Bathing

"I took Shen Yue's seat and slapped Nie Li in the face. Could they have teamed up to take me down?" Chang Ping sneered disdainfully. "Those two rotten sweet potatoes and bad eggs think they can oppose me? They're just asking for it!"

However, that was only his own guess. He still didn't know what was really going on.

Whatever the case, Chang Ping had started to be wary of the two of them.

After leaving the noodle stall, he "wiped out" a few more snack stalls to fill his stomach a little, then packed up some xiaolongbao and headed back to the dormitory.

He ate incredibly fast and walked at a brisk pace. The round trip had taken him less than fifteen minutes.

When he got back to the dormitory, Chang Ping noticed steam seeping out through the crack beneath the door and couldn't help wondering what was going on.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Chang Ping rapped on the door and asked, "What are you doing in there? Why's there so much steam?"

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

"You're back way too fast! I'm taking a bath, so I can't open the door right now. Wait outside for a bit." Shen Xiu had been soaking comfortably in the tub. Hearing Chang Ping's voice, she immediately tensed up.

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

Chang Ping slapped the door with his palm. With a bang, the latch snapped.

He barged into the room, shut the door behind him, took out his Bronze Dagger from his Space Ring, and used its handle to latch the door.

"Don't come any closer!" Shen Xiu hurriedly covered her chest. She'd known this would happen.

"I'm coming over anyway!" Chang Ping chuckled. He put his underwear and undershirt on the bed, then stepped into the tub like he was vaulting over a hurdle.

Splash! Splash! Splash, splash, splash!

It wasn't until the hot water had gone cold that Chang Ping finally climbed out of the tub, thoroughly satisfied.

His skin had already been fair, but after washing, it was even paler.

The Human Dao Divine Art refreshed every day at the mao hour.

Chang Ping brought up his status panel for a look.

Sure enough, his Soul Force had doubled, reaching 52 points.

"If I do it once more tomorrow, I'll be a Bronze 1-Star Demon Spirit Master." Chang Ping was a little excited.

Shen Xiu had just carefully climbed out of the tub when Chang Ping suddenly rushed over, wrapped his arms around her almond-shaped face, and kissed her repeatedly.

"Seriously? Again?" Shen Xiu's delicate body trembled. She closed her eyes and fell into Chang Ping's arms.

But she'd got the wrong idea.

Chang Ping was only excited because his Soul Force had increased. He was already in sage mode and wasn't thinking about that sort of thing.

He picked up the towel from the tub and began drying Shen Xiu's damp red hair for her.

Shen Xiu glanced at the towel, then suddenly shoved Chang Ping away and roared, "That's for wiping feet, you bastard!"

"Can't I wipe your head first and your feet afterward?" Chang Ping replied unconcernedly.

"No!" Shen Xiu snatched the wet towel from Chang Ping's hand and angrily threw it into the tub. She was so furious that even her willow-shaped brows seemed to twist out of place.

Chang Ping scratched his head and stood there, at a loss.

It wasn't often that he showed Shen Xiu any concern, and he hadn't expected things to turn out like this.

To make it up to her, Chang Ping replaced the bathwater with a fresh tub of hot water and even redeemed a bottle of shampoo for her from the shop.

Shampoo was incredibly cheap. It only cost 10 Strength Value, and he'd earn that back in half a minute.

"What's this?" Shen Xiu sat in the tub, eyeing the strange little bottle Chang Ping handed her.

"It's specially made for washing hair. It'll get yours clean and silky smooth. Give it a sniff—there's a hint of rose fragrance." Chang Ping squeezed a dollop into his palm and held it out for Shen Xiu to smell.

Shen Xiu's nostrils twitched as she sniffed the "bird droppings" in Chang Ping's palm, still doubtful.

"Hm? It really does smell nice!"

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

Chang Ping agreed with a smile.

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

Chang Ping had never looked after anyone before, and this was his first time, so it was only natural that he was a bit rough.

"Now you're getting picky!" Chang Ping snapped. He screwed the cap back on, tossed the shampoo into the tub, and said, "If you don't like the way I wash it, do it yourself!"

He took out the new clothes he'd just bought from a tailor's shop on the street and clumsily changed into them.

It was a pure-white cotton robe. Chang Ping thought the sleeves were too wide and cumbersome, so he tore them off.

It was neither quite a robe nor quite a vest, leaving it looking rather odd.

"Wash my clothes after your bath. I'm wearing them at noon." Chang Ping pointed to his old clothes on the bed.

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

She wasn't his servant. Why should she wash his clothes?

He should be grateful she wasn't making him wash hers.

She was the Eldest Young Lady of the Sacred Family. How could she do that kind of menial work?!

"I'm not washing them!" Shen Xiu found her courage and flatly refused.

Chang Ping wasn't about to indulge her. He glared down at her with his red eyes, hands on his hips, and asked, "You get a little sunshine and start shining, huh? What did you just say? Say it again so I can hear."

"I'll wash them! I'll wash your clothes, all right? Stop glaring at me. You're scaring me~" Shen Xiu caved and ducked under the water.

It was like a scholar meeting a soldier—there was no reasoning with him.

This guy was an unreasonable tyrant!

Chang Ping snorted, pulled out a chair, and sat down, leaning his arm on the tabletop.

Facing Shen Xiu, he said, "I heard a rumor that someone's going to drive up the price of Purple Mist Grass soon. If we can stock up now, we'll make a fortune when the price skyrockets in a few days."

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

"Absolutely!" Chang Ping thumped his chest in assurance. "The problem is, we don't have enough money. You're the Eldest Young Lady of the Sacred Family. You must have some way of getting your hands on funds, right?"

"I don't!" Shen Xiu shook her head. "I only have the title of Eldest Young Lady. I don't have any real authority."

If she and Shen Hong had shared both parents, she could have gotten however much money she wanted through that connection. Unfortunately, they didn't.

"Are we really going to sit here and watch a fortune slip through our fingers?" Chang Ping said gloomily.

Suddenly, he thought of someone.

Ye Sheng!

The old man had treated him pretty well. Maybe they could work together.

But how was he going to persuade him?

"I have an idea." Shen Xiu held the shampoo, her eyes shining. "I tried it, and it works really well for washing hair. I'm sure those women who care about their looks will love it."

"That's not a bad idea. How about a thousand Demon Spirit Coins a bottle?"

"That won't do!" Shen Xiu scoffed at Chang Ping's pricing. "Cheap things aren't good, and good things aren't cheap. Something this good should sell for at least ten thousand Demon Spirit Coins a bottle."

Chang Ping was stunned. "You nobles really know how to do business. That's ruthless."