Mortal: Traveling Between Two Realms with Mei Ning to Pick Up Trash

Zhou Yu strode towards the Green Bamboo Pavilion. Just as he was about to lift the curtain and go in, a hand reached out from behind and pressed down on his shoulder.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, don't rush off."

Zhou Yu froze, then slowly turned his head.

A middle-aged man stood behind him, and another person blocked his left path, one on the left and one on the right.

"Elder Wan said he wants them alive," the middle-aged man said slowly. "If you come with us obediently, you'll suffer less."

Zhou Yu's hand was already on his storage bag, ready to activate the Immortal Binding Net at any moment.

"This place isn't far from Tianxing City, do you dare to make a move?"

"We won't lay a hand on you," the middle-aged man smiled. "We're just inviting you to be our guest. You can leave on your own; it doesn't count as violence."

Just then, a man in a gray robe came out.

Zhou Yu looked at the other person's face.

Zhang Tie, no, he should be called Qu Hun now.

Qu Hun glanced at the group, his aura slightly leaking out.

The middle-aged man and the other person instantly changed their expressions.

"I was unaware that you were here, senior. I apologize for any offense I may have caused."

Zhou Yu was a little out of breath; the pressure from the Golden Core stage cultivator was making him uncomfortable. He gave a slight bow and said, "Greetings, Senior."

Qu Hun didn't seem to care and said calmly, "If you want to buy something, you're welcome. If you want to fight, go somewhere else."

The middle-aged man and the other man exchanged a glance, then bowed and said, "This junior will take his leave now."

As they left, the two men glanced at Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu's heart sank slightly. He couldn't leave; he had to think of a way.

"What about you? Aren't you leaving?" Qu Hun glanced at Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu bowed and said, "I'm going in to buy something."

Qu Hun nodded, said nothing, and turned to leave.

Zhou Yu watched his retreating figure. If he wanted to get rid of these two, he would have to see if he could get in touch with Han Li.

Although we don't know the strength of that senior surnamed Liu, judging from the current situation of the Miaoyin Sect, she is at most at the Foundation Establishment stage. Whether she can stop those two is another matter.

But what leverage does he have to pique Han Li's interest?

After hesitating for a moment, I walked into the Green Bamboo Pavilion.

I looked around the shop but didn't see Han Li. Is he in the backyard?

I pretended to look at the items in the store.

No, I need to be more proactive, otherwise I'll just keep being chased.

"Boss, are you short-staffed?" Zhou Yu asked, putting down a talisman.

Qu Hun looked at Zhou Yu with no expression, "I don't need it."

Zhou Yu wasn't embarrassed and continued, "It's free, just meals will do."

"This place doesn't support idlers."

"I'm not idle," Zhou Yu said, glancing at the bottles of pills on the table. "I can identify pills and medicinal herbs. I can deliver goods and run errands. You need someone to take care of customers and run errands, right?"

Qu Hun didn't reply, turned around and walked behind the counter, picked up a rag and started wiping the counter.

Zhou Yu followed and stood by the counter.

"You saw those two guys just now, they're from the Giant Shark Sect. They were blocking my way outside. If I go out now, I'll be caught within half a mile," Zhou Yu said bluntly. "I'll stay here for a while to lay low and do some work for you. Once they're gone, I'll leave. I won't linger."

Qu Hun paused in wiping the table, glanced at Zhou Yu, and still didn't say anything.

Looking at him like this, Zhou Yu realized that he still had to reveal something, otherwise Han Li wouldn't make a move.

Then Zhou Yu frowned and hesitated, his hand on his storage bag. After hesitating for a long time, he took out a fragment, which was the fragment of the unknown magic weapon he had obtained on the battlefield.

Zhou Yu said with a pained expression, "Senior, this is a fragment of a magic weapon that I obtained by chance. I don't know what material it is made of, but I have been investigating for so long and I still haven't found out its origin. It is definitely not simple."

Qu Hun stopped and glanced at the fragments.

Qu Hun then threw the rag onto the counter, walked to the door, and glanced outside.

The two people did not leave; they stood not far away, constantly looking around.

Qu Hun closed the door.

Zhou Yu's heart stirred slightly, and he breathed a sigh of relief. It was a pity about the fragment of the magic weapon, but oh well, he could always get more from the battlefield. He figured there would be no shortage of magic weapon fragments in such places.

Qu Hun looked at Zhou Yu.

"You said you could recognize medicinal pills."

"I know a little," Zhou Yu said, taking out a few books. "I learned them myself. I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I can recognize most of them."

Qu Hun looked at the book with frayed edges, his gaze lingering on Zhou Yu for a few moments.

"You wait here."

He turned around, lifted the curtain at the back door, and went into the backyard.

Zhou Yu stood behind the counter, his heart beating slightly faster.

Instead of wandering around, I waited by the counter, my eyes scanning the store's furnishings, which were neat and tidy.

Footsteps came from the backyard; it was two people.

Zhou Yu tapped his fingers lightly twice.

Are we finally going to see Han Li?

A moment later, the curtain behind was lifted, and Qu Hun came out first, stepping aside, followed by another person.

He had some stubble, wore a long blue robe, his hair was casually tied back, and his face was unremarkable.

Zhou Yu bowed and clasped his hands in greeting, "Greetings, senior."

"I heard from Qu Hun that you want to work here?" Han Li's voice was not loud, and it carried a calm tone.

"Yes," Zhou Yu said, "I've acquired the Giant Shark Sect and would like to borrow your place for a while. I'll help with the work and won't stay for nothing."

"Have you offended the Giant Shark Sect?" Han Li glanced at Zhou Yu.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Yu said, "I was delivering goods for the Miaoyin Sect when the Giant Shark Sect intercepted me. I killed several members of the Giant Shark Sect."

Han Li's expression shifted slightly after hearing this.

"Why don't the people of the Miaoyin Sect hide there?"

"The Giant Shark Sect naturally wouldn't touch the Miaoyin Sect's stronghold inside Tianxing City, but once we got outside the city..." Zhou Yu gave a wry smile, "This time, I was delivering a message for Miss Wen outside the city, but I didn't expect to be targeted."

After Zhou Yu finished speaking, he glanced down at Han Li. He realized that it would be excessive for Han Li to remain indifferent after he had brought up the Miaoyin Sect and Wen Siyue.

Han Li nodded, picked up the fragment of the magic weapon, looked at it, and frowned slightly, seemingly puzzled.

After thinking for a while, he looked at Zhou Yu.

"This item is indeed quite interesting. You can stay in the shop. Once the people from the Giant Shark Gate leave, you can leave."

Zhou Yu cupped his hands in greeting.

"Thank you, senior."

Han Li didn't say anything more, turned around and walked towards the backyard. Qu Hun glanced at Zhou Yu and walked behind the counter.

The shop fell silent.

Zhou Yu stood by the counter without sitting down. He looked around, took a bottle of pills from the shelf, glanced at the label, and put it back, pretending to be familiar with the store's merchandise.

My mind is wandering to other things.

I've managed to get on Han Li's good side. Although we're not that close, at least I can put aside the external threats for now. I'll find Senior Liu's residence in the market later.

……

At night.

Zhou Yu looked outside; the two men had vanished without a trace and quietly left the house.

As Zhou Yu walked forward, he gradually came to a bamboo forest.

Bamboo leaves brushed past my face, carrying a faint, refreshing fragrance.

Zhou Yu continued walking deeper into the bamboo forest, where the outline of a small courtyard could be vaguely seen at the end, with white walls and blue tiles hidden among them.

I walked to the gate of the courtyard and raised my hand to knock on the door.

"Come in," came a woman's voice from inside, carrying a lazy, weary tone.

Zhou Yu pushed open the door and went inside. The room was small and simply decorated. There was a bamboo table, two bamboo chairs, and a painting of bamboo on the wall. A woman in her thirties was sitting by the window. She was wearing a plain white dress, with her long hair casually draped over her shoulders, and she was holding a cup of tea.

The woman turned away from looking out the window and looked at Zhou Yu.

"What is it?"

Zhou Yu took out the letter, placed it on the bamboo table, stepped back, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"This is a letter from the Myriad Sounds Sect."

The woman's gaze fell on the letter, her eyes seeming to reminisce. After a long while, she finally spoke, "That girl, Wang Ning..."

The woman shook her head slightly, saying nothing more. "The letter has been delivered. Is there anything else?"

Zhou Yu cupped his hands in greeting.

"Nothing else, I'll take my leave."

He turned and left the house, crossed the courtyard, and entered the bamboo forest.

Wang Ning? Knowing Zi Ling's real name, she must be a friend of her parents.

Zhou Yu quickened his pace as he walked through the bamboo forest.

Those two won't let him off the hook, so he'll stay with Han Li to avoid trouble.

……

It was still dark when we arrived.

The mist in the bamboo forest had not yet dissipated, and dew clung to the tips of the bamboo leaves, falling in a rustling sound when the wind blew.

Zhou Yu was awakened by birdsong.

Opening my eyes, I saw a small bamboo house. The morning light shone through the window, casting a faint bluish glow over the room.

He has been staying at Qingzhu Xiaoxuan for three days.

The two people outside still appear from time to time, so we can only wait it out. Fortunately, the one thing I have plenty of right now is time.

Qu Hun watched from outside the shop, letting customers come and go as they pleased, seemingly unconcerned about the business. Han Li, on the other hand, never inquired about it.

Zhou Yu knew why, of course; Han Li didn't know how to do business.

I got up, folded the blankets, and opened the door.

The bamboo shadows swayed in the courtyard, and a gentle breeze carrying fragrance wafted over. Zhou Yu took a deep breath. This scene felt like stepping into a place described in ancient books, isolated from the outside world, unaware of the Han Dynasty, let alone the Wei and Jin Dynasties.

Thinking about it, it had been a long time since I had relaxed like this. Although Han Li didn't care about me, I felt inexplicably at ease staying here.

Upon entering the shop, Qu Hun was already tidying it up. With such daily cleaning, it's no wonder the place always looks brand new.

Zhou Yu stood behind the counter, holding a jade slip in his hand, glancing at it casually. It was a book of pills he had bought from the market. He had been reading it for more than half a month and had already read more than half of it. Although he might not be able to use all of the pills' names, properties, and ingredients, it was never a bad thing to learn more.

The curtain in the backyard was lifted.

Han Li came out.

He was still dressed in a blue robe, his hair was casually tied up, and his face remained unremarkable.

"Shopkeeper," Zhou Yu said, putting down the jade slip and bowing.

Han Li nodded, walked behind the counter, picked up the account book, flipped through it, put it down, and then walked to the chess room next door.

At that moment, two guests entered.

One male and one female.

"What do you want? I'll buy it for you."

"it is good."

Hearing the commotion, Han Li turned his head to look. Zhou Yu smiled and walked towards the two of them.

"What is this?" the woman asked, though she was speaking to the man.

"Amulet for peace and safety".

The two read it aloud.

The woman looked at the man and smiled, "This suits you very well."

Zhou Yu narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the scene before him. It seemed that this world was closer to the anime, and Han Li was probably undergoing a tribulation in the mortal world.

"Would you two like to buy this?" Zhou Yu asked with a smile as he stepped forward.

The man hesitated for a moment before asking, "How much is this?"

"This item can be valued at least at three spirit stones for you two," Zhou Yu said.

Upon hearing this, the woman's gaze lingered briefly on the amulet, while the man put it back.

Zhou Yu smiled again, took the amulet off the shelf, and held it in his palm.

"You two may not know this," Zhou Yu said calmly, "Although this talisman is not a high-level talisman, it is superior in terms of its materials. The talisman paper is made of spirit bamboo paper, and the cinnabar contains the essence blood of a third-level demon beast. You can see the pattern."

Zhou Yu pointed to the winding lines on the talisman, "These are the runes for a love lock, not the kind of casually drawn peace talismans on the market. They are proper love talismans. Wearing them will not only ward off disasters, but also connect the wearer's luck with the talisman."

The woman seemed somewhat moved.

Zhou Yu saw through it and changed the subject.

"However, the value of this talisman doesn't lie in the strength of its spiritual energy," Zhou Yu pushed the talisman in front of the two. "There are many shops selling talismans in Tianxing City, and each talisman is different. This talisman was hand-drawn by our shopkeeper. It's all about fate. If someone is destined to see it and likes it, then it's worth it. If someone isn't, even if it's given away for free, they'll just think it's taking up space."

Zhou Yu paused for a moment, then said, "You two walked in today and immediately took a liking to it. Isn't that fate?"

The two seemed to still be somewhat hesitant.

Han Li then spoke up, "This item can be bought for at least two spirit stones."

Zhou Yu glanced at Han Li, smiled, and didn't continue talking to the two of them.

The woman glanced at the man, hesitated for a moment, and then took off the bracelet from her hand.

Seeing this, the man stepped forward and took her hand, saying, "This is your favorite bracelet."

"Listen to me," the woman said, "you killed the monsters for our sake, these material possessions are nothing to you."

Zhou Yu watched the two of them tugging at each other, then glanced at Han Li beside him, seemingly feeling somewhat helpless.

In the end, the woman handed the bracelet to Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu saw the two of them out.

As the two walked away, Han Li approached.

"You're quite good at business."

Zhou Yu smiled and said, "Just some petty tricks, nothing serious."

……