"You bought it?"
Bu Shiyi raised an eyebrow, her expression calm but clearly amused as she eyed Bu Lige, who stood before her with a sheepish grin.
"Uh…"
Bu Lige's smile froze, and an awkward silence fell. Right now, he really wanted to slap himself.
Why did I have to say anything?
Now she's going to find out about the installment plan...
Judging from his expression alone, Bu Shiyi had already guessed most of the story. With a calm sigh, she crossed her arms and said plainly, "Alright, spill it. How many spirit crystals?"
"Sis, you know everything in the owner's shop is worth every crystal," Bu Lige tried to steer the conversation away, flashing a hopeful smile.
"Don't change the subject."
"It wasn't that expensive…"
"How many?"
"Just a few thousand spirit crystals."
Bu Shiyi narrowed her eyes. "How many thousands?"
"…Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine," Bu Lige mumbled, barely audible by the end.
"I'm impressed. Where'd you even get that many spirit crystals?" Bu Shiyi was genuinely curious now.
Ever since Origin Mall appeared, her brother's daily allowance had indeed increased, but she kept a close watch. There was no way he had that much stashed away.
"Well, the shop recently introduced a new payment method," Bu Lige explained, brightening slightly as he remembered. "It's called… um…"
He snapped his fingers. "Right! The Installment Contract!"
"Installment contract?" Bu Shiyi blinked.
"Yeah!" Bu Lige nodded eagerly. "You pay a bit upfront and agree to a spiritual contract. Then you make payments over time!"
Bu Shiyi couldn't help but laugh. "The owner always has these strange ideas."
"Sis... you're not going to scold me for buying a spiritual weapon, are you?" Bu Lige asked cautiously, scratching his head.
She gave him a sideways glance. "You've already bought it—what can I do now?"
That wasn't to say she wasn't annoyed. But more than that, she knew better than anyone that everything sold in Origin Mall was worth the price. Overpriced junk simply didn't exist there.
Even if the weapon had cost nearly ten thousand spirit crystals, Bu Shiyi had no doubt it was worth every bit of it.
"Haha! I knew you wouldn't be mad! That's why you're the best sister in the world!" Bu Lige grinned and winked.
He had clearly said that many times before. Too smoothly rehearsed.
"Alright, enough sweet-talking," Bu Shiyi rolled her eyes, already familiar with his antics. "Show me the spiritual weapon you bought."
"Sure."
Bu Lige nodded and reached into his space ring. With a flick of his fingers, a sword shrouded in scarlet flame materialized before them.
The air around them immediately grew warmer, the heat radiating gently yet unmistakably.
"This is Chi Xiao," he announced proudly.
"Chi Xiao?" Bu Shiyi raised a brow and chuckled. "Fitting name."
"Of course," Bu Lige said, unable to hide his pride. "And since it came from the owner's shop, it automatically recognizes me as its master. Otherwise, with my current strength, I wouldn't be able to wield it at all."
As if to prove his point, he swung Chi Xiao a few times through the air.
Clear, resonant sword cries echoed with each motion—as if the blade itself was responding to its master's excitement.
"By the way, Sis," he added, "do you have any spiritual weapons? I remember seeing you use a sword back in the Tower of Trials!"
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