Chapter 2

When the small shop opened, the time was just a few minutes before seven.

At this moment, Lin Yuan stood beside the flower stand, feeling more exhausted than usual, which was due to his weak constitution.

This daily fatigue when opening the shop was something Lin Yuan had become somewhat accustomed to.

However, today he felt a dizziness deep in his mind, which seemed to be getting stronger.

"Meow, Lin Yuan, go sit on the chair for a while."

Then, it nimbly climbed up Lin Yuan's pants and shirt, all the way to his neck.

Standing shakily on his neck, the small paws with soft, thick pads gently massaged Lin Yuan's head.

Yin Niao also flew anxiously back and forth, as if puzzled by why Lin Yuan looked much weaker today than usual.

Lin Yuan forced himself to stay alert and held the hundred-question beast "Cong Ming" in his arms.

His pale, bony fingers ran through the hundred-question beast's gray and black fur, which looked particularly striking.

"Cong Ming, Yin Yin, you two don't need to worry about me. Maybe I just didn't sleep well last night!"

As Lin Yuan said this, he began to think carefully, wondering if he had really fallen ill again.

The money he earned from running this small shop was barely enough to cover his sister's school tuition.

He usually saved as much as possible to pay for his own meals.

The poor are most afraid of getting sick.

Although after a century of spiritual energy revival, any disease that was once considered terminal could now be easily treated by a spiritual energy professional with a high-level healing spirit, the cost of such a treatment would be more than what his shop could earn in two or three months.

Even though Lin Yuan said this, Cong Ming and Yin Yin's anxiousness and tension did not diminish at all.

It was as if they were afraid of losing their most precious thing.

To Cong Ming and Yin Yin, they were just two inferior household pets that were rejected and despised, while Lin Yuan was their whole world.

At exactly seven o'clock, a somewhat bold and straightforward voice rang out at the door.

"Xiao Yuan, I've told you many times, you don't need to open so early next time. You can open after eight, and you'll get some rest."

As she spoke, the middle-aged woman placed a wooden box on the counter.

Then, she looked at Lin Yuan with a gentle gaze and said,

"Same as usual, give me ten strands of Qing Luo藤."

Lin Yuan's face lit up with a sunny smile at the sound of her enthusiastic and straightforward voice.

This sunny smile made Lin Yuan look very approachable, like a breath of fresh air.

"Aunt Zhang, I've told you many times, don't bring me breakfast when you come to buy things!"

As he spoke, Lin Yuan quickly went to cut the Qing Luo藤.

A pot of Qing Luo藤 could grow about thirteen to fourteen strands of about 1.5 meters in length in a day.

One strand of Qing Luo藤 was exactly one meter long.

Lin Yuan's scissors cut ten strands of 1.5 meters long directly from the roots.

Then, he tied the ten strands of 1.5 meters long with a cloth strip.

A bunch of fresh and vibrant Qing Luo藤 was neatly prepared by Lin Yuan.

Aunt Zhang watched Lin Yuan squat down and skillfully prepare the Qing Luo藤, her eyes filled with kindness and concern.

As an old neighbor, Aunt Zhang had seen Lin Yuan, from the age of twelve, have to independently run this shop and support himself and his sister.

He had worked hard to send his sister to school, and now Aunt Zhang couldn't remember whether it had been six or seven years.

When Lin Yuan brought the Qing Luo藤 to the counter, he saw Aunt Zhang looking at him and said,

"Aunt Zhang, if I open at eight, you won't be able to get such fresh Qing Luo藤."

Aunt Zhang quickly reined in her emotions and said with a smile,

"That's true, but you should learn from other shops. You put energy stones in the soil of the Qing Luo藤. How much do you earn from one strand of Qing Luo藤?"

Lin Yuan smiled and shook his head, not saying anything.

At this moment, Lin Yuan was barely holding himself up, as the dizziness in his head was so strong that he felt he could fall at any moment.

Aunt Zhang understood that this young man had his own principles.

Whether it was opening the shop at exactly seven every day or stubbornly adding energy stones to the soil of the Qing Luo藤.

While feeling concerned, Aunt Zhang also secretly admired him, like an elder looking at a promising younger generation.

Aunt Zhang left 75 yuan and turned to leave, saying as she walked,

"Xiao Yuan, this breakfast is specially made for you by Uncle Li. It's a baked pancake and bean juice. If you don't eat it, Uncle Li will be sad."

Lin Yuan saw that there were 25 yuan more on the table. Just as he was about to call out to Aunt Zhang with the money,

Suddenly, the dizziness in his head intensified, and his vision blurred, and he fainted.

Aunt Zhang had been feeling somewhat proud as she left.

Every time she gave money to Xiao Yuan, he wouldn't accept it. This time, she walked quickly, thinking he would take the money.

But just as she reached the door, she heard a thud, as if something had fallen.

At the sound of the fall, she heard the urgent cries of Yin Niao and the hundred-question beast.

Aunt Zhang quickly turned around and saw Lin Yuan, holding 25 yuan, fall to the ground.

His eyes were closed, and his face was calm, as if he were sleeping.

Aunt Zhang hurriedly ran over and helped Lin Yuan up.

Just before Lin Yuan closed his eyes in unconsciousness, he faintly heard the anxious cries of Cong Ming, Yin Yin, and Aunt Zhang.

Then his consciousness sank into a deep darkness.

This dark space was like a quagmire, chaotic and sticky, with a dead silence.

After fainting, Lin Yuan's consciousness seemed to gradually awaken in this dark space, with flashes of his sister's face, Cong Ming, and Yin Yin.

These three were his family, his bonds. If he died, he didn't know how his sister would be so sad, or who would take care of Yin Yin and Cong Ming.

But at least he had saved up for his sister's tuition for the next year.

Lin Yuan's consciousness wandered in this dark space, not knowing how long it had been.

Suddenly, at the end of his consciousness, he saw something he knew all too well.

It was a rustic copper ring.

This ring had always been Lin Yuan's secret. This life was actually his second life.

In his previous life, he was full of vigor and vitality but died young at the age of thirty.

When he opened his eyes again, he was a newborn baby in a world where spiritual energy had revived a century ago, and the rustic copper ring appeared with his birth.

The ring had always been on his wrist since he was a child.

But it disappeared mysteriously after accidentally getting his blood on it when he was eight.

He never expected to find this rustic copper ring deep in his consciousness now.

At this moment, the copper ring was glowing faintly, making the entire deep consciousness glow with a warm, jade-like color.

This ring was like a gateway, waiting for Lin Yuan's consciousness to step through it.