"My father just contacted me, saying that your disciples will be coming tomorrow at the earliest," Henrietta told Xu Tao as soon as she arrived.

Apparently, Alexis had explained what happened last night to Henrietta, which helped clear up the "misunderstanding" Jehanne and the others had. Furthermore, he was contacted by the mistress of the Silver Chalice regarding the girls coming under Xu Tao's tutelage.

"Tomorrow, huh..."

He sighed, pondering what to do.

Right now, Henrietta was set to have a day off, so he couldn't train her. Yifa was busy with her maid duties since she had returned. Meanwhile, Uriel was following Yifa's whims, working under her.

In other words, there was a lull in their schedule. Nothing had been set up.

"Uhm... Master?"

Just as Xu Tao was wondering how to spend his rare day off, Henrietta inched closer, head hanging low as if gauging his mood. "That... If you're free today, could you perhaps... accompany me to do some shopping?"

"Shopping?"

Xu Tao raised a brow, thinking about what to do.

It wasn't as if he got bored easily. He was a cultivator who could stomach ten thousand years of closed-door cultivation, after all. However, since it was a rare request from his disciple, he nodded.

"Alright, I understand. Then, shall we go now?"

It was slightly past 8 in the morning. Still early, but not "too" early. A lot of shopping malls should already be open by then. Considering the travel time, they'd more or less arrive around 10 a.m., when all establishments would certainly be open.

"Yes! Thank you, Master!" Henrietta grinned, holding back her cheer as she bowed.

After all, despite calling it "shopping," it was without a doubt a "date" between the two of them! Henrietta didn't dare say this outright to Xu Tao, though.

Raising her head, she turned around and said, "Then, let me just get my keys and—"

"Hold your horses!"

Before she could run away, another voice entered.

"Hmm?" Xu Tao turned, facing the figures who had just intervened.

Yifa was at the lead, with Uriel looking tired behind her. Further back was Jehanne, still a little embarrassed, and Zetian, who seemed bored and was merely tagging along.

"Who said I'd allow you to go on a shopping date unattended?" Yifa growled, glaring at Henrietta. "Of course, I'm tagging along!"

"B-But...!"

"No buts!"

"..."

Henrietta was unable to fight back verbally and slumped her shoulders. However, more than her, it was the two behind who became interested in the conversation.

"Shopping...?" Jehanne tilted her head. "Sounds exciting! I'm coming too!"

Even Zetian curled her lips into a thin smile, speaking her mind. "If my Emperor is going, and permits it, I too would like to join this outing."

The two of them were unfamiliar with this world, after all.

Seeing how everyone was dressed around them, they had already picked up on the fact that their attire stood out—in a bad way.

Jehanne was still wearing her medieval light plate armor, while Zetian's robes, though existing in the modern world, were the type mostly worn by ancient Empresses from the far east. If normal people saw them, only one word would come to mind: cosplay.

"Hmm... You two do need some new clothes." Yifa nodded after glancing at them. "Alright, I shall approve your tagalong!"

"...Huh? Who needs your permission, little girl?" Zetian scowled at her tone.

"Stop fighting..." Xu Tao sighed, cutting off the impending quarrel. "Zetian, no need to ask for my permission. If you want to come with us, then just do so." He clarified immediately.

Zetian turned from Yifa to Xu Tao, bowing her head lightly. "As you will, my Emperor."

"It was supposed to be a date between me and Master..." Henrietta whispered to herself, scanning all the faces present. "To think it'd become a group date all of a sudden... I just hope there's a next time!"

Just like that, all of the girls ended up preparing to move. Of course, Uriel, who had been silent the entire time, was forced by Yifa to come as well.

Well, she had half-expected it either way, so the damage was light.

🔷🔷🔷

Xu Tao, Henrietta, Yifa, Uriel, Jehanne, and Zetian.

With six of them present, moving as one would be difficult. For one, they couldn't just choose to ride in any of Henrietta's hundreds of sports cars. After all, they wouldn't all fit.

As such, they instead chose to ride the limousine. This way, they could all fit inside, with enough space to chat while on the road.

"Woah...! What is that?! Amazing..."

"T-This is... a mysterious world...!"

Jehanne and Henrietta were sticking their faces against the windows, watching the scenery outside.

Cars zoomed past them, trains disappeared into mountainous tunnels—like lightning-speed metal snakes swallowed by earthen giants. Further ahead, skyscrapers loomed, filling the horizon with a majestic flair.

"Both of you, stop acting like kids."

Xu Tao snickered as he watched their backsides wiggle left and right before his eyes.

"Haha, just let them be, Master." Henrietta laughed heartily, as if forgetting her grudge against the interlopers. "Their actions mirror yours exactly five days ago."

"What's that... I kinda want to see it... Ritta, you should've taken a picture!" Uriel grumbled.

"Oh? Master Tao, were you also kneeling on your seat and peeking out the window like them?! I can't even imagine!" Yifa teased.

Xu Tao, suddenly the center of attention, quickly denied it. "N-No I wasn't! Back then, I was sitting properly, just enjoying the scenery!"

Henrietta chuckled, sipping at the sparkling water in her champagne glass. "Yeah, right. All while asking me what's this or that, making me feel like a mother taking her child to a new place."

"That's..."

Xu Tao couldn't refute. After all, her words were spot on. "I was just... curious. Yes, curious! I wanted to know what these mysterious objects were, so I was asking about them, nothing else!"

As if to escape the uncomfortable topic, Xu Tao rose from his seat, moving between the two excited girls, and began explaining things to them.

Just as Henrietta had done for him, he too pointed out and explained the strange objects: trains, planes, buildings, Ferris wheels, the ocean, and more.

All of them enjoyed a peaceful ride until...

"We're here!"

They arrived at one of the tallest skyscrapers—a high-end department store.

"Now, let's go see some new clothes~!"

Little did Xu Tao know that his real struggles were just about to begin.

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