Chapter 74: A Battle of Beauties to Revitalize the Cultivation World (74% complete)

Before we knew it, the day of the official start of classes arrived.

The newly graduated students, their faces brimming with youthful vigor, walked out of their respective residences.

Then, I experienced firsthand what it means to be relentlessly entangled, to the point of not letting a single hair escape.

Su Xiaoyao and Shen Suqi stood side by side on the outskirts of the crowd, their expressions of astonishment identical.

"It's dazzling my eyes." Shen Suqi said after rubbing her tired eyes.

Su Xiaoyao closed her eyes and turned her head to look in another direction: "Looking at some greenery early in the morning is not bad; it helps relieve eye strain."

The direction she turned her head to was where a group of cultivators dressed in sky-blue robes stood.

Compared to other groups of cultivators, the cultivators in the endless expanse of azure were clearly weaker and generally thinner.

They were a group of herbalists. Under normal circumstances, they focused on herbal medicine and alchemy, so their cultivation foundation was naturally weaker than others. Normally, it might not be noticeable if there were only one or two, but now that they were standing together, it was obvious compared to other groups.

"Green and medicinal cultivation, it suits you quite well," Su Xiaoyao commented.

“They’re all quite pleasing to the eye.” Shen Suqi emphasized the word “pleasing to the eye” to highlight her feelings.

Although the herbalists all wore clothes that were predominantly bluish-green, upon closer inspection, it became clear that the colors were not entirely the same, and it was difficult to find two people in the crowd who wore exactly the same bluish-green.

They only slightly unified the colors, and the details of their clothes were also different. The accessories were matched to create a rather formal feel. Everyone's hairstyle was also modified, with everyone either wearing their hair up or down, and there wasn't even a single one with the same style.

They may look very similar, but in reality they are all vying for attention and showcasing a vibrant array of styles, demonstrating the great effort put into their creations.

"So curly, really curly, it's even curled up to the strands of hair."

The above sentiment was expressed by Su Xiaoyao, the King of Scrolls.

Even she couldn't help but be amazed by her classmates' thoughtfulness and patience.

"But I don't remember we had a uniform." She looked down again, glancing at her clothes absentmindedly. "Did they miss notifying me?"

"Do they need to notify you?" Su Xiaoyao looked at her and then gestured towards the southeast.

Shen Suqi looked over in the direction she was pointing, and what came into view was a large expanse of bright and dazzling crimson.

She was stunned by the striking colors, and after a moment of surprise, she touched her chin thoughtfully: "Perhaps this is the unique tacit understanding between talisman cultivators."

Standing in that direction were the assembled talisman cultivators.

The talisman cultivators habitually wore bright red robes, but this time no one was trying to cover up the cinnabar stains they had accidentally gotten. On the first day of school, everyone wore brand new robes, and there wasn't a single crease to be found, let alone any cinnabar stains.

A red robe with gold patterns, a red coat with black trim, a red skirt with silver threads, and a red collar with snow-white velvet.

"This combination is amazing! If you didn't know it was the first day of school, you'd think we were at Fashion Week," Su Xiaoyao exclaimed.

It was the first time she had realized that a simple red dress could be made into so many different styles.

"But in this weather, wouldn't that person feel hot wearing a white mink collar?" she asked seriously.

“Don’t underestimate how far a person can develop their talent for beauty!” Shen Suqi squinted and scrutinized the person from afar, saying, “Drawing arrays on clothes and talismans are two completely different concepts. The former is more than ten times more difficult than the latter. Based on my interactions with her over the past few days, ten days ago she could only draw low-level arrays and had not yet learned how to draw array imprints on clothes. But now, she has no less than ten low-level cooling arrays imprinted on the hem of her clothes. She has made up for her lack of quality with quantity.”

"She drew it?" Su Xiaoyao asked in surprise.

“She practiced cooling formations every day for a while, and even asked me for advice. I recognize her drawing habits.” Shen Suqi was equally shocked. “Only ten days have passed. Indeed, human potential is limitless.”

Although low-level formations are not difficult to draw, it would be difficult to print them on clothes. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many talisman cultivators in the world, yet clothes with formation runes and incantations can always sell for exorbitant prices.

"Actually, you look especially beautiful today. The blue color really complements your skin tone," Shen Suqi suddenly said.

"I dressed up a little." Su Xiaoyao felt a little uncomfortable when she heard the compliment, and suddenly she made a lot more small movements.

She adjusted the jade hairpin, a sacred-grade weapon disguised as a weapon, in her hair, then touched the phoenix-patterned sacred-grade defensive artifact pendant on her chest, and unconsciously tugged at the sacred-grade spirit-gathering gourd earring that she wasn't used to wearing. Finally, she put on the magnificent longsword that had accompanied her to the top of the entrance examination not long after its birth, and her smile was unusually shy.

Her attire appeared simple and plain, but in reality, it exuded luxury in every detail.

Unexpectedly, others had so many ingenious ideas, but fortunately, she had worn all her best-kept secrets beforehand, making her stand out from the crowd in terms of value.

"You look radiant today as always," she and Shen Suqi complimented each other.

"Not at all." Shen Suqi couldn't help but smile. "It's just so-so. I only printed two high-level formations from Dao Ancestor's book, added a little design, and soaked them in Mandala incense for seven days and seven nights. It's colorless and odorless, bewitching people invisibly, which adds a hallucinogenic effect to my formations. The two formations plus the incense barely reach the level of a super-level."

Su Xiaoyao was impressed.

Even more understated yet luxurious and sophisticated than her! Compared to her entire fortune, Shen Suqi personally drew this array!

Hey, she actually didn't roll it this time.

"Why did you choose blue? I thought you weapon cultivators would mainly use fire," Shen Suqi said, looking in the direction where the weapon cultivators were gathered.

The weapon repairman was dressed in blue, which was a bit unexpected for her.

"When the flame turns blue, it reaches the ideal state for our weapon refining. Whether it's sacred fire or ordinary fire, reaching the ideal temperature is difficult, and even more difficult. I thought of this when I was choosing clothes. Is this a small aspiration of a weapon cultivator? I didn't expect them to think the same way," Su Xiaoyao replied.

She had never shared her thoughts with anyone, yet the weapon cultivators all seemed to have the same idea.

That's probably how smart people think; their thought processes are all aligned.

"Wow, you guys are so thoughtful." Shen Suqi praised, "I think your teacher who taught you weapon crafting would understand immediately upon meeting you."

Su Xiaoyao smiled brightly: "Of course."

Having been a good student for so long, coupled with a touch of cunning, she was perfectly capable of manipulating her teachers' mindsets, making it incredibly easy for her to continue being a good student in their eyes for the rest of her life.

It wasn't that she was deliberately trying to please her; it was just a habit of hers.

“There are still a lot of people in white clothes in this crowd. Sword cultivators like to wear all white. It’s so boring,” Shen Suqi said.

Su Xiaoyao wholeheartedly agreed: "Helian Yi is also taking sword cultivation courses when using a scimitar. He will probably become a newcomer among the many who are still learning."

Helian Yi's favorite colors are gorgeous purple, noble black, and dazzling gold.

His beautiful appearance makes him look good in any clothes, and he also likes to try different styles.

Su Xiaoyao suddenly felt a little excited to see him. Although her nemesis was sarcastic and sarcastic as soon as they met, there was no denying that his face was too handsome, and even when he rolled his eyes, he was pleasing to the eye.

She, being someone who values ​​appearance, felt a slight itch in her heart.

Today, Helian Yi must look more beautiful than ever before.

She was lost in thought, and it took several calls from Shen Suqi to bring her back to reality.

"Huh? What did you just say to me? I didn't hear you." Su Xiaoyao looked at her, confused.

"What are you thinking about? Your expression is so strange." Shen Suqi scrutinized her. "If I remember correctly, you had this same expression when you shared your experience of choosing male models in your past life with me last time. Tell me, who were you thinking about just now?"

Su Xiaoyao panicked for a moment, then immediately straightened her face: "I have a broad mind and care for the public."

"Hehe." Shen Suqi gave a fake laugh, not exposing such an obvious lie.

Su Xiaoyao changed the subject, saying, "You see, there are often black figures passing through the crowd."

“Well, you can tell just by looking at their behavior. They’re ghost cultivators, after all. They don’t like to gather in groups, so they’re all scattered.” Shen Suqi continued, following her words.

Although the Ghost Cultivators have an outstanding leader like Jiang Yun, they are unwilling to gather together due to the nature of their cultivation.

For ghost cultivators, encountering a powerful fellow ghost is not necessarily a good thing, as it means there is a possibility that the little ghost they have carefully nurtured could be taken away.

Although Jiang Yun, holding the Soul-Summoning Banner, would definitely look down on their things, due to long-standing habits and instinctive fear, most of them were solitary individuals who disliked crowds and did not feel lonely when accompanied by ghost messengers.

Moreover, Jiang Yun has his own friends. He prefers to stay away from crowds and only associates with certain people. Over time, the ghost cultivators all know that he has no desire to lead and will not unite them like Shen Suxi led the talisman cultivators, so they stop bothering him.

The two were still discussing the tacit understanding among the cultivators on the first day of school when they heard someone calling out to them.

"Sister Qi, over here!" The "not afraid of the heat" cultivator from the southeast noticed Shen Suqi and waved his arm at her.

She seemed to have used some kind of special talisman, as her voice pierced through the crowd and came through clearly.

Shen Suqi responded by waving her arm: "I'll be there after I have some breakfast."

The person opposite nodded and continued talking to the red-robed monks beside them.

"When did Fu Xiu become so extravagant, using talismans even for short-distance communication?" Su Xiaoyao asked in surprise. "You used to be the only one who could afford such luxuries. Have you suddenly become rich?"

“It’s not like getting rich overnight, we call it creating wealth ourselves.” Shen Suqi shook her finger. “I shared some experience with them on how to reduce the loss of spiritual energy during the process of drawing talismans. In addition, the spiritual energy on the island is particularly abundant. They practiced using basic talismans day and night. Basic talismans have a limited range of sound transmission and are not used in many occasions. They can’t be sold either, so now they have more than they can use.”

“I remember you learned the method of reducing spiritual energy loss from the rare book by the Heavenly Dao Ancestor. Are you willing to give it up?” Su Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow.

Such selfless dedication is rare in the cultivation world, especially since Shen Suqi, knowing that possessing a treasure is a crime, has never done anything that would arouse envy.

Shen Suqi smiled and said, "I learned this skill from the Dao Ancestor. It's highly likely that this skill will be offered as a basic course in the upcoming compulsory courses. I'm just doing him a favor in advance. Besides, I only gave you a basic handout. With the Dao Ancestor's handwritten notes, I will only learn better than them."

“I admire your confidence,” Su Xiaoyao nodded.

"Besides, I haven't forgotten that the Tianyan Academy was established to revitalize the cultivation world. The stronger the people on our island are, the greater the chance they will have to change the status quo. I should do my part for this." Shen Suqi said with a smile, her tone light but her meaning profound.

"It wasn't just one person who contributed." Su Xiaoyao felt that she was being modest.

The Fu Xiu are now the most united group within the Tianyan Academy, and their overall atmosphere far surpasses that of other cultivators. All of this is thanks to Shen Suqi's proactive leadership.

It's not just about strength ranking; other talisman cultivators can learn real skills and gain real experience from Shen Suqi, so naturally they all submit to her.

As they chatted, a stream of people walked past them, and one of the familiar faces greeted them.

"Xiao Kui, where is your medicine cultivation classroom? Shall we eat together after class?" Su Xiaoyao asked.

Dai Kui broke away from her usual quiet and peaceful image, looking radiant and lively. Her green dress embroidered with ripples added a touch of charm and liveliness to the mature young girl.

She smiled happily when she saw them: "Our compulsory course classroom is located in Zhixing Hall, which is two hills away from your Yude Palace. It's too far. I probably won't be back for lunch. I'll go directly to the elective course classroom in the afternoon to wait."

Upon hearing her words, Su Xiaoyao fell silent for a moment.

It wasn't that I felt sorry for not being able to eat together, but rather because of the place name she mentioned.

Xiao Ye is good at naming things; she adopted the names of her primary, middle, and university school buildings and assigned them classrooms.

The monks readily accepted the teaching method of not having fixed classrooms and were extremely quick to learn some proper nouns from another world. Just because the timetable notice said "classroom," they quickly changed the name to "lecture hall."

This gave Su Xiaoyao the illusion of returning to her previous life to attend university, but their gorgeous and antique attire pulled her back to reality.

She had no doubt that this was the work of the Heavenly Dao Ancestor himself. She absolutely did not believe that someone with such a lofty appearance would come up with such a... bizarre name. Only the playful Xiao Ye would do such a thing.

“Our Mingli Hall, which is a numerology school, is quite close to here. It’s just a short walk to Bai Niang Qian Wei Lou. We’ll go there after class at noon,” Shen Suqi said. “I may practice fasting, but I won’t deprive myself as long as I can satisfy my appetite.”

“Hmm, the rules of the sect say that cultivators cannot detach themselves from the mortal world, which is completely different from what I originally thought.” Dai Kui said with longing. “When I was in Liuyun Sect, everyone told me that if I wanted to continue on the path of the Great Dao, I had to sever all ties with my family and relatives, not get involved in any karma, and not be greedy for the enjoyment of worldly pleasures. But the Dao Ancestor said to follow one’s heart and let nature take its course, and that karma has its own laws. Whether out of respect or my own will, I am willing to believe what the Dao Ancestor said.”

"Only those who lack ability whine and complain. Everything in the world has its own destiny and reason for existence. How can one sever all past relationships and kinship just to cultivate the Tao?" Su Xiaoyao said with disdain.

“I think so too.” Shen Suqi agreed. “The sect leader of the Xuantian Sword Sect has a grandson. When he’s mingling with the sect leaders and elders of other sects, they have a good friendship. They don’t seem to sever their karmic ties. In my opinion, their so-called protection from karmic ties is actually a way to cut off the escape route for low-level cultivators, thereby deceiving them into willingly risking their lives for them.”

“You’ve hit the nail on the head.” Su Xiaoyao held out her palm.

A crisp clapping sound rang out.

Dai Kui smiled like a blooming flower, her eyes crinkling as she said, "I think the same way you do. I don't believe that severing karmic ties will lead to better cultivation. Without Xiao Mian's constant encouragement, I wouldn't be where I am today."

"That's right."

The medicine practitioners were about to reunite, so Dai Kui didn't linger.

Su Xiaoyao and Shen Suqi then headed to their actual destination from this morning.

—A steamed bun shop.

"I knew the steamed bun shop wouldn't be bad business." Su Xiaoyao said smugly, looking at the long queue at the front door.

"Her business acumen is unmatched." Shen Suqi gave her a thumbs up without hesitation.

Su Xiaoyao pointed to the steamed bun stall and said, "Look, your heat-preserving talisman is really useful. We need to increase production when winter comes, even if it's low-level."

“It’s easy to draw, but there’s just too much of it. If only I were in the Nascent Soul stage right now, I could use clones to do the work.” Shen Suqi frowned, thinking about what solutions to come.

"That's easy," Su Xiaoyao suggested. "Just outsource the project."

"What outsourcing? How do you do it?" Shen Suqi didn't understand.

“That’s how it is.” When it came to making money, Su Xiaoyao perked up. “You calculate how many spirit talismans you need, and then distribute these spirit talismans to other talisman cultivators. Originally, you would get three high-grade spirit stones for each spirit talisman, but now you give them two for each talisman, and then you can make a profit without doing anything yourself. You can make a profit from the price difference, right?”

"Two high-grade spirit stones and one talisman, would they be willing to do it?" Shen Suqi hesitated.

That sounds a bit too cheap.

"Of course, two high-grade spirit stones may not sound like much, but every little bit counts. Spirit talismans don't expire, and just in case you talisman cultivators have a lot of work to do, why not prepare 100,000 at once? Surely someone would be willing to do such a big project together."

A deal worth 200,000 high-grade spirit stones! There must be someone willing to do it!

Su Xiaoyao smiled slyly: "They'll know how valuable credits are once school starts. Many of our cultivation resources need to be exchanged for credits, whether for cultivation or for completing tasks. They'll need a lot of spirit stones in the future. If you mention it, I'm sure many talisman cultivators will be willing to join."

Shen Suqi's eyes lit up: "What you said makes so much sense! I've decided to give them a high-grade spirit stone and a low-grade spirit talisman, so I can make two profits from the difference!"

Su Xiaoyao was very pleased that she knew how to apply what she learned to other situations.

"But can you make back all that money by buying so many talismans?" Shen Suqi was also thinking of her friend, worried that she might lose money.

"We need to use it for both the takeout orders at Bai Niang Qian Wei Lou and the takeout orders at the steamed bun shop. Anyway, the cost comes from the customers, so we can make a profit," Su Xiaoyao said nonchalantly.

Shen Suqi asked in confusion, "But steamed buns only cost a few dollars, why would you need such an expensive talisman..."

While they were talking, the two of them had already arrived in front of the steamed bun shop, and she also saw the price displayed on it.

Regular custard bun, 2 superior spirit stones;

Ordinary red bean bun, 2 superior spirit stones;

Ordinary fresh meat bun, 5 superior spirit stones;

Regular crab roe bun, 8 high-grade spirit stones;

...

Spiritual Custard Bun, 5 Superior Spirit Stones;

Spiritual Red Bean Bun, 5 Superior Spirit Stones;

Spiritual Fresh Meat Bun, 8 Superior Spirit Stones;

Spiritual Crab Roe Bun, 15 Superior Spirit Stones;

...

Shen Suqi's jaw almost hit the ground: "You, you, you, she, she, she, this, this, this! Does anyone really buy something this expensive? How much spiritual energy can you gain from eating a steamed bun? Even if Xiao Tingyuan made it, it wouldn't be worth it, right?"

You don't need spirit stones to buy steamed buns outside; it's just a few copper coins!

Su Xiaoyao slightly raised her chin, showing her the long queue.

She smiled smugly: "There are no competitors on our island right now, and here, anything below the grade of spirit stone isn't even qualified to be sold. The prices are reasonable, and we're willing to pay whatever they want. We'll consider offering discounts when there are competitors later."

"There are plenty of ordinary cultivators who can enroll, and you only make money off the rich? That's not like you."

In Su Xiaoyao's eyes, everyone is equal when it comes to making money; she should indiscriminately exploit everyone.

“Don’t doubt your judgment. Of course I won’t let anyone’s wallet slip by,” Su Xiaoyao said. “Don’t think it’s expensive now because many people think it is. I’ve looked into the academy’s credit system and mission system. As long as you’re not buried in seclusion, you can save up a lot of spirit stones in no time. I also took into account the island’s inflation when I set the price.”

"You've made me almost forget what low-grade and mid-grade spirit stones are," Shen Suqi said in a daze.

She recalled that since arriving on the island, she had never seen what low-grade or mid-grade spirit stones looked like.

Su Xiaoyao tilted her head: "Haven't you noticed that since we came to the island and lost access to outside prices, the shops that have sprung up around my Hundred Brews and Thousand Flavors restaurant only trade high-grade spirit stones? This isn't just my fault. Applying for a shop and setting prices both require Xiao Ye's approval. When I tentatively submitted my prices, she didn't object, and the shop prices only went higher afterward. That's when I realized she was slowly weakening the purchasing power of high-grade spirit stones on the island, which means she's confident that we won't be short of money in the future."

The island is isolated from the outside world, and there are no other ways to make money within the Tianyan Academy, which means that the rewards for completing tasks are definitely very attractive.

Perhaps this was a special favor given to them by the Dao Ancestor, out of concern for their lack of spirit stone resources.

As a shrewd businesswoman, her keen market insight and money-making instincts allowed her to discover this early on, which is why she dared to brazenly become a "ruthless businesswoman."

Setting a high price now and then lowering it appropriately when it becomes unsuitable is better than setting the price too conservatively and failing to keep up with rapidly shrinking purchasing power, which would lead to frequent price increases later.

“Xiao Yao.” Shen Suqi’s expression was complicated. “Fortunately, you were bound to the system. Fortunately, you weren’t taken away by the Xuan Tian Sword Sect Master and his people because of your talent.”

Su Xiaoyao lightly dusted off the corner of her clothes: "I am a good socialist youth with very upright values ​​and morals. I only like to be a ruthless businessman. I would never agree to do anything illegal, immoral, or immoral. Besides, they looked down on my background back then, and they disdained my business talent. So there are no ifs."

“Yes, there are no ifs.” Shen Suqi nodded emphatically. “I support you in continuing your hobby.”

This money-grabbing hobby absolutely cannot change!

Money, you must hold Xiao Yao's heart firmly! Don't let her almost demonic brains wander off to other places!

"It was quite colorful while I was queuing." After she finished her inner monologue, she calmed down and turned to look at the long queue in front of the steamed bun shop.

Looking from the front to the back of the line, I roughly estimated that there were several hundred people queuing up. The monks stood together in twos and threes, which looked a bit chaotic from a distance, but were also orderly.

"You were right back then. No one can resist when they see others eating it. This is indeed a good business opportunity."

Seeing the person who had just bought steamed buns carrying a full oil paper bag in one hand and taking out a steaming meat bun in the other to eat heartily as they walked out of the queue, Shen Suqi, who had been fasting for a long time, felt "hungry" for the first time.

"Come on, come on, I'm craving it! I want some too!" She grabbed Su Xiaoyao's sleeve and strode towards the end of the line.

"Wait a minute." Su Xiaoyao pulled her back.

Shen Suqi looked at the ever-growing queue with longing eyes and said, "No, if we wait any longer, there will be even more people waiting."

The steamed bun shop was in such a good location that all the cultivators could see the thriving business when they gathered, and people would often cast curious and inquisitive glances at it.

Curiosity and herd mentality attracted many monks to line up.

Just one step too late, and the team grew considerably.

"You seem to have forgotten who I am." Su Xiaoyao pointed to herself, "I'm the investor in this shop."

“Yes, that’s right.” Shen Suqi realized belatedly.

"No need to queue, I'll take you through the back door." Su Xiaoyao snapped her fingers casually. "I specifically told Xiao Bao to save me a few breakfasts every morning."

"This is amazing!" Shen Suqi exclaimed in delight. Not having to wait in line was the best thing ever.

She followed her friend around to the back door.

Just as they were about to push the door open at the back entrance of the steamed bun shop, the wooden door creaked open from the inside.

Then they bumped into Helian Yi and Shui Fan, who were carrying oil paper packages.

"You..." Helian Yi's pupils trembled the moment he saw Su Xiaoyao.

"What's wrong with me?" Su Xiaoyao was first stunned by his handsome face that suddenly came into view, and her breath caught in her throat for a moment. Then she quickly suppressed her admiration and met his wide eyes to ask him a question.

Helian Yi opened his mouth, but then stopped and said tactfully, "I've never seen you dressed so formally before, I'm just a little surprised."

Is this just a formality? Su Xiaoyao usually prefers simple, fitted outfits, but today she's unusually dressed in a light blue dress and even has her eyebrows and eyes done up...

Well, it looks even better now.

"What about me? Am I not going to be grand? Look, this is an array I drew myself!" Shen Suqi retorted.

Shui Fan leaned closer, her gaze carefully tracing the pattern on her sleeve, her beautiful eyes wide open: "Wow! Is this a scaled-down version of the illusion array? It looks just like the illusion array near the Demon Suppression Well that prevents outsiders from entering."

"Young man, you have good taste." Shen Suqi was pleased.

She casually patted Su Xiaoyao next to her: "Xiaoyao, get me a steamed bun, I want the sweet kind."

Then he pulled the discerning Shui Fan aside to discuss the formation.

"Does the Demon-Suppressing Well in the Deep Sea Abyss also have a similar formation?"

“Yes, I used to wander around that area every day, I remember it very clearly,” Shui Fan said.

"That's great! This formation is very powerful, but I still can't quite grasp its essence. I'll visit your house sometime and study it on-site."

"Be careful, that formation is very powerful and will attack any intruders except for the merfolk."

"Huh? If this formation is so powerful, why was someone able to sneak in and steal demonic energy last time?"

"It's because the formation is so powerful that it needs to be closed for one day every year to replenish a large amount of spiritual energy. I never expected that someone would be able to exploit this loophole."

They chatted on the side, while Su Xiaoyao and Helian Yi stared at each other blankly.

"You haven't answered my question yet, Helian Yi." Su Xiaoyao looked at him and repeated the question from before, "What's wrong with me?"

She was mentally prepared for her arch-enemy to say something unpleasant.

But then I heard the person on the other side say...

"nice."

"What?" Su Xiaoyao was unsure of what she had heard.

Would Helian Yi praise her? And wouldn't it be a sarcastic, mocking compliment?

Helian Yi was initially a little embarrassed, after all, the person standing in front of him was his nemesis.

But then I thought, he is Helian Yi, what's wrong with telling the truth?

“I said—you are very beautiful, Su Xiaoyao.”

Su Xiaoyao's eyelashes fluttered as she repeatedly confirmed that the arrogant expression on the guy's face was as it always was; no one could imitate that unique arrogance.

Her lips curled up, and her pupils shone black.

"Of course, it seems you have another advantage: you like to tell the truth."

“Yes, I like to tell the truth.” Helian Yi changed the subject. “So I’ve never been wrong about anything I’ve said about you.”

"Tsk, that's the first time I've praised you." Su Xiaoyao crossed her arms and snorted coldly.

She rolled her eyes slightly, then caught a glimpse of the steaming buns in Helian Yi's hand out of the corner of her eye, and suddenly remembered something.

"Wait, why are you at the back door? I didn't prepare a portion for you."

Helian Yi curled his lips smugly and waved the oil paper bag in his hand at her.

"I said I am your friend."

Su Xiaoyao was furious: "Xiao Bao is too easy to fool! You can't believe she actually believed it!"

"It's because we're inseparable, even when choosing a residence, we have to be neighbors." Helian Yi took a bite of the bun in front of her.

"So, you just want to freeload off me, huh?"

"Not entirely. Of course, my approach to you is also in order to observe you and surpass you."

"You're definitely up to no good. Don't even think about it. Even if you get closer to observe me, it won't do you any good, because you can't learn my innate intelligence and unparalleled wisdom."

"Oh."

"What are you laughing at? Give my steamed bun back!"

"Come and rob me if you dare."

The two began a chase, their spiritual energy flying everywhere as if it were free.

On the other side, Shen Suqi and Shui Fan stopped their discussion and looked over.

"They started arguing again, over a few steamed buns," Shen Suqi said.

"Anytime, anywhere, just give it a chance and it'll happen. I'll get tired of it, but nothing bad will happen anyway." Shui Fan yawned as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. He wasn't worried at all, since both sides in the fight were his friends.

“It looks like Xiao Yao can’t get the buns for me.” Shen Suqi agreed with him and turned away from her friend. “You just came out of there, right? You should know where the buns are. Take me to get them.”

"Okay, this place has good skills. I recommend you try the crab roe buns." Shui Fan shook her head regretfully. "It's a pity we can't leave the island, otherwise I would catch some fish with good meat to make buns."

"Have your merman underlings deliver it, along with the ingredients from Bai Niang Qian Wei Lou," she said.

"The fiercer the fight, the tastier the meat. If they can't win, the meat they catch won't be fresh enough. And if the inferior meat is delayed on the way here, it will taste even worse." Shui Fan arrogantly raised his chin. "I have to catch it myself."

"What you've said has piqued my curiosity. I definitely have to visit your home sometime." Shen Suqi's appetite was whetted.

"Welcome, welcome."

...

In a lively and enthusiastic atmosphere, the opening ceremony officially began.