The Attack of the Wastrel

Rong Yuan pondered on what Yuan Zheng had just reported to him and the corners of his mouth curled into a smile. 

“It seems like this trip was not for nothing. Not only did I manage to catch the Wind Fox that Mother has been wanting, I also managed to find such a talent in Alchemy. If that person in the Royal School knows about this, he will be sure to thank me.”

“Your Highness is right. When Master Bi knows about Gu Lingzhi’s talent, he will be wild with joy.” 

“If this is the case, let’s meet this lady tomorrow. The Gu Clan is too small, there’s no way they can hold her back.”

Yuan Zheng was slightly surprised as he looked at Rong Yuan with an astonished look. The Gu Clan was too small for Gu Lingzhi? Does it mean that the Gu Clan was unable to see her talent in Alchemy or…?

“Gu Lingzhi is definitely not an ordinary person, staying with the Gu Clan will only hinder her progress. She belongs in the Royal School, where all the other prodigies are.”

To successfully refine a Spirit Moulding Pill in a single attempt was nothing impressive for a trained alchemist. However, Gu Lingzhi was just someone who had only recently learnt the basics.

Hearing this, Yuan Zheng’s eyelid twitched rapidly.

His Highness was just very biased towards the Royal School, wasn’t he? Even if the Royal School was developed and owned by the Royal Family, there was no need to boast!

However, this was also only the second time that he had seen the Third Prince hold someone in such high regard. 

He thought back to the first person that had impressed the prince, who had indeed become a prodigy among many other prodigies. Yuan Zheng could not help but hold high expectations for Gu Lingzhi as well. 

Hopefully, this lady would be like the previous person, becoming someone that the Royal School could be proud of…

The next morning, as Gu Lingzhi was heading towards the Martial Arts Training Ground, she bumped into Gu Linglong on the bridge. In Gu Lingzhi’s mind, a plan was quickly forming. She retrieved the jade bottle containing the Spirit Moulding Pill from her Storage Ring and approached Linglong with a warm smile.

“Younger Sister, you were in such a hurry to leave yesterday that you forgot to take this with you. This Spirit Moulding Pill will help you when you try to breakthrough to become a Martial Practitioner. I made this especially for you, I hope you like it.”

Everyone who was passing by, could not help but slow down as they heard Gu Lingzhi.

Gu Lingzhi could make a Spirit Moulding Pill? She had only started practicing Alchemy recently! How could she possibly have successfully refine a Spirit Moulding Pill? Everyone was flabbergasted.

The moment Gu Linglong saw her, memories of the previous day flashed through her mind. She thought of how Gu Rong had scolded her and could not help shouting back, “Who wants the Spirit Moulding Pill that you made? You wicked scoundrel! Who knows if you added any rubbish inside?”

Gu Lingzhi immediately showed a hurt expression.

“Younger Sister, you and father were there to witness me making it yesterday, how could I have added any harmful substance inside?”

“Did you just say that you made the Spirit Moulding Pill?” Gu Lingyue who had been walking by had overheard their conversation and could not help but interrupt.

Did Gu Lingzhi really make the Spirit Moulding Pill?

Gu Lingzhi smiled blandly, “Both Mother and Linglong can be my witness.”

Gu Lingyue then turned her attention to Gu Linglong. Although Gu Linglong wanted to deny it, she remembered the warning her father gave her yesterday and had no choice but to nod in agreement. It was obvious, however, that she still held a grudge as her tone remained rough, “All she did was make a Spirit Moulding Pill, what’s the big deal? Who knows if it was just luck? If you are so talented, why don’t you make a Heaven Level medicine?”

“Younger Sister…how can you treat me like this?” Gu Lingzhi pretended as if she felt wronged, biting down on her bottom lip. It was completely different from the ferocity she possessed when she slapped Gu Linglong the day before. 

Seeing her pitiful expression made Gu Linglong even angrier. She immediately lifted her arm to push Gu Lingzhi.

“Stop acting! This was exactly how you fooled Father yesterday to make him angry with Mother!” I

Gu Lingzhi stumbled backwards from the force. However, from an angle that bystanders could not see, she gave Gu Linglong a cunning look.

Speaking at a volume only the two of them could hear, she said, “Even if it were true, what can you do to me?”

Gu Linglong’s breaths quickened, and she glared so hard her eyes were almost popping out of its sockets. Linglong was full of resentment at this point, and an evil plan formed in her mind as her eyes swept across the lake behind.

Wouldn’t it be great if Gu Lingzhi just fell in and drowned?

Under this bridge was the river that Martial Artists with water-based Spiritual Roots used to train and cultivate. Gu Lingzhi had fire- and wood-based Spiritual Roots. If she were to drop in and no one rescued her, she was sure to drown to death.  

She did not believe that Father would still punish her over a dead person.

Gu Linglong then pushed Gu Lingzhi more violently, forcing Gu Lingzhi to back up towards the edge of the bridge.

“Linglong, what are you doing?”

Gu Lingyue immediately shouted when she saw Gu Linglong pushing Gu Lingzhi.

Unfortunately, it was too late. A ‘splash’ sound could be heard along with a cry for help.

However, the person who had fallen in was not who she thought it would be. Gu Linglong had fallen in herself, instead of Gu Lingzhi.

“Younger Sister!” Gu Lingzhi exclaimed in surprise, acting extremely concerned for Gu Linglong’s safety.

This distracted everyone watching, not leaving them time to figure out how Gu Linglong had caused herself to fall into the water. On the far side of the bridge, Rong Yuan watched this whole scene and broke into a thoughtful grin.

“It seems like this Gu Lingzhi is more outstanding than I thought.”

Yuan Zheng looked at Rong Yuan curiously but only received a mocking look and an admonishment from the Third Prince, “Stupid, didn’t you notice the sudden appearance of a pool of water beneath Gu Linglong feet. That was why she slipped and fell into the lake.”

Yuan Zheng then looked around and asked, “Could it be that someone is secretly helping her?”

He did not understand how Yuan Zheng’s dumb brain worked. 

Rong Yuan placed his hand against his forehead impatiently as he sighed. As if revealing a great mystery, he said, “Has it ever occurred to you that the First Mistress of the Gu Clan may have a third Spiritual Root?”

“What?” Yuan Zheng’s voice rose a few octaves in surprise, causing a few people to look over curiously. He hurriedly lowered his voice and said, “Your Highness, are you saying…Gu Lingzhi might possess three Spiritual Roots like you?”

“Well, it took you long enough to get my point,” Rong Yuan muttered sarcastically, loud enough for Yuan Zheng to hear. This made Yuan Zheng doubt his own intellect for a moment.

The way his master said it… was he looking down on him for being stupid?

Meanwhile, as Gu Linglong fell into the water, Gu Lingzhi put up a fascinating performance acting like a concerned older sister. There were even a few moments where she acted like she was going to jump down out of anxiety. Being held back by Gu Chengze and his sister, this scene became even more convincing.

“It is all my fault, if I had not avoided her, Linglong would not have fallen in,” Gu Lingzhi started to blame herself.

Gu Chengze grabbed onto Gu Lingzhi’s sleeves and shouted angrily.

“Are you stupid? If you had not avoided her, the one that fell in would have been you!”