This time, the result was genuinely better than before.
Even without infusing it with yin energy to awaken its spirit, the red-and-green vest had already achieved an official rank. And once it was awakened, it leapt straight to Third Rank. It was just a single step away from becoming a Fourth-Rank paper clothes, with the texture and sheen of real cloth.
After several more attempts, as her technique grew more refined, crafting a Fourth-Rank paper vest came naturally.
Song Miaozhu brought it to the ghost shop's warehouse.
In the world of the living, it looked like nothing more than a vest made from half an A4-sized sheet of paper. But in the underworld, it revealed its true form as a Fourth-Rank Yin Paper Clothes. When laid on the ground, it still appeared to be half an A4 sheet in size, but it now had the satiny texture she'd envisioned when infusing it with spirit—its surface glimmered faintly like real silk.
The moment she picked it up, the tiny vest transformed into a full-sized garment. It became a real vest with a satin finish, perfectly shaped to fit a spirit body—and tailored exactly to her figure. Just then, it was time for Mao Jinxia and Xu Jingsi to switch shifts. Song Miaozhu walked to the counter and removed the vest, handing it to them.
"Try it on. See if it fits you too."
She recalled what she had read in the Secret Art of Paper Crafting—that a piece of Yin Paper Clothes could resize itself once to match the first wearer. But the true power of a Fourth-Rank garment lay in its ability to reshape itself automatically for any wearer. It didn't matter whose hands it ended up in—it would always transform to the perfect size.
Mao Jinxia had died of old age, her back slightly hunched and her figure a bit rounded. Xu Jingsi, on the other hand, had suffered from depression before her death. Her ghostly form now resembled a malnourished bamboo stalk.
Neither had used ghost energy to restore their youthful appearances, making them perfect test cases.
"This fabric is lovely! I haven't seen such fine material in years," said Mao Jinxia. "But I don't think I can wear it."
She thought it was a real vest burned down from the living world, hence the lifelike texture. But such garments didn't resize. If it fit the boss, there was no way it would fit her.
"This is a Fourth-Rank Paper Spirit Armor. You'll definitely fit," Song Miaozhu said.
"Fourth Rank?" Mao Jinxia had been around long enough in Fengdu to recognize rare items. "Boss, you managed to get your hands on a Fourth-Rank Yin Paper Clothes?"
Song Miaozhu had long since divided the ghost shop's warehouse into separate spaces—one for storing goods, and one for working with materials from the world of the living. The employees could only see the latter. So as far as Mao Jinxia was concerned, Song Miaozhu was just another ghost, connected with a skilled paper crafter in the world of the living. After all, ghosts had no bodies. Their skills couldn't improve beyond death.
Song Miaozhu didn't correct her. She simply nodded and said, "Give it a try. See if it works the way the legends say it does."
Xu Jingsi hadn't known much about Fourth-Rank garments either, but after hearing Mao Jinxia's explanation, her curiosity was piqued.
"Granny Mao, hurry and try it on! Let's see if it really resizes."
Mao Jinxia took the vest. Right before their eyes, it visibly grew wider. She put it on and fastened the buttons.
"A perfect fit. The rumors were true!"
She then took it off and handed it to Xu Jingsi, who tried it on as well. The vest shrank to match her frame perfectly.
Song Miaozhu beamed with satisfaction.
"I'll make two proper Fourth-Rank uniforms for you both soon. This design doesn't really suit workwear, so I'll just put it up for sale in the shop. Let's price it at…"
According to the Secret Art of Paper Crafting, a Fourth-Rank paper garment could easily fetch over a million spirit coins—it was a genuine luxury item in the underworld.
But this vest was too plain in design. At that price, it wouldn't sell.
She remembered the price listings at Fuyi Workshop. Non-ranked paper garments, depending on color and design complexity, went for a few dozen spirit coins, rarely exceeding one hundred.
First-Rank clothes cost a few hundred spirit coins apiece, with the flashiest pieces topping out at around a thousand.
Second-Rank garments were in the thousands, with the best priced at ten thousand.
Their flagship Third-Rank robe—a wide-sleeved "Flowing Immortal Dress" with a faint paper-like texture—was a standout at a steep one hundred thousand spirit coins.
By comparison, her vest had a simple cut but excellent texture and a color so vivid it would surely appeal to ghostly aesthetics. It was also the only Fourth-Rank piece available in the entire underworld. Fourth-Rank garments could shift sizes between users, and if someone got tired of it, they could always resell it and make some of their spirit coins back. It held its value well. So, pricing it in line with Fuyi Workshop's top-tier Third-Rank item made sense.
She casually said, "100,000 hell coins."
"I'll take it!" came a voice. An old ghost customer had clearly been watching from the shadows for some time.
Song Miaozhu hadn't expected anyone to buy something so expensive so quickly. But when she saw who it was, she paused.
"Wouldn't you prefer to wait until we have men's Fourth-Rank garments in stock? This vest is for women."
"You're going to stock more?" The ghost's eyes lit up. "You've got a paper crafter who can make Fourth-Rank clothes?"
He clearly didn't know the former prestige of the Anshou Hall. Song Miaozhu didn't enlighten him.
"Trade secret."
"When will they be available?" the ghost asked.
"Simple styles—T-shirts, vests, long trousers—they shouldn't take too long," she said.
Those weren't complicated. The master's beginner tutorials had already covered the basics. She'd pick it up fast.
"Alright. I'll come back later."
The ghost had clearly done the math. Paper clothes wear out eventually, but the higher the rank, the longer they lasted. Fourth-Rank garments, according to legend, could endure centuries without fading or tearing. So in the long run, they were the most cost-effective choice.
After he left, a female ghost who'd been quietly waiting bought the vest without blinking. Turns out, there were plenty of wealthy ghosts in the underworld.
Paper crafting really was profitable—especially Fourth-Rank Yin Paper Clothes. With just a few sheets of colored paper and a bit of spirit energy awakened using one hell coin's worth of ghost lifespan, Song Miaozhu had earned one hundred thousand hell coins.
That was roughly equivalent to two hundred thousand yuan!
Far more profitable than reselling goods from the world of the living.
The price left Mao Jinxia and Xu Jingsi feeling uneasy.
"Boss, maybe we shouldn't have work uniforms. That's way too expensive!" said Mao Jinxia.
"Yeah! It's too much," added Xu Jingsi. "We only earn 800 hell coins a month. A Fourth-Rank outfit could cover more than ten years of our salaries."
"These uniforms are for the store, not for you personally," Song Miaozhu said. "Matching attire helps customers recognize staff more easily."
She could make them with just one hell coin's worth of energy. Why would she hold back?