Chapter 275 - 113: Traveling a Thousand Miles to Take the Fall, You’re Just My Little Kitten (2)

Although Ye Ming had long suspected this would happen, there was nothing he could do about it.

Before he left, however, he paid a small price to get some information from the auction house. He learned about the mysterious woman on the ninth floor. She was suspected to be from one of the Overseas Kingdoms and was extremely wealthy, traveling with two serving girls.

Her guards had been hired after her arrival in Jingyang City, and she was currently staying at the Xianya Building. Beyond that, there was no other information.

This information put Ye Ming’s mind somewhat at ease.

He planned to return and study the Exotic Stone first, then pay a visit to the mysterious woman. With his current status and power, he was bound to be unable to keep the stone for himself.

’Jiang Lan...’

’Just you wait. Sooner or later, the day will come when I make you regret this and pay the price.’

Ye Ming’s expression was calm. He didn’t linger at the auction, simply sending a message to his companions, Liu Xue and the others, to let them know he was heading back to the inn first.

There were too many eyes and ears here, and a lot of people had already noticed his presence. From now on, he would have to be even more cautious.

Back at the auction, with the bidding for the Exotic Stone concluded, a few more of the final, show-stopping items were brought onto the stage.

However, after the spectacle of the Exotic Stone and its astronomical price, the remaining items seemed rather lackluster in comparison.

Jiang Lan, for his part, was in no hurry to return to the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

Ye Ming would surely hand the Exotic Stone over to Shang Mingyu. Later, when Shang Mingyu realized something was wrong with the "Emperor’s Qi" within it, she would immediately suspect Ye Ming.

’An alliance? Heh...’

Jiang Lan had already predicted every move Ye Ming would make. No matter how much he struggled, he was nothing more than a pawn in Jiang Lan’s hand.

"Go and invite the young lady across from us. Tell her I have prepared a banquet at the Yunlan Platform and will await her arrival there after the auction concludes. I hope she will grace me with her presence."

With this in mind, he instructed the serving girl by his side.

"Yes, Young Master."

The serving girl received her orders, quickly pushed the door open, and departed to deliver the invitation.

Shang Mingyu was in the middle of plotting how to retrieve the Exotic Stone from Ye Ming. She never expected Jiang Lan to send a serving girl at this very moment to invite her for a meeting.

’What is he planning?’

Her fine brows knitted together as she mulled over Jiang Lan’s motives.

Just moments ago, they had been rivals for the Exotic Stone. Jiang Lan had even threatened her without hesitation, declaring she would be unable to leave the Imperial Capital.

Logically, she should have been furious and rejected him outright. But in this world, there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests.

Under the current circumstances, she had no reason to further antagonize Jiang Lan.

"Thank you for Young Master Jiang’s invitation. I will be there," Shang Mingyu replied calmly, looking at the serving girl who had delivered the message.

...

「Meanwhile」

In a bath carved from a single piece of bluestone, filled with falling flower petals and billowing steam.

A small, slender figure was hugging her knees, her head half-submerged in the water, letting the petals float over her mouth.

Only her eyes, clear as amber, remained wide open. Her lashes were heavy with mist, and her gaze was filled with a lost, helpless confusion as several serving girls patiently washed every inch of her skin.

"We’ve changed the water seven times, and she’s finally clean. What a shame about all these scars..."

One of the serving girls picked up a soft silk cloth and began wiping Chou’Er’s face.

But looking at the shocking scars, she couldn’t help but shudder and feel a surge of pity.

When they had first started washing Chou’Er, they had been so shocked by the terrifying scars covering her body that they were left speechless. Their hands had trembled as they’d wiped her down.

They couldn’t even begin to imagine what she had been through. Chou’Er looked like a young girl, yet how many brutal battles must she have endured in the fighting pits over the years?

What kind of life of hardship and injury could leave behind so many marks...

That was why they were so careful as they washed her, afraid of aggravating her wounds.

However, Chou’Er didn’t seem to fear the pain, as if she were long used to it. She was simply unaccustomed to being waited on by so many people and kept trying to shy away.

It wasn’t until she understood they meant her no harm that she finally became still, allowing them to gently clean her wounds.

At first, the water in the entire bath had been stained a foul-smelling, brownish-red, like a pool of blood.

Only after the water had been changed several times did it finally start to run clear.

Only then were Chou’Er’s true facial features revealed to them.

But no matter how beautiful her eyes were or how delicate her features, the terrifying, shocking scars still made it hard to look directly at her.

"Her hair is so beautiful, like seaweed..."

"Young Master Jiang isn’t as bad as the rumors say. If he hadn’t intervened in time, Chou’Er would have died in the fighting pits today."

"I agree. I’ve always felt that someone like Young Master Jiang couldn’t possibly be the villain from the rumors, capable of every evil. Maybe someone is deliberately slandering him..."

"You silly girl, are you letting his good looks sway your judgment? Everyone in the Imperial Capital knows what he’s like, and you’re still defending him? What, are you hoping he’ll kidnap you and take you back to the Prime Minister’s Mansion?"

"Hee hee, would that be such a bad thing...?"

Chou’Er’s eyes widened slightly as she listened to the lighthearted chatter of the serving girls around her.

’So his name is Young Master Jiang?’

The bath was filled with fragrant petals, but what lingered in her senses was the gentle, woody scent of agarwood from earlier. It was so clean, so reassuring.