Spend money if you want to live

"Ugh... That... was... so... stupid!" Dai muttered to herself.

"No… I couldn't... choose... another store, could I? No... I had to be smart. If I were smart, I would... have run away in the... first minute! Ugh! How can... Leonid beat up customers?!"

Dai cursed as she tried to get the injured man into the store—the man-made painful noises with every movement. But there was nothing she could do. He was heavy. Moreover, the System informed her that he would only become a customer when he entered the store!

She finally let him go once she got a piece of his body over the store's threshold.

She crouched next to his head. "Customer. Dear customer?" she tried to bring him to his senses a little.

Sid was conscious, but everything hurt. He opened his eyes and looked at the person crouching next to him.

"Customer? Do you have crystals?" came the question, and Sid closed his eyes again.

What kind of brutal couple is this!? He breaks his bones first, and she asks him about the crystals while he's bleeding on the floor!?

Dai was relieved that the man was responding. He opened his eyes but closed them again as soon as she asked her question.

"Dear customer, don't faint! I have something to help you, but you must buy it first!" she insisted.

It wasn't like she would help him if she could, but she had no Star Coins. And after one question on the System, she found out that as a shop owner, she couldn't buy crystals.

Sid doubted her words. The only thing that would help him now are cultivators with healing abilities. But he was currently at the mercy of this black-hearted couple.

"Ha… in… pocket," he muttered.

He felt the woman start groping him.

Dai triumphantly pulled out the pouch and peered inside. The eyes sparkled with joy. She pulled out one of the light purple crystals. This guy is rich! She turned and walked over to the shelf, where she picked up the Pain Lord Suffering Balm. The crystal pouch became lighter. She breathed a sigh of relief because she wasn't sure if the man's answer could be taken as approval.

She handed the man his pouch back and then stood over him. Nothing can be done. She will have to apply the balm herself.

"Customer. I'm going to have to apply balm on you. Please don't be offended." She bent over him again and exposed his body as carefully as possible.

"This product provided by Dragons&Fan is called Pain Lord Suffering Balm. It is very effective for body regeneration, bone healing, and limb regrowth. Unfortunately, you will have to endure some pain, but the effect is very good!" she did not forget to promote her goods.

First, she used the balm on his broken hand. Then she looked at his torso. She carefully began to roll up his clothes and looked down at the very muscle of his body, currently painted black and purple.

Sid was beginning to feel abused. What was she saying about pain?

Not long after that, he began to feel tingling in his hands, which gradually turned into burning.

His eyes widened as the pain intensified, as if someone was grafting his bones. Then he looked at the woman's hand rubbing the gel balm on his chest. All the color had drained from his face, and his forehead was sweaty.

"AAAGGGRR!" he roared.

Dai was also pale as the man started screaming. She hoped she would never have to use the Pain Lord Suffering Balm. After a while, the man passed out, and she was relieved. She's going to have to do something about this habit. Everyone, including herself, in this store had been unconscious at some point. After anointing his torso, she checked his legs, and soon the balm was used up.

She got up and wiped her hand; now, all she had to do was wait.

Dai left the man alone and returned to the counter. She opened the System window that had given her the notification earlier.

System: Task Completed

Get your first customer and make a successful sale.

Reward: Cultivation Technique Book placed in your inventory. Please check.

Dai immediately looked in the inventory and pulled out a book.

Cultivation Technique Infinite Body Purity. Description: A cultivation technique with a strong impact on the purity of the body and spiritual energy. This technique is neutral and balanced. The purity of spiritual energy is consistently distributed between body and soul.

Dai raised an eyebrow. She doesn't know for sure what she expected. But maybe something that sounded more... powerful?

System "Boss, this technique is the most suitable for you due to your affinity, which is also neutral." A voice spoke, once again responding to her thoughts. Dai looked at the book again.

"My ability is also neutral?" she asked.

System "Yes. Neutral Affinity is neither special nor rare. However, it is difficult to cultivate. But you do not need to worry. The most advantageous procedure will be calculated for your future cultivation."

Dai couldn't help but feel that the voice only comforted her.

"Okay. So how do I learn?" she asked, placing the book on the counter.

System "..... Read the book."

*****

Sid had a dream.

In his dream, he was trampled by a green-haired giant who mocked him for not being a real man and not knowing how to treat women.

Next to him stood a much smaller woman, cloaked in gray, who buried the needle into him with a giggle. In the dream, Sid believed he was in hell. Behind them stood a thin, tall, crooked man on a raised spot, illuminated by a single light.

The Crooked man wore a red tailcoat with horizontal black stripes and a top hat. He watched his torture without eyes and nose, and the only thing that dominated his face was a too-wide smile with many sharp teeth.

"Pain is not an obstacle, my boya. It's a journey. Without pain, there is no reward. That's how it is and always will be. If you accept it, nothing will stop you in the end." He spoke in a surprisingly quite cultured voice.

Sid shuddered at the terrifying words. Who would willingly accept pain?

The crooked man appeared above him, bent at a right angle.

"I guess you're not ready, boya." He extended a long finger that stabbed into his chest without resistance, as if he were stabbing a piece of cotton and not a human body.

"NO!" Sid shouted, quickly sitting up as he snapped out of his nightmare. He blinked and looked around. He saw that he was in some room; did it look like a shop? Standing behind the counter was the strange woman he had been watching earlier. He saw the book disappear from her hand when he focused on her.

"Dear customer, how are you feeling?" she asked with a smile.

Sid stared blankly at her momentarily before he recovered and touched his body in surprise. His organs still hurt, but his bones were suddenly in place.

"What happened?" he didn't understand.

*****

Dai smiled at the man's question, walked around the counter, and stood beside a goods shelf.

"You have purchased the Pain Lord Suffering Balm from us. It is a first-class product that heals the injured body, heals fractures, and regrows lost limbs. Besides the material price, the only side effect is that you suffer a little pain, but that is a small price to pay for getting new limbs." She was promoted immediately.

Pain Lord Suffering Balm? Sid remembered bits of the nightmare and shivered.

However, Dai continued.

"Now that you're healed, I'd like to introduce you to another of our great items." She gestured again.

"For example, we have the Blue Orc Bone Extract, or the Basic Cultivation Pill of Ginseng Child, which will increase the speed and purity of cultivation by 30% after six hours. I also recommend paying attention to the Thousand-year sunny compote, which..."

Sid held his hand up to stop her and stroked the bridge of his nose with his other hand. He still hadn't fully recovered, and his mind was confused.

Dai fell silent, but her business smile never wavered for a moment.

"First... who are you? And Leonid? What happened to him? Only yesterday, he was an old man." he began to speak after taking a moment to collect his thoughts.

Dai went behind the counter again. "My name is Dai, and I am the owner of Dragons&Fan General Store. Leonid is my employee. I am very sorry for his behavior. Rest assured that I will teach him for his unprofessional attitude towards customers." Dai didn't mention that she would probably end up arguing with him.

"And how did he get younger? Since when is he a cultivator?" Sid noticed that she didn't answer this.

"I'm sorry dear customer, but this is a trade secret known only between the employee and the employer," Dai replied as diplomatically as possible. She could hardly explain to someone how it worked. Sid wasn't happy with the answer, but he didn't feel like getting beaten up again. And he thought Miss Dai would have no problem calling her employee. He had already let himself be provoked once today, and even though he was hot-headed, he was able to learn a lesson.

He also realized it would be best to return to his mistress to report the whole matter. He looked around the store.

For now, he should somehow back off. So far, Miss Dai has treated him like a customer, so should he take something and go? He walked over to one of the shelves and looked through the items.

Soon his eyebrows flew up.

He looked back at Dai, smiling pleasantly, before looking at the merchandise again.

Sid could hardly believe what he was reading. It felt like a scam! The price was high, but if what was written there was true, it would be ridiculously cheap! He didn't want to believe it. He couldn't! But looking at the Pain Lord Suffering Balm and its description, he had to hesitate.

After a while, he returned to the counter and noticed the Thousand-year sunny compote. He looked at it in confusion before he had to ask.

"What is Life Providence?" he asked.

Dai was silent for a moment in surprise. Isn't he a cultivator? Shouldn't he know?

She cleared her throat and described what the System told her. "Life Providence can be obtained by any living being. Providence is granted by a deity, god, immortal, or other powerful entity. Life Providence can have many effects. But not all Life Providences are positive. If you get a bad one, it can harm you. "

Sid looked at the compote and frowned thoughtfully. He had never heard of Life Providence.

"Is that something like an ability?" he asked.

Dai blinked before answering as confidently as she could. "Well. Something like that."

Sid nodded, hesitating momentarily before taking one Thousand-year sunny compote, Basic Cultivation Pill of Ginseng Child, and Pain Lord Suffering Balm. He had used almost all of the crystals but decided he had to investigate. If it works.... the clan could benefit a lot from this.

Dai beamed with happiness as she received the crystals, which immediately disappeared in her palm.

"Can I… can I leave now?" Sid asked cautiously.

Dai nodded. "Of course. The door is outside. Thank you for your purchase, and please come again."

Sid turned and walked towards the large door but stopped again when he saw what was outside. He looked around at the strange scenery and swallowed. He definitely had to report this quickly. He walked over to the door he opened, slowly expecting it to be just an empty frame. But instead of a grassy plain, he saw the inside of a former perfume shop.

He almost jumped in front as if he was waiting for some impenetrable barrier. But nothing prevented him from passing. The door closed behind him, and when he looked back, he could only see their outline before they disappeared completely.

Sid stood still momentarily before heading outside to see Leonidas, broom in hand, trying to sweep up the broken rocks.

He looked up, his eye sparkled, and he smiled. "Thank you for your purchase. Come again." he just said.

Inside her shop, Dai was wringing her hands. She had to find out how much she earned and what else she could buy! The first customer and bought so much!