My Home's Ancient Well Connects to the Martial Arts World

Chapter 46: Chapter 46: The General Store Opens

At the entrance to the Ye Mansion, under a bright, full moon, stood a Snow-clothed Woman. Her face was veiled by a light scarf. The night wind stirred, causing her flawless white robes to flutter gently and a few strands of her black hair to trace graceful arcs in the air. She exuded an ethereal, fairy-like aura.

”Miss Tantai, are you here looking for Xia Girl and Little Yu?” Ye Xing walked out and said with a smile, ”They’re in my living room playing right now.”

”Oh, as long as they’re here with you, I can rest easy. There might be some turmoil in the area around Sunset City and Phoenix Town soon. Young Master Ye should also be careful!” the Snow-clothed Woman said, her red lips parting slightly.

”Turmoil? Is something big going to happen here?” Ye Xing asked, his gaze shifting.

”In another half a month, Sunset City will hold its annual auction. Many people of the martial world will gather here. With all sorts of people from every school and sect, I’m afraid there will be many disputes, even killings.”

”But as long as you’re careful and don’t wander into the wilderness, you should be fine. Some of those Martial Artists might have short tempers, but they generally won’t attack and kill someone for no reason,” the Snow-clothed Woman said thoughtfully. Suddenly, her beautiful eyes shifted. She sized Ye Xing up and asked in slight surprise, ”Young Master Ye, you’ve already become a Martial Artist?”

”Yep! I just broke through without even realizing it!” Ye Xing scratched his head and grinned. ”What do you think? Pretty fast, right?”

”Yes. Your Cultivation speed is quite astonishing,” the Snow-clothed Woman said with a nod.

”Haha, I’m still a far cry from you,” Ye Xing said.

”That’s different. I was trained by my sect from a young age. My situation is completely different from yours, Young Master Ye,” the Snow-clothed Woman said seriously. ”If you can keep this up, you will surely achieve great things on the Martial Dao in the future.”

”Haha, I’ll take that as a good omen, miss!” Ye Xing laughed.

As the two were chatting, Xia Girl and the little maid in the green dress, Chunyu, walked out from inside. The two little girls’ eyes were red, and shimmering teardrops clung to their long eyelashes. They looked heart-wrenchingly sad, their faces streaked with tears.

”Little Yan, Little Yu, what’s wrong with you two?” the Snow-clothed Woman asked, confused.

”*Sniffle*... Miss, that Ma Wencai is a villain!” the little maid, Chunyu, said miserably, her lower lip trembling.

”Ma Wencai? Who is Ma Wencai?” The Snow-clothed Woman’s willow-like brows furrowed slightly.

”He’s the bad guy who broke up Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai,” Xia Girl blurted out nonsensically.

”Liang Shanbo? Zhu Yingtai?” The Snow-clothed Woman grew even more confused.

”Ahem! Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai are characters from a television show—it’s similar to an opera, I suppose. These two girls got too absorbed watching TV at my place and couldn’t help but cry,” Ye Xing quickly explained. He knew that if he let Xia Girl and the little maid Chunyu explain, they would only make things more confusing.

”Oh? What kind of opera could be so moving?” the Snow-clothed Woman asked curiously.

”It’s called *Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai*.” Ye Xing’s eyes lit up as he smiled. ”You’ve heard the theme music from this show on the MP3 player, Miss. It’s called ’Butterfly Transformation.’ You even said before that the song was so mournful and sad, it must be hiding a heart-wrenching love story.”

”So it tells the story from ’Butterfly Transformation’.” The Snow-clothed Woman looked intrigued, a ripple disturbing the usual calm of her beautiful eyes.

”Miss, the story is so moving! That Liang Shanbo is an idiot! He spent so much time with Zhu Yingtai and never even realized she was a girl. It’s so frustrating!” the little maid Chunyu said indignantly. The girl had clearly become a die-hard fan of the *Butterfly Lovers* and enthusiastically recommended it to her mistress.

The Snow-clothed Woman could already sense the sorrowful love story from the mood of the song ”Butterfly Transformation.” Spurred on by the little maid in the green dress, her interest was piqued. ”Young Master Ye, could I perhaps borrow your opera troupe for a few days?”

”Haha, it’s not an opera troupe, it’s a television. Immortal Spring Manor has no electricity, so it probably won’t work there. You’ll have to watch it here,” Ye Xing laughed. ”If you’d like to watch it, Miss Tantai, I can take you to the living room right now!”

”Now?” The Snow-clothed Woman hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. ”It’s already late. May I come back tomorrow to watch it?”

”Haha, of course! You’re more than welcome!” Ye Xing paused for a moment before adding, ”However, my shop in Phoenix Town is having its grand opening tomorrow morning. If you want to come, the afternoon or evening would be fine.”

After seeing the Snow-clothed Woman and the others off, Ye Xing immediately returned to his room to practice his Inner Strength. When it came to Cultivation, Ye Xing was extremely diligent and hardworking.

The night deepened, then began to fade. A short while later, a sliver of fish-belly white light appeared on the horizon. The light spread, and the world gradually brightened.

Before long, a golden sun rose slowly in the east. Its golden rays illuminated White Cloud Mountain, coating every branch and leaf in a layer of brilliant gold.

First thing in the morning, Ye Xing, Qiao’Er, and Aunt Qiao headed down the mountain toward Phoenix Town, carrying large and small bags of merchandise.

He had already picked out and bought the shop in Phoenix Town yesterday. It was a pre-existing store located in a bustling section in the center of Phoenix Avenue. The place had already been renovated, so after Ye Xing touched it up a bit, it was ready for its grand opening.

The shelves and counters were filled with all kinds of goods: lighters, mirrors, nail clippers, ballpoint pens, and various other miscellaneous items.

”Boss, give me two lighters!”

”Miss, I’d like to buy a mirror. One of those small ones is fine.”

”Here’s a Gold Coin for you!”

”Boss, here are five Silver Coins. Give me a pair of nail clippers. I borrowed some from Old Wang next door last time, and they worked great. They make cutting nails so easy. Actually, make it two. Here are ten Silver Coins.”

”Boss, is this pen really that good?”

”Of course it is! My ballpoint pens are much better than writing brushes. The main thing is convenience. They’re easy to carry, easy to write with, and you don’t even need to grind ink.”

”Boss, how much for this paper? The quality feels exceptionally good.”

”Haha, but of course! It’s great quality at a low price. Very cheap. One notebook is just ten Silver Coins.”

Customers streamed in and out, buying various goods. Many were returning patrons, but there were also new customers who had come based on word-of-mouth from the regulars. Business was booming.

With so many customers, Ye Xing, Qiao’Er, and Aunt Qiao were all extremely busy, handing goods to customers and collecting Silver Coins and Gold Coins at the counter.

Just then—

”Well, well. I was wondering who opened this new shop. Turns out it was you, you stinking brat!”

Suddenly, a harsh voice rang out as a thuggish-looking man strode into the shop from outside.