Emergency Rescue

People bathed in blood.

They spread their arms to welcome the bloody rain. They cheered, wept, prayed, and sang, not stopping even when Dragon Blood stained their tattered clothes red. It looked like some sinister ritual, yet Chen Xuan felt an inexplicable sense of sanctity.

They were all calling Liu Shuyue's name.

Standing in the rain, Chen Xuan felt his body grow slightly warm too.

"They can cultivate now."

He turned around. Liu Shuyue had come up behind him without his noticing.

"They aren't even afraid."

"I told them that only dragon monster blood would let the refugees truly make a life for themselves in these desperate mountains. This blood... and the dragon's intact corpse are my gifts to them."

"What happens next? Are you going to teach the refugees spells?" Chen Xuan asked. "They aren't disciples of the Lotus Cloud Sect. Won't you get in trouble for teaching them in secret?"

"An Ability Transaction hardly counts as teaching. I haven't revealed a word about any secret arts," Liu Shuyue said. "This is the last thing I want to ask of you. You can choose any one of my remaining abilities as payment. The rest... give them to the most talented among them."

Chen Xuan was astonished. "You want to trade your abilities to the refugees?"

"I—cough, cough!" A violent fit of coughing cut her off. Liu Shuyue clapped a hand over her mouth, but blood sprayed between her fingers.

She swayed, on the verge of falling.

Chen Xuan lunged forward and caught her.

The eyes that had always been so bright were dull and lifeless now.

He suddenly realized what had happened.

"Slaying a dragon monster isn't so simple." Liu Shuyue wiped the blood from her lips and gave a faint laugh. "Demon Extermination True Sword is a spell made specifically to fight monsters and evil spirits. The more life you burn, the more power you gain. With my abilities, I had to go this far to be certain of winning. Didn't I... tell you? Powerful as it is, that ability isn't exactly easy to use..."

As she spoke, she spat out another mouthful of blood.

"How much of your life did you burn?"

"Pretty much all of it. I only have about half an hour left, so listen carefully..."

"Don't start giving your last wishes yet. You're a VIP customer of this store!"

"What, do you look after whether your customers live or die too?" Liu Shuyue raised the corners of her mouth, trying to look more spirited. "I know my condition better than anyone. While I'm still conscious, hurry and take out that magical tool you use for transactions."

She wasn't fooling herself.

She was about to die... unless he did something.

Chen Xuan took out the Scanner Gun and aimed it at her forehead. "Not necessarily. It isn't your time yet."

Liu Shuyue froze.

He had already entered his chosen ability: "Black Magic."

"What's that?"

"You'll know once you trade for it." Chen Xuan added, "Dragons live a long time, don't they?"

"Of course... at least several hundred years..."

"Good. If you could survive, would you still choose to die along with it?"

Liu Shuyue immediately understood what he meant.

"Of course... not."

The transaction was complete.

She traded a green-grade Eight Trigrams Palm for Black Magic.

Chen Xuan didn't care what ability she offered in exchange. Her life force was still draining away, and time mattered more than anything. "Black Magic requires an altar for the sacrifice. One look at the ability and you'll understand. The key is the dragon's heart. It was killed only moments ago, so the heart is still fresh. Just cut it out and place it in the middle of the altar."

That was how he intended to extend her life!

Even if the life gained through this method was drastically reduced, the dragon monster's immense lifespan made it more than enough.

"This isn't exactly... a respectable ability, is it?" Liu Shuyue had grasped the true nature of Black Magic. "No. I can't accept a curse like that. If the price is becoming a monster, half human and half demon, I'd rather die human..."

"Prepare the ritual first. I promise you won't be cursed," Chen Xuan interrupted.

She stared at him.

Should I trust a merchant?

"Master, just as you said, we can sense qi!"

"Are... are you all right?"

"Who's this man?"

The refugees were gathering around. Seeing how weak Liu Shuyue looked, they eyed Chen Xuan with growing suspicion and hostility.

Didn't I already show that I trusted him when I asked him here to witness my final moments?

"Do not... be rude to him." Liu Shuyue raised a hand to stop them. "He's here to help us. Listen carefully. There are some things I need you to do."

She told them what materials to gather for the altar.

Knowing she had agreed, Chen Xuan rose and headed for the nearby hut. "Hang on. I'll be back soon."

To keep the connection between the two worlds from breaking, he deliberately left the door open.

He returned to the store through the back door, opened the store management software, and went to the transaction records. Only three names appeared there: Liu Shuyue, Gilles de Rais, and Joan of Arc.

He remembered that a level 2 shopkeeper could invite customers back in two ways: by offering lodging, or by making the store's entrance easier for previous customers to find.

He right-clicked Joan of Arc's name. Sure enough, the expanded menu had an "Invite to Return" option.

He clicked it, and nothing seemed to happen.

The software didn't even confirm that the invitation had been sent.

Chen Xuan knew the invitation carried no obligation. A customer could ignore it, or never set foot in the Ability Store again. But he had no other choice. He opened the front door for business as usual and waited for a response.

Less than five minutes later, two very familiar figures walked through the door.

"Your Excellency, were you calling for me?"

Chen Xuan looked up. The residential complex outside had become a scattered village. The speaker was Joan of Arc, and the man beside her could only be Gilles de Rais.

Both looked very different from when he had last seen them.

Joan appeared to be in her thirties now, dressed no differently from a village shepherdess. Marshal Gilles de Rais even had a few strands of white in his hair.

She had indeed followed his suggestion, giving up her position as commander to retire to the countryside.

"I kept dreaming of the warm light coming from this shop's window these past few days, so I came to the village for a look. I never expected to find its familiar door."

"That's right. I'd like to make a trade with you."

"Just tell me what ability you want, Your Excellency."

Chen Xuan picked up the Scanner Gun. "I want Blessed Maiden."

By the time Chen Xuan returned to the Myriad Mountain Great Wilderness through Room 201, a small stone altar had been built on the mountaintop. Torches stood around it, and the dragon monster's heart lay at its center. Even outside its body, it still trembled faintly, as though unwilling to accept that it had fallen to the sword.

Liu Shuyue's face had grown paler. She sat cross-legged beside the altar, swaying as though she might collapse at any moment. Only when Chen Xuan appeared did a faint smile return to her face.

"If you can't keep your promise... then we do it my way."

"Don't worry. This store never makes false claims," Chen Xuan replied confidently. "Let's make one more Ability Transaction."

He was going to trade Blessed Maiden to Liu Shuyue.

According to the ability's description, it worked only on women. Though it carried the drawback of making its holder more vulnerable to fire, its most important effect was immunity to curses, keeping its holder free of darkness!

The moment Liu Shuyue saw Blessed Maiden, a glimmer returned to her eyes, which had nearly closed. She had never wanted to die. She had pushed herself to slay the dragon only so she could live with herself. If she could go on living, she had no reason to refuse.

Following the sacrificial method, Liu Shuyue plunged a dagger into the dragon's heart and cast Black Magic.

In an instant, the sky and earth changed color! A cold, sinister wind rose around them, its shrill howl sounding like the dragon monster's dying wail!

But the next moment, dazzling light flared around Liu Shuyue and swept the sinister wind away!

The crimson bloodstains on the surrounding grass faded too, leaving the mountaintop lush and green again.

"The master has shown her divine power!"

The refugees dropped to their knees and bowed to Liu Shuyue.

Chen Xuan, however, saw the "gash" the sword had cut across the sky slowly closing. Clouds rushed toward it, forming a magnificent waterfall around the edge of the rift.