It was another new day. You Su finished preparing and left the sect. Before going far, he secretly went back to inspect the Formation Technique concealing the evil aura.
Evil aura was an extremely subtle thing. The Evil Book said that unless one had studied those obscure and difficult Evil-Appraising Techniques, even a great cultivator in the Void Glimpse Realm would find it difficult to detect directly. Some had even claimed that evil entities were the filth shed from cultivators' bodies, which was why they seemed to share the same origin as cultivators and were so difficult for cultivators themselves to distinguish. Thus, they could often only rely on external objects to detect evil aura.
This saying had always existed, but it had never flourished. The reason was obvious: even if its correctness were proven, few cultivators would be willing to give up the chance at eternal life. Besides, this view did indeed have quite a few unreasonable aspects.
Not daring to arrive any later, You Su hurried to the City Lord's Mansion, only to be told that his opponent for the day had forfeited.
You Su asked for his opponent's name and more or less guessed the reason:
That man had also been one of those who had followed Wu Cheng in surrounding and blocking me. He had certainly seen Sheng Ziling's miserable humiliation at my hands the day before yesterday and no longer dared to face me. This was indeed a wise decision.
For most people in this city, they might never leave Chuyun City in their entire lives. Compared with the ethereal dream of the divine mountain, continuing to get by with dignity in this city was far more important.
With no match to attend, You Su turned around and left without the slightest attachment, completely uninterested in the other people's matches.
After returning to the sect, You Su prepared to begin another day of cultivation. Just as he was about to continue studying the Ruyi Wind-Controlling Technique in his mind, Ji Lingruo walked in.
The girl wore a light jade-green ruqun and stood prettily beside the door. Her face held an unhealthy flush, and she bit her lower lip as though she wanted to say something.
Because the dress fit Ji Lingruo's shapely figure so closely, it was one the girl often wore. But looking at it now, it seemed faintly too short. Before, only her round, smooth ankles could be seen when she took a step, but now, merely standing there revealed half of her beautifully curved calves. Her waist had grown even slimmer and softer, while her hips seemed a little broader. The chest that the dress had once just barely enclosed, as large as steamed buns, now bulged against the fabric, seeming ready to burst out.
It was as though Junior Sister had grown up a little overnight.
But noticing these differences was simply too difficult for a blind man. What was more, the evening lessons had not taken place these past two nights, so You Su had no idea that Ji Lingruo's body had changed.
When the girl entered the room without saying anything, You Su ended his meditation posture and asked:
"What's wrong, Junior Sister? Is something the matter?"
"Can't I come by when nothing's wrong?"
Only when she needled You Su did Ji Lingruo feel at ease. Tugging at her skirt and her drafty collar, she sat down on her own.
"Of course you can. You're welcome anytime."
"Aren't you supposed to be competing with someone? How did you get back so quickly?" Ji Lingruo asked casually.
"My opponent forfeited." You Su could tell that this was definitely not what Junior Sister wanted to ask.
"Oh..." Ji Lingruo lightly furrowed her brows and puffed out her cheeks, thinking about what she should say to steer the conversation toward what she wanted to discuss.
"If Junior Sister has something to say, just say it." You Su's expression was gentle.
"You think you're so clever!" Ji Lingruo stuck out her tongue and said sourly, "Hey! Let me ask you—should a senior brother give his junior sister a gift?"
A huge question mark popped up in You Su's mind. "Of course he should."
"Then what have you ever bought me?"
"Hairpins, bracelets, storybooks, pinwheels, snacks..."
"Stop, stop, stop!" Ji Lingruo was so angry she could hardly bear it. "Why does a grown man remember all that so clearly?"
You Su only smiled without saying anything. "Just tell me what you want, and Senior Brother will buy it for you."
"You! I don't have any clothes to wear anymore! Go buy me a few outfits." Her voice grew softer and softer toward the end, as though she had run out of steam.
"Didn't Junior Sister never want new clothes? You said all the fabrics in the city were inferior to your own and that you looked down on them." You Su asked curiously.
"Can't I want some now?"
"Of course you can. Then I'll take you along to buy them." You Su rarely had the chance to take Ji Lingruo out. In his previous life, both Junior Sister and Mistress would have been top-tier shut-ins.
Ji Lingruo glanced at the somewhat revealing dress she was wearing and said shyly, "I... I'm not convenient, and I don't want to go out."
Only then did You Su remember that Junior Sister not only disliked meeting strangers, but was also possessed by an evil entity. How could she go out casually? He felt that he truly deserved to die and almost wanted to slap himself.
"Then I'll go buy them for Junior Sister. What kind do you like?"
Ji Lingruo took a folded note from her purse and said:
"Since you can't see anyway, I'm not counting on you to buy anything particularly pretty. Just have the owner of the clothing shop choose for you. Remember, don't buy the kind that lots of people wear! This young lady refuses to look like everyone else. And another thing! There are requirements for the color too. My favorite is light jade-green. If they don't have that, other light colors will do. Just don't buy dark colors. They're as ugly as all those black and gray clothes of yours!"
"Buy three summer dresses. It'll be autumn and cooling down soon, so you'll need three autumn dresses too. As for winter clothes... don't buy those yet. And you're not allowed to pick only the cheap ones! Even if you want to save money to buy a house beneath the divine mountain, you should at least buy... one good outfit, right? I, this young lady, at least deigned to enter your shabby sect, didn't I? You can't treat me so poorly! Did you remember everything I said?"
You Su now had only one thought: he would buy every finest dress from the best clothing shop in Chuyun City and give them all to Junior Sister.
"Remembered. What about the sizes?"
"I'm not telling you!" Ji Lingruo's face reddened. She actually preferred her former budding figure; her now more developed body made her somewhat uncomfortable. "Here, this is the note. It has all my requirements and my measurements. You're not allowed to have anyone else read it to you! You may only show it to the shopkeeper, or I'll never speak to you again! Also, most importantly, you can't do anything strange to the dresses!"
"What strange thing could I do?" You Su looked completely innocent.
"Hmph! Who knows who pressed his face against my dress and sniffed it that time? I haven't worn that dress since!"
Ji Lingruo looked at You Su's upright face with disdain and said resentfully. But she alone knew that she had never actually disliked that dress.
You Su was covered in black lines and defended himself, "Junior Sister, why won't you believe me? I really didn't do it on purpose. I was putting away my clothes when a sudden gust of wind blew your dress right onto my face. Look, we hang our clothes separately now. How could that happen again?"
Ji Lingruo recalled that explosive scene. There had indeed been a strong gust of wind, and the thin dress had truly seemed to have been blown onto You Su's face. It had even clung tightly to his face, outlining the firm contours of his features...
But no matter how strong the wind was, that fabric couldn't possibly have gone poking into your nostrils! Hey! Even when I secretly sniffed your clothes, I didn't inhale that forcefully!
The flush on Ji Lingruo's cheeks deepened. Too lazy to entertain this topic, she handed over the note and said:
"Cultivate first. Go buy them in the afternoon, and bring back dinner while you're at it."
You Su put the note away and revealed a dependable smile.
"Don't worry, Junior Sister. I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"
Before you continue