Wan Wanwen was carefully tidying her disheveled skirt hem.
Jiang Huai finally noticed a red mark on the girl’s tender white thigh. Perhaps it was because her skin was too soft, and a red mark appeared with just a light brush.
She sat cautiously by the bedside, bent down to put on her shoes and socks. Jiang Huai leaned to one side, “Do you want to go for a walk? I promised to go look at clothes with you last time.”
“Okay,” Wan Wanwen nodded obediently. After putting on her shoes and socks, she jumped off the bed and leaned beside him.
The girl was at a comfortable distance from him, not leaning in like Luo Qingyu to tightly hug his arm. However, her small, tender white hands seemed to be swaying inadvertently, and the back of her hand brushed against Jiang Huai’s hand.
Once, twice.
After the third time, Jiang Huai gently took her small hand.
“I’ll hold you.”
“Okay.” Wan Wanwen’s eyes became very bright.
***
Within the Tian Xuan Sect, there was naturally a place that sold women’s dresses.
The older generation of cultivators pursued a life of purity and detachment from worldly desires, dedicating themselves solely to the path of cultivation. However, most cultivators of this generation not only required sustenance and warmth but also sought considerable enjoyment. The world offered a wide variety of women’s dresses. Hundreds of years ago, Lanlan Pavilion was the best-selling shop. But centuries ago, Ziyun Pavilion emerged, with branches spread across nearly all major sects in the Eastern Region. Jiang Huai’s Tian Xuan Sect naturally had a Ziyun Pavilion branch as well.
Jiang Huai had always suspected that there was a transmigrator in Ziyun Pavilion, but he had no proof.
After all, he had already seen many styles of dresses from Ziyun Pavilion that bore a striking resemblance to the qipaos, fishtail skirts, and various peculiar exquisite game fashion items from his memories. However, the Pavilion Master of Ziyun Pavilion was rumored to be extremely mysterious, and no one had ever seen his true appearance. At Jiang Huai’s current status, he was indeed not qualified for such an audience.
Ziyun Pavilion sold more than just clothes; it also offered spiritual medicines, spirit swords, spirit treasures, spirit arrays, and talismans, covering almost everything a cultivator might need on their path. Legend had it that Ziyun Pavilion even had a special back entrance, capable of assassinating people for a price.
Jiang Huai accompanied Wan Wanwen to the area specially designated by the Tian Xuan Sect for the Ziyun Pavilion branch.
Ziyun Pavilion also had a membership card system, with seven colors ranging from low to high: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. He was currently holding a yellow membership card due to accumulated points from previous purchases, granting him a 5% discount on ordinary items.
Ziyun Pavilion was bustling with business. The area allocated to it comprised a five-story pavilion, with dresses sold on the third floor. When Jiang Huai and Wan Wanwen entered the store, they immediately attracted many gazes.
After all, everyone in the Tian Xuan Sect knew Jiang Xiaohu, and Wan Wanwen’s beauty was also renowned. Even though she was only wearing a simple white dress at the moment, her cold and aloof temperament, like a white flower, astonished everyone instantly. The slightly crowded area seemed to voluntarily make way for the two.
Since they had nothing else to do, Jiang Huai accompanied Wan Wanwen as they browsed, starting from the first floor. The first floor sold spiritual medicines and talismans, which were the foundation of Ziyun Pavilion and the items most frequently consumed by cultivators.
Jiang Huai didn’t need to buy any spiritual medicine. He still had over two hundred thousand spirit stones in his possession, all from Chu Xianning’s personal fortune. He took out ten thousand and bought ten Xuan-grade Fire Burst Talismans. The effect of the Fire Burst Talismans was simple: when activated with spiritual energy, they could spew forth a stream of flames, causing significant damage to cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage. The drawback was that the flames weren’t particularly fast and were quite easy to evade, and there was a risk of self-immolation if not handled carefully.
Jiang Huai then bought some high-grade spiritual liquid for drawing talismans, spending two thousand spirit stones. After that, he accompanied Wan Wanwen upstairs. The second floor sold various small magic tools, mostly designed as women’s accessories like bracelets, jade pendants, earrings, rings, and even anklets.
Jiang Huai spotted a white jade bracelet, the treasure of this Ziyun Pavilion branch, priced at one hundred thousand spirit stones. Once bound with the user’s spiritual energy, it would passively trigger when the user’s spiritual energy shield was broken, blocking one fatal blow for the user. The residual spiritual energy could then serve as the user’s spiritual energy shield for a period, capable of blocking an attack from a cultivator in the late Nascent Soul stage for the duration of one incense stick.
This was a good item, Jiang Huai pondered, and spent spirit stones to purchase it.
He wouldn’t be stingy when venturing into dungeons. The rogue cultivators at the foot of the mountain were all insidious individuals. If they were to launch a sneak attack, and he didn’t react in time, this could save his life.
There was nothing else on the second floor that he needed to buy. He had also asked Wan Wanwen if there was anything she liked, but she just shook her head. The spirit treasures here started at a minimum of ten thousand spirit stones. Wan Wanwen only had a little over five hundred spirit stones, how could she afford them?
“Tell me if you see something you like, and I’ll buy it for you.”
As soon as Jiang Huai said this, Wan Wanwen’s body stiffened abruptly, and then she shook her head even more vigorously, “Wanwan doesn’t need these.”
Although Jiang Huai had seen Wan Wanwen linger in front of a pair of earrings for quite a while, her eyes fixed on them as if she liked them immensely, Jiang Huai didn’t force the issue. He didn’t mind spending money to buy them for Wan Wanwen, but he worried that it would make Wan Wanwen feel even more uneasy.
So, the two continued to the third floor. The third floor was mostly filled with women’s dresses, a dazzling array that was overwhelming at first glance. Jiang Huai wandered around with Wan Wanwen. Jiang Huai paid more attention to the style and color of the dresses, while Wan Wanwen was more concerned with the prices on the tags.
An inner disciple could earn about fifty spirit stones for completing basic inner sect missions. However, a dress here could easily cost one hundred spirit stones. If you asked if it had any special functions… it didn’t. It was just made of precious materials with excellent resilience, but it offered almost no defensive capabilities.
Yet, there were still many women who particularly liked the dresses sold by Ziyun Pavilion, taking pride in wearing Ziyun Pavilion’s latest seasonal models.
Damn marketing!
If Jiang Huai remembered correctly, Ziyun Pavilion even supported installment payments and home delivery. They were not at all worried about you defaulting on payments. In Jiang Huai’s memory, there was once a female disciple of the Tian Xuan Sect who, after purchasing an exceptionally expensive dress from Ziyun Pavilion, encountered issues with her cultivation. She sold her spirit stones for spiritual medicine and couldn’t make the payment. Driven to desperation by Ziyun Pavilion, she knocked on the doors of several senior brothers willing to help her out late at night.
But she never knocked on Jiang Huai’s door.
After all, which junior sister would want to embarrass herself in front of Senior Brother Jiang Huai back then?
When Jiang Huai saw a row of white silk, black silk, calf-high socks, over-the-knee socks, and pantyhose on the shelves, he was almost certain that he wasn’t the only one who had transmigrated to this world.
Wait.
Jiang Huai led Wan Wanwen’s hand over to the shelf selling those socks. Wan Wanwen looked at Jiang Huai with a little confusion. Jiang Huai casually picked out a pair of white lace-trimmed calf-high socks. The price wasn’t too expensive, only one spirit stone.
“Does Wanwan like it?”
“If Senior Brother Jiang Huai likes it… Wanwan likes it,” Wan Wanwen replied softly. Then she took out spirit stones and bought it from the attendant on the side. Jiang Huai curiously opened the packaging and took a look.
It was made from materials of this world, but the craftsmanship was exceptional, no different from what he had bought from his System Mall. However, it was even more refined than those from his System Mall, offering better warmth, and the quality was incomparably superior.
Jiang Huai wondered if that transmigrator also had a system. If so… would he have a system? If he did, what kind of system would it be? A system for accumulating evil deeds? If it were a system for accumulating evil deeds, Jiang Huai actually felt that if one were willing to commit wicked acts, they could likely reach the tenth realm within ten years, as long as they weren’t killed by the world’s judgment within that time.
Jiang Huai continued to browse the third floor with Wan Wanwen. After a short while, Wan Wanwen’s steps stopped, her eyes fixed on a dress on the shelf. Jiang Huai followed her gaze, and his eyes twitched slightly.
It was a black dress with white lace trim around the hem, a cute bow tie above the collarbone, and white lace decorations on the chest. It was a very elegant and form-fitting dress, if Jiang Huai didn’t know that it was actually a maid dress.
Damn it.
The sales assistant at Ziyun Pavilion was a junior sister from Tian Xuan Sect working part-time. Seeing Wan Wanwen and Jiang Huai pause there, she shrewdly approached them, a smile forming on her cheek, “Does Junior Sister Wanwan like this dress?”
“Just… looking.”
When facing outsiders, Wan Wanwen’s brows regained their usual coldness.
“This is Ziyun Pavilion’s latest summer style, perfect for a fairy like you, Junior Sister Wanwan, with your cold and elegant demeanor. Junior Sister Wanwan, with your tall figure, this long dress is just right. You can try it on. Why don’t you try it first, Junior Sister Wanwan?”
“How many spirit stones?” Wan Wanwen was not moved by the words, she only asked softly.
“This season’s new style is quite reasonable. Because it was just released, it’s still on sale. It’s only eighty-nine spirit stones. After a while, it will go back up to ninety-nine spirit stones. Besides, if it’s for Junior Sister Wanwan, I can use my authority to give you the biggest discount, only eighty spirit stones. What do you think, Junior Sister Wanwan?”
“No, thank you.” Wan Wanwen turned her face away in a fluster, tugging on Jiang Huai’s hand, wanting to leave. Jiang Huai, however, remained standing there. Wan Wanwen looked up at him in a fluster, “Let’s… let’s go look at other shops? Lanlan Pavilion also has many dresses.”
“How can Lanlan Pavilion compare to our Ziyun Pavilion? Many senior sisters in the Tian Xuan Sect now only recognize Ziyun Pavilion’s clothes. Our after-sales service is professional. If this dress is accidentally damaged later, Junior Sister Wanwan can bring it directly back to Ziyun Pavilion, and Ziyun Pavilion will replace it with a new one for free.”
“This dress is made from fabric from the Northern Region, and it feels so smooth. Junior Sister Wanwan… please consider it again. Someone wanted to preorder this dress a while ago. Ziyun Pavilion’s branches in the entire Tian Xuan Sect only have two of these. There’s only one suitable for a tall figure like Junior Sister Wanwan’s. If Junior Sister Wanwan doesn’t take it today, another senior sister might buy it tomorrow.”
This sales pitch, this sense of déjà vu, suggested that their training sessions were quite thorough.
Wan Wanwen just wanted to escape. She looked at Jiang Huai with a wronged expression and whispered, “It’s too expensive…”
“I’ll buy it for you.”
“No,” Wan Wanwen shook her head very seriously, her eyes even showing a hint of pleading.
“But I feel like Wanwan would look great in it,” Jiang Huai blinked at her innocently.
He was actually full of anticipation to see Wan Wanwen wearing that maid dress, a sense of fantasy becoming reality, reminiscent of the subtle feelings from his previous life.
Wan Wanwen turned around, bit her lip, and looked at the junior sister, “Could it… be a little cheaper… just a little cheaper, and I’ll buy it…”
“Seventy-nine spirit stones. I really can’t go any lower, Junior Sister Wanwan. Selling it to Junior Sister Wanwan for seventy-nine spirit stones means I get no commission at all. If it weren’t for Junior Sister Wanwan’s beauty, I wouldn’t sell it at this price.”
Wan Wanwen took out a spirit stone ticket from her storage ring, carefully counted it, “Then… I’ll take it.”
On the side, Jiang Huai quietly watched Wan Wanwen, who was clearly pained but diligently counting the money, and felt a peculiar emotion.
Jiang Huai’s fingertips lightly rested on Wan Wanwen’s shoulder, “Aren’t you going to try it on first?”
“That’s right…” Wan Wanwen turned her gaze to the junior sister who was responsible for assisting customers. The junior sister took down the dress, her smile gentle, “It won’t be troublesome for Junior Sister Wanwan to try it on first.”
So, Wan Wanwen took the dress and went to the fitting room first. Jiang Huai waited patiently outside the door. After a while, Wan Wanwen, now wearing the dress, emerged. Her hands were placed somewhat uneasily in front of her legs. She slightly raised her eyes, looking at Jiang Huai, her eyes full of expectation.
Jiang Huai was stunned for a moment, then chuckled, “It does seem to suit you very well.”
“Then… then I’ll take this one…” Wan Wanwen said softly, then returned to the fitting room to change back into her white dress. The dress was packed in a box. Jiang Huai carried the box for her, gently took her hand, and said, “Shall we go look at Lanlan Pavilion next?”
“Okay.”
This time, Wan Wanwen breathed a sigh of relief.
She rarely came to the Ziyun Pavilion branch of Tian Xuan Sect before, because most of the items here were too expensive, and she didn’t have many shopping needs on a daily basis. Soon, Jiang Huai and Wan Wanwen went downstairs together to the adjacent Lanlan Pavilion. Compared to Ziyun Pavilion, Lanlan Pavilion was a bit more deserted, but the quality of the dresses here was not inferior, and the price was nearly one-fifth.
It turned out that cultivators could also be brainwashed by consumerism.
Jiang Huai picked up a dress, “Try this one?”
Wan Wanwen nodded obediently.
Jiang Huai tirelessly picked up several beautiful dresses, wanting Wan Wanwen to try them on. Wan Wanwen tried on one after another obediently. With each change of dress, her temperament seemed to alter slightly. Jiang Huai found it somewhat dazzling and finally settled on six dresses. When it was time to pay, Jiang Huai produced the spirit stone ticket. Just as Wan Wanwen was about to say something, Jiang Huai’s fingertip tapped her delicate pink lips.
“It’s only forty-six spirit stones in total. If Wanwan refuses me again, I’ll be a little disappointed.”
So, Wan Wanwen said nothing more. Jiang Huai paid the bill. Jiang Huai suddenly thought of something, “Let’s go. If you’re worried about spirit stones, I’ll take you to see Senior Brother Jiang Huai’s lucrative money-making methods.”
***
PS: I wrote 250,000 words this month!
The rule for extra updates next month is one additional chapter for every 150 votes, on top of the daily update.
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