Upside Down Grocery Shop - Chapter 18

During the day, Su Ran had already found that person a bit strange, but he hadn’t expected Li Xiaotong to actually bring news of him. Su Ran pondered for a moment—was there really another Upside Down Grocery Shop out there? Could he have unknowingly opened a branch?

Seeing Su Ran fall silent, Li Xiaotong couldn’t help but ask, “Hey, why aren’t you saying anything? Were you lying?” Was he going back on his word?

Su Ran stood up. “I know everything I need to. You can go now, but that umbrella stays here—it’s my property.”

“What gives you the right?!” Li Xiaotong protested. This guy dared to try and take her stuff.

“I’m the boss here,” Su Ran replied. “If you put it down, you’re free to leave. If not, you’re staying the night.”

Li Xiaotong was terrified and, in the end, left the umbrella and bolted out the door.

After the whole incident with Li Xiaotong, Su Ran couldn’t sleep. Another Upside Down Grocery Shop, and even a flying sword—what was going on?

Li Xiaotong walked down the street alone, trembling. She’d never been out so late before, and she usually didn’t have the courage to be. But seeing her bestie’s flying sword earlier had been too tempting to resist. Luxury bags and makeup weren’t her thing, but a flying sword? That hit her right where it mattered.

Because, ever since she was little, she’d dreamed of becoming an immortal!

As she walked, she suddenly saw someone standing by the side of the road—a familiar figure. Under the streetlight, Li Xiaotong took a closer look. “Qian Qian, is that you?”

The person turned around without speaking, but waved to her warmly.

Li Xiaotong felt a burst of joy—it really was Qian Qian, her dear friend! She must have figured Li Xiaotong would go to the Upside Down Grocery Shop and was waiting here on purpose.

Li Xiaotong ran over but hadn’t gotten far when someone grabbed her around the waist. “Don’t go over there!”

Startled, she looked back to see that the person holding her was the strange man from earlier, the one who’d given her the umbrella. She cried out, “Who are you? Let me go!”

At this point, Li Xiaotong could clearly see Qian Qian’s face—but her friend showed no expression whatsoever.

“Don’t go over there!” The man held onto her tightly.

“Qian Qian, help me!” Unable to break free, Li Xiaotong called out to her friend.

But Qian Qian—only a dozen meters away—stood motionless, staring blankly at Li Xiaotong, without even a twitch.

“Quiet down and look closely—is that really Qian Qian?” the man whispered urgently, as if afraid to disturb something.

With his words, Li Xiaotong calmed down slightly and took a good look at Qian Qian, who remained utterly unresponsive. The stillness, the lack of reaction—it was so unlike the Qian Qian she knew. But Li Xiaotong was still more afraid of the man holding her.

“Qian Qian!” she yelled again.

Finally, Qian Qian moved. She slowly raised her hand, revealing a flying sword hovering above it.

“Shoot, she’s been alerted!” The man’s face changed as he released Li Xiaotong and shouted, “Run!”

Li Xiaotong was in a daze. What on earth was happening?

But in the next moment, Qian Qian’s sword shot straight toward her, aiming for her forehead!

Eyes wide with disbelief, Li Xiaotong realized that Qian Qian was trying to kill her!

“GO!” the man shouted, and the bag on his back tore open as a long sword flew out, deflecting Qian Qian’s flying sword. “Where’s the umbrella I gave you?”

“The stingy shopkeeper took it back!” Li Xiaotong was still struggling to comprehend the situation—was she somehow in a fantasy novel, fighting flying swords in the middle of a modern city?

“This is such a pain. Hurry, get back to the Upside Down Grocery Shop. I won’t be able to hold out much longer!” The man was already strained from parrying the flying sword’s relentless attacks while trying to protect Li Xiaotong.

One look at Qian Qian’s cold, vacant expression was enough to convince Li Xiaotong that her friend was truly trying to kill her. Without hesitation, she scrambled up and ran.

Thankfully, she hadn’t gone far and saw Su Ran still standing at the shop entrance.

“Help me!” Li Xiaotong shouted.

Su Ran chuckled, “Didn’t you call me a stingy boss and a big pervert? And now you’re back.”

“Can you stop joking around at a time like this?” Close behind her, the man was running at full speed with a flying sword in hot pursuit. He was lucky he was skilled—otherwise, he’d be a goner by now. Qian Qian kept chasing, but the moment she saw Su Ran and the Upside Down Grocery Shop sign, she halted, retracted the flying sword, and quickly vanished.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the man looked at Su Ran, gave a small apologetic smile, and said, “Boss, sorry to bother you. My name is Lin Xiu, from Shu Shan.”

“Oh, so that explains your sword skills,” Su Ran replied, turning to Li Xiaotong. “Come on in; I have a feeling there’s a lot to discuss.”

Lin Xiu smiled politely and gestured for Li Xiaotong to go in first.

Li Xiaotong hesitated, wondering if these two were in cahoots to trick her. But after her encounter with Qian Qian, the idea of being outside alone was out of the question.

“Relax. If I meant you harm, I wouldn’t have just saved you,” Lin Xiu said, finding her caution amusing.

He had a point, and given how terrifying Qian Qian had been, Li Xiaotong decided to enter.

As usual, Su Ran sat on his little stool, yawning. “Looks like you two will be spending the night here. Make yourselves comfortable.”

“No way!” Li Xiaotong immediately protested. “I’ve never stayed out all night; I need to go home!”

Su Ran didn’t stop her. “Go ahead—I’m not holding you back. As long as you’re not afraid.”

Li Xiaotong glanced out at the dark night, which looked even scarier now than before.

Lin Xiu, on the other hand, sat down on a small stool without hesitation. “Thank you for letting us stay, Boss Su Ran.”

“Hey, don’t thank me yet. I’m not running a charity here. It’ll cost you fifty bucks,” Su Ran said, holding out his hand. “Pay up.”

Lin Xiu chuckled, gentle and polite, as he pulled out an old wooden token with an antique feel. “Will this do?”

Li Xiaotong examined the token closely. “Is this an antique?”

Su Ran took a look, confirming it was indeed from Shu Shan. “You folks usually keep to yourselves, rarely venturing into the world. What brings you down from the mountain?”

Lin Xiu looked a bit embarrassed. “It’s a secret for now. Forgive me, I can’t say.”

Su Ran nodded—everyone had their secrets, after all. He handed the token back to Lin Xiu, but Li Xiaotong snatched it up, inspecting it thoroughly. “I feel like I’ve seen something like this before.”

Lin Xiu looked intrigued. “Really?”

After thinking about it, Li Xiaotong shook her head. “Just feels familiar. I might just have a thing for old stuff and always take a closer look.”

Lin Xiu accepted the token without pressing her further.

Then Li Xiaotong grabbed a small stool and seated herself by the door, picking up one of the black umbrellas nearby. These two guys were weird—one claimed he was from Shu Shan, like something out of a TV drama or fantasy story. A guy from Shu Shan? Next he’d say he was a sword immortal!

And the other one was even stranger. Running this creepy little grocery store, who knew what his true intentions were. Not to mention, he could read minds.

What a world. It was bad enough she’d run into a ghost, but now she’d met two oddballs in one night, and had to sit here in the chilly night air. All she could think was… I want my mom!