Taking a Bath

"I took Shen Yue's seat and slapped Nie Li in the face. Are they teaming up to take me on?" Chang Ping sneered dismissively. "With just the two of them, they think they can oppose me? It's like Han Han visiting Guo Jingming—suicidal!"

However, this was just his one-sided speculation; the actual situation was still unclear.

Regardless of the situation, Chang Ping began to be wary of the two.

After leaving the noodle stall and "destroying" a few more snack stands to barely fill his stomach, Chang Ping packed a portion of soup dumplings and returned to his dorm.

He ate at an incredibly fast pace and walked with a fiery stride, taking less than fifteen minutes for the round trip.

When he returned to the dorm, Chang Ping noticed steam seeping from under the door, which made him suspicious.

"Knock knock knock!"

Chang Ping knocked on the door and asked, "What are you doing in there? Where's all this steam coming from?"

The door was bolted from the inside, so Chang Ping couldn't get in.

"You came back too fast?! I'm taking a bath, so it's inconvenient to open the door right now. Wait outside for a bit." Shen Xiu, who was comfortably soaking in the bath, tensed up when she heard Chang Ping's voice.

"Taking a bath?" Chang Ping raised an eyebrow and gave a wicked smile. "I want to wash up too. Let's do it together!"

Chang Ping struck out with his palm, and with a "bang," the bolt snapped.

He barged into the room, closed the door behind him, took out the Bronze Dagger from his Space Ring, and used the hilt as a makeshift bolt.

"Don't come any closer!" Shen Xiu frantically covered her chest, knowing this would happen.

"Oh, but I'm coming!" Chang Ping chuckled, tossing his underwear and undershirt onto the bed before striding into the bathtub as if clearing a hurdle.

Splash! Splash! Splash, splash, splash!

It wasn't until the hot water turned cold that Chang Ping finally stepped out of the bathtub, fully satisfied.

His skin was already fair, and after washing, it became even fairer.

The effects of the Human Dao Divine Art refreshed daily at the hour of Mao.

Chang Ping summoned his data panel to check.

As expected, his Soul Force had doubled, reaching 52 points.

"If I use the Human Dao again tomorrow, I'll be a Bronze one-star Demon Spirit Master," Chang Ping said excitedly.

Just as Shen Xiu cautiously stepped out of the bathtub, Chang Ping suddenly rushed over and passionately kissed her almond-shaped face.

"No way? Again?" Shen Xiu's delicate body trembled. She closed her phoenix eyes and collapsed into Chang Ping's arms.

However, she was overthinking it.

Chang Ping was simply happy about his enhanced Soul Force; he was already in a state of post-coital bliss and had no such intentions.

He grabbed a towel from the side of the bathtub and began to dry Shen Xiu's wet, reddish hair.

Shen Xiu glanced at the towel and suddenly pushed Chang Ping away, roaring like a shrew, "This is for wiping feet, you scoundrel!"

"Can't I wipe my head first and then my feet?" Chang Ping said nonchalantly.

"No!" Shen Xiu snatched the wet towel from Chang Ping's hand and angrily threw it into the bathtub, her willow-leaf eyebrows askew with rage.

Chang Ping scratched his head, standing there helplessly.

It was rare for him to show concern for Shen Xiu, and he hadn't expected such a result.

To make it up to Shen Xiu, Chang Ping changed the water for her and redeemed a bottle of shampoo from the shop.

The shampoo was very cheap, costing only 10 Strength Value, and it would pay for itself in half a minute.

"What is this?" Shen Xiu, soaking in the water, looked curiously at the strange little bottle Chang Ping handed her.

"It's specifically for washing hair. It'll make your hair clean and soft. Smell it, it even has a rose fragrance." Chang Ping squeezed a blob into his palm and held it out for Shen Xiu to smell.

Shen Xiu's nostrils twitched, and she skeptically sniffed the "bird droppings" in Chang Ping's palm.

"Hmm? It really does smell quite nice!"

Shen Xiu's eyes lit up, and she quickly asked Chang Ping to help her apply it to her hair.

Chang Ping smiled and agreed.

"Hey! Be gentle! This is my head, not a pumpkin," Shen Xiu complained.

Chang Ping had never served anyone before; this was his first time, and he was inevitably a bit rough.

"You're even complaining now!" Chang Ping got angry, closed the lid, and tossed the shampoo into the bathtub. "If you don't like how I wash it, wash it yourself!"

He took out the new clothes he had bought from the tailor shop on the street earlier from his Space Ring and clumsily put them on.

It was a pure white cotton robe, but Chang Ping found the sleeves too large and cumbersome, so he simply tore them off.

It wasn't quite a robe, nor was it a vest, looking rather odd.

"Wash my clothes after your bath. I want to wear them at noon," Chang Ping said, pointing to his old clothes on the bed.

Shen Xiu, who was scrubbing her hair, shot Chang Ping a fierce glare.

She wasn't his maid; why should she wash his clothes?

It would be good enough if he didn't make her wash his clothes.

She was the Eldest Young Lady of the Sacred Family, how could she do such manual labor?!

"I won't wash it!" Shen Xiu's courage grew, and she refused outright.

Chang Ping didn't indulge her. His eyes were red, hands on his hips, and he looked down at her, asking, "You get a little sun and you think you can shine, huh? What did you just say, say it again so I can hear you?"

"I'll wash it, I'll wash your clothes, okay? Stop glaring, I'm scared~" Shen Xiu backed down and dived into the water.

It's like a scholar meeting a soldier—unable to explain oneself.

This guy is an unreasonable tyrant!

Chang Ping snorted, pulled out a stool, and sat down, resting his arms on the table.

He faced Shen Xiu and said, "I heard a rumor that someone is planning to hype up Purple Mist Grass recently. If we can hoard some now, we'll make a fortune when the price skyrockets in a few days."

"Is the news reliable?" Shen Xiu poked her head out of the water.

"Absolutely reliable!" Chang Ping patted his chest and guaranteed, "The problem is, we don't have enough funds right now. You're the Eldest Young Lady of the Sacred Family, you should have a way to get some money, right?"

"I can't!" Shen Xiu shook her head. "I just hold the title of Eldest Young Lady in name only; I don't have any real power."

If she were Shen Hong's full biological sister, she could get any amount of money through that connection. Unfortunately, she wasn't.

"Are we just going to watch this immense fortune slip through our fingers?" Chang Ping was a bit dejected.

He suddenly thought of someone.

Ye Sheng!

The old man treated him pretty well, maybe they could cooperate.

But how to convince him?

"I have an idea." Shen Xiu held the shampoo, her eyes sparkling. "I tried this, and it works very well for washing hair. I believe those beauty-conscious noblewomen will love it."

"That's a pretty good idea. One thousand Demon Spirit Coins a bottle, how about that?"

"Not good enough!" Shen Xiu scoffed at Chang Ping's pricing. "Cheap goods aren't good, and good goods aren't cheap. For something this good, we should sell it for at least ten thousand Demon Spirit Coins a bottle."

Chang Ping was stunned. "You nobles really know how to do business. So ruthless."