Chapter 53: Sorry, I Refuse

"Are... are you serious?" Shaken for a long moment, Fang Qi finally snapped back to reality.

"Of course!" The little loli said triumphantly. "With the protection of Her Royal Highness, won't you be a bit safer, Uncle? Black snakes like the one last night, this princess can take on ten at a time without any problem!"

"Moreover, this princess has studied music, chess, calligraphy, and painting since childhood, and has quite impressive attainments in magic." The little loli spoke proudly. "If this princess works here, not only can I protect you, Uncle, but I can also work part-time teaching you magic and martial arts. If business in your shop isn't doing well, this princess can reluctantly play a tune to drum up some business for you!"

"If Uncle thinks this princess eats too much..." The little loli pouted with slight embarrassment. "This princess will try to exercise a bit of restraint..."

"What you mean is..." Fang Qi slapped his forehead. "After hiring you as a shop assistant, I never have to worry about anything else again? And the daily compensation is merely treating you to meals?"

"It takes only a tiny reward to employ an expert like you. If this shop has your guardianship, ordinary experts wouldn't dare behave insolently here. This is a stroke of good fortune impossible to encounter anywhere else. Just this point alone is incredibly enticing... For someone of your status to actually lower yourself to apply at my shop, this owner is truly very moved..." Fang Qi rubbed his chin, reflecting slightly, before asking, "So, can you do laundry?"

"No." The little loli shook her head.

"Can you cook?"

"No."

"Can you clean?"

"How could this princess possibly know how to do those things!" the little loli replied huffily.

"I am very sorry." Fang Qi shook his head. "I refuse."

"Huh—!?" The little loli was dumbfounded on the spot. "Why?"

Fang Qi pointed at the notice pasted on the wall. "This shop is not like those other flashy, ostentatious places. The assistants we hire only need to know how to clean the shop and work the cash register! Any other skills are equal to zero as far as this shop is concerned!"

Right at that moment, a clatter of hooves suddenly echoed from the end of the street. A luxurious carriage drawn by four one-horned demonic beasts ground slowly to a halt right in front of Fang Qi.

The little loli's hairs instantly stood on end, because she sensed that the newcomer's cultivation had reached at least...

"The... the peak of the Martial King Realm?! And there is another one even higher...!?"

The little loli let out a sharp cry of alarm and hid behind Fang Qi with almost lightning-fast speed!

"Young boss, we can continue playing today, right?" Nalan Hongwu stepped down from the carriage, took out a bag of crystals, and handed them to Fang Qi.

"Of course." Fang Qi took the crystals, weighed them in his hand, and said calmly, "Both of you elders already know the rules of play, so I won't bother playing host."

Once the two elders entered the door, the little loli crawled out from behind Fang Qi in a panic, asking in terror, "They... they...!?"

"They are customers of the shop and they don't eat people. What are you panicking for?"

Immediately after, the loli watched as several more cultivators above the Yuan River Realm arrived one after another, all of them respectfully handing over a bag of crystals before stepping inside.

"Boss, a bottle of Sprite!" Song Qingfeng had arrived quite early today as well, ordering a bottle of Sprite the moment he walked in.

"Th-three... three crystals?!" The little loli stared dumbfounded as Fang Qi pulled out a modest beverage bottle and handed it to Song Qingfeng. "This... is worth three crystals?!"

One had to know that three crystals, provided one did not go to the Wind and Moon Pavilion, were enough to indulge in a massive feast at any restaurant in Jiuhua City!

And even at the Wind and Moon Pavilion, it could buy a bottle of fine wine!

Yet in this shop, it actually bought a bottle of some unknown beverage?!

"Is this a scam shop?!"

"Do... do they... not cause trouble?" Within just half an hour of business hours, the little loli was completely dazed. She pointed at the customers in the shop and questioned Fang Qi.

"What is wrong with your shop?!" Just then, several cultivators barged inside. Judging by the aura radiating from their bodies, each possessed an extremely high cultivation, clearly far superior to the assassin from yesterday!

"A single drink costs three crystals, and trying out whatever this thing is costs ten crystals?!" The leading cultivator roared. "Do you take us for fat sheep?! Smash this place!"

"Let me!" The corners of the little loli's mouth curled up slightly. "It's the perfect chance to let this smelly uncle witness just how formidable this princess is!"

The little loli had just rolled up her sleeves, preparing to fight, when a flash of lightning flickered before the shop door. Immediately following that, every single cultivator who had intended to cause trouble collapsed to the ground!

"Troublemakers will never be received!" Fang Qi delivered a kick to each person, booting them all outside.

"How... is this possible?!" Watching this scene, the little loli's mouth gaped wide enough to fit an egg!

To think... they were thrown out just like that in the blink of an eye?!

Moreover, she discovered that this shop was filled with bizarreness at every turn!

Not only did so many people arrive at this shop early in the morning, but every single one of them was an expert with a cultivation that was far from low, some even extremely high!

And every single one of them properly handed over money, dozens of crystals at a time without blinking?!

The people who cursed it as a scam shop had now been thrown out!

Most importantly, this uncle actually had the nerve to declare they would never be received?!

You have it backward, hey! Who would want to come to a small shop like yours that is both expensive and has terrible service?!

The little loli felt as though her brain had completely crashed!

Fang Qi clapped his hands and turned around. "So like I said, this shop is different from those flashy places. The assistants we hire don't need those redundant skills at all; they only need basic techniques like knowing how to clean and how to work the register."

"And unfortunately," Fang Qi looked at the little loli with disdain, "little girl, you don't know how to do any of this!"

The little loli was turned to stone on the spot!

This shop actually had absolutely no shortage of business?!

In that case, wouldn't her previous words about reluctantly drumming up business be completely empty talk?!

Furthermore, as long as the defense system in this shop was activated, there was no need to worry about safety issues at all!

Wouldn't her claim about this shop not needing to worry about safety also become empty talk?!

Most importantly, the prices in this shop were so exorbitant, yet they still dared to throw people out and say they would never be received?! Just what on earth was the situation here, hey!

Why does such an incredibly powerful little shop exist in this world?!

"It seems the things this princess knows are indeed not of the slightest use..." The little loli wanted to weep but had no tears. Besides, if this uncle had unleashed such a formidable lightning technique yesterday... wouldn't he have had absolutely no need for her rescue...!?

The little loli said with a broken heart, "Is this princess actually facing unemployment the very first time I look for a job?!"

"No!" Something suddenly occurred to the little loli. Standing tall with her chest puffed out, she said, "Cleaning and working the register are such simple things. This princess is so clever, can't I learn?!"

The little loli finally regained her confidence and smiled. "This time, you have no reason to refuse, right?! You! Smelly! Un! Cle!"

Fang Qi: "..."