No-Guest Soul Master Supply Store

Inside the ancient and sacred grand hall, the old man in magnificent robes slowly opened his eyes, his golden pupils reflecting the figure of a young girl.

"Xue'er, you have returned. Did everything go smoothly?"

"It went quite smoothly, Grandfather." The girl performed a respectful aristocratic salute, though her expression remained somewhat cold and detached.

"That person has also come to Martial Soul City, and you just happened to return at this very moment... is this a coincidence?"

The old man's tone was gentle, his gaze filled with an inexplicable luster as he looked at the heavy rain drifting outside the window, lost in thought.

Hearing the old man refer to "that person," the girl's delicate body trembled visibly: "Grandfather, I came here this time to tell you that I want to control my own life."

The girl lowered her head, making it impossible to see her features or expression.

Yet, her fair, small hands were clenched tightly against the corners of her clothes; speaking those words seemed to have exhausted all of her courage.

The old man's expression remained unchanged, still wearing that same indifferent look.

Time flowed slowly through the grand hall, and after an unknown amount of time, the old man finally shifted his gaze.

"Sigh, sometimes fate is not something you or I can decide. Even the great Angel God is nothing more than the lowest servant in the presence of that existence."

"Think about it carefully yourself. In my view, this is already the best possible outcome."

"Even I cannot escape that preordained fate."

The old man's echo resounded throughout the grand hall, lingering for a long time.

This baffling conversation was something that, apart from the two of them, perhaps no one else would ever be able to understand.

On a street in the southwestern part of Martial Soul City.

Mu Qian shook his head, dispelling the distracting thoughts in his mind.

"Let's go, Zhuqing." After saying this, he pulled her toward a shop nearby.

It was a building about three stories high, looking old and primitive in appearance. The windowsills under the eaves were covered in layers of dust, as if they hadn't been cleaned in ages.

Unlike the bright and polished architectural style of the surrounding area, this shop seemed rather unconventional.

The strangest thing was the plaque standing in front of the door.

"Wu Ke Lai Soul Master Supplies Store, what a strange name." Zhuqing looked at the plaque in front of the shop and said curiously.

Mu Qian's expression was equally meaningful: "Wu Ke Lai... 'No Guests Come.' In this day and age, is there really a shop owner who doesn't want their store to be packed with guests and their business to flourish?"

The two looked at each other, couldn't help but shake their heads, and stepped through the shop's entrance.

"Two young soul masters, is there anything I can help you with?" Soon, an attendant dressed in plain clothes approached them.

The other party didn't look very old, perhaps just in his early twenties, and a pair of bright, small eyes flickered with shrewdness.

Mu Qian smiled: "How did you know we were soul masters?"

Since one shouldn't strike a smiling face, and the man's attitude was extremely proper, he naturally wouldn't pull a long face.

"Is that even a question? No commoners ever come to our Soul Master Supplies Store." The attendant chuckled, the muscles on his face bunching together in an indescribably sleazy manner.

"What is your name?" Mu Qian awkwardly changed the subject, realizing he shouldn't have asked that in the first place.

The attendant bowed and scraped as he replied: "This humble one is Huang Shulang, very happy to serve you."

"Pfft~" Mu Qian nearly spat out his saliva.

There really are all kinds of people in this world; it was truly an eye-opening experience.

Huang Shulang... how should I put it, the man lives up to his name...

Of course, he didn't say the second half out loud, otherwise, there was no guarantee the man wouldn't flip out on the spot.

Even Zhuqing couldn't help but suppress a laugh, covering her mouth as she looked at the man whose appearance so closely resembled his name.

"Sorry, sorry, we didn't mean to mock you. Why don't you trouble yourself by introducing what the shop has to offer?" Mu Qian coughed lightly, changing the subject.

Huang Shulang wasn't angry; clearly, this situation had happened more than once.

What could Huang Shulang say? If he had to blame anyone, it could only be his unreliable parents for giving him such a name.

"Respected guests, the goods involved in our shop are quite extensive. Aside from soul bones, you can find almost anything you need."

"Oh?" Mu Qian couldn't help but show a skeptical expression.

Was he really that bold?

Huang Shulang didn't let Mu Qian's expression interrupt his explanation: "The first floor has the largest area, mainly selling various soul beast material products, heavenly treasures, and medicinal pills that are helpful for a soul master's combat and cultivation."

"The second floor is smaller, dealing in various weapons, armor, and even soul tools used for storage."

"You can even buy soul tools here?" Mu Qian looked around in surprise.

Just as Huang Shulang said, apart from the service desk at the very back, the other counters were filled with a dazzling array of goods, and he imagined the second floor was likely in a similar state.

At this moment, there were many guests in the shop browsing the goods on the counters, each group accompanied by an attendant providing explanations, though there were far fewer than in other shops.

"The consumption level on the first floor is the lowest, the second floor is next, and as for the third floor..." Huang Shulang's explanation continued.

"The consumption level on the third floor is not fixed; it is possible that the prices will far exceed what an ordinary person can accept, and it is equally possible that the prices will be incredibly low."

"Because the third floor sells some rather strange items, and even our boss cannot discern their true purpose or nature."

"Is that so?" Mu Qian's eyes lit up. Isn't this exactly the kind of place meant for a protagonist to go treasure hunting?

"Take us to see them. I happen to love these odd and peculiar things."

Huang Shulang beamed with joy: "Alright, please follow me."

As a waiter here, his salary was tied to sales volume, and he earned a significant portion through commissions.

Most of the merchandise on the third floor was frighteningly expensive, so it looked like he could make a killing again.

Mu Qian could easily see through his little schemes, but he didn't bother to call him out.

In any case, the final decision to purchase rested in his own hands; if he didn't fancy something, would the other party dare to force a sale?

Zhu Zhuqing felt a bit nervous; she couldn't help but feel that this sleazy-looking guy wasn't a good person.

Mu Qian tightened his grip on her hand and whispered, "Don't worry."

Following the ancient, weathered wooden staircase, Mu Qian and his companion bypassed the second floor and arrived directly at the top level.

Compared to the first and second floors, the space here was small, only about forty square meters—not even as large as the courtyard of an ordinary household.

There weren't many display cases in the room, only seven in total, and each one held a transparent glass counter containing the items waiting to be sold.

There was only one group of customers on the third floor at the moment, yet it didn't feel deserted; the customers and the shop assistant stood on opposite sides, seemingly locked in a dispute.

"You dare charge us thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins for this piece of junk? You should have asked around to see who we are. To think that in Martial Soul City, someone would actually dare to extort us!"

Mu Qian frowned.

While he was on the stairs earlier, he hadn't heard a single sound, yet the moment he stepped into the room, he heard the voices of the dispute with perfect clarity.

Judging by the tone, this was clearly not the first thing they had said.

"Such clever soundproofing methods; it seems this shop is not as simple as it appears."