Chapter 53 Cooperation

Since Chu Liuxiang left, the store's previously decent customer traffic has plummeted.

Lu Yusheng could accept that there were no customers for three consecutive days. Since there were no new customers in the shop, she was happy to play games with Sikong Zhaixing.

Ye Guhong left on the fourth day as well.

Fortunately, Sikong Zhaixing did not intend to leave in the short term, and kept his promise to find Lu Yusheng a relatively common light-body technique manual. Although the technique was ordinary, the guidance from the King of Thieves was invaluable.

He started by teaching her the basics, and Lu Yusheng went through an upgrade, secretly adding all his attributes to agility once again.

In this way, in the eyes of Sikong Zhaixing, who was unaware of the truth, it would naturally appear that she was making rapid progress.

In just a few days, although her internal strength was insufficient and the distance she could cross was not very long, and she still needed a running start, she could climb up the wall on her toes by herself. She could jump from the bottom of a three-meter-high tree to the top of the tree in just a few breaths.

"Could it be that I am truly a genius?"

These confident words were not spoken by Lu Yusheng.

Sikong Zhaixing stared at her movements and nodded repeatedly. Despite her twitching eyelids, he still said, "In just a few days, you've managed to teach an ordinary person who has never practiced internal energy to this level. Could I really be a teaching genius that only appears once in a century?"

Then she sighed, "Unfortunately, despite having such a unique advantage, I don't like being someone's maid. I have this strength but have no way to use it."

Lu Yusheng was too lazy to comment, since he did indeed rely on his guidance, and he couldn't very well refute it by explaining the reasons.

But these words made her really itchy to attack, so in order to suppress her urge to attack, she had no choice but to turn around and use the excuse of exercising to climb over the open window to the second floor.

On the eighth day, although she still had some money left and the system didn't urge or pressure her too much, Lu Yusheng couldn't help but start to feel anxious.

Now, after finishing his daily work and basic training, he sits listlessly on the round table in the lobby, pondering countermeasures.

Contrary to her anxiety, Sikong Zhaixing was having a very pleasant time here.

"Will this man take that noblewoman as his concubine?"

He spread his phone on the table, looking at the play that Lu Yusheng had chosen for him in the small box, and asked curiously.

Lu Yusheng didn't even lift his eyelids, simply replying, "No."

Sikong Zhaixing glanced at the screen again. This young and handsome hero, with countless beauties throwing themselves at him along the way, was he really only interested in that frail girl he grew up with?

So, out of curiosity, he asked, "Why?"

Lu Yusheng remained listless, not making a single movement, and replied in a lazy tone, "Because this is pure love."

What is pure love?

“‘Pure love’ is between two people…” She paused mid-sentence, unsure how to explain, and could only say dryly, “It’s the most beautiful kind of love you can imagine.”

"Oh..." He just nodded, dragging out the last syllable, it was unclear whether he understood or not.

Seeing that he was no longer speaking, Lu Yusheng suddenly had a flash of inspiration and opened his phone's memo app to make a note of it.

Because Sikong Zhaixing had been using her lightness skill to bring her some dishes from the city these past few days, after going to and from the city so often, it didn't seem as troublesome as she had imagined.

Could we take this opportunity to promote the area in the surrounding city?

But then he shook his head and gave up.

Although Hangzhou is nearby, there is a large floating population. For ordinary business transactions, it is possible to spread the word through merchants in the city.

Unfortunately, many of her things are difficult to explain, especially since they are too far removed from the technology of this era. Even Lu Xiaofeng, who was on good terms with her, asked her about their origins several times in private.

I just saw that she really didn't want to explain, and I was worried that she had something she couldn't say, so I didn't want to make things difficult for her.

Unfortunately, although Lu Yusheng has a strong desire to share, he won't reveal the truly fundamental secrets.

The business here is ultimately not suited to attracting too much attention.

She then pondered, what if she erected signs and posters along the official road all the way here?

Firstly, it can increase customer traffic, and secondly, having it under her nose makes it easier to manage. As for whether the attracted customers can be converted into regular customers, that's hard to say.

In fact, it's not that no one has passed by these past few days, but basically no one goes inside. Occasionally, someone might get a little closer, but they would just glance at it and leave without waiting for Lu Yusheng to greet them.

She was engrossed in writing when Sikong Zhaixing finished watching the play in her hand. She then turned off the black screen, stretched, and stood up, the chair making a hissing sound as it moved.

Before Lu Yusheng could react, he heard him enthusiastically invite him, "Want to go up and have a PK?"

This is a new word he learned from Lu Yusheng these past few days. After realizing it was the pronunciation of a character that appeared in the game he played, he started learning it.

"Another PK?"

She straightened up, but really didn't want to move, so she stayed where she was and said, "Xiaoxing, don't you want to think about whether you were being a little too aggressive towards me?"

Seemingly not expecting her to rise to such a height so quickly, Sikong Zhaixing was about to tease her a couple more times when her expression suddenly turned serious.

Lu Yusheng noticed the change in his expression, but he didn't think the man was angry with him. He was still a little confused.

When he saw him walk to the window to check, he immediately became serious as well.

Because Lu Yusheng used all the attribute points given by this upgrade to show off a little in front of Sikong Zhaixing, her hearing was not much improved compared to the last time she heard this sound.

Therefore, even after Sikong Zhaixing had already reacted, it took her several more breaths before she heard the sound.

So he put down his phone and followed to the window, peeking out from next to Sikong Zhaixing.

"It's one thing to have good hearing, since you can use your internal energy to tell the difference, but why do you have better eyesight than me?"

Lu Yusheng gritted her teeth as she stared at the swaying tree shadows ahead. Sikong Zhaixing, who had been subtly praised by her, couldn't hide her pride: "Little Lu, don't be jealous. In another thirty or fifty years, you'll catch up with your master."

He had long ago requested that Lu Yusheng not address him as master and disciple, but instead, he always rushed to call himself "master" whenever he wanted to gain an advantage in conversation.

Even though she was still worried about the stranger's intentions, Lu Yusheng still took the time to glare at him before keeping her eyes fixed on the front.

As the distant black dot gradually grew larger and split from a single black ink blot into individual human figures, Lu Yusheng finally saw it clearly.

Sure enough, a caravan was approaching; no wonder there was such a commotion.

She had barely made out their outlines when Sikong Zhaixing recognized the group of people.

He turned to look at Lu Yusheng and asked, "Did that escort agency from last time say they'd like to come again?"

"A security escort agency?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yusheng looked at it carefully a few more times and finally spotted the four characters "Fuwei Escort Agency" on the escort vehicle's flag.

She felt a little relieved after reading the words clearly. She had gotten along quite well with these people last time. Although they might not have been there to spend money, they certainly wouldn't have caused her any trouble.

Lin Zhennan sat on the horse at the front, and only when he saw the white building getting closer did he turn to his youngest son, who was sitting in the caravan, and ask, "Ping'er, is this the inn you mentioned?"

The storefront in front of me looks unremarkable from a distance, but the white brick walls are very clean. Although the entrance is empty, there is a section of white mud flooring that extends outward from the base of the wall.

It looks passable.

However, for them, the most important thing is the location of the store, rather than its appearance.

Lin Pingzhi nodded in agreement and added, "Although I haven't seen the guest rooms, the owners here are of good character. Not only are their cooking skills excellent, but the water they give us when we leave is also refreshing. I felt very energetic for a long time after drinking it last time."

Because the previous shipment went very smoothly, the employer was very satisfied with their escort. Since they had an even bigger shipment to handle, they also booked it with their escort agency.

To show that it was important, Lin Zhennan, the chief镖头 (bodyguard/escort), personally led the team, gathering a portion of the previous group and adding a few more skilled fighters to form a team of fifteen before setting off.

They were bodyguards, skilled at traveling and knowing the way, so they could travel the same route much faster than the first time.

However, with valuable treasures pawned in the car, it wouldn't be appropriate to flaunt them in the city before unloading the cargo.

So Lin Pingzhi recommended this place.

He didn't want to come in the first place. The fact that a woman and a child dared to open a shop in the middle of nowhere made him suspicious. Escorts always believed that caution was the best policy.

However, Ping'er made a very good point: judging from the tone of the previous guests, if this shipment goes well, the big customer will probably cooperate with us again in the future.

It's over a thousand miles from Fuzhou to here. Although Lin Zhennan has some old acquaintances here, he still needs to find a few trustworthy shops along this newly opened route. Otherwise, how can he have a chance to rest and repair his vehicles and manpower during the escort mission?

Sleeping outdoors is never as safe as being surrounded by high walls that can shelter you from the wind and rain.

Although Lin Zhennan's martial arts skills were mediocre and the agency lacked skilled fighters, he still managed to maintain the highest reputation among the surrounding agencies, which naturally gave him many advantages beyond martial prowess.

If he confirms that the store is safe and secure after this inspection, he will likely have to do business with them frequently in the future.

Thinking of this, he first ordered his men to stay put with the goods, while he found a trustworthy and capable person to go into the store with him.

Lin Zhennan initially didn't want to bring Lin Pingzhi along, but after Lin Pingzhi's repeated requests, and considering that Lin Pingzhi had led the negotiations last time, Lin Zhennan finally agreed.

This security escort agency will eventually be inherited by him, so it's time to teach the child how to handle things.

When Lu Yusheng saw the pretty child again, his eyes lit up. Then he noticed the middle-aged man next to him who looked only two or three parts like him.

Given this age difference, they must be either father and son or uncles and aunts, right? But she couldn't figure out why the other party had brought his whole family with him.

It was the middle-aged man who stepped forward and spoke first: "Are you the owner of this place, young lady?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and nodded.

Then the man asked again, "What kind of business do you run here, young lady?"

Lu Yusheng immediately became serious: "Internet access... and food and lodging."

After saying that, he glanced at the queue not far away and then said with some hesitation, "But there aren't that many guest rooms."

Lin Zhennan didn't say anything upon hearing this. It was only a little past noon, the perfect time to travel. They wouldn't seek lodging until the night was over, so he wasn't disappointed.

However, there are still too few long-term collaborations... This building doesn't look small from the outside, and it even has two floors, so the space should be quite large.

Then he asked again, "Would it be convenient for you to take us inside for a look?"

Guessing that they wanted to stay at the hotel, Lu Yusheng, who didn't want to miss out on such a big business opportunity, hesitated for a moment and then agreed.

As she walked upstairs through the middle of the hall, she turned her head and saw Sikong Zhaixing leaning against the bed in a more comfortable position, her eyes still fixed on the direction where the group of people were stationed outside.

Lin Zhennan also saw it, but what amazed him more than the man's defensive actions was the entire piece of glass embedded in the wall.

Light penetrated the colorless barrier and shone into the room, clearly revealing the bodyguards who remained in place in the distance, awaiting his instructions.

He was beginning to believe his son's words; perhaps they really didn't have any designs on his goods.