Dong Xiaojie watched Yang Ning's retreating figure gradually disappear into the distance. She couldn't help shaking her head and sighing to herself. As a regular customer at Myriad Things Come, she had known Yang Ning for over a year.
Over the past year, she had made many friends at the shop who shared her interests. About half a year ago, several Cultivators from different peaks had suddenly hit upon the idea of founding a so-called "Incense Sect," and insisted on appointing her as its "Eldest Senior Sister." At the time, she had thought they were just playing around, so she had gone along with it.
Over the past six months, she had gotten along wonderfully with the junior brothers and sisters in the "Incense Sect." Its membership had grown from a mere handful to more than a hundred. The Myriad Things Come shop had naturally become the place where Dong Xiaojie spent the most time after Jade Maiden Peak, and she had gradually grown familiar with its owner, Yang Ning.
She still clearly remembered how, the first time Yang Ning heard her name, his eyes had lit up and he had insisted on asking her to endorse that "Lanzhou Brand Enlightenment Incense." She hadn't thought much of it and agreed because she found it amusing. She had even posed for a poster, which still hung on the wall of the Incense Burning Room.
Among the inner disciples of Jade Maiden Peak, Shi Xuanfei was extremely close to them, her direct disciples. Though they were master and disciples, they were more like family—like sisters. Last year, while chatting with her master and fellow disciples, Dong Xiaojie had told Shi Xuanfei about all the novel things at Myriad Things Come and invited them to visit together sometime.
But as the master of a peak, Shi Xuanfei was busy with affairs. On top of that, over the past year she had devoted most of her energy to the Sect Master election, so the matter had been put off. Seeing how busy her master was, Dong Xiaojie hadn't brought it up again.
Unexpectedly, five days ago (the day Yun Zishan first visited Myriad Things Come; see Chapter Three), things suddenly took a turn.
That noon, Shi Xuanfei had summoned her and asked in detail about Myriad Things Come, especially everything she knew about its owner, Yang Ning. After learning all she could, Shi Xuanfei had set off for the main peak to attend a sect meeting (see the meeting in Chapter Seven of the original text).
Then, on the night before last, Shi Xuanfei had summoned Dong Xiaojie again. She explicitly said she wanted to go shopping at Myriad Things Come with her, and even asked what the most expensive and best items in the shop were.
Dong Xiaojie mainly bought "Enlightenment Incense" and skincare and makeup products, so she didn't know much about the other merchandise. Without thinking, she mentioned the "Lai Bo Ni" skincare gift set she had been coveting for ages, which cost two hundred Spirit Stones. Shi Xuanfei immediately decided that was what she wanted to buy, and so the scene outside the shop yesterday had come to pass.
On their cloud-borne journey back to Jade Maiden Peak after buying the gift set, Dong Xiaojie had asked Shi Xuanfei more than once why she was acting so strangely, and why she was giving Boss Yang such... "special attention." But Shi Xuanfei always smiled without answering, or casually changed the subject.
Even more shocking to Dong Xiaojie, Shi Xuanfei had directly ordered her to make sure she "brought" Yang Ning to her bedchamber today. That order had shaken Dong Xiaojie to her core!
With complicated feelings, Dong Xiaojie walked down a few more stone steps and sat down. She deftly took a pack of Lanzhou cigarettes from the Storage Bag at her waist, slipped one between her lips, and lit it with a lighter. She took a deep drag, watched the blue smoke curl upward, and muttered to herself, utterly baffled:
"That can't be right... Master is a peerless Cultivator at the middle stage of Mahayana, while Boss Yang is just a Mortal with no cultivation at all. By all rights... even if Master had her eye on Boss Yang, he couldn't even break through her defenses?! What on earth is Master trying to do?!"
Meanwhile, Yang Ning had already reached the entrance of the unknown great hall, gift set in his arms.
Through the silk curtains, a rich fragrance drifted from within the hall: a complex scent mingling body fragrance, milky sweetness, floral notes, and the honeyed smell of nectar.
He hesitated, but in the end reached out and gently knocked on the door.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
From inside came the voice he had heard yesterday—the so-called "Senior Sister Shi." It was languid, as though she had only just woken up, and the slight upward lilt at the end of her words was utterly bewitching:
"Is that Boss Yang~?"
"Yes." Yang Ning did his best to suppress the unease churning inside him and answered in a low voice.
"Boss Yang, just push the door open and come in~ It's unlocked~" Shi Xuanfei's languid, alluring voice came again.
An ordinary man would likely have been utterly captivated by such an invitation. But at that moment, Yang Ning had no room for such amorous thoughts. He slowly pushed open the heavy hall door, and an even richer, sweeter wave of fragrance immediately swept over him.
The first thing that met his eyes was a corridor, not very long. Its walls weren't bare; they were covered with all kinds of gorgeous garments in brilliant colors. Beside them stood several exquisite shoe cabinets, displaying countless pairs of finely embroidered shoes.
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