Keywords cultivating immortals, channeling, management, supermarket,Cultivate immortality, psychic, management, supermarket,

"Yun Zhizhi, you're about to graduate from university, and you haven't even landed an offer from a Fortune 500 company. You're destined to be a loser. Let's break up!" "Shanshan's father offered me a vice president position at his company. From now on, we live in different worlds." "Stop pestering me!" In front of her, her boyfriend Zhou Lingzhi was flauntingly holding his new girlfriend, Yu Shan. Yun Zhizhi glanced at the luxury car beside the two and fell silent. Yu Shan came from a wealthy family with assets exceeding tens of millions—something her own ordinary background couldn't compare to. She couldn't blame Zhou Lingzhi for his choice. "Best wishes to you," she said, pretending nothing was wrong as she walked past them. Yu Shan cast a disdainful look at Yun Zhizhi's retreating figure. "Zhou Lingzhi, I didn't expect your ex-girlfriend to be so self-aware!" Zhou Lingzhi scoffed contemptuously. "Her family just runs a small supermarket. I heard her stepfather has run away after racking up gambling debts as high as tens of millions. How could I let someone like that ruin my life?" Yun Zhizhi overheard their murmuring and smiled bitterly. Her stepfather had been missing for several months. They had filed a police report, but there was no news. It wasn't until recently, when debt collectors showed up at her door, that she and her mother learned the truth behind his disappearance—he had fled. After the debt collectors vandalized their home, her mother promised to repay the money, and only then did they leave. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable. ... Returning from school to the supermarket her family ran, Yun Zhizhi felt a wave of unease. The supermarket had been passed down to her by her grandmother. It started as a small convenience store and had expanded over time to its current size. The front was a shop spanning over a hundred square meters, with a warehouse and a small yard in the back. The second floor was where her family lived. When she reached the supermarket entrance, she found the shutters closed, even though it should have been business hours. Piles of freshly delivered vegetables and fruits were left unattended at the door, clearly indicating that the supermarket hadn't opened at all today. This wasn't right! Her mother should have been minding the store. Where could she be? Had the debt collectors taken her away? Worried, she quickly took out her phone to call. Ding— Just then, a message arrived. It was a WeChat message from her mother. [Zhizhi, please don't blame me! I really can't go on any longer!] [Thirty million in gambling debt is an astronomical figure for me. I can't handle it, so I've taken your brother and left.] [The house and the supermarket are left to you. As for the debt, you'll have to figure it out yourself.] [The supermarket was left to you by your grandmother and is under your name. If you're willing to repay the debt, run the business well. If you think you can't repay it, you should run away too.] [We won't see each other again in this lifetime!] [Don't miss me!] Reading the long string of text, Yun Zhizhi felt as if the sky had fallen. Her mother had run away too! She had taken Yun Zhizhi's half-brother and left her alone to face tens of millions in debt! Why hadn't she said something earlier? Now, Yun Zhizhi was already at the supermarket entrance when she received the message. And what did she mean, "if you're willing to repay the debt"? Who in their right mind would be willing to repay a debt they didn't even owe?! There was no time for resentment. Yun Zhizhi immediately decided to run away. Just as she turned around, several thuggish-looking hoodlums blocked her path. The leader was Zhou Erhei, known in the underworld as "Tattooed Savage Biao." "Well, if it isn't Miss Yun! Just got out of school?" "Where's your mom? Why hasn't she opened the shop today? We've been waiting here for ages!" Zhou Erhei, with his burly build and fierce expression, glared menacingly. Yun Zhizhi's heart sank. It was too late to run. With the supermarket's roll-up door behind her, she was trapped. She tried to act calm. "My mother took my brother to the hospital today, so she didn't open the shop." "The hospital?" Zhou Erhei stepped closer. "Who are you trying to fool? Your neighbor said your mom packed her bags and ran off with your brother right after you left today!" Yun Zhizhi knew she couldn't hide the truth any longer. Gritting her teeth, she retorted, "Legally, a daughter has no obligation to repay her stepfather's gambling debts. My mom, stepfather, and brother have all run away. What's the point of cornering me?" "You're quoting the law to me?" Zhou Erhei grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling her close until his lips were nearly touching her ear. His voice dropped to a menacing whisper, "If I make you disappear without a trace, what can the law even do to me?" Yun Zhizhi's heart hammered in her chest, but her voice remained steady. "If you kill me, you not only take a huge risk, but you also won't get a single cent!" Zhou Erhei's eyes narrowed dangerously. Yun Zhizhi quickly added, "I'll keep running the supermarket! I'll use the profits to pay back the debt!" "Not bad, little girl. You know how to play the game," Zhou Erhei suddenly leered, a vulgar smirk spreading across his face. "But... I'll need to collect some interest first..." As he spoke, he reached out and started pulling at her clothes. "Ah!" Yun Zhizhi screamed. "How dare you!" She pushed against him with all her might but forgot about the steps behind her. Her foot slipped, and she landed hard on her tailbone. The back of her head cracked sharply against the edge of a step. "Ouch!" An excruciating pain shot through her skull. Her mind swam, fuzzy and confused, and it felt like... something else had slipped into her thoughts. Someone yelled, "She's bleeding from her head!" Seeing the blood, Zhou Erhei blustered, trying to sound tough, "Don't you dare try to fake an injury! You fell all by yourself!" "Damn it, let's get out of here!" Zhou Erhei and his gang scrambled away. Yun Zhizhi lay on the ground for a while, waiting for the world to stop spinning, before she managed to stagger to her feet. Her vision was blurry. She fumbled in her bag for the keys, managed to unlock the rolling shutter, and stumbled into the supermarket. She found the first aid kit and did her best to clean and bandage the wound on her head. She only had 10 yuan left in her pocket—not even enough to see a doctor. Her mother had always controlled the household money, and Yun Zhizhi was sure every last cent was gone now. The debt amounted to tens of millions. Even selling the supermarket and the house wouldn't cover it. That was precisely why her mother had chosen to run. Yun Zhizhi slumped over the counter, her head throbbing and heavy. Through the haze, she sensed someone had entered the store. She looked up and, in her dazed state, thought she saw a young man dressed in ancient-style clothing! She assumed she must have hit her head too hard and was hallucinating. She rubbed her eyes and looked again. This time, she noticed he was holding a long sword that glinted coldly in the light. Instantly— A jolt of terror cleared the last of the fogginess from her mind. What the...? Was this some new, elaborate debt-collection tactic? Were they using cosplay now? Her mind raced, trying to figure out how to placate him while she secretly reached for her phone to call the police. But then he spoke, his voice surprisingly polite, "Senior... might I trouble you for some water?" Senior? Yun Zhizhi's hand, halfway to her phone, froze. In all her life, no one had ever called her that. Do I look that old? Or is this some new kind of collection strategy?Yun Zhizhi gave an awkward smile. "There's no need... no need to call me senior. Water is over there. Help yourself." She pointed towards the beverage section. Su Yanche followed her gesture. Rows of bottles were neatly lined up, but... they weren't made from any material he recognized. They looked very strange—not ceramic, not pottery, not metal, not silver, not iron. Su Yanche walked over, picked up a bottle at random, and gripped the cap, trying to pull it straight off. But no matter how he tried, it wouldn't budge. He was inwardly puzzled: Am I not strong enough? Yun Zhizhi kept her head down, her fingers trembling as she dialed 110. When she peeked up at him, his actions made her stare in disbelief. What kind of act is this guy putting on? Unless... He's not a debt collector! Before the call connected, she hung up again, afraid of being accused of making a false police report. Watching him still struggling with the bottle cap, Yun Zhizhi couldn't hold back anymore. "Hey, hey, hey! That one... you twist it... twist it open." She demonstrated a twisting motion with her hand. Su Yanche mimicked her action and finally unscrewed the cap. Parched with thirst, he didn't even pause to thank her before immediately gulping the liquid down in large, hurried swallows. Under Yun Zhizhi's astonished gaze, Su Yanche finished the entire 500ml bottle of soda in record time. He let out a fizzy burp. Yun Zhizhi was about to warn him that drinking so fast is bad for his health when she saw him pick up another bottle, twist it open, and start guzzling it down just as eagerly. He looked like he'd been thirsty for a very long time. In the end, Yun Zhizhi didn't say anything to stop him. Only after Su Yanche had chugged four bottles in a row did he finally quench his thirst. He turned his gaze to Yun Zhizhi. The girl appeared to be in her early twenties, a few years older than him. Her hair was tied simply in a ponytail, and she wore a thin, short-sleeved shirt that exposed her arms. The key point: she was a mortal! There wasn't the slightest trace of spiritual energy** around her. Su Yanche glanced around again, taking in his surroundings. This place was very strange too! Unable to make sense of it, he decided to stop pondering for now. He turned back to Yun Zhizhi and clasped his hands in a salute. "Thank you, Senior!" Yun Zhizhi waved her hand dismissively. "No need to call me senior! Even if you call me senior, you still have to pay. 20 yuan."