Chapter 87: Candy and Wine
Xiang’er became noticeably brighter and more cheerful during the days they spent back on Mount Yu. The melancholic shadow that had lingered in her eyes was gone, replaced by the carefree innocence of her youth.
Chen Yin also enjoyed a few days of peace. He not only indulged Xiang’er with food, drinks, and playful activities but also kept a close eye on Master, making sure she stayed on the mountain to recover.
Several times, the old loli granny tried to sneak out for a drink, only to be dragged back to her room by Chen Yin, her robe clutched firmly in his hand.
For days, her cries of distress echoed through her cave.
“Help! Someone! A beautiful young maiden is being held captive!”
During this downtime, Chen Yin also took the opportunity to study the System Shop that had suddenly appeared in his scroll.
Honestly, this was the first time he had encountered a System.
Although he had written many System novels in his previous life, actually encountering one in reality was still a novel experience.
This System had no task list or point system, only a vast and seemingly endless shop.
It contained countless items, from this world to his previous life on Earth, and even from worlds beyond his imagination.
…It was like a treasure trove of infinite possibilities.
Of course, Chen Yin tried to retrieve some items from the shop, but some were accessible, while others were locked. The accessible items were mostly mundane trinkets. None of the powerful techniques, pills, treasures, or weapons were available to him.
He had no System points, so he could only assume that he didn’t need points to purchase items from the shop, but rather permission.
And currently, his permission level only allowed him to access insignificant items.
Even so, Chen Yin’s favorite pastime these past few days was dressing Xiang’er up in different outfits.
“Xiang’er, try this one on.”
“And this one! And this one!”
He had a collection of JK(high school student) uniforms with pleated skirts and blouses, black silk maid outfits, OL(Office Lady) suits with glasses, cheongsams with high heels, fishnet stockings, and bunny girl costumes.
Finally, when he presented her with a bikini, Yu Xiang couldn’t take it anymore. Her face flushed crimson as she threw the swimsuit at his head.
“Stinky Senior Brother! Where did you get all these embarrassing clothes? Why is there so little fabric?!”
“It’s fine, as long as it looks good.” Chen Yin gave her a thumbs up. “Look at this swimsuit, it’s light and breathable, and with Xiang’er’s size, it’ll definitely—whoa!”
Before he could finish his suggestive comment and picture the scene in his mind, Yu Xiang had already kicked him out of the room, her face burning with shame.
“Stinky! Senior! Brother!”
Chen Yin picked himself up from the floor, dusting himself off as if nothing had happened.
After kicking Chen Yin out, Yu Xiang sat back on the bed, fuming.
But a moment later, her eyes couldn’t help but wander towards the pile of clothes on the bed.
“…”
She hesitated, then picked up the bikini and held it against her body, examining herself in the mirror.
“…Does Senior Brother… like this kind of clothing?”
“C-could it be that men really prefer women to wear as little as possible?”
Just the thought made her face burn with embarrassment.
Chen Yin sat in the main hall of Master’s residence, sipping his tea leisurely, his legs crossed, looking as carefree as ever.
Soon, the door to the side room creaked open a crack.
“Absolutely not.” Chen Yin said calmly, without looking up. “You’re not going anywhere until your injuries are healed.”
A cute little head peeked out from the crack, then cleared its throat and said in a mock-serious tone:
“Disciple, I’ve noticed that you’ve been quite arrogant lately.”
“Don’t think you can ride roughshod over me just because I’m injured.”
“I command you to prepare ten jars of the finest wine for me immediately, or else I—”
She was still rambling when a loud thud made her jump and open her eyes wide.
On the table in the hall, over a dozen jars and bottles of wine were neatly arranged. Some were in traditional jars, some in bottles, and some in strange and unfamiliar containers with foreign writing.
Chen Yin, who was sipping his tea with his eyes closed, waved his hand, and all the lids flew off the containers.
“—Whoa!”
The air was instantly filled with a mixture of fragrant and potent aromas, assaulting Master’s sensitive nose.
Her eyes widened, and drool almost escaped her lips.
“Ah ha, uh, this, you stinky—I mean, my good disciple.”
Master immediately sidled up to Chen Yin, massaging his shoulders and legs with a flattering smile. “You can’t possibly finish all this wine by yourself, right?”
“It’s already open, it would be a waste. Why don’t you let Master—”
“Want a drink?” Chen Yin opened one eye and glanced at her sideways. “Are you tempted by the aroma?”
Master nodded vigorously, then quickly shook her head in denial.
“Uh, no, no… Master just doesn’t want to see you waste food. Hehe.”
Seeing the greedy glint in the little alcoholic’s eyes, Chen Yin waved his hand again, and all the wine vanished from the table.
“Waaaah! My wine!”
Master almost burst into tears, turning to Chen Yin with a pitiful expression, her eyes filled with resentment.
“You can have it, if you’re good.”
Chen Yin said leisurely, “I’ll be away for a couple of days. If your injuries are mostly healed by the time I return, you can drink as much as you want. I’ll make sure you have enough.”
Master’s eyes lit up, practically wagging her tail like a happy puppy.
“Of course, if I find out that you haven’t been resting properly and neglecting your health…”
He said sternly, “Not only will you not get any wine, but I’ll also confiscate your secret stash of money, so you can’t even buy your own.”
“Damn it, you brat! You’re so cruel!”
Master retorted angrily, “Then I curse you to encounter a shemale while flirting, and when you take off her pants, you’ll find something bigger than yours!”
“What the hell, you old hag! That’s so vicious! Aren’t you afraid of traumatizing me and leaving you with only cucumbers for company?”
“Fool, I have plenty of toys. Who needs your little bean sprout anyway?”
“You old hag!”
“Brat!”
“Xiang’er.”
“Hmm?”
“I need to go out again tomorrow. I’ll be back in a couple of days.”
Yu Xiang, who was tidying up the house, paused.
“Senior Brother, you… aren’t going out to fool around again, are you?”
“Of course not.” Chen Yin chuckled awkwardly. “Just some unfinished business to take care of.”
“You stay here and wait for me. I’ll be back soon.”
Xiang’er turned to him, her eyes clear and unwavering.
“Can’t I come with you?”
“If you come too, Master will be left unsupervised and will definitely sneak out for a drink, ignoring her injuries.”
He patted Xiang’er’s head reassuringly. “Be good and listen to me. I’ll be back soon.”
Xiang’er remained silent, her gaze fixed on her toes, then nodded slowly.
“…Are you unhappy, Xiang’er?”
“No…”
“Then why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Isn’t Senior Brother going to see Senior Sister?”
Chen Yin froze, then scratched his nose awkwardly.
“Uh, although that’s not my main purpose, I will be passing by the Mist Spirit Sect to check on things. I can’t help but worry about her.”
Yu Xiang’s nose twitched, and her lips pouted slightly.
“So it’s for Senior Sister after all.”
“Are you jealous, Xiang’er?”
“If I said I was jealous,” Xiang’er looked at him seriously, “would Senior Brother not go see Senior Sister?”
Chen Yin didn’t answer.
Yu Xiang seemed to have expected his reaction. She wasn’t angry, nor did she cry or sulk. She simply walked behind him.
And gently hugged him.
“I don’t want to compare myself to anyone. It’s pointless.”
“As long as Senior Brother still loves Xiang’er as his Junior Sister, that’s enough.”
She whispered softly, “Xiang’er is indeed greedy. If I could, I would want Senior Brother to stay on Mount Yu forever, never leaving.”
“But… I also don’t want Senior Brother to think that Xiang’er is selfish.”
Chen Yin’s eyes flickered. He suddenly said softly, “Open your mouth.”
“Huh?”
Before Yu Xiang could react, Chen Yin popped something into her mouth.
She instinctively bit down. A sweet and delicious flavor exploded on her tongue.
“What is this…?” Yu Xiang asked in surprise, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Candy. Don’t swallow it.”
Chen Yin said gently, “Is it good?”
“Mmm… it’s delicious. Sweet and fragrant.”
Xiang’er chewed on the candy, a happy expression spreading across her face.
“There’s something even more interesting.”
Chen Yin chuckled. “Try blowing air into the candy.”
Yu Xiang did as he said, and a pink bubble suddenly formed in her mouth.
“Whoa!”
Her eyes lit up with delight. She tried to speak, but the bubble burst the moment she opened her mouth.
“Aw…” She looked downcast.
“It’s called bubblegum. A sweet and fun candy.”
Chen Yin took out a small jar from his pocket and handed it to her. “You’ve always loved candy. Consider this a gift from Senior Brother.”
Xiang’er took the jar with delight and popped another piece of gum into her mouth.
“Mmm… this one is delicious too. Watermelon flavor.”
“There are many flavors. You can try them all.”
She popped another piece into her mouth and looked at Chen Yin with sparkling eyes. “Do you know what flavor this one is, Senior Brother?”
“I… don’t know.”
“Then… do you want to try?”
She stood before him, her hands behind her back, her face flushed, her eyes filled with shyness and anticipation.
Chen Yin hesitated for a second.
The next moment, her soft, red lips pressed against his.
He finally tasted the candy.
Watermelon. Lime.
And the sweet fragrance of a young girl.