Li Jian stared at the small, shimmering silver seeds in his palm. Ten thousand spirit stones worth of potential wealth. In his mind, he saw a beach, a comfortable chair, and zero people calling him "Senior."
"System," he whispered, "If I plant these, can I just sell the leaves and retire to a private island?"
[Ding!] [Quest Update: 'The Green Thumb of Destiny'. Goal: Plant the Silver-Leaf seeds. Reward: 'Soil of the Primordial Forest'. Warning: Supreme Tea seeds grow better with... enthusiasm.]
"Enthusiasm? What does that even mean?"
Li Jian sighed and walked to the small, dusty courtyard behind the shop. Master Lu, the former Tea Saint, was already there, scrubbing the stone tiles with a toothbrush.
"Senior! Are you going to plant the Silver-Leaf seeds?" Master Lu gasped, dropping his toothbrush. "Those require a Grade-5 Spiritual Spring and a century of patience! You can't just—"
Li Jian ignored him and poked a hole in the dirt with his finger. He dropped a seed in, poured a bit of his leftover 'ordinary' tea over it, and turned to walk away. "Nature will find a way, Lu. Don't overthink it."
He didn't even make it back to the kitchen before the ground began to vibrate.
Rumble...
"Senior! The earth is breathing!" Master Lu screamed, clinging to a pillar.
A sprout—no, a literal spear of silver light—burst from the ground. Within seconds, it thickened into a trunk. Branches exploded outward, covered in leaves that looked like polished moonlight. But it didn't stop. The tree grew twenty feet, thirty feet, its branches weaving through the windows of the second floor and bursting through the roof.
Flowers bloomed in an instant, releasing a pollen that glowed like gold dust.
"My shop..." Li Jian whispered, watching a branch neatly dismantle his chimney. "My beautiful, low-maintenance dump..."
Suddenly, the air in the shop changed. The concentration of Spiritual Qi became so thick that it started to liquefy, turning into a shimmering mist that clung to the floor.
Outside, the neighborhood went silent. Then, the sounds of birds—thousands of them—filled the air. Rare Spirit Birds, phoenix-crane hybrids, and even the local stray cats began to sit in a circle around the shop, their eyes closed in deep meditation.
Ling Yue and Huo Fenghuang rushed into the courtyard, their weapons drawn, only to stop in awe.
"This... this is a 'Domain of the Gods'!" Huo Fenghuang whispered, her fiery hair actually turning a calm, sunset orange. "By simply planting a tree, Senior has turned a West Gate slum into the most sacred cultivation ground on the continent!"
"Look at the leaves," Ling Yue murmured, reaching out. "Each one contains a fragment of a Law. To brew with these... one could understand the secrets of the Universe."
Li Jian wasn't looking at the secrets of the Universe. He was looking at the hole in his roof. "Who is going to pay for the shingles? Does the System have insurance?"
[Ding!] [Effect: 'The Enchanted Forest'. Your shop is now a high-level Spirit Zone. Side Effect: The local 'Spirit Vein' has been redirected. Expect visitors from... everywhere.]
"Visitors? What visitors?" Li Jian asked, a cold sweat breaking out.
As if on cue, the front door jingled. But this wasn't a customer. It was a small, white fox with nine tails, wearing a tiny silk scarf. It walked in, sat on a stool, and tapped its paw on the counter.
"It's a Heaven-Devouring Fox!" Master Lu shrieked, hiding behind his mop. "An ancient calamity! It can wipe out a kingdom!"
The fox looked at Li Jian and let out a polite "Yip!" It pushed a single, ancient-looking jade pearl toward him and pointed its nose at the menu.
Li Jian stared at the fox. The fox stared at Li Jian.
"You want the Oolong?" Li Jian asked flatly.
The fox nodded.
Li Jian turned to his two Goddesses and the former Tea Saint. "Fine. If a 'Calamity' wants tea, it gets tea. But if any of you start a fight with the fox, you're fired. I mean it. I'm already losing a roof; I'm not losing the floor."
As Li Jian started brewing, he realized his life was no longer a 'Slice of Life' story. He was officially the landlord of a supernatural zoo.