Dimensional Supermarket - Chapter 21

In this world, many people pray to gods and Buddhas. Some pray for wealth, some for marriage, and others for a better future.

But people always ask with sincerity. If they want to give something to the gods or Buddhas, it must be done under the guise of fulfilling a wish.

This is the first time Chen Liu sees someone trying to make a deal with gods and immortals.

He is so shocked that he loses his ability to speak. It takes him a long moment to find his voice, and when he does, it comes out stammering, “Th-that is an immortal!”

Yang Zhi doesn’t pay attention to Chen Liu’s expression. He is sure Chen Liu is just waving a big flag. If there really is an immortal, why would such a being send a mortal to do errands? It’s clear to him that Chen Liu is being used without realizing it—but he doesn’t care. What matters now is that he needs to go south.

He is the one who volunteers to stay behind in the north. Otherwise, he would have been among the first to head south.

His life isn’t important, but there are things he has to personally deliver to the mountain king. Even if it costs him his life, he has to go south and see his parents one last time.

Yang Zhi suddenly says, “Alright, since you say The Lord Immortal wants to save thousands of good people—Li Qing, come here!”

The man who has been standing by the fire, observing them, stands up. He is short, with a large head and several scars on his arms.

“Li Qing has never killed anyone,” Yang Zhi continues, meeting Chen Liu’s gaze. “He was stabbed several times saving others. Is he a good man?”

Chen Liu swallows hard. He can’t say Li Qing isn’t a good man. After all, Li Qing once saved him, even taking stab wounds in the process.

“Can The Lord Immortal save him?” Yang Zhi asks again.

Chen Liu presses his lips together. If Li Qing were alone, he would have brought him back to the supermarket already.

Back when they were up on the mountain, these people were his brothers, comrades in arms. They trusted each other with their lives—no secrets, no hesitation.

But now he suddenly realizes: he is no longer one of them.

From the moment he comes down from the mountain, he stops being their brother.

Chen Liu’s hair stands on end as the realization hits him. He has made a grave mistake.

Yes, the immortal has supernatural powers—these people can’t hurt him. But he, Chen Liu, is just a mortal! If he and his parents are driven out by the immortal, they’ll have no choice but to wait for death!

His lips tremble as he says, “I came to bring you water and food. I’d rather starve than harm you! Did I offend you?!”

He remembers their kindness. He would rather go hungry than betray them—so why are they treating him this way?

“Brother Yang!” Chen Liu’s eyes are glistening with tears as he cries out, “I know you’re a good man! You went to the government office to fight for justice for the tenant farmers! Brother Yang, we’ve got no grudges between us!”

Yang Zhi’s gaze flickers. He presses his lips together and says, “The moment you came down from the mountain, you stopped being my brother.”

Chen Liu hangs his head in defeat.

Now that he’s in this situation, he can’t let his parents down. With newfound resolve, he raises his head and shouts at Yang Zhi, “Without The Lord Immortal, there is nothing. You can kill me or chop me! If my head falls, it’s just a bowl-sized scar! If I so much as whimper, I’m not a real man!”

Yang Zhi, seeing that Chen Liu looks ready for death, feels a pang of discomfort. He softens his tone and coaxes him gently, “Although you’re no longer our brother, we’ve shared a bond. We won’t harm you or force you. Just act as a middleman and ask The Lord Immortal if he wants what’s in our hands.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll run away?” Chen Liu looks at Yang Zhi, disbelief in his eyes. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll ask someone to kill you?”

Yang Zhi shakes his head. “You’re not that kind of person. I was rude before, but the situation didn’t allow me to be careless. I was just testing you.”

He considers himself a gentleman, but he didn’t expect this “mud-legged” country boy to have even more integrity than him.

Chen Liu is stunned. “Test?”

Yang Zhi doesn’t care whether he fully processes what’s been said. He continues earnestly, “All the brothers from the mountain have gone south. Only a few of us are left to escort something important south. It’s more valuable to us than our lives or property, so we have to be careful. We’ve hidden this thing in a secret place.”

Yang Zhi’s eyes lock onto Chen Liu’s face.
He then walks to the fire and picks up a bundle of rags. Despite being old and worn, the rags are tightly wrapped, hiding whatever is inside.

Yang Zhi places the bundle next to Chen Liu, lowers his head slightly, and makes a pleading gesture. “These things could buy a lot of food under normal circumstances, but right now, they’re just a pile of broken copper and iron. We don’t want more, just enough to exchange for food. If there are horses, that would be ideal. If not, six horses would suffice. Li Qing and Sun Feng are thin, so they could ride together.”

With that, Yang Zhi unwraps the bundle. The layers of cloth fall away, revealing gold, glinting in the firelight.

Chen Liu freezes, his heart racing. He can’t stop staring, but the shock makes him lose his words. He has never seen so much gold in his life. Some of the jewelry is adorned with precious gems. Even someone like him, who doesn’t know much about wealth, can tell these are priceless—and could probably buy entire mountains.

How could he not realize where this wealth comes from? From Huangshan, no less!

“These are the proceeds from corrupt officials,” Yang Zhi says, voice steady.

Chen Liu’s eyes flare. “These dog officials!”

Yang Zhi bows his head, a sign of respect. “Brother Chen, these things are for you. If you take them back, it means you are kind-hearted and righteous. If not, we won’t blame you. Consider it our apology to you.”

When Chen Liu was pressed to the ground by Yang Zhi, he still kept his pride. But now, this good man, someone he once only admired from afar, is bowing humbly before him. He can’t stay hard-hearted anymore.

“If you let me go, I will believe you.” Chen Liu looks into Yang Zhi’s eyes.

Yang Zhi nods. “I won’t stop you.”

Chen Liu stands up tentatively, picks up the torn bag that Yang Zhi used to wrap the gold, and begins to back away cautiously. When he reaches the edge of the forest, he suddenly turns and bolts, running as fast as he can.

All he can hear is his own heartbeat and the rush of wind in his ears. The heat of the night makes him sweat—his clothes soaked with cold sweat that sends a chill through him despite the heat.

He runs—runs as fast as he can!

Finally, when he can run no more, he collapses on the ground and turns back to look at the path behind him.

Fear gnaws at him. He’s afraid someone is following him. Afraid Yang Zhi is tricking him again.

Chen Liu wipes his face. His chest aches, and the weight of his thoughts leaves him breathless.

After a long while, he sees the familiar glow of light ahead.

When he hears Wu Yan’s voice, it feels like the sweetest sound in the world.

“Why the hell did you run so fast?!” Wu Yan is nearly going crazy. They’ve been watching Chen Liu from a short distance the entire time. If Yang Zhi and the others dared lay a hand on him, they were ready to fight to the death.

Those guys had just eaten and drunk a little—how could they be a match for them?

Even the best martial artist can’t fight on an empty stomach.

As a result, that group ends up letting Chen Liu go and even gives him a bundle. Then Chen Liu takes off like a wild horse breaking free, darting into the woods at lightning speed and leaving them chasing after him for ages.

Chen Liu says dazedly, “I was afraid they’d follow me.”

Wu Yan replies with a blank expression, “Even a horse couldn’t catch up with you.”

“What on earth happened? What did they ask you to do? Why did they catch you and then let you go? What’s in the bundle?” Wu Yan fires off question after question.

The other workers also stand nearby, staring intently at Chen Liu, as if ready to deliver judgment on the spot if he can’t explain himself clearly.

It takes Chen Liu nearly half an hour to explain everything.

Wu Yan frowns as he looks at the bundle—he’s seen the celestial realm before and no longer cares much for the mundane riches of the mortal world.

Can gold buy Immortal lanterns or a water dispenser that boils water by itself?

“These are still things that have touched people’s lives…” Wu Yan murmurs, unsure whether they should go through with this journey.

Chen Liu, uncharacteristically sharp, says, “Even if they’ve been tainted by blood, the Buddhist temples still have wrathful Vajras!”

Chen Liu, unbothered by the compliment, says, “Let’s go back first and see what The Lord Immortal says. If The Lord Immortal accepts it, then we’ll know what to accept next time.”

“What do you think?” Wu Yan asks the others.

Everyone nods. “I think what Chen Liu says makes sense.”

“The Lord Immortal said to save good people. I think someone who kills to save others should also be considered good.”

“I—I killed someone too… when we were fleeing. He tried to… touch my wife, and I couldn’t let that happen. The Immortal still accepted me.”

Everyone turns to look at the man who speaks. He’s usually quiet and seems very honest. His wife and children are equally unremarkable—the kind of family so ordinary they don’t even draw attention. It’s hard to believe he has killed anyone.

The man stammers, “He… he wanted to take my wife and tie up my son to eat his flesh. I… I couldn’t just let him…” He trembles as he speaks, “I really couldn’t do it. If I didn’t kill him, I would’ve…”

Wu Yan waves his hand. “Don’t say any more. Since The Lord Immortal accepted you, it’s clear you have a good nature. You’ve been reborn. The past doesn’t matter now.”

“Then let’s go back!”

“That’s all,” Ye Zhou says, showing Zou Ming his savings. “I still need 30,000 to buy a small pistol.”

Zou Ming frowns. “So expensive?”

Ye Zhou turns to look at him, eyes sparkling. “You think it’s expensive too? This system is ridiculous. How much is your gun? Can you buy it for me?”

Zou Ming shakes his head slightly. “I can’t go back to my original plane before the employment relationship ends.”

Ye Zhou sighs. “I thought if you bought it for me, I could save some money… I didn’t realize the system would block me from that path.”

Ye Zhou sighs again. “This place is too remote. And now there’s a famine going on. I did hire someone to go out and attract customers, but it’s obvious the people they’d bring back are poor. It’s not that I don’t want to help them, but the chances of losing money are higher than making any.”

If suffering folks come to him for help, how can he turn them away?

At most, he just can’t take them in long-term.

“I’m lucky if I can earn ten or twenty yuan from a customer.”

Zou Ming, who has been listening intently to Ye Zhou’s complaints, suddenly says, “Maybe they’ll bring something valuable with them.”

Ye Zhou smiles bitterly. “That would be great. I could go out and do a backflip.”

Zou Ming looks at him, his eyes drifting down to Ye Zhou’s waist.

A backflip?