"Hey hey hey! Junior! You’re not joking, right?" Lin Ming’s face turned ashen at Yuhan He’s words. He asked her anxiously.

Watching his nervous expression, Yuhan He found it amusing. Her playful mood surged. She pretended to count on her fingers. "Senior! Let me calculate. Since we started shopping properly, we’ve only covered four streets. We’ve bought just over a hundred items. How can such a small haul count as shopping?"

Lin Ming’s heart sank. "Four streets aren’t enough?! Over a hundred items? And that’s a small haul? Damn, piled up, they’d be as high as a small mountain! I need a plan. Or I’m in deep trouble."

Yuhan He watched his face shift rapidly like a chameleon. She covered her mouth and giggled softly. ‘Senior, I’m curious how you’ll refuse next.’

True to himself, Lin Ming had caused countless troubles at the Academy with his quick wit. How could skipping shopping stop him?

A flash of inspiration struck him. ‘What’s most lacking when shopping? Stamina? Money! Yes, money! After buying over a hundred items, she must be low on cash! Heh heh.’

Lin Ming put on a grave expression. He spoke earnestly. "Junior! It’s not that I’m criticizing you, but spending recklessly is wrong. Look, you bought so many useless things; you must be broke. How can you still want to shop?"

Yuhan He didn’t care. ‘Money is no issue for her.’

"But Senior, my purchases aren’t useless! They’re essentials—face masks, shampoo, conditioner!" She counted on her fingers, listing them like treasures.

‘Damn, they’re actually useful?!’ Lin Ming listened as she kept explaining. A bead of cold sweat rolled down his forehead.

On the surface, she spoke earnestly. Secretly, she chuckled. ‘Senior, how could a guy understand these things?’

She tapped her plump lips. "As for money, I’d say I still have at least one million Gold Coins! So don’t worry. Let’s keep shopping, Senior!"

"One million?! And at least!" Lin Ming was stunned speechless. Drool leaked from his mouth.

‘One million! Last time, I exploited a loophole to scam 200,000 from the Jade Vipers mission. This mission isn’t even as good! One million! Only S Rank missions pay that much! And you might die!’ His mind raced. The drool increased.

"Senior! Wipe your drool," Yuhan He pointed at his mouth.

"Uh!" Lin Ming snapped out of it. He wiped his drool. His face turned bitter. ‘This tactic failed completely. What now? Last-ditch effort!’

He pretended to be weak. His legs felt unsteady as he shuffled. Leaning against a street wall, he said, "Junior! Senior doesn’t know what’s wrong, but I’m feeling weak. Let’s rest first."

"Pfft!" Yuhan He burst out laughing. Covering her mouth, she muffled, "Senior, stop pretending. I’m not teasing you. How can a Body Cultivator say he’s suddenly weak? You’re something else. We won’t shop this afternoon. Relax."

Hearing no shopping, Lin Ming revived fully. He gave Yuhan He a deeply grievous look. ‘So she played me!’

"Well? Was that fun, Senior?" She winked playfully.

"Like hell it was fun!"

...

Lin Ming followed Yuhan He through Wind City’s streets. She wanted to visit famous sights. To him, it didn’t matter—he didn’t carry things anymore. The horror of a full Storage Ring wasn’t universal.

He accompanied her to various sights for half a day. Yuhan He grew more energetic. Lin Ming grew more bored.

Seriously, sights like the Crouching Dragon Pond and Statues of Heavenly Gods—damn, what’s the use? Crouching dragon? Bullshit! What dragon fits in that pond? Damn, a dragon’s hand alone is bigger! And Statues of Heavenly Gods? Our Headmaster is more powerful than any god, but no statue for him! (He just lacked spare cash.) Gods aren’t unkillable. If one offered me one million, I’d kill him too!

Anyway, following her was incredibly boring. None of those sights were real. A decent Mage could easily create three or four.

As Lin Ming drowned in complaints, Yuhan He stopped. Curious, he followed her gaze.

Ahead, a girl about five or six stood by the crowded street. She carried a flower basket, calling out to sell.

"Sir, buy some flowers?"

"Miss, these were just picked—very fresh! Buy one!"

The girl was quite pretty, with baby fat on her cheeks. She wore pigtails and simple clothes with visible patches. She stood out, yet no one bought despite her calls.

"Ah!" A careless young man bumped into her. Flowers scattered everywhere.

"Ah! Sorry!" He instinctively apologized and left.

"Ah! The flowers!" The girl anxiously gathered them. Damaged flowers meant no sales.

Yuhan He rushed over. She squatted down. "Little one, let me help."

The girl froze, stunned. Such a beautiful big sister was helping. She beamed. "Thank you! Beautiful big sister."

"Senior, come help! Or if flowers are damaged, you buy them," Yuhan He called anxiously to Lin Ming.

"Hey hey! No way! Fine, I’ll help." Lin Ming squatted down helplessly.

‘It wasn’t me who knocked them over. Why should I pick them up?’ he thought. But his actions were thorough.

Soon, all flowers were gathered. Yuhan He and the girl sat on a street bench. It was for two, so Lin Ming stood miserably behind.

The girl was nervous but thanked them. "Beautiful big sister, thank you. And big brother too."

Yuhan He smiled warmly. "No need, little one. I’m Yuhan He. This is my senior, Lin Ming. What’s your name?"

Truly, her Melodic Magic gave her voice natural warmth. The tense girl calmed instantly.

"Sister, your voice is so nice. I’m Yaya. Can I call you Sister Yuhan?" Little Yaya broke into a bright smile.