The Choice

A cold wind blew, and the hem of the red robe hanging on the wall swayed and rocked in the same direction.

The brightest time of day had passed, and the sky above Baibao Street was gloomy and dim, preventing sunlight from shining in, which made the tailor shop seem even more cramped.

Only from behind the wooden counter, a pale, slender hand reached out and rested on the edge of the counter.

Beside the hand was a small lantern emitting a red glow; the bright light made the hand appear even whiter and more ethereal, which was quite eerie.

"Boss? Boss!"

Gao Yiling craned her neck to look behind the counter and called out twice before a short woman poked half her body out.

She still looked tired, as if she had just woken up. When she saw so many people blocking the entrance to her shop, she first adjusted the back of her recliner before leaning back and swaying back.

"You're here." (Jun)

"They're here. They'll be showing the tourists how to make garments." Gao Yiling smiled at her warmly. "May we go in now?"

The owner of this clothing store was quite different from the others Yu Xing and the others had met before. The owner looked so tired that he didn't want to talk to anyone and ignored them, simply waving his hand and saying, "Come in."

Just then, the Main Quest, which had been undisturbed, was updated.

[Main Quest has been updated]

[Prepare your Snow Festival ceremonial attire (excluding accessories) before dinner. After dinner and before going to bed, prepare all accessories for your Snow Festival ceremonial attire.]

[Task Reward: A visiting card / A key (choose one)]

[Special Note: All participants can view their cumulative points and rankings for the first day after midnight.]

Invitation card or key?

Those with quick minds immediately thought of the Fang Mansion and the East District. As for the visiting card, there was no more suitable place than the Fang Mansion. As for the mysterious East District, some people had already been explored, but were stopped by something inexplicable. Perhaps the key was specifically for the East District.

It seemed this concerned what they truly wanted to fight for, and the deducers, led by Gao Yiling, swarmed in.

Yu Xing followed Gao Yiling inside, but instead of choosing her favorite robe style as Gao Yiling had suggested, she turned to look at the female shop owner behind the counter.

The female boss herself was dressed in red, a long robe that was somewhat form-fitting, with sleeves that reached below her wrists.

She let the person in, but didn't care about them at all, and went back to her recliner, closing her eyes and pretending to sleep.

The female boss is really short; you couldn't see her from the outside before because once she lay down, she was completely hidden by the counter, her feet not even touching the ground.

As Yu Xing was looking at her, the female boss seemed to notice his gaze. Her eyes snapped open, and her ordinary appearance suddenly exuded a strong sense of pressure. Her dark eyes glared at Yu Xing: "What are you looking at?"

Yu Xing, after being scolded, smiled apologetically at the female boss and promptly looked away.

Over there, the guide's voice drifted over, explaining the significance of the different styles of robes.

"The Snow Festival is the most festive occasion in Nanshui Town, so everyone wears a red robe. The locals, if they're skillful, will make their own snow, while the less skilled will entrust the work to Boss Lin—the owner of this shop!"

"But we're here as tourists, so no matter what, I still want everyone to experience the joy of making garments themselves. With that effort, you'll feel a real sense of accomplishment when you wear the red robe and celebrate with everyone!"

Gao Yiling said that there are three styles of ceremonial dresses available for tourists.

The first type is long, narrow-sleeved, and has a front opening. The women's version has a hem similar to a long cheongsam, while the men's version resembles the long gowns worn by scholars in olden times. In Nanshui Town, this style of formal attire is called "Duanfang Uniform," and it is mainly worn by older people or parents.

The second type has a side-fastening and knotted buttons, slightly wider sleeves that only reach the elbows, and a shorter hem that doesn't extend past the knees.

This style features accessories like straps and bells on the forearms and calves. If you choose this style, you'll need to spend more time on the accessories—it's called "Yueyu Uniform" and is suitable for young or lively people.

The third type is a wide-sleeved robe, consisting of two layers: an inner layer that fits snugly against the body and an outer layer that is a flowing overcoat. It is called the "Fenglong Uniform" and is the most formal attire, worn only by those who truly revere wind and snow.

The store displays Fenglong Uniform, and to be honest, both the men's and women's styles look remarkably like those of a bride and groom in a traditional Chinese wedding.

"Those wearing Duanfang Uniform distribute gifts, including red envelopes and candy, to the town's children during the festival; those Yueyu Uniform dance a blessing dance to the music; and those wearing Fenglong Uniform... need to line up around the altar during the festival to assist the town mayor in performing the rituals."

Gao Yiling turned to face the participants, tilting her head and smiling brightly, "This also relates to everyone's travel itinerary tomorrow night. The three outfits offer different travel experiences, so please choose according to your own preference~"

Xue Shouyun felt a chill creep into her body the moment she entered the room. She pulled her fur coat tighter around her shoulders and asked in a low voice, "Can I simply choose according to my heart? What if I don't have children but want to wear Duanfang Uniform, or what if I don't understand the meaning of wind and snow but want to wear Fenglong Uniform?"

"Of course... it's okay. Those requirements aren't mandatory. It's just that, generally speaking, it's more appropriate to wear a certain style of dress if you meet the conditions I just mentioned." Gao Yiling shrugged. "Actually, it doesn't matter whether you meet the requirements or not, as long as you do what you're supposed to do at the festival."

In this way, the strategist only needs to focus on the traps and dangers that different styles of clothing will encounter at the festival, without having to worry about whether "choosing the wrong" clothes will lead to stepping into a death trap.

Yu Xing browsed around the shop twice. Judging from what she saw, the Fenglong Uniform was actually the simplest. However, Gao Yiling's introduction made her think more deeply—how could one truly respect wind and snow?

"Captain, the Fenglong Uniform can't be chosen." Zhang Yu had been looking at it for a while, then leaned over and whispered to Yu Xing, "I've extracted the information. When the festival begins, those wearing the Fenglong Uniform will essentially be making themselves one of the sacrifices. Once they stand next to the altar, they might not be able to leave!"

Yu Xing nodded.

His emotions had almost completely returned by now, and he naturally understood Zhang Yu's concerns.

"In your opinion, which one should we choose?" (Fish)

Zhang Yu thought for a moment, then said definitively, "Yueyu Uniform."

"Wearing this kind of clothing, tomorrow night's activity will likely be a dance lesson, which will make the festival activities more flexible and easier to escape from. If Duanfang Uniform, we don't know how many red envelopes and candies we'll have to give the kids, and whether or not problems arise will be up to the kids themselves. We'll lose control."

Yu Xing lowered her eyes, and after two seconds said, "In that case, we'll choose as you say."

Zhang Yu was somewhat flattered and overwhelmed by the honor.

For something so important, the captain really did it his way!

Hmm, that makes sense. The captain was originally testing whether he could actually get into the Breakthrough Realm.

Just then, Hua Subai suddenly appeared from somewhere, excitedly saying, "A Xing, how about we wear the Fenglong Uniform? I can wear the women's style!"

Yu Xing paused, instantly understanding his meaning, her expression gradually turning disdainful. "And then? Pretend to be getting married?"

"Ahem, I've never been married before, I'd like to experience it." Hua Subai blushed slightly. "Is that alright?"

"Fine, get lost." Yu Xing refused outright, then went to study the accessories of the Yueyu Uniform.

Hua Subai stood there watching Yu Xing figure, then turned his head and chuckled softly after a long while.

"I'm doing this for your own good, A Xing."

"Fenglong Uniform is very safe..."

"Yueyu Uniform is not a good choice for you." (Jiang)

Even so, he didn't intend to remind Yu Xing again; instead, he happily waited to see what would happen.

As Gao Yiling announced that those who chose Fenglong Uniform would follow the boss to the backyard, Hua Subai leisurely strolled over and disappeared from Yu Xing's sight.

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