Yang Zhen truly innocent. The cunning woman, Boat Mistress Yun, did say that, but she also mentioned other things, such as... she knew that Yang Zhen had many good things, and she learned this from the Hua Household, such as... Flower Moon Pavilion has two great Alchemist who might be able to help Yang Zhen.
As for how Boat Mistress Yun would thank Yang Zhen after winning the Pill Appreciation Conference, she didn't say, only adding that they would find out when the time came.
This woman has a perfect grasp of human nature; she always manages to pique people's curiosity and leave them wanting more.
The reason Yang Zhen's expression changed after hearing what Boat Mistress Yun said was because he understood that the whispered conversation between Boat Mistress Yun and him had completely tied Yang Zhen to the interests of the Flower Moon Pavilion.
Sure enough, a group of people around Yang Zhen looked at him with envy, jealousy, and hatred, which made Yang Zhen feel numb and secretly pleased.
So what if he knows how to manipulate people's hearts? Boat Mistress Yun still underestimated Yang Zhen's mentality when he was penniless. Moreover, if Yang Zhen is really angered, he doesn't care about his reputation, let alone the opinions of the people around him.
Yang Zhen has always lived only for herself, and she lives a very carefree life.
The agreement between the two was simple: if Flower Moon Pavilion needed something from Yang Zhen, she could exchange it for something of equal value, and Yang Zhen would guarantee that Flower Moon Pavilion had the right of first refusal.
When Flower Moon Pavilion encounters trouble, Yang Zhen can act within his capabilities. Afterwards, Flower Moon Pavilion will thank Yang Zhen Yang Zhen and will continue to satisfy him.
This agreement was practically meaningless, but Yang Zhen didn't refuse it. Why refuse something that was mutually beneficial?
Hua Youyue looked at Yang Zhen with a complicated expression for a while, then said in a low voice, " The Pill Appreciation Conference is full of senior alchemists, and most of them are highly respected. Other matters are fine, but Alchemist must not offend them too much."
Yang Zhen understood this point. Alchemist were one of the most respected professions in the Youzhou Continent, almost a matter of life and death, and no one wanted to offend an Alchemist easily.
Yang Zhen, naturally, wouldn't offend anyone lightly. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm a very low-key person!"
Hua Youyue's expression froze, clearly not believing Yang Zhen's nonsense.
"Eat first, eat first! Food is the most important thing for people. You'll get hungry if you miss a meal!" Yang Zhen moved on from that and changed the subject.
Hua Youyue seemed still somewhat uneasy, staring at Yang Zhen as she said, " Elder Chi the most respected alchemy master on the shores of the East Sea. His status in the alchemy world is almost unmatched. As long as one receives guidance from Elder Chi, one can definitely improve their alchemy skills significantly. This is something that any Alchemist below the level of an alchemy master can achieve. So you can imagine how many renowned people will be at the Pill Appreciation Conference."
Yang Zhen looked at Hua Youyue in surprise. "This Elder Chi is so strong?"
Hua Youyue said irritably, "It's even more powerful than you imagined."
Yang Zhen nodded. He liked to associate with such powerful people. It seemed necessary to get to know him. If he could establish a kinship with this Elder Chi, it would be much better than cooperating with the Flower Moon Pavilion.
Moreover, Yang Zhen had far too many things on him. As a complete novice in the world of alchemy, he had barely scratched the surface. Yang Zhen had no idea whether the contents of the ring had expired, and it would be such a waste if they spoiled.
This is the fundamental reason why Yang Zhen did not oppose the cooperation with Boat Mistress Yun.
This meal on the Flower Moon Pavilion was the most extravagant meal Yang Zhen had ever eaten in his life. Since it was all free, Yang Zhen ate almost all the most expensive dishes on the menu through Hua Youyue's help.
Not only that, he also ordered a dance, which featured a waitress named Yan'er. She danced so gracefully that she seemed like a fairy, and her eyes sparkled with desire, making Yang Zhen's heart flutter.
The way the people around Yang Zhen looked at him changed; they looked at him like he was a nouveau riche.
The two-day journey flew by. Yang Zhen disembarked from the Flower Moon Pavilion, still wanting more. He decided to stay there for a few more days on his way back. There was no way around it; the food was too delicious, and the dance music was too beautiful. It was simply unforgettable.
It wasn't until the Elder Yao appeared before Yang Zhen with a strange expression that Yang Zhen remembered that this disrespectful old man had also come along.
The Elder Yao apothecary clicked his tongue in amazement, circled Yang Zhen Yang Zhen few times, and looked at him with a gloating expression, saying, "Kid, you'd better pray for yourself, and you'd better be careful!"
Yang Zhen was least afraid of alarmist talk, so he scoffed and asked, "Why?"
The Elder Yao glared at him, pointed at his own nose, and said, "You ask me why? I'm asking you, weren't you the one who opened the sales booth in the Sea Pavilion?"
Yang Zhen nodded.
"What about those crystals?"
"I'm keeping them all, waiting to share them with everyone!"
The Elder Yao staggered, glared at the man, and bowed, saying, "In all my years, I have never seen such a shameless fellow. I am truly impressed!"
Yang Zhen hurriedly returned the greeting with clasped hands. "I'm so ashamed!"
The two old foxes, one old and one young, blinked. The Elder Yao glanced at Yang Zhen and said, "You can't possibly swallow my share too, can you?"
"How could that be? It's just..." Yang Zhen looked at the Elder Yao suspiciously, "How much did you give him?"
The Elder Yao's eyes lit up. "Where's the list?"
Yang Zhen said embarrassedly, "I accidentally lost it!"
"Haha, good! No, what I mean is, I only bet 10,000 crystal stones that Sun Yushi would win, and according to the odds, you should probably pay me back... 100,000 crystal stones!"
"Pah!" Yang Zhen glared and pointed at Elder Yao, saying, "You old rascal, you're incredibly cunning. I don't even have 100,000 spirit stones on me. Your behavior is too disgusting!"
"Should I go out and talk to them? Are you on Donglin Island?"
"Ten thousand crystal stones, that's all!"
"One hundred thousand, not a single one can be missing!"
"No, twenty thousand, take it or leave it!"
"One hundred thousand. If even one is missing, I will tell the whole world that you, this unscrupulous gambling den, are indulging in pleasure on Donglin Island."
"Old man, don't push me!"
"What if I force you?"
Yang Zhen stared at the Elder Yao, then turned and walked away with a sneer, "Go ahead!"
"Huh? No... kid, let's discuss this some more..."
The Pill Appreciation Conference is indeed the biggest event on Donglin Island. Over the past two days, more and more flying boats have begun to land on Donglin Island, and various other ships have also anchored there.
Even Yang Zhen, a newbie, has been hearing about it so many times these past few days that he's practically worn out. People are talking about Bai Yue, the genius Alchemist and successor of Baiqi Medicine Valley; Dong Yunlei, the alchemy prodigy of Azure Blessed Land; Meng Bailou, the most powerful alchemy master, and so on.
Among them, the most powerful alchemist Meng Bailou, was the person that Hua Youyue and the others wanted to visit to seek elixirs.
"Wasn't he supposed to be a master alchemist?" Yang Zhen asked, somewhat puzzled.
Hua Youyue explained with a smile, " Master Meng has already reached the Grandmaster level in both alchemy theory and skill. He only needs one Higher Vehicle seven-star pill to advance to the Grandmaster level of alchemy."
Yang Zhen pursed his lips and said, "It's still not refined yet."
Hua Youyue said irritably, "Do you think Seven-Star Pills are so easy to refine? I heard that Master Meng is going to break through at the Pill Appreciation Conference, so he must have made thorough preparations. I just don't know if he will help me."
"It's alright. If he won't help you, I will. My alchemy skills are different from those flashy, cheap women out there. I don't just help ordinary people!"