Chapter 59: Choosing Beauty Over a Brother...

Shifting her gaze, there was also this Luo Qianfan. She felt a vague sense of familiarity, though she could not recall where they might have met. Yet, simply looking at this person made her heart race uncontrollably. Leng Zimo irritably took a sip of water.

Suddenly, Leng Zimo's gaze was locked by the sinister and fierce eyes of Dongfang Yuyue. His heart skipped a beat, and the appraising look vanished instantly, pulling back from Luo Qianfan's direction.

Only after that gloomy and icy aura dissipated did he let out a harsh, inward breath.

It seemed that His Highness Prince Yu intended to win over the Medical Underworld Valley. Since the valley was currently on a rising trajectory, if swallowed up by Prince Yu, the Crown Prince would gain a formidable rival. He was mentally plotting to relay this news to the Crown Prince upon his return so they could make early preparations.

On the other end, Luo Qianfan had long since realized that Leng Zimo had been watching her. She merely wanted to figure out why Leng Zimo's gaze carried such an ambiguous trace of oddness. Had she misread the look, or was it something else...?

She had originally wanted to remain nonchalant, allowing Leng Zimo to drop his guard so she could observe more closely, but she never expected him to be frightened away by Dongfang Yuyue.

Luo Qianfan gave him a displeased, sidelong glance: *Talk about a total spoiler.*

Meanwhile, Leng Qing'er and Jinyu were locked in a heated battle of words, their complexions slightly pale and bruised; it was obvious their conversation had been far from pleasant.

Leng Qing'er's face carried a faint, dark flush. She had never imagined that this woman would be so impervious to reason and entirely unyielding, deflecting every attempt to probe and hinting at cutting ties at every turn. If not for her formidable self-restraint, she probably would have completely lost her composure right in front of His Highness Prince Yu.

Now, her goal had failed. The young master of the Medical Underworld Valley refused to work for the Leng family, the black market refused to help track down the items, and she had pointlessly squandered three and a half million taels of gold. When she returned this time, those elders would certainly not let her off lightly.

Seeing Jinyu's utterly unaccommodating expression, Leng Qing'er could no longer bear to stay. She hastily excused herself to Dongfang Yuyue and departed, completely uncaring of whether he even acknowledged her farewell.

Although that otherworldly being remained as immovable as a mountain, his breathtakingly alluring face practically had the word "scram" written across it!

Witnessing this scene, Luo Qianfan almost burst into laughter.

*Big brother, is it really okay for you to crush a young lady's heart like this?!*

Thank goodness Leng Qing'er was such a resilient character; had it been any other pampered young miss, she would have cried her eyes out!

After the Leng siblings left, Lady Jinyu cast aside her previous disdain and approached Luo Qianfan with the utmost respect. "Young Master, I apologize for my discourtesy earlier in failing to attend to you properly."

Had Leng Qing'er not kept pestering her, Jinyu would have sought out Luo Qianfan much sooner. After all, this was their prospective God of Wealth.

Luo Qianfan smiled brightly and praised, "Not at all, you did wonderfully! You had such style! It seems the black market certainly lives up to its daring reputation!"

Luo Qianfan was extremely satisfied with Jinyu's handling of the situation. Standing up directly to Leng Qing'er was something probably very few people dared to do.

When dealing with a figure like Leng Qing'er, you simply had to play hardball!

"Style? What is style?" Jinyu failed to comprehend the modern slang.

Nearby, Dongfang Yuyue was also maintaining a high level of mental alertness. Hearing this unfamiliar term, he found himself utterly baffled.

How could this fellow keep uttering so many words he had never heard before? It felt as though he had missed out on a crucial chapter of time.

"Style! Style means you were awesome, yes, it's a compliment!" Luo Qianfan was accustomed to using colloquial modern terms and temporarily forgot that Bai Yu and the others were not around. How could these people possibly understand such phrasing?

"Oh, I see! In all my years, this is the first time I've ever been complimented like that!" In Jinyu's eyes, the people who flattered her on the surface were merely superficial and ignorant.

Therefore, she had never taken their words to heart, letting them go in one ear and out the other.

It was a rare treat to be praised in such a manner by a divine youth who possessed both extraordinary looks and talent, and Jinyu's heart swelled with delight.

Who would have thought that Lady Jinyu—normally as cold and proud as a snow lotus peak in the eyes of others—would become overwhelmingly happy over a casual, pleasant remark from Luo Qianfan?

"By the way, the Longevity Pills and Tassel Skirts provided by your esteemed valley both sold for astronomical prices. After deducting the black market's thirty percent cut, the remaining seventy percent has already been transferred to the platinum card delivered just now."

"Additionally, all your future expenses within the black market will be granted a fifty percent discount."

Jinyu spoke with excitement, her beautiful eyes lingering fixedly on Luo Qianfan. No matter how she looked at it, this young man before her was excessively outstanding.

With bright eyes, white teeth, slightly upturned brows, and smiling red lips parted in a faint curve, he wore crimson robes that radiated elegance. His delicate facial features were striking to the point of being almost unreal; simply standing there was enough to dazzle anyone, and every single movement of his was steeped in nobility.

Noticing Jinyu's gaze, Luo Qianfan commended, "The black market certainly operates reliably."

Suddenly, a sharp, incongruous snort cut through the air. "I didn't expect your black market to value such a tiny... tiny valley so highly, even going as far as to pay such a steep price."

Dongfang Yuyue caught himself mid-sentence, nearly blurting out Luo Qianfan's true identity.

As his voice trailed off, Jinyu picked up on the underlying subtext and offered an apologetic smile. "His Highness Prince Yu is likewise an esteemed ally whom the black market strives to court. If you are amenable, I happen to have one more platinum card right here, and I hope Your Highness will not disdain it."

As Jinyu spoke with a smile, a platinum card materialized in her palm. It looked identical to Luo Qianfan's, yet her words carried a completely different flavor to Dongfang Yuyue's ears.

Was this charity?

Absurd!

Just as Luo Qianfan wondered whether Dongfang Yuyue would accept it, an exquisitely pleasant yet icy voice rang out. "Do you truly believe this king has any use for such a trinket?"

Dongfang Yuyue cast a sideways glance at the platinum card, his expression radiating supreme arrogance with an upturned corner of his mouth—the absolute portrait of a sovereign lord.

Such items were available to him in limitless quantities; hence, he had no use for them whatsoever.

Indeed, as the exalted Prince Yu, would he ever need such a thing?

For some reason, Jinyu sensed that the Prince Yu before her was far too dangerous, even though, in reality, a prince's influence could hardly compare to that of the Medical Underworld Valley.

Yet this man was undeniably arrogant!

Jinyu felt a brief flash of awkwardness.

She had not expected Prince Yu to be even more difficult to deal with than rumors suggested. This was the very last platinum card in her possession, yet when offered to him, he had rejected it outright.

And this was a symbol of absolute status!

She could only hope such a man would never become an adversary, for dealing with him would undoubtedly prove exceedingly troublesome.

For a moment, the atmosphere turned chillingly bizarre. Neither of them spoke, leaving the situation deadlocked.

Luo Qianfan could no longer bear the sight and broke the tension with an awkward smile.

"Lady Jinyu, please take no offense. His Highness Prince Yu possesses vast estates and immense wealth; he likely just has no use for it. Perhaps you should gift this card to someone else instead."

A pair of soft, delicate hands gently nudged the card away, returning it to Jinyu's side.

To be honest, she secretly agreed that Dongfang Yuyue was far too arrogant and full of himself!

Luo Qianfan's eyes rolled casually, a slight curve forming as they landed back on Jinyu. "By the way, does Lady Jinyu happen to know anything about tonight..."

"Are you inquiring about that gentleman?"

Before Luo Qianfan could finish, Jinyu chimed in with the answer.

In truth, it wasn't difficult to guess. Tonight, aside from the auctioned items, the guests bidding on them were equally capable of sparking wild speculation.

After all, not everyone possessed such staggering wealth, casually throwing around millions of taels of gold without a second thought. Anyone else in her position would naturally be curious.

Luo Qianfan raised her chin slightly in mild surprise. Was her curiosity really that obvious?

Jinyu continued, "To be frank, the black market does indeed have records concerning that young master's identity. However, I must ask for your forgiveness as Jinyu cannot disclose it."

The black market was bound by duty to protect every guest's privacy, a rule that even the left and right guardians were not necessarily permitted to bypass.

Hearing this, Luo Qianfan pressed the matter no further.

Having been exposed to the covert operations industry in her past life, she understood that a client's information was strictly confidential—it was a client's most fundamental right.

Every profession had its own code of conduct, and the moment Jinyu stated her position, Luo Qianfan dismissed the thought. In any case, it wasn't a matter of life or death.

Though she did not know who the man was, she firmly believed their paths would cross again.

The following day, Xiyan Palace.

A panoramic view revealed a young maiden clad in a colorful, flowing gradient skirt, her hair loosely tied into two small bun-like puffs. A trace of yellowish pearl ointment still lingered near the corner of her eye, marking her as someone who had just woken up. Yet, upon closer inspection, her face was simply breathtaking.

Her flawless, doll-like eyes were framed perfectly within those stunning features, and her petite, pink lips retained a natural fullness from sleep that made one's heart skip a beat.

"Prin... Princess... whatever happened to..."

Murong Xin stared at the reflection in the mirror, listening to the attendant's stammered words while a surge of excitement swelled in her chest.

Was this truly her?

Could the Longevity Pill's effects really be this potent? She had consumed it only yesterday, yet by today the transformation was already taking effect—and in such a staggering manner.

Though her previous appearance could be considered peerless and fairy-like compared to most mortals, placed side by side with her current self, the two were simply not in the same league. Between the two, Murong Xin vastly preferred her present appearance.

From the edge of the mirror, a young maiden could be faintly seen joyfully admiring her own flawless visage. Aside from her two slightly messy hair buns, everything else about her radiated an exquisite allure capable of captivating anyone who laid eyes upon her.

The maids who entered that morning had been greeted by precisely this sight; at first glance, they had almost failed to recognize this as the arrogant and domineering Princess Xin!

Had they known that all these miraculous changes stemmed solely from a single high-grade medicinal pill—the Longevity Pill—they would likely have died of envy.

After all, relying on their own means, they would surely never acquire such a rare treasure in a lifetime.

Yet this miraculous spectacle had unfolded right before their very eyes.

As the fortunate protagonist of this miracle, Murong Xin could hardly contain her excitement; her legs were already itching to run outside and announce to the entire world that she had magically transformed into a peerless beauty overnight.

The very next second, however, she crashed directly into a solid wall of muscle.

*Thud!*

In an instant, Murong Xin's bright and sunny mood plummeted into dark storm clouds.

"Who goes there, walking without watching where—?" Murong Xin opened her mouth to snap in fury, but upon lifting her gaze and discovering that her flesh-and-blood obstacle was none other than her Crown Prince brother, she instantly transformed into an obedient, purring kitten.

"Crown Prince brother, why are you here?"

Murong Xin flashed a flattering smile, looking radiant and dazzling from head to toe.

"What's this? Now that you've grown pretty, you're planning to discard this older brother of yours?" Yan Mojue muttered, having apparently picked up some grievance-feigning tactics from somewhere unknown.