"A chance encounter, a chance encounter," I chuckled wryly. "I heard the weapons here are good, so I came to take a look. What, Xingyue, are you here to pick out weapons too?"
I noticed that above Shen Xingyue's left eyebrow, there was a band-aid, as if she had been poked by a branch last time by me.
"I'm done selecting. You guys pick. I'm leaving." Shen Xingyue was alone and knew she couldn't fight, so she could only choose to leave.
"What, are you going to call Shakespeare for backup?" Yaoyao asked with a smile.
"I don't have such noble sentiments. Personal time is for personal matters, and I won't make things difficult for you," Shen Xingyue said calmly.
"Make things difficult for us? You too..." Yaoyao glanced at me, perhaps out of respect for me, but swallowed the word "match" back.
Shen Xingyue turned around and cupped her fists to bid farewell to Grandpa Jin and the others: "Three days later, I'll come to collect the weapons."
"Uh, yes, yes, Captain Shen, walk slowly." Grandpa Jin, with cold sweat beading on his forehead, bowed to see her off.
Shen Xingyue intended to leave, and her path couldn't avoid us. As she brushed past me, Yaoyao wanted to say something, but I grabbed her sleeve. She pouted and didn't provoke Shen Xingyue further.
"Xingyue, it's noon. If you're not in a hurry, let's have lunch together," I suggested.
"With you all?" Shen Xingyue frowned.
"If you mind them, you can come with just me. I have something I want to tell you," I said earnestly. I needed to apologize for some things and explain others.
"Hmph... Don't be so full of yourself. Of the four of you, you're the one I mind the most!" Shen Xingyue said huffily, deliberately bumping me on the shoulder. After I stumbled, she left the workshop without looking back.
"Hey, hey, this little vixen..." The fox spirit felt indignant on my behalf and chased after her a few steps, not forgetting to turn back and ask for instructions, "Boss, should I go and... take her down for you?"
"No need to take her down, just a meal is fine," I said.
"Got it."
Even if Shen Xingyue fought the fox spirit alone, she wouldn't have a chance of winning, so I wasn't worried about the fox spirit's safety. Yaoyao had already affirmed her social skills, so I had even less to worry about.
The rest of us and the Jin family completed the normal pickup procedures. I then reconfirmed the details of the appearance, size, and weight of the other nine weapons with Cui San. According to the process, a contract needed to be signed. They were a formal company, and crafting a weapon required placing an order and passing through many departments. I offered to pay, but Mr. Jin refused to accept any money and even wanted to refund the money for the Zi Wu Yuan Yang Yue.
I feigned anger, and Grandpa Jin finally relented.
In the end, Yaoyao stated that the money for the weapons should still be paid, but not necessarily now, and not necessarily in cash. There would likely be opportunities for future cooperation, to be discussed later.
Mr. Jin nodded and repeatedly agreed.
After packing the Zi Wu Yuan Yang Yue, the three of us went outside and saw the fox spirit and Shen Xingyue chatting in the shade of the parking lot. They were conversing happily. Shen Xingyue's face was beaming, and she couldn't help but steal smiles, her eyes full of joy.
"Impressive, impressive!" I couldn't help but give a thumbs up. Although Kun Kun was a girl, her ability to charm someone was more effective than many of the "Qian Qian" and "Feng Feng" types…
However, upon seeing me and Yaoyao come out, Shen Xingyue immediately put on a stern face, and her restless hands were placed neatly into the front pockets of her jeans.
"Ha, my boss is here," the fox spirit said, intimately squeezing Shen Xingyue's hand near her belt. She then walked back to our formation and stood at the very back, in order. The eight spirits generally stood in order of seniority. If an odd number of spirits were present, the first one would be in the center, the second to the left of the center, the third to the right, the fourth to the second left, the fifth to the second right, and so on. If there was an even number of spirits, the second one among the two central spirits would stand to the left of the first one. The rest would be arranged left and right, with the left side being the place of honor.
This was a part of traditional Chinese culture, and even in modern times, many formal occasions followed this standard for seating arrangements.
Foreigners didn't understand this and would arrange things haphazardly, lacking in etiquette.
"It's done," the fox spirit whispered in my ear.