Kurumi burned the two scrolls in her hand into nothingness, lost in thought.
"What's the clan's response, sister?" Xun'er, sitting nearby, asked anxiously.
"What else could they say? That I asked for too many resources."
Xun'er's pretty face scrunched up in guilt. "It's all my fault for wasting sister's cultivation resources. If I wasn't holding sister back..."
Kurumi felt helpless. This little girl always blamed herself for everything. Anyone could see she was a sensitive and overthinking child.
"Don't worry about cultivation resources. The clan's saints will pressure the elder council. Although we won't get everything, we'll still see an increase compared to before."
"Oh, that's good then."
Xun'er sighed a long sigh of relief, not noticing Kurumi's flickering eyes.
The two scrolls—one from the elder council and the other from her "cheap" father.
Gu Yuan hoped she and Xun'er could retrieve the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade and return to the Gu Clan soon. He also mentioned the clan's Black Abyss Army, which piqued Kurumi's interest.
The Black Abyss Army of the Gu Clan was the most vital corps-level force under the saints, with common Venerables among its ranks. Direct descendants held essential positions, while exceptional talents from branch families filled some roles.
The army guarded the Gu Clan and frequently ventured into the wilderness for training and to gather rare herbs.
If she could command a unit of the Black Abyss Army, her influence in the Gu Clan would increase significantly.
She also missed those little brats in the Gu Clan, especially Gu Yao, whom she had pranked to tears years ago. She wondered how much he had grown.
"Sister~"
"Hmm?"
Kurumi returned to reality to find Xun'er sitting beside her, tugging her arm.
"Let's go out and play?"
Just as Kurumi was about to refuse, Xun'er gave her a look that said, "If you refuse, I'll cry."
Kurumi had no choice but to suppress her high-intensity Dou Qi and let it return to a natural state.
"Then... how about the back mountain?"
"No~" The white-dressed girl pouted. It was only now that Kurumi noticed Xun'er had dressed up.
Her white dress was the same style as Kurumi's black one, just in a different color.
Looking into Xun'er's beautiful eyes, Kurumi smiled slightly. "Xun'er, you look even prettier~"
Blushing, Xun'er pulled Kurumi up. "Let's go to the Xiao Clan's market. I've heard there's lots of fun stuff there!"
"Market?"
Kurumi pondered. Such places usually signaled the protagonist's luck, where they might find precious items.
"Alright, today sister won't cultivate. Let's have some fun!"
Just as Xun'er was about to cheer, a knock sounded at the door.
"Knock knock knock~"
"Mo'er cousin? Are you in, Mo'er cousin?"
Kurumi and Xun'er exchanged glances...
"Click~"
The wooden door opened to reveal Xiao Yan's "sincere" smile, his white teeth shining brightly in the sunlight.
"What is it, cousin Xiao Yan?" Kurumi feigned ignorance. "Usually, you go straight to find Xun'er."
"Uh..." Xiao Yan rubbed his hands awkwardly, looking at the already-grown beauty before him.
"I went to Xun'er's place first, but she wasn't there."
"So, I'm the second choice?"
"No no no!" Xiao Yan hurriedly shook his head, knowing he couldn't upset this clever lady.
"Well..." Xiao Yan hesitated, rubbing his thumb and middle finger together.
"Mo'er cousin, I'm having a bit of a financial crisis, so I came to..."
Seeing Kurumi's expression of understanding, Xiao Yan sheepishly laughed. "Emergency help! If you lend me money, I can pay you back with interest!"
Kurumi was okay with him not repaying. As an alchemist, how could he not afford it?
"How much?"
"Um... seven hundred gold coins."
Kurumi raised an eyebrow and handed him a five-patterned purple-gold card. "There's over a thousand in there."
Xiao Yan was overjoyed. "That's more than enough! Don't worry, Mo'er cousin, I'll repay you in a few days!"
Glancing at the card in his hand, Kurumi couldn't help but think it was funny that the Jia Ma Empire had something like a credit card!
Though only sometimes mentioned in the original story, it did exist!
To Kurumi, most Da Dou Shi had spatial equipment, so why use cards?
Then again, in the Dou Qi Continent, getting killed any day was normal...
Thinking of the saint's ring given by the clan, it held no cards. Everything was counted in piles!
Who was the top force on the continent? Kurumi felt puzzled. The Gu Clan's various subordinates outnumbered the Jia Ma Empire, but she had never seen anyone use a purple-gold card...
Could it be that the Gu Clan were just wealthy but outdated?
Kurumi didn't want to comment.
Xiao Yan, delighted, played with the card. After a while, he realized he was neglecting the girl before him.
Scratching, he asked, "Mo'er cousin, are you free? Let's go to the market together?"
Kurumi's face became very strange. Just as Xiao Yan was confused, he noticed Xun'er's "resentful" look behind Kurumi.
Xiao Yan's heart skipped a beat. Sensing something was wrong, he was about to explain...
"No, you go ahead."
As Xiao Yan sighed in relief, Xun'er suddenly hugged Kurumi's arm.
With a pouty expression, she said, "Since we're going to the market, let's go with cousin Xiao Yan!"
Kurumi blinked. "Are you sure?"
"Hmph!"
As a seasoned traveler, Xiao Yan couldn't misinterpret the scene.
'Could it be... Xun'er still remembers me? Why else would she...'
Energized, Xiao Yan regretted his casual attire today.
He had planned to borrow money from cousin Xiao Ning, but they still needed to meet, so he came to Xun'er...
And I didn't find her either!
Thinking about the coming adult ceremony, Xiao Yan reluctantly knocked on Cousin Mo'er's door.
Borrowing money went smoothly, surprisingly so, and Xun'er's attitude... how could he not fantasize?
Following Xiao Yan, Kurumi understood why Xun'er was angry—all because of the smiling Xiao Yan ahead.
Xun'er clung to Kurumi's arm, looking at her sister with resentment.
If only sister could refuse again...
Xun'er's affection for Xiao Yan: -1 -1 -1.
4o