This shopkeeper is the person with the violet fate that he sensed earlier. He is thinking about how to do a great deed for them, and by the looks of things, his goal might be easy to achieve.
He made up his mind just as the shopkeeper rushed over to attend to him. He had entered the shop for a few seconds, so he hadn't been stood up for long. Even so, the shopkeeper apologized profusely to him.
The man bowed and said, "Please forgive me for not attending to you, senior. Please, how can I be of help to you? Ask me anything you want, and I will try to help you."
His humble behavior toward Arthur can be easily explained as due respect being offered to someone much stronger than him. Arthur could hide his cultivation so his rank and power were evident to anyone who so much as glanced at him.
So no one will be surprised to see the shopkeeper being especially respectful to him. But Arthur didn't take the man's behavior seriously because the shopkeeper was always humble with everyone else too.
The shopkeeper never behaved like someone at the third mortal coil. Arthur had seen him interact with others and saw that the shopkeeper was always respectful to everyone, even if they were at the first mortal coil.
This made Arthur certain that there had to be something wrong about the man. His earlier conjecture and the strange shape of the shopkeeper's fate flashed through his mind and made him all the more sure that the shopkeeper was being forced to do what he was doing.
So Arthur transmitted his voice secretly to the man and said, "I don't need your help. Instead, I've come to help you."
The man became surprised and asked in confusion, "What do you mean, sir?"
Arthur replied, "Do you want to be saved?"
The man remained confused. He shook his head and said, "I don't understand, sir."
Arthur chuckled and said, "Tell me, why are you a shopkeeper?"
The man's face lit up as he said, "It is because I like to make money, sir."
Arthur was taken aback by the man's reply and the sincerity in his voice as he replied.
This made him frown as he asked, "So you're not being forced to be a shopkeeper?"
The man shook his head like a rattle. "No, sir. I love my job."
He even waved his hand to indicate that no such thing was happening.
Arthur couldn't believe it. He asked, "You can make money doing something else. Why would you want to be a shopkeeper while being at the third mortal coil?"
The communication between them was a secret, so the people around them weren't shocked by what Arthur had just said. After all, many of the people here didn't know that the man was at the third mortal coil.
The shopkeeper had hidden his cultivation, but the technique he used to appear ordinary could only fool those at the third mortal coil like him and weaker beings. So many people don't know that he is strong.
The technique couldn't hide the man's power from Arthur. In fact, Arthur himself didn't even notice that the man was trying to hide. So if he made the claim that the man was at the third mortal coil as if it were common knowledge, many people would have been shocked.
It is a good thing that the communication was done secretly, but Arthur wasn't trying to be secretive in order to hide the man's cultivation from the people around. His goal for communicating in secret was to help the man without letting whoever was forcing him notice.
But it appeared that his goal would go unfilled as the man replied to Arthur's question, saying, "I am just a lone loose cultivator. I reached the third mortal coil by chance and with great luck. But I know myself and know that this is my limit, so I gave up on cultivating and decided to focus on my passion."
"Being a shopkeeper had always been my passion. It is a job that runs in my family. My father was a shopkeeper, and his father before him was also a shopkeeper. I just want to live my life in peace doing the job that I love."
Arthur knew for sure that the man's potential didn't end at the third mortal coil and that the man could achieve even the fifth mortal coil with the right opportunity.
After all, he has only seen a violet fate with the patriarchs, so this made has a good chance of reaching the fifth mortal coil too. So his eyes lit up as he heard the man's reply.
His eyes lit up because he had just thought of another way to help the man. He didn't waste time at all putting this new solution into action.
He asked the man, "What if I tell you that the third mortal coil is not your limit?"
The man shook his head in disbelief and said, "You don't have to say nice things about me in order to be polite, sir. I know my worth."
Arthur thought to himself in anger, "Shut your mouth. I know your worth, not you."
He didn't show his anger in his face, though. Instead, he smiled and said, "I'm not being polite. I really think that you have the potential to go further, and I want to help you achieve your full potential."
The man looked at him in shock and disbelief. Then he asked with unconcealed joy, "Really?"
Arthur nodded in assurance and said, "I really want to help you."
The man jumped for joy and howled, shouting, "Great. I can't believe it. It is my lucky day."
Inwardly, Arthur rolled his eyes and said, "Of course you're lucky. Or why else would I be here to help you?"
After celebrating for a while, the man fell on his knees and bowed to Arthur, saying, "Thank you for grace, senior. I will spend the rest of my life trying to repay this favor."