After Waking Up, I Inherited a Bookstore 2

Chapter 2: The Assessment

Liu Chuxia still wasn’t used to these sudden appearances. She patted her chest to calm her wildly beating heart.

“Xiao Xu, can you be a little more considerate of a normal person like me? Popping up like that is really scary.”

Xiao Xu pouted and replied in a small voice, “I’m just used to it. Should I give you a heads-up before I appear from now on?”

Xiao Xu looked just like a child now, her lips pursed in a slight pout of grievance, one foot swinging back and forth. Liu Chuxia watched her, puzzled. Was this the same lively yet serious little girl from before? Why was she suddenly acting so awkward? Liu Chuxia glanced at Li Hanyan, then back at Xiao Xu, and it seemed like she understood something.

Li Hanyan frowned at Xiao Xu’s pretense. “Xiao Xu, explain the assessment.”

Xiao Xu flinched instinctively, then began to explain the assessment to Liu Chuxia in a low voice. “The… ahem… the first and most basic requirement of the assessment is to be able to self-ignite a yellow talisman. You have to channel the qi from your dantian to your fingertips to make the yellow talisman burn, thereby activating its effect.”

She paused for a moment before continuing, “The second point is to test what percentage of the yellow talisman’s effect is unleashed after it burns. A passing grade is fifty percent, and a perfect score is one hundred percent.”

After finishing, she looked at Li Hanyan quietly, like a child asking for candy after completing a task.

Liu Chuxia, her large eyes wide with bewilderment, also looked at Li Hanyan, as if asking, Is this assessment for real?

With a hint of resignation, Li Hanyan stood up, walked to the front counter, and took a green talisman from a drawer. With a casual flick, she ignited the paper. Xiao Xu pounced like a hungry wolf, frantically inhaling something from the air.

Liu Chuxia was stunned. Casually igniting a talisman was a move she had only ever seen in movies and TV shows; she never expected to see it in real life. But what amazed her most was Xiao Xu. She had genuinely seen a green light in Xiao Xu’s eyes just now.

“You… she… what’s going on?” Liu Chuxia’s mind was now full of questions. This world didn’t seem to be what she had imagined.

Li Hanyan sat down opposite her and poured her another glass of water before speaking. “Xiao Xu is a spirit entity, created by a thousand-year-old forbidden art. She feeds on spiritual energy, or yin energy. But yin energy has a significant effect on her mind. If it becomes too heavy, she’ll lose control and attack indiscriminately.”

Li Hanyan glanced at the person opposite her and, as expected, saw her trembling slightly. Li Hanyan chuckled softly and continued, “But it’s fine. She’s doing very well now. That green talisman was a spiritual energy talisman. One a day is enough; she can’t have more.”

“Why?”

“Because if she absorbs too much, she’ll get high and won’t be able to do anything.” As she spoke, she helped Liu Chuxia wipe a drop of water from the corner of her mouth. Liu Chuxia accepted the gesture naturally, even enjoying it, as if it were something they had done more than once.

“Like a cat on catnip?”

“Something like that, except this is her food.”

Liu Chuxia only half-understood. Her mind was a mess right now; she had received too much information today and was struggling to process it all.

Just then, Li Hanyan spoke again. “Did you hear the requirements for the assessment clearly?”

Liu Chuxia stared blankly for a few seconds, then nodded.

At that moment, Xiao Xu walked over with a satisfied look on her face. “Big Sister Chuxia, do you want to take the assessment now?”

Liu Chuxia didn’t feel like she was in a good state. She wanted some quiet time to sort through everything.

“The assessment? No, I’m a little tired. Is there a room here where I can rest?”

“There’s a room. Follow me. The sooner you take the assessment, the better. After all, the things inside the Supernatural Office are what you really need to learn. Does Big Sister Chuxia still feel like today was too sudden? I planned this for a long time, just so you’d be able to accept it a little better.”

Liu Chuxia said, exasperated, “Do you have any idea how scary you were in my dreams every night? Crying one moment, laughing the next. Anyone would be scared to death by you. And you keep appearing and disappearing all of a sudden. You have to understand, I’m just a normal person who’s lived a peaceful life for over twenty years, not a Spirit Master like Hanyan, okay? What exactly is in that Supernatural Office you mentioned? What is it that I really need to learn?”

To every one of Liu Chuxia’s complaints, Xiao Xu felt the problems weren’t that big of a deal. Courage could be trained, after all.

“Hehehe, Big Sister Chuxia will get used to it. As for the office, you’ll know once you go in.”

The two of them walked from the first floor to the fourth. Upon arriving, Liu Chuxia felt as if she had discovered a new continent. She had thought there were only three floors, but it turned out there was a hidden staircase. The fourth floor was like a large supermarket. Corridors stretched out to the left and right, lined with rooms. In the center was a sensor-activated glass door, and inside were all different types of books. Liu Chuxia took a quick look and saw that they were basically all related to Spirit Masters.

“Are these for sale to those Spirit Masters?”

“Mhm, some are for sale, but most are for the beginners in the family to use for their studies.”

Just then, Li Hanyan walked in. “A Xia, the room is ready. Are you going to rest now?”

“Yes! I was wondering where you disappeared to. You’re the best, you take care of everything.” Liu Chuxia naturally looped her arm through Li Hanyan’s and followed her.

“Master asked me to take good care of you. Oh, right, Xiao Xu, go sit at the front counter. The bookstore is open now.”

Xiao Xu replied with an “Okay” and then disappeared with a bounce in her step.

Liu Chuxia felt like she was going to go numb. She pressed herself as close to Li Hanyan as she could.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m here. Besides, you’ll encounter a lot more in the future. You’ll have to get used to it anyway.”

Liu Chuxia was on the verge of tears. She knew nothing good ever came out of Li Hanyan’s mouth.

“If you don’t know how to comfort someone, then don’t,” Liu Chuxia said, lightly swatting Li Hanyan.

“What’s wrong? Are you angry? Did I say something wrong? I’m sorry.”

Liu Chuxia was already used to Li Hanyan’s light-speed apologies. She shot Li Hanyan a glare, then demanded a piggyback ride to the room. Li Hanyan obediently complied.

Once in the room, Liu Chuxia practically dove for the bed and fell asleep the moment she hit it.

**

When Liu Chuxia woke up, she felt refreshed and invigorated. Then she saw Li Hanyan sitting beside her, reading a book. As if sensing the gaze from beside her, Li Hanyan turned her head and met a pair of eyes as bright as stars, drawing her in. Her breath caught, and she quickly snapped back to her senses.

“You’re… you’re awake. Do you want some water?”

Liu Chuxia shook her head gently. “No, thanks.”

Then, after tidying herself up a bit, she went downstairs with Li Hanyan.

Xiao Xu was sitting at the front counter watching a variety show. Hearing the sound of them coming down the stairs, she turned her head and said, “Big Sister Chuxia, Senior Sister Hanyan, are you well-rested?”

Li Hanyan nodded once as a greeting. Liu Chuxia was still a bit intimidated by Xiao Xu, but she mustered her courage and replied, “Mhm. What time is it?”

“It’s 8:34 PM.”

“I slept that long? I must have been really tired.” Liu Chuxia walked to the front counter and sat down two chairs away from Xiao Xu. She then said, “Tell me about the bookstore’s situation.”

“Huh? Big Sister Chuxia, don’t you want to collect yourself for a bit longer?”

“No need. Go ahead.”