The stone was small, so it didn’t take long to clean. As the full shape emerged, Zhu Yanyi froze in shock. It was an oval piece of jade. But the beauty wasn’t just the clear green surface. Inside the jade, a natural pattern had formed—a rose. And it was outlined in gold. A single golden rose.
“Jade-embedded gold rose,” someone nearby blurted out.
This phenomenon occurred when gold deposits were near the jade during its formation. Tectonic shifts melted the gold into the stone, creating the rose shape. The outer layer slowly formed as green jade, encasing the golden flower inside. Hence the name.
“It’s priceless,” another person sighed.
Because it was priceless, no one dared to bid. The price was far beyond what most people present could afford.
Zhu Yanyi looked at it, smiled faintly, and said to Yan Aohan, “You keep it safe for me. Let’s leave here quickly.” Although she had her Ruyi Space, this discovery was public knowledge. If the news spread, it would cause trouble. It was safer to let Yan Aohan hide it. Perhaps because of the purple-gold rope connection, Zhu Yanyi trusted Yan Aohan completely.
Yan Aohan glanced at Zhu Yanyi, nodded with a smile, and said, “Alright. I’ll take you somewhere.” Since the jade-embedded gold rose had been revealed, staying here was inconvenient. The two left quickly. By the time others heard the news and arrived, they were already gone. Yan Aohan had her own methods. Even if people asked around, no information would leak. Once they left the market, no one could find the jade-embedded gold rose again.
Yan Aohan led Zhu Yanyi back to the courtyard house.
“You said you’d take me somewhere, and it’s here?” Zhu Yanyi was speechless. She tapped her forehead. How had she missed that Yan Aohan had a dry sense of humor?
Yan Aohan chuckled softly, offering no explanation. She simply led her into her room, walked to the bookshelf, and waved her hand slightly. One section of the bookshelf slid back automatically, revealing a button. Yan Aohan pressed it. The bed moved aside, exposing a staircase. Yan Aohan told Zhu Yanyi, “Follow me carefully.” She walked ahead.
Zhu Yanyi noticed that night pearls were embedded along both sides of the stairs. She sighed, “Whose mansion is this? Using night pearls as light bulbs?”
Yan Aohan laughed lightly, “This ‘nouveau riche’ was a prince from a thousand years ago. He specifically hired a descendant of Lu Ban to design this secret room.”
After walking through the passage, Zhu Yanyi found the secret room was quite large, about the size of two rooms. Yan Aohan pointed to the left room, “Most of my things are stored here.” She opened the door. Inside, there were not only antiques but also many gold and silver jewelry pieces, all arranged neatly.
“Mr. Yan, you’re too rich. I’ve decided to cling to your leg,” Zhu Yanyi laughed upon seeing the scene.
Yan Aohan looked at Zhu Yanyi with a helpless expression, “If you like them, just take them.” She pointed to the right room, “I’ve kept this one empty. You can store whatever you need here in the future. I’ll record your palm print in the bookshelf switch’s memory, so you can control it when you enter. I’ll also leave you a key to my room. You can come in whenever you like.”