Wang Tianyuan and Hong Hua, who had been resting in the backyard, both jumped when they saw Gao Shang return with his Martial Soul still activated.
Hong Hua, in particular, lowered her head almost instantly, burying her face deep against her chest.
Their worries were entirely unnecessary, though. Gao Shang had no time to spare for them right now.
The distance from the front hall to the bedroom was only a little over ten meters, yet his Sharingan had practically spun until his eyes bled before he managed to pick out two suitable outfits just before reaching the room.
The main problem was that the shop had far too many clothes, in every style and material. Calling them as numerous as the stars would have been no exaggeration.
"Sister Xiao Meng, I didn't know what you liked, so I bought two fairly low-key outfits. Just pick whichever one you like."
Outside the bedroom door, Gao Shang rubbed his eyes with one hand and held up the two outfits with the other.
During the earlier fight, he had used both Genjutsu and Soul Skills, yet had only consumed about half his Soul Power and mental power.
Then two minutes of picking out clothes had nearly drained every last bit of his remaining Soul Power.
Fortunately, he was the only one who knew about this. Otherwise, people would probably have laughed him to death.
"These clothes... All right. Thank you, boss."
Sun Meng looked at the clothes in Gao Shang's hand, somewhat at a loss.
She really wanted to ask whether Gao Shang actually understood what "low-key" meant.
Just looking at the material, neither of these outfits was remotely low-key!
The "low-key" her boss spoke of probably wasn't the same thing she understood it to mean.
But under Gao Shang's squinting gaze, Sun Meng ultimately didn't dare say anything more. Hugging the clothes, she lowered her head and ran back into her room.
Seeing Sun Meng accept them, Gao Shang breathed a sigh of relief and inwardly gave his own quick thinking a thumbs-up.
Back in his room, Gao Shang opened the system panel again.
He still needed to buy an outfit for himself.
Although he was casual around Su Yuntao, since he was taking Sun Meng out, he couldn't dress too shabbily himself. Otherwise, Sun Meng would definitely feel awkward.
Before buying clothes, though, he needed to pop a couple of pills to restore his Soul Power and mental power. Otherwise, he looked far too drained.
A little over ten minutes later, Gao Shang and Sun Meng emerged from the milk tea shop, neatly dressed.
The girl wore a jade-colored gauze dress with overlapping lapels. With her delicate features and gentle, elegant bearing, she looked every inch a young lady from a distinguished family.
The other wore a black, short-sleeved shirt with a standing collar, paired with black trousers and tall boots, looking cool and handsome.
The moment they appeared, they drew gazes from all around.
Yet even their former neighbors didn't dare approach to greet them.
After all, the sight of Gao Shang unleashing his might earlier, taking on two Two-Ring Soul Grandmasters and defeating them both, was still vivid in their minds.
As ordinary people, even knowing he wasn't a bad kid, they no longer dared treat him as casually as before.
Gao Shang was quite pleased with the attention. The six hundred Gold Soul Coins he had spent on three outfits hadn't been wasted.
The dress Sun Meng was wearing, in particular, was made from hundred-year Ice Silkworm silk. Not only was its design beautiful, but it was also comfortable and light to wear.
That outfit alone cost three hundred Gold Soul Coins. Even if Wang Tianyuan and Hong Hua saved like their lives depended on it for half a year, they might not be able to afford it.
For a moment, even Gao Shang marveled at the extravagance of noble life. A single outfit cost three times as much as a Tyrant Dragon fossil of the same grade. It was utterly ridiculous.
But since he was the one enjoying it, he could take that remark back.
All his money came from legitimate sources. He hadn't squeezed a single coin out of the common people, so he could enjoy it with a clear conscience.
The restaurant Gao Shang had chosen wasn't far away, but with all their stopping and starting, it still took them over ten minutes to reach the Fortune and Prosperity Pavilion.
The main reason was that Sun Meng was wearing a long dress for the first time and couldn't even walk smoothly. Gao Shang accompanied her to buy a few more things before she gradually grew accustomed to it.
The moment they stepped into the Fortune and Prosperity Pavilion, a waiter rushed over as though wind were beneath his feet and bowed as he asked:
"Would you two guests like to dine here?"
Gao Shang glanced at him.
He had visited the Fortune and Prosperity Pavilion once before. The waiter's attitude hadn't been bad then, but he had been nowhere near this attentive.
Still, he had no intention of blaming him. Clothes made the man just as a saddle made the horse. If you disguised yourself as a pig, you couldn't expect others to treat you as a tiger. Otherwise, wouldn't the disguise have been pointless?
"Has Su Yuntao from Spirit Hall arrived?"
"May I ask your name, sir?"
Hearing that they were looking for Su Yuntao, the waiter bowed even lower, but still asked.
"Gao Shang."
"Greetings, Lord Gao Shang! Lord Su Yuntao is waiting for you in a private room upstairs. I'll take you there right away."
Only after receiving his answer did the waiter turn sideways and lead the two upstairs.
Gao Shang said nothing more, taking Sun Meng's hand and heading upstairs.
Just before entering the private room, he casually waved his hand, producing two bags along with five Gold Soul Coins.
"There are two vegetables and three shrimp in here. Take them to the kitchen. Just cut up the shrimp and arrange them on a plate. No heating needed. Let the chef decide how to prepare the vegetables. The Gold Soul Coins are the preparation fee."
The two bags contained precisely the Stalactite Cabbage, Fire Heart Vegetable, and Polar Ice Phosphorus Shrimp he had bought earlier.
He gave five Gold Soul Coins not because these two vegetable dishes were particularly difficult to prepare, but because the Fortune and Prosperity Pavilion was one of the few restaurants in Nuoding City that dared price its dishes in Gold Soul Coins. If he gave too little, the chef might not put his heart into it.
"Yes, thank you, sir!"
The waiter happily accepted the bags and gold coins.
This was an unexpected windfall. Although the restaurant would certainly take the lion's share, he would still get a slice of the pie.
Gao Shang casually waved him away, then brought Sun Meng into the private room.
Inside, Su Yuntao and Sisi had already been waiting for quite some time.
As the door opened, both turned to look.
"Little Gao, why did you-"
The words had barely left Su Yuntao's mouth when he spotted Sun Meng behind Gao Shang. For a moment, he thought she was some noble family's young lady and instinctively rose politely to his feet.
Sisi stood up as well without saying anything, looking as though she followed Su Yuntao's lead in everything.
"Brother Tao, what's wrong? Don't you recognize my Sister Xiao Meng?"
Gao Shang saw through the situation at a glance. He pulled Sun Meng in front of him, signaling for Su Yuntao to take a good look.
"Xiao Meng? Sun Meng?"
"Xiao Meng? Sun Meng?!"
Su Yuntao was dumbfounded.
Of course he knew Sun Meng, but was this beautifully dressed girl with such a gentle, graceful bearing really the same Sun Meng he knew?
"Good evening, Grandmaster Su Yuntao, Grandmaster Sisi."
Under their stares, Sun Meng instinctively wanted to lower her head. But when she thought of everything Gao Shang had done for her, she forced down that sense of inferiority and greeted them with a smile.
"Uh, good evening."
"You really are Xiao Meng? How did you become so pretty? Come, sit down!"
Su Yuntao invited her over somewhat awkwardly.
Sisi, meanwhile, already had shining eyes. Her gaze was glued to Sun Meng's gauze dress, and she couldn't tear it away for a long while.
"Little Sister Xiao Meng, that dress of yours... which shop did you buy it from?"
Seeing Sisi like this, the corner of Su Yuntao's mouth twitched, and his wallet gave a faint ache.
One look at that flowing gauze dress told him it wasn't cheap.
But they hadn't been together for long, and he hadn't given Sisi anything particularly valuable. Now that she liked it, he would have to buy her one no matter what.
Gritting his teeth, Su Yuntao was just about to speak to Gao Shang when Gao Shang beat him to it.
"Brother Tao, I brought along that outfit you asked me to help you buy for Sister Sisi. Here."
As he spoke, Gao Shang waved his hand, and a dress appeared on the table out of thin air.
Its material was the same as the one Sun Meng wore, and its design followed the same style.