plumnovel Chapter 57 Wen Siyue
Chapter 57 Wen Siyue
In truth, it was fate that brought Mu Chunfeng and them together.
When Qingfeng Pavilion first opened, the shop was in a remote location and small in scale, and for a whole month it was deserted. Yuan Yao and Yan Li were the first group of customers to enter the shop.
The two originally cultivated in a small sect near Kuixing Island and grew up together. However, the sect suddenly disbanded for some unknown reason, and from then on, the two became wandering cultivators with no one to rely on, depending on each other for survival.
After leaving their sect, they eventually arrived at Kui Xing Island. They made a living by running errands and doing odd jobs in various shops in the market, barely enough to support their cultivation.
When they first came to Qingfeng Pavilion, they were just trying their luck, hoping to find some work they could do.
Mu Chunfeng had originally planned to hire a shop assistant to help him with his cultivation.
As it happened, Mu Chunfeng encountered Yuan Yao and Yan Li. Knowing their true nature, he simply hired them to look after the shop, handing over all the miscellaneous tasks, from managing the store and greeting customers to counting and selling the goods.
During their time together, Mu Chunfeng subtly influenced them with his fragmented knowledge from his previous life.
For example, they could be taught to call him "boss," and he could be taught some business methods he had seen in his previous life. In his spare time, he could also talk about all sorts of strange and interesting stories from all over the world, including some of his thought processes from his previous life.
The two girls were young and innocent, and they were quickly captivated by his novel ideas.
Yuan Yao listened intently each time, pestering him to tell her one story after another, often refusing to leave even after closing time. Yan Li, on the other hand, quietly organized the merchandise, her ears perked up, occasionally raising her head to look at Mu Chunfeng with bright, sparkling eyes, her gaze filled with curiosity and a hint of barely perceptible admiration.
As time went on, thanks to the efforts of Yuan Yao and Yan Li, the shop's business actually improved.
The methods taught by Mu Chunfeng, such as "buy three magic artifacts and get a low-level talisman free" and "old customers get a 10% discount for cumulative spending of 100 spirit stones", have attracted many low-level cultivators from the vicinity to come to the store to buy things.
After all, what affects many people is not only product quality, but also the subtle psychological comfort it provides.
Mu Chunfeng felt a pang of emotion at this.
He originally just wanted to find two reliable people to run the shop, but he never expected that his own thinking habits from another world, which were already ingrained in his bones, would blossom in such an unexpected way in these two girls from the cultivation world.
They are still the same Yuan Yao and Yan Li who just entered the world of cultivation, loyal, kind, and innocent.
But they seem different from before.
Their eyes now held a light they hadn't shown before, a light filled with anticipation and longing for the future. They no longer just thought about depending on others to survive; instead, they began to learn to use their own hands to earn their own spiritual stones and walk their own path.
Just then, Mu Chunfeng and the two women were chatting when the wind chimes at the shop door suddenly rang, and a middle-aged man in a green robe walked in carrying a girl of about five years old.
Upon hearing the commotion, Yuan Yao and Yan Li immediately got up to greet them. When they saw who it was, Yuan Yao immediately greeted them with a smile, "Senior Wen Qiang, you've arrived! Our boss is here too."
After saying that, he turned and gave Mu Chunfeng a wink.
Mu Chunfeng had already stood up and slowly walked out from behind the counter.
When Wen Qiang saw him, a gentle smile appeared on his face, and he cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Brother Mu, I didn't expect you to be personally tending the shop today."
But Mu Chunfeng's gaze did not fall on Wen Qiang; instead, it fell on the little girl he was holding.
He smiled and stepped forward, carefully taking the little girl into his arms. His eyes were full of tenderness as he said to the little girl in his arms, "Siyue is here today too. Did you miss Uncle Mu?"
The little girl had two round buns in her hair, and her big eyes were like grapes. Upon hearing this, she immediately replied in a childish voice, "Yes~".
Mu Chunfeng burst into laughter, picked up Wen Siyue and spun her around, saying with a smile, "Our Siyue is still the best-behaved."
Only then did he look up at Wen Qiang and ask with a smile, "Brother Wen, are you here today because you need any magical artifacts or talismans?"
Wen Qiang smiled and shook his head: "Brother Mu is too kind. Today is Siyue's birthday. This child usually loves the strange and interesting little magical artifacts in your shop, so I brought her here to pick out a couple as a birthday gift."
"Oh? So today is Siyue's birthday."
Mu Chunfeng immediately lowered his head and said softly to Wen Siyue in his arms, "Siyue, take a look. Pick whatever you like in the store. Uncle Mu will give it to you for free."
"Brother Mu, this won't do!"
Wen Qiang immediately spoke up to stop him, "Items should naturally be purchased with spirit stones; we can't let you spend so much money."
Mu Chunfeng completely ignored him, still smiling at Wen Siyue with her head down: "This is a birthday gift for our little Siyue, not for you, so why would you need to contribute spirit stones? Right, Siyue?"
Wen Siyue immediately hugged Mu Chunfeng's neck and called out in a clear, sweet voice, "Uncle Mu is the best!"
Mu Chunfeng immediately picked up Wen Siyue and slowly strolled through the store in front of the rows of shelves, letting her choose the items she liked.
Upon seeing this, Wen Qiang shook his head helplessly, but his face was full of grateful smiles.
Yanli, who was standing nearby, quickly invited him to sit down at the tea table and brewed a pot of the finest spiritual tea. Wen Qiang sat there quietly, drinking his tea and watching the two figures, one tall and one short, slowly making their selections in the distance, his eyes full of tenderness.
After browsing for a full half hour, Wen Siyue finally chose only a high-level magic artifact shaped like a bell.
This bell was crafted by Mu Chunfeng in his spare time. He used the art of weapon crafting to seal a sound-retaining jade talisman inside the bell, and then engraved several interconnected patterns and added calming and concentration runes. As long as spiritual power is injected and the bell is gently shaken, a soft melody will play from it—"Dreams Under the Stars," which he had Yanli record for him.
This piece of music is a memory from his past life, and also a longing he keeps hidden in his heart.
Mu Chunfeng wanted Wen Siyue to choose a few more items, but the little girl, holding the bell, shook her head and refused to take any more.
Looking at the bell in Wen Siyue's arms, Mu Chunfeng instantly understood why she had chosen it.
Wen Qiang, sitting at the table, fell silent after hearing the melody from the bell, a layer of unconcealable pain spreading across his eyes—this child must be missing her mother.
After all, she had never seen her mother since she was born and had any memories of her life.
Mu Chunfeng noticed that Wen Qiang was in a bad mood, so she gently rubbed Wen Siyue's head and handed her to Yanli, who was standing next to her. Yuan Yao also came over immediately. The two girls accompanied the little girl and used a bell to coax her to talk.
Mu Chunfeng then walked to the tea table and sat down, looking at Wen Qiang, and said in a low voice, "Brother Wen, please accept my condolences."
Upon hearing this, Wen Qiang gave a bitter smile, put down his teacup, and slowly said, "In this world, who can truly suppress the longing in their heart?"
A surge of deep resentment and self-reproach welled up in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and said, "If I had been stronger back then, if I could have protected Yue'er, she wouldn't have..."
"Brother Wen, this is not your fault."
Mu Chunfeng sighed, "If anyone is to blame, it's that Star Palace's special envoy. He disregarded human life and, for his own selfish reasons, arbitrarily changed the rank of the demon beasts in the Demon Suppression Ceremony, which led to this disaster."
"It's not just him!"
Wen Qiang clenched his fists tightly, his voice filled with hatred, "And this damned Demon-Suppressing Ceremony! Under the guise of commemorating the Twin Saints of Kui Xing, it's nothing more than taking pleasure in the lives of our own kind of cultivators, all for the selfish interests of those higher-ups!"
He became more and more excited as he spoke, and couldn't help but slam his hand on the table, causing the cups and saucers to shake.
He then realized he had lost his composure and quickly composed himself, apologizing to Mu Chunfeng, "Brother Mu, I'm sorry, I was too excited just now."
"It's alright, it's only human nature."
Mu Chunfeng shook his head, his tone becoming more serious, "But Brother Wen, you must remember, you still have Siyue. No matter what, you must not do anything irrational. If something happens to you, what will happen to Siyue, this lonely little girl?"
He knew all too well the ending of the original story. A few years later, Wen Qiang would join forces with the cultivators of Jiyin Island to avenge his deceased wife, destroy the central core of the protective array of Kuixing Island, and release the sealed Lei Peng. In the end, he would die and be left alone and helpless.
His words today were a preemptive wake-up call, an attempt to persuade his deeply stubborn father.
Upon hearing this, Wen Qiang forced a smile: "Brother Mu is joking. I am currently on duty at the Six-Linked Palace, and my life is very peaceful. Besides, as a father, how could I do such irrational things?"
Seeing that he wouldn't listen, Mu Chunfeng stopped trying to persuade him and added, "Brother Wen, if anything really happens in the future, feel free to come to me. Although I am not very talented, I do know a senior uncle who is in the Core Formation stage. With him, he can help you resolve most things."
"Thank you for your kindness, Brother Mu. Don't worry, nothing will happen."
Wen Qiang cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, but his tone still carried a hint of aloofness and stubbornness.
The two chatted for a while about the current situation in the market, then Wen Qiang got up to take his leave: "Brother Mu, I'm sorry to have troubled you today. I have to go back to the Six-Linked Palace for my duty this afternoon, so I'll take Siyue back first."
After saying that, he called Wen Siyue over and took the little girl into his arms.
As she was leaving, Wen Siyue leaned on her father's shoulder, waved her little hand at Mu Chunfeng, and called out in her clear voice, "Goodbye, Uncle Mu!"
Mu Chunfeng smiled and waved to her, saying softly, "Siyue, come play again next time."
As soon as the father and daughter disappeared from the shop entrance, Yanli and Yuanyao immediately gathered around and chattered amongst themselves.
"Siyue is so cute, so soft and cuddly, and her voice is so sweet."
"Yes, yes, the way she held onto that bell and wouldn't let go, it melted my heart."
Looking at the two girls' excited expressions, and recalling the unyielding obsession in Wen Qiang's eyes, Mu Chunfeng sighed softly, sat back down on the recliner, and picked up the ancient book she hadn't finished reading. But this time, she couldn't turn a single page for a long time.