Chapter 131: The Smiling, Proud Wanderer Version of Wife Swap

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It was one thing for Dongfang Bubai not to ask questions, but the moment Yue Lingshan inquired, she was so enraged she nearly jumped three feet high.

"Uncle Yang said I'm still young, that naturally pure, green, pollution-free skin is best. He forbade me from using anything else, so I only have this," Yue Lingshan said cautiously, pulling a compact powder from her bosom.

The packaging was elegant and fashionable, exquisitely crafted, and when opened, revealed a small round mirror that reflected every detail of the face with crystal clarity…

If such a tiny compact powder ever circulated in the martial world, it would surely be a priceless treasure. Yet compared to the myriad bottles and jars in Dongfang Bubai’s possession, it was but a minor trifle.

"Sister Dongfang, come with me. I’ll take you to my room and teach you how to use these cosmetics," Yue Lingshan said familiarly, tugging Dongfang Bubai along as they ascended the mountain.

"Um… shouldn’t we meet your Uncle Yang first?" Dongfang Bubai blinked and asked.

"No need. Uncle Yang said Sister Dongfang should stay longer at our Xianyue Sect, fully understand us, and then decide how the Sun Moon Holy Cult will treat our sect. Let’s go~"

Dongfang Bubai was momentarily stunned, realizing this was Yang Xin’s open stratagem — somewhat a tactic to “win without fighting.” Not only did Dongfang Bubai not refuse, but deep within the long-dead core of her heart, a faint stirring arose. Still, as the cult leader, she had to maintain dignity, so with a reserved demeanor, she allowed herself to be half-pushed, half-willingly led into Yue Lingshan’s boudoir.

Upon entering, Dongfang Bubai’s twenty-four karat gilded eyes were blinded by the exquisite furnishings: a pristine white jade floor, crystalline glazed windows, and a transparent glass chandelier suspended from the ceiling… Everything challenged and refreshed her worldview.

Yang Xin, accustomed to the modern world, found ancient living conditions unbearable. Luckily, the Treasure System was omnipotent, and these modern devices consumed barely any aura points. Thus, he transformed the ancient Mount Hua architecture into a modern home styled after a Suzhou garden.

Yue Lingshan’s boudoir was a standard two-room suite, equipped with all manner of modern appliances and furnishings.

No sooner had Yue Lingshan entered than her true nature showed. She kicked off her shoes, slipped into slippers, and then found a pair for Dongfang Bubai.

“Sister Dongfang, don’t be so formal. Just treat this place like your own home,” Yue Lingshan said, opening the refrigerator to pull out a large bottle of “Happy Sloth Water,” pouring it into two clear glasses.

“Sister, want to try some?” she offered a glass to Dongfang Bubai.

Dongfang Bubai hesitated, eyeing the dark liquid with suspicion. “Is this poison? No, that can’t be…”

But Yue Lingshan drank half the glass in one gulp, then let out a long burp.

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“Since it’s here, might as well settle in!” Dongfang Bubai dismissed her swirling doubts. Confident in her profound inner strength, she believed she could purge any poison. Then, with a poised demeanor, she took a small sip.

“Sweet… not bad at all. Definitely not poisoned,” she thought.

“Sister, that’s not how you drink it. Like me, this is the way to enjoy it.” Yue Lingshan tipped back the rest of her glass and burped again.

Dongfang Bubai abandoned her reserve and followed suit, draining her glass and echoing the long burp.

Both burst into laughter simultaneously.

“So, Sister Dongfang, how is it? Good, right?” Yue Lingshan poured another round for them both.

“Indeed, it’s quite delicious! Even better than wine!” Dongfang Bubai exclaimed.

“Ah, too bad, Uncle Yang lied to me, saying this Happy Sloth Water is harmful and will make me fat if I drink too much. He only lets me have two bottles every half month. But I’ve been drinking it so long and haven’t gained a pound.”

“Is it very precious?” Dongfang Bubai asked, masking her curiosity.

“In the martial world, it’s extremely rare—even emperors never tasted it. But at our Xianyue Sect, it’s endless. Enough about that. Sister Dongfang, come, I’ll teach you how to use these cosmetics.”

Cheerfully, Yue Lingshan led Dongfang Bubai to the vanity. Dongfang Bubai’s heart leaped again: the small round mirror in Yue Lingshan’s hand had amazed her, but the enormous dressing mirror before them astounded her beyond words.

“Does your Xianyue Sect have many of these?” Dongfang Bubai asked, trembling as she pointed.

“Loads. Want some? I’ll give you a few sets when you leave,” Yue Lingshan said casually.

“Such a generous gift, Sister, I would feel undeserving…” Dongfang Bubai’s hands fumbled awkwardly over her person. Besides some silver needles for weapons, she had brought nothing. Reluctantly, she removed her bracelet and handed it to Yue Lingshan.

“I came in haste and brought no gifts. Please accept this jade hairpin as a token of my greeting. Don’t disdain it.”

“For me?! Thank you, Sister! How could I ever disdain it?” Yue Lingshan’s eyes brightened as she carefully placed the bracelet into her storage box.

Dongfang Bubai blushed, then felt a pang of envy—Yue Lingshan’s storage box was far finer than her own bracelet. She had considered offering some bottles from her own trove but realized such items belonged to Xianyue Sect. Giving sect property as a gift would be improper, and she honestly did not wish to part with them.

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Women felt powerless before cosmetics, yet simultaneously possessed an uncanny intuition about them. A quick glance told Dongfang Bubai their uses.

“Sister Dongfang, that’s rouge you’re using, right? Stop using that. It contains lead poison,” Yue Lingshan said, pointing at Dongfang Bubai’s red lips.

“Lead poison?” Dongfang Bubai was stunned, recalling that all her rouge had been bought from Yang Lianting, triggering numerous thoughts.

“Yes, lead poison. All rouge in the Ming Dynasty contains it. It’s a chronic toxin that doesn’t show effects in three or five years, but manifests after ten or twenty. It’s colorless and tasteless, so occasional use is fine, but long-term use causes lead to accumulate, damaging the nervous, cardiovascular, skeletal, reproductive, and immune systems, and leading to gastrointestinal, liver, kidney, and brain diseases.”

“Of course, this is what Uncle Yang said. Our Xianyue Sect once experimented by feeding large amounts of rouge to chickens, ducks, cats, and dogs, and they soon died. So, Sister, don’t use rouge. Use lipstick instead—this one here. Come, first remove your makeup with this cleanser, then apply a moisturizing mask, and then we’ll try these lipsticks…”

Women’s aptitude for learning was astonishing. Without any instruction, Dongfang Bubai and Yue Lingshan soon mastered the uses and applications of the cosmetics. Then…

The indomitable, peerless, and elegant Dongfang Bubai transformed after applying makeup and donning a white robe into a pure, ethereal, otherworldly fairy, as if descended from the heavens, untouched by mortal dust.

“Wow, a celestial maiden has descended to the mortal realm! Sister, you are truly beautiful. I envy you. If my beastly senior brothers saw you, they’d worship you as a goddess, drooling all over,” Yue Lingshan gushed.

“A goddess?” Dongfang Bubai smiled faintly, causing the world itself to dim.

“I adore it, I can’t stand it anymore. Sister, if you keep this up, I might fall in love with you,” Yue Lingshan laughed, grasping Dongfang Bubai’s hand. “In our Xianyue Sect, ‘goddess’ doesn’t mean a female deity. It means the unattainable beloved object in a man’s heart… Well, it’s hard to explain in words—something you just feel. Stay longer with us, Sister Dongfang, and you’ll understand.”

“You, my dear, are innocent and charming—a rare beauty yourself…”

Just as they laughed and played, a strange melody suddenly sounded from inside and outside.

“What is that?” Dongfang Bubai instinctively tensed, narrowing her eyes as she stared intently at the door.