Lin Que left the Glazed Pavilion.
He had originally planned to ask Ao Xinyu whether she knew the person who had brought modern clothing like qipaos and silk stockings into the cultivation world.
In Lin Que’s opinion, that person was most likely a transmigrator. Another transmigrator besides himself.
Since Ao Xinyu controlled the Glazed Pavilion, her access to information far surpassed that of an ordinary inner sect disciple like Lin Que, who spent most of his time within the Sword-Seeking Sect.
It was possible she even knew the other transmigrator.
However—
Lin Que could also tell that Ao Xinyu might be facing some sort of difficulty, and since she wasn’t willing to share it with him, he didn’t feel it was his place to intervene at the moment.
He decided that the next time they met, he would ask about the other transmigrator and also look for a chance to help her.
On the way home, Lin Que searched all over Wanxiang City and discovered that every store selling modern-style clothing was under the Glazed Pavilion’s umbrella.
“It really does seem like Ao Xinyu might know the other transmigrator. I’ll ask her to make an introduction next time.”
From one of the shops, Lin Que bought a flowing celestial-style dress that blended traditional and modern aesthetics, along with a pair of white silk stockings made from ice silkworm threads. He intended them as a gift for Qin Wanyuan.
As for Qin Qian’er… a few books would be fine. After all, giving your sister-in-law beautiful clothes could easily lead to misunderstandings.
By the afternoon, Lin Que had already returned home, only to find that Qin Wanyuan was sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, looking somewhat anxious as she waited for something.
According to what Qin Wanyuan had said before leaving, she was supposed to be visiting Jiang Moqing’s home until evening, yet she had come back early.
“Lin Lang!”
When she saw Lin Que return, Qin Wanyuan immediately stood up and walked toward him.
Then, realizing she was acting a bit too excited, she took a deep breath to calm herself down.
“Did something happen?” Lin Que gently patted her head and asked in a soft voice.
“No… I just came home and saw you weren’t here, so I was curious where you’d gone,” Qin Wanyuan said with a smile.
After all, she couldn’t exactly say that while she was at Jiang Moqing’s house this afternoon, sipping tea and discussing Dao, her system had suddenly notified her: “New Capture Target +1”.
As soon as she got the alert, Qin Wanyuan had checked the new target. A woman named Ao Xinyu.
Since the two of them had never met, the system only showed a black silhouette, though the pair of dragon horns on her head was quite striking.
The system had previously explained that new targets were generated based on the women Lin Que had recently come into contact with. Which meant… Lin Que had gone to see another woman behind her back.
This sudden change flustered Qin Wanyuan deeply. In her mind, she instantly imagined Lin Que secretly meeting another woman in private. She’d completely lost the mood to continue her discussion with Jiang Moqing and had hurried home where she had been waiting ever since.
“I was running low on medicinal ingredients in my storage ring, so I went to Wanbao City to restock,” Lin Que replied, blinking.
“I mentioned it to Qin Qian’er before I left. Didn’t you ask her?”
“Is that so…”
Qin Wanyuan awkwardly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and turned her head away slightly. “You know, Lin Lang… I still don’t quite know how to talk to Qian’er yet.”
She had thought about asking Qin Qian’er, but after what happened that morning, she still felt embarrassed and didn’t know how to face her younger sister.
Besides, if she had rushed over in a panic to ask where Lin Que had gone, who knew what kind of misunderstanding might arise?
Lin Que and Qin Qian’er had only just cleared up their previous misunderstanding. She didn’t want to create a new one.
“That’s fair,” Lin Que nodded. “But I think it’s best if you just act like nothing happened. Qian’er probably won’t bring up this morning’s incident again.”
“You’re right, Lin Lang… I can’t keep running from it forever.”
Qin Wanyuan eventually nodded.
“But… Wanbao City, huh? I’ve never been there before.”
She was telling the truth. Although Wanbao City was known for having all kinds of cultivation resources, its prices were notoriously high.
Qin Wanyuan had always been frugal by nature. In her previous life, Lin Que had mentioned taking her there several times, but she had always politely declined.
But this life was different.
Qin Wanyuan wanted to know whether that woman named Ao Xinyu was in Wanbao City and what kind of person she really was.
“That’s true,” Lin Que said. “How about I take you there next time? I can show you around and introduce you to a friend.”
“What kind of friend?” Qin Wanyuan asked, feigning ignorance. But in her heart, she had already guessed that it was Ao Xinyu.
“Her name is Ao Xinyu. She’s someone I’ve known for a long time. I bought today’s ingredients from her.”
“Ao Xinyu… I don’t think I’ve heard that name before.”
“Well, we hadn’t been in touch for a few years. I only saw her again today when I went to restock,” Lin Que explained.
He was indeed a loyal and thoughtful Dao companion. He took the initiative to explain his outing so that Qin Wanyuan wouldn’t misunderstand.
Along the way, he briefly shared how he and Ao Xinyu had first met.
“I see,” Qin Wanyuan said, letting out a breath of relief. “But if you used to be close friends, how come you didn’t stay in touch over the past few years?”
“Her Glazed Pavilion was still just starting out back then, and I had my own affairs to deal with. Over time, we naturally drifted apart,” Lin Que said, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
It sounded like a perfectly reasonable explanation on the surface.
But Qin Wanyuan caught a faint whiff of something off.
Something’s fishy…
If Lin Lang doesn’t want to tell me the truth, then I’ll just find out myself.
Dream Share Talisman. Get ready.
That said, she only had one Dream Share Talisman left, and it wasn’t enough to construct a dream realm between Lin Que and Ao Xinyu.
Besides, just trying to make progress with Jiang Moqing was already giving her a headache. If she used the talisman now on someone she hadn’t even started capturing yet… wouldn’t that be a waste?
After some thought, she decided to set the matter of Ao Xinyu aside for now and focus on capturing her first target.
As she chatted with Lin Que about what to eat for dinner, Qin Wanyuan’s mind was already turning over ideas for advancing her progress with Jiang Moqing.
To be honest, it wasn’t so much about capturing Jiang Moqing. It was more like helping Jiang Moqing capture Lin Que. At this point, Jiang Moqing’s feelings for Lin Que had already reached the level of romantic love. Lin Que, on the other hand, remained lukewarm and indifferent.
He really was loyal to a fault and that was something Qin Wanyuan admired about him.
But the reality was… if Lin Que continued to be this loyal, he was going to die.
Qin Wanyuan recalled a particularly painful line the system had once said to her.
[Host, do you want Lin Que alive and in love with someone else…or a corpse that only ever loved you?]
No matter what, Qin Wanyuan wanted Lin Que to live…even if, in the end, his heart didn’t belong to her alone.
She was still deep in thought when, all of a sudden, a set of clothes appeared before her.
“Wanyuan, I brought you a gift when I came back today. See if it fits,” Lin Que said with a smile, holding the outfit out to her.
It was an unusually styled Floating Fairy Dress, pale blue in color with cloud-white patterns along the sleeves. It was light and flowing, rippling softly in the breeze like waves on water.
Qin Wanyuan’s eyes lit up. It was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen and what’s more, it was a gift from Lin Que himself.
“But… this must have been expensive. I’m fine with my sect robes. There’s no need for you to spend so much, Lin Lang…”
As much as she loved the dress, Qin Wanyuan didn’t want Lin Que to waste his money on her.
But before she could finish, Lin Que reached out and gently patted her head.
“Because it’s for you, no price is too high.”
With just that one simple sentence, Qin Wanyuan’s cheeks flushed a rosy red. She said no more about politely declining and instead accepted the Floating Fairy Dress with obedient grace.
“I’ll go try it on so you can see,” she said softly, carefully cradling the dress in her arms. She was clearly enchanted by it, yet afraid of wrinkling the delicate fabric.
“Alright.”
After a short pause, Lin Que suddenly added, “Oh right, Wanyuan…these White Ice Silkworm Stockings go with the dress. You should wear them too.”
As he spoke, he took a pair of white silk stockings from his storage ring and handed them to her.
“Okay.” Qin Wanyuan nodded, then headed into the guest room to change.
Before long, she reappeared before Lin Que in the pale-blue Floating Fairy Dress.
Her hair was pinned up neatly, and as she raised her arms and twirled lightly, the flowing sleeves swirled around her like clouds.
The hem of the dress fluttered with ethereal grace, and the pearl-like blossoms sewn into the fabric caught the sunlight, scattering dazzling rays of white light.
She looked dreamlike and almost celestial. So much so that Lin Que found himself momentarily dazed.
“Lin Lang… What do you think?” Qin Wanyuan blinked up at him, waiting for his reaction.
“Absolutely stunning!”
Lin Que didn’t hold back on his praise. But after a beat, he added, “Still… I can see the Floating Fairy Dress just fine, but the White Ice Silkworm Stockings are nowhere in sight. That’s a bit of a shame, don’t you think?”
“But those stockings… are…”
…hidden beneath the hem of the dress! To show them off properly, wouldn’t she have to lift her skirt?
Qin Wanyuan’s face turned bright red. She understood perfectly well what Lin Que was implying.
Well, they were at home, and the only one here to see would be Lin Que himself… so she decided to indulge him, just this once.
She quietly glanced back at the room, then used her spiritual sense to scan the surroundings.
Qin Qian’er was still fully focused on observing the phoenix egg and hadn’t noticed what was happening in the courtyard.
Only then did Qin Wanyuan dare to gently pinch the hem of her skirt. A soft blush bloomed across her lovely face. After a moment of hesitation, she slowly lifted it, revealing the long slender legs tightly wrapped in white silk beneath the flowing fabric.
“Lin Lang… how about now?”
“I still can’t see clearly enough. Could you lift it a bit higher?”
“Mm… alright.”
Fighting off a wave of embarrassment and with her heart pounding, Qin Wanyuan raised the skirt just a little more. Now, not only were her thighs in full view, but even the intricate patterns woven into the white silk stockings could be clearly seen.
“Is… is that enough?” Qin Wanyuan asked, her face flushed so red it looked like it might start dripping. Her eyes shimmered, and she looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.
“Mm. Thank you, Wanyuan.” Lin Que smiled, stepped forward, and gently pulled her into his arms, planting a soft kiss on her cheek.
“I’m glad you like it…” Qin Wanyuan murmured, removing her hairpin and using it to shield most of her blushing face. She was too flustered to meet Lin Que’s eyes.
Just then, the system’s voice suddenly echoed in her mind.
[Main Quest Unlocked: Visit Jiang Moqing wearing the dress Lin Que gave you and proudly tell her where it came from.]
[Reward: One set of Dream Share Talismans, slight increase to Lin Que’s charm, slight enhancement to host’s physique.]
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