The Shop Assistant and the Great Deviless - Chapter 2

Fu Yunmo had been here for a month. Initially, she was convinced it was all a dream, but the physical realities of hunger and daily life were far too vivid to ignore. Eventually, she accepted her new reality.

To survive, one must eat. Since she had “transmigrated” directly into the Si Hai Restaurant, she decided to find work there as a waiter. The proprietor, Manager Li, was a shrewd man—a social chameleon who could talk his way past gods and ghosts alike. Behind his back, the staff called him “Li the Sly.”

Originally, the position of waiter was reserved for men. However, Fu Yunmo argued that since the martial world was full of heroic swordswomen, women could certainly do whatever men did. Seeing her beauty and realizing she might attract more customers, the manager relented. He gave her the job and arranged for her to share a room with a girl named Xiao Yu’er.

Fu Yunmo tied her long, golden-blonde wavy hair into a high ponytail and donned the Si Hai Restaurant uniform. She took to the front of the house with enthusiasm. At first, her hair color drew crowds of curious onlookers. The most common question was: “Are you from the Western Regions?”

Fu Yunmo denied it every time. She had simply dyed her hair in her previous life; how had she suddenly become a “red-haired devil” in their eyes?

Eventually, the novelty wore off, and the questions stopped. She was nimble and quick-witted, earning the favor of many patrons. Manager Li became quite lenient with her, even turning a blind eye when guests left her small tips.

The State of the Martial World

After a month, Fu Yunmo had gathered enough information to realize the world she was in matched the novel she had read almost perfectly.

The Si Hai Restaurant was located in Tianji City, the heart of the Central Plains. Every year, the city hosted the Great Martial Arts Assembly, making the restaurant a hub for the Jianghu (martial arts world). Because Tianji City sat at the crossroads of the three major sects, martial artists were a constant presence. However, thanks to the authority of the City Lord of Tianji, no one dared cause trouble. In fact, the Si Hai Restaurant was part of the City Lord’s own vast estate.

In this world, there were:

Five Great Experts

Four Great Villains

Three Major Sects

Two Great Manors

One Divine Cult

The Five Great Experts included: Ning Buqu of the Cangyun Sect, Chu Heng of the Shenren Sect, Mo Lixi of the Tianyuan Sect, the physician Cao Yishi (known as “The Yama’s Sorrow”), and Ye Xihan of the Night Moon Divine Cult.

The Four Great Villains were: Ye Xihan (who held dual titles), the “Black and White Reapers” Hei Duoming and Bai Suohun, and the enchantress Qiu Hongyi.

The Three Major Sects were: the Cangyun Sect to the north, the Shenren Sect to the east, and the Tianyuan Sect to the west. The Two Great Manors were Linglong Manor and Yueluo Manor. The One Divine Cult was the dreaded Night Moon Divine Cult.

Legend spoke of an ultimate martial art called the “Fengyun Manual,” authored by the God of War, Zhao Tianlin. Rumor had it that whoever obtained the manual would rule the martial world. Since Zhao Tianlin’s passing fifteen years ago, the Zhao family had vanished. Martial artists had been searching for his descendants ever since, but with no luck. Zhao had only one son, who was notoriously sickly; many suspected the lineage had already ended.

Life at the Restaurant

Fu Yunmo listened to the storyteller in the restaurant recount the legends of the Fengyun Manual with exaggerated passion. She rolled her eyes. Is it really that powerful? Get real.

“Waiter! More tea!” a guest shouted.

Fu Yunmo quickly wiped the tea stains from the corner of her mouth and hurried over to serve. She remembered the manual from the novel—it was indeed the strongest technique, and the male protagonist was destined to find it. But she had been “transported” before she ever reached the part where it actually appeared.

Speaking of the protagonist… Nan Kunlun should be arriving soon, she thought. In the story, Nan Kunlun fainted from hunger outside the Si Hai Restaurant at the start of autumn. Manager Li took him in as a waiter, and it was during this time that he met the female lead, Mo Lixi, the leader of the Tianyuan Sect.

Later, he would save Ning Min’er, the daughter of the Cangyun Sect leader, allowing him to join their ranks. Combined with his family’s “Ghost Sword” technique, his potential was limitless.

Fu Yunmo looked at her thickening clothes. Autumn had arrived, and the air was turning chilly. The protagonist would appear any day now.

“The Fengyun Manual…” the storyteller continued.

Fu Yunmo sighed. If that manual was so powerful, could it help her “spin-jump” her way back to the modern world? She missed her parents and her grandfather. They must be worried sick. And her frantic talent agent—his phone was probably blowing up. Her rising career as a star had ended before she could even truly shine.

“Xiao Mo! Stop daydreaming! The guest wants tea!”

It was the voice of Zhang the Pockmarked. Among the several waiters, everyone was easy to get along with except him. He acted like a superior because of his seniority, barking orders at everyone—even a beauty like Fu Yunmo.

No wonder he’s single! she cursed internally while shouting back a cheerful, “Coming!”

The Kitchen and the Legend

Fu Yunmo headed to the kitchen. Of the three chefs, Chef Chen (nicknamed “Stone”) was the kindest. He often prepared a bowl of hot soup for her.

“Xiao Mo, girl, come have some soup,” Chef Chen called out.

“Brother Stone, if this keeps up, you’re going to make me fat,” she joked, though she drained the bowl of chicken soup instantly.

Chef Chen had a seventeen-year-old son and had hoped Fu Yunmo might become his daughter-in-law. She had politely declined, claiming she wanted to focus on her “career.” Though he didn’t understand why a girl would care about a career in a restaurant, he remained fatherly toward her.

“By the way, Xiao Mo,” Chef Chen cautioned, “the Martial Arts Assembly is next month. The restaurant will be packed with experts. Be careful not to offend anyone—we can’t afford to provoke those people.”

The kitchen staff began gossiping about the legendary figures, including Mo Lixi, the youngest of the Five Great Experts at only twenty years old. The only other person that young and powerful was Ye Xihan of the Divine Cult.

Fu Yunmo didn’t stay to listen. She picked up the trays and headed back out. The Jianghu sounded exciting, but it was also bloody and dangerous.

The Arrival of the Heroines

“Waiter, show us to a table.”

A voice as clear as a silver bell snapped Fu Yunmo out of her thoughts. Three women dressed as heroic swordswomen entered. They moved with an elegance and grace that far surpassed the “small-fry” martial artists Fu Yunmo usually saw.

“Welcome, right this way,” Fu Yunmo smiled, leading them to a table. One of the younger women stared at Fu Yunmo’s blonde hair, her eyes lighting up. “Your hair is golden! It’s beautiful!”

As the girl reached out to touch it, the eldest woman stopped her. “Junior Sister, do not be impolite.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Fu Yunmo said smoothly. She had learned to be patient, even with the “brats” who pulled her hair, as long as they paid for the trouble.

The women began to chat. “We must finish quickly to prepare for the Sect Leader’s arrival. The Old Senior is almost at Tianji City.”

“Sister, Mo Lixi is only twenty! I hate it when you call her an ‘Old Senior’.”

“You must call her Sect Leader now.”

Fu Yunmo froze. Sect Leader? Mo Lixi? The ‘Fairy Mo’ herself?

The female lead was coming. A sly grin spread across Fu Yunmo’s face. It seemed the legendary Jianghu she had been waiting for was finally about to begin.