Chapter Sixty-Six: The Only Daughter of a Reclusive Family

Jun Muxuan and Ning Xue’er sat on the stone bench, shaded by a canopy of wisteria blossoms. They sat quietly beneath the tree, neither speaking, each sipping tea in small, slow sips.

From time to time, Jun Muxuan stole a glance at Ning Xue’er. My goodness, why is Ning Xue’er so quiet today? Still, she looks quite adorable when she’s not talking. Suddenly, Jun Muxuan realized what he was thinking and hurriedly cast the thought aside.

Ning Xue’er gazed blankly at Jun Muxuan. At this moment, she had no idea what to say. She was usually so talkative, but now she suddenly realized that it was always her carrying the conversation before.

Qiu Yue once said that for two people to like each other, they must have common topics to discuss. But what does Brother Xuan like to talk about? Why don’t I know? Oh, what should I do…?

Eventually, it was Jun Muxuan who broke the silence. “Ahem, the sun’s going down. I should return to the palace.”

Ning Xue’er snapped out of her reverie. “Ah, oh, then be careful, Second Prince.”

Jun Muxuan couldn’t help but question inwardly: What’s going on, Ning Xue’er? With my brilliance and martial prowess, what could I possibly need to be careful about?

He walked straight toward the gate of the Ning residence, and Ning Xue’er trailed behind him in tiny steps, saying nothing.

When Jun Muxuan reached the gate, he couldn’t stand the awkwardness any longer. He almost preferred the old days when Ning Xue’er would chatter endlessly at his side; after all, he’d found her stories quite interesting.

“Ning Xue’er, you should call me Brother Xuan from now on. ‘Second Prince’ just sounds awkward to me. There’s no need for such formality between us!”

Ning Xue’er opened her mouth, but no words came out. The joy and excitement in her heart outweighed everything else. She could only watch Jun Muxuan’s departing figure and, only after he disappeared from view, quietly whispered, “Brother Xuan…”

On the way back to the palace, Jun Muxuan felt as if his head was stuck in a gluey fog, his mind filled with nothing but the name Ning Xue’er.

Taking advantage of the empty road, he squatted down and covered his face with both hands.

What on earth were you saying just now, Jun Muxuan? Have you lost your mind? Sigh…

After a long while, he finally stood up, only to find one or two people had gathered around him. “Young master, are you having one of your headaches? Maybe you should rest a while.”

Listening to their concerned words, Jun Muxuan replied, his voice muffled behind his hands, “Thank you, I’m fine.”

Then he dashed off so quickly he left only a trail of dust behind. The passersby who had gathered around him were left baffled, watching his rapidly retreating figure and muttering to themselves, “What a strange fellow…”

Snowfall Pavilion.

“Young miss, stop grinning like a fool and come eat!” Ning Xue’er was sitting in the very spot where Jun Muxuan had just been, still feeling the faint warmth he left behind. “Hee, heehee…” she giggled, looking up only when Qiu Yue shouted at her, before lowering her head and giggling again.

Qiu Yue could only hold her forehead in exasperation. “Hopeless…”

First Tower.

“Young master, a treasure has appeared in the Withered Wood Forest outside the city. The Gu clan will rely on you this time!”

Beside him, Gu Lin’s mouth was slick as oil. “What about us, Uncle Gu Zhou?”

The innkeeper, Gu Zhou, was clearly unmoved. “If your cultivation were as high as the young mistress Gu Hua’s, I’d let you go. Otherwise, you’d just be throwing your lives away!”

After working with Tao Tao for so long, even his way of speaking had been influenced.

Gu Lin immediately perked up. “Hey! That’s right! Gu Hua, what level are you at now? Gu Zhi and I can’t figure you out anymore.”

Gu Hua’s expression didn’t waver as she uttered four words that broke the last thread of Gu Lin’s confidence.

“Saint Realm, First Stage.”

Indeed, just a few days ago, Gu Hua had successfully broken through to the Spirit Saint level. This breakthrough not only reinforced her soul but made her physical cultivation even more solid.

“What!?” Gu Lin shouted, his voice rising. Even Gu Zhi was startled; they hadn’t expected Gu Hua to surpass them by so much.

“In that case, young mistress, you must be extra careful if you’re going alone!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t bring shame to the Gu clan.”

Gu Hua was certain of this. After all, the lotus petal was part of her true self; it would hardly mistake a thief for its master.

According to reliable sources, the day before the treasure appeared, Gu Hua set out for the Withered Wood Forest outside the city.

Although it was called “outside Hongyue City,” it was still quite a journey.

Even the day before, the entrance to the Withered Wood Forest was crowded with people. Gu Hua recognized many familiar faces.

Almost half of them had been at the last auction—Jun Muxuan, the young master who’d forgotten his money, and the two from Box No. 2. It seemed the Marrow Cleansing Pill had worked wonders; after slimming down, that young woman looked sweet, petite, and adorable, truly a good match for her senior brother.

What surprised Gu Hua most was that Ning Xue’er, after taking the Marrow Cleansing Pill, hadn’t just broken through to Spirit Lord but had advanced four stages in a row, becoming a Fourth Stage Spirit Lord.

Ning Xue’er seemed to notice Gu Hua looking her way, but this time she simply smiled and nodded in return, without any excessive reaction.

[Master, stop looking at me. I’ve decided to become a proper young lady who can set my father at ease and dazzle the world!]

Gu Hua nodded—indeed, with just this gesture, Ning Xue’er already met the standards of a refined young lady.

Some were unwilling to wait outside and ventured in to explore, but after a few screams, all went quiet.

This attempt deterred most from entering ahead of time. No one wanted to be cannon fodder.

Gu Hua conversed silently with Little Rascal in her heart.

[Master, things inside aren’t that bad. Those who just went in didn’t lose their lives—they just triggered a trap and got locked underground. The place is soundproof, so no one can hear them shouting. Right now, they’re munching on rations and seem to be making the best of it.]

“Can you, like that time in Jiang, help me avoid every trap and go straight to where the lotus petal is?”

[That… Avoiding traps is no problem, but I’ll need time to sense the exact location of the lotus petal. This kind of sense is hit or miss, so it’s a bit tricky. But! Master! With me, Little Rascal, nothing will go wrong!]

“I hope you’re right.”

[Master! What do you mean you hope? We’ve got this under control! That lotus petal is yours by right. If you called out to it, it should come to you on its own, not force you to search for it in every world!]

Gu Hua rubbed her forehead—Little Rascal’s ideals were lofty, but she was powerless to fulfill them. “Rascal, you must have forgotten that right now, I’m nobody. My true self was at least a High God. That lotus petal is clearly sentient. Every day, I can sense the wordless exasperation from the two rooted petals in my spiritual sea. If they’re willing to follow me, I’m already lucky enough!”

Within her sea of consciousness, the two lotus petals swayed with inexplicable pride, clearly agreeing with her.

“See! They’re even showing off!”

[Master, just bear with it for now. This life will pass quickly. Once your true form returns, you can do whatever you want with them!]

Gu Hua wished that were so, but at this rate, she’d need centuries at least. Sigh, better focus on the present.

[Master, why are you so down…]

“Am I? I don’t think so. I feel alright…”

Tao Tao’s influence had always been too strong; under her spell, both Little Rascal and Gu Hua now spoke with a thick flavor of the twenty-first century—anyone could tell they were old souls from ancient Huaxia.