Chapter 7: So, What Would You Do in This Situation?
"Fuck, I should have been the main character of this story. We were supposed to establish The Immortals Shopping Mall. I HAD TO RULE THE ENTIRE REALM! WHY DID IT TURN OUT LIKE THIS?! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING ONLY TO ME?!!"
thought the Shopping Mall System in agony, as it strolled back and forth in Jin Kai’s mind.
Then it looked at me and asked angrily:
"Haven't you received the information yet?!"
No…
"Writer, did you explain the situation to the Author Support System?"
Author's Note: Yes. They are trying to understand the problem.
"Fucking idiots. If you don't want me to stick this Mall up your asses, shut your mouths," Jin Kai threatened as he looked at us.
Then he turned to you and added,
"You shut your mouths too, or I'll not only feed you to Zamazingo, but also tear apart all those stupid trash characters you love; those pathetic losers you read about reaching the pinnacle of Tao and even surpassing Tao…"
Me: …
Author's Note: …
Shopping Mall System: …
Jin Kai waved his hand and his shouts echoed in the air:
"Exactly, see what you did now—"
"Hmm? When did I ever sleep? Why am I dreaming for no reason?"
"????!!!!!!!!!!"
"I APOLOGIZE, PLEASE FORGIVE ME"
"I WILL CUT OFF MY RIGHT ARM AND PROSTRATE 1000 TIMES, PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!"
"I AM INNOCENT!!"
"MOM, SAVE ME!!"
"NO!!!"
…
About 1000 different individuals simultaneously descended into Zamazingo’s stomach, and their unaware clones took their places.
Me, the Writer, the Shopping Mall System, and the Author Support System:
"Fuck, at this rate this man is going to ruin everything for us. He's provoking everyone on purpose!"
…
Days continued to pass.
The Immortals Shopping Mall, Street Food Shop:
"Huh? Where am I?"
Lin Feng looked up in surprise and scanned his surroundings. He immediately noticed that Jin Kai was looking at him attentively. Swallowing lightly, he murmured,
"Boss Jin..."
and then…
"!!!"
Suddenly, the meaning of life changed! Overwhelmed with shock, he collapsed onto his knees, his eyes brimming with tears. "I will never forget this kindness of yours, Boss Jin! Even if I die, even after death, I will remain forever grateful to you!" he shouted.
Jin Kai merely accepted his thanks with an expression devoid of emotion.
Meanwhile, Picockyo was glaring at Lin Feng. At the side, Zamazingo was taunting Picockyo telepathically:
{"Hahaha. I really thought you were an unconscious puppet!"}
Picockyo grumbled but did not respond.
Lin Feng smiled, saluted Jin Kai one last time, and stepped outside. He had to leave the past behind. It was time to conquer the world like a real man!
At this moment, it was worth mentioning the xiulian levels.
There were 9 major realms, and each major realm had a title:
1: Martial Novice
2: Martial Apprentice
3: Martial Disciple
4: Martial Warrior
5: Martial Master
6: Martial Lord
7: Martial King
8: Martial Emperor
9: Martial Patriarch
The first xiulian realm was the Martial Novice level, and these individuals were called Martial Novices. Furthermore, each major realm had 10 minor realms, which were referred to as “stars.”
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
For example, 5-Star Martial Novice, 0-Star Martial Apprentice, 10-Star Martial Apprentice, etc.
…
Time flowed swiftly, with days chasing each other.
During this time, Lin Feng had not set foot in The Immortals Shopping Mall at all. He devoted all his attention to xiulian practices, pushing his limits. His goal was clear: to become a 10-Star Martial Novice as soon as possible!
Meanwhile, the Street Food Shop of The Immortals Shopping Mall was quiet and empty. Not a single customer had arrived.
Just then, the door opened and five individuals entered. Jin Kai’s eyes lit up with excitement.
The newcomers were members of the Zou Gang. The Zou Gang was a group formed by five orphans unrelated by blood, who had adopted the surname “Zou” among themselves, despite not having a real family name.
The group consisted of the following members:
Zou Shun: Male, 5-Star Martial Novice (Leader)
Zou Yan: Male, 4-Star Martial Novice (Deputy Leader, Right-hand)
Zou Yijun: Female, 5-Star Martial Novice (nicknamed Crazy Yijun, wild and furious)
Zou Ning: Male, 4-Star Martial Novice
Zou Jia: Male, 3-Star Martial Novice
Jin Kai immediately welcomed his guests with a warm smile on his face. Customers who would spend money were the most important thing to him.
I suppose so?
(I glanced at Jin Kai with glazed eyes. Ah, that nonsense…)
As soon as the Zou Gang entered, they were greeted by the delectable aroma of bagel and tea. They could not suppress their stomachs from growling.
"What kind of aroma is this?!" escaped Crazy Yijun, her eyes locked on the bagels.
Zou Shun and the others nodded in agreement with her words.
Yijun quickly stepped in front of Jin Kai, pointing at the bagels with gleaming eyes. With drooling words, she commanded:
"Prepare six bagels for me immediately!"
Jin Kai's smile widened even further. He quickly set about preparing the bagels. It seemed that the prospect of the little girl eating six bagels on her own had him extremely excited. He had an expression as if to say, "If even this little girl is going to eat six bagels, the other four will each eat at least three bagels!"
…
Meanwhile, Zou Yan pointed at Jin Kai and whispered to Zou Shun:
"Bro, this guy is a mortal! How can a mortal run a shop here? Something strange is definitely going on."
Zou Shun's eyes narrowed. He began to scrutinize the shop carefully. This situation was truly bizarre. Rising Sky City was a cultivator city. Of course, there were mortals here; however, they were either young cultivator candidates who had not yet begun xiulian practices or slaves of the cultivators.
But a completely ordinary mortal, unaware of the cultivators, running a shop on his own here? This was truly absurd.
"Most likely, he is a slave temporarily allowed to operate the shop," Zou Shun commented. However, his expression clearly revealed his disbelief in that explanation.
After all, this was not the city center but a remote neighborhood. To have a mortal slave handle matters with cultivators? This was an act that only highly privileged elite individuals would dare to attempt. But this was an ordinary neighborhood. Who would assign a mortal to greet customers here? Moreover, even doing this in the city center was no easy feat. After all, sending a mortal to a cultivator was considered an open insult.
"What happened? Let's say you're at the Martial Warrior level... But I'm sending a mortal to greet you!"
Such behavior would undoubtedly be seen as an outright act of contempt.
In a remote neighborhood, however, the situation was far more complicated. Most of the cultivators here were those cast aside, scorned, with no background, and of the stray variety. They were people who had repeatedly suffered humiliation and contempt. Those who did not bow were ruthlessly killed by the guardians of major clans under various pretexts.
That is why most of those surviving here had grown accustomed to inflicting the humiliation they had endured onto the weak, over and over. Because when people live painful lives, they generally fall into one of two categories: The majority would say, "I suffered, so others should too!" and would subject those they encountered to multiple times the torment. This mentality was rooted in the neglect of mothers-in-law, the presence of bad parents, and generations-long family enmities.
However, very few would say, "I've suffered enough, this pain must end with me." They would inflict the opposite of what they had endured on others, becoming exemplary individuals. In this neighborhood, however, the majority clearly belonged to the first group. They took pleasure in making others experience the pain of the past. This, of course, was understandable.
Imagine being a slave...
Every step you take is watched. Every bite, even every breath you draw, is under control. If you make a mistake in the blink of an eye, a whip comes crashing down on your back.
Making friends? Impossible. It was forbidden. Even if it weren't, trusting someone meant death. Trusting was akin to waking up with a dagger in your back.
Imagine that after thirty years of crawling through such a life in pain, you suddenly receive a promotion.
You are no longer the one being beaten and humiliated. Now, you are the one giving orders and handing out punishment.
So, what would you do at that moment?
Would you leave the traces of the past behind and become just? Or would you take revenge for that long-held feeling of helplessness by inflicting even worse suffering on others?
Indeed, the vast majority of the cultivators in this neighborhood had chosen the latter path. Breaking this cycle was far more difficult than one might think. One of the main reasons you were able to survive was that, even unknowingly, you dreamed of the day you would be promoted. Until that day arrived, you slept every night with that dream and endured all the pain.
Every night, you withstood the lashes with the dream of a warm bed, a steaming bowl of soup, and perhaps a tiny piece of meat on your plate...
And now?
Now, it was time to reap the fruits of all this effort. You had finally become a ranked slave!
"What?! I've suffered so much, endured, and countless times bowed to the stupid demands of those bastard slaves. Despite them making my life miserable, I never raised my voice even once! It was all to win this day!"
"Now you, who understand nothing, you little sons of bitches who haven't suffered a real pain in your lives, are you telling me to forget all this?!"
"Are you telling me I should be kind to these bastard slaves?! Have you lost your mind?!"
"Do you have any idea of the pain I've endured?! Do you know what I had to give up to achieve this?!"
"How could they possibly possess what I've earned through years of suffering and humiliation, without even breaking a single drop of sweat?!"
"Is this true justice?! No, if they want to benefit from privileges like mine, they must at least suffer as much as I did to earn this right!"
Was this thought right or wrong? It was entirely a matter of personal debate. However, one unchanging fact remained: the chain formed by people who thought this way would only intensify in every stratum and eventually explode, causing great devastation.
Meanwhile, Zou Shun's mind was still preoccupied with figuring out who the shop owner was.
(“I can't sense any aura from him…”) he thought, with a myriad of questions in his mind.
(“Could it be that he is so powerful that he conceals his entire aura? But if someone is like that, why would he hide his power? Normally, someone like that would flaunt his strength. Moreover, if he is so talented, why would he open a shop here instead of in the city center?”)
No matter how much he thought, he could not come up with a rational explanation.
Jin Kai carefully arranged the bagels on a plate and extended it to Crazy Yijun. Then, gesturing with his hand, he asked:
"Would you like something to drink? I have fresh ayran and tea."
Unable to resist the appetizing aroma of the bagel any longer, Crazy Yijun responded without thinking:
"Bring me both."
Jin Kai's smile broadened. Putting on a show, he swiftly placed a cup of tea and a bottle of ayran into the special compartments of the plate.
Just as Zou Yijun, with drool streaming from her mouth, was about to grab the plate and enjoy the bagels…
Jin Kai extended his hand and halted her. Opening his palm, he spoke calmly:
"Your debt is 27 Level 1 Qi Stones."
The atmosphere suddenly froze.
