Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 465 It’s Time to Go Back

"Okay, I got it, Chen," He Xi nodded obediently, "When are you planning to leave?"

Having guessed that He Xi would respond so obediently, Chen Nuo patted her head, "Don’t worry, I’m definitely not leaving now. No matter what, I’ll wait until you’ve grown up."

"But I have already grown up," He Xi said, puzzled, "I’m already eleven, an adult now. I’m much taller than before, Chen. Don’t delay your affairs on my account. I’ll take good care of myself."

"I do have things to do, but there’s no rush."

Chen Nuo looked at He Xi, this child was really sensible. It was a pity that adopting her had already disrupted her life’s trajectory.

And she belonged to this place. If he forcibly took her to Chaos Residence, he might very well change her destiny. For the child’s own fate, it was better to let her grow up in the human world.

"Then let’s set off now," He Xi said eagerly, "Chen, I’m very smart. I’ll learn how to sell oil in less than a year."

Chen Nuo smiled, "Selling oil is such a simple task, and yet you still need a year? It seems you’re not smart enough."

He Xi pouted, "Although I’ve been to the Oil Shop, I was only bringing you water at the time. I didn’t see how you sold the oil."

Chen Nuo took He Xi’s hand, "Don’t worry, you’ll learn in less than three days."

As Chen Nuo’s voice faded, a yellow circle of light surrounded the feet of the two, and in the blink of an eye, they had already arrived at a small store in the town.

Chen Nuo put down the latch inside the door, opened the shop, and there were already customers coming to pick up goods. Seeing Chen Nuo open the door, they smiled and said, "Mr. Chen, good morning, you’re opening for business now?"

"The usual?" Chen Nuo asked, "Ten pounds?"

"No, this time I want fifteen pounds," the shopkeeper replied, "As the number of tourists increases, our shop’s clientele also grows, you see. Ten pounds of oil runs out in two days now, so the shopkeeper said to stock up a bit more this time."

"Okay," Chen Nuo nodded but didn’t move. He pointed to the ledger nearby, "Xi, bring the ledger."

"That one over there? I’ll get it now," He Xi saw the ledger hanging on the wall, ran to get it, and then handed it to Chen Nuo, "Here, Chen, I’ve brought you the ledger."

Chen Nuo didn’t take it, tipping his chin, "Open it yourself."

"Oh, okay," He Xi opened the ledger, "Which page?"

"I’ve been training my little sister in bookkeeping lately; I hope you don’t mind waiting a bit," Chen Nuo said to the shopkeeper with a smile.

As it was the restocking time in the morning, the shopkeeper’s only task was to buy oil. He waved his hand indifferently, "Hey, no problem, what time is it now? I’m not in a hurry. The young lady has grown up; it’s time for her to start sharing the workload."

Chen Nuo told He Xi the name of the shopkeeper’s store and instructed her to find it in the ledger, "Write down, July 17th, fifteen pounds, next to the name."

He Xi took out a pen, listened to what Chen Nuo said, recorded the fifteen pounds, and then looked up, "All done, Chen."

The buckets were marked with their capacity when they were made, and Chen Nuo often let regular customers pour their own oil.

Although he was a regular customer, Chen Nuo intended to train He Xi, so he placed the large bucket that the attendant was holding under the tap and said to He Xi, "You can understand the quantity written on it, right? Pour it yourself, and if there’s anything you don’t know, tell me afterward."

"I understand, Chen," He Xi replied as she turned on the tap, staring at the graduated scale, "Haven’t you taught me before? I remember it all, and now I can read it."

While talking to Chen Nuo, He Xi kept her eyes on the graduated scale until it reached the fifteen-pound mark, then she turned off the tap and looked back at Chen Nuo, "Chen, did I do that right?"

"Yes, that’s great," Chen Nuo praised.

The attendant took the oil, giving He Xi a thumbs-up, "This young girl is amazing. I thought Mr. Chen would have to do it himself in the end, but who would’ve thought, the young girl can actually read the quantities."

"I taught her before; it would be surprising if she couldn’t," Chen Nuo said, "She might have to manage the Oil Shop by herself in the future. These are the skills she needs to learn."

"What?" Upon hearing this, the attendant paused, "Mr. Chen, are you leaving?"

"Just thinking about it," Chen Nuo said with a smile, "I am training her now, just in case, you know. Our little town is only so big, and eventually, we have to expand our oil business beyond it. When the time comes, I’ll have to travel far and wide."

"Indeed." The attendant nodded earnestly, "Such a great product and so cheap, it should be marketed beyond just our little place—it should be known by everyone in Great Tang."

"You’re right," Chen Nuo agreed with a smile, "This product is going to be marketed far and wide. Maybe in ten years, it will reach that point. I won’t stay in this small shop forever, so while I still have time, I need to train Xi more. In the future, I’ll depend on you."

Though a day in heaven is like a year on earth, time in the human world still flies by quickly. In the blink of an eye, He Xi had grown to be eighteen and stood tall and graceful.

While Chen Nuo’s shop had an increasing number of customers, he did not expand the business; he simply renovated the interior and exterior and also made arrangements with the very first grain store he frequented, sourcing his stock from there afterward.

Even though He Xi used to live in the small courtyard frequently, she could no longer stay there.

The courtyard had many advantages, but it was a bit too far from the town and too secluded.

When he lived there with He Xi, it was alright. The courtyard had barriers set up, maintaining perpetual spring, but once he returned to Chaos Residence, the thought of He Xi living there alone made him feel uneasy, even though she was already eighteen.

Chen Nuo renovated the second floor of the shop; the decoration was much like the rooms in the courtyard. To be cautious, he installed a mechanism in the shop that connected the courtyard with the Oil Shop, much like his own spell, allowing one to move from one place to another in an instant.

Preparing this took quite some time; Chen Nuo, fearing he might have overlooked something, experimented for many days before he decided to leave.

Before leaving, he also left He Xi with a Bagua Plate, which could be used for communication. If He Xi needed anything, she could talk to him directly, and he would come immediately.

After everything was arranged, a month had already passed since He Xi’s eighteenth birthday.

"I’m heading back to my place now. Whenever I’m free, I’ll come to see you often."

Inside the small shop, Chen Nuo patted He Xi’s head.

Although He Xi was very reluctant, in the end, she did not ask Chen to stay, "Don’t worry, Chen. I’ve truly grown up; I can take care of myself. You know that, don’t you?"

Yes, Chen Nuo knew. But having lived with He Xi for such a long time, in his heart, He Xi still resembled the child he knew. Moreover, she was a mortal without Mana, making it tough to survive in this world.