Lipstick and Perfume

What's going on?

Shen Jingchuan's heart skipped a beat, his mind racing. He suddenly remembered that he had sent all the pills, array plates, and Spirit Concealing Jade to the upgrade shop last night. Could it be...?

My heart sank immediately, and I quickly asked:

"Sister Xian'er, is it... is it because I improved too much this time, and depleted my Spiritual Qi?"

"What else could it be!"

Xian'er's voice was filled with anxiety:

"You've almost drained the ring's primordial Spiritual Qi! Quickly replenish the Spirit Stones! It's not too late to replenish it now, hurry, or it will damage the Ring's foundation!"

Shen Jingchuan's mind went blank. He had already invested all of his more than a thousand Spirit Stones, and now he didn't have a single one left.

In the nick of time, he suddenly remembered that Xiao Mingshu's three thousand Spirit Stones were still stored in his Storage Ring, which he had originally planned not to touch.

But the situation is urgent right now, and there's no time to worry about that.

He gritted his teeth, and with a thought, pulled out a bag full of Spirit Stones from his Storage Ring. Without even counting them, he threw them all into the Ring's space.

At the same time, the command was given to the Spatial Ring to absorb it. As soon as the Spirit Stone fell in, it was like a long-awaited rain after a drought. With a hum, it quickly dissolved, and wisps of Spiritual Qi spread rapidly.

In just a few breaths, a thin mist of Spiritual Qi rose again in the hazy space, even clearer than before, and the ring face slowly regained its lustrous sheen, finally stabilizing.

Shen Jingchuan's heart finally settled down, and a thin layer of sweat broke out on his back.

"You're really reckless, aren't you!"

Once the crisis was over, Xian'er's voice, tinged with lingering fear, began to scold:

"You don't even check if the Spiritual Qi reserves are enough before you start stuffing everything in. If you really deplete the source energy and the space collapses, you'll have nowhere to cry."

Remember, when using the upgrade function in the future, you must reserve enough Spiritual Qi as a base. Don't be greedy if you're not 100% sure you can use it.

Thank goodness we found it early today; any later and the Ring would have been ruined, and it would have been impossible to restore it! Are you trying to kill your sister?!

Shen Jingchuan was truly terrified this time. This Ring was his reliance for traversing two worlds, and it was also his greatest trump card on his path to immortality; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was more important than his life.

He quickly responded:

"Sister Xian'er, I'll remember that, I really will! I'll never dare to act so recklessly again!"

"Okay, just remember that. You scared me to death."

Xian'er's voice still carried a lingering chill, and she didn't say anything more before her breath gradually subsided and she went to rest.

Shen Jingchuan gently stroked the ring face with his fingertips, his gaze softening as if he were looking at some rare treasure, and he murmured softly:

"I was reckless this time, I'm sorry. I'll definitely be more careful in the future and never take this risk again."

Even though he knew the Ring was mindless and couldn't hear him, he still instinctively tried to comfort it.

This thing has accompanied him from the modern world to this world of cultivation, and it has long been the foundation of his life. He cannot afford to lose it even slightly.

By the time I had fully calmed down, the sun had already risen outside the window, and it was already broad daylight.

He emptied the remaining Spirit Stones from his Storage Ring and carefully counted them with his Divine Sense. The bag he had hastily pulled in contained exactly one thousand spirit stones.

Of the three thousand Spirit Stones that Xiao Mingshu entrusted to him, only two thousand remain.

He sat on the edge of the bed and pondered for a moment. By his nature, he shouldn't have touched other people's things, but the situation was urgent and he had no choice.

If he were to be honest with Xiao Mingshu, he really couldn't explain where all those Spirit Stones had gone; he couldn't just reveal the secret of the Ring.

After much deliberation, he decided to put the matter aside for now. He would focus on earning money as quickly as possible in the next few days to cover the shortfall of one thousand coins.

If she had to find another way to explain, she should just focus on earning Spirit Stones to cover her debts, since she couldn't let others suffer losses.

Having made up his mind, he raised his hand and cast a Cleaning Technique on himself. The fine black grime that had seeped out when he broke through his defenses and the thin layer of sweat that had broken out in the night instantly disappeared, leaving his clothes clean and neat.

He straightened his clothes, walked to the door of the next room, and gently knocked on Xiao Mingshu's door.

Xiao Mingshu's voice came from inside the room. "Come in."

She Divine Sense Shen Jingchuan with a single thought, and gestured to Huan'er beside her with her chin. Huan'er understood and stepped forward to open the door.

Shen Jingchuan stepped inside and saw that the two women had already washed and dressed. The room was neatly furnished. Since it was a woman's residence, he paused slightly, feeling embarrassed to walk straight in.

"Come in and have a seat."

Xiao Mingshu casually greeted him, gesturing for him to sit down at the table. Huan'er turned around, brewed a cup of spiritual tea, brought it over, and then stood by with her hands at her sides.

Xiao Mingshu sensed something was wrong. She scanned him with her Divine Sense, then suddenly stopped, looking up at him. "You've advanced to the Qi Refining Third Layer?"

Shen Jingchuan nodded. "I broke through last night. I was lucky; I broke through the barrier smoothly."

Xiao Mingshu's throat moved slightly; she was genuinely taken aback.

It's been less than a year since I met Shen Jingchuan. Back then, this person clearly had no cultivation at all, but in the blink of an eye, he has already reached the Qi Refining Third Layer.

This speed is simply too astonishing. She secretly speculated that he must have had some extraordinary encounter, or that he himself had exceptional Spirit Root talent. Ultimately, it was his secret, and since he didn't want to talk about it, she didn't press him for details.

Xiao Mingshu changed the subject:

"Let's go to the market again today and buy some useful pills and such. If the shopping goes smoothly, we'll set off back tomorrow."

Shen Jingchuan's heart skipped a beat.

Leaving tomorrow? Then today's purchases will definitely require those Spirit Stones. He hastily used a thousand last night, and now he only has two thousand left. If the spending is within two thousand, it's fine, but once it exceeds that, this hole will be exposed on the spot.

He was quick-witted, but showed no sign of it on his face, only smiling slightly.

"Sister, we've come all this way to Spirit Creek Market, why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

Xiao Mingshu raised an eyebrow at him:

"Why are you staying? Do you have a watch or a pair of glasses hidden on you that you haven't taken out yet?"

"The watches and mirrors are sold out, but I still have other rare items."

Shen Jingchuan smiled confidently, reached into his Storage Ring, took out a delicate little makeup bag, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards her.

"Sis, take a look at this."

He unzipped the zipper and took out the items one by one, introducing them. "The makeup mirror goes without saying. This is called lipstick; it's for applying to the lips to brighten the complexion. This is called perfume; spray a little on yourself, and the fragrance will last for several days. Try it out and see if this stuff sells in the market."

Xiao Mingshu was already curious, and upon hearing this, she took out a small glass makeup mirror from her makeup bag and looked at it. It was similar to the ones they had sold before. She took the lipstick that Shen Jingchuan had unscrewed and gently applied a layer to her lips while looking in the mirror.

The cream has a smooth and delicate texture, and the color is even and bright. It is much more convenient than the boxed rouge she usually uses, and she doesn't need to blend it repeatedly. It can be applied neatly and smoothly in just a couple of strokes.

"This stuff is better than rouge, and the texture is finer too."

She looked at herself in the mirror, a hint of satisfaction in her eyes.

She picked up the perfume bottle again, unscrewed the plastic cap, and brought it to her nose to smell. A refreshing floral fragrance wafted out, subtle yet not bland, much more elegant than ordinary perfume balms.

She looked at the bottle over and over, but couldn't find the outlet. Just as she was wondering what was going on, Shen Jingchuan reached out and took it, pulled off the cap, and gently pressed his fingertip against the spray nozzle at the top.

With a soft hiss, a fine mist of fragrance dissipated into the air, instantly spreading a sweet and pleasant aroma that was neither overpowering nor cloying.

"Just use it like this, spray a couple of times on the hem of your clothes and the ends of your hair, and the fragrance will last for several days."

Shen Jingchuan explained.

Xiao Mingshu nodded, already making plans in her mind:

"Putting aside the quality of the products themselves, the ingenious design of this bag that opens with a pull, the lipstick that can be used immediately by unscrewing the cap, and the perfume that can be sprayed directly without pouring is unique in the entire Spirit Creek Market."

However, similar products are not unavailable in the market. Alchemists sell spirit balm and spirit flower fragrance. Those made from ordinary herbs cost three to five Spirit Stones each, while those made from spirit flowers spirit medicine herbs cost more than ten Spirit Stones for a small bottle.

The lip gloss wasn't as vibrant in color, the perfume didn't smell as good, and the scent faded in less than a day. Plus, the design wasn't nearly as refined or practical as this one.

She looked up at Shen Jingchuan, her eyes sharp with the shrewdness typical of a businesswoman, and asked directly:

"Tell me, how many Spirit Stones do you plan to sell this for?"