Dimensional Storekeeper - Chapter 163

Chapter 163: Tian Lu’s Daily Dose of Trauma
It’s not like Lin Yijun refused to be like them out of spite.

He just… couldn’t imagine waking up every day thinking. “Yes, let me suffer for twelve hours straight and call it training.”

No thanks.

He’d rather set his own path.

Training could wait – he was still savoring lunch.

And hey, someone had to play the other side, right?

If there had to be a lazy bastard to balance out all the noble cultivators marching toward immortality… well.

Lin Yujin was more than happy to shoulder that burden.

For the sake of the world’s spiritual harmony!

Afternoon rolled in like usual.

Customers came and went.

The regulars, the quietly addicted.

Hao stretched his back, cracked his neck, and handed the counter over to Mo Xixi.

Kurome yawned in and padded out the door, switching in for her usual guarding shift outside in Soul Scorching City.

Tian Lu had just clocked out from the morning shift and now stood slumped against the storage door, motionless, arms crossed, with only his single visible eye half-lidded behind the mask.

Hao glanced at Tian Lu once, then twice, then decided it was better not to ask.

It clearly wasn’t related to the guarding shift.

Hao had already noticed that Tian Lu was in this exact state before he even started work.

And besides, Tian Lu himself hadn’t even reported a single troublemaker outside the store ever since he got stationed in Soul Scorching City.

Not even one.

So whatever this was… it definitely wasn’t the fault of a rowdy customer.

Seriously, what happened to this man?

Tian Lu wasn’t saying anything, but he radiated the quiet despair of someone who’d just returned from a losing war.

Not physically injured, but mentally… something had clearly broken inside.

Well… in a way, that wasn’t wrong.

Because for the past few days, Tian Lu had been “lightly sparring” with both Kurome and Mo Xixi.

Or at least, that was what he said.

But considering how wrecked he looked, it could’ve easily been a death match he walked out of, not a training session.

He’d said before that he was getting a little rusty and wanted to sharpen his senses.

But why go that hard!?

This wasn’t what he signed up for!

Sure, Kurome moved in eerie silence and struck faster than a blink.

And yeah, Mo Xixi was technically a few levels below him…

But fighting that little tsundere witch wasn’t easy.

She had curses for days.

Spiky curses, sticky curses, slippery curses – one time Tian Lu couldn’t move his right leg for five minutes and had to limp around like an injured goose.

And of course, he couldn’t just overpower her.

No, that would be bullying.

So he had to hold back.

Lower himself to her level.

Pretend this was all fair and balanced.

But it wasn’t!

And the worst part?

They did this every day whenever they had free time!

Every. Day.

No wonder Tian Lu looked like his soul was halfway out of his body.

Hao stared at the poor man slumped stiffly against the door for a few more seconds, then finally sighed.

He couldn’t just ignore it anymore.

As the boss, wasn’t it part of his job to show a bit of concern?

Besides, Tian Lu was one of the few people around here who gave off that cool, dependable vibe. Scary, yes, with all that intense, quiet aura… but still cool.

So Hao walked over and leaned against the doorframe beside him.

“Hey, Lu.” Hao asked casually. “You good?”

There was a beat of silence.

Then, from behind the mask, came a barely audible mutter.

“Women…”

“Are.”

“Terrifying…”

Hao blinked.

Tian Lu added one last word with grim conviction.

“Employer.”

And that was it.

No further elaboration. No explanation.

He just resumed standing there, defeated and unmoving, as though he’d said all that needed to be said.

Hao gave a slow nod, lips twitching.

“Noted.”

Meanwhile, Yoru and Tsuki were curled up on a table like soft, purring paperweights.

Living the good life.

And outside the store, one tiny shadow stalked the streets again.

Little Sneak.

Still not giving up.

Still refusing to accept the bitter truth.

He had again followed Big Sister Kurome out the door.

And again found himself standing in the middle of Sovereign City, mouth twitching.

It had happened multiple times already this week.

He’d wait for her at the entrance.

She’d walk out.

He’d follow.

Then poof – she was gone!

He’d tried everything.

He even activated his innate searching ability, the very one he was praised for back home.

Still no good.

Big Sister Kurome had explained it to him already. Very clearly. Multiple times.

But no.

Absolutely not.

He refused to believe it!

It wasn’t some magical boundary nonsense!

It had to be the human’s doing!

Some kind of dark plan was definitely involved!

“You human scum!” Little Sneak squeaked angrily, stomping his tiny paws.

“If you won’t let me follow Big Sister Kurome, I’ll – I’ll steal your precious products!”

Hao, patting Tsuki’s head without even looking down, replied, “Go on, Chibisuke.”

“You’re absolutely welcome to try that.”

With a smug grin on his face.

Little Sneak collapsed on the floor in defeat, letting out a loud, frustrated squeak.

That smugness!

That pure human smugness!

He hated it!

Hao just chuckled, tapping the table lightly.

He knew the little rascal was all bark and no bite.

Even if he did try to steal something… well, goodbye.

Once you got blacklisted by the store, even a legendary thief wouldn’t be able to crawl back in.

That rule was ironclad.

However, Little Sneak wasn’t the type to quit that easily. He had tried to get a leg up earlier by unleashing his special innate ability known as Shadow Vein Link on Kurome.

This unique skill let him connect a target’s shadow to his own invisible shadow network, which stretched silently through every patch of darkness nearby.

Once the link was established, Little Sneak could pinpoint Kurome’s exact location, no matter the terrain, hiding spots, or spiritual disguises. The range was impressive, able to cover the entirety of Sovereign City.