The Attack of the Wastrel

Regarding the time Rong Yuan spent in Tai-an City, Gu Lingzhi knew exactly how Gu Linglong had pestered him. At first, she had wanted to ignore them and just walk off. However, she saw Rong Yuan’s anxious face and an idea suddenly surfaced in her mind, she felt that this might be a good opportunity.

Underneath her mask was a cunning smile, but Gu Lingzhi spoke coldly with anger in her voice, “What misunderstanding could there be? It is true that I am a girl of unknown origins and could be a spy sent by other countries. Is there really no other intention behind the Third Prince getting close to me?”

Indeed, there was an objective, which was to bring her back home to get married.

“I…”

“Don’t bother. Since Your Highness has history with Lady Gu here, then I shall not get in the way. I’ll return to the inn first.”

After she said that, she turned to leave. When Rong Yuan wanted to follow her, she gave him a furious look, “I think the most important thing for Your Highness to do now is to take care of all the girls around him. Otherwise, who knows when another girl will cause trouble for me again.”

Gu Lingzhi pretended as though she was furious, leaving the Battle Arena immediately. Rong Yuan was left behind with a subtle smirk on his face.

What was the meaning behind Gu Lingzhi’s words? It seemed spiteful, as though she was jealous. Could it be that she is feeling jealous? Does that mean that Gu Lingzhi had finally started to care about him?

With this thought, Rong Yuan got Yuan Zheng to chase after and check up on her. Instead, he turned towards Gu Linglong with narrowed eyes. What Gu Lingzhi said was right. If he wanted to be able to pursue her without being hindered, he had to completely cut all ties with the girls around him.

On one hand, Rong Yuan was making things clear with Gu Linglong. On the other hand, Gu Lingzhi did not return to the inn after leaving the Town of the Brave. Instead, in an empty alley, she entered the Inheritance Space and quickly changed out of her disguise. She took off the mask that she had been wearing for the past two months and resumed her identity as Gu Lingzhi. She left the Inheritance Space and unhurriedly made her way towards the Red Sun City.

Gu Lingzhi paid the fee to enter the capital before slowly making her way to the Gu Clan’s residence.

As one of the Four Great Clans, it was not surprising that the Gu Clan had their own properties in the capital. However, Gu Lingzhi had never been there before.

She arrived at a business establishment that had the Gu Clan’s plague hanging on it before entering. She sat in the hall, waiting for Gu Rong and Gu Linglong to come back.

Before they came back, Gu Lingzhi first met Lin Yue-er. When Lin Yue-er saw Gu Lingzhi, a guilty look flashed across her eyes. She quickly covered it up with a loving smile and said, “Lingzhi, you have finally returned. I heard that there had been no news of you ever since you left Wunian City and have been worried for you. You disappeared for so long, did something happen?”

Gu Lingzhi looked at Lin Yue-er’s fake smile and could not help but feel annoyed, but she still had to act and play along. With an apologetic expression, Gu Lingzhi said, “It is my fault for making you worry. Truthfully, I met a group of bandits on the road and was injured, which impeded my travel. I hope you will not blame me.”

“Ah, you’re injured?” Lin Yue-er feigned shock and reached out for Gu Lingzhi’s hand tenderly.

“Where are you injured? Let me take a look. Silly child, you could have just returned to Tai-an City perfectly fine but you just had to rush off somewhere to raise your strength. See, now you have suffered, haven’t you?”

Lin Yue-er’s mind was in a mess. Was it the mysterious person that was helping Gu Lingzhi that enabled her to escape unharmed? Analyzing Gu Lingzhi’s attitude, the men she sent she had not revealed anything.

At this time, Gu Rong and Gu Linglong came back from the Town of the Brave. The two of them were not looking good.

When Gu Linglong saw Gu Lingzhi sitting in the hall, she could not help but to release all her pent-up anger from Rong Yuan.

“Ah, I was wondering who it was. It’s actually my elder sister. Didn’t she say that she would return to the capital earlier to train? We’ve already been in the capital for a few days, why are we only seeing you now? Where did you go to train? Or could it be that… you just didn’t want to go home hence you gave such an excuse?”

Gu Linglong coldly mocked Gu Lingzhi. Her eyes were a little red, as though she had been crying not long ago.

Gu Rong’s face became even darker when he heard Gu Linglong’s words. He turned to Gu Lingzhi and questioned her, “Lingzhi, I thought you were sensible, and so I believed your words. I thought that you were really going to train. Yet, these past few days in the capital, I haven’t heard any news of your arrival at all. Where have you been this entire time?”

“Father…” Gu Lingzhi let out a deep sigh with a wronged expression on her face. “I didn’t lie to you.”

“You didn’t lie to Father?” Gu Linglong sneered, “If you weren’t lying then why would you appear only now? We’ve already went to the Mercenary Guild to check, so don’t tell me you accepted a mercenary mission. You obviously….”

“Linglong!” Lin Yue-er saw that Gu Linglong spoke without care or reason and had to stop her. If Gu Lingzhi told Gu Rong the reason why she could not return to the capital, it would reflect badly on her.

“There is a reason that your elder sister could only appear now.”

“What reason could it be?” Gu Linglong scoffed, “Could it be that someone didn’t allow her to come?”

Lin Yue-er feigned her distress and sighed, “Your elder sister met some bandits on the way to the capital and was injured. That’s why she was delayed and only arrived just now.”

“You encountered bandits?” When he heard that, Gu Rong frowned and regarded Gu Lingzhi carefully, “Are you injured?”

Gu Lingzhi spoke softly and lowered her head to make herself look as delicate and weak as possible, “Thank you for your concern Father, I’m fine now.”

“Ah, from what I see, Lingzhi looks perfectly fine. She doesn’t look like she has been injured at all. She couldn’t be lying to Father and making up an excuse, right?”

At this moment, Gu Lingzhi felt extremely grateful to the person who assaulted her that night. It provided her with the perfect evidence to shut Gu Linglong’s mouth.

With a wronged expression, Gu Lingzhi exposed her calf and revealed the injury that had yet to heal completely to Lin Yue-er.

“Mother, this attack almost severed my calf. It took a full month for it to recover. There are also many other various wounds on my body, do you want to look at all of them now?”

Gu Linglong, who had assumed that Gu Lingzhi was merely finding excuses, had no choice but to keep her mouth shut when she saw that hideous scar on her calf.

Gu Rong saw the scar and determined that Gu Lingzhi was not lying. His face softened and he comforted Gu Lingzhi with a few sentences before returning to his room. He had been so angered by Rong Yuan earlier that he did not care about anything else.

With Gu Rong gone, Gu Linglong no longer had to restrain herself and mocked Gu Lingzhi outrightly, “After receiving such a heavy attack, your calf still wasn’t severed. You must be so lucky.”