Dimensional Storekeeper - Chapter 214: Cue Stick Was Not Her Friend

Chapter 214: Cue Stick Was Not Her Friend

Oh no.

Hao immediately knew what was happening.

Kurome hadn’t just left to cool down or give her sister a chance. That was only the surface. She’d gone out, picked her sharpest blade, and handed it straight to her opponent with a smile.

Yan Shu’er.

The real threat.

And she was now here, fan twirling lazily in one hand, eyes glinting with hunger for victory.

Where did this little brat even get a freaking fan?

This wasn’t Kurome stepping aside. This was tactical delegation.

A full-on ambush dressed in etiquette and manners.

Kurome really called reinforcements and then made it look like mercy?

That was messed up.

Incredibly clever.

And also very, very female.

Hao glanced at Yan Shu’er, now inspecting the table’s edge with the calm focus of a chef sharpening her cleaver.

Across from Yan Shu’er, Whis was still stretching, completely oblivious that she was already on the chopping board.

“Is this why women are terrifying?” Hao whispered to himself, half impressed and half scared.

They’ll hand you the blade and say, ’Go ahead, win,’ while already burying your name in the loss column.

Women weren’t fighting on the same battlefield.

They were playing chess while the rest of the world was still figuring out how to throw punches.

This was why you’d rather go man for man – at least with guys, it’s simple. You argue, throw hands, maybe bleed a little, and then go get noodles after.

No tricks, no setups, no smiling traps covered in soft perfume and silk sleeves.

Just pain, respect, and a bruised shoulder.

But with women? You wouldn’t even know you lost until you were already smiling and thanking them for it.

“Aren’t you underestimating me too much, Big Sis?” Whis said.

One finger pointing toward Yan Shu’er, her eyes scanning Yan Shu’er from bottom to top.

“This game looks simple enough.”

“You should fight me yourself. I’ll make quick work of this little one.”

Yan Shu’er’s fan snapped shut with a loud clack.

“Oho?” Yan Shu’er said, tone sweet but her grin anything but. “Little one?”

“I see. You’ve got eyes, but clearly, they don’t work.”

Yan Shu’er stepped forward.

“You think I’m just Lady Kurome’s plus-one? Some fill-in?”

She leaned slightly closer, voice softening.

“Let me tell you something. I’ve lost games in a row.”

“You think you’re gonna be my warm-up match?”

Whis opened her mouth, but Yan Shu’er kept going.

“You’re not the main course, sweetheart.”

Yan Shu’er flicked her fan open again.

“You’re the appetizer.”

Whis’ whole face twitched.

Her smirk faltered for the briefest second, and something cold flickered behind her eyes.

But she didn’t move.

Didn’t unleash a single thread of her spiritual qi.

Didn’t let her aura leak out at all.

Because deep down, even someone as confident as her understood.

If she tried anything now, Kurome would cut her down before she even finished the first syllable.

That, and… there was something off about this girl in front of her.

That little fan-twirling brat wasn’t ordinary.

So she swallowed it. All of it. Pride. Spite. Heat rising in her cheeks.

Her jaw tensed, then relaxed as she forced her lips into a smile again.

“…Show it in action, little girl.”

Whis stepped up to the billiard table.

“Let’s start the game.”

Kurome’s eyes narrowed.

’Pay up first.’

Whis paused. “…Pay?”

’Yes. You’re a customer now. Playing billiards costs one crystal per game.’

Whis blinked multiple times, as if she hadn’t heard right.

“H-how much, Big Sis?”

’One crystal.’ Kurome answered.

“O-one crystal?” Whis echoed again, a little higher this time.

Her hand slowly reached toward her waist… only to find absolutely nothing.

Right.

She had just awakened from her deep torpor – a state of prolonged rest unique to powerful spirit beasts.

During this period, their bodies would enter a slow, energy-conserving trance. Movement stopped. Qi circulation narrowed to its core. No eating, no speaking, no contact with the world. Everything focused inward.

It wasn’t simple sleep. It was closer to hibernation blended with cultivation, where the spirit beast sealed itself away for months or even years to repair its body, refine its bloodline, and sometimes break through to the next stage.

Whis, as a serpent of the Pumbral Clan, had gone into torpor to shed her old form.

She hadn’t expected to wake up and head straight into a billiards match.

And she definitely hadn’t expected to need pocket money.

She didn’t bring her stash.

No pouch, no belt.

Not even a single copper coin.

Her entire treasure hoard was still buried under a cliff in the Silent Scale Wastes, warded and hidden beneath thirteen layers of venom fog and illusions.

Whis looked to the side.

Little Sneak was already sighing, hands on hips, muttering something about “unprepared siblings” and “leeching habits.”

Still, Little Sneak reached into his own storage, pulled out a small crystal, and tossed it over to Whis, not looking her way.

“Yeah, yeah. I got you.”

“But I want interest. With snacks. Two weeks of snack tax. Minimum.”

Whis snatched the crystal effortlessly, spinning it once between her fingers.

She gave the sweetest, fakest smile she could muster.

“Of course, Little Sneak~”

Little Sneak shuddered.

“Gross.”

With Whis and Yan Shu’er having paid their crystals and picked their cue sticks, the game was officially set.

The table gleamed under the ceiling light. Colored balls were arranged neatly. The chalk box rested nearby, untouched.

The air was tense.

Whis leaned on her stick with the kind of elegance that said she had no idea what she was doing, but planned to win anyway.

Yan Shu’er, meanwhile, rotated her stick in one hand as if it were an extension of her body.

She hadn’t played yet today.

Normally, she’d be knee-deep in a losing streak against one particular opponent by now. But Mo Xixi wasn’t in the mood.

Far from it.

The little demonic heir was seated in her room, surrounded by black parchment, silver talismans, and a pile of messy papers she hadn’t even sorted yet. Her head was bowed, fingers moving with quick precision as she traced glowing runes midair.

Anyone who dared to interrupt her got a very sharp. “Don’t talk to me, I’m dissecting a forbidden soul-weaving trap.”

So yeah. No games today from that one.

Yan Shu’er sighed.

She didn’t mind losing – okay, maybe she minded a little – but it was more about the challenge. And Mo Xixi was one hell of a challenge.

If anyone deserved the title of store billiards queen, it was Mo Xixi.

Hao? Hao didn’t count.

At least, that was the mindset of the customers.

Hao created the game. Played it casually. Then walked off with three wins and a smile while holding ice cream.

He was on a different plane of existence!

But still.

Yan Shu’er wasn’t bad.

She could knock around anyone else who dared to touch a cue stick in the store.

And today?

She was going to enjoy it.

Whis was already back at it, doing exaggerated poses that looked more fitting for a martial arts demonstration than a friendly game.

Yan Shu’er narrowed her eyes.

This was her moment.

No more losing. No more humiliation.

She cracked her knuckles, and smacked the chalk onto the end of her stick, sharp and loud.

Whis glanced over. “Is that part of the ritual?”

“It’s how I summon my focus.” Yan Shu’er replied flatly.

“Don’t question it.”

Yan Shu’er stepped back from the table with a small gesture.

“I’ll let you break first.”

Whis looked down at the table, then back up, processing the offer.

“You sure?”

Yan Shu’er shrugged, casually leaning against the wall.

“Go ahead. I’ll even pretend to be impressed.”

Whis beamed, only to catch herself a second later. She quickly wiped the smile off her face, realizing she might’ve gotten too excited too soon, and stepped into place.

She only ruined her status further by crouching in the wrong stance, pointing her cue stick at the white ball as if it were a javelin.

“Wait.” Little Sneak said from the sidelines, squinting.

“Is that how you’re supposed to hold it?”

’No.’ Kurome said, cleaning her paw.

Whis shuffled forward, stuck her tongue out in concentration, and jabbed the cue with far too much force.

Crack.

The white ball slammed into the triangle of colored balls – and almost nothing happened.

One lonely red ball rolled two inches. Everything else barely wobbled.

The white cue ball, meanwhile, somehow jumped off the table, bounced once off the floor, and rolled straight into Hao’s foot.

Hao slowly looked down.

Whis coughed, one hand on her hip. “…That was intentional.”

Yan Shu’er arched an eyebrow. “Was it.”

“I was measuring the table’s resistance and rebounding aura.” Whis replied, straight-faced.

“It’s very advanced. You wouldn’t get it.”

“Right.” Yan Shu’er muttered, grabbing the ball from Hao and placing it back.

She lined up her first shot.

And sank two balls in one go.

Whis gawked.

Her mouth hung open for a second before she slapped her hands on the table. “Wait. Is that even allowed!?”

“What? Pocketing balls during billiards?”

“Absolutely criminal.”

Whis puffed her cheeks. “That was luck.”

“Sure.” Yan Shu’er said, already walking around the table.

She tapped the next ball gently – another clean shot into the corner pocket.

“I’m very lucky.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com