The First Elder's Warning

By afternoon, there were still quite a few people coming to Ruyi Zhai to buy pastries. Most of them were Xiao Family Disciples and guards of the Xiao Clan.

The rest only bought a few pieces of Peach Pastry.

Xiao Cheng had just seen off the last Xiao Family Disciple when he finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Peach Pastry sold really fast today. It's almost sold out already. There's still a third of the Peanut Candy left, but the Honeyed Shortbread has barely moved."

Aside from Xiao He and Xiao Xun'er buying some Honeyed Shortbread at noon, everyone else backed off as soon as they saw the price.

At that moment, Payne hurried into the shop with a panicked expression. Upon seeing Xiao Cheng, he said between gasps,

"Shop... Shop Owner, your shop... your shop is in big trouble."

Seeing Payne pant out those words, Xiao Cheng was rather bewildered.

What could have happened for him to say that my shop was in trouble?

Xiao Cheng asked Payne doubtfully.

"Payne, what exactly happened? How does it involve my shop?"

After taking a few minutes to catch his breath, Payne replied.

"The Xiao Clan Head asked me to tell you to watch out for Jia Lie Bi. He may try something against you."

Hearing Payne mention Jia Lie Bi, Xiao Cheng smiled indifferently.

"Don't worry. Jia Lie Bi alone isn't enough for me to take seriously. Is there anything else?"

"Our Xiao Clan people happened to run into Ao Ba Pa and Jia Lie Bi at a Small Tavern. I think they may be plotting something. Please be careful. I need to report this news to the Xiao Clan Head."

Payne clasped his fists and bowed, then quickly left the shop and hurried toward the Xiao Clan.

Xiao Cheng gazed at the streets of the market, pondering Payne's words.

"I didn't expect Jia Lie Bi and Ao Ba Pa to get involved with each other this early. And this time, I'm actually their target. I wonder what methods those two old fools will use against me. I'm rather looking forward to it."

A faint sneer crossed his lips.

Although he only had the strength of the Ninth Stage of Dou Qi, nothing would happen as long as he did not leave Ruyi Zhai.

After all, Xiao Dian protected the shop.

Still deep in thought, Xiao Cheng failed to notice the First Elder of the Xiao Family entering the shop.

"This is Ruyi Zhai, correct? You must be Shop Owner Xiao Cheng."

An aged voice sounded beside Xiao Cheng. He instinctively looked up and saw an elderly man standing before the Glass Cover, smiling at him.

"Who are you?"

"Don't be so wary. I forgot to introduce myself. I am the First Elder of the Xiao Family, hehe."

Upon hearing that this old man was actually the First Elder of the Xiao Family, Xiao Cheng was briefly surprised before smiling.

"First Elder, your presence honors this humble shop."

He offered the First Elder a flattering remark.

"I wouldn't dare let you be so courteous with me. We can speak as equals."

The First Elder was quite flustered and did not dare accept such politeness from Xiao Cheng.

He knew that there was a "powerhouse" behind this little shop.

Even if there was no powerhouse protecting it, it surely had the support of some great faction.

If Xiao Cheng had known what the First Elder was imagining, he would probably have admired him greatly. He had done nothing at all, yet he had somehow been mistaken for an important figure.

"Alright, then I won't beat around the bush. What brings you here?"

He went straight to the point.

"Only this afternoon did I receive news that someone had seen Jia Lie'ao come to the Xiao Family Market. But when he left, his expression was quite unpleasant. From my guess, Jia Lie'ao must have suffered a loss here at your hands."

"That's right. He wanted to recruit me, but I refused."

Xiao Cheng directly recounted what had happened that day.

As the First Elder listened to Xiao Cheng's account, he kept thinking. Before long, he spoke.

"Jia Lie Bi is a domineering and unscrupulous man. I believe he will certainly find a way to deal with you. But don't worry, our Xiao Clan will always support Ruyi Zhai."

The First Elder patted his chest and assured Xiao Cheng that the Xiao Clan would be Ruyi Zhai's steadfast backing.

"I understand the sincerity of your Xiao Clan. Don't worry. If Jia Lie Bi dares to come here and cause trouble, hehe..."

At the end, a wicked grin appeared on Xiao Cheng's face as he chuckled twice.

After discussing this matter, the First Elder also bought some pastries. Xiao Cheng somehow talked him into buying a whole pound of Honeyed Shortbread, and the First Elder was so pleased he could barely contain himself.

"Xiao Ning seems to be the First Elder's grandson, right? What a pair of grandpa and grandson who got talked into things."

It was pitiful enough that Xiao Ning had been talked into it. Who would have thought his grandfather would be just as thoroughly taken in?

Xiao Cheng wondered whether he would have to rely on talking people into things to raise his quest progress.

"Xiao Dian, open the Personal Panel and let me take a look."

Host: Xiao Cheng Identity: Shopkeeper of Ruyi Zhai in the Xiao Family Market Shopkeeper Level: Level One Shopkeeper (32/300)

Cultivation: Ninth Stage of Dou Qi Martial Skill: None Items: None Evaluation: You are merely a rookie who has just started out. You could be wiped out by a big shot at any time. Develop carefully for the happiness of everyone.

Main Quest: Please have the host sell one hundred pounds of Honeyed Shortbread (11/100)

Quest Reward: One recipe for God-tier Mung Bean Cakes Quest Failure: Wear the Baby Three-Piece Set for seven days Quest Time: Seven days Side Quest: Please have the host sell one hundred portions of Peanut Candy (58/100)

Quest Reward: One random pastry recipe Quest Failure: The host must dress as a woman for seven days and may not take it off Quest Time: Seven days

Shopkeeper experience had risen to thirty-two points. That was fairly good.

The Peanut Candy quest was also halfway complete. With a little more effort, he could finish it.

It was the Honeyed Shortbread quest that gave him a headache.

Fortunately, the quest had only just begun, so there was still time to think of a solution.

At that moment, the sun was setting. Its lingering rays fell upon Ruyi Zhai's signboard, making the words upon it especially eye-catching.

Seeing that no one else was coming and that it was nearly time to close, Xiao Cheng decided to shut the shop early and take a stroll around the market.

He still did not know what the market was like.

With that, he simply headed out in his pastry chef outfit, unwilling to bother changing clothes.

He would stroll around for a few dozen minutes before returning to rest.

After locking the shop door, he leisurely began looking around in all directions.

Although night was approaching, there were still quite a few people in the market buying the things they needed.

Mixed among the crowd were several cries of vendors, giving it somewhat the feel of a vegetable market back on Earth.

"Not bad. This market has quite an atmosphere."

"Eh, Shop Owner, you're not selling pastries in the shop?"

At that moment, a familiar voice sounded behind Xiao Cheng.

Xiao Cheng turned and saw Xiao Lu staring at him in surprise, looking him up and down.

Seeing that Xiao Lu had several people with him, he knew they were on patrol. He smiled and said,

"Xiao Lu, you're on patrol today?"

"That's right. Shop Owner, what are you doing out here?"

"I'm taking a walk around the market. I'll head back to rest later. It's not good to stay in the shop all the time."

Xiao Lu nodded, then examined Xiao Cheng's clothes with interest.

"Shop Owner, your clothes look strange, but they're quite nice-looking. I kind of want to try wearing them too."

Hearing Xiao Lu praise his pastry chef outfit, Xiao Cheng jokingly said,

"How about you act as my shopkeeper for a day?"

Xiao Lu hurriedly waved his hands.

"I'll pass. I'm just a rough fellow. How could I possibly run a shop? You go ahead and take your stroll. I'll be leaving first."

"Alright, see you."

After watching Xiao Lu and the others walk away, Xiao Cheng continued wandering around elsewhere.

What Xiao Cheng did not know was that, in some dark corner, a pair of eyes was closely watching his every move.