!”
The three turned to look at her, half-expecting something chaotic.
Feixue tilted her head. ’I mean, if people from other cities can come in through different doors… then maybe – maybe we can go to their cities too?’
She leaned closer, whispering like she just discovered a secret technique.
’Think about it! If this is some kind of teleportation array… then doesn’t that mean we might be able to use the store to travel?’
Her eyes sparkled brighter. ’With Senior Hao’s world-shaking, heaven-defying power that should be totally possible, right?!’
’I can finally go on a tour of the continent!’
The other three stared at her for a beat.
The three quietly all fell into thought.
Lin Yijun rubbed his chin.
’Actually… it’s not out of the question.’
’Considering we have no information on how the store connects to different places.’
Yue Xueyan narrowed her eyes. ’I didn’t consider that angle. But it’s true – up until now, we’ve only ever thought of the store as a center point, not realizing it might also function as a portal between places.’
Hua Feixue blinked and her face lit up again.
’I knew I was onto something!’
She stuck out her tongue playfully and did a small twirl, clearly pleased she’d contributed to the strategy meeting.
Lin Yijun couldn’t help but chuckle under his breath.
’You might be chaotic, Junior Hua.’ Xiao Lianfeng said.
’But sometimes you really do say the most unexpected things.’
Feixue puffed up proudly. ’That’s because I’m a genius!’
Yue Xueyan side-eyed her. ’…Debatable.’
Hua Feixue gasped. ’Senior Sister!’
Just like that, their serious talk turned into playful chatter – even if their thoughts were still running in the background.
Another layer of the Dimensional Convenience Store’s secrets had just been peeled back!
The door swung open once again, and for a split second, Hao had the strangest feeling – it was as if the person entering was the one who had kneeled before him the day before, alongside Little Xixi.
But to his surprise, it wasn’t that man.
Instead, a new figure stepped inside.
The man was dressed in the same uniform as Lin Yijun and Xiao Lianfeng, unmistakable signs of being from the Drifting Sword Sect.
But this man? Hao had never met him before. Who was he?
His appearance was striking in a way that hinted at both experience and mystery.
He was short, his stiff gray hair resembling dried reeds – spiky, uneven, and stuck out in every direction.
Narrow eyes, always half-lidded, made him look perpetually tired, as if he was always on the edge of sleep.
His pale complexion gave him an eerie, almost porcelain-like look, with a faint bluish tint, as though he had been soaked in cold spring water for far too long.
But what really caught Hao’s attention was the strange hybrid weapon attached to the man’s side.
On one end, there was a clean, straight sword blade – longer than a normal longsword, but carefully covered by a gray silk sash. The guard was minimal, just a thin oval, simple yet elegant.
The hilt then curved into a second grip, almost like a fishing rod handle, its shape smooth but slightly odd.
This section was thicker, made from dark ironwood, its surface etched with subtle engravings.
At the core of this strange weapon, there was a small, silent reel set flush into the wood, nearly invisible unless you looked closely.
A faint translucent qi-thread coiled around it, ending in a hook-shaped tackle made of silver-gray metal.
’For fishing? Or fighting? That thing looks like it could do both.’ Hao thought.
The teal wrap on his hilt confirmed his status. He was one of the four special elders of the Drifting Sword Sect!
This was Elder Bai Qingshui, the Pillar of Stillness.
“Welcome.” Hao greeted.
Elder Bai Qingshui acknowledged Hao with a nod.
Yet, something felt strange to Hao.
The elder’s presence was almost… absent. It wasn’t that he didn’t exist, but rather that his existence seemed too subtle.
Hao’s senses, now sharper than before, couldn’t pick up on anything out of the ordinary.
It was as though the air around the elder had shifted, but there were no obvious signs of movement. His presence seemed to warp the space around him, slipping unnoticed through the world.
Hao blinked, and in that moment, the elder had already moved across the room.
He now stood before the glass shelves, silently examining the cans of Cola and Lime Fizz.