Opening her eyes, Zhu Zhuqing took off her helmet and sat up, seemingly recalling everything she had just experienced. Then, without even confirming whether she now had Twin Martial Souls, she headed straight for the counter with a head full of questions.
Meanwhile, Lin Yue carried a bowl of fried rice out of the little kitchen behind the counter and casually shoveled a couple of mouthfuls in with his chopsticks.
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing approach, he swallowed his rice and said casually:
"You came out after just over three hours. Didn't you like it?"
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head and dispensed with pleasantries, getting straight to the point:
"Boss, I clicked something called 'idle mode' in there, and then I left that world. What happened?"
Lin Yue took another mouthful, chewed twice, and swallowed before replying unhurriedly:
"Oh, you mean idle mode."
"Don't worry. All you need to know is that while you're standing here asking me questions, the you in that world is currently cultivating the Sunlight Sacred Art."
Zhu Zhuqing's gaze shifted slightly.
Then didn't that mean that if I started cultivating Soul Power now too, I would have twice the cultivation speed?!
"Anything else you want to ask?"
Lin Yue saw her looking thoughtful before a slightly surprised expression appeared on her face, and he was unsure whether she still had questions.
Hearing him, Zhu Zhuqing came back to her senses and immediately asked:
"In that world, there's a country called the Heavenly Radiance Empire. The imperial family's Martial Soul is the Holy Light White Tiger, and the third prince is called Dai Mubai. Everything is so familiar, yet so unfamiliar..."
She paused.
"The Star Luo Empire I come from also has a Dai Mubai. Then what about my family? Although we're vassals bound to the Star Luo Empire by marriage, would things be different in that world too...?"
Lin Yue took a bottle of cola from the freezer beside the counter, opened it, and took a sip before speaking:
"You're actually asking the same question."
"Simply put, you can think of the world you play in as a parallel Douluo Continent in another plane. That's why it feels familiar."
Zhu Zhuqing's brows furrowed slightly.
"A parallel world?"
"Right."
Lin Yue nodded. "You can think of it as another identical Douluo Continent. People with similar, or even identical, names and appearances will appear there."
"But fundamentally, they're completely independent living beings. Their memories, experiences, and fates aren't connected. The direction a world takes depends on every choice its inhabitants make. If one choice diverges, then as the years accumulate, history, factions, and everyone's fate will all follow completely different paths. That's why it also feels unfamiliar."
"For example, take the Heavenly Radiance Empire you mentioned. In your world, Dai Mubai's ancestor never evolved the White Tiger, and the empire he founded was called the Star Luo Empire."
"But in that world, the same person evolved the White Tiger into the Holy Light White Tiger, and the empire he founded was called the Heavenly Radiance Empire."
At this point, the information about the Heavenly Radiance Empire on Lin Yue's system panel vanished, replaced by information about the Netherworld Empire.
"As for the Hell Spirit Cat family, which originally formed marriage ties with the Star Luo Empire because of their Martial Soul Fusion Skill..."
"In that world, they also took a completely different path. Only about a hundred years later than the Heavenly Radiance Empire, the counterpart of one of your ancestors evolved her Martial Soul into the Nine Nether Spirit Cat and founded the Netherworld Empire."
"And that Martial Soul Fusion Skill is called the Nether Radiance Holy Tiger. While traveling the continent, the empress of the Netherworld Empire happened to meet and fall in love with a descendant of the Heavenly Radiance Empire, and they later discovered they could use this skill together."
"But afterward, for some unknown reason, she issued a series of bans on dealings with the Heavenly Radiance Empire after returning to the Netherworld Empire, and the Nether Radiance Holy Tiger never appeared again."
As he finished, Zhu Zhuqing's pupils contracted slightly. Her mind reeled, and complicated feelings churned in her cool eyes.
The Netherworld Empire!
The Nine Netherworld Spirit Cat!
And that even stronger Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the Nether Radiance Holy Tiger!
My counterpart must be living quite well...
At that thought, a trace of envy she could hardly conceal quietly swept through her heart.
But in an instant, that envy gave way to resolve.
After all, with the Mysterious Shop's help, she had already obtained Twin Martial Souls, and with the added benefit of "idle mode," she had twice the cultivation speed.
For every day others cultivated bitterly, she would make two days' progress.
The shackles of fate that had once bound her entire life were now tottering on the verge of collapse.
Given time, she would surely shatter fate beneath her own feet and walk the path she wanted!
Her thoughts settled, Zhu Zhuqing thanked Lin Yue for answering her questions and asked whether she could stay in the shop to cultivate.
Lin Yue shoveled the last mouthful of fried rice into his mouth and said indistinctly:
"You can stay here to cultivate. Just don't disturb the other customers."
Then he took another can of cola from the refrigerator and gently pushed it toward Zhu Zhuqing.
"Just this one bottle, free of charge."
With that, Lin Yue said no more and began clearing away his bowl and chopsticks, preparing to stay up all night watching shows.
As for cultivating?
Forget it.
When he had arrived here half a month ago, the system had already granted him eternal life and established a rule: as long as he remained inside this little shop, he was the absolute sovereign. Even a deity coming to his door would have to kneel.
So, since he could attain immortality simply by lying around and slacking off, why would a homebody like him make life difficult for himself?
The night deepened, and time passed quietly.
When the sky took on the pale white of a fish's belly, a party of three stepped into the shop.
The old man leading them had a head of white hair and carried a dragon-headed cane, his steps steady. The old woman beside him was lean and wiry, her serpentine eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze sharp as a blade.
Following behind them was a tall girl of about sixteen, with long lashes framing large brown eyes, a well-proportioned figure, and a slender waist. She also held a snake-headed cane and was curiously examining the shop.
Yawning, Lin Yue was just about to lie down on the recliner behind the counter. Seeing someone push the door open and enter, he greeted them mildly:
"Welcome."
As he spoke, his gaze traveled over the three of them, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
Dragon Duke Meng Shu, Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang, and their granddaughter, Meng Yiran.
It made sense. According to the timeline the system had provided, Oscar was already close to breaking through level thirty, so it was perfectly normal for the Dragon Duke and Snake Granny's party to appear here.
"Boy, what sort of business do you run here? Is this an inn?"
Dragon Duke Meng Shu looked over the shop's furnishings and asked in a deep voice.
Lin Yue thought for a moment. When someone entered the game, the state of their body lying in the Game Pod really was no different from sleeping, so he replied casually:
"More or less, though it's mainly for playing games."
"Boy, are you trying to fool us? I've never heard of an inn that lets people sleep in the main hall for everyone to stare at."
Chao Tianxiang's gaze swept over the three young men who appeared to be asleep in the pods, then turned to Zhu Zhuqing, who sat cultivating quietly by the wall. Her tone was full of doubt.
Hearing this, Lin Yue looked at the three people in the experience pods and explained:
"Madam, you've misunderstood."
"Those devices are used to experience the games here. As for why I said this place more or less counts as an inn, it's mainly because once you enter the game, your body lying in the Game Pod is in practically the same state as when you're asleep."
Dragon Duke Meng Shu knitted his brows and lightly tapped his dragon-headed cane against the floor tiles, clearly dissatisfied with this answer.
"Boy, in my youth, I roamed the continent for decades and saw countless extraordinary people and strange happenings. Yet I've never heard of anything like what you're describing."
Lin Yue was not annoyed. He merely smiled faintly and looked at Meng Yiran behind the pair.
"No matter how broad your experience, there are always opportunities you've never encountered. Leaving everything else aside, didn't you two go to all the trouble of traveling to the Star Dou Great Forest for her?"
"From what I can see, this young lady's Soul Power has already filled the level-thirty bottleneck. She's a peak level-thirty Soul Grandmaster, just one suitable Soul Ring away from entering the Soul Elder realm."
"Am I right?"
Having her cultivation revealed in a single remark left Meng Yiran momentarily stunned. Then undisguised pride welled up in her large brown eyes.
Reaching the threshold of Soul Elder at sixteen was talent enough for her to take pride in among her peers.
Pride also appeared on Meng Shu's and Chao Tianxiang's faces. This was the granddaughter of the Dragon Duke and Snake Granny, exceptionally gifted, with a promising future.
But after that brief moment of pride, their gazes on Lin Yue grew more probing and appraising.
Earlier, they had sensed no Soul Power fluctuations from this young man and had taken him for an ordinary person.
But now that he had seen through Meng Yiran's cultivation at a glance, he had most likely concealed his aura using some method that even an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo like Meng Shu could not see through.
So he put aside his dismissiveness and said:
"That's right. Our girl is indeed stuck at the peak of level thirty, just one suitable Soul Ring away from breaking through to Soul Elder. But what does this have to do with that sleeping game you mentioned?"
Lin Yue replied, "Of course it has something to do with it."
"For instance, suppose your granddaughter absorbed an unsatisfactory Soul Ring, or even one that wasn't quite perfect, affecting all that talent of hers and perhaps leaving her just one step short of advancing further in the future."
"I'm sure neither of you would want to see that happen, would you?"
These words struck straight at the heart of the matter. Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang trembled slightly, their eyes filled with profound shock and doubt.
"Do you mean that this sleeping-game method of yours could help Yiran avoid such a hidden danger?"
Lin Yue yawned again and said indifferently, "Believe it or not. That's up to you."
"If you want to try it, the starting price is one Gold Soul Coin."
Naturally, one Gold Soul Coin was nothing to seasoned Soul Douluos like the Peerless Dragon Snake.
But this was far too inconceivable to believe.
The two exchanged a glance, each seeing hesitation and wariness in the other's eyes.
After weighing it over and over, they ultimately dared not rashly try this elusive opportunity.
In the end, Meng Shu gave him a slight nod in farewell, then turned and left the shop with Chao Tianxiang and Meng Yiran, both full of doubts.
Watching the three figures depart.
The corners of Lin Yue's lips rose slightly into a meaningful smile.
In the original story, the Dragon Duke and Snake Granny with Meng Yiran had brought her to the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest and happened upon a thousand-year Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent. Unfortunately, the beast fled wounded, and they tracked it until they encountered Shrek's party. They lost the contest for it, and Meng Yiran's third Soul Ring consequently slipped through her fingers.
Now, with his intervention, once they lost this contest, the Dragon Duke and Snake Granny would certainly return here out of love for Meng Yiran and concern for their granddaughter's future.
At that thought, he withdrew his gaze and glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, who was still cultivating with her eyes closed by the wall, Soul Power faintly circulating around her. He recalled the system's task to recruit a server and a cook.
But considering that only a handful of customers had visited the shop so far, there was no hurry.
So he let out a breath, pushed the recliner back, propped up his legs, sank into the backrest, and comfortably closed his eyes to catch up on sleep.
During that time, one or two curious passersby entered the shop, but their reactions were much the same as the Dragon Duke and Snake Granny's. After looking at the strange Game Pods and asking a few questions, they shook their heads and left.
The sun slowly climbed, and before long, it was noon.
Once again, a faint electrical jolt from the system woke Lin Yue from his sound sleep. He rose lazily, his gaze going straight to the shop's entrance.
Two figures stood there. One had a bewitching, fair-skinned face: Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan. The other wore a pitch-black mask that concealed his face, presumably Ghost Douluo Gui Mei.
Recognizing the visitors, Lin Yue looked far more surprised than he had upon seeing the Dragon Duke and Snake Granny that morning.
The two pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Their gazes swept over the furnishings before finally settling on the three young men who appeared to be asleep in the Game Pods. They exchanged a glance, then slowly approached the counter.
Lin Yue had been wondering whether these two Titled Douluos had happened to pass by or had come specifically on someone's orders.
Seeing this, Lin Yue understood and greeted his guests as usual.
"Welcome."
Yue Guan covered his lips and chuckled softly, his effeminate voice like a blade steeped in honey:
"Young shopkeeper, are you familiar with those three?"
Lin Yue nodded and replied:
"I'm the owner here, and they're my customers. Of course I know them."
At this, Yue Guan's eyes flickered slightly, and an amused smile curled his lips.
"Then do you also know that all three of them have Twin Martial Souls, young shopkeeper?"
Lin Yue could not be bothered to dissemble, beat around the bush, or waste words, so he said directly:
"Of course I do."
"After all, they obtained them right here in my shop. As the owner, how could I not know?"
Yue Guan's smile froze slightly. A trace of shock and doubt flashed through his narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes before his expression quickly returned to normal, though his smile now held a more appraising edge.
Beside him, Gui Mei's cold, shadowy eyes also briefly contracted behind the eyeholes of his pitch-black mask.
Seeing this, Lin Yue smiled faintly and continued, "Is there any other information you two Titled Douluos would like to inquire about?"
At these words, Yue Guan and Gui Mei frowned almost simultaneously. They exchanged a glance, both looking grave.
A young man who could see through their identities as Titled Douluos and point them out so brazenly was either mad or had something to rely on.
And that support could only be a Titled Douluo whose strength was unquestionably greater than theirs!
At that thought, a measure of apprehension and unease rose in their hearts.
Before you continue