"Lady Wanmeng, you're here to have clothes made too! What a coincidence."
"Huh? You too?"
Wanmeng was surprised. Having clothes made? Could he also be performing on New Year's Eve?
Deciding to try her luck, Wanmeng asked, "Are you performing on New Year's Eve?"
Qi Tianque nodded, anticipation on his face. "Yes, yes! This is the Halovians' first New Year's Eve since joining the Xianzhou. As a representative of my people, I have to put on a good performance."
Qi Tianque nodded emphatically. He wished New Year's Eve would come tomorrow. Young and spirited, he was unwilling to stay quiet like this, and his heart had long since grown restless.
"Oh, right, Lady Wanmeng, are you here to have clothes made too?"
Wanmeng cleared her throat twice. To be honest, she wasn't used to being called "lady." She was only twenty-two at most, just two years older than Qi Tianque. It felt strange to have a younger brother only two years her junior call her that.
"Ahem, well, you should stop calling me 'lady.' It sounds strange. I'm only two years older than you, so call me Sister Wanmeng.
"As for why I'm here, I am here to have clothes made. New Year's Eve is one of the Xianzhou's most important holidays. As the Divination Commission's Master Diviner, I naturally need a new look for the new year."
Wanmeng folded her arms and spoke proudly. Qi Tianque's face lit up with understanding. "So that's how it is! Sister Wanmeng, you really are worthy of being the Divination Commission's Master Diviner!"
"Heh, of course. As Master Diviner, I have to appear before the people, especially on New Year's Eve!"
The two chatted in the shop for a long time.
Just as Wanmeng was feeling pleased with herself, the shopkeeper came out carrying the clothes. The shopkeeper was about to call out to her when Wanmeng clapped a hand over their mouth before they could react.
Then, under Qi Tianque's shocked gaze, she paid and grabbed the clothes with lightning-fast hands before making her escape at the speed of light.
Watching Wanmeng leave at the speed of light, Qi Tianque's eyes filled with admiration. "So this is how the Master Diviner gets things done! So fast!"
The shopkeeper happily put away the Existence Currency. Existence Currency was the new official currency issued after Daiyu was rebuilt, and it was now used throughout Daiyu.
"Young man, you're so handsome. Are you here to have clothes made too?"
The shopkeeper's words brought Qi Tianque back to his senses. "Yes. I'd like you to make me a formal outfit in black and white, with feather decorations and Purifying Tree branch patterns on the collar and cuffs. Can you do that?"
Qi Tianque took out four Existence Currency notes, each worth fifty thousand. The shopkeeper immediately beamed. "Yes, of course! But the workmanship is rather complicated. How about you come pick it up tomorrow morning?"
"Of course."
He wasn't in a hurry for the clothes. As long as they could be finished within two days, that was fine. He could use the time in between to practice his performance.
After paying the deposit, Qi Tianque left the shop and headed home. His house wasn't in the Fortune Forest Realm; it was in the Exalting Sanctum. As for the Fortune Forest Realm,
the clan elders had already designated it their ancestral land. They had even replaced the clan genealogy with a new one, and their previous ancestors had all been moved along with it, their household registrations changed as well.
When the decision was proposed, not a single person objected. Even the most stubborn old stone among the clan elders approved, saying, "It's those old fellows' honor to be registered as residents of Xianzhou Daiyu. I'm being unfilial? If they've got what it takes, let them climb out of their coffins and come at me. I'm a Xianzhou native."
After returning home, Qi Shige sat down in front of the piano made from Purifying Tree wood in the corner of his room. This piano was remarkable: not only did its keys feel good to the touch and its tone never falter, it even had a calming effect.
Qi Tianque placed both hands on the keys. His slender fingers began to dance, and notes leaped like lively sprites, refreshing the heart and mind.
The beautiful piano music drifted out of the room. Because of the piano's special properties, Qi Tianque didn't even notice the three people sitting beneath the pavilion in the courtyard.
The three sat quietly beneath the pavilion, listening to the music with their eyes closed. Ten minutes later, the music stopped. Qi Tianque let out a long breath, and just as he stepped out of his room, the three people who had suddenly appeared in the courtyard gave him a fright.
"You startled me! Oh, it's the Helmsman, the General, and Sister Wanmeng. Did you come to see me about something?"
The three sitting beneath the pavilion were Qingzhu, Wanmeng, and Xiahou Chan.
"Ah, it's nothing. I was drinking at home when I heard the piano next door, so I came over to impose for a while."
Xiahou Chan lifted the wine jar in his hand to show him.
"I originally came to drink with Xiahou Chan, but I didn't expect to hear such lovely music. I saw Xiahou Chan come in, so I followed him. Little Brother Tianque, you wouldn't turn me away, would you?"
Qi Tianque hurriedly waved his hands. "Not at all! I'm delighted that the Helmsman would visit my humble home."
Qingzhu smiled. "I like the way you talk, kid."
Wanmeng said, "I live right next door. This place used to be empty, so I came over to have a look when I heard the piano. I didn't expect you to be the one living here."
That was indeed the case. She and Xiahou Chan lived on the same street, with an empty house between theirs.
Wanmeng's house had originally been right next to Xiahou Chan's. But Wanmeng would sometimes practice divination at home when she had nothing else to do, while Xiahou Chan, that brute, was always swinging swords and spears around in his courtyard and making quite a racket. So she had moved next door.
That was how the house between them had been left empty. When Wanmeng and Xiahou Chan said they lived right next door, Qi Tianque bowed and said, "Then I'll be in your care from now on. Sorry for the trouble."
Wanmeng nodded, while Xiahou Chan said with a carefree air, "What trouble? No need to be so formal. If nothing else, call me Big Brother Xiahou. I'll look out for you from now on."
Qi Tianque knew Xiahou Chan's temperament. The General seemed carefree on the surface, but he was actually very thoughtful. Since he had said that, he must have intended to befriend him. Qi Tianque couldn't very well make him lose face.
"In that case, I'll call you Big Brother Xiahou from now on."
"Hahaha, straightforward! I like that kind of decisive character. What's the point of hemming and hawing?"
Seeing Qi Tianque call Xiahou Chan big brother, Qingzhu grew dissatisfied too. She was only a little younger than Xiahou Chan and a year older than Wanmeng, so why did he call her "lady"? It sounded far too distant.
So, at Qingzhu's request, Qi Tianque changed how he addressed her to Sister Qingzhu.
Qingzhu beamed and gently patted Qi Tianque on the head. "That's more like it."
"By the way, Tianque, you were just playing the piano. Is that the performance you're preparing for New Year's Eve?"
Qi Tianque nodded without denying it. He had been exceptionally gifted in music since childhood, so if he was going to perform, he would naturally choose something he was good at.