Wait a minute, where is my master?

A short piece of emerald green bamboo.

It was the same kind that the Old Dean of Qingmu Academy had planted in front of his bamboo building.

If memory served, Yu Yaoer had once used this thing to stew "Earth Dragon Bamboo Soup" for him.

This time, the magical artifacts were much more proper, some for attacking and others for protection.

Unfortunately, as Jin Xu glanced over these artifacts, he couldn't shake the feeling that he could shatter them with a single bump.

"Ahem, Elder Zhao, do you have any other magical artifacts in your treasure chamber?"

He was starting to feel a bit embarrassed.

Upon hearing the young Taoist's words, Zhao Dabao knew he hadn't taken a fancy to any.

So, he led Jin Xu to a pile of large chests, bending over to open the lid of one.

Stashes of mid-grade Spirit Stones and high-grade Spirit Stones appeared before them.

"Taoist, if you're not interested in the artifacts, why not take these two chests of Spirit Stones with you?"

These were hard currency in the Cultivation World.

Jin Xu fell silent. Xu Qian had given him these before, and from what he remembered, the spiritual energy from ten mid-grade Spirit Stones should be about one-tenth that of a well's worth of water.

Looking at the two chests before him, he roughly estimated that they might be worth four buckets of well water?

Seeing the silent Taoist in front of him, Zhao Dabao felt a headache coming on.

"How about this, Taoist, you tell me what kind of magical artifact you want. If the Zhao family doesn't have it, I'll send someone to look for it at the Hundred Treasure Pavilion in Gusu City."

"I'm thinking..."

...

When Zhao Dabao saw Jin Xu, the young Taoist, out the door, it was noon.

He had wanted to host Jin Xu and company for a simple meal, but Little White and Yu Yaoer said they had already eaten their fill in the reception hall.

They were now keen to stroll around the city.

Fatty Zhao didn't insist on detaining them anymore.

Under the bright midday sun, the long street teemed with people coming and going.

Jin Xu walked down the main street, flanked by the two women.

Every so often, he lifted his left hand, looking at the string of beads on his wrist, his lips involuntarily curling upward.

The bracelet was indeed twenty-four Mystic Treasure Pearls.

Yes, he had "worn" out the Zhao family's treasure chamber.

Though it was basically empty.

But the young Taoist was still cheerful. After all his time spent in cultivation, he finally had his own storage magical artifact.

When Zhao Dabao asked him what kind of magical artifact he wanted, Jin Xu had thought for a while and said he wanted something for storage, preferably large in size.

Upon hearing this, Fatty Zhao didn't even hesitate. He led the young Taoist out of the light barrier and on the spot instructed Zhao Qian to teach Jin Xu the control methods for the twenty-four Mystic Treasure Pearls.

Then they began to move things out of the treasure chamber.

In the end, Fatty Zhao left Jin Xu with one chest of Spirit Stones and those four filler magical artifacts in the twenty-four Mystic Treasure Pearls.

The rest was all moved into his father's study.

...

At the entrance to the Zhao Mansion,

"Young Master, when the family head returns..."

Although Zhao Qian had just taught Jin Xu very willingly, he couldn't help but speak up to remind Zhao Dabao now.

"Grandpa Qian, trust my judgment. Taoist Jin Xu is definitely worth more than a storage magical artifact."

"Even if that artifact was painstakingly crafted by the family head?"

"Even if that artifact was painstakingly crafted by my dad!"

Fatty Zhao's eyes were resolute.

Seeing this, Zhao Qian spoke no further.

After all, Zhao Dabao had been involved in the family business since he was sixteen. Now at twenty-five, he had multiplied the family's assets by three over nine years.

When it came to judgment, he had faith in the young master of the house.

...

"Young Master, Young Master, how does it look, isn't it nice?" Yu Yaoer, wearing a simple-colored Taoist robe, twirled before Jin Xu.

It made him a bit dizzy.

Little White, also in a new dark cyan Taoist robe, stood in front of a bronze mirror, sizing up her reflection from top to bottom.

Hmm, how could it not be good-looking?

However, Jin Xu imagined, if Little Fish were to wear a Taoist robe and stand in the great hall of Xuanxu Temple, it somehow felt like it would be a profanation of the sacred and tranquil place of the Taoists.

No way around it, it's all because Yu Yaoer is just too "wealthy"; a fish, and who knows what she's eaten to get so big.

In contrast, Little White, wearing the dark cyan Taoist robe, shed much of her wildness. A tiny one, and as long as she didn't speak, she looked exactly like a well-behaved and clever young attendant.

"Take it off, the Taoist robe doesn't suit you, ask the shop owner to pick out something else for you,"

Jin Xu said to Yu Yaoer.

The Little Fish Demon blinked her big eyes woefully upon hearing this; she genuinely thought it looked rather nice.

At this moment, the three of them were in a high-end shop called Immortal Robe Pavilion on East Market Street.

Before entering, Jin Xu specifically inquired whether the shop accepted Spirit Stones, and knowing that he had a box of Spirit Stones in his storage treasure, he decided to come in.

Upon entering, the shop owner, a Taoist lady with a young apprentice façade, was exceptionally enthusiastic, putting down her work and personally welcoming the trio to the second floor.

She showed them various garments, and seeing Jin Xu dressed as a Taoist, she even brought out several Taoist robes.

Seeing the robes, the little Taoist's eyes lit up; he had long wanted to buy work clothes for the two ladies.

And so, he had them try on the robes.

"Wow~ the robe fits this young lady so well, and these robes are sewn from centennial Heavenly Silkworm Silk, lined with scripts for dust avoidance, water avoidance, and fire avoidance. They are truly rare fine products~"

The shop owner came over, enthusiastically persuading when she heard Jin Xu asking Yu Yaoer to change.

The little Taoist calmly withdrew his arm from the embrace of the shop owner; you could just talk, why hold onto his arm?

"My master said to change, so change. What are you blabbering on about so much for!"

The Little Fish Demon retorted puffily.

She had just noticed that this woman was getting too handsy with her master.

She then glanced at the shop owner's chest.

Hmm, "barely middle-class."

"Alright alright~ What your master says goes,"

The shop owner wasn't upset, but instead cast a mournful look at Jin Xu, as if blaming him for pulling away his arm.

She then turned to look for new clothes for Yu Yaoer.

Eventually, the trio spent a total of two hundred mid-grade Spirit Stones in the shop, buying three Taoist robes and two long dresses.

Even though he didn't care much for Spirit Stones,

Jin Xu still felt like he had been fleeced.

He decided he wouldn't come back to this shop again.

As soon as the three of them left the Immortal Robe Pavilion, the shop owner grabbed the Sound Transmission Jade Token she had carelessly placed on the counter.

"Sisters, there was a little Taoist in my shop today who seemed like an immortal who had descended from the heavens! And he was very generous too, he bought five pieces of my stock in one go! I will definitely notify you the next time he comes~"

Soon, a crisp voice came through the jade token.

"Sure thing, you little flirt, you see a handsome guy and don't call me, and now you're bragging! Just wait and see how I'll deal with you next time."

...

Having left the Immortal Robe Pavilion, Jin Xu and his companions continued to wander aimlessly along East Market Street.

Actually, he was being unfair to "barely middle-class"; the land on this street was worth its weight in gold, and the shops here mostly catered to the wealthy young masters of the city.

Her earning two hundred mid-grade Spirit Stones from the little Taoist barely broke even.

After wandering on East Market Street for a while longer, Jin Xu marveled, Gusu City really was huge.

It was then that Little White, carrying a load of candied haw sticks, spoke up.

"Temple master, I smell someone familiar."

ps: Starting tonight, we're back on the ranking charts, who knows if we'll be able to maintain it.

Heads up, on Tuesday there will be three updates, so when you have time, hit that follow button, the update is split into three parts.