"Oh? What are they?" Yi Chen asked with an inquisitive expression.
"First is this," Zhou Mei turned to her right and grabbed a red and gold coloured card that was resting on the seat. She handed it to Yi Chen the next moment.
"What’s this..." Yi Chen muttered as he curiously glanced through the elegantly designed card.
"This is an invitation card for my elder sister’s birthday banquet. Remember I told you about it during her travels? The banquet is scheduled for the day after tomorrow. Brother Chen, you’ll come right?" Zhou Mei asked with a pleading expression.
"Uhm..." Yi Chen made an uncomfortable expression at this sudden request.
’A birthday banquet? It would surely eat away a lot of my time. It would be better to use that time on my training and cultivation instead...’ he thought, not taking into account Zhou Mei’s expression.
’It’s a good opportunity to get closer to the Zhou Clan, but how can I focus my attention on such matters when I’m stuck at a plateau?’
With this in mind, he decided to reject the invitation.
"I’m sor-"
Just when Yi Chen was about to apologise and reject the invitation, a system message popped up in front of his eyes.
======= Mission ========
Task: Attend the Birthday Banquet
Reward: 10x Comprehension Speed [3 months]
Failure Penalty: Cultivation Speed Reduced by 10% for one year.
======== End ==========
"..."
"Brother Chen, what were you saying? Why did you stop midway?" Zhou Mei asked with a confused expression when she heard him.
"...Ah," Yi Chen coughed a few times and responded, "Something got stuck in my throat. What I was saying was that I’ll of course attend it since it’s your sister’s birthday banquet,"
He changed his wording the very next moment.
’10x Comprehension Speed...’ he thought with a longing expression. It was exactly what he needed to get out of his current state. Therefore, when he saw the system giving him such a generous mission, how could he refuse?
"Yay! With Brother Chen there to accompany me, I won’t be bored," Zhou Mei said with happiness apparent on her face and clapped her hands a couple of times.
Yi Chen smiled seeing her actions, but suddenly a frown appeared on his face as he was reminded of something.
Glancing down at the clothes he was wearing, he thought to himself, ’If I go there wearing the robes which I have with me right now, I can guess exactly what would happen tomorrow.’
Not wanting to be used as a tool for the thirsty Young Masters at the banquet, he asked Zhou Mei the very next moment.
"Uhmm...Little Mei, do you know what kind of clothes would be appropriate for such functions? I think I’ll be needing to buy a new set."
Zhou Mei chuckled when she heard those words and said, "Hehe, knowing that you always wore robes with a simple design, I knew that you would face this problem. Don’t worry, Brother Chen, for this brings me to the second reason for my visit today,"
’Second reason?’ It was only now that Yi Chen was reminded of her earlier words. The sudden system pop-up had sidetracked his mind for a while.
"And what is that?" He asked the next moment.
"It’s of course to show you the city’s main marketplace. Didn’t I promise to show you around earlier?" Zhou Mei reminded with a smile.
A hint of pride formed on her face, seeing that Yi Chen had forgotten about this matter, but she didn’t.
’Ah, yes...that indeed happened,’ Yi Chen remembered the promise she was talking about and, at the same time, glanced towards Zhou Mei and said, "Your memory is pretty sharp, I’m impressed."
"Hmph," Zhou Mei snorted with a pleased smile on her face and said with her chin raised a little, "And Brother Chen has sharp eyes."
Hearing her response, Yi Chen chuckled as he took a seat in the carriage.
Zhou Mei, too, shared the laugh with him and ordered Guard Bai after they had taken a seat.
"Let’s go to the Celestial Silk Tailors,"
"Yes, Young Miss," Guard Bai whipped the horses the next moment, and the carriage began moving.
"Is this Celestial Silk Tailors famous?" Yi Chen asked the next moment.
"Yes," Zhou Mei nodded immediately and explained, "It’s the most highly regarded clothing store in the capital. Even the Empress gets her clothes designed by the store owner during special occasions."
"This...doesn’t it mean it would be too expensive? Let’s not waste too much money on clothes. I just want a decent-looking robe which isn’t too eye-catching," Yi Chen said the next moment.
"No No No," Zhou Mei shook her head three times and said, "One should never compromise with style. If you don’t want to spend money, then I’ll help you with it...though my mother always says that a man is supposed to be able to pay for himself,"
"...you brat, you’re adamant on making me spend my money, aren’t you?" Yi Chen sighed when he heard her words.
To this, Zhou Mei just pulled out her tongue and said, "Who told you to impress my father so much? To think he who barely gives me a monthly income of 100 low-grade spirit stones gifted you with a full 500,000!"
The next moment, she asked while rubbing her chin, "Honestly, Brother Chen, don’t you think that half of your share should belong to me?
If I were not in danger, then you wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to save me. Isn’t that right?"
"..."
"Why are you silent? Did I say anything wrong?" Zhou Mei asked while tilting her head, feigning a confused expression.
"It looks like you’ve become more shameless during these few days," Yi Chen narrowed his eyes and said, "I was thinking about gifting you something at the end of our shopping.
However, it just so happened that your shameless actions have made me rethink my decision."
’Brother Chen was already planning to buy me a gift?’ An expression of happiness welled up in her heart.
"Brother Chen is a strong and forgiving person. He’ll surely not take a little girl’s ramblings seriously, right?" Zhou Mei asked with an innocent gaze while pouting her lips.
"...seriously though, just where did you learn to act this shamelessly all of a sudden?"
"If I tell you about it, then will you consider giving me a gift again?" Seeing that gift seemed distant, she once again tried to negotiate.
"Yes, I will. So, tell me who taught you all these shameless things?" Yi Chen answered the next moment. He was genuinely curious, so he readily agreed to her terms.
"Well...it was mentioned in the story book I was reading," Zhou Mei answered.
"Story books? Since when did you start reading storybooks?" Yi Chen asked with a frown. From what he knew, one of the things Zhou Mei hated the most was reading.
"Well, I gave it an attempt a few days ago. Not being able to get out of the residence for so many days took a toll on me, and I decided to pick up a book from my sister’s room. Unlike me, she’s an avid reader and got her shelves filled with a lot of storybooks."
"Is that so? What is its name?" Yi Chen asked out of curiosity, apparent in his voice. His interest as a reader was stoked.
"It was a pretty long name...let me remember," Zhou Mei scrunched her forehead and thought over it for a couple of seconds.
"Yes! I remember now, it was Turning my Husband into My Woman! That title didn’t make any sense to me...maybe that’s why I was only able to skim through the first three pages."
Yi Chen: "...."
The Lady Guard: "...."
’Just what in the hell is her elder sister even reading?!’ Yi Chen’s face scrunched the very moment he repeated the title in his mind and understood the gist of its plot.
Right at that time, he was reminded of Zhou Mei’s age.
’Isn’t she just thirteen?’ With that in mind, he immediately told her, "You better not pick up that book again, you understand?"
Although Zhou Mei had already given up on reading that book, she still asked with curiosity, "Why? Has Brother Chen read it before?"
"Of course not!" Yi Chen immediately denied such blatant accusations and said, without giving a proper explanation, "Just don’t pick it up, you understand? If you don’t listen to me, then I’m not buying you anything today."
"No! I promise! I promise! Brother Chen must not go back on his words," Zhou Mei hurriedly answered when she heard him. To her, an already abandoned book was nothing compared to the prospect of getting a gift from Yi Chen.
"That’s good..."
Yi Chen sighed in relief when he heard her response.
’To think such forbidden literature exists even in this world...’ Yi Chen thought while thinking about the title once again.
It was at that moment that the horses neighed and came to a stop. They had arrived at their destination.