One person: Senior brother Zhang Zhiwei, the Celestial Master begged me to descend the mountain.

The next morning.

The sunlight in southern cities always carries a moist warmth, shining through layers of glass curtain walls onto the most bustling commercial plaza in the city center.

"Gulp..."

Zhang Chulan carried the huge suitcase that was already worn down from last night's mountain road, and also carried two bags of local specialties he had smuggled from Biyou Village. He followed behind with his head down, looking like a migrant worker who had come to the city but had not yet found a place to stay.

"Master...Master Uncle, do we really have to come here?"

Looking at the price tags around him, each costing four or five figures, Zhang Chulan felt his liver tremble.

"Why not just buy a couple of items from any street stall? This place... it's a money pit!"

Zhang Taichu, who was walking ahead, stopped and glanced back at him indifferently.

With just one glance, Zhang Chulan immediately shut his mouth, swallowing back the words "I have no money".

Beside Zhang Taichu, Chen Duo was looking down, clutching Zhang Taichu's sleeve tightly.

She was still wearing the oversized T-shirt with a giant SpongeBob SquarePants print that Zhang Taichu had casually given her the night before.

After a night of trekking through the mountains, the already somewhat comical T-shirt was covered in grass clippings and mud, and the collar was loose, revealing the thin collarbone underneath.

Add to that her messy, dark green hair and those dirty white sneakers.

At this moment, Chen Duo was like a little beggar who had accidentally wandered into the heavenly palace.

The well-dressed men and women passing by frowned the moment they saw this group of people, instinctively dodging to the side, their eyes revealing disgust and contempt.

Chen Duo's body trembled slightly.

She could feel those gazes.

Instinctively, I wanted to bury my head even lower, to find a crack in the ground to crawl into, to hide myself away.

Here, she felt like an outsider.

"Raise your head."

A calm voice suddenly rang in my ears.

Chen Duo paused for a moment, then looked up somewhat blankly.

"You are someone I brought out."

Zhang Taichu's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of dominance:

"These vulgar people don't even deserve to look at you."

There is absolutely no need to feel inferior.

After saying that, Zhang Taichu turned and walked straight to a luxury store in the most prominent position on the first floor of the mall.

It was a top international women's clothing brand. In the huge floor-to-ceiling window, models wore the latest haute couture gowns of the season, and every cut exuded a breathtaking sense of sophistication.

"Hey! Hey! What are you doing?"

Before the group could even enter, a saleswoman with exquisite makeup and a uniform quickly walked over and blocked the doorway like a wall.

She looked the group up and down, observing their attire.

A young man dressed in a Taoist robe, looking like he was cosplaying; a man carrying a snakeskin bag, looking like he was fleeing famine; and a little girl covered in dirt.

The sales assistant's disdain was almost palpable. She frowned, fanned her nose with her hand, as if she had smelled something unpleasant.

"I'm sorry, we need to clean the store and will be temporarily closed to customers."

"Besides, we don't have any change here, so we have to go elsewhere to beg."

This blatant order to leave caused Zhang Chulan's face to turn pale and then red, and his fists clenched.

Chen Duo was so frightened that she took a step back, her hand gripping Zhang Taichu's sleeve turning white from the force.

Zhang Taichu acted as if he hadn't heard.

He stood at the door, looking at the sales assistant with a lazy expression.

"clean?"

A playful smile curved Zhang Taichu's lips.

"It really needs cleaning."

"This shop has a really strong 'looking down on people' vibe."

"you--!"

The sales assistant's expression changed, and she was about to lash out.

Snapped.

A black card floated over and landed precisely on her forehead, then slid down her foundation-covered face and fell into her hand.

The sales assistant instinctively caught it.

The moment she saw the card, her pupils contracted sharply, and she froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.

It was a card that was entirely black, without any fancy decorations, except for a small diamond embedded in the corner.

Supreme Black Card.

It has no credit limit and is a top-tier black card that is accepted globally.

She had only seen this kind of card in training materials; in reality, she wasn't even qualified to touch it.

"The money in here is enough to buy your entire shop."

Zhang Taichu strode into the store, past the stunned sales assistant, his voice drifting out lightly:

"Now, shut your mouth."

"Bring out your best clothes from this season."

"If you utter another word, I'll make you lick this floor clean."

The entire room fell silent.

The sales assistant's hands were trembling as she held the card. Her expression changed from contempt to terror in an instant, followed by extreme fawning.

"Yes...yes! Please come in! Quickly! Please come in, esteemed guest!"

……

Ten minutes later.

The most luxurious rest area in the store.

Zhang Taichu sat on a leather sofa, holding a cup of top-quality black tea personally brewed by the store manager.

"This is great! It's warm!"

At this moment, Feng Baobao was holding up a bright red and green cotton-padded jacket embroidered with unidentified large flowers, gesturing earnestly at Chen Duo:

"And it's dirt-resistant; you can roll around in the mud without worry."

Chen Duo was completely bewildered by Feng Baobao's actions. Looking at the dazzling cotton-padded jacket, she felt something was off, but trusting Feng Baobao, she nodded anyway.

"Oh……"

"Oh what?!"

Zhang Taichu almost spat out his tea.

He put down his teacup, his face darkening, walked over, snatched the cotton-padded coat, and tossed it to Zhang Chulan beside him.

"Is this something a human should wear? Do you think this is for paying a New Year's visit to the village's old man?"

"Sister Bao'er, your aesthetic sense is still as down-to-earth as ever."

Zhang Chulan held the cotton-padded coat, not knowing whether to laugh or cry:

"Uncle-Master, I also think this style is a bit too wild and doesn't suit Chen Duo's temperament."

Zhang Taichu ignored the two of them, his gaze sweeping over the dazzling array of clothes on the racks in the store.

Finally, his gaze settled on a dress hanging in the center of the shop window.

It was a pure white dress.

There are no elaborate laces or decorations, only minimalist cut lines.

The fabric is as light as a cloud, with a subtle sheen. The neckline features a retro stand-up collar design, which has both a classic charm and a youthful vibrancy.

"This one."

Zhang Taichu pointed to the dress, then to a pair of white canvas shoes next to it:

"Give it to her to try."

Several sales assistants immediately rushed to take down the clothes and escorted Chen Duo to the fitting room.

Chen Duo turned around and glanced at Zhang Taichu.

Zhang Taichu simply waved his hand.

"go."

"Don't try to save me money."

The fitting room door closed.

Time passed by, second by second.

The shop fell silent.

Zhang Chulan fidgeted and rubbed his hands nervously, while Feng Baobao squatted on the ground to continue examining the material of the floral cotton-padded jacket.

Only Zhang Taichu remained calm as he sipped his tea.

A few minutes later, there was a click.

The lock on the fitting room door clicked.

The door slowly opened.

The sales assistants, who were tidying up the clothes, were all stunned when they saw the figure walking out of the store, their hands frozen in mid-air.

Zhang Chulan subconsciously looked up.

The next second, his mouth opened into an "O" shape, and his eyes, which usually gleamed with a sly light, were now filled with pure amazement.

"Holy crap..."

Chen Duo stood there somewhat awkwardly.

The oversized SpongeBob T-shirt was gone, replaced by a well-tailored pure white dress.

The skirt hem was just past her knees, revealing her slender, straight calves, and she wore a pair of clean white shoes.

Her once messy, dark green hair was now simply combed smooth and draped softly over her shoulders, making her skin appear even whiter and more translucent, like the finest mutton fat jade.

She lowered her head slightly, her hands nervously twisting together, her long eyelashes trembling like a butterfly about to take flight.

Chen Duo at this moment.

Like a lily blooming in a secluded valley, pure and fragile, yet so beautiful that one dares not breathe too loudly.

That kind of beauty is completely different from the heavily made-up, designer-clad urban beauties around her.

It was a purity untouched by worldly corruption, striking straight to the soul.

"Old...Old Wang..."

Zhang Chulan nudged Wang Ye beside him blankly:

"Is this really Chen Duo? Is this really the Gu-body Saint Child?"

"She's clearly a fairy descended from heaven!"

Wang Ye's teacup hovered at his lips, and he remained stunned for a long time before finally sighing:

"Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse... The ancients were right."

"However, this girl's natural talent is indeed excellent."

Chen Duo ignored the stares of those around her.

She slowly walked to a huge floor-length mirror.

She looked up at her reflection in the mirror.

Is that her?

The girl in the mirror was wearing a pretty dress and looked clean and tidy, just like... just like the ordinary girls she used to see outside the car window.

Chen Duo reached out and gently touched the cold mirror surface.

The touch on her fingertips was cool, but a fire was quietly burning in her heart.

She tentatively turned around.

Her white skirt swayed gently with her movements, tracing a graceful arc.

That instant.

Chen Duo's lips slowly curved upwards into a tiny arc.

That was a smile.

It was very bland and raw.

But it was the first time in her life that she felt... that being a person could be like this.

"It's alright."

Zhang Taichu's voice broke the silence.

He stood up, walked behind Chen Duo, looked at the two people in the mirror, and didn't say anything exaggerated in his praise.

He simply reached out and straightened Chen Duo's slightly crooked collar.

"It's better than that beggar's outfit you were in before."

"But don't get too excited too soon."

Zhang Taichu withdrew his hand, turned and walked towards the door, casually snatching the black card back from Zhang Chulan's arms:

"This is nothing."

"Walk."

"I'll take you to eat something...that only humans can eat."

As Chen Duo looked at Zhang Taichu's back in the mirror, the light in her eyes became even more vibrant.

She took a deep breath and nodded vigorously.

Then he took a step, his brand-new white shoes clicking lightly and confidently on the marble floor.

This time.

She did not lower her head again.

She followed behind the white-robed Taoist priest, facing the bright sunlight outside the door, and walked out of the shop, as if she were stepping out of the dark prison that had confined her for twenty years.