Within two days, news of the scar on Young Master Qin’s face completely disappearing spread throughout the capital city. People were curious to know what miraculous medicine Young Master Qin had used to eliminate such an unsightly scar.
Shortly after, they learned about the opening of the First Company’s pharmacy. On the first day of its opening, Ping’an Pharmacy was crowded with customers, most of whom came to buy scar removal ointment. And as for the prescription for scar removal, it naturally came from the “Pharmacopeia.”
However, on the day of the pharmacy’s opening, Yan Ge did not attend. He was in the palace.
Huangfu Yuchen had finally arranged Yan Jin’s identity. He became the biological son of Prime Minister Wen Jiang, so Yan Jin’s name was also changed to Jiang Yanjin. Historical records from later generations stated that Prime Minister Wen was a trusted minister of the emperor and a close friend of Emperor Huangfu Yuchen. One day, he brought his son Jiang Yanjin to the palace. When the emperor saw Jiang Yanjin, he was greatly pleased and immediately announced his intention to adopt him as his godson. The following day, the emperor officially adopted Jiang Yanjin as his adopted son, conferring upon him the title of Prince Jin and recording it in the imperial register. For a while, Jiang Yanjin became the second most famous figure in the palace, following Yan Shiren.
Soon after, Huangfu Yuchen planned for the Crown Prince and Jiang Yanjin to meet.
On the day of their meeting, Jiang Yanjin couldn’t help but reach out and pinch the Crown Prince’s face. The Crown Prince, out of curiosity, also reached out to pinch his face.
The sight of the two face-to-face, pinching each other’s faces, made Yan Ge burst into laughter for quite some time.
Jiang Yanjin was very fond of the Crown Prince. It was not easy for the Crown Prince to meet someone of his age in the palace, and Jiang Yanjin treated him well. How could the Crown Prince not develop a fondness for Jiang Yanjin? The two quickly became inseparable.
Because Jiang Yanjin was only the emperor’s adopted son and had no possibility of inheriting the throne, it was advantageous for the Crown Prince to be close to him, as he was the son of Prime Minister Wen. Therefore, the Empress did not oppose the Crown Prince’s contact with Jiang Yanjin, which saved Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen a lot of trouble.
However, the system had not yet reached its peak, and even if Jiang Yanjin could transform into human form, he couldn’t stray too far from Yan Ge. At most, he could only be a mile away. So during the day, he mostly stayed with Yan Ge, and only spent time with the Crown Prince at night.
With these urgent matters resolved, Yan Ge finally had the time to sit down and calculate the company’s accounts, growing more and more pleased as he did so. Wen Xian’s participation had saved him a significant amount of money. With 200,000 taels, he finally had enough and didn’t need to borrow from Huangfu Yuchen.
Less than an hour after leaving the palace, he had someone prepare a carriage to return.
Huangfu Yuchen was still attending the early morning court session when he heard Deng Mande report that Yan Ge had returned. He felt puzzled and went straight back to the Tenglong Palace after the court session.
“Yuchen.” Yan Ge greeted him as soon as he saw him, his steps light as if there was a gust of wind beneath his feet. He leaned against Huangfu Yuchen and kisses his face.
“Why are you so happy?” Huangfu Yuchen extended his arm and wrapped it around Yan Ge’s waist. Since being with Yan Ge, he had laughed countless times.
“Yan Jin pays his respects to Father Emperor.” Due to Deng Mande’s presence, Jiang Yanjin performed his salutations properly and respectfully. Yan Ge’s secret was too astonishing, and only Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen knew Jiang Yanjin’s true origin.
“No need for formalities.”
After Jiang Yanjin expressed his gratitude to Huangfu Yuchen, he obediently sat down on the side.
Jiang Yanjin was well-behaved and sensible, which made Deng Mande very fond of him. Deng Mande busily brought over a fruit tray and peeled a banana for him to eat.
Yan Ge grinned and took out a banknote worth 200,000 taels, looking smug. “Have you forgotten our initial agreement? Hehehe.”
Huangfu Yuchen chuckled, shielding Jiang Yanjin and Deng Mande from his view, and hugged him while giving him a kiss. “Rest assured, I haven’t forgotten. Deng Mande, prepare…”
—“Ding. Congratulations on successfully completing Main Mission 6—being conferred the title of Cairen by the emperor. Reward: 1,000 taels of silver, and ‘Fengyun Immortal Records’ with cultivating technique up to the Late Enlightenment stage. Main Mission 7—Get conferred the title of Guiren by the emperor. Reward: 5,000 taels of silver, ‘Fengyun Immortal Records’ cultivating technique up to the Late Harmonization stage. Failure to complete the mission will result in a deduction of 5,000 taels of silver. To accept the mission, choose ‘Yes.’ To decline the mission, choose ‘No.’”
*Ranks from the bottom -Daying, Changzai, Shirén (scholar), Cairen, Guiren, Shiqing, Caiqing (honorable official), Guiqing(Noble Consort), to Huang Guiqing.
News of Yan Ge being conferred the title of Cairen spread throughout the harem. It didn’t take long for everyone to see him walking out of the Tenglong Palace with a smile on his face. They secretly ridiculed him, thinking that after following the emperor for so long, he finally gained his favor. What was there to be proud of?
*The ranks have levels. It was explained at the beginning, forgot which chapter though 😅. Anyway, he has now gone from a low level concubine to mid level.
“Yuchen, I don’t plan on leaving the palace for the next few days.” Yan Ge winked at Huangfu Yuchen.
Huangfu Yuchen understood that he wanted to cultivate. “Follow me.”
He took Yan Ge to the secret chamber inside the Tenglong Palace.
During this upgrade, Yan Ge received a jade scroll from the system. He immersed his spiritual power into it and imprinted the cultivation techniques of the “Fengyun Immortal Records” into his mind, reaching the later stage of the Illumination period. Before his eyes, a man sat cross-legged, guiding the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into his body. A white line flowed along his meridians.
“The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The Dao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things. All things carry yin and embrace yang. The Dao generates the primordial qi from emptiness, and from the primordial qi, yin and yang are produced. Yin and yang merge to form the three bodies, and the three bodies give birth to all things…”
Yan Ge sat cross-legged, with his five hearts facing the sky, expelling all distracting thoughts from his mind. He closed his eyes and focused, imagining that there was a stream of spiritual energy in the air, guiding it into his body through his palms, soles of feet, and crown. Before long, a faint and cool breath penetrated his skin, permeated his flesh and blood, and flowed into his meridians. He had previously studied acupuncture points and quickly guided the spiritual energy to flow through the correct acupoints as shown in the diagram, ultimately gathering it in the Dantian. Then, he guided the spiritual energy from the Dantian to the brow, from the brow to the soles of the feet, back to the Dantian, and then flowing to the brow… repeating this cycle continuously.
As the true qi accumulated more and more within his body, the Dantian grew hotter. After eighty-one cycles, the true qi no longer required his deliberate control and began to circulate automatically. His previous internal energy was also refined and transformed into true qi. His whole body, from the inside out, felt warm and entered a state of selflessness.
Two days passed, and Yan Ge still hadn’t left the secret chamber. Huangfu Yuchen knew little about cultivation and was extremely worried. He went in to check on him.
Yan Ge was sitting motionless, enveloped in white mist. Fortunately, his expression was calm, which relieved Huangfu Yuchen. He left the secret chamber and had Deng Mande prepare hot food at any time.
Deng Mande was unaware of the existence of the secret chamber, but he sensed something. However, since Huangfu Yuchen didn’t mention it, it meant that he shouldn’t know, so he wouldn’t inquire. One of the first things to learn as a servant and subordinate is self-awareness.
After an unknown period of time, Yan Ge slowly opened his eyes in the secret chamber. The tiny specks of dust in the air seemed ten times larger, and he could see them clearly. He could even hear the conversations between Huangfu Yuchen and Deng Mande outside the secret chamber, as well as the sound of pouring tea. It felt strange to him, and he shook his head slightly, activating his true perception to suppress his heightened senses.
“Your Majesty, it’s time for lunch.”
“Prepare food for Yan Ge as well, but make it light.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Yan Ge pushed himself up with both hands and effortlessly leaped up, flying two or three meters into the air. He was filled with excitement and subconsciously wanted to test his strength, but then he remembered that he was still in the secret chamber. He quickly retracted his hands and opened the door, walking out.
“Yuchen, I don’t want to eat bland food, I want to eat meat.”
Huangfu Yuchen heard the sound, went up to him and hugged him, “No. You haven’t eaten for a few days, suddenly eating too greasy is not good for your health.”
“No.” Yan Ge leaned close to his ear and kissed his ear secretly, “You forgot that my body has been modified? Even if it’s overly greasy food, it can’t harm me, let alone minor illnesses or discomforts.”
“Alright.” Huangfu Yuchen said helplessly, “Freshen up first.”
After freshening up, Deng Mande voluntarily exited.
“I’m starving to death.” Yan Ge snatched Huangfu Yuchen’s bowl of rice, put two chopsticks of vegetables into the bowl, and ate with a spoon.
Seeing how hungry he was, Huangfu Yuchen felt both distressed and amused. He brought an empty bowl and filled it with rice, then added the dishes, dividing the meat and vegetables equally. After mixing them together, he pushed the bowl towards Yan Ge, then carefully removed the fish bones onto a plate.
Yan Ge ate while watching him, becoming increasingly satisfied. His eyes curved, and he couldn’t help but lean over and kiss his cheek.
Huangfu Yuchen wiped his face with a handkerchief in disgust. “It’s all greasy.”
Yan Ge picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and brought it close to Huangfu Yuchen’s mouth. “As an apology.”
Huangfu Yuchen opened his mouth and ate it, then put the fish meat into Yan Ge’s bowl and continued removing bones. “You eat. I’m still not hungry.”
Yan Ge had three bowls of rice in a row, and the burning sensation in his stomach subsided slightly. He slowed down his eating pace, urging Huangfu Yuchen to eat and occasionally arranging the dishes for him.
The attendants noticed Yan Ge’s meticulousness, so they consciously avoided intruding on their intimate moments.
“Has your cultivation been going smoothly?” Huangfu Yuchen scooped a bowl of soup and handed it to him. “Have a few sips of soup before eating.”
“Mm,” Yan Ge nodded. “It’s been smooth. The longer the duration of my first meditation, the better my aptitude. However, the secret room is not suitable for seclusion.”
Huangfu Yuchen was puzzled. “Huangfu Yuchen was puzzled. “What’s unsuitable about it? I can have it rebuilt.”
“No,” Yan Ge said. “Now I understand why legendary cultivators always practice in remote mountains. On one hand, there are fewer people and more abundant spiritual energy in the deep mountains. On the other hand, after emerging from seclusion, they can’t resist testing their skills. A casual strike can cause considerable damage.”
Huangfu Yuchen understood. “I see. In that case, we indeed need to find another place for seclusion. There is a suitable mountain called Mingxia in the outskirts of the capital. Although Mingxia Mountain boasts beautiful scenery, its terrain is treacherous, with towering cliffs, and it is rarely visited by people. It’s not far from the palace, and with our light skills, we can reach it in the time it takes to burn incense. We can build a secret room there.”
Yan Ge said, “To avoid leaks, only the two of us can personally handle it.”
“It’s not difficult. We can use explosives,” Huangfu Yuchen suggested. “But my identity doesn’t allow me to be away for too long, so the cultivation speed might not be very fast.”
Yan Ge explained, “Only the first cultivation at each level and when approaching a breakthrough will take a longer time and needs several days of meditation. Other times, cultivation only requires daily meditation, and one can wake up at any time. I will guide you when the time comes.”
That night, Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen quietly left the palace and arrived at Mingxia Mountain. They used explosives to blast a cave, around 100 meters in size, beneath a cliff halfway up the mountain. The dense forest at the entrance perfectly concealed the existence of the cave.
Yan Ge had his own set of techniques for cultivation, and this time he was of great help in establishing the secret room. He set up a simple illusion array at the entrance to prevent anyone from inadvertently entering. From now on, this cave would be their secret place for cultivation, known only to the three of them.
–“Master, let’s test your current strength,” Yan Jin suggested.
Huangfu Yuchen was also interested.
Yan Ge nodded and said, “Very well.”
He mobilized the true qi in his dantian, quickly gathering it in the palms of his hands. With a low shout, he pushed his palm towards the cave wall. With a rumble, the ground trembled slightly, the rocks on the cave wall shattered, and dust filled the air. After the dust settled, everyone saw a large hole in the cave wall big enough for two children to crawl into.
Yan Ge once again mobilized and circulated his true qi. A strand of wind whirled around his fingertips. With a wave of his hand, a gust of wind shot out, sweeping towards a pile of rubble. The gust of wind was as sharp as a blade, slicing the rocks in half with a smooth and mirror-like surface.
Huangfu Yuchen praised, “The ‘Fengyun Immortal Record’ is truly marvelous!”
“Of course,” Yan Jin said proudly, “the one I presented naturally wouldn’t be inferior.” Whether it was because he was accustomed to acting like a child in front of the Crown Prince or for some other reason, he was becoming more and more childlike himself.
“Yuchen, you should also learn the Flowing Sands Sword Technique as soon as possible, or else you’ll be left even further behind,” Yan Ge teased Huangfu Yuchen.
Huangfu Yuchen hugged his waist and said helplessly, “Don’t get too complacent. Maybe my aptitude will be even better than yours. Shall we go back?”
“Let’s go.”
Huangfu Yuchen tapped his foot and flew up the cliff with Yan Ge in tow. Yan Ge followed effortlessly, displaying the same agility.
Tô adorando 😍