Jade Beauty Syndrome

"Yang Chen?"

"Yang Chen from the Yang Family?"

Behind the young maiden, a crowd of admirers and followers heard Yang Chen's name and burst into laughter, as if they'd heard a joke.

"Who is Yang Chen?"

"You don't know? There's a good-for-nothing in the Yang Family who can't cultivate or refine pills. He's supposed to be kicked out of the Yang family's household registration at this year's Coming-of-Age Ceremony. This person claims to be Yang Chen, so it must be him. After all, who would impersonate Yang Chen?" a handsome young master sneered.

Gu Mingyue, following closely behind Yang Chen, hadn't understood what was happening until she heard everyone's mocking words. Her face instantly turned red with anger. "You're the ones who are useless! Our young master is a man of integrity!"

The young masters, whose families were unknown, heard the voice of the woman behind Yang Chen and turned their attention to her. Their eyes lit up, and they secretly thought how beautiful she was.

"Hmph, your young master is so infamous that even outsiders like us have heard of him. And you call him a man of integrity? Your young master gambled with the Wang family and lost his training pants. Don't you, his maid, even know? Oh, right, Brother Wang, you're also from the Wang family. You know about this, don't you?"

The young master surnamed Wang chuckled upon hearing this. "I remember clearly when our two elders, Wang Ren and Wang De, gambled with this Yang Chen. But this Yang Chen is utterly pathetic. He had materials for three Return Bone Pills and didn't refine a single one. Oh, right, Brother Yang Chen, is your ancestral Purple Show Pill Furnace still with our Wang family?"

Hearing these words, the young masters erupted in laughter.

It would be a lie to say Yang Chen wasn't angry. The messes this 'Yang Chen' had created were indeed notorious. It seemed that improving his current reputation was one of the things he had to do. Otherwise, being looked down upon wherever he went would make anyone unhappy.

Just as Yang Chen was about to speak, the woman in the center, surrounded by the young masters like the moon among stars, finally spoke. "Little brother, I am Feng Xuewu from the Feng Family. This Fire Red Fruit is of great use to me. I hope you can be magnanimous and let me have it!"

Given Yang Chen's current age, being called "little brother" by Feng Xuewu was not unusual.

"Young Master, the Feng Family... the Feng Family is one of the twelve great families among the hundred tribes of the Great Wilderness. Feng Xuewu is known as one of the Three Golden Hairpins, as famous as Miss Caidie, and she is the eldest daughter of the Feng Family." Although Gu Mingyue had never met Feng Xuewu, she had heard of her name. Upon learning that the woman before them was the renowned Feng Xuewu, she immediately lost her courage.

Yang Chen also stroked his chin, somewhat surprised.

The hundred tribes were numerous, with varying strengths. The Yang Family was a middle-tier family among the hundred tribes, neither strong nor weak. Above the middle-tier tribes were the twelve great tribes, and the Feng Family was one of them.

However, backing down like this was clearly impossible for him. He didn't have any ill feelings towards Feng Xuewu; at least, her words weren't as harsh. But he couldn't pretend not to hear the mocking words of the people behind her. If he continued to tolerate it, what would be the difference between him and the original Yang Chen?

He needed to let people know that he wasn't that easygoing.

Yang Chen snorted coldly. "Miss Feng, are you saying that because the Fire Red Fruit is important to you, it's not important to me?"

"Yang Chen, as the shopkeeper, I must say something. The Yang Family is a middle-tier family, while the Feng Family is a great tribe among the hundred tribes. When you compare them, hehe, you should know who is more important, right?" At this moment, the shopkeeper of the Li Family Commerce Association interjected at an inopportune time.

As soon as he appeared, his words were full of mockery towards Yang Chen, but he fawned over Feng Xuewu, showing his true colors.

It was clear that the shopkeeper intended to side with Feng Xuewu.

Yang Chen glanced at the shopkeeper. He was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties with a mole on his face. Upon seeing the young masters, he stepped forward and greeted them obsequiously, completely ignoring Yang Chen.

The attitude he displayed was more than obvious.

This made Yang Chen say in a deep voice, "So, shopkeeper, you mean our Yang Family is easy to bully?"

"Heh, Yang Chen, if you say that, then I, as the shopkeeper, originally intended to save you some face. But since you don't want face yourself, I don't need to give you any. As for the Yang Family, I, a small shopkeeper, naturally can't afford to offend them. But do you think you, a mere Yang Chen, a discarded pawn that the Yang Family can abandon at any time, can represent the Yang Family?" the shopkeeper sneered repeatedly.

With that, the shopkeeper said obsequiously, "Miss Feng, if you fancy this Fire Red Fruit, it is naturally yours."

"This Fire Red Fruit was seen by our young master first," Gu Mingyue said indignantly, unable to bear it. She stamped her foot, wanting to help Yang Chen regain his dignity. "Why don't you follow the rule of first come, first served?"

The shopkeeper didn't even glance at Gu Mingyue. "I am the shopkeeper here, so what I say goes."

Feng Xuewu felt a bit more at ease seeing the shopkeeper promise her the Fire Red Fruit. However, seeing the shopkeeper and her pursuers behind her bullying the young man before them, she couldn't help but feel sympathetic and sighed. "Little brother Yang Chen, although I don't know why you need this Fire Red Fruit, it is to save my mother's life. My mother is ill and desperately needs the Fire Red Fruit. I hope you can fulfill my wish."

Yang Chen was quite disheartened by failing to obtain the Fire Red Fruit today, but there was nothing he could do. The shopkeeper was looking down on him with his dog eyes, clearly trying to curry favor with Feng Xuewu. What could he do?

However, upon hearing Feng Xuewu's words, his good impression of her increased significantly, and he asked curiously, "Fine, a life is at stake. If Miss Feng had said this earlier, I definitely wouldn't have snatched the Fire Red Fruit. I'm just curious, what illness does your mother have?"

Feng Xuewu only wanted to get the Fire Red Fruit and was anxious to save her mother. When Yang Chen asked, she hastily replied, "I can't quite describe my mother's condition. I only know that when she has an episode, she trembles all over and feels extremely cold. Yet, her forehead occasionally drips with sweat, but the sweat is hot. It's truly strange."

"Oh?" Yang Chen said curiously. "Does your mother's complexion turn unusually red when she has an episode, while her hands and body are ice-cold and without warmth?"

"You, how do you know?" Feng Xuewu's eyes widened.

Hearing this, Yang Chen was completely amused. "Miss Feng, your mother's illness is called 'Jade Beauty Syndrome.' When it strikes, she has difficulty breathing and feels extremely uncomfortable, as if she might die at any moment. I don't know why you would use the Fire Red Fruit to treat your mother's illness, but the Fire Red Fruit is completely useless for her condition. On the contrary, long-term consumption will harm her!"

In his previous life, he was proficient in the art of alchemy, and he had long been involved in healing and saving people. Jade Beauty Syndrome was indeed a difficult illness, but for him, it wasn't something particularly hard to solve.

On the other hand, Feng Xuewu's eyes widened after hearing Yang Chen's words, her cherry-like lips parted, revealing her charming and cute demeanor.

This was because what Yang Chen said was exactly the same as her mother's symptoms, without any deviation.

"You're saying the Fire Red Fruit will only worsen my mother's condition?" Feng Xuewu didn't believe Yang Chen's words at first. After all, she had heard the opinions of those who admired and pursued her about Yang Chen. It was only because Yang Chen was still young that she didn't want to bully him like those behind her.

However, Yang Chen's words were all true and identical to her mother's symptoms. She now believed most of what he said.

"Xuewu, don't listen to him. This kid is talking nonsense. Who here doesn't know his capabilities?" a pursuer of Feng Xuewu sneered.

Zhao Xiaowen, the shopkeeper of the Li Family Commerce Association, chimed in, "Young Master Sun is right. Miss Xuewu, you must not listen to Yang Chen's nonsensical talk. This kid was utterly defeated and disgraced when he gambled with the Wang family. His pill-refining skills are terrible. He's pretending to be a Pill Doctor here? In our Great Wilderness, with its hundred tribes, there isn't a single Pill Doctor!"

A Pill Doctor was a branch of Alchemists and a highly respected existence on the continent.

Unlike ordinary Alchemists, Pill Doctors also refined pills, but their main focus was on healing and saving people. Unlike ordinary Alchemists who refined all sorts of pills with various effects, Pill Doctors were harder to learn and required a kind heart for healing.

In his previous life, Yang Chen had delved not only into being an Alchemist but also into this major branch, Pill Doctor.

His skill as a Pill Doctor was also one of the reasons for his fame as an Alchemist in his previous life.

Pill Doctors were very rare, so it wasn't strange that there weren't any in the Great Wilderness. Not just in the Great Wilderness, but even in the entire North Mountain County, there were probably not many Pill Doctors.

Hearing Zhao Xiaowen's words at this moment, Yang Chen disdained to argue. He said lazily, "Whether you believe me or not has nothing to do with me. The ownership of the Fire Red Fruit is decided by your commerce association anyway. It doesn't matter if I can't snatch it. I'll just give it to Miss Feng. Mingyue, let's go!"

With that, Yang Chen had no intention of staying any longer and turned to leave.

However, seeing Yang Chen about to leave, Feng Xuewu felt uneasy and hesitant. After a moment's thought, she quickly called out, "Brother Yang Chen, please wait!"

"Does Miss Feng have anything else to say?" Yang Chen asked, puzzled.

Feng Xuewu bit her lips lightly, her hesitant demeanor making it hard to express her feelings. After a brief pause, she finally spoke, "Brother Yang Chen, you said earlier that feeding my mother the Fire Dragon Fruit would be harmful and not beneficial for her condition. Is that really true?"

"Actually, if Miss Feng thinks about it carefully, wouldn't she know the answer? I don't think this is the first time you've used the Fire Dragon Fruit on your mother, but has it ever shown any positive results?" Yang Chen retorted with a question.

Upon hearing Yang Chen's words, Feng Xuewu's body trembled slightly. Her mother's illness had always been a deep sorrow for her. At this moment, she was desperate, like a patient willing to try anything. In her haste, she quickly said, "Since Brother Yang Chen understands my mother's condition so well, I wonder if you have a solution?"

Yang Chen initially didn't want to reveal too much about his identity as an alchemist. After all, understanding medicine at the age of thirteen was quite astonishing. He had only pointed out that Feng Xuewu's mother's illness didn't require the Fire Dragon Fruit because Feng Xuewu hadn't shown any disdain or mockery in her words.

For him, that was enough at the moment, which was why he didn't mind saying a few more words. However, he hadn't considered treating Feng Xuewu's mother.

Yet, seeing the earnest filial piety on Feng Xuewu's face, Yang Chen pondered for a moment before saying, "I can't guarantee a cure for your mother's illness, but if I were to examine her, I might be able to discern something. However, regardless of the outcome, Miss Feng, please believe that this Jade Beauty Syndrome is a chronic acquired illness and cannot be resolved by a mere Fire Dragon Fruit."