Illusionary Fragrance and Strange Body, A Rare Commodity Worth Hoarding (Part 1)

Regardless of whether Zhu Wenying truly understood, pretended to understand, or how much she understood, Yu Ci simply washed his hands of the matter and left it all to her after issuing his commands.

After resting at home for two days, just as he expected, progress stalled over at Three Families Market and Evergreen Gate, while Yinan Garden duly sent another invitation. This time, however, they did not summon Gu Zhi and Zuo Huang, inviting only him.

Stepping alone into this most famous garden of Huayan City, Yu Ci's mind weighed the background of Yinan Garden that Gu Zhi had introduced. In the eyes of various halls and sects in Huayan City, the garden's greatest function was naturally to provide amusement and recreation.

Fine wine, delicious food, or beauties—one would inevitably grow weary of them, yet within this garden, unexpected pleasant surprises always appeared. These so-called surprises were actually rare, precious treasures or highly valuable techniques and classic manuals.

This was not Three Families Market, and the sheer volume of treasures handled was vastly different. Sometimes two or three months might pass without even a glimpse of one, but when a treasure finally appeared, it invariably stirred the heartstrings of a vast multitude. Moreover, the mistress in charge, Flower Lady, possessed a heart like a hollow with seven exquisite apertures, and she could devise endless tricks for every treasure-bidding session. She left the winners triumphant and the losers full of regret yet yearning for more, rolling this effect up like a snowball until it grew ever larger. Through this back and forth, Yinan Garden appeared increasingly extraordinary in the eyes of Huayan City's cultivators, and its status rose correspondingly.

Naturally, Flower Lady's unfathomable cultivation could also win her sufficient respect in the Northern Wasteland, a place that worshipped only strength.