Divine Convenience Store-Chapter 610: Gratitude
Shaking his head, Lin Mo stepped into the water, ensuring he sat on the opposite side of the expansive pool.
The moment he submerged, a profound, bone-melting sigh escaped his lips.
The water was incredibly hot but not to the point that it would sting or burn him. Its essence seemed to penetrate deep into his muscles, carrying the soothing, orderly essence of starlight and the revitalizing, majestic warmth of dragon qi.
The exhaustion of the day, the lingering mental strain and the residual stress of his day-to-day life were immediately drawn out of his pores.
He closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the smooth jade edge.
For several minutes, the only sound in the pavilion was the gentle swishing of the water and the rustling of the artificial bamboo.
"You are tense," Wu Meiyu observed quietly.
Lin Mo opened one eye. Through the curling, silver-tinged steam, he saw that she had moved. She was no longer on the opposite side of the pool. She seemed to have glided through the water while he was not paying attention and had now closed their distance, taking a spot just a few inches from him.
The water level rested just below her collarbones, the amber liquid accentuating the flawless, porcelain quality of her skin. He couldn’t help but stare there but at the same time, the draw of just looking at her face was also overwhelming.
"Am I? Well, you probably know the reason why." Lin Mo shrugged, which earned him another giggle from the First Princess. Moments later, he sensed her hand overlapping with his under the water.
—
Somewhere in the Northern Arctic Dominion, still in the territory of the Arctic Sea Palace, Yu Qingyan was resting in her room at an inn when she sensed the [Twin-Frost Resonance Ring] on her finger vibrate slightly. Although the sensory link effect of the ring would weaken the farther apart she is from the other wearer, a sudden spike in emotional or physical state could still bleed through the profound connection it established between them.
And right now, the ring was practically telling her that something was happening.
Yu Qingyan opened her eyes, pausing her circulation of qi. With her flawless face reflecting a myriad of conflicting emotions, she touched the cool, ice-blue metal on her index finger.
Through the subtle resonance, she didn’t feel any adrenaline-fueled spike of mortal danger or the cold, calculated focus Lin Mo usually emitted during a crisis.
Instead, she felt a sudden, overwhelming wave of warmth. Then, it was accompanied by a spike in his heart rate, a frantic fluttering of nervousness, and a deep, underlying sensation of profound relaxation that was actively battling against a distinct flavor of... panic?
"What in the Nine Heavens is he doing?" Yu Qingyan murmured to herself, her beautifully sculpted eyebrows knitting together in a frown.
It was well past midnight in the Eastern Abyssal Domain. The store should be closed. If he were in danger, the panic would be sharp or icy. Furthermore, she knew that the Anchor outside the Fanling City had opened but he had already exited it.
During that time, the ring remained calm. But now, there was this warm, flustered panic. The kind of panic a man feels when he is caught entirely off guard by something soft and dangerous.
"Oh..." The realization hit her like a bucket of glacial water.
The Celestial Hot Spring. The private suites.
She remembered the teasing words of Chu Yueying and the competitive glint in the First Princess’s eyes before she had left for the North.
"That man..." Yu Qingyan gritted her teeth as a vibrant blush crept up her neck that had absolutely nothing to do with the ambient temperature of her room. The ring pulsed again, radiating a soothing, luxurious heat that made her imagination run wild.
Who was he with? Was it the Princess? Or heaven forbid, that shameless Venom Master?
The door to her room suddenly slid open, and there was Chu Yueying, with all her seductive poise, looking like she sensed something from the room.
She then took one look at Yu Qingyan’s flushed face and the glowing ring on her finger, before a knowing smirk spread across her lips.
"My, my, Qingyan. Are you having a qi deviation, or is this that man’s influence on you? That is ’that’ ring, am I correct? Is the ’Convenience Saint’ broadcasting his nighttime activities?" Chu Yueying teased.
"I am perfectly fine, Yueying," Yu Qingyan replied stiffly, attempting to forcefully push her own calm, cooling qi through the ring to send a message of ’I am watching you’ across the continent. "I was merely meditating on the... complexities of creating a supply chain. We’ll be reaching the next city under the Palace tomorrow."
Unfortunately for her, her attempt at making an excuse was quickly seen through.
"Supply chain? Heh." Chu Yueying chuckled, stepping into the room. "Look, we both know he’s surrounded by wolves, and you’re stuck up here in the frozen tundra playing the diligent distributor. It’s the price of ambition, my dear. But don’t worry. The Shopkeeper is a merchant at heart. He won’t just forget about you. He’s different from other men. He values you. Isn’t that the reason he accepted the ’ring’?"
"Just make sure that when we return, you remind him why you’re the Official Distributor. Take note, I’m also not giving up."
Ignoring Chu Yueying’s last sentence, Yu Qingyan took a deep breath, letting the cool air of the North settle her racing heart. She looked out the frosted window toward the distant, jagged peaks where the Arctic Sea Palace sat.
"You’re right," She said, her voice regaining its usual steady, authoritative cadence. "I must remind him that if he’s gonna take a wife, he should pick me first."
"That’s the spirit," Chu Yueying grinned. "But aren’t you a little bold, just now? You’re now admitting that you want to be his... You’ve grown up, Qingyan."
"Shut your mouth, you vixen!" Yu Qingyan flared her sleeves, sending a wave at Chu Yueying that pushed her out of the room. When the door closed again, she covered her now-reddening face with her hands before picking up her Distributor Token to send a message to Lin Mo. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
—
Back in the [Imperial Starlight Pavilion] private suite, Lin Mo was doing his absolute best to impersonate a stone statue.
He had submerged himself in the hot spring, keeping a very respectful grip on Wu Meiyu’s hand as they soaked in the comfortable water.
Once again, he had his eyes squeezed shut, and he was frantically reciting the [Everflowing Serenity Sutra] and [Vein of the Silent Stream] in his head, treating it less like a cultivation technique and more like a mental panic button.
The mind is a still pond. The self is a silent stream. Do not perceive the world. Become the void...
"Lin Mo, if you frown any harder, you are going to give yourself a wrinkle," Wu Meiyu’s melodic voice drifted to his ears, accompanied by the soft wave of her breath, brushing his cheek.
Lin Mo opened one eye. Despite the steam, he saw the First Princess staring at him intently while her chin propped on her free hand. She looked effortlessly gorgeous. Her pearlescent skin glowed under the artificial starlight, completely unbothered by the intimate setting.
In fact, she looked incredibly amused.
He turned his head to meet her gaze fully but then, the words that came out of his mouth were nothing more than a senseless excuse.
"I am practicing loss prevention, Meiyu. If my heart beats any faster, I might suffer a spontaneous qi deviation, and the store’s profit margins would plummet tomorrow."
Wu Meiyu laughed.
"Loss prevention," She repeated as her eyes curved into delightful crescents. "You truly view the world through a unique lens, Lin Mo. But you need not guard yourself so fiercely against me. I am not an enemy seeking your ruin, nor an opportunistic merchant haggling for a discount. I am simply... your Chief Operations Officer. And perhaps, someone who wishes to share the weight you carry."
She squeezed his hand under the water, her fingers filling the gaps between his. The gesture was simple yet profoundly intimate.
Lin Mo felt the tension in his shoulders finally begin to melt, properly synchronizing with the restorative properties of the spring. He relaxed his posture, letting the warm, amber-silver water lap at his collarbones.
"The weight is heavy, I won’t deny it," Lin Mo admitted with an almost helpless sigh. "When Taihao dropped this store on my lap, I thought I’d just be ringing up snacks for wandering swordsmen. Now, I’m managing a lot more than I could probably imagine back in my past life. Having you here to manage the home front... it is more than just convenient, Meiyu. It’s essential. So, allow me to express my gratitude to you."
A soft, genuinely touched expression washed over the First Princess’s face. For a woman born into the cutthroat environment of the royal family, where every smile hid a dagger and every alliance was temporary, Lin Mo’s absolute trust was a treasure far rarer than any immortal-grade artifact.
She leaned in slightly, closing the last few inches between them until their shoulders brushed. Then, without wasting any moment, she gently rested her head on his shoulder.
"Mhm. I’m glad to hear that. And I’m glad I came here to find you..."
