Chapter 30: Baibao, the Wealthy Lady

"I was busy helping some newcomers with their quests, so I haven't had a chance to check it out yet. I'll take a look now."

Fu Chen smiled as he finished speaking and opened the Treasure Mall.

The Treasure Mall was a new feature that appeared after he left and re-entered the Perfect World. Its arrival followed the same pattern as the time-display feature that appeared on his second day in the world. In his previous life, Fu Chen hadn't paid much attention to these details and couldn't recall the specific timeline of the integration between the Perfect World and Blue Star. The grand trend of two worlds merging was, after all, something far beyond the influence of a small fry like him.

The emergence of this mall meant that currency between the Perfect World and Blue Star could now circulate freely. Anyone could convert their Blue Star money into the gold of the Perfect World to purchase items, or vice versa—converting the gold earned in the Perfect World back into Blue Star currency to be withdrawn into their personal accounts.

The Treasure Mall offered a vast array of daily necessities and auxiliary items needed in the Perfect World. It carried everything imaginable: clothing, footwear, accessories, food, and beverages. Of course, the apparel sold in the mall was purely cosmetic and provided no boost to one’s strength. Furthermore, the prices in the mall were no cheaper than in the Blue Star world. For instance, food and drinks tasted and felt exactly as they did in reality, but everyone knew that no matter how much one ate, their physical body in the real world would absorb no nutrition. Its only purpose was enjoyment, satisfying cravings and providing psychological comfort.

Fu Chen was already very familiar with the functions of the Treasure Mall from his past life. After opening it, he skillfully linked his real-world bank account. He deposited 500 yuan, converting it into 500 taels of gold in the Perfect World at a 1:1 ratio. He navigated to the fashion category, quickly picked out an outfit, and changed into it, spending nearly 200 taels of gold. Once that was done, he opened his avatar settings and switched from "Equipment Mode" to "Fashion Mode."

In the eyes of his three teammates, Fu Chen’s appearance shifted instantly from an imposing warrior clad in heavy armor to a sunny, casual young man wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, black Bermuda shorts, and a pair of flip-flops.

"Pfft~"

Qin Yumo couldn't help but laugh, covering her mouth as she teased, "Hong Chen, why on earth did you pick an outfit like that?"

"Little brother Hong Chen, you don't look like a high-level expert at all now," Ling Dian chimed in with a chuckle.

Fu Chen walked over to them and sat down, shrugging nonchalantly. "It’s summer, isn't it? This outfit looks cool, and besides, I’m not really a big-time expert." He paused, adding with a grin, "Most importantly, it was cheap. I don't feel any heartache for spending the money."

The moon hung like a silver plate in the sky, surrounded by brilliant, shimmering stars in the vast night. Below them, a massive waterfall cascaded down, sparkling with iridescent, colorful light under the moonlight—a truly magnificent sight.

Qin Yumo glanced at Fu Chen and asked softly, "Doesn't Hong Chen need to accompany his girlfriend?"

When Yang Siyao was mentioned, Fu Chen’s tone became quite flat. "Let her level up on her own. I can't do that for her." He suddenly snapped back to his senses, thinking, *I need to speed up my leveling and leave Yang Siyao behind as far as possible.*

With that thought, Fu Chen stood up abruptly. "Huang, I won't stay here to enjoy the view. I’m planning to head to Ant-Gathering Mountain."

"The monsters at Ant-Gathering Mountain are a bit low-level for you, aren't they? Why go there?" Qin Yumo asked curiously.

Fu Chen nodded. "True, but we still have two skills we haven't learned. We're missing two skill books, and I’m going there to farm them."

Qin Yumo looked even more confused, her brows knitting together. "Haven't we already learned all three skills?"

"Not at all!" Fu Chen explained. "Open your skill list and look at the bottom right; you can open a 'Skill Tree' there."

Following his instructions, Qin Yumo opened a tree diagram displaying all the skills for a Martial Artist. Upon inspection, she quickly realized that two skills, "Swift Cloud Step" and "Flowing Water," were indeed available at level 9. After reading the descriptions of the two skills, Qin Yumo became excited and made a prompt decision. "I’m coming with you!"

She stood up to bid her two friends farewell. "I’m going to hunt monsters with Hong Chen. If you run into anything you don't understand, just call me."

Ling Dian cast a dissatisfied glance at Fu Chen and said with concern, "Qin Yumo, don't you ever get tired of constantly hunting monsters?"

Qin Yumo raised an eyebrow slightly, smiling as she replied, "I’m just hanging out with an expert and hitching a ride; it’s not tiring at all."

Beside them, Fu Chen let out a wry laugh. "'Expert' is too much. We’re just teammates cooperating with each other." He waved his hand and said, "Let’s go, we’ll take the portal at Sword Immortal City."

"Wait!" Qin Yumo called out to stop him. "Don't you plan on buying a mount before we leave?"

Fu Chen shook his head immediately. "The cheapest mount costs 5,000 gold—that's five thousand yuan! I can't afford it." He then changed his tone. "Did you buy your mount already? Well, what are you waiting for? Bring it out and let's see it."

Seeing Qin Yumo looking hesitant, Fu Chen asked, puzzled, "Is your mount really ugly?"

Qin Yumo blurted out a denial. "Of course not! It's just... fine, see for yourself."

She stopped hiding it and summoned her newly purchased mount from her pet space. A stunning, majestic, and extraordinary dragon-shaped mythical beast appeared before them.

Fu Chen was left dumbfounded, staring in disbelief. "A dragon? Is that a Mercury Dragon hatchling? The top-tier mount that costs eight million gold?"

Qin Yumo nodded and smiled lightly. "You saw it yourself. Well, is my choice of mount pretty?"

"Huang, I admit I was wrong before," Fu Chen said suddenly, with such solemnity that Qin Yumo was stunned.

Then, she watched as Fu Chen put on an exaggerated expression of heartbreak. "I thought you were well-off, but I never imagined you were a bona fide wealthy heiress. Eight million gold! That’s eight million yuan in Blue Star currency, and you spent it all on a single mount! That is inhumanely rich!"

After hearing the first few words, Qin Yumo realized he was joking—a bit of banter between friends. She saw clearly that while Fu Chen’s expressions and gestures were exaggerated, his eyes remained unusually calm.

She chuckled and asked, "Is the high price of the mount all you see?"

Fu Chen quickly denied it. "How could that be? I also see a wealthy heiress the likes of which I’ve never seen in my life." He sighed and added, "Seeing your mount reminds me of an internet saying: 'Sister, I don't want to work hard anymore.'"

"Pfft~"

Ling Dian, who had been watching from the side, finally couldn't help but laugh. "Little brother Hong Chen, if you don't want to work hard, you can come to me. Big sister will take care of you."