Chapter 892: Doing a Favor at No Cost

Chapter 892: Chapter 892: Doing a Favor at No Cost

"How could it be possible? If he dared to lay a hand on me, I would have crippled his claws right then and there. What I said in the hall was just to justify hitting him."

Feng Jiuge said with a mischievous smile and started the car.

As he looked at her smiling face, Yang Cheng’s lips curved into a smile too, though his heart felt a tinge of bitterness; he hadn’t forgotten the memory scene he’d seen.

Feng Jiuge was bullied by men when she was young. She was so small and helpless, yet she got through it all alone. He resolved never to let her suffer any grievance ever again.

Yang Cheng closed his eyes wearily. Soon, the car stopped at the Jiang Family’s gate where Jiang Heping and the butler were already waiting.

Seeing the three of them get out of the car, he hurried forward, but his smile froze upon seeing Yang Cheng’s pale complexion.

"Mr. Yang, what happened to you?"

"It’s nothing, just a bit tired."

Yang Cheng waved his hand and forced a faint smile.

Jiang Heping’s gaze rested on him, scrutinizing him from head to toe, then glanced at Feng Jiuge and Jiang Yu, and his eyes turned suggestive.

Their cheeks were flushed, and their brows carried a spring-like charm. It was clear what had happened last night.

While Yang Cheng’s face was pale and he looked drained, like he’d been utterly exhausted.

Indeed, they say only the cow tires out, but the land remains unscathed!

"Ahem..."

Jiang Heping coughed awkwardly and looked away. "I’ve had breakfast prepared, quickly, come inside."

He turned and walked ahead, but his thoughts were racing: This young man, looks quite strong, but how is he so weak after just one night? Is Yu perhaps... No, no, I shouldn’t think that way.

The group entered the dining room, and the table was laid with a sumptuous breakfast. A servant then came with large bowls of restorative soup.

"Mr. Yang, drink more of this; it’s good for replenishing primordial energy." ℯℯ𝑙.

Jiang Heping personally served a bowl of soup, handing it to Yang Cheng.

Yang Cheng looked at the ’supplements’ laid out in front of him, his mouth twitching.

Didn’t Jiang Heping misunderstand something? He wasn’t exhausted from any activity but weakened due to the Blood Soul Curse!

"Dad, Brother Cen is hurt."

Jiang Yu quickly spoke, blushing in an attempt to clarify.

"I understand, that’s why he needs even more nourishment when he’s injured."

Jiang Heping said earnestly and put a piece of venison in Yang Cheng’s bowl, "Mr. Yang, eat more, don’t be shy."

Feng Jiuge lowered her head, her shoulders shaking slightly as she struggled not to laugh.

Yang Cheng sighed reluctantly, picked up the bowl of restorative soup, and drank it all.

"Good! That’s how young people should be! All this restorative soup is for you."

Jiang Heping nodded with satisfaction and served him another bowl.

Jiang Yu sat on the side, looking at her father’s "enthusiastic" demeanor, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.

"Hahaha... Patriarch Jiang, you’re really too enthusiastic."

Feng Jiuge finally couldn’t hold back, put down her chopsticks, and laughed, covering her mouth.

"It’s the least I could do. Mr. Yang is a great benefactor to our Jiang Family; my small gesture means nothing."

Jiang Heping said cheerfully.

Yang Cheng buried his head in eating, feeling somewhat emotionally drained.

Forget it, better focus on eating.

After breakfast, Yang Cheng set down his chopsticks and looked at Jiang Heping.

"Patriarch Jiang, Yu’s illness has been cured. I’m leaving Linzhou today."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the dining room became gravely solemn.

Jiang Yu’s smile froze on her face, her beautiful eyes reflecting a hint of loss and reluctance.

Jiang Heping was also a bit surprised, "Leaving so soon? Stay a few more days; I’ll have someone take you sightseeing around Lin Zhou City."

"No, I have very important matters to attend to."

Yang Cheng shook his head, his tone firm.

Jiang Yu bit her lip, lowered her head, twisted her hankerchief, tears shimmering in her eyes.

Seeing her like this, Yang Cheng’s heart softened. He stood up, went to her side, squatted down, and held her hand.

"Yu, when I’m done, I’ll take you to see the sea."

"Really?"

Jiang Yu looked up, her beautiful eyes sparkling with tears.

"Really, I promise."

"Then let’s make a pinky promise."

Jiang Yu stretched out her little finger. Yang Cheng smiled and also extended his own, linking them together.

The next moment, she threw herself into Yang Cheng’s arms, hugging him tightly with her face buried in his chest, her tears soaking through his clothes.

"Brother Cen, you must come back for me."

Yang Cheng gently patted her back and kissed her on the top of her head; after all, they had shared intimacy, and it was impossible for him to see Jiang Yu merely as a sister. He instinctively saw her as his woman.

After bidding farewell to Jiang Yu and Jiang Heping, Yang Cheng and Feng Jiuge drove away from the Jiang Family.

The car wound through Lin Zhou City, heading north.

"Are we heading straight back to Zhonghai now?"

Feng Jiuge asked while driving.

"We’ll first go to the underground black market and ask the old man about the Earth Core Fire and Celestial Flower Stone Marrow. If he knows about the Blood Refining Sect, he might know the whereabouts of these two items as well."

Yang Cheng leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, and replied.

The car quickly arrived at an old residential area in the northern part of the city. Yang Cheng and Feng Jiuge donned black masks and walked down a narrow street, entering the downward entrance.

The two black-clad guards at the entrance saw the black token and let them through without any questions.

The underground black market was bustling as always, with crowds of masked cultivators haggling at the stalls.

Yang Cheng didn’t linger, directly heading towards a shop called "Listening Wind Pavilion."

Inside the shop, the old man dressed in a gray robe was still sitting in a chair, reading a book intently.

He looked up upon hearing footsteps and was surprised to see the pair.

"So soon, you’ve come again, you two young friends?"

"Old sir, I’d like to buy some information."

Yang Cheng got straight to the point, placing a bank card on the table.

The old man glanced at the bank card and then at Yang Cheng, and said blandly, "What kind of information?"

"Do you know where I can find the Earth Core Fire and Celestial Flower Stone Marrow?"

"What do you need those two items for?"

The old man asked.

"To treat illness and save lives."

Yang Cheng said no more.

"This kind of information doesn’t involve life and death, so I’ll directly tell you as a favor."

The old man, looking generous, pushed the bank card back to Yang Cheng.

"The Earth Core Fire is not actually fire but an herb growing in the Land of Extreme Yang, named for its flame-like appearance, extremely rare. As for the Celestial Flower Stone Marrow, it is a legendary spiritual object, producing just one drop every century, incredibly precious."

As he spoke, he took down a roll of yellowed parchment from the shelf and spread it out on the table.

It was an ancient map, with some place names marked on it, though many were blurred and unclear.

"In Hua Xia, there are only two places called Land of Extreme Yang."

The old man pointed to three red dots on the map, "The first is the Flame Mountain in the southwest, perpetually hot with not a single blade of grass, rumored to have Earth Core Fire growing in a crevice deep within the mountain."

"The second is the Red Flame Valley in the northwest. It’s home to a group of active volcanoes with abundant geothermal resources and frequent magma eruptions, and the Earth Core Fire is said to grow near the volcano’s crater."