Sang Luo slapped his hand away, her tone stern and sharp,
“Impudence!”
“Heh heh, just a joke, Princess. No need to get angry.”
The Nightfall Pavilion Master retracted his slender, pale hand, his deep, bewitching eyes fixed on her, flickering with interest. “However, I have a principle in business: I never do a losing deal. If Your Highness wants to redeem these [Eyes of the Spirit Fox], I'm afraid it will require…”
“I'll give you back exactly how much you paid for them, without taking a single penny!”
“Has Your Highness ever heard the saying, 'Not earning is the same as losing'?”
“You—”
The Pavilion Master extended two slender fingers.
“Double. How about it? I'll return these eyes to you.”
The [Eyes of the Spirit Fox], as the finale item, broke the highest auction price in the Spirit Convergence Auction House's ten thousand-year history. Even with the money in Sang Luo's hands, there was still a twenty percent handling fee to be extracted. In other words, after this turnaround, she would earn far more than she lost!
Even though Sang Luo was now wearing the guise of a princess, she still felt a pang of heartache when she saw the exorbitant price offered by the Pavilion Master. Before coming, she had calculated the princess's private savings, and even combined, it wasn't enough. She would have to find other ways to raise the funds.
“If Your Highness is finding it difficult… Ye Pu, see the guest out!”
The masked black-clothed man stepped forward again. “Your Highness, this way, please.”
Sang Luo quickly said, “Wait, alright, I agree to this transaction! I will give you the money in seven days. Please, Pavilion Master, don't go back on your word and ensure that both the goods and money are delivered!”
“Please rest assured, Your Highness. Ye is a businessman, and the most important thing to me is integrity.”
The two agreed to a contract, to meet again in seven days.
After watching Sang Luo leave his sight, a slender figure in black walked up to the Nightfall Pavilion Master.
“Master, are you sure it's her?”
…
After Sang Luo returned to the Princess Manor, she searched out all of the princess's private savings. She sold all the valuable jewelry and treasures, and after borrowing some money from the Clan Leader, she finally managed to scrape together the required amount.
Sang Luo had also spent a lot of money these days searching for various refining materials.
Afraid that the princess would return and find the family property had been emptied, Sang Luo had spent this time reorganizing the princess's failing shops and businesses.
The Red Fox Clan's talent and strength were far inferior to those of the Ancient Divine Beast races of Qingqiu, yet they were still able to occupy a place in Qingqiu, and even had the qualifications to discuss marriage with the highly esteemed Nine-Tailed Fox Clan. This was due to their business-mindedness. In layman's terms, in the eyes of the Ancient Divine Beast families, the Red Fox Clan was a genuine nouveau riche, and taking a bite out of them was a profit.
The Red Fox Clan's Clan Leader had also left his daughter with many businesses, waiting for her to continue to develop the family's industry. However, Princess Ji Wan had no interest in business, and the industries under her management were a complete mess, running at a loss every year and on the verge of collapse. After Sang Luo's reorganization, she had earned a lot of money back, and it wouldn't be long before she could recoup the losses.
Sang Luo also sent someone to make an appointment with a highly respected and virtuous famous doctor, who was extremely skilled in eye attachment surgery. Coincidentally, this famous doctor had free time in his schedule in half a month.
After busying herself with all of this, Sang Luo went to Plum Blossom Valley in the evening.
She had been running around in circles every day, overworked and exhausted, and hadn't come to see Yun Qi in a long time. Surely, his recent life was much better than before.
That night, as the two slept together, Sang Luo's mind was filled with a sense of peace she had never felt before. The fatigue of her journey was swept away… It was as if she had formed some kind of dependence. Every time she came to Plum Blossom Garden, her mind was extremely calm and peaceful, forgetting the worries that weighed on her shoulders.
Speaking of which, it was strange. This was not the first time Sang Luo had traveled against the flow of time. She had always maintained an observational attitude towards people in time, similar to a real player treating game NPCs. She would never invest unnecessary emotions. But this time, she couldn't help but break the rules.
Yun Qi was more like a familiar, vibrant person in her heart.
And not just a passerby in time.
As soon as Sang Luo stepped into Plum Blossom Valley, what caught her eye was a figure as elegant as jade trees and orchids, dazzling and captivating.
The night was dark, and the stars were sparse.
The young man stood under the magnolia tree in the center of the courtyard, dressed in a plain white brocade robe, his ink-black hair falling down his chest, streaming with light and shadow, as if he were draped in moonlight.
He was “gazing” in the direction of the entrance, as if waiting for someone.
During the days she hadn't come, Yun Qi had been waiting for her every night…
A strange emotion rose in Sang Luo's heart, that uncontrollable feeling becoming more and more wanton. She knew it shouldn't be, but she couldn't control it from slowly spreading…
Hearing the familiar footsteps, joy appeared on the young man's handsome face, but he suppressed the corners of his lips from curving up too much, so as not to appear too eager and flustered. “Your Highness, you've come.”
Sang Luo took off her coat and draped it over him, her tone carrying a hint of reproach. “It's so late, why didn't you go back to rest? It's cold outside, and your health isn't good to begin with. If you accidentally catch a cold, you'll suffer.”
Yun Qi wasn't very old, looking to be only sixteen or seventeen years old. Perhaps it was because his complexion was poor that he seemed a little thin. If he were placed in the beast world of later generations, he probably wouldn't have reached his clan's marriageable age.
Sang Luo subconsciously placed herself in the position of an elder. She had given birth to so many children. When she went back last time, the three little wolf cubs looked to be fourteen or fifteen years old on the outside, not much older than Yun Qi.
Yun Qi was flattered, a flush appearing on his face. “I, I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk.”
“Have you had dinner yet?”
“Not yet.”
Sang Luo touched her stomach, which was rumbling loudly. “I haven't eaten anything today. Let's have a meal together.”
“Your Highness should also take care of your health,” he said considerately.
After staying overnight in Peach Blossom Garden, Sang Luo left again the next morning, her schedule hurried. If Yun Qi hadn't insisted on her staying for breakfast, she probably wouldn't have had time to eat and would have gone hungry all day.
“Has Your Highness been busy searching for those refining materials recently?” Yun Qi asked, slowly touching the Braille book imprinted under his hand.
Kong looked at his young master hesitantly, “I heard the errand runners under the Princess say that Your Highness went to the Spirit Convergence Auction House not long ago…”
Yun Qi's movements paused. He naturally knew about the Spirit Convergence Auction House, which had just recently…
“Your Highness went to find the buyer who bought the Young Master's eyes at the time, and it seems that she wanted to redeem them.”
“But the other party asked for an exorbitant amount, far more than double the price it was sold for at the time. Your Highness has been so busy lately, running around everywhere to raise the funds.” When Kong first heard about these things, he was also unhappy, but he later inquired about it, and they were all true. “Your Highness also spent a lot of money to hire the famous doctor Gong Jianchen, who has excellent medical skills and is extremely skilled in eye attachment surgery, wanting him to treat the Young Master's eyes.”
Yun Qi's breathing stopped. He thought that what the princess had said that night was just to appease him.
He didn't expect that she really intended to help him heal his eyes.
A sweet feeling rose in his heart, but he also had doubts.
Could someone really change so much before and after?
It was as if she had become a different person…
