The Attack of the Wastrel

Whatever the Third Prince wished to gift to a person, it would be sent no matter what.

Under the threat of her second identity as the Black Thorn, Gu Lingzhi had no choice but to accept Rong Yuan’s good intentions. She kept the Spirit Cleansing Pill that she had made and earned a large bunch of spirit stones from the Third Prince.

According to Ye Fei, she would have called her a dumbass for not taking advantage of it.

Since the Third Prince gave it to her willingly, she decided that she should just accept it. After all, she was already his fiancée. She shall take it as a consolation for damaging her reputation.

Needless to say, after what Ye Fei said, Gu Lingzhi accepted the Spirit Cleansing Pill without any guilt.

On the other hand, Yan Liang, who had managed to bid for the other Spirit Cleansing Pill, was not as fortunate as the Third Prince to have the opportunity to enter the Royal School in the middle of the night. He was also not as thick-skinned as the Third Prince and could only hold on to the Spirit Cleansing Pill until sunrise before giving it to Gu Lingzhi.

The morning of the next day, when Gu Lingzhi was preparing to leave, what she saw was not a bouquet of flowers but a young man dressed in a black military garment.

“This is for you,” Yan Liang’s words were plain and simple, like his personality. When he saw Gu Lingzhi come out, he simply retrieved the Spirit Cleansing Pill from his Storage Ring and passed it to her without trying to be fancy.

Gu Lingzhi pushed the jade bottle back at him, “…Thank you but I already have one.”

Yan Liang hung his head downwards as he gripped the jade bottle in his hands, “Is it the one from His Highness?”

“Yes.”

With no idea how to explain to him that she had already taken a Spirit Cleansing Pill, Gu Lingzhi could only use Rong Yuan as an excuse. Furthermore, it was also a fact that she had taken Rong Yuan’s gift, although she had been unwilling.

After pondering for a while, Yan Liang suddenly shoved the jade bottle into Gu Lingzhi’s hands, “It’s yours since I bought it for you. If you don’t like it, you can give it to someone else. I’m going to class.”

Yan Liang then turned and dashed away as if he was being chased by a beast. His leaving figure looked a little sorry.

He knew that the Third Prince was going to give his Spirit Cleansing Pill to Gu Lingzhi but still bought it as an attempt to chase the woman he liked. Even if it was extra, it was the thought that counts.

As Gu Lingzhi watched Yan Liang disappear, she looked at the jade bottle in her hand blankly as she started to feel helpless.

“I never thought that the reason why Yan Liang would spend so much spirit stones to buy this Spirit Cleansing Pill was actually to give it to you. I heard that last night, Mo Bingyi also took part in the auction but was forced to stop bidding due to limited funds. Yan Liang actually forgot about his own sister and gave it to you. Love has really made him lose his loyalty.”

At this, Gu Lingzhi’s eyes glittered.

“Ye Fei, did you say that Mo Bingyi wanted this Spirit Cleansing Pill?”

“That’s right, and she’s not the only one. Which Martial Student doesn’t want it?” Ye Fei said nonchalantly as she blinked and looked at Gu Lingzhi, “Lingzhi, are you thinking of…”

“Exactly what I was thinking.” Gu Lingzhi laughed lightly, “It seems like Yan Liang has no intentions of taking this Spirit Cleansing Pill back. If I give it to his sister on his behalf, it wouldn’t be considered a waste of spirit stones.”

Gu Lingzhi then did exactly what she said. After class, she went to look for Mo Bingyi and told her intentions. Under Mo Bingyi’s stunned gaze, she passed the Spirit Cleansing Pill to her.

As she rushed back to her classroom after meeting Mo Bingyi, Rong Yuan was already at the teacher’s desk. From the way he was standing, it seemed like he had been waiting for a while. Seeing Gu Lingzhi arrive, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly as he gave a coquettish smile.

“Let’s begin. Anyone who arrives after this, will all be considered late.”

“…”

No one was surprised by the obvious favoritism anymore. They responded weakly and prepared for today’s lesson.

The lesson proceeded as usual with Rong Yuan blatantly showing favoritism towards Gu Lingzhi and taking advantage of the system. When lessons ended, Rong Yuan called for Gu Lingzhi to stay behind and instructed her to head to the Administration Office to test for her Martial Student level once more. It was only then did Gu Lingzhi snap out of her trance. Due to her sudden increase in cultivation level, it was obvious that she was not suitable to remain in the same classes as the new students.

“Okay, I will test my Martial Student Level later in the afternoon.”

A short while after splitting up with Rong Yuan, Gu Lingzhi bumped into Gu Linglong. Surprisingly, Gu Linglong who usually ignored her walked towards her.

Perhaps it was the pressure of the Royal School, or some other reason, but Gu Linglong became much less arrogant and much more gloomy since she entered the Royal School. As she walked towards Gu Lingzhi, she actually smiled, which was completely out of the ordinary, “Sister, I have something to talk to you about, can we talk privately?”

“No,” Gu Lingzhi denied flatly as she did not think she had anything to talk to Gu Linglong about.

Gu Linglong paused. She did not think that Gu Lingzhi would reject her so flatly and not even bother to save her any face.

Taking a deep breath, Gu Linglong reminded herself that things were different now. Gu Lingzhi was the fiancée of the Third Prince and had the power to reject anybody she wanted. As Gu Lingzhi turned to leave, she quickly said what she wanted to say.

“Father was the one that told me to find you. Are you not going to listen to Father’s words just because you are now engaged to His Highness?”

Hearing that it was Gu Rong’s idea, Gu Lingzhi halted in her steps as she faced Gu Linglong, “What does Father want from me?”

She has taken the bait! Gu Linglong’s eyes lit up, “It has been a while since school started and since you’re engaged to His Highness, Father wants to meet up with you and discuss your engagement.”

“Oh? Father decides to ask for my opinion after he has accepted the engagement with His Highness?” Gu Lingzhi mocked. She did not miss the sly calculative look in Gu Linglong’s eyes as she played along.

“Sister, how can you talk about Father like tha?.” Gu Linglong said disapprovingly, “We owe our lives to our parents and that is no way to talk about them. Father only agreed to the engagement because His Highness is so outstanding. It is your fortune to become His Highness’ fiancée and not many people are as lucky as you. Father is only thinking of you when he made the decision.”

Gu Lingzhi raised an eyebrow without saying anything. In contrast to her indifferent expression, Gu Lingzhi was on guard.

The Gu Linglong she knew was extremely spoilt and would never have preached about something like that. Even if she was beaten to death, she refused to believe that Gu Linglong thought of this herself. She was definitely sent by someone.

Who is this person? Was it Lin Yue-er? Gu Lingzhi continued to observe Gu Linglong’s performance. Gu Linglong finally stopped beating around the bush and got to the main point, asking her to meet with Gu Rong at the Bright Silk Eating House. Gu Lingzhi then lowered her eyelashes, suppressing the mocking tone in her voice as she said emotionlessly, “Since it’s Father’s orders, I’ll meet him. Please lead the way, sister.”

No matter who the person was behind this, since they were starting to show themselves, then she might as well go take a look. It was better than getting caught off guard in the future.