Disappointed, Gu Lingzhi returned to her room. Soon after, Gu Chengze arrived and invited her to walk around Wunian City with him.
The Flower Hunt was an opportunity for all Martial Students in the Xia Kingdom, which meant that it was a gathering spot for people from all sorts of backgrounds, and these people were bound to have all sorts of precious treasures. While these treasures might not be much in the eyes of higher-ranking Martial Artists, for Martial Students like them, these objects were still valuable.
After hesitating for a while, she agreed. As she nodded her head, she noticed that Gu Chengze seemed somewhat relieved after she agreed.
Wunian City"s marketplace was near the Snow Mountain. As they approached, they saw that the grounds were already lined with small stalls, some looking rather professional while others seemed hastily put up. There were even stalls that had simply laid a mat on the floor to sell their wares. A bunch of Martial Artists were gathered here, making the whole area lively and bustling.
“Over here, Chengze!” That familiar voice sounded out just as Gu Lingzhi started looking at the stalls around her.
Looking at Qin Xinran who was enthusiastically waving and Gu Chengze who looked pleased, Gu Lingzhi sighed heavily.
It was exactly as she had suspected - Gu Chengze had dragged her out on Xinran"s behalf. How did the relations.h.i.+p between the two of them become this good? They had only just met!
Gu Chengze was oblivious to Gu Lingzhi"s displeasure as he dragged her to meet with Qin Xinran.
“Xinran, look, I brought Lingzhi here!” Gu Chengze said enthusiastically to Qin Xinran.
“Thank you, brother Chengze!” Qin Xinran responded, laughing coyly. “As expected, only you can do it, she wouldn"t have come I was the one who asked.”
Gu Chengze felt b.u.t.terflies in his stomach when he looked at Xinran"s adorable face.
“Isn"t Lingzhi here now? Don"t fret, if you wish to ask her out again next time, look for me.”
Gu Lingzhi could only sigh as she listened to the two of them talking about future plans to drag her out, totally ignoring her presence.
“Chengze, if anyone tries to take advantage of the Gu Clan in the future, I think that they only need to bring out some beauties. I"m sure you"ll gladly give them any secret doc.u.ments and even lead the way for them,” Gu Lingzhi remarked.
Gu Chengze blushed. He said, “How can you compare the two?”
“How is it not the same?” Gu Lingzhi responded. “You don"t even know whether Xinran is trustworthy. Do you not care about my safety at all?”
“I… well…” Gu Chengze was rendered speechless at her admonishment.
To be fair, when it came to Qin Xinran, Gu Chengze had completely let down his guard. He hadn"t even hesitated when she asked him to help trick her into coming out. If it really were as Gu Lingzhi had said, and Xinran had ill intentions…
Gu Chengze shuddered, as he did not dare to think of the consequences of that.
“Lingzhi, I…”
“I understand,” Gu Lingzhi interrupted. Although her tone and words were neither too fast nor too slow, there was a thinly-veiled threat in them.
“I don"t mean to blame you, but as a core disciple of the Gu Clan, how can you be led by the nose so easily? You"d drag our family into a trap someday if you continue like this. You really ought to be more careful in the future and stop believing what other people say so easily!”
“I understand, Lingzhi,” Gu Chengze could only respond affirmatively. In the face of Gu Lingzhi"s unprecedented sternness, he felt a range of complicated feelings.
When did such a soft person like Gu Lingzhi become so stern? Was the Royal School so dreadful that it could completely change a person"s character?
Still, he much preferred Gu Lingzhi now compared to when she was soft-hearted. At least, he felt that that was how the First Mistress of the Gu Clan ought to be like.
Not paying any attention to Gu Chengze"s thoughts, Gu Lingzhi"s face returned to a neutral smile.
“Well, since we"re here anyway, it"d be a real pity if we don"t take a look. Let"s go,” she said. Her sudden change took Gu Chengze by surprise, making him unable to respond.
Gu Lingzhi became slightly amused when she saw the dumb look on Gu Chengze"s face.
If he was already overwhelmed by her sudden change in demeanor, she couldn"t wait to see how he would react to Xinran"s ability to change her persona. It would certainly be interesting to watch.
The marketplace was huge, and even after walking for a long while, they had only covered one third of it. In this period of time, all three of them had managed to find some things they needed.
“Metal yarn! High quality metal yarn for sale! Sir, would you like to get some of it? You can use it to make some armor for the girl you like, it"s breathable and also has good defence. If you don"t get it now, the next time you can get it would be in three years!” One stall owner shouted as they walked past his stall.
This stall owner looked to be only about 18 to 19 years old, and he had a thin face and black eyes. Looking at Gu Chengze, his eyes lit up as he promoted his goods, “You look like someone from the Four Great Clans. With your status, how could you not get some high quality gifts for the girl you like? It"s only a hundred spirit stones per foot of yarn. I guarantee, this is definitely the lowest price available here!”
Gu Chengze"s interest was immediately piqued and he stopped to take a look. Looking at Qin Xinran out of the corner of her eyes, Gu Lingzhi hesitated.
“Hey Lingzhi, what do you think of this yarn? Should I get some of it for you?” Gu Chengze ask.
Yet, Gu Lingzhi noticed that Gu Chengze"s eyes were constantly turning to look at Qin Xinran, and she could roughly guess what he was up to.
“I don"t need it, maybe you should ask Xinran. I think she"ll like armor made of this flexible material,” Gu Lingzhi answered.
Gu Chengze"s eyes lit up as he turned towards Qin Xinran.
“… I don"t need it,” Xinran said. Even if she did need it, she would get it for herself.
“Sir, that"s not the way to do it!” the stall owner immediately shouted as he saw Gu Chengze being rejected. He began giving Gu Chengze some pointers.
“When you buy something for a lady, you don"t ask if she wants it! You just get it and give it to her, that"s how sincerity works!”
Well, the theory sounded legitimate.
Gu Chengze again hesitated, wavering. He did not want to come across as being too desperate and spoil Qin Xinran"s impression of him. Watching him deliberate over it, Gu Lingzhi was completely entertained. She never expected that Gu Chengze, who was normally laid-back, would behave like this in front of the girl he liked.
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