Golden Jade Courtyard was lavish and extravagant, exuding a sense of indulgent luxury.
It was a high-end brothel.
Only the wealthy and powerful came and went here.
Ordinary folks simply couldn't afford it.
"Your Highness, are you really going in?" Zheng Guanshui asked with a wry smile.
If Yang Cheng were alone, it would've been hard for someone his age to enter a place like this without drawing attention.
But with Zheng Guanshui leading the way, it wouldn't be an issue.
One and a half years ago, Tuoba Xiao had humiliated Zheng Guanshui. Later, Yang Cheng had stepped in and dealt with Tuoba Xiao, helping Zheng Guanshui regain his dignity. From then on, Zheng Guanshui had pledged his loyalty to Yang Cheng.
"If you won't take me in, I'll go in by myself," Yang Cheng said calmly.
Zheng Guanshui sighed. "Fine, I'll take you."
At least this way, he could help keep Yang Cheng's identity under wraps. If Yang Cheng went in alone, the entire capital would be gossiping tomorrow that the Crown Prince had entered a brothel at the age of three.
As soon as they stepped inside, both Yang Cheng and Zheng Guanshui noticed how lively the place was.
A large crowd had gathered at the foot of a staircase, clearly watching something unfold.
"Is that the courtesan Yan Yujing?"
"Yan Yujing has a body like no other, her dancing is a sight to behold in Fengtian City. I've heard she's a natural-born Nine Yin Furnace. If a man can enjoy a night with her, he'd feel like he'd ascended to immortality."
"Who's that guy pestering her nonstop?"
People were whispering and discussing.
"That's Li Ling, heir to the Prince of Wuning," someone explained. "He's been pursuing Yan Yujing for over three years. Looks like he's here again today."
"Miss Yan, my heart is true. If you'll come home with me, I'll marry you with proper rites and make you my consort."
Li Ling's words made the crowd collectively gasp.
"That's an incredibly generous offer! Becoming the heir's consort would be such a blessing."
"If I were Miss Yan, I'd definitely be tempted to accept."
The chatter around grew louder.
"Sorry," Yan Yujing shook her head coldly. "Someone like me doesn't deserve to be the consort of a noble heir. Please find someone else more suitable, Young Master Li."
"Why?" Li Ling couldn't accept it. "I've pursued you for three years! Even a block of ice would've melted by now. How can you still be so heartless?"
"If Miss Yan won't take you, I will!" another courtesan chimed in with a flirtatious voice.
"And me too!" said another.
Several famous courtesans from Yan Courtyard all chimed in.
Seeing how persistent he was, Yan Yujing fell silent for a moment, then said, "Young Master Li, I don't like you."
"You don't like me?" Li Ling laughed in disbelief, his anger bubbling over. "If you don't like me, who could you possibly like? What man out there is better than me?"
Yan Yujing glanced around.
When her eyes landed on Yang Cheng, they lit up slightly. Then she said, "Naturally, I like someone like this young gentleman here."
Shua!
Everyone turned toward Yang Cheng.
Though he was famous, his status was so high that very few people had actually seen him in person. So no one there recognized him.
The crowd erupted in jeers the moment they saw she was pointing at an Three-Year-old boy.
Li Ling was furious. "Yan Yujing, if you're going to use someone as a shield, at least pick someone convincing! A Three-Year-old brat who still smells like milk? You expect us to believe you like him?"
Yang Cheng had just been watching the show, not expecting to suddenly become the main character.
Yan Yujing?
He wasn't unfamiliar with this woman.
In his previous life, decades later, her name was just as well-known as Hua Jingyan's.
If Hua Jingyan was a seductive fox spirit, then this woman was a manipulative green tea witch.
In the end, she was even more vicious than Hua Jingyan, seeing human lives as worthless. People called her the "Mandala Flower."
He hadn't interacted much with her in his past life, so while he recognized her name, he didn't know her well.
He didn't expect her to set her sights on him in this life.
"You don't believe me?" Yan Yujing suddenly smiled, then walked up to Yang Cheng.
Amid shocked gasps from the crowd, she leaned in to kiss Yang Cheng.
This was Yang Cheng's first kiss in this life—he wasn't about to let this wicked woman steal it. He quickly turned his head to the side.
Yan Yujing's soft red lips landed on his left cheek instead.
Instantly, everyone's eyes turned fiery as they stared at Yang Cheng.
Even Zheng Guanshui, that idiot, looked a little jealous. That was how powerful Yan Yujing's allure was.
But Yan Yujing wasn't overthinking it.
She simply found Li Ling annoying and thought Yang Cheng looked like a little celestial being, so she couldn't help herself.
Li Ling's face contorted in fury.
He didn't dare lash out at Yan Yujing, so he glared venomously at Yang Cheng. "Kid, if you know what's good for you, get lost. Otherwise, I'll make you regret being born."
Zheng Guanshui's eyes turned cold.
For someone to speak like this to the Crown Prince—it was outright treason.
"You've misunderstood, Young Master Li, it's all a big misunderstanding," the old madam of Golden Jade Courtyard quickly stepped forward. "Our Yan girl isn't rejecting you because she looks down on you—she's just afraid of dragging you down."
"Boss Yuan, what's that supposed to mean?" Li Ling asked.
"Ah, our Yan girl is afflicted with a strange poison," she sighed. "Her blood and qi are slowly fading. At this rate, she won't live more than a few more years..."
Yuan laoban said, "That's why our Yan girl made it clear a long time ago—she'll only give herself to the one who cures her."
"For real?" Li Ling's eyes lit up.
"Absolutely true," Yuan laoban replied.
"Good." A smile crept across Li Ling's face.
He'd been preparing for this for three years. If he came to propose today, he naturally had every contingency in place.
He clapped his hands.
An old man with a goatee stepped forward.
"Master Hu, I'll need your help today," Li Ling said.
Hiss—
"Isn't that Hu Yaoshi, the chief alchemist of Hanging Cauldron Hall?"
"That's Alchemist Hu! He's a Pill Saint!"
The crowd burst into a commotion.
Ding!
[Host has returned to Golden Jade Courtyard and encountered the demonized Jin Yanyu. This is no minor matter.]
[Over four hundred years ago, Jin Yanyu was believed to possess the "Nine Yin Dao Body," but in truth, she was a "Wangshu Flower."]
[Wangshu Flowers are innate spiritual plants. They need Xiantian spiritual energy to grow. Jin Yanyu never absorbed any Xiantian energy, and her vitality has gradually withered ever since.]
[Ten years from now, in a desperate bid to survive, she'll fuse with the "Netherworld Demon Blood" deep within Tianyuan, becoming completely demonized. The world's last pure Wangshu Flower will be lost forever.]
[Perhaps the host regrets not knowing this back then. If you had, you might've saved her.]
[But the path of a Late Bloomer Comeback often involves righting past regrets.]
[Host, please rescue the Wangshu Flower and pull her back from demonization. The more successful the rescue, the greater the mission achievement score.]
[Note: The Wangshu Flower is already demonized, extremely violent, and possesses God-Shattering strength. This is extremely dangerous. Proceed with caution.]
[Mission reward: Alchemy Mastery – from Initiation to Perfection.]
[Host may choose whether to accept this mission.]
"Accept." Yang Cheng silently confirmed.
Then he smiled inwardly. 'So Yan Yujing's real name is Jin Yanyu.'
Now it was clear to him who she really was.
That mysterious figure from Tianyuan—his descendant bore the surname Jin.
"I'll go first." A middle-aged man stepped out before Hu Yaoshi could act.
"That's Chen Yaowang!"
Many recognized him.
"Forgive me, Miss Yan."
Chen Yaowang took out a set of silver needles and began performing acupuncture on Jin Yanyu.
But her body was like a bottomless pit. No matter how much true qi he poured in, it disappeared without a trace.
Pffft—
Before long, he couldn't hold out anymore. He spat blood and collapsed.
Some others who had planned to try instantly went silent, not daring to make a move.
"Guess I'll do it," Hu Yaoshi said smugly.
He started refining a pill on the spot.
Meanwhile, Yang Cheng was standing closest to Jin Yanyu.
He flicked his finger toward her.
A single drop of Xiantian Spirit Liquid entered her body.
Jin Yanyu sensed something odd. At first, she looked at Yang Cheng in confusion.
But then, as if realizing something, her expression turned into one of surprise and joy.
Everyone else thought she was reacting to Hu Yaoshi's pill refinement.
Yang Cheng, however, clearly sensed the change. The sensation of a bottomless void surrounding her body was quickly fading.
'It really works. Xiantian Spirit Liquid is more effective for spiritual plants than any elixir.'
Yang Cheng was secretly pleased.
He was so confident in this task because of the experience he'd had with the Immortal Peach Tree.
And now, it proved true.
Just a single drop of Xiantian Spirit Liquid resolved the issue.
[What's going on? The host seems to have saved the Wangshu Flower with a single drop of Xiantian Spirit Liquid.]
[That's outrageous. Four hundred years ago, one drop might've worked, but now the demonization runs so deep that even ten thousand drops shouldn't help.]
[Regardless, the host has indeed achieved this miraculous feat. Mission completed with highest achievement level.]
[Alchemy Perfection unlocked. Host may now claim the reward.]
At the same time, Hu Yaoshi also smiled. "The pill is complete!"
He opened the pill furnace, and a wave of fragrant scent spread out.
A green pill flew out.
"That's a Qingyun Pill!"
"The kind that brings back the dead and regenerates flesh?"
"Hu Yaoshi truly lives up to his name. To be able to refine something like this on the spot!"
The guests were amazed.
Hu Yaoshi looked at Jin Yanyu. "Miss Jin, take this pill and you'll be healed."
Li Ling's face was full of joy, as if Jin Yanyu was already his.