Having completely finalized the resettlement plan for the crypt remnants, Xu Yuan and Bai Muxi did not linger. They boarded their carriage and traveled without pause to Huaijiu Lane, famous throughout Di'an.
Just as mentioning Misty Willow Lane in Di'an City brought the Longping River to most minds, Huaijiu Lane was one of the city's most renowned commercial streets, famed for its extravagant goods.
Finding a carriage station by the roadside to leave their carriage, Xu Yuan led Bai Muxi onto the main thoroughfare.
Though named an alley, repeated expansions had made it as grand as the city's wide boulevards. Pedestrians and perfumed carriages brushed past one another, making the entire district bustle with prosperity.
Milling amid the crowd, Xu Yuan felt a sense of leisurely contentment.
Azure skies with white clouds, distant mountains dark as ink, and a cold breeze heralding the turn from winter to spring blew against his face—chilly, yet not biting.
It stirred a few memories within him.
In his previous life, he hadn't liked shopping—he had even despised it, thanks to the internet.
In this life, however, he quite enjoyed it. After all, there were virtually no indoor entertainments here, and he never had to hustle to make ends meet, so strolling outside daily had naturally become one of his few pastimes.
Of course, the primary motive was hunting for beauties.
Affection bought with silver in pleasure houses was fleeting after all; only the "pure love" of the hunt could truly soothe the soul.
He had once been a frequent visitor to Huaijiu Lane.
The reason was simple: due to the steep prices, virtually everyone who came here was wealthy, and the chances of finding beauties among highborn families were far greater than among commoners.
As these thoughts drifted through his mind, Xu Yuan habitually scanned the noble ladies along the street.
There were swordswomen bearing blades on their backs beneath muli veils, and demure young ladies of prominent houses with slender waists and gentle poise.
Indeed, his memories hadn't lied.
Walking down the familiar street, memories from the depths of Xu Yuan's mind resurfaced bit by bit.
Scene after scene came back to him. Xu Yuan suddenly recalled that his notorious reputation as a degenerate had seemingly started right here, and he couldn't help letting out a soft laugh.
The streets and markets all claimed the Third Young Master of the Prime Minister's Manor was hopelessly depraved, abducting women in broad daylight.
Yet in truth, did he ever need to force anyone?
Other profligates might indeed have resorted to abduction, but he, Xu Yuan, had never needed such tactics.
The rumors were utterly detached from reality.
Leaving his status aside for a moment, simply taking off the human-skin mask he wore right now would give him a head-turning rate that outshone those graceful noblewomen and swordswomen dozens of times over.
Could mutual consent be called abduction?
Looking back now, Xu Yuan realized that among the noble ladies he had bedded in Di'an, quite a few had thrown themselves at him on purpose.
However, beating people to death in the street had indeed happened—though it was always because they had provoked him first.
Whenever he struck up conversations with beauties, there would occasionally be some lovesick fools jumping about making snide, passive-aggressive remarks, or even gathering a gang of friends to corner him at an inn after he spent a night of passion with a lady.
Of course, many among them had justifiable grounds.
In this era, many noble ladies had betrothals arranged before birth. When Xu Yuan went womanizing, he often ended up with women who were already engaged. But what did that have to do with him? If the girl didn't mention it while in bed with him, how was he supposed to know about her betrothal?
Once his bad reputation spread, literati and scholars eventually came sniffing around like hounds.
He was, after all, the son of the reigning Prime Minister. Armed with moral indignation and citing classics under the banner of righteousness, they used their sharp tongues to humiliate him.
It was a popular way to make a name for oneself in this era.
Scholars with imperial examination titles enjoyed imperial protection; even the yamen had to seek approval through multiple tiers of authority before arresting them. Ordinary profligates would have just swallowed their fury when scolded on the street, but who was he?
Three words:
Beat their asses.
You use your mouth, I use my fists. Perfectly fair.
Dealing with these scholars, Xu Yuan had initially stopped once he vented his anger; after all, if word of beating someone to death in the street reached his eldest brother's ears, he would undoubtedly be strung up and thrashed once he got home.
Later, though, he realized that showing restraint was utterly useless against these scholars. If anything, getting beaten only seemed to invigorate them.
Besides, as long as Xu Changge heard he had caused trouble outside, his brother would beat him anyway, even if nobody died.
Xu Yuan had eventually figured it out.
Since he was getting thrashed either way, he might as well beat them to death next time. At least that would get the buzzing flies to back off.
Thus, the first scholar to end up dead in the street soon appeared.
Unfortunately, these literati all seemed intent on leaving an untarnished legacy in the mortal realm. Far from backing down, their vocal condemnations only escalated—and back home, Xu Changge struck him even harder.
With resentment piling up in his chest, the second and third "pioneers" had their heads sliced clean off by his blade right in the bustling downtown market.
Only such ruthless brutality finally silenced the scholars, but his notoriety was thoroughly cemented.
While they no longer dared provoke him in the flesh, they wielded their writing brushes to broadcast his illustrious reputation across the length and breadth of Great Yan.
After that, the ones looking for trouble became sect disciples and scions of noble families, and the vicious cycle repeated itself.
Thinking of this, Xu Yuan couldn't help sighing and muttering softly under his breath, "What a load of ridiculous crap..."
"Hmm?" Hearing him, Bai Muxi instinctively asked, "What did you say just now, Young Master?"
Xu Yuan glanced back at Xiao Bai. Her face was still veiled in purple gauze, her snowy, jade-like skin dazzlingly fair beneath the midday sun. He shook his head. "Nothing. Just reminiscing about the past."
Saying so, Xu Yuan pointed toward a shop not far away that saw few visitors. "If I remember correctly, the fabrics at that boutique called Hongshang are quite nice."
Bai Muxi's bright eyes flickered. She seemed to realize the intended purpose of the clothes they were buying, yet showed no embarrassment, carrying herself with natural grace. "You seem quite familiar with this street, Young Master?"
"I used to come here often." Xu Yuan didn't deny it. Smiling, he pointed toward several elegantly decorated historic pavilions nearby. "The shop plaques on those buildings were actually sold to them by me back in the day."
"Plaques?" Bai Muxi looked up at his words. The calligraphy inscribed on the plaques flowed like flying dragons and startled serpents, exuding an indescribable aura of authority.
"Such powerful brushwork... Did you write them?" Bai Muxi asked, already knowing the answer.
Xu Yuan shook his head and chuckled quietly. "My handwriting isn't worth a coin. They're my father's."
Bai Muxi gave a soft, melodious laugh. "I imagine they brought in quite a fortune."
"Naturally." Xu Yuan wore an easy, smug smile. "My father's calligraphy is nearly impossible to acquire. All the authentic pieces currently circulating in Great Yan were sold by me back then."
Bai Muxi lightly covered her red lips, smiling delightfully. "To think you did such absurd things back then, Young Master... You truly are amusing."
Xu Yuan shook his head and remarked casually, "It was quite fun back then, though I don't care much for petty sums like that anymore."
Back then, for visiting pleasure houses and buying trinkets, ten thousand taels lasted a very long time, but such personal expenditures amounted to nothing more than pocket change when compared to matters of state and war.
Chatting and laughing, the two soon arrived before the boutique named Hongshang. Before they even stepped inside, two pretty female ushers came forward, curtsying respectfully. "Honored guests, are you looking for ceremonial attire, or seeking custom inscribed attire?"
"..."
Hearing these two unfamiliar terms, Bai Muxi instinctively glanced at Xu Yuan.
Xu Yuan first responded, "Let's take a look inside first," then explained to Xiao Bai, "Ceremonial attire is for regular wear, while inscribed attire is tailored for cultivators and requires custom crafting."
With that, he stepped into the historic building, and a faint, elegant incense greeted his nostrils. The layout of the ground floor was somewhat reminiscent of clothing stores from Xu Yuan's previous life, with various styles of women's garments categorized and displayed across different sections. There were ruqun, opulent robes, palace gowns, qipao, and even midriff-baring red ensembles from the Western Regions. Some were revealing and daring, while others were demure and modest—a feast for the eyes.
Hongshang was a century-old boutique specializing in women's apparel. Xu Yuan had visited several times in the past, so he was well-versed in how things worked here. Hongshang had three stories in total: ready-made pieces on the first and second floors, and bespoke commissions crafted by the shopkeeper on the third.
Without stopping on the first floor, Xu Yuan led Bai Muxi straight up to the second. The moment she set foot on the second floor, Bai Muxi's delicate eyes widened slightly. This was her first time shopping outside, and her first time witnessing Great Yan's prosperity reflected in clothing.
Compared to the overwhelming array on the first floor, the second was far more minimalist—yet that minimalism was built upon sheer extravagance. The vast hall was serene and archaic. In all, only twenty-seven garments were displayed on the entire floor, each suspended within an enchanted glass showcase, resembling exhibited works of art. Every piece on Hongshang's second floor was one of a kind in the world.
Though it was essentially a marketing gimmick, the shopkeeper's designs were undeniably gorgeous, and the materials were of the highest caliber.
Seeing Xiao Bai's wide-eyed wonder, like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, Xu Yuan found it rather amusing. He gave her soft waist a gentle pinch and reminded her, "Go pick for yourself. If you like something, have the usher wrap it up. If nothing catches your eye, we can head to the next shop."
Bai Muxi blinked, then asked tentatively, "Young Master... won't you be choosing yourself?"
While this shopping trip was ostensibly for her clothes, they were meant for the young master's pleasure.
Xu Yuan glanced at her with a faint smile. "In matters like this, I think it's more of a pleasant surprise when the lady prepares it on her own initiative."
"...Hmm?"
Hearing that, Bai Muxi feigned confusion in her bright eyes before swaying her hips toward the glass display cases. As she walked, she calculated quietly in her mind: *I'll pick a conservative dress in front of him first, and then sneak out later after returning to the manor to buy something he might actually like...*
Seeing Xiao Bai go off to choose, Xu Yuan casually pulled a chair out of his Sumeru ring and sat down.
The pretty female usher standing beside Xu Yuan froze for a second, baffled by where this customer had materialized a chair from. She opened her mouth instinctively to protest, but ultimately swallowed her words. To maintain its aura of exclusive refinement, Hongshang provided no couches for guests to lounge on—yet if a patron brought his own chair, how could she reasonably tell him to get up?
For a time, the second floor fell silent save for the rustle of Xiao Bai's steps.
Having paced back and forth past a dozen glass cases, Bai Muxi was just about to point at a ruqun featuring a black base with red trim and white silk embroidery when her lovely eyes suddenly darted toward the staircase leading from the second floor to the third.
*Tap.*
*Tap.*
*Tap.*
The next instant, footsteps descended from above.
Raising an eyebrow, Xu Yuan belatedly looked back over his shoulder.
At first glance, he saw a familiar face: the shopkeeper of Hongshang, a mature woman who still retained considerable charm. In his memories, this woman had always operated on a strict "buy or get lost" philosophy, consistently treating customers with a sour face.
Of course, if you held a blade to her throat, she would instantly demonstrate a textbook sliding kneel.
Amused by memories of the time he had taught the woman a lesson, Xu Yuan was suddenly surprised to see her beaming with obsequious smiles as she led the way for two people behind her. It seemed those two possessed extraordinary status.
Xu Yuan thought little of it, keeping his legs crossed as he waited for Xiao Bai to pick her clothes. As the heart of Great Yan, Di'an City was home to far too many dignitaries capable of making this woman drop to her knees.
*Tap.*
*Tap.*
Along with the descending footsteps, the lower halves of the two figures behind her entered Xu Yuan's sight. Judging by their attire, they were a man and a woman. The man wore snug martial attire and appeared burly; the woman wore a palace gown blended of heavenly azure and pale blue, radiating a gentle elegance soft as water. They looked like a matched pair.
Yet once their upper bodies came into view, Xu Yuan's brows twitched involuntarily.
Not because of the woman, but the man.
On the man's martial robes, he spotted a family crest.
Marquis Wucheng's Manor.
At that moment, the man's calm, smiling voice, carried with an innate dignity, reached their ears: "Zhiyun, in a few days I'll likely head north to meet Father and Qingyan. Consider this Heavenly Azure Fairy-Immortal Dress an early birthday gift..."
Halfway through his sentence, he broke off.
The man's spirited, sharp gaze swept across the second floor, paused briefly on Bai Muxi, and ultimately settled on Xu Yuan. He realized this man in the Flesh Integration Realm seemed to be the master between the two.
Their eyes met.
Xu Yuan remained leaning back in his wooden chair, with no intention of uncrossing his legs. Resting his chin on his hand, he gazed thoughtfully at the trio walking down the stairs.
Truly... he had old acquaintances everywhere in Di'an City.
Chapter 546