I Sell Fate Through A System

Seeing all the messages pop up in front of him, Shou inspected his body. he had expected a glow or something, as one of the rewards was rising in cultivation level, but nothing happened. 

"No slacking off during work hours," Si told him, reading his mind. He'd rise to the Mortal Ascencion realm at the comfort of his own home when the doors to the shop were closed. That was likely for the better though, as it would not be a good look for him to suddenly jump three stages without doing anything at all. 

"If it is money, I have it," Lan Jiu spoke. "Actually, I raided the treasury before the sect went under. 15 spirit crystals isn't a lot of money for me."

"Tsk, must be nice," Ran Wei spat out, only for herself to hear.

Shou patted the man on the shoulder, his expression softened. "Stand up first, won't you? This is no place to talk." The other customers looked at him with judging eyes. That youth really only cared about money, they thought to themselves.

The long-haired man observed his surroundings, then realized he forgot to ask, "By the way, what kind of place is this?" He was too preoccupied with finding someone to help him, that he did not even bother finding out what that rumored Store of Fates was. He had imagined it to be a dark cave, or underground society, not some cozy shop in the middle of the city. And indeed, it really was cozy.

"A place to buy fate," Shou spoke matter-of-factly, confusing the man greatly.

"I can't agree with this." Mei Xue placed the broken hilt back into her pocket (she didn't want to litter). "Shou, will you really allow someone from the dark faction to traverse your store?" She glared at Lan Jiu with a grim expression. The usually calm her was nowhere to be seen.

Zhang Yong stepped in too. "That's right. This isn't as easy as beating up Wang Jing, or confronting the City Lord, you know? You might even become the enemy of the empire." He genuinely worried about Shou, and advised him from the bottom of his heart.

"I don't mind. It might make life a lot more interesting even, don't you think?" Shou spoke in a calm tone. "Don't worry I am strong."

Si agreed. "That's right! If anyone comes with bad intentions, we can just murder them [pew pew]!"

"It's not about strength only," Zhang Yong spoke. There were many ways to undermine a person, without using might to suppress them. He knew best of all these underhanded tactics, as he had experienced them many times themselves. Sanctioning the shop, increased taxes, defamation, and more are what may lead to the ultimate ruin of this place, and these were just things he thought of on the spot. Yet, he did not mention it, as for some reason, he did not feel it right to do so.

Li Yangyi pushed himself forward. "Hold on, it's the Waning Principle sect we are talking about! That man has killed people you know? It's crazy that we are standing here so calmly while a murderer is in this room."

"...I feel like I am at the execution stand," Lan Jiu commented.

"You shut up!" Li Yangyi shot him an angry glare. The academy had spoken extensively of the crimes within the outskirts of this city. Especially the Waning Principle sect, which specialized in assassination and fearmongering, were the lowest of all scums.

Shou glanced at Li Yangyi. He spoke, "If it's killing people, I have done that too." He paused. "Probably more than all of you combined. Some I regret, some I'd do again even if I traveled back in time." His eyes met with Yangyis'. "This isn't a world where one gets by with words and ideals alone. Ah, but I've also saved a lot of people, so don't judge me as some evil character, okay?"

The atmosphere in the room turned a lot icier, due to Shou's words. They wished to question the legitimacy of his words, but he was not known for lying. No, he always spoke the truth. But that made it so much harder to say anything at all.

Lan Jiu, though not knowledgeable about these guys' relationship, felt the heavy situation around them. He decided to speak up for himself. "It is true, the world where I am from is as muddy as the bottom of a sewage. I, too, am painted in sin and guilt. So, I do not mind if after everything is over, you take my head, or burn me at the stake."

Mei Xue squinted her eyes. "Aren't you here for protection," she asked him doubtfully.

Lan Jiu clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his flesh. Anger rose from deep within him. "No, I've come here for revenge." "I will not rest until I have killed the person the traitor of the 36th generation, Lan Wu."

Mei Xue's eyes shook, hearing that name. For her, who was an expert and controlling her emotions, this was a big reaction. "For the Waning Principle sect?"

"No, when I am done, I will help hunt down the remaining people, if that is what you want."

Zhang Yong asked. "Then what is it you fight for?"

Lan Jiu looked up. "For. . ." he paused, then glanced away. "No, never mind. It's for something that's long gone already."

"That's some heavy shit," Lin Zhuyue spoke flatly. Ran Wei, still holding her face agreed with a nod. They were deeply engrossed in the story unfolding in front of them. It was more entertaining than a novel.

The crowd looked at each other. His statement pulled on their heartstrings. Who hadn't lost something important to them before? Zhang felt some unknown emotions well up within him. "I was wrong. Maybe you are a chivalrous guy after all." He patted the sect members' shoulder. Though he may be scum on earth, at least he was honorable scum. 

Mei Xue pursed her lips. "...Fine. It's not my shop in the first place, if Shou wants to help you, I have no say in that." She pointed at him. "Behave. Hide your identity well, and if you ever get caught, kill yourself okay? Do not implicate this store or cause trouble for him."

Lan Jiu gave a thumbs up. "No need to tell me." He breathed a sigh of relief. "I am glad to hear I have been accepted." He stood up and patted his robe. "What a fucking drag, I thought I'd really die."

"?" The crowd tilted their head. Didn't his personality seem to have somewhat changed?

"I've been chased from remnants of the sect and other enemies coming for my head, I haven't even been able to take a shit." He trembled. "Is there a toilet somewhere here? Putting that aside, what exactly is it that you sell again?"

"I told you, fate," Shou answered.

"Wait, you are serious? I thought it was some kind of codeword, for like bounty hunting or other stuff." Lan Jiu blinked twice. "Fate, as in destiny?"

Everyone nodded. They totally understood how he felt. The glib-tongued Ah Liang, who had returned after seeing the situation de-escalate, said, "It's like a game shop where you write your own stories. It's quite fun, you should give it a try."

". . ." The former sect-member had a blank expression. He faced Shou. "Is that big guy for real?"

Shou nodded.

"Is it fine if I watch only? I kinda am not here to play around."

"Get out if you are not paying."

"...I apologize." Lan Jiu cupped his hands and bowed down.

Li Yinyi could not help but ask, "Say, what is it that this Lan Wu did to you?" She wasn't particularly scared of him. Instead, she felt curious about what kind of life he lived within the sect. It must be one much different from hers. How exciting.

"It's quite despicable. I don't know if you are ready for this," Lan Jiu spoke. He looked at the ground. "See, within the Waning Principle sect, everything was about results. There was no such thing as family or friend. Whether you got to eat or sleep, all depended on your achievements. I wasn't particularly great at anything, so it was hard for me to accomplish anything noteworthy, however, there was one time, I managed to rank first in knife-throwing skills, and they gave me a bunch of riceballs filled with meat." The man's brows furrowed, as he said in a sad tone, "Yet, that despicable Lan Wu simply stole it from me while I was out on a mission!"

"..."

Lan Jiu continued talking. "He was always like that. At times, he'd also take my towel or dagger, leaving me without any essentials, and when inspections came, I'd get nagged for something that was not my fault at all!" The ex sect-member put a lot of passion into his speech. "And when he took my clothes, he'd also keep the pocket change within it! What a vile bastard!"

Zhang Yong felt a vein pop on his forehead. "Alright, I was wrong, get the fuck outta here." He grabbed the mans' shoulders and pushed him to the door.

"Wait, wait, what do you mean?" Lan Jiu pushed back.. They were of the same cultivation stage, thus, it was a standstill. "Were these stories not sad enough? He still stole a lot more from me, I have more to say!"