Chapter 65: Back at the Merchant Association, a Shopping Spree

Hearing Ye Qiuyue agree, Qin Xiao had his two disciples prepare. As it turned out, they had nothing to prepare, and they set off immediately.

On the way, Qin Xiao remembered the three factions’ gifts of thanks and took the three Storage Bags from his pocket.

“Yun Man, these are the three factions’ gifts of thanks. You’re the eldest disciple. Divide them between yourself and Shimeng.”

Qin Xiao handed the three Storage Bags directly to Yun Man.

“Why can’t I divide them?”

Lin Shimeng asked with a touch of dissatisfaction.

“You want to argue about this too? She is the eldest disciple. You are second.”

Qin Xiao was exasperated.

Lin Shimeng had been the sect’s Holy Maiden too long. That attitude would take time to change.

She wanted to protest, but kept quiet. Once I surpass Yun Man, I’ll fight for the senior disciple’s place. For now, she had to bow to the rules of the house.

“Interesting. Shimeng, you’ll need to work harder.”

Ye Qiuyue saw it all but left them alone. They were Qin Xiao’s disciples.

“It’s fine. My cultivation is slightly lacking right now, but it won’t be long before I surpass her.”

Knowing precisely what Ye Qiuyue implied, Lin Shimeng replied defiantly.

“I’ll be waiting for you to surpass me.”

Yun Man offered a brief reply before beginning to tally the contents of the thank-you gifts.

She then tossed a Storage Bag over to Lin Shimeng.

“So much! Those big sects really are generous. Is this only half?”

After inspecting the contents, Lin Shimeng let out a startled cry.

“No. Your share is two-fifths; I kept three-fifths for myself.”

Yun Man stated coldly.

“What gives you the right to keep three-fifths while giving me only two-fifths?”

Thinking Yun Man had kept more, Lin Shimeng was immediately displeased.

“Because I’m the eldest disciple, and you’re second.”

Yun Man was still cold.

Aside from Qin Xiao, Yun Man remained cold and indifferent toward everyone.

“Master, I won’t accept this! She only gave me two-fifths!”

Lin Shimeng was furious, but she could not beat Yun Man. She complained to Qin Xiao instead.

“Yun Man, as the Senior Sister, how could you pull something like this?”

Qin Xiao did not know what had happened, so he asked Yun Man. Find the original chapter at novelping.com.

“Master, I divided it equally.”

Yun Man had indeed split it evenly; she was simply teasing her.

“Then why did you just claim you only gave me two-fifths?”

Lin Shimeng shot back.

“I was teasing you. How could I pocket anything Master asked me to divide?”

The usually cold Yun Man showed a rare smile. Her little scheme had worked.

“You tricked me!”

Lin Shimeng realized she had been tricked. She still could not beat Yun Man, which only made her angrier.

“Enough, you two. Stop squabbling in front of my master’s wife.”

Qin Xiao was exasperated too. Since when had Yun Man become so mischievous?

“Never mind. We’re almost there.”

Ye Qiuyue was flying the sword with all three aboard, but had seen everything. It was good to be young, she thought. So full of life.

Before long, they arrived before the gates of Tianyuan City.

Before Qin Xiao could even reach for his Spirit Stones, Yun Man paid the entrance fee herself, and the four of them passed into the city.

The city was as Qin Xiao remembered it from his first visit, full of everyday bustle.

It really was better to spend more time in the mortal world. Sect life was nothing but seclusion and cultivation, over and over, until you could barely think. No wonder cultivators were cold. After living like that, it was a wonder they did not withdraw into themselves altogether. How could they not be aloof?

“Yun Man, buy all the good food along the way. Then we’ll go to the Immortal Dao Merchant Association.”

Qin Xiao issued his instructions directly to Yun Man, since all the secular currency and silver remained in her possession.

From the gate to the association, Qin Xiao bought nearly every kind of food along the way. He also ordered plenty of dishes at every restaurant and tavern, paying deposits to collect them on the way back.

With the Supreme Membership Card Ling Ruoxue had given him last time, the four went straight into the VIP lounge.

“Master, where on earth did you get this card?”

Lin Shimeng could no longer make sense of Qin Xiao. This was the association’s Supreme Membership Card. The Tianyuan Sect only had a Purple-Gold Membership Card. Of the Qingzhou sects, only the Pure Yang Sect had a Supreme one.

“Uh, this card… I came across it by chance.”

It concerned Yun Man’s identity, so Qin Xiao could only give a vague answer.

“It is you! When I heard someone was shopping with a Supreme Membership Card, I guessed it would be you and Man’er.”

Stepping into the VIP lounge, Ling Ruoxue spoke up the moment she caught sight of Qin Xiao.

“Miss Ling, it has been a long time.”

Qin Xiao offered a prompt greeting.

“Elder Ye, I didn’t see you. Please forgive the oversight. I’m Ling Ruoxue. It is an honor to meet you.”

Ling Ruoxue had been about to exchange pleasantries, but hurried over to greet Ye Qiuyue when she saw her.

Her status did not require such humility, but harmony was good for business. Ye Qiuyue was her senior too. The proper courtesy mattered. The source of this chapter is NovelPing.

“Never mind. I am just here while he shops. Don’t worry about entertaining me. Carry on.”

Ye Qiuyue did not mind. She was easygoing by nature.

“Welcome, honored guest. How can I help? Whatever you want to buy, we’ll do our best to find it.”

Now that they were talking business, Ling Ruoxue put on her merchant manner.

“That was a quick change. Do you have a catalog? Let us browse and buy whatever appeals to us. I have nothing specific in mind.”

Unfamiliar with the specific goods available here, Qin Xiao felt obliged to ask for a catalog.

“How much are you buying? No catalog for a small purchase.”

Her business enthusiasm never lasted long. Within minutes, she was back to her old self.

“How much must I spend to view the catalog? Would ten million be sufficient?”

Qin Xiao had never heard of a spending requirement to see a catalog, but did not mind. Surely ten million would do.

“Enough. Someone bring the warehouse catalog.”

Upon hearing the sum of ten million, Ling Ruoxue hastily ordered her subordinates to retrieve the records.

Someone soon arrived with a stack of books.

“Hold on, filter out everything below the Nascent Soul stage.”

The stack gave Qin Xiao a headache. How long would it take to choose from all that? He ruled out everything below Nascent Soul.

That left three books. Now they could actually choose.

“Yun Man, one book for you. Shimeng, one for you. Master’s Wife, take the third. Have them write down anything you want.”

Qin Xiao did not know the items, so he left the choosing to them. He would ask Ling Ruoxue to pick Body Refinement supplies for him afterward.

“One for me too?”

Ye Qiuyue asked with a hint of surprise.

“Of course there is one for you, Master’s Wife. Buy what you like. However many Spirit Stones it costs, I can afford it.”

Qin Xiao made a show of his wealth and spoke generously.

“That is thoughtful of you, Xiao’er. But ordinary items do little for someone at my realm. What I need is rare or very expensive, and I doubt they have it here. You two choose.”

Ye Qiuyue was pleased he had thought of her, but declined. Ordinary items did little for her, and this place had none of the things that would help.

While Lin Shimeng was still stunned, Yun Man was already calling out names. Her shopping spree had begun.

Not to be outdone, Lin Shimeng named everything useful to her too.

When Yun Man finished her first book, Qin Xiao handed her his. Lin Shimeng took the book Yun Man had just finished, and they started again.

They switched once more, until both had looked through all three books and named the things they found useful.

They were not choosing at random. They only asked for things that would really help. Anything of little use was passed over.

Yun Man wanted to save Qin Xiao money. Lin Shimeng feared he could not pay the bill. Both were holding back. Otherwise, with women’s natural talent for shopping, how could the list be so short?

Once they had finished, the association’s staff worked out the total and reported it to Ling Ruoxue.