Chapter 1: The Miserable Transmigration

  After Zhu Houzhao and Jiang Xia finalized the plan to open the Qunfang Pavilion together, he left with Zhang Yong first. These past few days, Li Dongyang had been keeping a close eye on him, deeply afraid that if he came to the Qunfang Pavilion again, Li Dongyang would find out, and his reaction might not be just sealing off the pavilion, but having the urge to kill Jiang Xia.

  Zhu Houzhao believed that Li Dongyang could do such a thing. In the officialdom, this big dye vat, good and evil have no absolute standard. For so-called loyal ministers, as long as they think what they are doing is for the country and the people, they don't care about the means. If they still care about whether their means are despicable or not, such people will not be able to climb to a high position, and it's even hard to stay in place.

  After Zhu Houzhao left the Group Fragrance Pavilion, Jiang Xia had someone find a medicine pot for himself. He spent nearly two hours decocting twenty-seven medicinal ingredients into a paste, then kneaded them into pill shapes and waited for them to cool down. After finishing, Jiang Xia counted that this time he made eighteen Flying Phoenix Pills.

  Jiang Xia took the Fei Feng Dan and went straight up to the fourth floor. When he reached Kang Qingyan's door, Jiang Xia knocked on it. As soon as the knock sounded, Kang Qingyan's voice immediately came from inside: "Come in."

  Jiang Xia pushed open the door and entered, Kang Qingyan was sitting beside a round table in the room. On the round table, there was a jug of wine, seven or eight exquisite small dishes, and two wine cups. The wine cup closer to Kang Qingyan was already filled with wine, while the other one was empty.

  Kang Qingyan looked up and said to Jiang Xia: "You're here, take a seat."

  "Do you know I'd come looking for you?" Jiang Xia found it somewhat strange, he walked over to sit down in the position opposite Kang Qingyan, that empty wine cup was right in front of him.

  Kang Qingyan picked up the wine jug and filled Jiang Xia's cup to the brim. At this moment, she was slightly different from usual. Her face had no rouge or powder on it, only a light sketch of her eyebrows. She wasn't wearing any luxurious silk, but a simple water-green cross-collared blouse with a pale pink long skirt.

  Kang Qianyan, dressed like this, seemed to have washed away her makeup and become a virtuous wife and good mother, but suddenly looking at her like this made Jiang Xia feel somewhat unaccustomed.

  Kang Qingyan didn't answer Jiang Xia's question, instead she poured wine for him and raised her cup saying: "Jiang Xia, although we've only known each other for a little over a month, I, Kang Qingyan, truly regard you as a friend. As we're about to part ways, I hope we can have a good drink together."

  "Is it time to part?" Jiang Xia hesitated for a moment before asking: "You already know about the matter of Qunfang Pavilion?"

  "Uh-huh." Kang Qingyan nodded, trying to cover up but couldn't help revealing a hint of loss in her eyes. She said: "Qunfang Pavilion is not just owned by me alone, I'm sure you've already guessed that. As for who the behind-the-scenes boss is, I won't reveal it to you for now, but as a friend, let me remind you, don't show off your sharp edges too much, or else 'the tall tree will be broken by the wind'."

  Jiang Xia nodded, and with a sigh said: "I've just arrived in the capital not long ago, and I'm not very familiar with the rules of the capital. This time can be considered as having received some lessons, I myself don't mind but it's a pity that you were implicated. However, rest assured, I won't make the same mistake again. Moreover, after the Guanfang Pavilion was sealed off, you don't have to worry either, I..."

  "After the Qunfang Pavilion is sealed, I will leave the capital for Jiangnan. As for when I'll return, I don't know yet." Kang Qingyan interrupted Jiang Xia's words.

  "Leaving the capital?" Jiang Xia originally wanted to invite Kang Qingyan to continue opening a new Huafang Pavilion with him, but unexpectedly, Kang Qingyan said she was going to leave. Jiang Xia couldn't help but ask: "Has it been decided already?"

  "Uh-huh." Kang Qingyan nodded: "It's decided, and it can't be helped."

  Jiang Xia nodded slightly and raised his wine cup, finishing the wine in one gulp. "I wish you a smooth journey."

  "Thank you." Seeing Jiang Xia drink the wine down, a flash of light flickered in Kang Qingyan's eyes.

  After Jiang Xia put down his wine glass, he saw that Kang Qingyan hadn't drunk the wine in her own cup. He smiled and asked: "I've already had a drink to show respect, why aren't you drinking?"

  Kang Qingyan smiled and said: "Wait a minute, I'll get something for you."

  Kang Qingyan got up and walked to her dresser, opened the drawer and took out a long wooden box. Kang Qingyan carried the wooden box over and placed it on the round table, opening it to reveal sheets of paper inside: "There are 372 people in total, from top to bottom, in the Qunfang Pavilion, and all their contracts are here. Including... Cui Nianshu's."

  Kang Qingyan covered the wooden box with its lid, and pushed it in front of Jiang Xia, saying: "Alright, from now on, all these slave contracts are yours. Are you satisfied? Shouldn't you toast me another cup?"

  "Are all these deeds of sale given to me?" Jiang Xia was shocked. When did Kang's mother become so generous?

  But he still pretended to be obedient on the surface, picked up the wine pot and filled his own cup with wine, then drank another cup.

  After drinking, Jiang Xia suddenly remembered the Fei Feng Dan in his arms. He quickly took out the porcelain bottle containing the Fei Feng Dan from his arms and handed it to Kang Qingyan: "Right, Mother Kang, I promised to help you regain your youth and beauty. This bottle is my exclusive elixir, called Fei Feng Dan. There are eighteen pills inside, eat one every day and after finishing all eighteen, I guarantee that you will find your figure and skin much improved."

  Kang Qingyan took over the small porcelain bottle and looked at Jiang Xia with some doubt, asking: "Is this medicine really that effective?"

  "Don't worry, this is the real deal, no cheating of old or young. If it's fake, I'll let you handle me. If you're still not at ease, eat one now and you'll see the effect in just a cup of tea."

  "A moment of tea time? So soon?" Kang Qingyun was slightly surprised, she thought for a moment and poured out a Fei Feng Dan from the porcelain bottle into her mouth and swallowed it in one gulp.

  Kang Qingyan had just swallowed the Fei Feng Dan into his stomach when Jiang Xia suddenly felt that something was amiss with his body. His body was burning hot, his head was dizzy, and a primitive impulse was stirring in his heart. A stream of heat was surging wildly at his lower abdomen. These symptoms were not unfamiliar to Jiang Xia; they were the signs of being... poisoned by an aphrodisiac.

  Jiang Xia was shocked, he grabbed the wine jug and opened the lid on top, taking a sniff.

  "This wine... has aphrodisiacs mixed in?"

  Kang Qingyan put the small porcelain bottle into her bosom, looking at Jiang Xia with a dazed smile and said: "I, Kang Qingyan, have said that I will definitely get you. Originally, I didn't want to use such means to force you to surrender, but I'm about to leave the capital soon, so I must make some ruthless moves to achieve my goal."

  "Oh no, I've been sold out." Jiang Xia cried out in her heart, how could a great and talented woman like herself be drugged and taken advantage of by an older sex-starved woman?

  Jiang Xia didn't say another word and immediately started untying his belt, Kang Qingyan suddenly became excited, she stuck out her tongue and muttered to herself: "I didn't expect the effect of this spring breeze to be so strong, you're starting to react so quickly."

  "Jiang Xia, you......" Kang Qingyan originally thought that Jiang Xia was going to change from being passive to active due to the effects of the medicine, but unexpectedly, Jiang Xia untied his belt and then started retying it, and... tied a dead knot.

  "Do you think you can escape from my palm? Today, if I don't let you personally experience what 'iron pestle grinds into needle' means, I won't be called Kang Qingyan." Kang Qingyan suddenly stood up and grabbed Jiang Xia's arm, walking towards her dressing table.

  Jiang Xia's limbs felt somewhat weak, and he couldn't even resist the power of Kang Qingyan's light touch. With wave after wave of sensations surging up in his body, Jiang Xia suddenly had an urge to tear off Kang Qingyan's clothes and "mount his horse".

  But thinking of Kang Qingyan's boastful words "iron pestle grinding into a needle", Jiang Xia immediately became timid. Although he had practiced the "Yu Nu Xin Jing" and had the nickname "Golden Gun Unbeaten Young Master", women at thirty are like wolves, forty like tigers, fifty can suck earth from their seats, Jiang Xia didn't dare guarantee that he could really handle Kang Qingyan, so it's better to endure strongly.

  Kang Qingyan pulled Jiang Xia to the bedside and pushed him onto the bed. Jiang Xia grasped his clothes with both hands, tense and said: "Pervert, don't come any closer, or I'll scream."

  "Hahaha... " Kang Qingyan laughed loudly three times, and then she got on the bed, straddling Jiang Xia's waist. Kang Qingyan said: "Go ahead and shout, even if you shout yourself hoarse, no one will care."

  "Oh no, this is outrageous! The old woman is bullying the innocent young man..." Jiang Xia started shouting.

  Kang Qingyan suddenly pulled out a pair of scissors from under the pillow, and she made a slashing motion at Jiang Xia. Jiang Xia immediately felt a chill run down his spine and didn't dare to call out anymore. Kang Qingyan laughed and said: "You were calling just now, why did you stop?"

  Jiang Xia was on the verge of tears, what else could be done at this point? Others had already shown their cruel side, what choice did he have but to obey? Jiang Xia turned his head and said in a wronged tone: "Be gentle, it's my first time."

  "Haha... Don't worry, I'll take responsibility."

  The dialogue between Kang Qingyan and Jiang Xia had reached an extreme, but just then Jiang Xia suddenly bit her tongue hard. With the intense pain, Jiang Xia's dazed consciousness suddenly cleared up a lot. She pushed Kang Qingyan away from herself, then quickly got out of bed.

  "It's about time." Jiang Xia said with a smile.

  As soon as he finished speaking, Kang Qingyan didn't understand at first, but soon her stomach growled loudly, and then she immediately curled up.

  "Is your medicine poisonous?" Kang Qingyan pointed at Jiang Xia and said in shock and anger.

  "Rest assured, my medicine is non-toxic and was indeed refined to help you regain your youth and beauty. However, when I drank the first cup of wine earlier, I felt that something was off about it, and after drinking the second cup, I was certain that there was an aphrodisiac in the wine. That's why I tricked you into eating that Flying Phoenix Pill. I forgot to tell you, but the greatest effect of the Flying Phoenix Pill is to help people detoxify and nourish their skin. Look at your bloated belly, I'm afraid there are quite a few toxins inside you, and this time some of them have been purged."

  "..."

  A smelly and loud fart. As a woman, farting in front of her beloved man is more unbearable than being slapped several times. Kong Qingyan let out a sharp cry and scrambled up from the bed, covering her belly and crying out: "Oh heavens, toilet! I couldn't hold it in!"

  PS: Happy Dragon Boat Festival to everyone! If you have the condition, don't forget to send two zongzi red packets to Lao Hu, hehe~~~