The Shop Assistant and the Great Deviless - Chapter 4

Fu Yunmo carried the hot tea up to the Tianyuan Sect’s room, her stomach growling in protest. She had delayed her own dinner just to serve them. She truly wanted to ask “Li the Sly” if he could toss an extra chicken leg into her meal as a reward.

“Guests, your hot tea is here,” she announced politely.

The muffled conversation inside stopped instantly the moment she reached the door.

“Please, enter.”

It was that voice again—smooth and warm as jade. It sent a pleasant shiver through Fu Yunmo, melting away her lingering annoyance.

She pushed the door open to find Mo Lixi, Zhuge Tian’er, and Wen Ruoxian seated around the table. The flickering candlelight cast a mysterious glow over their beautiful features. Mo Lixi, in particular, lived up to the name “Fairy Mo.” Even as a woman, Fu Yunmo couldn’t help but marvel at such peerless beauty.

“Your tea, ladies.”

Fu Yunmo set the pot down. From their lunch earlier, she had noticed the trio were vegetarians—or perhaps the entire Tianyuan Sect was. They didn’t touch alcohol, only tea. The novel hadn’t mentioned this detail; the author probably thought it was too mundane to write about.

“Thank you…”

Mo Lixi glanced at Fu Yunmo. With such looks and grace, this girl didn’t seem like a common restaurant worker. She looked more like a lady from a fallen noble house. What a pity, Mo Lixi thought.

“Waiter-sister, you still haven’t told me!” Zhuge Tian’er piped up. “What kind of dye makes hair gold? I want to try it too.”

Fu Yunmo’s pleasant mood collapsed. Little girl, how do I answer that? I don’t even know what chemicals were in that salon bottle.

“You and your questions. Just eat,” Mo Lixi chided gently. “Miss, please don’t mind her. My Junior Sister is simply over-curious.”

Mo Lixi offered a smile. Though she was still veiled, Fu Yunmo could feel the warmth of her expression like a ray of sunshine. Fu Yunmo smiled back—a genuine, radiant smile that her modern-day fans used to say could melt ice. For a split second, she saw Mo Lixi daze off, caught off guard by the waiter’s charm.

“If there’s nothing else, I shall take my leave.”

The Protagonist’s Arrival

By the time Fu Yunmo finished her dinner and bath, it was already the Hour of the Rat (midnight). She headed to the front hall, hoping to snag some wine to help her sleep.

She found Manager Li pacing nervously by the entrance. The kitchen was closed, and the hall was dark save for a single candle on the counter. In the dim light, the manager looked like someone who had accidentally committed a crime and didn’t know where to hide the body.

“Manager Li? What are you doing?” she whispered.

“Oh, Xiao Mo! Thank heavens! Come and help me!”

“With what? I don’t do murder or arson,” she said, though she kept walking toward him.

“You brat, what goes on in that head of yours? Someone fainted. Help me carry him to the back courtyard!”

They both kept their voices low to avoid waking the guests. Fainted? Could it be him? Fu Yunmo rushed to the door. A boy in tattered rags lay slumped on the threshold. She reached down and felt around his clothes until she found a small wooden plaque engraved with the character “Nan.”

It is him! Nan Kunlun. The story is finally moving!

“You aren’t actually interested in this little beggar, are you?” Manager Li asked, covering his nose in disgust.

Fu Yunmo rolled her eyes. “You’re the one interested in him. Come on, Boss, lift!”

They hauled him to the staff quarters. Thankfully, Fu Yunmo had kept up with her fitness back in the modern world, otherwise, she wouldn’t have survived the heavy lifting.

“I’m exhausted! Boss, you owe me a chicken leg for this,” she panted. In truth, she knew Manager Li was a good man at heart. He took in people like her and Nan Kunlun without much fuss, even if he was a bit of a penny-pincher.

“Always thinking of your stomach. Don’t think I don’t know you’ve been ‘stealing’ wine every night!” he huffed, wiping sweat from his brow.

“Ugh… I just can’t sleep…”

Whether in the real world or here, sleep was elusive. Back then it was stress; now it was the crushing anxiety of being trapped in a fictional world.

“Fine, fine. Stop acting spoiled. You can have your wine; I won’t hold it against you.”

A Meeting in the Moonlight

After handing Nan Kunlun over to Old Lin, Fu Yunmo went back to the front hall to fill her bamboo flask. She was scooping wine when a cool voice behind her made her drop the ladle.

“Stealing wine?”

It wasn’t the manager’s son. It was a woman. Specifically, the woman.

Fu Yunmo turned to see Mo Lixi standing by the stairs, a faint smile hidden behind her veil.

“Hehe… Fairy Mo.”

The woman’s brow creased slightly. Though she said nothing, Fu Yunmo’s keen observation skills told her the Sect Leader didn’t care for that title.

“The… the Manager gave me permission,” Fu Yunmo corrected herself.

“You enjoy drinking?” Mo Lixi asked. She wasn’t usually one for small talk, especially with strangers. Normally, she was gentle but kept a dignified distance. Tonight, she seemed different.

“Not exactly. I just can’t sleep without it,” Fu Yunmo admitted.

“Troubled thoughts?” Mo Lixi stepped closer.

Fu Yunmo’s heart began to thrum. It felt as if a legendary figure had stepped out of a painting and was walking right toward her. It was the same nervous excitement her fans must have felt when they met her.

“You could say that…” Troubled? I’m stuck in the past without my family, fighting to survive in a strange land. Of course I’m troubled!

Fu Yunmo sighed and looked at Mo Lixi. She caught a glimpse of concern in the other woman’s eyes. “Can’t you sleep either, Sect Leader Mo?”

“The air felt stifling. I came out for a walk.” Mo Lixi sat down on the wooden stairs. The casual, grounded gesture didn’t fit the “Fairy” image, yet she still looked ethereal.

“Are you worried about the Cangyun Sect’s insult to your disciples?” Fu Yunmo leaned against a pillar and took a swig from her flask. The wine was watered down, but the aroma was pleasant.

Mo Lixi looked startled. “How did you know?”

“The Assembly is near. That is the biggest issue on your plate. But if you were certain it was the Cangyun Sect, you wouldn’t look so conflicted. You suspect something is off, don’t you?”

Fu Yunmo knew the truth—it was the Yueluo Manor—but she couldn’t just blurt that out.

“You are… quite perceptive,” Mo Lixi sighed. She was amazed. Her own disciples and protectors hadn’t noticed her doubts, yet this golden-haired waiter had seen right through her.

“If you don’t mind,” Fu Yunmo said softly, “you can tell me. Perhaps a ‘nobody’ like me can help ease your mind.”

She wanted to nudge Mo Lixi toward the truth so that the Cangyun Sect wouldn’t have to take the fall. Now, how exactly did Mo Lixi find out it was Yueluo Manor in the original book…?