Shopping

Under the bright sun, a girl led another girl through the crowd along the streets of Heaven Dou City, finally stopping in front of a clothing store.

Huo Yuhao, who had been dragged along by Dugu Yan the whole way, stared at the clothing store before her, still feeling a little dazed. "Sister Yanzi, there's really no need."

"Don't be so wishy-washy. I'm telling you, the clothes this shop sells are very much to my taste. Trust me, you'll like them too." As she spoke, Dugu Yan pulled Huo Yuhao along and pushed open the shop door.

The first thing to greet them inside was a waft of floral fragrance. Then the shop's luxurious decor came into view, with elegant garments displayed throughout. The shop assistants looked a little tired, but still greeted every customer with smiles.

"Hello, miss. Welcome."

"Get your manager." After Dugu Yan spoke, the shop assistant went to notify her.

A slender, middle-aged woman then came over and said ingratiatingly, "Miss Dugu, long time no see. Would you like to take a look at the new styles in our shop this time?"

Dugu Yan didn't waste words. She simply pushed Huo Yuhao in front of her and said, "Give her a proper makeover. The money comes from this." With that, she handed over a purple card.

The manager accepted the purple card with a smile, then looked at Huo Yuhao. "What a pretty young lady. Leave this to me." After saying that, she took Huo Yuhao inside to try on some clothes.

When the manager brought Huo Yuhao farther inside, she saw Snow Empress and Ice Empress. Before Huo Yuhao could say anything, Snow Empress asked her first, "Yuhao, what are you doing here too?"

Before Huo Yuhao could explain anything to Snow Empress and the others, the manager took her to the fitting room with an outfit in hand. "Miss, this will definitely suit you." After saying that, the manager stripped off Huo Yuhao's old clothes and changed her into the new ones. Even Huo Yuhao was amazed by her speed.

Outside the fitting room, Snow Empress and Ice Empress watched Huo Yuhao emerge. She was now wearing a blue-and-white dress, while the manager beside her was still picking out accessories for her. Snow Empress and Ice Empress both nodded in approval at Huo Yuhao's appearance, and Ice Empress even praised the manager, saying, "You have a good eye." The manager looked rather pleased.

But Huo Yuhao wasn't at all comfortable. Whether in her previous life or after being reborn, she had always worn pants. Even though her Martial Soul was Ultimate Ice, she now felt a chill below and was uncomfortable all over.

At last, the manager tied a bow in Huo Yuhao's hair, completing the outfit. She led Huo Yuhao out, with the Ice and Snow Empresses following behind. Huo Yuhao had thought she would just show herself to Dugu Yan and that would be the end of it, but someone had appeared in the clothing store whom she found both surprising and, in hindsight, unsurprising.

Evil Lord had originally just been wandering around the market. After strolling for a while, he'd found it rather dull and come to meet up with Snow Empress and the others. But as soon as he entered the clothing store, he saw Huo Yuhao emerge in her new outfit. Although Evil Lord knew Huo Yuhao was a girl now, her awkward expression looked exactly like the expression of that big Divine Realm bug when he'd worn a skirt in the past, so Evil Lord still found it hilarious.

Even so, Evil Lord praised Huo Yuhao. "You really are something, Huo Yuhao. You can bend and stretch."

When Evil Lord finished speaking, neither Dugu Yan nor the manager thought anything was amiss. But to Snow Empress and Ice Empress, who already knew about Huo Yuhao's previous circumstances, his words took on another meaning. They couldn't keep their lips from twitching and turned their heads to stifle their laughter.

Huo Yuhao kept her face as calm as she could and said to Evil Lord, "Well said, but please don't say it again next time."

"It's fine. We don't need to stand on ceremony with each other," Evil Lord said, looking relaxed.

Beside them, Snow Empress sent Evil Lord a telepathic message. "You should tone it down. That remark had quite a sting."

"What? How was that cutting? I really was praising her," Evil Lord replied telepathically.

After hearing that, Snow Empress merely turned her head without saying anything, but she still couldn't keep the corners of her mouth from rising.

"Yuhao, are these your family?" Dugu Yan asked.

Huo Yuhao nodded to confirm it and was just about to introduce them to Dugu Yan when Snow Empress cut in.

"Just call me A-Xue. The one beside me is A-Bing. As for the one who just came in, call him A-Xie," Snow Empress introduced them.

"Wait, why did I get a new name? And why is it so casual?" Evil Lord complained telepathically.

"Wouldn't it be strange to go around human society calling ourselves Ice Empress, Snow Empress, and Evil Lord? Names like Xiao Bai, A-Tai, Tian Meng, Octagonal, A-Ling, and Li Ya sound much more normal in human society. Besides, naming people is hard. It took me ages to come up with these." Snow Empress replied telepathically.

"By that logic, wouldn't those two have to be called A-Lang and A-Ya?" Evil Lord continued telepathically.

"See? You're very talented. You came up with two names off the top of your head," Snow Empress replied telepathically, earnestly.

After hearing all this, Evil Lord had completely resigned himself to his fate. So be it if he was called A-Xie. He was tired.

After hearing Snow Empress's introductions, Dugu Yan hurriedly greeted the three of them. "Hello, Sister Xue. Hello, Sister Bing. And... hello, Uncle Xie."

Snow Empress and Ice Empress both smiled warmly when they heard this, but Evil Lord felt a little aggrieved when he heard how he'd been addressed. Ice Empress was one thing, but Snow Empress and I weren't much different in age. She got called "sister," so why was I "uncle"?

Fortunately, Evil Lord still had some "personal decorum." He merely nodded "calmly."

Seeing Evil Lord's expression, Dugu Yan quietly stepped over to Huo Yuhao and asked, "What's wrong with Uncle Xie?"

Huo Yuhao quietly gave Dugu Yan a thumbs-up, then said with a smile, "Nicely done, Sister Yanzi. Don't worry about calling him Uncle Xie. He's just like that; it's nothing."

Dugu Yan didn't understand, so she could only nod blankly.

Ice Empress patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder and quietly asked, "Did you bring any money?"

"How much do you need?" Huo Yuhao asked instinctively.

"About four hundred Gold Soul Coins," Ice Empress said calmly.

Huo Yuhao stopped the hand reaching for her bracelet and instead turned to Dugu Yan. "Um, Sister Yanzi, could you lend me another four hundred Gold Soul Coins? I'll pay you back next time." Who would have thought Huo Yuhao couldn't even come up with four hundred Gold Soul Coins?

"No big deal. There's no need to talk about paying me back." After saying this, Dugu Yan told the manager, "Put these two sisters' bills on my tab as well."

"Thanks, Sister Yanzi," Huo Yuhao said gratefully.

"Don't mention it. By the way, little Yuhao, would you like to come over to my house later? Since you wanted to read, you can talk to my grandfather about it." Dugu Yan spoke to Huo Yuhao with a bright smile.

"I was going to visit Senior Dugu anyway, so I'll gladly take you up on that." After saying this, Huo Yuhao turned to Snow Empress and the other two.

"Go ahead. We bought these clothes and still have to go back and try them on, so we won't go with you," Snow Empress said. Ice Empress nodded in agreement, and Snow Empress nudged Evil Lord, who was still "doubting himself." After coming back to his senses, Evil Lord nodded too. Seeing that all three of them felt the same way, Huo Yuhao didn't say anything more. After the bills were paid, the two groups set off in different directions.