Inside the cave abode on Jade Purity Peak, a row of new clothes hung behind a screen.
Su Miao ran behind the screen and inspected them one by one.
She touched every set several times.
The feel of the fabrics traveled through her fingertips. Some were icy cold, some soft and warm, some smooth, some coarse.
Yuanshi took down an outfit from above.
The fabric was pale cyan and semi-transparent, giving off a faint, cold gleam in the light, like water beneath a sheet of ice.
"Bi'ou Ice Silk."
Yuanshi handed the clothes to her.
"It is made from the stem fibers of Bi'ou at the bottom of the Heavenly Pool, soaked in Nine Heavens Profound Ice for three hundred years."
Su Miao accepted the clothes. The instant her fingers touched the fabric, it felt icy cool and so light it seemed weightless.
"In summer, it can draw in the chill of heaven and earth. In winter, it locks in the warmth around your body.
Try it on."
Su Miao fastened the belt and adjusted the collar.
The style differed somewhat from what she usually wore. The collar was higher, the cuffs narrower, a sash cinched the waist, and the hem had been cut into smooth, flowing arcs.
The entire outfit had no unnecessary embellishments. Only a few simplified Cloud Patterns had been embroidered onto the collar and cuffs with silver thread, their lines so simple they were almost restrained.
Yuanshi stepped back two paces, his gaze traveling from her shoulders to her waist, then from her waist to her hem. His eyes lingered over every seam and every fold, as though inspecting a Dharma Artifact about to leave the kiln for flaws.
"Turn around."
Su Miao did as he said, rising onto her toes and turning in place.
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