When Xia Zhi returned to the small shop, Ningguang and her little secretary had already been waiting for a while.
Of course, they weren't just standing out in the cold wind like dummies. They were sitting in the shop next door, bored and sipping tea.
"Mr. Xia, you were out?"
"Yeah, sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Ningguang."
"No worries. I took the chance to check the accounts for my shop."
"Oh?"
"This shop next door is also under my name."
"Impressive."
"So, if Mr. Xia ever wants to expand the shop again, just come to me. I'll make sure to give you a friendly price."
"Haha, sounds good."
Ningguang then turned her gaze to the unfamiliar, pretty older woman standing behind Xia Zhi.
"And who might this be?"
"Xia Zhen, my older cousin. Like Xia Ci, she came from our hometown to visit me. We just went out to pick her up."
"I see."
Ningguang gave her a thoughtful look and smiled. "Hello, I'm Ningguang, a friend of Mr. Xia."
Xia Zhen smiled back softly. "Hello, I'm Xia Zhen."
"Let's head inside. It's windy out here, not the best place to chat."
"Yeah."
Stepping into the shop, it instantly felt warm like spring.
[Warmth Talisman] gets a five-star review.
Xia Zhi walked into the kitchen and took out the fried chicken and fries he'd prepared earlier from his inventory.
They were still steaming hot, just like when they came fresh out of the fryer.
Xia Zhi casually used [Path of the Netherworld Chef] to refresh their state, then brought them out.
"Miss Ningguang, Miss Baishi, I saved these for you."
"Thanks, Mr. Xia."
"Cousin, you've had a long trip. You must be tired. Have some fried chicken first."
"Oh, okay."
Xia Zhen sniffed the tempting aroma, her eyes glazing over a bit as she stared at the chicken.
Seriously, this stuff smells amazing!
Secretly swallowing, she reached out, took a piece, and bit into it lightly.
The outside was super crispy, and the inside was juicy.
Seriously, this stuff tastes amazing!
She suddenly felt a weird urge to cry, as if all the meals she'd eaten in her past life had been a waste.
Xia Ci sat nearby, propping her chin on her hand, smirking as she watched her bestie's embarrassing eating face.
Then, she pulled out a Kamera.
Yup, one more piece of blackmail material.
Not long after, the girls who'd gone out shopping returned.
Now that they had rings, shopping was way easier. They could store stuff in the rings, so they didn't have to worry about accidentally revealing the gifts they'd bought for the boss.
Though, since the boss couldn't see anyway, it wouldn't have been revealed regardless.
"Boss, you're back!"
"Yeah."
"Eh? Who's this lady?"
"Let me introduce you. This is my older cousin, Xia Zhen, who came from my hometown to find me."
"Another relative of the boss!?"
Xia Zhen put down the chicken wing in her hand, wiped her glossy, rosy lips, and smiled gently. "Hi, everyone."
"Hi!"
"Xia Zhen will be staying at the shop with us from now on. Her situation is a bit special, so I hope everyone can look out for her."
"Got it, Boss!"
"Alright, Xiangling, come help me out. It's time to make dinner."
"Got it, Master!"
And when dinner was finally served, Xia Zhen finally understood what Xia Ci meant when she said, "My cousin's cooking is amazing."
For a moment, she even thought being a ghost wasn't so bad. This way, she could eat as much as she wanted…
Xia Zhen couldn't help but think of her younger sister, remembering the awful "meals" Ei had made that she'd forced herself to eat…
Sniff, sniff, one more bowl…
Xia Zhi smiled and said, "Cousin, if you like it, eat more."
"Okay."
At the same time, the golden progress bar attached to her kept climbing.
Soon, the progress bar was full.
Xia Zhi also got a system notification.
"Progress bar has reached 100%. Golden Treasure Chest reward obtained."
Yup, cousin's living expenses have been deposited.
After dinner, everyone went to soak in the bathhouse together.
As a ghost, Xia Zhen didn't join in on that fun and sat at the table chatting with Qiqi instead.
Midway through their chat, strange, suggestive noises came from the back room.
Xia Zhen couldn't help but look over.
"What's that sound?"
"The boss is giving someone a massage."
"Massage?"
"Yeah, you're the boss's cousin. Don't you know he does massages?"
"…Of course I know. It's just been so long since I've seen him, I kinda forgot about it."
"Oh."
Xia Zhen looked away, then subtly sniffed the air.
She could smell a strange, pleasant incense drifting out from the back.
It smelled really nice.
And… tasty?
--
Late at night.
Xia Zhi returned to his room and bought a piece of black jade from the [Shop].
[Soul Jade]
Quality: Silver.
Type: Ore.
Trait: None.
Effect: Contains a mysterious power that can nurture souls.
Hidden Effect: None.
This was prepared for Xia Zhen.
Xia Zhi took out the [Seven-Wonder Carving Knives] and shaped the jade into a beautiful cherry blossom.
Then, he extended his finger, divine power gathering at the tip, and gently moved it across the jade's surface, engraving a divine phrase:
[Nurture Soul].
The engraving was complete.
Xia Zhi pulled back his finger, and two strange symbols now shimmered with golden light on the jade.
He stored the jade pendant in his inventory and checked the final result.
[Soul-Nurturing Pendant]
Quality: Golden.
Type: Accessory.
Trait: Soul Nurturing.
Effect: Carefully carved from Soul Jade and engraved with Divine Speech. When worn, it continuously strengthens the soul's power.
Hidden Effect: When worn, it calms the mind and soothes the spirit.
Recyclable: 100 Points.
Xia Zhi nodded, feeling pretty good about how this piece turned out.
Xia Zhen's current issue was that her soul was too weak. It needed to be nurtured first before they could think about revival.
When Shenhe came over, he'd get a luck boost first.
During a break, Shenhe quietly asked.
"Boss, that cousin is…?"
"The Electro Archon."
"Huh?"
"Or rather, the former Electro Archon. Her situation is a bit complicated. Just treat her the same as Xia Ci."
"The same as Xia Ci? How are they the same…?"
"How are they different?"
"She's… bigger…"
Xia Zhi couldn't help but laugh at that.
Compared to Xia Ci's petite frame, his new cousin definitely had a more mature figure.
Shenhe leaned in for a kiss.
"Boss."
"Hm?"
"One more round."
--
Next door.
Xia Ci suddenly sighed. "Here we go again."
Xia Zhen snapped out of her thoughts and asked, "What do you mean, here we go again?"
"Nothing… What were you thinking about…?"
"Kitsune Saiguu… I didn't expect that after I died, she also…"
"No need to feel sad. You've got Cousin here…"
"You mean…"
"Yup."
Xia Zhen's eyes lit up, and she glanced at the room next door, her expression turning thoughtful.
---
Join my Patreon for early access to 100+ chapters and to support my work: Patreon.com/rivyura