Chapter 7: Linglinglan’s Makeover

“Hey! Look what I got!”

Xinghui bounced into the room like a bird that had just swallowed a worm.
She waved a pink slip of paper excitedly at Linglinglan, who was busy fiddling with her new game at the computer desk.

“It’s a check! And the amount is two thousand five hundred gold coins!”

“Heh heh, thanks to our perfect teamwork, not only did those old fogies at the Association decide not to come after me, they even promoted me! And generously tossed me an extra five hundred on top! Now the question is—how are we going to spend this fortune?”

Those stingy geezers usually loved to withhold rangers’ pay with excuses like ‘You didn’t complete enough commissions’, or ‘Your performance points are below standard’, or even ‘The frontline soldiers’ stipends are short this month, so the Association is strapped for cash—no bonus for you’.

The worst part? Most of that money went straight into their own pockets.
When I become the Sword Immortal again, Xinghui thought, first order of business: settle accounts with those rats and make them cough up gold until they explode!

“Obviously, we should go on a trip! Didn’t you say we could vacation on the Star of Banquets—Xifa Star?”

“That might be a little too expensive… The entry fee alone is two hundred fifty gold. That’s five hundred for the two of us.”

“I don’t care! I want to go!”

Linglinglan started grumbling nonstop, retelling the entire saga from Xinghui’s appearance, to the trial, to the medicine, to their little performance—this time with a thick coating of her own personal bias.

Soft-eared Xinghui, unable to withstand the nagging, made a token attempt at protest but quickly gave in.

“We’ll need to change your outfit first, otherwise you’ll give yourself away the moment we step outside.”
Xinghui’s gaze shifted toward her wardrobe.
There were a few outfits inside, gifts from Yiglu and the others.
She had never worn them, but at least they were clean and brand-new.

“I’ve got clothes at home. I can just teleport back and grab them.”

“I’ve camped out in your closet before, remember? Every single outfit you own is identical to the one you’re wearing right now. And honestly, I’ve wanted to complain about this for ages. That robe of yours—aren’t you suffocating in it? Not to mention, it completely buries your looks.”

In Xinghui’s eyes, Linglinglan’s fashion sense was so atrocious that even the cockroaches in her house had better style.

“Clothes that are too flashy… it feels like they’d draw too much attention. I think this set is fine.”

Linglinglan shook her head like a rattling drum.
Her already messy silver-white hair flared out in an even worse tangle.
Combined with her ragged, practically catastrophic witch’s robe, she looked like a beggar wandering the streets.

“Fine? What’s fine about wasting such a beautiful shell by wrapping it up like this? It’s shameful.”

“Shell? Are you saying you want to see my true form?”

Linglinglan puffed herself up, trying to sound intimidating.

“Among the Outer God clans, my temperament is considered normal. If I revealed my real body, you’d be scared out of your soul!”

“No, no, this form is cute enough,” Xinghui said quickly, waving her hands.

“I can even morph parts of my body into clothes if I want! Any style, any time!”

“That’s just streaking, isn’t it?”

Xinghui’s face took on a look of great wisdom.
Skin = no clothes.
No clothes = naked.
Therefore… that would mean she’d be seeing… everything.

“You pervert! Fine, I’ll change!”

Linglinglan, more human-like than her sisters, blushed furiously the moment she registered the idea of streaking.
Oh no—how was she supposed to face her sisters again, knowing they actually didn’t wear a thing underneath…

Too indecent.
Why had she never thought of it that way before?!
Like Adam and Eve after eating the forbidden fruit—once you realized it, there was no going back…

“That’s more like it!”

Xinghui picked up a comb and began tidying Linglinglan’s messy silver locks.
Bathed in sunlight, her hair gleamed like strands of white silk, smoother and more lustrous than anything a model on TV could boast.
Honestly, it was too smooth—nothing like human hair.
One stroke of the comb and her looks shot back up to 200%.

“See? With hair like this, I’m dying of jealousy!”

“If I could, I’d give it to you. It’s so long—it’s a pain to manage.”

In Xinghui’s deft hands, it took only moments before Linglinglan’s hair was tied into two neat pigtails.
Next, she clipped a star-shaped hairpin to the bangs over her forehead, deliberately leaving a few side strands to frame her face.
Now Linglinglan looked like the very image of a god’s daughter descending to earth—pure and adorable.

“This… this is really me?” Linglinglan asked in disbelief.

“Who else would it be?”

“I mean… I can’t possibly be that cute.”

“Wait until you put on some new clothes before making your final judgment.”
Xinghui rummaged in her closet and pulled out an unopened box, the seal still intact: ‘Happy Birthday, Miss Xinghui! With love, Yiglu, Dorin, and Younis.’

“That’s a gift for you. Why are you giving it to me?”

“Because I’m re-gifting it. Just try it on. Based on my rough estimate, we’re about the same height, so it should fit perfectly.”

Seeing Linglinglan’s dead-fish-eyed expression, Xinghui decided to, well, give her a little push.

“If you don’t want to change, I’ll help you.”

At those words, Linglinglan immediately glared murderously.
This dumb girl was pushing her luck.
So eager to see her… At this rate, she’d trick her into bed within days!

“Where’s your dressing room? I’ll change myself. Don’t get any ideas!”

“Ah, well… since I live alone…” Xinghui’s expression turned nine parts mischievous.
“There isn’t one. We’re both girls, aren’t we? What’s there to be shy about?”

“No way! You big pervert! You shameless lecherous ghoul! Out! I’ll call you back in when I’m done changing!”

“This is my house. Why should I leave…”

“You!!! Just wait and see how I deal with you!”

“Okay, okay, don’t be mad. I was kidding, kidding! Calm down—it’s my bad.”

About ten minutes later—

Before Xinghui stood a white-haired girl with twin pigtails, dressed in a black-and-white dress.
The skirt swayed gently, elegant and dainty, exuding a tender, girlish charm.
Her white hair now fell smoothly over her shoulders.
Above white knee-high socks and beneath the hem of the blue skirt lay the faintest glimpse of the absolute territory—her looks instantly shot up by five hundred percent.
Off the charts!

“Wow… didn’t expect you to actually have an eye for fashion. I really underestimated you. This outfit on you is absolutely perfect!”

Xinghui had to admit—it hit her XP dead center.
She just wanted to scoop Linglinglan up and cuddle her to pieces!