Divine Convenience Store

As the morning stretched on, the store remained bathed in its strange, serene glow. Liu Xiaoyu busied herself tidying up the shelves, occasionally stopping to admire her own reflection in the glossy jars of pills.

Lin Mo, meanwhile, sipped from a cup of tea, keeping an eye on the system panel and the faint trickle of customers outside.

Soon, the doorbell chimed softly, its sound almost melodious against the quiet backdrop.

Another customer stepped in. This one was a woman clad in a traveling cloak embroidered with delicate patterns of vines and leaves. Her face was partially obscured by a hood, but the faint sparkle of jade earrings hinted at wealth. Or at least an affiliation with someone important.

'Finally,' Lin Mo thought, 'It's not someone that needs charity anymore.'

Her movements were graceful and confident. Her eyes scanned the store's shelves, lingering on the talismans and elixirs with a mixture of curiosity and guarded skepticism.

Lin Mo straightened from his position behind the counter.

"Welcome to the Divine Convenience Store," He greeted, adopting the same neutral tone as before with a hint of a business-like smile. "Let us know if you need anything."

The woman didn't respond immediately. Instead, she wandered deeper into the store, her gaze flickering over the strange assortment of items.

When her eyes landed on a rack of what looked like raincoats and umbrellas with different designs and a variety of colors, she finally spoke.

"What is this? Are these authentic?" She asked, holding up a pink umbrella. Xu Qi was intrigued at first but the system panel labeled it 'Protection Against Celestial Tribulations – Limited Modern Edition'.

"Absolutely. Guaranteed to shield you during minor celestial tribulations, or your spirit stones back." Lin Mo replied with a practiced smile but his lips were about to twitch at the chosen design for a tribulation protection.

Taihao must've wanted one of those, huh?

The woman arched an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed with his sales pitch. "What a bold claim. Do you say this thing can guard against celestial tribulations? Isn't this an umbrella?"

Liu Xiaoyu appeared at Lin Mo's side in an instant, her Heaven's Reflex making her movement almost imperceptible.

"It's not just a claim, ma'am!" She chirped enthusiastically. "Everything here is supplied by a divine being. And we're running a special today. Buy two celestial tribulation umbrellas, and get... uh... our best wishes for free!"

Lin Mo shot her a sidelong glance but didn't bother correcting her.

The woman smirked faintly, setting the umbrella back on its rack.

"Interesting. But I'm not here to get something to help me with my tribulation. Do you have anything for..." She hesitated slightly, her expression briefly flickering with unease. "...concealing one's aura?"

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow as he quickly checked the system panel. Sure enough, an item popped up and it was the raincoat-like item next to the rack of umbrellas.

[Aura Concealment Cloak – Basic Grade: Temporarily hides the user's spiritual signature from detection. Price: 8 Spirit Stones.]

"Yes, we do," Lin Mo said, gesturing toward it. "Our Aura Concealment Cloaks are effective for temporary use. Eight spirit stones each. We also have higher grades variety if you need something with better quality but the price will rise steeply."

The woman's gaze followed his gesture, her eyes narrowing slightly. She moved toward the rack, examining the raincoats or cloaks like what the system wanted to call it with careful precision.

"No. This will do," She said after a moment, pulling one off the rack and approaching the counter.

Lin Mo rang up the item, watching as she pulled out a neat pouch and placed eight gleaming spirit stones on the counter without hesitation.

As he handed her the cloak, the system chimed.

[Customer Satisfaction Enhanced: +1 Spirit Stone Credited to Personal Balance.]

"Thank you for your patronage," Lin Mo smilingly said, picking up the spirit stones and putting them into the register.

The woman nodded curtly, draping the raincoat over her. But as she turned to leave, she paused, glancing over her shoulder.

"Your establishment is... unique. I will be back in the future," she said slowly. "However, I believe word of this place will spread quickly. Be prepared for the attention it will bring. Both good and bad."

With that cryptic warning, she exited the store, the bell chiming softly behind her.

Lin Mo couldn't help but shake his head. His customers kept warning him for that but weren't they the ones responsible for spreading the store's existence?

"Well," Liu Xiaoyu said, plopping onto a stool, "Who do you think she was, Boss? At least she's nicer than the woman from the Verdant Sky Pavilion."

"Probably someone trying to avoid being tracked," Lin Mo replied as he leaned back in his chair. "Not our business, though. She paid, and that's what matters."

Liu Xiaoyu twirled a pen she had picked up from the counter display. "Still, they're not wrong. We got three customers quickly! This is in a remote corner of this city boss! What's your plan if we start getting... less polite customers?"

"Same plan as always," Lin Mo said with a shrug. "Sell them something, keep them happy, and pray that they hear about Taihao turning those three thugs to ashes yesterday."

"Good plan," Liu Xiaoyu said with a grin. "Can I be in charge of the 'keeping them happy' part? I'm great at charming people, you know."

Lin Mo snorted. "Sure. As long as you're also in charge of the 'cleaning up after them' part."

Their banter was interrupted by the system panel flickering to life with a new notification.

[Daily Tasks Updated:]

Restock Inventory

Enhance Customer Satisfaction (3/5)

Prepare for Tomorrow's Opening

"Well, looks like we're making progress," Lin Mo muttered. Yesterday, it didn't matter how many satisfied customers they got. But today, he needed five to complete the task.

At the very least, the other two were still easy to complete.

"And you're close to meeting your satisfaction quota!" Liu Xiaoyu said cheerfully. "Don't worry, Boss. With me here, we'll hit that in no time."

Lin Mo rolled his eyes but couldn't suppress a small smile. "Let's hope the next customer isn't too much of a headache."

Right as he finished that prayer, the door swung open again, revealing a familiar face.

Yu Qingyan. The lady cultivator from the Verdant Sky Pavillion.

Yu Qingyan strode into the store with the poise of someone who expected the world to bend to her will. Her flowing green robes shimmered subtly under the store's light, the silver vine embroidery reflecting her graceful yet imposing demeanor. Her sharp almond-shaped eyes immediately locked onto Lin Mo, and the corner of her mouth quirked upward in an amused smile.

"Well," She began, her voice smooth as silk, "it seems the Divine Convenience Store is flourishing. Three customers before noon in a secluded city? Impressive, Shopkeeper. But it's still too low. Should I offer you help in advertising?"