The Attack of the Wastrel

When Gu Lingzhi spoke, she wore a serious expression. Gu Linglong could not tell if Lingzhi meant what she said or was just mocking her. Whenever she thought about how she was reprimanded by her mother for not finding out beforehand that Xiao Tao was the one in the room, she grew so angry she wanted to bite Gu Lingzhi. 

It would have been so much less trouble if Gu Lingzhi had remained a wastrel to let others plot against her, Gu Linglong thought.

"The Clan Festival is about to begin, why are you guys still standing around?"

Right as Gu Linglong wanted to mock Gu Lingzhi so that she could feel better, they heard a sound.

It was Elder Gu Yuan from the Hall of Law Enforcement!

Gu Linglong was shocked at her proximity to the Elder, close enough for her to see the strictness in his face. At this moment, even though she was extremely unhappy, she swallowed it down. She looked at Gu Lingzhi with contempt and said under her breath, "What's the point in a wastrel even attending the Clan Festival?" before leaving with Gu Lingyue in tow.

Upon seeing them leave, Gu Lingzhi smiled, to hide the hatred in her eyes.

A wastrel? From today onwards, Gu Lingzhi wanted to see if Gu Linglong could still call her that so easily. 

Knowing that Gu Yuan had interrupted to prevent her from being embarrassed, Gu Lingzhi turned around to thank him and made her way to the Clan Festival.

As she turned to leave, Gu Yuan's strict gaze softened. He stared absent-mindedly at her silhouette, and felt as if he was looking at someone else. He let out a sigh after she was completely out of his sight, and turned his eyes away.

Like previous years, the Clan Festival was held at the ceremonial grounds.

Even from a distance away, enthusiastic chatter from the ceremonial grounds could be heard. The grounds were full of people. Gu Lingzhi had to use some of her energy to squeeze through the crowd to make her way to the front, near the stage.

All around the stage, based on their positions in the clan, they placed more than ten chairs. As the clan leader, Gu Rong naturally sat in the middle.

Feeling a gaze on her, Gu Lingzhi turned to see a handsome man, adorned with intricate and embroidered clothing, sitting beside Gu Rong.

She did not know whether it was an illusion, but she felt that whenever Gu Rong looked at the man, his face held an expression of awe.

Gu Linglong, who arrived before Gu Lingzhi, had already held tightly onto Lin Yue-er who stood behind Gu Rong. Lin Yue-er bent down to say something in Gu Rong's ear fondly. 

Gu Lingzhi made her way close to Gu Linglong and Lin Yue-er, and overheard their conversation.

"Father, since you have agreed, you cannot go back on your word. When my test results are out later, if I have achieved the level of a Level Six martial student, you have to buy me an Eclipse Horse."

While she spoke, she curled her body against Gu Rong’s back.Gu Lingzhi swore that as long as that handsome man secretly turned his head, he would see Gu Linglong's developing yet appropriately covered breasts.

It was a pity that the handsome man did not seem to have any interest in Gu Linglong. After giving her two cursory glances, he shifted his gaze elsewhere.

Gu Rong, on the other hand, did not realise the tricks up his daughter's sleeves and proceeded to pat her on the head lovingly. "Yes, as long as you become a Level Six martial student, Father will buy an Eclipse Horse for you. I will keep my promise even if you don’t achieve it today."

Lin Yue-er laughed as he looked at the father-daughter interaction and their fondness for each other, and pretended to console them. "My husband, you dote and spoil Linglong so much. That Eclipse Horse is not cheap, maybe it will be better to wait until she becomes a Martial Practitioner before buying a horse for her."

When Gu Rong heard this, he waved his hand. "Seldom does Linglong like something, and the horse is not something rare. You don't have to be too strict."

Gu Lingzhi looked at this harmonious family in front of her, and laughed at herself mockingly. Maybe in her father's eyes, she was merely the daughter of someone who betrayed him. In fact, it was so ridiculous that even  Lin Yue-er was not willing to let her go. Despite poisoning her and causing her to become a wastrel, Lin Yue-er still wanted to make her life a living hell.

Gu Linglong sensed Gu Lingzhi's presence. Unable to seduce the handsome man, Gu Linglong angrily turned to face Gu Lingzhi. Looking at Lingzhi with eyebrows raised, attempting to provoke her, she coquettishly said to Gu Rong, "Father, speaking of this, my horse has already been changed twice, but Big Sister does not even have one."

Hearing this, Gu Rong stiffened, as if it had never occurred to him that his other daughter needed a horse. This caught the attention of the handsome man who was previously looking elsewhere. The curious man turned to look at Gu Lingzhi with interest, as if he wanted to see how she would deal with this situation.

Lin Yue-er internally swore and realized that it would not be good if their family gave off the impression that they were bullying their eldest daughter in front of someone so influential. Faking her laughter, she held Gu Lingzhi's hand and patted it. In a faked tender voice, she said, "Linglong, did you forget that your elder sister has a weak body and is unable to practice martial arts? What if she falls while riding a horse?" 

These words not only explained the reason why Lingzhi did not have a horse, but also pointed out the fact that she was weak. Together with Lin Yue-er's affectionate expression, it was hard to find a fault.

For outsiders, it may look normal, but Lin Yue-er was applying pressure on Gu Lingzhi's hand. This was Lin Yue-er's reminder to her to not say anything stupid. Not to mention, Gu Linglong had obviously put in effort to stand out. Hence, Gu Lingzhi immediately understood her mother's intention. She was impressed by the man's status and Gu Linglong had taken a fancy to him.

Gu Lingzhi laughed coldly as the glamorously dressed man remain unmoved and Gu Linglong's efforts to dress up were a waste. 

To prevent more issues from arising even before the test began, Gu Lingzhi adjusted her tone, and used that timid voice that everyone was familiar with, "Stepmother is right, I am currently unable to practice, so I don't need a horse."

Satisfied, Lin Yue-er eased her grip on Lingzhi's hand and replied tenderly, "Though we can't give you a horse, but we can give you other things. When the ceremony is over, we'll send our servants to buy a pet you like."

Lingzhi softly thanked her stepmother and took her hand away. If she had let Yue-er grip her hand any longer, she was scared that she would lose control and slap her.

Rong Yuan wrinkled his forehead when he saw that Lingzhi so easily resigned to Lin Yue-er's plans. As Xia Kingdom's prince, he had seen the many schemes in the harem. Lin Yue-er and Gu Linglong's actions were considered mere child's play to him. Though he was interested in Lingzhi, her reaction to the bullying turned out to be so dull, which he felt was a waste of his expectations.

Could it be that whatever I saw that day was just a small part of Gu Lingzhi's rebelliousness?

While he was deep in thought, he heard Gu Lingzhi say something.

"According to what Stepmother just said, would you buy me a horse if I am now able to practice martial arts?"

Hearing this, Rong Yuan's eyes lit up and he grew interested in her once more.