When You Decide to Wait for Your Girlfriend to Buy Clothes (5,000-Word Mega Chapter!)

"Welcome. What kind of spirit herbs do you two need?"

Gu Xia and Xun'er had just entered when a maid came up to greet them. Her professional smile, curvaceous figure, and pretty face... all displayed the store's considerable pedigree...

"Mm, please give me Bluegreen Two-Leaf Grass, Magenta Fragrant Branch, Ice Spirit Water, Crystal Flower, Astragalus Leaf Flower, Blue Bamboo, Beauty-Nourishing Aloe... Heavenly Spirit Water, Jade Muscle Bone Lotus, and these other herbs. Three portions of each..."

Gu Xia slowly listed nearly a dozen types of herbs, several of which were exceptionally rare. The more the maid heard, the more respectful her expression became. Having received professional training, she knew that this handsome and refined young man was very likely a distinguished alchemist!

"Esteemed guest, we can prepare three portions of all the herbs you requested except for Jade Muscle Bone Lotus and Astragalus Leaf Flower... Those two herbs are rather rare, and only our pavilion master has the authority to access them. Please wait a moment. I will notify our pavilion master immediately..."

"Mm, go ahead..."

Gu Xia said nothing more, because he knew those two herbs truly were scarce, even if they were of little use to most alchemists. Their only effect was to make a person's body permanently emit a fragrance. Aside from certain special alchemists, practically no one would collect such things.

He already felt fortunate to have found them here...

Gu Xia and Xun'er did not wait long before a pot-bellied, "round" uncle hurried down the stairs. It was hard to imagine how a body wider than the doorway could move so quickly...

"Oh! So it is Young Master Xia honoring us with his presence. Forgive me for failing to greet you from afar..."

The middle-aged man recognized Gu Xia the moment he came downstairs. After all, Young Master Xia was quite well-known in Wutan City. His jade-like gentleness and absurdly handsome face were simply too distinctive...

"However, I regret to say that our pavilion only has one Jade Muscle Bone Lotus left, though Astragalus Leaf Flowers are still in stock. If you urgently need them, I can recommend that you visit the Mittel Auction House. If I remember correctly, they should have quite a few items similar to Jade Muscle Bone Lotus..."

The "massive" middle-aged man respectfully explained things to Gu Xia. He knew that the identities of this pair, who looked like a golden boy and jade maiden, were anything but simple. Their backgrounds had been investigated, only for unimaginable resistance to arise. Even the upper ranks had been deeply wary and specifically warned him never to provoke either of them!

He had been shocked upon hearing that news, but on second thought, it made sense. With the Xiao Clan's meager foundations, how could they possibly nurture such an extraordinary pair of golden boy and jade maiden?

Gu Xia did not care what the "massive" middle-aged man was thinking. He cared more about the news of those two herbs. As for Xun'er, there was no need to mention her—pink bubbles were still practically floating out of her.

So Brother Gu Xia is an alchemist too? Why didn't he tell me before? Did he deliberately save it until today because he wanted to surprise me? Ah~ ≧?≦ How embarrassing~ I wonder what sort of gift he'll prepare for me? Pills, perhaps? Eek, he's so bad... (?≧?≦)? I like him so much...

Xun'er had completely entered the state of passionate love. Her little head was already imagining things that only adults could do. Blushing shyly, she lightly pounded Gu Xia's back with her tiny fists while unable to stop thinking about all sorts of strange things...

Ignoring the beautiful young lady having a fit behind him, Gu Xia was more concerned with news of the Jade Muscle Bone Lotus...

"Mittel?... I understand. Help me pack up all those herbs..."

"Yes, Young Master Xia. Three portions of every herb you named, minus one Jade Muscle Bone Lotus, comes to a total of seven hundred and fifty-nine gold coins..."

The fat middle-aged man was worthy of being a pavilion master. His calculation speed was monstrous. In the time it took to speak, he had accurately calculated the exact price of Gu Xia's herbs from memory... Though the final price surprised Gu Xia somewhat...

"So cheap?"

"Oh, whenever Young Master Xia purchases herbs from our pavilion, we offer a fifty-percent discount. This is merely a small token of our goodwill. We hope Young Master Xia will take greater care of True Spirit Pavilion's business in the future..."

"Then I will accept it. Gu Xia thanks Pavilion Master for your kindness..."

After thinking it over, Gu Xia understood. It was merely a simple gesture of goodwill and investment—put bluntly, they had taken a liking to his potential. There was no downside for Gu Xia, since he could save quite a bit of money.

He might have been the poorest Dou Emperor in history. All his possessions combined were worth less than two thousand gold coins. Over a thousand of those coins had been casually taken during his trip through the Tagor Desert. Otherwise, why did he think the fifth carriage had contained only this absurdly poor Dou Emperor?

"Not at all, not at all. I'll make the decision to waive the odd amount as well. You only need to pay us seven hundred gold coins..."

Hearing Gu Xia's thanks, the fat middle-aged man's face blossomed like a chrysanthemum. Then he saved Gu Xia another fifty-nine gold coins...

"Pavilion Master is most considerate. Then I will respectfully accept. Here are seven hundred gold coins. Please inspect them..."

Although Gu Xia had not known that prices could be rounded down like this, he accepted the fat middle-aged man's goodwill under the principle of saving whenever possible. He readily took out a money pouch from his storage ring and handed it over.

"No need, no need. I trust Young Master Xia's reputation. Might I ask whether Young Master Xia requires any other medicinal ingredients? We happened to receive a batch of excellent century-old Ancient Ginseng yesterday. Would Young Master Xia be interested in taking a look?..."

The fat middle-aged man accepted the pouch with a smile. Without even opening it, he handed it to the maid, who had been curiously sneaking glances at Gu Xia from the side. Then, wearing an ingratiating smile, he began recommending some of the pavilion's finest goods. Gu Xia, however, refused.

"No. I came out today specifically to accompany Xun'er. I only came here to prepare a small surprise for her. Since we have the items, we should be leaving..."

Gu Xia explained his purpose. He had originally come out to accompany Xun'er around town. He simply had a special surprise he wanted to give her. Overall, the rest of their itinerary would still be decided by Xun'er, though he did not know whether she, who had been imagining all sorts of magical things, still had any desire to keep shopping...

The fat middle-aged man was clearly a smart person. He immediately stopped trying to retain them and personally escorted them out of the pavilion.

"Then I shall not disturb the two of you in your elegant enjoyment. Please take care..."

Gu Xia did not turn back. He merely waved behind him and led Xun'er, who was still clinging to his left shoulder, gradually into the sea of people...

"You did well today. From now on, you are the head attendant. Keep working hard. Remember, whenever either of those two comes here, no matter what they want to do, report to me immediately..."

After Gu Xia and Xun'er left, the fat middle-aged man returned to the store. His fleshy hand patted the maid who had received them earlier, promoting her to head attendant. In an extremely serious tone, he told her what she needed to do the instant she saw Gu Xia or Xun'er in the future...

"Thank you for recognizing me, Pavilion Master! Cui'er will work even harder from now on..."

The pretty maid excitedly performed a salute, secretly deciding that she should show herself more in front of Gu Xia in the future. What if he happened to like her type?

"Alright, get up. As long as you work seriously, True Spirit Pavilion will not mistreat you. Oh, as pavilion master, I must remind you of one thing: never entertain any improper thoughts toward that young master. When the time comes, even True Spirit Pavilion will not be able to protect you. Just do your jobs properly. Do not think about unrealistic things..."

The fat middle-aged man understood what these maids were thinking, so he gave them a warning in advance. After saying that, he ignored them and returned upstairs by himself...

As for what the maids thought, that was none of his concern. He had already given his warning. Whether she listened was her own business. True Spirit Pavilion was not short of maids...

Meanwhile, on Gu Xia's side...

"Brother~ I want to buy some clothes. Will you come with me?"

After leaving True Spirit Pavilion, Gu Xia and Xun'er returned to the market street. No longer lost in wild thoughts, Xun'er resumed a woman's natural love for shopping. She had taken a liking to a lavishly decorated clothing store, and she sweetly called Gu Xia "Brother" as she coquettishly discussed going inside...

"Silly Xun'er, I came specifically to accompany you today. If you want to go, then go..."

Shocking! As a straight-man Dou Emperor, Gu Xia had actually learned how to spoil his girlfriend!

Sure enough, there was no such thing as an unyielding straight man. He simply had not met a girl worth doting on before... What? You? Forget it. You think you're more handsome than the author? Keep dreaming... Holy shit! Big brother, can you put the knife away first?...

"Brother Xia, you're so good to me... Mua~"

Hearing Gu Xia's indulgent words, Xun'er happily hugged him. Her cherry-red lips left a fragrant kiss on his unguarded cheek...

Gu Xia: "╭(°A°`)╮"

"This feeling doesn't seem so bad..."

Watching playful Xun'er skip ahead like a beautiful elf, Gu Xia touched his cheek, which still carried a faint dampness. The first thought in his heart was that having an adorable girl by his side might truly be a good thing...

"Brother Gu Xia, if you don't come over soon, Xun'er won't wait for you anymore..."

Xun'er had already walked several meters away when she noticed Gu Xia still standing there in a daze, as if he had not recovered from her bold move. She felt that having such a silly brother was rather cute...

"What a little temptress. Fine, a little hardship is still worth it..."

Hearing Xun'er's secretly amused call from ahead, Gu Xia silently decided that he would definitely help Xun'er break through this world's limits and reach the same level as him...

"Hehe..."

When Xun'er saw Gu Xia catch up, her pretty face reddened slightly as she hugged his left arm. The two stuck close together and walked side by side into the clothing store...

"Welcome to our store. May I ask whether the two of you need fabric or ready-made clothing?"

The moment they stepped inside, the female shop owner came to greet them. She was a somewhat noble-looking woman whose charm still remained. She had noticed Gu Xia and Xun'er while they were approaching. There was no helping it—their looks were simply too dazzling, not to mention the sour stench of lovey-dovey affection that could be smelled from eight hundred meters away...

"Madam, I'd like to choose a few ready-made outfits. Could you bring out some of the better clothes in your store for me to see?"

This time, Xun'er took the initiative to speak, because she wanted to give someone a surprise as well. Girls always wanted to look prettier in front of the person they loved, did they not?

"Of course, Miss. Please follow me..."

With her rich experience, the shop owner knew that this young couple's feelings must be quite deep. Otherwise, why would this beautiful young girl want to buy such fine clothes? Was it not all to show her beloved? Why else would she spend so much effort dressing herself up? The experienced shop owner's gaze toward the young couple was full of smiles...

Once upon a time, she too had been a young girl who wanted to dress beautifully for the one she loved. Seeing Xun'er was like seeing her younger self... Unfortunately, this was ultimately a world where the strong devoured the weak...

Strength was the foundation of all beauty. Hopefully, this young couple would overcome every difficulty and end up together...

"Brother Xia, wait here for a while. Xun'er will go upstairs with the shop owner first. And you are not allowed to come up and peek!"

Unable to bear the shop owner's enthusiasm, Xun'er turned around to specifically warn Gu Xia before being pulled by the shop owner toward the ready-made clothing section on the second floor...

"...So, what exactly did I come here for?"

Looking around the store, which was almost entirely filled with women's fabrics, Gu Xia once again contemplated one of life's three great questions: What am I supposed to do?

"Hmm? This seems to be..."

As Gu Xia aimlessly wandered around out of boredom, he suddenly spotted an especially eye-catching piece of fabric among the piles. It had been placed at the very highest point of all the fabrics...

Curious, he walked over to inspect it. The first thing he felt was extreme softness and smoothness, with a slight coolness to it. It felt like touching a high-quality mink-fur product, unbelievably silky.

It was also silk, white in color, with pale blue floral patterns. The entire cloth looked elegant and pure, understated without lacking beauty.

"I suddenly have a bold idea!"

As Gu Xia stroked this remarkable fabric, a very famous outfit from his previous life gradually surfaced in his mind. He tried imagining Xun'er wearing it. His heartbeat actually quickened! Back in the Tagor Desert, Yue Mei's free offer and Medusa's later seduction had not moved him at all. Yet now, merely imagining Xun'er appearing before him in that outfit made his heart stir!

After picturing Xun'er in that outfit, although she was exceedingly moving and stunning, he felt that something was missing. It did not quite feel right...

"Right, white stockings! It would be even better with white stockings!"

With the assistance of Gu Xia's emperor-level spiritual strength, he quickly found the problem: white stockings! After all, everyone was a white-stocking fanatic. How could an outfit worthy of being called cultural heritage lack a pair of white stockings?

Though bare white legs were quite nice too... Hehehe...

"If I want to make white stockings, this fabric definitely won't work..."

Gu Xia looked at the silk cloth in his hand and gently shook his head. Such silk fabric was suitable only for making clothes. He would need to find something else for stockings...

After another round of wandering and careful searching, Gu Xia finally found a type of fabric suitable for making stockings...

"Found it! There happens to be one last bolt of white left..."

What Gu Xia found was a small bolt of fabric used in this world for decorative patterns on clothing. After confirming it, he decided it was the perfect finishing touch!

"Excellent. Now I just need to wait for the shop owner to come down and buy them. I won't tell Xun'er about the flowers yet. After all, there can't possibly be just one surprise, right?"

However, while Gu Xia's idea was beautiful, reality was...

Half an hour passed, and Gu Xia was still eagerly staring at the staircase to the second floor...

An hour passed, and Gu Xia was still patiently waiting for them to appear...

Three hours passed...

"Burp. The fish balls on the next street are pretty good. I can bring Xun'er there to eat next time..."

Gu Xia had already achieved enlightenment. He had gone out for a meal, wandered through weapon stores and street stalls, taken time to watch a dog-versus-man battle at the corner, counted the ants outside the store, and played rock-paper-scissors with himself for half an hour...

Finally, just as he was about to ascend to heaven on the spot, Xun'er's pair of slender jade legs finally appeared around the bend of the stairs...