The Attack of the Wastrel

It turned out that after Rong Yuan had been dragged away by Ding Rou that day, he had ordered Su Nian, who had been hiding in secret, to consume the Myriad Changing Pill. It was a pill they had retrieved from the Main Palace that could change the appearance of anyone. After he consumed the pill, Su Nian then replaced Rong Yuan to stay by Ding Rou’s side whereas Rong Yuan himself then sneaked off to Gu Lingzhi’s residence to meet her in secret.

Su Nian had loved Ding Rou for such a long time, now that he was given this golden opportunity to be affectionate with her, it is unimaginable what he would do.

Before Rong Yuan had come over, he had wanted to remind Su Nian to pretend to him to accompany Ding Rou. However, he had just stepped out of the residence when he heard some discordant sounds coming from inside. Immediately, he turned and left.

Since Ding Rou failed to see through Su Nian’s disguise even when they were doing such clandestine things, Rong Yuan believed that there would be no issues even if Su Nian were to be disguised as him for a few more days. Hence, a relaxed Rong Yuan went to the Sacred Lands to meet with Gu Lingzhi.

Gu Lingzhi groaned, “Aren’t you afraid that in a surge of emotions, Su Nian will reveal his identity to Ding Rou?”

“He won’t,” Rong Yuan stated firmly. He looked at Gu Lingzhi’s doubtful expression and chuckled, “You are underestimating a man’s persistence. To ensure that he can own Ding Rou completely, Su Nian will definitely not let himself be exposed.”

After all, it was only by following Rong Yuan’s instructions that Su Nian would be able to gain the affection of Ding Rou. There was no reason for him to reveal his identity; anyone with brains would know that there was no benefit to doing so.

“Ha! Aren’t you the same?” Gu Lingzhi said teasingly. Pursing her lips, she focused on using her ring to observe the situation within the Sacred Lands.

Quickly, she found that several interesting things were happening.

For example, there was a sealed area that had previously been broken through by the North Qiu Kingdom’s people. That area had been sealed up once again, and a few days ago, several people who had let down their guard in what they thought was a safe area had disappeared without a trace inside.

There were also some areas that had yet to be broken into. Near those areas were several mysterious figures who baited other explorers into the traps in order to kill them off.

Seeing all these, Gu Lingzhi was thankful that she was able to control the Sacred Lands. If not, given the North Qiu Kingdom’s secretive methods, many people would likely be sacrificed.

“Now’s not the time yet,” Rong Yuan reminded, after seeing the killing intent in Gu Lingzhi’s eyes.

It had not been long since the opening of the Sacred Lands. Many treasures had yet to be found, and many old monsters were still watching and biding their time. Those who the North Qiu Kingdom had sent in were low-ranking forerunners. Even if they were all killed, it would not affect the Kingdom significantly. Based on the North Qiu Kingdom’s resources, they could easily train a new batch of Martial Artists.

It was therefore foolish to expose the trump cards hidden in the Sacred Lands at this point. Gu Lingzhi was aware of this as well and could only clench her teeth in anger as she watched them. She made sure to commit each and every one of their faces into her memory, so that when it was time to take action, she would not miss out on a single one.

“You’re not allowed to think so much about other men who aren’t me,” Rong Yuan suddenly teased, his warm breath tickling Gu Lingzhi’s ear. The suddenness of his action made Gu Lingzhi stunned and caused her to blush a deep red.

“I’m only remembering what they look like so I can deal with them later.”

“You’re not allowed to do that either,” Rong Yuan continued joking. “How can any one of those people even compare to me? For them to occupy your thoughts, you’re making me jealous.”

Gu Lingzhi found herself at a loss for words in the face of Rong Yuan’s nonsensical teasing.

“As expected of the one who managed to ensnare the present Spirit Tribe’s strongest descendant, he has a truly slick tongue. If only I had a little bit of his skill, this Sacred Lands would have already been mine, the Duobao Spiritual Squirrel’s lair. That Pan fellow wouldn’t even have the chance to strut around inside!”

Gu Lingzhi did not respond, already having gotten used to this voice that would randomly speak in her head.

…

Three days later, Gu Lingzhi and Rong Yuan returned back to the sixth level. When they did, the sixth level lit up in a flash of golden light, and the image of Gu Lingzhi outside the door of the Main Palace disappeared. Liu Yiyan’s voice reverberated through the main palace, announcing, “Congratulations to this lady for clearing the sixth level’s challenge. You may choose a single treasure from the items available on the sixth level.”

Hearing this voice, Pan En and the rest of his entourage who had been waiting outside the palace for the past three days reacted, instantly gathering below the sixth level’s window. Pan En shouted, “Lingzhi, is that you?”

“Yes, it’s me,” Gu Lingzhi replied, sticking half her body out of the window. Giving a faint smile to Pan En below, she said, “I was lucky to be able to make it here again. What was the item you wanted me to get for you?”

Before coming here, Gu Rong had carefully instructed Gu Lingzhi to think about the big picture. Of course, what he meant was for her to give the majority of the loot from the main palace to Pan En in order to secure the North Qiu Palace’s favor and protection. As well, by possessing the qualifications to challenge the main palace, she could remain useful to Pan En, making him unable to cast her aside.

In Lin Yue-er’s words, as long as she was able to maintain her value to Pan En, her position in his heart would be secure.

“How could I ask you to do this? Lingzhi, you took such a big risk to complete this challenge, I think you should prioritise looking for something to ensure your own safety,” Pan En said, sounding extremely sincere as he looked up at her. Obviously, even though he could not wait to get his hands on the treasures, he still needed to put on an act so as not to let Gu Lingzhi feel that he was only using her to get the treasures. After all, the best way to make a girl willingly do anything for you was to make her fall in love with you. He had already done this very successfully with Gu Linglong.

“My cultivation level is low… even if I take one of these treasures, I won’t be able to use it yet. I might as well help you get something you need first,” Gu Lingzhi gritted her teeth as she mumbled this, turning back to face the room’s interior. From below, it looked like Gu Lingzhi was embarrassed about what she said. Only if you were inside would you be able to tell that she was grimacing as she turned to face the stony-faced Rong Yuan.

It was thanks to Pan En’s strong cultivation level that he heard what she said despite her mumbling. Immediately, he put on an expression of disapproval, once again advising, “No, you should take your pick first. If you pick something for me first, I would be ashamed.”

Then, after repeating this act for a few more times, Pan En “reluctantly” accepted Gu Lingzhi’s goodwill, requesting for the item his ancestor had bade him to find, “Since you’re so adamant, I won’t hold back anymore – that would be too unbecoming of me. Lingzhi, is there any medicine in there that can repair a broken Spiritual Root? If you can find one, I will be eternally grateful.”

Gu Lingzhi exchanged a glance with Rong Yuan, silently asking for his opinion.

“Do I give it to him?”

“No.”

It was obvious that the first thing they asked for would be the item they needed the most badly. They definitely could not allow the North Qiu Kingdom this advantage.

Gu Lingzhi pretended to search about the interior before calling out to Pan En, looking apologetic. “I’m sorry, I don’t think there is such a medicine like you described. I did manage to find some that could improve the purity of one’s Spiritual Roots however,” Gu Lingzhi said.

A medicine that could improve the purity of one’s Spiritual Roots?

What the hell, that could be found in just about any large-scale auction!

Upon hearing this, Pan En nearly failed to maintain his gentle expression. Taking a deep breath, he tried to ask for another item that would be suitable for his ancestor, “That’s okay. Could you see if there’s anything that could extend the longevity of a Demigod then?”

“Alright, I’ll check it out.”

This time, Gu Lingzhi did not disappoint him as she took out a jade-colored pill from her Storage Ring. Rapidly, a clean fragrance filled the air.

The Longevity Extending Pill had the effect of extending one’s lifespan. For a normal human, this was definitely a heaven-defying treasure, extending the human’s longevity by five hundred years. However, if it were a Martial Artist consuming the pill, then its effectiveness would be reduced. Even then, it was still pretty effective because even a Demigod would gain about fifty more years of life after taking the pill.

There was just one problem. After taking the pill, one’s cultivation level would instantly freeze, unable to progress any further. When the Spirit Tribe was in its golden age, this pill was often given to Demigods who had reached the limits of their potential.

Obviously, Gu Lingzhi would not tell Pan En this for she did not know who this was meant for.

Exchanging a crafty gaze with Rong Yuan, Gu Lingzhi raised the pill up high and declared happily, “I found it! This is something that can increase the lifespan of a Demigod! I’ll bring it down right now.”

The moment she said this, Gu Lingzhi was transported out of the palace by Liu Yiyan. Pan En immediately ran up to her, taking the pill from her. After inspecting it, he excitedly placed it in his Storage Ring before remembering that Gu Lingzhi was still there.

“I’ve put you through a lot of trouble, Lingzhi.”

“Is there still a need for this between us? It’s a small matter,” Gu Lingzhi said, shaking her head.

Hearing this made Pan En feel all fuzzy inside, and he raised his hand, reaching out to pet Gu Lingzhi’s head.

“Lingzhi, I…”

“Oh, I think I’m feeling a bit faint,” Gu Lingzhi interrupted, brushing his hand aside. Weakly, she said, “It might be the effects of overexerting myself earlier during the trial. I just need to rest a while.”

“Oh, alright. Sit down and rest,” Pan En said, immediately retracting his hand. Shouting at a guard, he instructed, “Quick, go find a spot for Lady Gu to take a rest! A bunch of useless idiots!”

He definitely would not allow anything to happen to Gu Lingzhi at this point. All the treasures in the main palace were still sitting around, waiting for Gu Lingzhi to retrieve them.

As Pan En’s men were bustling about, another group of people were anxiously waiting outside the palace.