"What a waste." The man clad in a black cloak, his face concealed by a dark hood, spoke coldly, his voice somewhat hoarse, evidently altered.
"Young Master, please calm your anger. It was really..." Yang Baiyue’s teeth were chattering, but he had no choice but to grovel even lower, "It really was...unavoidable..." He paused for a moment, "For so many years, those two old men from the Dong Family have never let down their guard against me. Although on the surface, it seemed like they valued me greatly, they only had me circling around the periphery. They wouldn’t divulge a bit of their core dyeing techniques..."
The Dong Family had once been Imperial Merchants; it was because of their silk dyeing technology—a family heritage—that no one could match the bright and fade-resistant colors they produced from their dyed silk.
"Stand up." The shadow did not continue to rage but instead showed mercy by calming his anger.
After Yang Baiyue kowtowed his thanks rapidly, he wrapped himself in a blanket before finally feeling a bit better.
"I came today to remind you to recover from your injuries as soon as possible." The shadow lifted his head slightly, but it still did not allow anyone to see his face, "The Dong Family’s dyeing technology is not a matter of urgency, but for now..."
"At Young Master’s command." Yang Baiyue quickly knelt on the bed, "I will give it my all."
"Five years ago, you missed the imperial examination because an injury from falling into the water. If I hadn’t saved you, there would have been only two possibilities for you: either you would have truly died, or you would have gone back to living a life where every penny had to be stretched..." The shadow seemed to laugh a bit, "Where would you be enjoying days as comfortable as these?"
"I understand, I have always been grateful for the Young Master’s kindness..." Yang Baiyue pressed his forehead to the bed, "As long as Young Master orders, I will do everything in my power..."
However, the shadow suddenly lifted a hand that was also clad in black gloves.
Yang Baiyue, without raising his head, seemed to sense the other’s impatience and hurriedly closed his mouth.
"Do you know who made that very popular Divine Sauce nowadays?" The shadow took a step forward.
Yang Baiyue shook his head.
"Yang Ruxin from Dapu East Village."
"Da..." Yang Baiyue looked up in surprise.
"If you find the name Yang Ruxin unfamiliar, then what about Yang Dani..."
"You mean, it was made by Dani?" Yang Baiyue’s eyes nearly bulged out.
The shadow nodded, "Now, your mission is to find the recipe for the Divine Sauce."
"This..." A turmoil stirred in Yang Baiyue’s heart.
"Having trouble?"
"No, I will do my utmost." Yang Baiyue quickly agreed.
The shadow said no more, just glanced at Yang Baiyue and then turned to walk toward the door. But when Yang Baiyue looked up again, the room’s door hadn’t moved, but there was no one left inside. He looked around to be sure that the person had indeed left, and then he breathed a sigh of relief. However, his heart was even more troubled. Divine Sauce? Yang Dani? This...
He knew his daughter’s conduct all too well; when did she start making Divine Sauce? It seemed that Ruyu had spoken the truth, that girl truly had changed...
Perhaps it was time for him to go back and see for himself.
But to leave the house, he had to first recover from his injuries, and he could only hope the young Divine Doctor would keep his word. He promptly called Dong Hang inside and instructed him to make sure the doorman treated the young Divine Doctor well if he were to visit, as he must not be neglected.