Jin Meilan had originally wanted to buy a fourth-grade paper garment like this one, but had to give up on the idea. Instead, she urged Song Miaozhu to hurry and begin the lesson.
"Let's hurry and learn how to make that pretty little skirt! I can't wait to wear a grand fourth-grade paper dress myself!"
So, the two continued from where they had left off the previous day.
Today's lesson lasted a full two hours.
By the end, Song Miaozhu had managed to follow Jin Meilan's instructions from sketching the design all the way to crafting a finished product out of fabric.
It was made to fit the little paper servants.
As soon as the skirt was completed, every idle little paper servant with no tasks or missions on hand gathered around, all eager to try it on.
Jin Meilan was completely defenseless in the face of such a sight. "Too cute!"
"They really seem to like this skirt," said Song Miaozhu. "Line up and take turns trying it on. Be careful, don't ruin it. I still need to make a Yang Paper Clothes version based on this. Once that's done, I'll make a skirt for each of you."
The little paper servants immediately lined up in an orderly fashion, taking turns to try the skirt on. While one tried it on, the two behind her would help with great care, as if afraid to damage the delicate fabric.
They were all fairly similar in appearance, so the skirt looked almost the same on each of them. Yet every single little paper servant looked absolutely delighted once they put it on. Some twirled in circles holding up the hem, some floated up and danced mid-air, and some even bowed to others while gently patting their twin braids.
No two reactions were quite alike.
The rest of the little paper servants enthusiastically clapped and cheered, playing the role of adoring spectators. Some even went so far as to switch shifts with others, just so every little paper servant would get a chance to try on the skirt.
Song Miaozhu quietly counted. Exactly sixty little paper servants had shown up. Even those she had sent to the mountains, the nearby town, or had hidden away in the city to serve as decoy paper figures for teleportation points had swapped shifts and joined the fun.
They had fully expressed their love for the skirt without neglecting their assigned duties.
Song Miaozhu was baffled. These little paper servants were supposedly formed from pieces of her personality, but why did they all love little skirts so much?
Even she, their creator, barely had any decent skirts in her own wardrobe. In the past, she simply couldn't afford to dress herself up. Now that she could, she no longer had the mind for it.
"Song Song, are the little paper servants for sale? They're just too adorable!"
Memories of her former life surged in Jin Meilan's heart, reminding her of the joy of dressing up dolls. Unfortunately, in the underworld, not only was there no fabric for doll clothes, there weren't even any dolls to play with.
Before Song Miaozhu could answer, the little paper servants had already run out of the private room with a loud whoosh, clutching the skirt tightly. They disappeared to continue their dress-up fun in secret.
"They're not for sale," Song Miaozhu said.
Seeing the disappointment on Jin Meilan's face, she added, "But if you really want one, I can make you one. Just know it'll cost a little more than a fourth-grade paper garment. Three hundred thousand hell coins each. And you'll have to keep the little paper servant's abilities and origin completely confidential."
There had always been a version of the little paper servant activated by yin qi.
One technique described in the Secret Art of Paper Crafting included a method called "spirit-binding without eye-drawing," where the final step of drawing the servant's eyes was left to the buyer. This signified acceptance of ownership. Song Miaozhu had yet to try this method herself.
Until now, she had held back from selling little paper servants in the underworld. After all, paper cutting was her signature skill, and with the Spirit Bureau keeping a close watch on underworld activity, she didn't want to risk the living finding ways to counter her creations.
But Jin Meilan had signed a confidentiality agreement. She was a safe buyer. Selling to her wouldn't be an issue. And this was a good opportunity for Song Miaozhu to test out the spirit-binding technique.
"Three hundred thousand?" Jin Meilan looked pained.
"Maybe wait a little longer. Once I've learned how to use bamboo as the skeleton and paper as the skin to create fully articulated paper figures, then it might be more worth it for you. Those will probably suit your tastes better," Song Miaozhu said.
Three hundred thousand was the standard price listed in the Secret Art of Paper Crafting for yin qi–activated little paper servants. That was what the ancestors charged. Prices in Fengdu were stable, so Song Miaozhu followed tradition. Even though she had a good impression of Jin Meilan, she couldn't really lower the price.
It wasn't that Jin Meilan couldn't afford it, but rather that the flat, flimsy appearance of the little paper servant didn't quite match the feel of the dolls she used to play with in life. As expected, when Jin Meilan heard that articulated paper figures were in the works, she immediately gave up on buying a little paper servant.
"I'll keep saving up hell coins and wait for your new models."
So, Song Miaozhu shelved her experiment with spirit-binding for now.
"Tomorrow, you won't need me for class, right?" Jin Meilan asked.
Song Miaozhu nodded. "Tomorrow's lesson will be with the ghost instructor for painting."
She was increasingly convinced that painting was essential to making good paper clothes. With strong drawing skills, one could design better paper clothes and bring their ideas to life more easily. It would also reduce dependence on specialized paper. With the right designs and the enhancement of spirit-binding, even plain paper would do.
"I'll come back to learn more after I finish turning this into a fourth-grade paper clothes," Song Miaozhu said.
Though she had mastered the fabric version of the skirt, crafting it from paper would require further research. And that was something Jin Meilan or any ghost instructor, couldn't teach her.
It wasn't that she didn't want a paper-crafting ghost instructor.
It was just that anyone capable of teaching her was already skilled enough to run their own shop in Fengdu. The design blueprints for paper garments were their bread and butter, and they wouldn't share them with a potential competitor.
Even if she promised not to sell anything below third-grade, it wouldn't help. Despite having posted recruitment notices for ages, not a single ghost instructor specializing in paper cutting had responded.
As the two-hour lesson drew to a close, Song Miaozhu said her goodbyes to Jin Meilan and had a little paper servant escort her out of the ghost workshop warehouse.
She opened the Underworld Web, contacted a ghost instructor skilled in painting, and scheduled a lesson for the next day before finally returning to the living world. Once her soul returned to her body, she sat up from the reclining chair and headed down to the basement to "take care" of the cursed paper dolls linked to Japanese ghosts.
Through daily high-intensity cursing, the paper dolls were steadily growing in power. Of the original three thousand, over half had already turned to ash. When a cursed paper doll turned to ash, it meant the spirit it targeted had been obliterated—its resentment and ghostly energy thoroughly exhausted under her relentless curses. That ghost was no longer part of this world.