Actually, Jiang Beiran had thought a lot about the issue of clothing.
First of all, if the girls all wore silk or satin upon descending the mountain, it could indeed deter some scoundrels. Out of the fear that Liu Zijin and the girls were descendants of some major families, those crooks would not dare to act rashly.
But while the risk of scoundrels would be lessened, Jiang Beiran could not stop the lust-driven young men hailing from families of significant backgrounds.
With the beauty of the five women, if they were given free rein to show off their looks however they liked, God knew how many royals, nobles, heroes, and officials they would attract. By the time the trial ended, Jiang Beiran estimated that he would have triggered at least a dozen Yellow Grade quests.
Who could withstand such a situation!?
But now that they had changed into rough hemp garments, they also completely failed to achieve the effect Jiang Beiran had imagined, which was to blend into the crowd and stay low profile. Instead, it was like throwing five plump sheep into the wolf pack.
Thinking about it, with five stunning beauties in civilian attire, surely it would provoke the men down the mountain so much that they would beat the idiotic brains out of one another.
'Alas, it seems that the stuff I've made really must be put to use. I just hope they would not realize what is special about it,' Jiang Beiran thought to himself.
Sighing in his heart, Jiang Beiran looked to Liu Zijin and the rest of the five and said, "Very good. You all came back within the stipulated time. It is a good start for us all. Now come with me, and I'll help you get the rest of the items."
At that moment, Jiang Beiran's authority as an Iron Seal had been completely established. After hearing his instructions, even Fang Qiuyao, who was the most unconvinced in her heart, simply twitched her mouth while still following obediently.
They reached an unoccupied pavilion not far away, and Jiang Beiran took five straw hats and five pairs of shoes made of straw from his storage ring.
The ring was a gift that Jiang Beiran had received when he first joined the sect. It had the word "Heart" engraved on it.
When Jiang Beiran first got it, it could be said that he worshipped the Sect of Returning Hearts to the extreme. They were actually giving out items like this, which seemed like something only the protagonist would have in a novel, as a free gift for newbies.
But only later did he slowly learn that in the world, as long as one was a cultivator, almost everyone has a storage ring. The only difference was the size of the space within. For example, Jiang Beiran's storage ring had about the same capacity as a sack. That was the standard size of the storage rings carried by most cultivators.
This storage ring was also as convenient as Jiang Beiran imagined. Everything except for living things could be stuffed into it.
Seeing the hats and shoes made of straw that Jiang Beiran had taken out, Fang Qiuyao's brow furrowed again. However, this time, she didn't say anything. She now considered Jiang Beiran as part of her trial, and she just had to endure this one time.
'In the future, even if I am scolded to death, sent to die outside, or driven out of the Order by the Law Protector, I will never have this man be my Iron Seal again!' she thought to herself.
Putting the straw hats and shoes in front of the five junior sisters, Jiang Beiran smiled and said, "It's a very hot summer. These are the heat protection products I prepared especially for you all. Do put them on, and tell me if the shoes are not the right size. I will help you modify them."
Although Liu Zijin did not like the style of the straw hat very much, she still nodded politely and said, "Many thanks, Senior Brother." She then picked up a straw hat and a pair of shoes.
After sitting to one side to change into the shoes of straw, Liu Zijin put the hat onto her head out of habit.
'Huh...'
The moment she put the hat on her head, Liu Zijin suddenly felt the scenery in front of her become blurred, but she soon recovered.
Beside her, Fang Qiuyao, who had just finished collecting the straw hat and shoes, took a look at Liu Zijin and blinked, somewhat puzzled. She didn't seem to feel the usual aura that Sister Zijin gave her, but when she looked more closely, she felt nothing wrong.
'It's probably because it's the first time I have seen Sister Zijin dressed like this. But Sister Zijin is indeed pretty, even when dressed like this!' Fang Qiuyao thought to herself.
Jiang Beiran nodded in satisfaction after seeing Liu Zijin change into the straw hat and shoes.
'Very good. The hidden formation is running very smoothly. Her aura has been completely changed,' he thought.
After taking on such a difficult task from Law Protector Yu, Jiang Beiran certainly wouldn't just sit by and do nothing to prepare for it. During the two days he waited, he developed this Suit of Blending In that fused the art of weaving together with the science of formations.
Simply put, he wove the "Qi Hiding Formation" into the straw hat and shoes so that they would become a mobile formation that could create a layer of illusions around the wearer. The effect was to significantly tone down the wearer's presence. As long as the wearer stayed in a crowd, it was difficult for them to be noticed.
When all five of them had put on their Suits of Blending In, Jiang Beiran took out five pieces of green Seared Cloth from the storage ring and handed them the cloths.
The Seared Cloth was a kind of heat protection item commonly used by the people in the Land of the Black Dragon. It was made by processing the roots of a plant similar to a plantain banana into strands of thread and then weaving the thread into cloth. When worn on the face, it could shield one from sunlight and dispel the heat.
Of course, the Seared Cloth made by Jiang Beiran naturally had special features. The weaving method that had integrated the science of formations allowed it to be connected to the critical point of the "Qi Hiding Formation" on the straw hat, thus strengthening the effect of the Suit of Blending In.
"Excuse me, sir!"
At that moment, the three sisters of the Yu family had raised their hands and shouted simultaneously.
Jiang Beiran pointed to the Sister Yu standing in the middle and said, "You may ask first."
"What is this in your hand, Brother?" Yu Guizhui asked as she stepped forward.
"Eh? Have you never seen it before? It's a Seared Cloth used for protection against the heat," he told her.
"Seared Cloth?" Yu Guizhui widened her eyes in curiosity.
Jiang Beiran looked at the others again and found that they were also bewildered. Obviously, none of them had ever seen one.
'Alas, these ladies are really living a life in a different dimension from the common folk,' he thought.
"You will know its benefits when you wear it on your face," Jiang Beiran said as he handed the Seared Cloth to Yu Guizhui. He then looked at the other Sister Yu and asked, "What about you? What's your question?"
"Oh, it's all right. My sister has already asked the question for me," she replied.
Then Jiang Beiran looked at the only remaining sister and asked, "Is your question also the same?"
"Yep." Yu Guimiao gave a forceful nod.
"Okay. Then you all can try wearing it together." Jiang Beiran took out two more pieces of Seared Cloth and handed them over to the girls.
"Wow, it smells good." At that moment, there was a glow in Yu Guizhui's eyes. She was already wearing the Seared Cloth. Her small nose kept twitching as if she wanted to inhale more fragrance.
The other two Yu sisters also hurriedly put on the Seared Cloth after hearing this. Sounding surprised, they both said at the same time, "It smells really good."
In order to prevent Liu Zijin or Fang Qiuyao from arguing against wearing the Seared Cloth, Jiang Beiran deliberately soaked the ones he had made in the Honey of Various Flowers that he had brewed. He used a formation to keep the scent within a certain range so that onlookers basically could not smell it.
Seeing the pleasantly surprised expression of the three Sisters of the Yu family, Liu Zijin and Fang Qiuyao also could not help but feel curious. They walked up to Jiang Beiran and collected the remaining two pieces of Seared Cloth.
"Really, it smells especially fragrant when you put it on. Bro—?" Liu Zijin was just about to ask something when she hastily covered her mouth. Although she was somewhat looking forward to being reprimanded by Brother Jiang once more, if another two points were deducted, she would outright fail.
"Excuse me, sir," Liu Zijin said quietly.
Jiang Beiran, who saw Liu Zijin's reaction, was very satisfied in his heart and nodded. "Speak."
"May I ask what the scent on this Seared Cloth is?" she asked.
After Liu Zijin asked the question, the three sisters of the Yu family also looked at Jiang Beiran at the same time, with similar curiosity written on their faces.