Conscientious Shopkeeper

Seeing the shop assistant come forward to ask what he needed, Yi Feng casually probed with a response.

"Does your Linglong Pavilion have a game called Simulated Life?"

The assistant paused upon hearing this, looking troubled as he clasped his hands in respect.

"Guest, our shop does indeed have Simulated Life, but this humble one does not have the authority to handle it. If you wish to try the game, it must be approved by the shopkeeper. Please follow me."

Saying so, the assistant smiled apologetically, stepping aside and gesturing for him to proceed.

Seeing this, Yi Feng followed without showing any outward emotion, but internally, his curiosity grew.

To think this place actually had Simulated Life too.

Could this be a branch of the Linglong Pavilion from before?

To have a branch all the way out here in the deep reaches of the universe, this Linglong Pavilion was clearly far from simple.

Following the assistant through the main hall, Yi Feng soon arrived at the counter.

After the assistant clasped his hands and reported to the plump shopkeeper, the latter turned his gaze over with a smile.

"Guest, you truly know your stuff."

"Our shop's Simulated Life is an incredibly novel game. By simply sending your consciousness into an independent space, you can simulate and experience the myriad aspects of life. You might become the reincarnation of a mighty expert, experience the happiness of an ordinary life, or even get the chance to enjoy the majesty of an emperor..."

Yi Feng already knew all this and wasn't very interested in listening to a sales pitch right now.

Although it did sound quite interesting and caught his attention, it wasn't exactly fresh to him anymore. Without waiting for the other party to finish, he cut to the chase.

"Hold on a moment..."

"According to what you're saying, playing this game requires separating out my consciousness. Doesn't that mean I won't be able to do anything else?"

The shopkeeper chuckled, wearing a patient and persuasive expression.

"Guest, you can't look at it that way."

"Think about it. Just by sending out your consciousness, you can experience all the flavors of life, as if you've walked through the mortal world several times over. Aside from your body being unable to move, you don't have to expend any other energy or pay any other price. Where else can you find such a good deal?"

"In a moment, our shop will provide you with a precious jade. Once you project your consciousness into it, you'll immediately experience the myriad states of the world. Are you not tempted?"

It did sound rather appealing; the game certainly had enough selling points.

Yi Feng nodded slightly in tactical agreement.

"I suppose so..."

But when he thought about how he might have to sit in this shop spacing out, he felt it would be a bit awkward. He might be stared at like a monkey in a zoo. If someone took the opportunity to steal his money or something, that would be a real pain.

Immediately, Yi Feng looked troubled.

"The game sounds nice, but sitting around spacing out in your shop all day isn't exactly ideal."

Who knew that as soon as he spoke, the fat shopkeeper would reveal an understanding smile.

"Hehe, you worry too much, Guest."

"As long as you have our shop's precious jade, you can start the game wherever you please. Returning to your esteemed residence is perfectly fine. For the sake of your safety, it's best to find a secret realm where you can enter secluded cultivation."

"Coincidentally, our shop has special private rooms open specifically for players like you who wish to immerse themselves in the Simulated Life game. We can absolutely guarantee the safety of your person and your belongings!"

"As long as you play for a long time, our shop will even assign dedicated staff to care for your physical body, providing bathing, shaving, and various other services. We even provide pills and meals! Whatever you want, our shop has it all!"

"If you play for over fifty years, we'll even throw in a free immersive immortal spring bath service!"

"In short, whatever your requests may be, our shop will do its utmost to satisfy them. We will absolutely make you feel at home and allow you to experience an unprecedented emperor-level enjoyment!"

The pitch sounded incredibly pleasing to the ear, but Yi Feng detected something unusual in it.

This service was simply too thoughtful—perhaps a bit too thoughtful!

Even the legendary hotpot chains from his past life couldn't compare to this Linglong Pavilion.

This outrageous level of accommodation instantly made Yi Feng suspicious. Narrowing his eyes, he asked.

"Shopkeeper, with such excellent service, the price can't be cheap, right?"

The shopkeeper was taken aback by the question, clearly not expecting Yi Feng to remain so clear-headed.

However, he was a businessman after all. Having seen all kinds of customers, his interpersonal skills were top-notch. He quickly squeezed out a flattering smile and clasped his hands.

"Ha, hahaha..."

"What are you saying, Guest? Our shop has always strived for high quality at low prices, with a 'customer first' motto. At most, we just charge a little for our hard work. How could the price possibly be expensive!"

The words were very pleasant to hear, but Yi Feng revealed a wise gaze that saw through everything.

Hmph.

The saying "there is no merchant who isn't deceptive" really wasn't false at all!

Making it sound so nice, but in the end, it was all about the money. The sound of his abacus flicking was so loud I could hear it in my heels!

However.

Thinking about this Simulated Life game he'd been longing for, as well as the various anomalies of the Linglong Pavilion, Yi Feng couldn't help but probe out of curiosity.

"Since that's the case, tell me first, how much does it cost?"

As soon as he spoke, the pressure shifted to the shopkeeper's side.

He had never seen such a shrewd customer before. He felt as if the initiative had been completely seized by the other party. He had never encountered such a difficult business deal, to the point where he couldn't even reply immediately.

After a brief moment of thought, he carefully smiled and clasped his hands.

"Guest, to tell you the truth, you are our shop's first customer today. So, to get some good luck for opening up, I'll give you a fifty percent discount."

"We'll only charge one thousand Immortal Crystals. How about it...?"

As his voice fell, the shopkeeper smiled cautiously, his eyes full of expectation.

That cautious appearance utterly stunned the nearby assistant. He had never seen the shopkeeper so passive, actually being completely manipulated by a stranger.

Even though he had already conceded to this extent.

Yi Feng's eyes widened in shock, his voice rising an octave!

"What?"

"One thousand Immortal Crystals?! Why don't you just rob me!"

Even though Yi Feng had some savings on him now, years of living a hard life had long cultivated a habit of thriftiness. This price far exceeded his mental bottom line!

Playing a game actually cost a freaking thousand Immortal Crystals?

Was that playing a game?

That was freaking squandering a fortune!

If he played like this, the mere few hundred million Immortal Crystals he had on him wouldn't be able to withstand such squandering!

A scam shop!

This Linglong Pavilion was undoubtedly a scam shop!

The money didn't matter; what mattered was that he absolutely could not let himself get ripped off, nor could he start getting tainted by a lifestyle of luxury from now on!

As the saying goes, it's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury to frugality.

He might as well just not play this trivial game!

Thinking of this, Yi Feng firmly turned around and strode away!

As he turned and stepped away, not only was the assistant dumbfounded, but the shopkeeper also suddenly looked blank, completely unexpecting things to develop to this point.

The failure of this transaction almost destroyed the worldview these two had held for years!

It was just one thousand Immortal Crystals...

Just spending this little bit of pocket change allowed one to experience Simulated Life and enjoy numerous benefits.

Was this price really that expensive?

Why did this person react as if he had just been scammed out of ten million Immortal Crystals?

Was that really necessary?

Was there actually someone in this world who was stingy to such a degree?

Before the two could react.

Yi Feng was about to step out the main doors of the Linglong Pavilion.

The shopkeeper gritted his teeth as he watched. A look of panic suddenly surfaced in his eyes, and he hurriedly chased after him, reaching out and stopping him with a trembling voice!

"Guest! Guest, please wait!"

"Our shop hasn't officially opened for the day yet, so we can offer you a complimentary spot!!!"

Hearing this, Yi Feng paused in his tracks.

He looked back in surprise, his face full of suspicion.

"Free?"

"You're not trying to scam me again, are you?"

The shopkeeper hurriedly waved his hands, replying with a solemn expression.

"Absolutely no tricks!"

"Our shop truly hasn't opened yet. Seeing that you have an affinity with us, I'm making an exception to give you a free spot. Please stay and enjoy our services. If you are satisfied, please be sure to give us a five-star review later!"

Seeing the shopkeeper's constant apologetic smiles, Yi Feng finally relaxed.

It turned out the other party just wanted to keep him here and seemed to care a lot about customer reviews. There was probably some sort of performance metric in this shop. Sure enough, the boss was somewhat extraordinary—most likely a fellow transmigrator.

It seemed this shop wasn't that shady after all; in fact, it had quite a bit of conscience.

Whether it was free or not wasn't important. The key was that running a business wasn't easy. Plus, this Linglong Pavilion had many peculiarities, so he might as well stay and give it a try, then investigate further later.

Thinking of this, Yi Feng cupped his fists in a slightly apologetic manner and replied.

"Alright, thank you very much then."

Seeing the bewildered waiter about to lead the way, he suddenly remembered something crucial and casually gave a few instructions.

"When I'm playing the life simulation later, you must remember to take good care of my physical body. Especially my daily meals, not a single one can be missed!"

"As for the five-star review, I'll definitely give it once I'm out!"

Hearing this, the shopkeeper and the waiter nodded repeatedly!

"Rest assured, dear customer, that is a given!"

Only after hearing this did Yi Feng follow them into the private room.

Soon, the Linglong Pavilion became busy. From the usually aloof, elegant, and magnificently carved building, wafts of mellow food and wine aromas suddenly drifted out, causing many passersby to salivate and stop to look around.

On the outskirts of the crowd.

A man pushing a wheelchair walked out steadily. Beside him was an old man whose face was marked by the traces of time. At this moment, both were quietly observing the Linglong Pavilion, secretly letting out a long sigh of relief.

Standing quietly beside the two, Yun Yaoyao's red lips curled up slightly, and a gratified smile appeared in her beautiful eyes.

"Master has finally arrived..."