Daily Survival After Inheriting a Harem (GL) - Chapter 14
Qiu Qi and her two companions quickly arrived at the entrance of Ruyi Workshop. Surprisingly, this supposedly most popular shop had a very hidden location.
Upon entering, they found the shop itself wasn’t large either, looking somewhat out of place compared to the bustling commercial street outside.
“Can such a small shop hold a thousand liters of that holy water?” Qiu Qi wondered.
No sooner had she spoken than the curtain ahead parted, and a graceful figure emerged. She was dressed entirely in black. In the scorching heat of mid-month, she even wore a black robe that reached her ankles over her clothes, and her face was covered with a mask, concealing everything below her nose. Yet, just by looking at her handsome and gentle eyebrows and eyes, one could tell she was a rare beauty.
“My Lord Beast God, you worry too much. Since this humble shop dares to bear the name ‘Ruyi Workshop,’ it naturally has the ability and confidence to complete every transaction entrusted by its guests.” Unlike her somber appearance, the woman’s voice, once she spoke, was crisp and pleasant, carrying a calm confidence.
Qiu Qi had previously heard Yan Wan mention that the owner of Ruyi Workshop was named Lu Ren and possessed three types of spiritual arts, making her a rare talent among humans. However, she hadn’t expected her to be such a young woman.
“My apologies, I misspoke.” Qiu Qi was always easy to talk to when it came to beauties.
Lu Ren’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she smiled behind her hand. Her every gesture exuded remarkable charm. If the original owner had seen this, she would surely have taken her back to the courtyard to be a concubine.
“My Lord Beast God exaggerates,” Lu Ren said, raising a hand and getting straight to the point. “Who will be paying, and who will be picking up the goods?”
Yan Wan took out five gold bars. Each bar was worth 100 gold, which amounted to exactly the price of a thousand liters of holy water.
Lu Ren accepted the money, her smile deepening. “How generous. Now, will the one picking up the goods please follow me to the back warehouse?”
“Who…” Qiu Qi opened her mouth, intending to ask who would pick up the goods, but she was met with two pairs of eyes staring at her with an obvious gaze.
Of the three companions, one was frail and weak, one was advanced in age, and the remaining one happened to be a strong young person.
The young person, Qiu Qi, pouted indignally. “Me, I’ll pick up the goods.”
“My Lord, please follow me.” Lu Ren lifted the cloth curtain and gestured for Qiu Qi to enter.
Entering the inner room, Qiu Qi discovered the hidden marvel of Ruyi Workshop. From the outside, it looked dilapidated and on the verge of bankruptcy, but lifting the curtain revealed a vast space that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Against one wall stood a cabinet rack as tall as a five-story building. Standing by it and looking up, she felt a sense of awe mixed with a touch of constraint at its grandeur.
“How is this done?” Qiu Qi exclaimed.
“Just some small trinkets I made myself, nothing worth mentioning.” Lu Ren smiled, spread her arms, and activated a wind spirit art to levitate. In a blink of an eye, she flew to the top level of the rack and quickly retrieved a transparent glass sphere.
“This?”
“This is my self-made compression sphere. It can hold up to the size of an entire city, and all the holy water is inside it,” Lu Ren explained, and took the opportunity to promote it. “These spheres vary in price according to their capacity. This white one is our most popular model. My Lord, would you like to take one?”
Qiu Qi actually hesitated. She had always been irresistibly fascinated by viral products, constantly falling for them even after being tricked many times.
“Ahem.” Qiu Qi didn’t forget that she was someone who had to feed 999 mouths with her own two hands. She cleared her throat. “How much?”
Lu Ren smiled and held out a finger. “Not expensive, just one gold.”
Five thousand yuan for a compression sphere, Qiu Qi quickly calculated and drew a conclusion.
—It really isn’t expensive.
“But all my money is managed by Madam, so you’ll have to wait for me…”
“Butler Yan paid a deposit in advance. Originally, I was going to return the pearl and the deposit after you picked up the goods. But if My Lord wants it, you can take this sphere directly. I’ll explain the reason to her afterwards.” Lu Ren’s smile was irresistible.
Qiu Qi gritted her teeth. “Boss lady, you make so much sense.”
However, she didn’t forget her other purpose for this trip, and seeing how knowledgeable Lu Ren was, she decided to ask her.
“I also want to ask you something.”
“My Lord, please speak.”
“Do you know who the most skilled artisan in this area is? I have something I want someone to make, and the price is negotiable.”
“Artisans are categorized. When it comes to swords and blades, Master Li in the east of the city is the most skilled. For mechanisms and hidden weapons, Old Madam Wang in the west of the city makes the most ingenious ones. If it’s…”
“What about armor?” Qiu Qi quickly asked.
Lu Ren’s eyebrow slightly raised, and she pointed to herself. “If it’s armor, I happen to be proficient in it.”
Having seen so much already, Qiu Qi dared not underestimate Lu Ren’s “proficient in it.”
She took out a page of blueprints hidden in her bosom. It was something she had copied from the “World Weapon Compendium.”
This book recorded all weapons and armors from ancient times to the present. The one Qiu Qi drew was the page introducing the legendary soft thorn armor.
She had thought it through: if she wanted to sleep soundly, she had to ensure her safety. This soft thorn armor was perfect for close-fitting wear and was impervious to blades, making it the most suitable choice.
Lu Ren glanced at it, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.
“This armor is already outdated,” she said, untying the sash of her robe. Her outer garment slid down, piling at her feet. Then, with nimble fingers, she unfastened the next layer, opening her collar to both sides. “Is this the armor you want?”
“This…” Qiu Qi’s eyes widened, looking at the object before her with some admiration. She had only seen it in books; she hadn’t expected it to be so beautiful when actually made.
Lu Ren took her hand. “My Lord, you can feel the material. If you’re satisfied, I happen to have some in stock, and we can conduct the transaction on the spot.”
Qiu Qi lightly touched the texture of the soft thorn armor. Unlike the description in the book, which was full of barbs, this armor looked very light and close-fitting. Her fingertips felt soft and smooth. It lay thinly on Lu Ren’s fair skin, like the shimmering scales of a fish under sunlight, exquisitely beautiful like a work of art.
If it’s this, it wouldn’t cause any discomfort even when worn close to the body for sleep, Qiu Qi thought.
Qiu Qi, fully engrossed in admiring the soft thorn armor, didn’t notice that the curtain behind her had been lifted from the outside.
Lu Ren, directly facing the entrance, was the first to notice the newcomer. She looked up.
“Hm? Madam Beast God.” Lu Ren curved her lips into a slight smile towards the person behind Qiu Qi, then tilted her head. “Why have you come?”
At this moment, Lu Ren’s collar was open, fully embodying the phrase “improperly dressed.” Qiu Qi, half-bent, was leaning close to her, craning her neck to examine something closely, her hand intimately resting on Lu Ren’s shoulder and even further down on ambiguous areas, pressing down. It seemed that before Pei Yuqing entered, the two had just engaged in some overly “deep” interaction.
And Lu Ren’s casual “Why have you come?” sounded as if Pei Yuqing’s appearance was incredibly ill-timed, interrupting their intimacy.
“Madam?” Qiu Qi hurriedly straightened up, turning around to meet Pei Yuqing’s icy gaze. Her heart instantly began to race.
“No! It’s not like that!” Qiu Qi quickly grabbed Lu Ren’s collar, pulling it closed to cover her tightly again, and nervously explained to Pei Yuqing, “I wasn’t taking liberties with her! I was just looking! Don’t misunderstand!”
No… just looking! Doesn’t that still sound like she was molesting someone? At most, it’s just the difference between using her eyes and using her hands.