Feng Shui Chapter 169: The Yumen Water Realm

Although it didn’t have the dual attributes like the Lanwei Jade Hairpin that Xi Yunqing had gifted him, the single attribute it did possess was perfected to the utmost.

After looking over a few more items, Chen Xiao still felt nothing matched the fire-stone chest clasp he had chosen. Most importantly, the fire stone resembled obsidian so closely, and was just as beautiful as Xi Yunqing’s eyes, that Chen Xiao immediately took a liking to it.

“This one, then." Chen Xiao said, looking up at Xiaoman. “How many spirit pearls is this chest clasp worth?”

Seeing Chen Xiao pick this one, Xiaoman couldn’t hide a slight tremble of excitement, her voice wavering a bit. “This chest clasp is one of our top-tier accessories, valued at two hundred spirit stones.”

Two hundred spirit stones were worth twenty thousand spirit pearls. Chen Xiao quickly did the mental math. He had spent over ten thousand spirit pearls on Dragon-Subduing Bone before and only had a little over two thousand left. But Han Yuanchun had given him five hundred spirit stones as a gift, which he hadn’t used yet. Without hesitation, Chen Xiao said to Xiaoman, “Please wrap it up for me.”

Feeling satisfied, Chen Xiao went back down to the first floor. Tang Ru had already chosen her favorite set of magical garments. Not only did she buy one for herself, but she also dragged Tong Nuonuo along to pick out a set for her.

After seeing the two of them dressed in their magical gear, Chen Xiao was utterly speechless. Earlier, Tang Ru had enthusiastically mixed and matched individual pieces, but in the end, she just bought a complete set.

What's the point of all that fuss? Women, whether in this life or the last, always remain such an enigma.

Tong Nuonuo scowled as she stepped out of the Wanjin Pavilion, while Tang Ru was happily dressed in her brand-new magical attire. The set was not only powerful but also exquisitely beautiful, enhancing the delicate features of her face. The expensive outfit was well worth it, no one would mistake her for an ignorant child now. Just by looking at her gear, anyone could tell she was a cultivator of considerable means.

They grabbed a simple meal at a roadside inn, then spent the afternoon touring several other parts of Yingxian Island. Chen Xiao was eager to return home, so before evening fell, he pulled his friends back to Linglang Valley.

When they arrived at their mountaintop pavilion, Chen Xiao was disappointed to find that his eldest brother still hadn’t returned. Feeling listless, he went back to his room, occasionally getting up to check if his brother had come back yet.

Eventually, Chen Xiao decided he was being too restless and busied himself with some work. He took out his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone and resumed compiling the New Introduction on Feng Shui. Soon enough, he became so absorbed he forgot about everything else. Time passed, and dusk deepened, light fading from the room.

“Brother Xiao?” came a soft voice from outside the door.

Chen Xiao immediately stood up and hurried to open the door. “Big brother, you’re back!”

Seeing Chen Xiao’s smiling face, Xi Yunqing’s lips curved into a gentle smile. “I hope I didn’t disturb you.”

Chen Xiao quickly shook his head. “Not at all. I was actually looking for you. Please come in!” He ushered Xi Yunqing into the living room and asked curiously, “Why would you think you disturbed me?”

Xi Yunqing replied, “I ran into Daoist Tong and Daoist Tang on the first floor. They told me you were in your room, either meditating or studying something, very focused. They said you didn’t even come out when they called you for dinner.”

Chen Xiao thought for a moment and laughed. “I was probably just too focused and didn’t hear them.”

Xi Yunqing asked, “Earlier you said you had something to discuss with me. What was it about?”

Chen Xiao rubbed his leg nervously, then opened a small, exquisite red wooden box from his storage. Feeling a bit shy, he said, “Today, at the Wanjin Pavilion, I saw a pair of chest clasps that I thought would suit you perfectly. So I bought them as a gift.”

Xi Yunqing froze for a moment, his eyes visibly widening.

Chen Xiao’s heart pounded faster. He licked his suddenly dry lips and took a deep breath. “Since we met, you’ve helped me so much, and I’ve always been grateful. This is just a small token of my appreciation. I hope you won’t mind.”

A quiet moment passed, as if time had stopped. Chen Xiao was so nervous his heart felt like it might burst. Finally, Xi Yunqing stirred. Slowly, he reached out and took the box, his voice low and husky: “As long as it’s a gift from you, Brother Xiao, I would never mind.”

Not only did he not mind, but he also struggled to contain his joy. After all, this was the first time Brother Xiao had officially given him a gift.

Though Brother Xiao had once given him a talisman for safety, this felt different, this was an openly acknowledged gift.

Chen Xiao couldn’t help but smile widely. “Big brother, open it and have a look.”

Xi Yunqing placed his hand on the box and gave Chen Xiao a deep, meaningful look before lowering his eyes and opening it.

Chen Xiao softly introduced the features of the chest clasps and the six powerful spells sealed within. According to Xiaoman, these six spells were single-use but extremely potent, even a cultivator at the Fusion stage would suffer severe injuries if caught off guard.

Xi Yunqing’s eyes sparkled with surprise at the exceptional quality of the chest clasps. He looked up at Chen Xiao and said, “Thank you, Brother Xiao. I really like these chest clasps.”

As he met Chen Xiao’s gaze, there was an emotion barely held back, almost overflowing, making Chen Xiao feel as if the word “like” wasn’t just about the chest clasps, but about him.

Chen Xiao’s ears suddenly felt hot, like they were burning. Without even touching his face, he knew it was flushed. He grabbed a glass of cold herbal tea from the table and downed it in one gulp, trying to cool himself off.

Avoiding eye contact, Chen Xiao lowered his head to drink, while Xi Yunqing took out the firestone brooch and tried pinning it on his robe. But today he wore a deep azure robe, and although the black stone was rimmed with silver, it didn’t quite match.

Seeing this, Chen Xiao felt a bit frustrated. He had completely forgotten that his elder brother mostly wore dark colors, some deep blues, but mostly black.

He rubbed his forehead and said, “Ah, it’s all my fault. When I first saw the gemstone on this brooch, it reminded me so much of your eyes that I impulsively bought it. I didn’t even think about how you prefer dark clothes, so it might not match well.”

Xi Yunqing paused. So Chen Xiao had chosen the brooch because it resembled his eyes? In the cultivation world, gifts were usually chosen for their practicality, rarely for aesthetic matching. This thought stirred something in Xi Yunqing’s heart.

He wanted to seize the moment to express his feelings but his throat tightened. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find the words. Finally, frustrated, he said, “It’s alright. I don’t always wear black; I have clothes in other colors too.”

Chen Xiao gave a wry smile. “Don’t try to make me feel better. After all these years, I’ve seen most of your clothes.”

Xi Yunqing said seriously, “I’m not trying to sweet-talk you. Look, ” He reached into his storage pouch and pulled out two new robes, neither dark-colored. One was a pale egg-blue, the other an ivory shade.

“Really?” Chen Xiao was surprised. “If you have these, why haven’t I seen you wear them before?”

Xi Yunqing didn’t hide it, answering straightforwardly, “They were just made. I planned to get new clothes when we came to Yingxian Island. Today, I visited an old friend from my sect and through his connections went to Qianxiu Workshop. Not only did I get clothes made for myself, I had some made for you as well.”

He then pulled out the custom-made clothes for Chen Xiao, enough to fill the entire bed in Chen Xiao’s room.

Xi Yunqing had selected fifteen different fabrics to make fifteen outer robes. Besides the outer robes, he also bought ready-made inner clothes and boots from the shop. If it weren’t for Qianxiu Workshop being busy right now, those would have been custom-made as well, but for now, they’d have to be made.

“Big Brother, this…” Chen Xiao looked at the pile of clothes, “Isn’t this a bit too much?”

Xi Yunqing replied, “Not really. Five sets for summer, five for spring and autumn, five for winter, fifteen in total. It sounds like a lot.” He paused, then added, “I miscalculated a bit. The climate here in Taishen is mild, so I should have ordered more thin summer clothes. Since I can’t go back to the workshop now without disturbing them, we’ll wait until the competition between Qianxiu Workshop and Wanjin Pavilion ends before ordering more.”

“Ordering what?” Tong Nuonuo knocked lightly on the not-quite-closed door and then came in. “The food’s already cold. If you want to eat, you’ll have to order more. Why are there so many clothes? Xiao Xiao, when did you buy all these?”

When she learned Xi Yunqing had gotten them made today at Qianxiu Workshop, she couldn’t help but complain, “Brother Xi really only thinks about Chen Xiao. Tang Ruru and I should get new clothes too.”

Xi Yunqing remained unfazed. “I went with Xiao Xiao to the tailor shop in Hanshan City before, so I know his measurements well. For Tong and Tang, we’ll need to go to the shop and take their measurements so the clothes fit perfectly.”

What he said made sense, leaving Tong Nuonuo speechless. Tang Ruru, who had come in with her, nodded and said, “Yes, the fun part about making new clothes is picking out the fabric and styles yourself.”

Tong Nuonuo immediately recalled her experience earlier that day and shivered involuntarily. She forced a laugh, “Maybe… making clothes can wait. We’re not leaving Yingxian Island anytime soon, so it’s best to get custom clothes from Qianxiu Workshop or Wanjin Pavilion.”

Tang Ruru frowned, “But who knows when the feud between those two will end? Are we just supposed to wait around?”

Tong Nuonuo said, “Of course not. There are plenty of places to train around Taishen. Near Yingxian Island, there’s one called the Yumen Water Domain. We can go there first; by the time we come back, maybe the dispute between the two will be over.”

Tang Ruru asked with interest, “Yumen Water Domain? What kind of place is that?”

Tong Nuonuo explained, “It’s a water area near Yingxian Island. There aren’t any fierce land beasts, just some dangerous water creatures. The water isn’t very deep, only a few dozen meters, mostly underwater forests, reefs, and caves. Though it’s meant for training, it’s more like a recreational spot, perfect for someone like Xiao Xiao who’s entering water environments for the first time.”

Originally, Xi Yunqing planned to take Chen Xiao to Yumen Water Domain anyway. Since Tong Nuonuo suggested it, he agreed. With both of them on board, Chen Xiao started preparing his gear for going underwater the very next day.