Reborn as a Hatrack in the Mystical Land-Chapter 54 - 38 Yue Chen’s Secret

Leaving Qianbin Building, Yue Jinghua arrived at the carriage station in the nightclub area of Polo City, where she had to entrust the search for the Ancient Xuan Beast Egg of Shalman to the nightclub.

The shabby carriage station on the bustling street was as inconspicuous as a speck of dust under the scorching sun, attracting little attention, and no one knew that behind it lay the wildly materialistic nightclub.

Inside the station, the stench of horses and the incessant shouting of workers filled the air with noise and chaos.

Yue Jinghua took out her Two-star Dark Card, symbolizing her affiliation with the nightclub, and shook it in front of the drowsy old steward at the station. Catching sight of the card, the old steward's murky eyes brightened partway as he ushered Yue Jinghua into a partitioned area within the station.

The noise and stench from outside were completely shut out. Yue Jinghua explained her purpose, and the old steward's expression turned troubled: "Purchasing an Ancient Xuan Beast Egg? That's difficult; the nightclub hasn't seen one in many years."

Yue Jinghua wasn't surprised; she had expected the scarcity of the Ancient Xuan Beast Egg. After asking the old steward to keep an eye out, she stood up to leave.

After seeing Yue Jinghua off, the old steward closed the door and produced a porcelain bottle with a thin neck from his sleeve.

The bottle material closely resembled modern glass, transparent with amber liquid sloshing inside.

The old steward extracted a drop from the bottle and let it fall to the ground, where it spread out like it had grown legs, forming a mirror the size of a vanity.

Although it was a mirror, the image that appeared within was not that of the old steward but of a charming young girl.

"Xiao Ya, the customer Lady Yao asked us to keep an eye on has come again. This time she wants to buy an Ancient Xuan Beast Egg," the old steward's image and voice passed through the water surface to converse with Xiao Ya, who had once encountered Yue Jinghua and had advanced in rank thanks to the benefits of the True Dark Pill.

As one of the most mysterious organizations on the Eastern Continent, the nightclub had its unique method of message transmission.

The medium that the old steward and Xiao Ya were using was the Sound Mirror Spring, from one of the most famous Spiritual Springs on the Eastern Continent—the Mother-Child Mirror Spring. This spring allowed for any two drops, no matter how casually taken, to form a sound mirror within ten miles, providing free communication for the holders.

The springwater circulated only among the upper and middle ranks of the nightclub, and Xiao Ya, as Lady Yao's personal maid, was in charge of managing this water. Every afternoon, she would follow Lady Yao's orders to exchange messages with the old steward of Polo City.

"An Ancient Xuan Beast Egg?" Xiao Ya mused, a fleeting unusual glint passing through her eyes.

After leaving the carriage station, Yue Jinghua switched back into her travel outfit and made her way to Yue Chen's residence.

She had promised Lie Rou to send Yue Minzhi a reply, which simply meant "to pass along" a reply through someone else.

Yue Minzhi's letter made no mention of Yue Chen, and there was little affection between the two brothers. With Yue Chen's obscure origins, having left Longzhan Country at a young age, and his somewhat introverted nature, it was no surprise that his elder brother wasn't especially fond of him.

Blood is thicker than water, but considering the current weakened state of the Yue Family, after careful consideration, Yue Jinghua felt it was necessary to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood between the three.

Passing through a corridor, Yue Jinghua heard the sound of a child's sobbing, like the buzzing of mosquitoes, coming from beside a flowerbed about half a person tall.

In her past life, Yue Xiaoqi had three fears: children crying, women gossiping, and men who didn't keep their word. She had intended to return another day to assign the task to the little boy Yue Chen, but with her keen eyes, she spotted something in front of Yue Chen.

Yue Chen was crying bitterly, his face smeared with tears, looking like Baozi, holding a flowerpot in his hands.

Suddenly noticing a pair of feet, Yue Chen hastily stopped crying and looked up, first seeing an elegant silhouette.

Upon recognizing the newcomer, the little boy's expression drastically changed. Having experienced the street incident and Hongling's matter, Yue Jinghua's image in Yue Chen's mind had undergone a drastic transformation.

He hurriedly wiped his pudgy face with the back of his hand, but tears still involuntarily streamed down from his eyes, which were as round as marbles, his nose sniffing continuously.

Noticing Yue Jinghua's gaze fixed on his hands, he hastened to hide the flowerpot from view behind his back. Given his small stature and the pot's considerable size, his attempt to conceal it only made it more obvious.

Behind Yue Chen hid the flowerpot, its leaves a lush emerald green like jade, with more than ten flowers blooming amongst the foliage, each the size of a fist. From afar, they resembled clusters of blazing flames.

"Nine Flames Peony," thought Yue Jinghua—finding it without effort, the name instantly came to mind.

In her arms, she still had the ingredients provided by Xie Yu from the nightclub, intended for the preparation of a second medicine, with just the Nine Flames Peony missing.

The nightclub couldn't find the Nine Flames Peony, but it did help collect all the information related to it. Lady Yao did a favor and gave everything to Yue Jinghua as a gift.

How could it be that the Nine Flames Peony, which the legend says can only grow by the Jiuzhou River, ended up in Yue Chen's hands?

"No, it's not the Nine Flames, it's the Eight Flames," a tender voice emerged from Yue Chen's mouth, "It's not yet a Nine Flames, it failed," he said and then pouted again. However, his big eyes shone with more joy after hearing Yue Jinghua mention the peony's name, and his attempts to hide it behind him grew much less cautious.

Yue Chen has been withdrawn since he was young and rarely spoke. He also refused to study at the Dark Academy, preferring to tinker with flowers and plants in the courtyard. It's a pity that he had no one to delve into the subject with him.

Lie Rou, feeling compassion for his pitiful life, indulged his inclination by purchasing a large variety of exotic flowers and rare plants for him.

The "Yue Jinghua" from before would think that a boy who just plays with flowers and plants, with spiritual flowers and grasses being so expensive, would be disdainful towards Yue Chen. She never took the initiative to visit and see Yue Chen's flowers and trees, nor did she ever voluntarily engage with Yue Chen.

Fulfilling her habit as a female spy, Yue Jinghua would always review any information that came into her hands.

The peony mentioned in the information is a Mortal flower of the Fire Attribute. In terms of its grade, it can only be considered a very ordinary flower. The "flame" in its name refers to the peony's flame-like petals, and "how many flames" indicates the number of petals a flower has.

Peonies with five, six, or seven flames are all Mortal flowers, commonly found on the market. But once a peony reaches eight flames, or even nine flames, its grade jumps from Mortal to Spiritual-grade, which is then rarely seen on the market.

"An Eight Flames Peony is already quite impressive. Is this peony pot bought by your mother?" Yue Jinghua already knew she was asking the obvious. An Eight Flames Peony with eight petals was seldom seen in Shang Kingdom and was valuable. Lie Rou couldn't possibly have bought this precious peony. The only remaining explanation was one.

"Bought, Six Flames," Yue Chen didn't talk much with people on regular days, so he wasn't very articulate when he did speak.

"You made it into an Eight Flames? Does anyone else know about this?" Yue Jinghua placed her hand on her chest to calm the storm of amazement inside her.

The little boy nodded, then shook his head.

"Did you plant everything in this courtyard yourself?" Yue Jinghua took another look at Nanxiang. The every bit of vegetation here at first glance appeared almost indistinguishable from the exotic flowers and plants grown at Lie Family Mansion, at least to the untrained eye.

Yue Jinghua didn't pay much attention the last time she visited here.

Looking closely now, she immediately discarded her previous contempt.

Seeing is not always believing. Yue Jinghua silently used her spiritual power to probe around the courtyard.

Every single plant here has undergone earth-shattering transformations after Yue Chen's cultivation, each transitioning from Mortal to Spiritual-grade, with the peony pot holding the Eight Flames Peony in Yue Chen's hands having undergone the most significant change in Dark Power.

"Lend me this pot of flowers for one night," Yue Jinghua already had a plan in mind.

"No," Yue Chen grew anxious, his head shaking like a rattle drum. That was a pot of flowers that he'd put a lot of effort into, and even though it wasn't a success, he couldn't just give it away casually.

"Lend it to me for one night, and I will return you a pot of Nine Flames Peony tomorrow morning. Just one night, otherwise." Yue Jinghua's eyes blazed, and her lips, redder than even a blazing fire, moved persuasively as she combined threats with promises, much like a creepy old man luring a little girl with a lollipop.

"No, don't want, don't allow, think I'm, a child," the little boy's cheeks puffed up with indignation and shyness, turning red.

Yue Jinghua, knowing nothing about cultivating flowers and plants, dared to claim she would perfectly upgrade the Eight Flames to Nine Flames. This was impossible. Yet, her voice was so pleasing, it made his brain buzz and tongue tie in knots.

"If you don't agree, I'll pluck all the flowers and plants in your courtyard," another bonk on the forehead, and the little boy hurriedly clutched his forehead, smoother than a white porcelain vase.

In protecting his head, he neglected to guard the rest. This movement gave Yue Jinghua the opportunity to snatch the flower pot from him.

"You, you're bullying!" Yue Chen panicked, his neck and face turning red.

"Just bullying you," Yue Jinghua was charmed by the sight of the little boy with short arms and legs spinning uncontrollably like a top, resembling a small quail, "If you want it back, fine. Go back to your room right now, change your clothes, clean up, and write a long letter to your elder brother Yue Minzhi. Remember to make it lengthy, and use the letter to find me tomorrow morning to exchange for the flower. That's settled then," she said, stretching out her slender, jade-like hand and striking Yue Chen's tiny palm.

After a crisp snap, the girl's figure danced through the flowers like a fluttering butterfly: "Remember from now on, boys of the Yue Family bleed but do not cry, you're not allowed to cry anymore."

Yue Chen stared at his palm in a daze and after a long while, he muttered resentfully, "Bully," and this time, there was no stutter in his insult.