"This? How am I supposed to wear this?" Ye Xishui was dumbfounded.
This outfit seemed even skimpier than the ones worn by dancers at noble banquets.
"It's swimwear—why can't you wear it?" Qianran rolled his eyes. Sukumizu—the classic one-piece swimsuit—was standard swimwear for students from elementary to high school in certain cultures. It was legitimate clothing, albeit with a touch of charm. Such swimwear was designed for petite girls with less curvaceous figures, which was why schools often opted for it.
But if someone with a more voluptuous figure wore it, the result would be undeniably enticing.
On Earth in his previous life, Eastern cultures leaned toward reserved beauty, while Western aesthetics favored bold and fiery styles.
This distinction was evident even in swimwear. Western designs were often more revealing, reflecting two distinct cultural trends.
Qianran had always preferred subtlety. Bold styles had their place but were best reserved for specific occasions.
Beauty's appeal could wear thin if constantly overexposed. Occasional boldness was exciting, but prolonged exposure risked monotony. In this regard, the restrained elegance of Eastern styles had its merits.
The art of restraint—followed by an eventual burst of passion—was why many people looked forward to wedding nights.
Of course, Ye Xishui was incredibly conservative. Even swimwear, designed to be reserved, seemed too much for her.
"Alright," Ye Xishui relented after some thought.
She hadn't always been this uptight.
In her younger years, she had worn such attire. But after her cultivation advanced to the level of a Titled Douluo, she adopted a dignified demeanor and never again wore anything remotely revealing.
"Do I need to wear anything else?"
Qianran glanced at her figure, concealed beneath her black robe. It wasn't hard to tell—Ye Xishui wasn't the slender type.
Compression effect, understood.
An idea struck him, and Qianran pulled out a smaller pair of black stockings and a short purple jacket, tossing them to Ye Xishui.
If he had his way, he would've had Ye Xishui wear just the swimsuit. The Evil Soul Master Queen, donning a school swimsuit from an innocent campus setting—how stark the contrast would be!
The sheer incongruity of it could cause a nosebleed.
But Ye Xishui wouldn't agree to that.
Pushing too hard could backfire, ruining his chances.
This was a rare opportunity, one Qianran might never get again. He had to play the long game, starting small.
Everyone knew the first step was the most crucial. Once she took it, the second and third steps would naturally follow.
Ye Xishui caught the items with one hand, a swirling black mist rising to obscure Qianran's view.
Even her! Even Ye Xishui, the dignified ruler of the Holy Spirit Cult, avoided changing clothes in front of a man.
When Ye Xishui emerged moments later, Qianran nearly bit his tongue.
Holy…
Her violet-blue hair was styled into a youthful single ponytail—she definitely had the look.
The black jacket wasn't particularly eye-catching; it was just a simple outer garment. However, the zipper couldn't go past the halfway mark under her chest, leaving Qianran stunned. Her figure… He'd expected her to be curvy, but not this curvy.
Below, the one-piece swimsuit barely covered her hips, leaving her long, flawless legs on full display.
On one of those exposed thighs was a black garter, part of the ensemble Qianran had handed her earlier. The slight compression of her thigh, combined with the smaller stockings, accentuated her figure, showcasing her perfect proportions.
One word: stunning.
It was a completely different style compared to Juzi's.
When Juzi wore similar outfits, she embodied a pure campus goddess. Her youthful energy and physique fit perfectly with the image of a high school girl.
But Ye Xishui in the same attire? The dissonance was striking. School swimsuits were typically designed for less curvaceous women, and Ye Xishui's figure was the polar opposite. This mismatch didn't detract from her allure—it amplified it.
The contrast was so strong it became a charm of its own.
Even without the outfit, Ye Xishui was breathtakingly beautiful.
Her looks rivaled Winter's, and her figure was second to none.
It was no wonder figures like Long Xiaoyao, Mu En, and even Zhongli Old Ghost had been infatuated with her. Ye Xishui was a quintessential beauty, with no significant flaws to speak of.
Her internal qualities were just as extraordinary. A dual martial soul and incredible talent—any child she bore would undoubtedly be exceptional.
Ye Xishui met all the criteria of an ideal partner.
It was no surprise that she had become so arrogant in her later years. From her perspective, how could she not feel superior?
Zhongli Old Ghost and Long Xiaoyao's tragic fates in the original story were cautionary tales: spoiling a woman excessively could lead to disaster.
"Good thing I treat my women equally," Qianran thought smugly, finding justification for his own flirtatious ways. Because he distributed his affection evenly, the talented women around him were too busy striving for his attention to develop haughty attitudes.
From a certain perspective, this balance could be seen as a positive. At least for Qianran, it worked in his favor.
"Does it look good? This outfit feels a bit tight," Ye Xishui asked. Despite her icy demeanor, she was still a woman who cared about her appearance.
Having regained her youthful beauty thanks to the Eternal Youth Pill and the Snow Radiance Pill, Ye Xishui had been in good spirits lately.
No woman dislikes being praised, especially someone like Ye Xishui, who had always relished being the center of attention.
Despite her restored looks, her position as the Evil Soul Master Queen and the Holy Spirit Cult's Supreme Elder often kept her in hiding. She didn't want the world to know that such a formidable figure was also a delicate beauty.
Recently, only Long Xiaoyao and Zhongli Wu had seen her face.
This lack of external validation had left her feeling unfulfilled.
Thus, it was natural for her to accept Qianran's gaze and compliments, even while wearing such an outfit. There wasn't much psychological burden anymore.
"You look amazing. Ye Xishui, you're truly stunning," Qianran said sincerely.
He knew this was the moment to praise and encourage her. If he teased her instead, she might feel slighted and never show her beauty to him again.
Qianran wasn't one to make such mistakes. Many men with low emotional intelligence ruined things at this juncture. A girl who painstakingly dressed up for a date would receive only jokes in return. Even if the teasing was meant to ease tension, it often shut down future opportunities.
Such clueless men wouldn't even get to see their girlfriends wearing matching lingerie sets.
Qianran, however, was a seasoned pro in these matters.
From the beginning, he had planned everything meticulously. A man's value to a woman often boiled down to two aspects: emotional and material. Ye Xishui lacked the former.
As a towering figure in the soul master world, Ye Xishui carried herself with dignity at all times. She must have found it exhausting.
Though her beauty had returned, she suppressed her joy, fearing it might tarnish her image.
Qianran, however, offered her emotional value. His compliments directly translated into good feelings, eventually evolving into genuine affection.
(Chapter End)