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 that the three families had given him some thank-you gifts. He retrieved three Storage Bags from his pocket.
"Yun Man, these three Storage Bags are thank-you gifts from those three families. As the Senior Sister, you and Shimeng divide them."
Qin Xiao handed the three Storage Bags directly to Yun Man.
"Why isn't it me who divides them?"
Lin Shimeng asked with a touch of dissatisfaction.
"You're even arguing over this? Because you're the Second Senior Sister, and she is the Senior Sister."
Qin Xiao said speechlessly.
This Lin Shimeng had served as a Sect's Holy Maiden for too long; that personality of hers was unlikely to change overnight.
Lin Shimeng still wanted to retort, but ultimately bit her tongue. She thought to herself that once her cultivation surpassed Yun Man's, she would contend for the position of Senior Sister. For now, under someone else's roof, she had no choice but to lower her head.
"Interesting. Shimeng, you'll need to work harder."
Ye Qiuyue observed everything with clear eyes, choosing not to interfere since these 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? As expected of a major Sect, these thank-you gifts are truly generous. Is this really 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?"
Discovering the split wasn't even, Lin Shimeng instantly grew indignant.
"Because I am the Senior Sister, and you are merely second."
Yun Man continued in her frigid tone.
Aside from Qin Xiao, Yun Man remained cold and indifferent toward everyone.
"Master, I won't accept this! She only gave me two-fifths!"
Furious yet unable to defeat Yun Man in a fight, Lin Shimeng could only resort to complaining to Qin Xiao.
"Yun Man, as the Senior Sister, how could you pull something like this?"
Unsure of the actual situation, Qin Xiao had no choice but to question Yun Man directly.
"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 merely toying with you. How could I possibly misappropriate something Master entrusted to me?"
The perpetually icy Yun Man allowed a rare trace of a smile to surface-the triumphant smirk of a successful scheme.
"You tricked me!"
Realizing she had been played, Lin Shimeng grew even more incensed, though the inability to retaliate physically left her fuming.
"Alright, the two of you stop bickering. You're making a spectacle in front of your Shiniang."
Qin Xiao felt a wave of helplessness. Since when had Yun Man become so mischievous?
"It's of no consequence, and we will be arriving shortly in any case."
Carrying the three of them via Sword Flight, Ye Qiuyue had observed their antics the entire way. She thought to herself that youth truly was a fine thing, brimming with such vitality.
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.
Inside, the city remained entirely unchanged, retaining the rich warmth of human mortal life just as Qin Xiao remembered from his first visit.
Indeed, one needed to walk through the secular world more often. Remaining cooped up in a Sect meant nothing but endless Secluded Cultivation until people were driven nearly senseless. It was no wonder cultivators were reputed to be so cold and detached; continuing down that path without going mad was an achievement in itself, and failing to be aloof would have been the real surprise.
"Yun Man, buy up any notable delicacies along the way, and then we'll head 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 city gates all the way to the Immortal Dao Merchant Association, nearly every edible specialty along the route was swept up by Qin Xiao. He even placed advance orders at various restaurants and taverns, leaving deposits to collect the dishes upon their return.
Presenting the Membership Card given by Ling Ruoxue during his previous visit, the four of them were led straight into the VIP lounge.
"Master, where on earth did you get this card?"
Lin Shimeng found herself utterly bewildered by Qin Xiao. This was the Supreme Membership Card of the Immortal Dao Merchant Association; even the Tianyuan Sect possessed nothing higher than a Purple Card. Among all the sects in Qingzhou, only the Pure Yang Sect held a Supreme Membership Card.
"Uh, this card... I came across it by chance."
Bound as it was to Yun Man's background, Qin Xiao could only gloss over the matter with vague replies.
"So it truly is you. When I heard someone had presented a Supreme Membership Card to make purchases, I immediately suspected it must 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.
"To fail to notice Elder Ye's presence-I have been terribly remiss. This junior Ling Ruoxue pays her respects to Elder Ye."
Intending initially to exchange a few casual pleasantries, Ling Ruoxue spotted Ye Qiuyue and hurriedly stepped forward to bow.
Although her status meant she was hardly required to show such deference, business favored harmony above all. Moreover, facing a Senior of such standing, proper etiquette remained essential.
"Think nothing of it. I am merely accompanying him to acquire some goods, so there is no need to entertain me. Proceed with your discussion."
Ye Qiuyue waved off the courtesy indifferently, possessing a naturally easygoing temperament.
"Respected guest, please let me know how I may be of service. Regardless of what you wish to acquire, our association will exert every effort to source it for you."
With business now underway, Ling Ruoxue instantly set aside her playful demeanor, shifting seamlessly into her professional merchant persona.
"Your expression shifts faster than turning a page. Very well, do you have an goods catalog or something similar? Bring it out for us to browse so we can pick whatever catches our eye, as I don't have any specific requirements in mind."
Unfamiliar with the specific goods available here, Qin Xiao felt obliged to ask for a catalog.
"Just how much do you intend to spend? Purchases falling below a certain threshold do not qualify for a catalog review."
Ling Ruoxue's merchant facade lasted barely three minutes before she reverted to form.
"How much must I spend to view the catalog? Would ten million be sufficient?"
It was Qin Xiao's first time hearing that browsing an catalog had prerequisites, though he remained unconcerned. Ten million should surely suffice to gain a look.
"More than enough. Someone fetch the warehouse ledgers immediately!"
Upon hearing the sum of ten million, Ling Ruoxue hastily ordered her subordinates to retrieve the records.
Moments later, an attendant arrived carrying a towering stack of bound volumes.
"Hold on, filter out everything below the Nascent Soul stage."
A headache immediately formed as Qin Xiao gazed at the massive pile of books; sorting through all of them manually would take ages, prompting him to prune out items beneath the Nascent Soul threshold.
Fortunately, after the exclusion, only three volumes remained, leaving a manageable selection for proper perusal.
"Yun Man, take one volume. Shimeng, take another. Shiniang, take the third. Simply have them note down whatever catches your eye."
Unacquainted with the precise nature of these high-tier items, Qin Xiao chose not to browse himself, planning instead to have Ling Ruoxue select a batch of Body Refinement materials for him later.
"I am to receive a share as well?"
Ye Qiuyue asked with a hint of surprise.
"Naturally, Shiniang receives one too. Buy without restraint; regardless of the cost in Spirit Stones, I can afford it."
Qin Xiao spoke with an air of effortless magnanimity, projecting the image of a deeply wealthy patron.
"Xiao'er is certainly thoughtful. However, at my current cultivation realm, ordinary items offer negligible assistance. What I require is either exceedingly rare or prohibitively expensive-goods this branch likely does not stock. You two should select what you need instead."
Though pleased that Qin Xiao had remembered her, Ye Qiuyue ultimately declined. As she noted, common treasures were useless to her, while useful ones were not carried by this establishment.
While Lin Shimeng still stood there in a daze, Yun Man had already begun rapidly reciting item names, launching straight into a frantic shopping spree.
Refusing to be outdone, Lin Shimeng quickly joined in, calling out the designations of any treasures that could prove beneficial to her own cultivation.
Once Yun Man finished thumbing through her first volume, Qin Xiao passed his book over to her, while Lin Shimeng took over Yun Man's completed ledger to commence another round of item selection.
Cycling through the process once more, the two women thoroughly reviewed all three volumes, extracting the names of every item deemed genuinely useful.
Even so, they exercised restraint rather than calling out items indiscriminately, selecting only what offered real value while passing over marginal gains.
Yun Man wished to preserve Qin Xiao's Spirit Stones, while Lin Shimeng harbored quiet concerns that Qin Xiao might struggle to foot the bill, causing both to hold back. Otherwise, given a woman's innate affinity for acquisition, the list would have been far more extensive.
With all requested items finally logged, the association personnel commenced their calculations, consolidating the total cost before reporting the final figure to Ling Ruoxue.
Looking for more free chapters? Visit www.skynovelvault.com to read over 5,000 free chapters and continue exploring more stories from SkyNovelVault.