For the two days following her breakthrough, Lin Zhixue spent most of her time inside her room.
The increase in spiritual energy brought about by the advancement was more pronounced than she had anticipated, but controlling it was also more difficult than before.
Back at the fourth level of Qi Refining, her spiritual energy had been like a handful of shallow water, easy to stir at will.
Now that she had reached the fifth level, her spiritual energy had grown substantially. It was as if it had transitioned into a wider riverbed with a swifter current, threatening to spill over from her palms if she wasn't paying close attention.
She spent two whole days repeatedly practicing the most fundamental spiritual energy control.
Gathering the spiritual energy at her fingertips, keeping it stable, and then slowly drawing it back.
Dull as it was, with each repetition, her control grew a fraction more precise.
On the morning of the third day, as she sat cross-legged on her bed carrying out her daily circulation of spiritual energy, the door was suddenly flung open.
“Miss!”
Xiaohe rushed in like a whirlwind, clutching a gold-embossed invitation in her hand. Her cheeks were flushed red from running so fast, her eyes sparkling brightly.
“It's from the Gu clan! Young Master Gu's eighteenth birthday is in a few days, and they've invited scions of similar age from every clan in the city to a banquet. Miss, you're on the list too!”
Lin Zhixue took the invitation and glanced at it.
The characters on the invitation were written in neat, standard semi-cursive script, signed off by the Gu manor.
After reading it, she closed the invitation and set it aside, closing her eyes once more to circulate her spiritual energy, her expression unchanged.
Going to the Gu manor was hardly anything new to her.
Just the day before yesterday, she had been loosening the soil in his courtyard.
A birthday banquet was merely a meal; the only difference was a few more dishes and a few more people than usual.
“It's just eating a meal and coming back. What are you getting so excited about?”
With a look on her face that said “Miss, how can you be so oblivious?”, Xiaohe dashed to the bedside and grabbed her arm.
“Miss! This is a banquet hosted by the Gu manor! Every prominent family in all of Canglan City will be there. If you just show up casually like this, people will laugh at you!”
She let go and turned around to rummage through the old wooden chest in the corner.
She mumbled under her breath about what color dress to wear, whether her hair should be pinned up or left down, and if she should use the new hair ribbon bought last time.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Lin Zhixue watched Xiaohe pull out her dresses one by one and hold them up against herself.
There were only three or four presentable outfits in total, yet Xiaohe scrutinized them back and forth as if selecting some priceless treasure.
Her brow was furrowed tight, more serious than if she were picking out clothes for herself.
Watching her bustle about, Lin Zhixue's jawline softened slightly. A moment later, she tucked away her emotions, closed her eyes, and continued circulating her spiritual energy.
...
On the day of the birthday, unable to dissuade Xiaohe, she was firmly sat down and dressed up.
Xiaohe picked out a plain, moon-white dress for her.
The lapels and cuffs were embroidered with a few faint silver patterns. The fabric was not particularly expensive, but it won points for being clean and elegant.
Her hair was not tied into a complicated bun, merely gathered loosely behind her head with that old light-cyan ribbon, cascading down to her waist.
Xiaohe had wanted to apply a touch of rouge to her face, but Lin Zhixue refused. In the end, she only wore a light layer of moisturizing cream—the cheapest kind bought at the market a few days ago.
Fortunately, her complexion was already fair. At seventeen years old, her skin naturally possessed a warm, gentle luster beneath the candlelight.
Xiaohe stepped back two paces and examined her for a long while, nodding in satisfaction before shaking her head again.
“Miss, you look so pretty with just a little effort, so why do you never bother to dress up normally?”
“For whom would I dress up?”
Lin Zhixue stood up, pushed open the door, and walked out.
The entrance to the Gu manor was decked with lanterns and streamers. Two rows of spirit lanterns stretched from the main gate all the way to the end of the street, illuminating the entire alley as bright as day.
Carriages pulled up to the gate one after another, delivering well-dressed young men and women who entered in small groups of three to five.
When Lin Zhixue handed her invitation to the steward at the gate, his gaze lingered on her for a moment as if trying to place which family's young mistress she was, before stepping aside to let her through.
Stepping through the gate, she caught sight of a figure in the crowd right away.
Shen You.
The Shen clan's second young mistress was wearing a pomegranate-red brocade dress today, a dazzling golden hairpin swaying in her hair, surrounded by several young ladies she was familiar with as they chatted.
Her laughter could be heard across half the courtyard, crisp like a silver bell, but hearing it only made Lin Zhixue's back stiffen.
She looked away at once, blending into the crowd and heading toward the banquet hall, doing her best not to draw any attention.
The incident where Shen You cornered her in the alley was still fresh in her mind; that time, Gu Yanqing had just happened by and resolved the situation for her.
She couldn't expect such luck this time.
She would just have to be extra careful herself.
Passing through the front courtyard and entering the main hall, the sight before her made her footsteps slow down slightly.
The main hall of the Gu manor was already spacious, but today it had been decorated with exceptional grandeur.
Red brocade and spirit lanterns hung from the beams. The core of every lantern was a low-grade spirit pearl, casting a soft luminescence that was gentle on the eyes yet illuminated the entire hall as bright as day.
Behind the head seat at the front stood an enormous standing screen embroidered with a motif of pines and cranes symbolizing longevity, clearly no ordinary item.
The side tables on both sides were laden with fruits, pastries, and spirit tea, while a faint scent of sandalwood drifted through the air.
The guests' seating was divided into two sections.
The elders and clan managers sat on the left, arranged in order outward from the head seat.
The younger clan scions sat on the right, gathering in twos and threes to exchange pleasantries, making for a lively atmosphere.
Lin Zhixue found the name plaque for her seat.
It was the lowest seat in a corner, farthest from the head seat and the least conspicuous.
The Lin family was already a minor family, and she was the least favored branch member of the Lin family; to have a seat at all was merely the Gu clan being thorough in their courtesy.
She quietly took her seat, folded her hands on her lap, and discreetly swept her gaze over the young scions around her.
There were a few faces she recognized.
Several direct-line descendants of the Wang clan sat together, chatting loudly about something.
There were also several young ladies from minor families whom she had seen at the market before.
However, most were people she didn't know at all. Most of them were lavishly dressed and carried themselves with poise, clearly the children of prominent families in Canglan City.
Her moon-white dress, while respectable enough in her own eyes, was still conspicuously plain among this crowd, but she didn't care.
Then she saw Gu Yanqing.
He walked in from the side door, unusually clad in a brand-new, ink-black brocade robe. Bound at his waist was a belt embroidered with silver-thread cloud patterns, his cuffs were neatly tailored, and his hair was bound up in a black jade crown.
A faint smile played on his lips.
To her eyes, this was not the arrogant smirk he used to wear when looking for trouble.
Rather, it was a polite, reserved smile she had never seen before and was unaccustomed to.
All the while, he stood beside the head seat, receiving the guests who came to offer their congratulations.
Watching that face, the first thought that popped into Lin Zhixue's head was somewhat strange.
His face wasn't bad to begin with, but in the past, he had always worn a scowl or a sneer, giving no one any desire to notice his looks.
Today, however, he was cleaned up so presentably that, beneath the spirit lanterns, he was actually somewhat pleasing to the eye.
Her second thought was... what was she thinking?
She abruptly snapped her gaze back, looking down at the teacup before her, the tips of her ears growing slightly warm.
Lifting the tea, she took a sip; it was top-grade Cloud Mist spirit tea, leaving a lingering, sweet aftertaste.
She stole another glance toward the head seat.
The young man was surrounded by several prominent scions toasting him, his smile faint but his responses poised and courteous.
She suddenly had an indescribable feeling, as if she were looking at a complete stranger.
The Gu Yanqing in her memory was that arrogant face in the rainy alley, grabbing her by the collar and throwing her into the muddy water.
He was the playboy who rampaged through the streets with his lackeys in tow.
Yet this person before her could not overlap with that shadow no matter what.
Setting down the teacup, she gathered her thoughts.
No matter who he was, today she only needed to finish this meal quietly and head back.
Nothing more.
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