43: Prince's House

Becoming a live-in son-in-law is impossible; it will never happen in this lifetime.

Without relying on the Cui Family, he could still embark on the path to Immortal Ascension.

Yang Qizhu saw Xu Sanyan's resistance and did not press the issue; it would be best if he could become a live-in son-in-law, but it was fine if he could not.

"Young Master Xu, if you are interested, you can come to the Cui Family to find me after meeting my father, Prince Rui. I shall take my leave now."

Xu Sanyan raised his hand, indicating, "Wait a moment, may I ask if the Cui Family has any precious medicine?"

Yang Qizhu paused slightly, then nodded, "Of course, we do."

"Could you spare some for me?"

Yang Qizhu asked curiously, "What does Young Master Xu need precious medicine for?"

She then realized she had spoken too much, "How much does Young Master Xu need? I will give it to you."

Xu Sanyan shook his head, "I need a lot. I'd rather buy it at the market price. Consider it me owing you a favor."

Favors, for those who value their Face, are very important, but for Xu Sanyan, they were no different from a fart.

If needed, he could owe ten thousand of them; after all, it was just a matter of moving his lips, and then he could simply deny it when the time came.

His character was evident to all: in Dafeng Town, he backstabbed his brothers to seize their Cultivation Technique; he deceived young children for the sake of magical arts; in Taian City, he slept with his godmother; and he colluded with outsiders to kill his own gang leader in exchange for precious medicine.

To obtain strange artifacts, he brutally murdered young girls in the wilderness and indiscriminately slaughtered innocents in Shannan Village. To seal off news, he massacred all his accompanying subordinates. To strengthen his physique, he spent money to buy the lives of prisoners in the jail. It could be said that he had committed every evil imaginable.

For someone like him, the moral bottom line was extremely flexible.

But Yang Qizhu was unaware of this. For her, a favor from a Heavenly Human Realm Martial Artist was still very valuable, so she readily agreed.

Finally, the two discussed and agreed on a normal price of ten thousand taels of silver per plant, with twenty plants needed initially.

The output of precious medicine was very small; even a powerful force like the Cui Family did not have too much on hand.

Xu Sanyan also did not have many silver notes left, only about eight hundred thousand taels, most of which Zhu Yong had found at Magistrate Lü's house.

The two agreed to trade at the Cui Mansion the day after tomorrow.

After seeing Yang Qizhu off, Xu Sanyan stood by the window, staring blankly at the gradually deepening night, considering the advantages and disadvantages of the three factions.

He was more inclined towards Yang Qizhu, or more precisely, he coveted the Cultivation items in her possession.

"Cui Yousheng..."

...

The next morning, white frost hung on the branches, and stray dogs by the roadside huddled together with their tails tucked, seemingly feeling the cold as well.

At the city gate, two figures led their horses, walking side by side; it was Xu Sanyan and General Bai Wuxia.

"The weather is getting colder..."

Xu Sanyan looked up at the sky, muttering softly.

"Yes, another year is almost over," General Bai Wuxia said.

Xu Sanyan shook his head. He was not lamenting the passage of time but missing his hometown. In the blink of an eye, he had been in this world for almost a year.

"Let's go."

The two mounted their horses and headed towards Xiang City.

The sun gradually rose, dispelling the chill from their bodies. Although their Cultivation allowed them not to fear the cold, it was always more comfortable to be warm.

At the same time, in the center of Xiang City.

In a magnificent courtyard, Eldest Young Master Yang Xinli sat in a stone pavilion, carefully reading a book.

Outside the stone pavilion, a dust-covered young man knelt, prostrating himself, not daring to look up for a long time. Upon closer inspection, the young man's body trembled slightly, as if he was desperately trying to suppress the fear in his heart.

After a while, Yang Xinli put down the book in his hand and gently rubbed his brows, "You mean, you messed things up, and Wang Chengming also died, right?"

The young man slowly raised his head; it was Prince Rui's fifth son, Yang Xinyu. At this moment, he no longer had his former arrogance, his eyes filled with fear, and he argued excitedly,

"Big Brother... it's all Wang Chengming's fault. He insisted on instigating me to probe Xu Sanyan's background..."

Yang Xinli cast a cold glance, "You can mess up such a simple matter. What use are you to me?!"

"If it weren't for your mother's Face, I would really kill you!" Yang Xinli's tone was icy, making one tremble with fear.

Yang Xinyu knelt on the ground, kowtowing frantically, "I was wrong, Big Brother. I will never act on my own again. Please, Big Brother, spare me this one time."

In Yang Xinyu's heart, he was filled with fear for this half-brother. He understood this Big Brother, who appeared amiable but was actually incredibly twisted and dark inside, all too well.

He was inhumane; he was capable of anything.

There was a dungeon built in Eldest Young Master's residence, and Yang Xinyu had the "fortune" of visiting it once. Just one glance had severely impacted his young mind.

What kind of Hell was that? Every time he thought of it, he couldn't help but shiver.

In the dungeon, a flayed girl let out hoarse and mournful screams.

A man, mutilated into a human pig, hung on the wall, his tongue cut out, his ear canals filled with mercury. Only a pair of eyes revealed endless despair, and special personnel delivered food daily, making it impossible for him to die.

A woman, like a dog, lay naked on the ground, driven insane by cruel torture, her eye sockets only two bloody holes, her eyeballs long gone.

Deeper in the dungeon, hundreds of densely packed cells, each holding a tortured prisoner. Before this, they had various identities, perhaps family members of a general, or local yamen runners.

But once they arrived here, without exception, they only wished for death.

The more Yang Xinyu thought, the more panicked he became. He was afraid that one day he, too, would appear in there.

Thanks to his mother, Consort Huan, whose beauty satisfied both generations of the Yang Family father and son, Eldest Young Master gave him a lenient pass.

Yang Xinli and Consort Huan's illicit relationship, how could he, as her son, not know? But he dared not reveal it. Once this matter was exposed, regardless of what happened to others, he himself would surely die.

Outsiders only saw him, the youngest Young Master of Prince Rui, receiving endless doting, unaware that he lived in torment every day.

Every time he saw his mother force a smile and reluctantly flatter that twisted and cruel father and son, his heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife. He wished he could sacrifice his life and take them down with him.

But he dared not. He knew that with his current Cultivation, such an act would be like hitting a rock with an egg; not only would his own life be in danger, but his mother would also be implicated.

So he could only desperately Cultivate, hoping that one day he could kill his Big Brother and father!

If he had a choice, he would never have been born into a royal family.

Yang Xinli did not know what his younger brother was thinking. He said in a flat tone, "I heard Wang Chengming has a daughter who is quite pretty. Bring her to me."

"Yes."

Yang Xinyu quickly agreed. He had seen Wang Chengming's daughter; she was a little girl the same age as him, not yet of age. Perhaps she would never have the chance to come of age...

"What about the rest of the Wang Family...?" Yang Xinyu asked tentatively.

Yang Xinli glanced at him, his eyes devoid of emotion, "Do I still need to teach you?"

"I'll go do it now." Yang Xinyu lowered his head and silently retreated.

After he had gone far, Eldest Young Master opened the book in his hand. Several large characters were clearly written on it:

""Heart Slaughtering Yin Devouring Skill""