The young mistresses leaned in closer to each other and whispered softly into each other's ears.

"Shh... I heard that with the soap, it makes your skin smooth, and those young mistresses who had gotten it had more fun times with their husbands than ever.

"Sometimes, even up to three times per night."

The young mistresses said, and the others giggled with their mouths covered with their small silk fans in their hands.

Lin Xuan Qi pretended not to hear them and walked away.

He didn't purposely eavesdrop on them, but his practice with the Daoist Five-Element Cultivation Techniques had improved his physical condition.

His sense of smell, hearing, and eyesight were now so much better than an average person's.

"Young master, how can I help you today?" The boss at the counter greeted him with a smile when he approached the counter.

There wasn't much business for the boss so far; these young mistresses only glanced around and talked about the luxurious soap that they couldn't get.

The worst thing for him was that he couldn't offend the young mistresses by asking them to leave.

And so, he was more than pleased to see Lin Xuan Qi.

His shop had survived due to the protection from one of the cultivation clans, and now he had to pay them their due.

Any business would be life-saving for him.

Lin Xuan Qi glanced around and saw that there were many different necklaces, rings, and earrings on display.

But he couldn't decide on what would be appropriate for Sima Long's child.

"What's good to celebrate a newborn?" he asked.

"You can get this golden lock and golden peach for the newborn." The boss picked up a gold lock and gold peach that was as big as his hands and placed them onto the counter.

Lin Xuan Qi glanced at the gold lock and gold peach, couldn't help it, and frowned.

The workmanship for it was poor.

The gold lock surface wasn't smooth, and its edges were rough.

Beside it, the gold peach wasn't any better.

Its shape was elongated instead of being the shape of a peach.

The boss saw his expression and said, "It's a specialty of ours. We've designed it this way."

Lin Xuan Qi rolled his eyes at the boss and replied, "Thanks, but I guess I will consider it first."

There was no way he was going to pay good money for such sloppy work.

He sighed and thought about other gifts he could prepare.

The idea of gifting gold or jewelry to Sima Long and Zhang Jie might not be so great after all.

They had all the luxury they could ever ask for in the Sima Family.

Even though they weren't being taken care of in the best way possible in the Sima Family, they still led a life that was more than comfortable.

Lin Xuan Qi left the place, and the young mistresses huddled together glanced at him when he passed by them.

They knew him from somewhere but couldn't recall exactly where they'd seen him.

"See that young master?"

"Yeah, he looks familiar..."

"Well, everyone good-looking is familiar to you, isn't it."

"You..."

They started to tease each other and burst into laughter and giggles.

Finally, when one of them recalled who he was, she pointed at the entrance of the store where Lin Xuan Qi had just disappeared from and stammered, "He... That man..."

"What? You know him?"

The young mistress took a deep breath, calmed herself, and said, "That man is the boss of the luxurious soap store!"

"What? You could've told us earlier!"

"Is he gone? I've got to make a booking for some of the soap!"

"Yeah, me too!"

They jostled together and tried to catch up with him.

But when they got out of the entrance, Lin Xuan Qi had already gotten onto his horse carriage, and he was already far gone.

The young mistresses could only let out a long sigh and fanned themselves vigorously with their fans.

It was so close and yet so far.

Although Lin Xuan Qi wasn't able to get anything from the store, he was glad that the soap was in high demand as he had expected.

Things would be going according to his plan.

...

"Master Lin, lunch is ready," Xue Cong said when she saw him enter the main hall.

Lin Xuan Qi nodded his head and said, "Let's get to the dining hall."

She stood up from her seat and wanted to go with him before they were interrupted.

"Master Lin, there's a messenger from Master Sima Ye requesting to see you." One of the guards came in, bowed at him, and said.

"Send him in." Lin Xuan Qi waved at the guard, and the guard turned around immediately.

It didn't take long for the guard to come back with a man dressed in the uniform of the Sima Family that had an emblem with the words 'Sima' sewn on the left chest.

The messenger bowed at him and said, "Master Sima Ye wanted to tell you that he had met the Governor, and the Governor is agreeable to your proposition, but on the condition that you will spend the money on Hong Feng City.

"The Governor demanded that you show him proof of such spending."

"Thanks." Lin Xuan Qi nodded at the messenger and took out some copper coins from his sleeve pocket.

He handed the copper coins to the messenger, and the messenger thanked him profusely before the messenger left.

It was another piece of good news for him.

And the Governor's response surprised him.

He had thought that the Governor would be like Magistrate Ho, who was short-sighted and corrupted.

The Governor had asked nothing from him but to spend the money for the tax to be spent in Hong Feng City instead.

Maybe he could work more with the Governor to his advantage? he thought as he walked over to the dining hall with Xue Cong.

Xue Cong walked beside him and was in two minds while doing so.

She hadn't gotten used to being the future young mistress of the household...and the future wife of his yet.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.