The doorbell rang—ting…
The small sound vibrated softly inside the room, still filled with the glow of the arcade screen—blinking faintly, bzzz…, indicating the machine was still active. The sound of footsteps entering the shop echoed gently—tap… tap… tap…—stepping on the slightly creaking wooden floor.
It signaled that someone had entered. Mo Fanglei, who was still clutching the spirit stones when he noticed them. He tucked the spirit stones away quickly. His hands moved qucikly—almost too quickly—as if afraid the stone' glow might attract unwanted attention.
They looked like they belonged to a certain faction based on their clothing—long robes, and even their uniforms were identical, Mo Fanglei thought. The dark robes swayed lightly with each step—elegant yet disciplined. A faint emblem rested on the chest area—perhaps a sect symbol.
Both of them observed the surroundings carefully.
"Lin Xiao… This place is mostly empty except for that strange object emitting light," one whispered to his junior fellow disciple. However, Lin Xiao did not seem to hear his senior brother's words and remained fascinated by the object. His voice was soft—barely audible—drowned by the gentle hum of the arcade machine.
Lin Xiao's eyes widened with excitement at the sight of the object, as if he desperately wanted to try it. The glow of the screen reflected in his pupils—making his eyes sparkle.
Mo Fanglei immediately adjusted his attitude toward the two of them. "Would you like to try my entertainment? I'll even explain how to play! The payment is only a few spirit stones," he said, approaching quickly and almost silently, as if eager to persuade them. His steps were light—barely audible—like an experienced merchant sensing opportunity.
The senior disciple felt slightly uncomfortable at the owner's behavior, but seeing that Lin Xiao wanted to try it and not wishing to disappoint him—
Reluctantly, he took out several low-grade spirit stones for thirty minutes of play. The stones made a soft click sound as they touched—like small pebbles infused with energy.
"Very well! Thank you for your generosity, my customers!" he exclaimed while guiding them toward the machine. His smile was wide—too wide—like a merchant who had just gained his first buyer of the day.
"The way to play is simple. You see the differently shaped blocks falling slowly? Rotate them, move them, and arrange them neatly below. If one layer is completely filled with blocks, that layer disappears," he explained calmly and clearly. His voice was steady—convincing—as if he were explaining a secret cultivation technique.
The arcade screen lit up brightly.
Tin… tin… tin…
The first block descended slowly—thud…
---
Time passed without them realizing it…
Lin Xiao enthusiastically pressed the buttons—click! click!—occasionally grumbling when he misaligned a block. "Ahh—wrong again!" he muttered softly, his breathing becoming uneven from intense focus.
Mo Fanglei watched from behind with a faint smile. "This kid is enthusiastic but careless in his play," he muttered, arms crossed, eyes sharp as he analyzed the gameplay pattern.
Lin Xiao felt delighted and entertained by the arcade machine, while his senior brother, who had initially been indifferent, gradually became curious. The hum of the arcade—bzzz…—slowly drew Zhou Ming's attention.
Zhou Ming still thought it was merely a child's toy, yet curiosity tugged at him.
"Does this object even have any benefit? Master said only meditating beneath a waterfall for hours can train concentration," he thought dismissively, not fully believing what he saw as Lin Xiao appeared deeply focused.
"Senior Brother Zhou Ming! Try it—it's fun!" Lin Xiao exclaimed joyfully, feeling a kind of happiness he had not experienced before. Even his fatigue had lessened slightly. His cheeks flushed faintly—his eyes shining.
DING!!
The system's voice rang clearly in Mo Fanglei's mind, startling him slightly.
Effects applied to customer:
+0.1% concentration increase
-0.1% stress and fatigue reduction
+0.1% Cognitive and spatial enchantment within 24 hours
His body twitched slightly at the sudden notification. "Ahh! The system always appears without warning!" he complained internally.
"But… this benefits me. With entertainment, cultivators will begin to see my shop as special compared to others. Slowly, I can expand this place further," he thought.
At the same time—
Zhou Ming, urged by his junior disciple, reluctantly stepped forward.
"Yes, I will try this object."
The Brick Block Puzzle music echoed once more—tin-tin-tin-tin…
And so, the man who had spent hours meditating beneath freezing waterfalls now found himself focused on... Pressing buttons.
Tik! Tik! Click!
Blocks fell one by one—thud. He moved them carefully, avoiding the mistakes Lin Xiao had made.
The sixth block—thud.
He rotated and slid a vertical block—click—Zhou Ming cleared three layers at once.
Trrrring!
A small victory sound rang from the machine.
Lin Xiao gasped, caught up in the excitement.
A thin layer of sweat formed on Zhou Ming's face—though to Mo Fanglei, this was merely a simple and easy game.
Moments later…
"He has already cleared nine layers—he seems talented at this," Mo Fanglei observed closely.
The eighteenth block—thud.
The tenth layer vanished—the machine's level increased by one, and the speed accelerated.
Tin-tin-tin-tin—faster now.
Zhou Ming realized it—his eyes narrowed—his focus sharpened completely. But on the nineteenth block, he miscalculated.
The game ended.
GAME OVER.
A small victory sound for clearing Level 1 echoed—ting!
"What is this feeling…?" Zhou Ming stared at his slightly trembling hands. Fingers accustomed to gripping a sword, to enduring hours of meditation beneath freezing waterfalls—now felt… light. His concentration seemed sharpened without sitting still for hours. Even the fatigue lingering from morning training… had vanished. His pupils constricted. "Could it be… this object?"
Without realizing it, Zhou Ming had already played for fifteen minutes.
A faint smile appeared on his face. He began to realize that life needed more than just—relentless training.
Lin Xiao, meanwhile, felt sad as his playtime ended. "Hah… time's up. But may we come back here another time?" he asked, his emotions mixed with disappointment.
Zhou Ming patted Lin Xiao's head. "Yes, I will bring you here again."
Meanwhile, Mo Fanglei observed them quietly—reminded of his previous customer, similar to these two.
"They're like brothers," he thought with a small laugh. The system chimed again.
DING!!
You have gained 200 EP from 2 new customers.
Zhou Ming approached Mo Fanglei. "This is an additional gift for you, owner of entertainment. You have entertained both me and my junior disciple—even my fatigue disappeared," he said sincerely.
Zhou Ming looked at Mo Fanglei with eyes shining once more—like someone who had come alive again. Without another word, he reached into his robe and took out two mid-grade spirit stones.
The stones glowed softly—emitting a faint aura.
"T-thank you for your generosity! May you have a safe journey!" Mo Fanglei waved enthusiastically.
Zhou Ming and Lin Xiao smiled at one another and left the shop—Zhou Ming casting a sincere glance at the owner.
The bell rang—ting…
Signaling the customers had departed.
Outside, the bustling Hunan marketplace gradually quieted. Vendors' voices—bargaining—slowly faded. Torches were extinguished one by one—fushh…—leaving behind the faint scent of smoke carried by the night wind.
Mo Fanglei promptly hung up a wooden sign reading "CLOSED."
The night breeze blew softly—whoosh…—causing the wooden board to creak lightly. The dark sky stretched wide above, unfamiliar stars shimmering faintly.
Mo Fanglei sat down and reflected. "So many things have happened since I arrived in this world. From Wei Fan, Lin Xiao—even Zhou Ming," he thought.
He opened the system before resting. "System, can spirit stones be exchanged for EP?" he asked with a wide smile, thinking of something cunning.
Host may exchangesmall low-grade spirit stones for 50 EP.
5 EP is equivalent to 1 US Dollar if converted.
The larger and higher the grade of the spirit stone, the greater the EP value.
Mo Fanglei processed the information—remembering an arcade machine priced at 675 EP.
"Should I exchange them? But I only have 525 EP," he pondered.
"But this is a long-term investment. It might generate even more EP!" he muttered, thinking of himself as a veteran businessman.
Mo Fanglei exchanged three small low-grade spirit stones for 150 EP.
Without hesitation, he purchased the arcade machine. The second machine materialized slowly with a faint flash of light—zzzt—then stood firmly beside the first.
"Electricity has two days left. If I need food and drinks, I should buy them outside to save EP. I don't even have bedding to sleep on," he thought, his mind racing.
"Ah… never mind. I'd better rest for tomorrow. I can think about it again then," he murmured softly.
Exhausted, Mo Fanglei fell asleep beside the arcade machines.
Inside the shop, only the small lights from the arcade screens remained on—bzzz…—dancing across Mo Fanglei's sleeping face. His breathing was steady—inhale… exhale… inhale… exhale…
Outside, the sound of night insects—krik… krik…—filled the silence. The wind occasionally shook the shop's wooden boards—creak… creak…
The night grew deeper.
And in a dark corner of the street, a pair of unfamiliar eyes paused briefly—staring at the sign that read "CLOSED"—before disappearing into the shadows.
To be continued…