As Gu Yanqing walked back to the manor, night had completely fallen.
In his mind, he was still reviewing what had just happened.
Shen You’s appearance hadn’t been part of his plan, but the outcome had turned out better than he anticipated.
He hadn’t acted overly enthusiastic, nor had he deliberately fawned over her.
He had simply resolved the situation for her in a calm, matter-of-fact manner.
He had likely struck the perfect balance.
It wouldn’t make her suspect he had suddenly turned into a completely different person, while still genuinely shielding her from trouble.
It should have earned him at least a bit of favorability.
He made a mental note of it.
This kind of favorability wasn’t something that would show immediately, but it was like tossing pebbles into a lake—throw enough of them, one by one, and ripples would eventually form across the surface.
Upon returning to the manor, he didn’t head straight back to his room, going instead to the open clearing in the back courtyard.
His sword still hung from the tree beside the stone table, left there after his earlier practice.
Gripping the hilt, he drew the blade from its scabbard.
The edge glinted coldly in the moonlight, the blade reflecting his own face.
Taking a deep breath, he assumed the opening stance according to the sword formula in the original host’s memories and began practicing move by move.
Chop, thrust, lift, sweep.
His movements were noticeably smoother than they had been over the past two days, no longer carrying that awkward disjointedness where his arms and the sword seemed entirely disconnected.
After finishing a routine of the basic sword formula, he sheathed his blade. His breathing was slightly ragged, but he hadn’t nearly tripped over himself like the first time.
At least he looked somewhat competent now.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he leaned the sword against the edge of the stone table.
The foundation of mid Foundation Establishment was still there; it was just that the original host had never practiced the basics, relying entirely on pills to prop up his cultivation.
All he was doing now was making up for the skipped homework step by step.
At the very least, he wouldn’t be helpless against everyone.
Although he was still far from being a formidable fighter, at least he wouldn’t be unable to defend himself when facing low-level cultivators.
...
Early the next morning, Lin Zhixue went out with Xiaohe.
The market was on East Street; walking there from the western district meant crossing half of Canglan City.
Along the way, Xiaohe linked arms with her, chattering away incessantly.
From the new calico cat in the neighboring courtyard to the old tofu vendor who had given her an extra half-piece of tofu yesterday, Lin Zhixue chimed in absently now and then, a faint curve lingering at the corners of her lips.
Once they reached the market, she didn’t head to the spirit material shops first, stopping instead in front of a clothing stall.
A row of winter clothes hung at the stall, ranging from thick to thin. The fabric wasn’t premium quality, but its virtue lay in its thickness.
She reached out to pinch a padded jacket, turned it over to check the stitching, and looked back at Xiaohe. “Try this on.”
Xiaohe froze for a moment, then waved her hands frantically. “Miss, I have clothes, there’s no need—”
“The cotton stuffing in your old one has clumped together; wearing it is like draping a sheet of paper over yourself.”
Lin Zhixue stuffed the jacket into her hands, her tone leaving no room for argument.
“Winter is coming soon, and you still don’t have a proper warm coat.”
Clutching the padded jacket, Xiaohe’s lips quivered a few times, wanting to say something yet unable to get the words out.
She lowered her head and stroked the fabric—it was brand-new, padded with cotton, infinitely warmer than the worn-out clothes she had worn for three years without replacement.
“Miss...” Her voice turned slightly raspy, her eyes rimmed with red.
“Miss, you haven’t even bought new clothes for yourself, yet you’re buying something so expensive for me...”
“It’s not expensive.”
Lin Zhixue cut her off, took the jacket from her hands, and turned to pay the vendor.
Handing over a few spirit stones, she placed the jacket back into Xiaohe’s arms.
“Hold onto it.”
Holding the jacket as she stood before the stall, tears welled in Xiaohe’s eyes, swirling several times before finally spilling over and rolling down her cheeks.
She wiped vigorously with her sleeve, but the tears only flowed faster, until she finally buried her face straight into the new padded jacket, mumbling something muffled.
Lin Zhixue didn’t catch what she said, but she could roughly guess what it was.
She reached out and patted Xiaohe on the back without a word.
Only after buying the clothes did she begin purchasing what she needed for her cultivation.
She squatted in front of a spirit material shop for a full quarter of an hour, carefully inspecting the various Spirit Gathering Powders displayed on the counter one by one, before finally selecting a bottle of medium quality.
The shopkeeper asked for twelve spirit stones; she bargained it down to eight. When the shopkeeper refused, she set the bottle down and turned to walk away.
Three steps out, she was called back, and they finally settled on nine spirit stones.
Next, she bought a small pouch of spirit herbs for consolidating her foundation, along with several formation stones carved with basic Spirit Gathering Formations—all items she urgently needed at her current stage.
For every single item, she haggled endlessly with the vendors, saving every spirit stone she could.
When it came time to settle up, she took out both the spirit stones Gu Yanqing had given her yesterday and the ones she had saved up, calculating every single coin and scrap before paying.
Carefully wrapping up her purchases, Lin Zhixue stood and dusted off her skirt. “Let’s go. Time to head back.”
When they returned to the Lin residence, the atmosphere in the courtyard felt off.
Her stepmother, Madam Zhou, was standing at the entrance of the main house, holding a cattail fan.
Her gaze first landed on the new padded jacket in Xiaohe’s arms, then slowly drifted to the bundle of spirit materials Lin Zhixue was carrying, her eyebrows arching higher and higher.
“Well now?” she drawled, fanning herself with the cattail fan.
“Going out for a bit and buying so much stuff? Where did you get the spirit stones?”
Lin Zhixue’s footsteps paused slightly.
“Saved from working.”
“Working?” Madam Zhou sneered.
“What kind of work could you possibly do?”
Just then, a steward passed by. Overhearing this, he leaned in and whispered a few words into Madam Zhou’s ear.
Lin Zhixue couldn’t make out what he was saying, but she saw Madam Zhou’s expression shift.
Her eyes lit up, the curve of her lips widening. The way she looked at Lin Zhixue changed from critical contempt to something she disliked even more.
“So that’s how it is.”
Madam Zhou beamed, halting the sway of her cattail fan and pointing the handle at her.
“You girl, you’ve actually got quite a stroke of good fortune, don’t you?”
Lin Zhixue’s heart gradually sank; she could roughly guess what Madam Zhou was thinking.
“To catch Young Master Gu’s eye—that’s a blessing so many people couldn’t get even if they begged for it.”
Madam Zhou stepped in front of her, sizing her up from head to toe, her gaze resembling that of someone evaluating an object newly discovered to hold some value.
“I’ll speak to your father about this. Dress yourself up properly these next two days; don’t go around looking like a beggar all day.”
“Mind your manners when speaking to the young master. Know when to be gentle and yielding; stop walking around with that stiff, icy face all day.”
“What kind of standing does the Gu clan have? For them to take a fancy to you is your greatest stroke of luck—make sure you don’t displease him.”
Panicking, Xiaohe poked her head out from behind Lin Zhixue. “B-But Miss...”
“Did anyone ask you to speak?”
Madam Zhou raised her hand and swung a slap across.
Xiaohe shrank back, but the slap never landed.
Lin Zhixue raised her arm, blocking it in front of her.
The slap landed on Lin Zhixue’s forearm, the force not particularly heavy.
Madam Zhou was taken aback for an instant, then withdrew her hand with a sneer, pointing the cattail fan at Lin Zhixue.
“Regardless, my words stand.”
“The greatest prospect in your life is to marry into a good family. If the Gu clan is truly interested, our entire family will share in the glory.”
With that, she fluttered her cattail fan and sauntered off.
Silence fell over the courtyard.
With reddened eyes, Xiaohe tugged on Lin Zhixue’s sleeve, her mouth opening as if to say something.
Lin Zhixue gently shook her head and led her back to her own room.
Closing the door, she set her things down and sat on the edge of the bed.
This wasn’t the first time Madam Zhou had struck her. While she couldn’t say she was used to it, she at least wouldn’t cry over it anymore. What troubled her was something else.
Did that man... really take an interest in her?
She wasn’t stupid.
If Gu Yanqing truly fancied her, then the events of the past two days would make sense.
Why he hadn’t stolen her spirit stones, why he had offered her work and paid so generously, why he had stepped forward to defend her against Shen You.
Yet she still felt something was off.
The way he looked at her had never once held that sort of intention from start to finish.
No leering appraisal.
No subtle hints.
No contrived attempts to get close.
He didn’t even seem inclined to say much to her.
That detachment didn’t seem feigned.
Yet as a mere fourth-layer Qi Refining branch disciple, what could she possibly have that would prompt the eldest young master of the Gu clan to make a special trip to see her?
The Gu clan was not a house the Lin family could ever hope to climb toward; Madam Zhou wouldn’t even have the standing to speak before Gu Yanqing.
Burying her face in her hands, her mind was a tangled mess.
Just when she had begun to think that perhaps this person wasn’t so wicked, this notion had cropped up.
If his kindness came with an ulterior motive, that was far more terrifying than sheer malice.
She didn’t want to marry someone like that.
Even if he truly wasn’t as evil as the rumors claimed, she had no desire to become a bargaining chip arranged by others.
Her life had already been dictated enough; she absolutely refused to have her lifelong marriage treated as a transaction.
Yet right now, she had no right to say no.
At the fourth layer of Qi Refining, helpless and without backing, she couldn’t even protect herself, let alone Xiaohe.
She could only bide her time and play along for now, deceiving them until she gained enough strength to take Xiaohe and leave together.
“Miss...” Xiaohe sat beside her, her voice still thick with a nasal snuffle. “Does it still hurt?”
“It doesn’t hurt.” Lowering her hands, Lin Zhixue said to her, “Really, it doesn’t.”
Xiaohe hung her head, fingers tightly clutching the hem of her new padded jacket, staying quiet for a long while.
After some time, she whispered, “No matter what, wherever Miss goes, I will go.”
Lin Zhixue reached out and ruffled her hair without saying a word.
...
The next day, before the sky was fully light, several maids sent by Madam Zhou knocked on her door.
They claimed Gu Yanqing was coming.
How could he possibly take the initiative to come find her?
Could Madam Zhou be pulling strings behind the scenes?
Yet how could she ever possess the influence to sway Gu Yanqing?
Lin Zhixue was made to sit before the mirror for the better part of a shichen.
With a flurry of hands, the maids combed her hair and applied makeup, coiling her hair up only to take it down and redo it again and again, finally arranging it into an elaborate bun and pinning in two silver hairpins she had never seen before.
They dressed her in a light pink gown of silk that clung cool and slippery against her skin, the waistband cinched so tightly it made her breathing shallow.
At last, one of them dusted a light layer of powder over her face and dabbed a touch of rouge onto her lips.
The maids stepped back two paces, revealing the bronze mirror.
Lin Zhixue looked at the person in the mirror.
She couldn’t say it looked bad.
Her features were still her features, but something had been obscured beneath the cosmetics.
The hair bun was drawn too tight, pulling the corners of her eyes slightly upward and lending her an air of sharpness.
The pink dress was of such a delicate, tender color that wearing it felt as though she had stolen someone else’s clothes.
She nearly failed to recognize herself.
Satisfied, the maids left, leaving her sitting alone before the mirror.
Gazing at the stranger in the mirror, she slowly reached up to touch the silver hairpin nestled in her hair.
It was icy cold, not something that belonged to her.
Right now, only one question tumbled over and over in her mind.
Would he come?
If he did, was it of his own accord, or had her stepmother used some scheme to invite him over?
The more she thought, the colder she felt.
That pretty face in the mirror had nothing to do with her.
It was the face Madam Zhou wanted; it was the face her father wanted.
It was not Lin Zhixue.
She only hoped that no matter what happened today, she would still be herself.
Rate on N.U.
