The onlookers, originally filled with righteous indignation at the ruthless young lady, couldn't help but try to persuade Wen Li when they heard how poor the young man was.
“My good woman, did that rich young lady truly send assassins? You might be mistaken; that rich young lady and your disciple are worlds apart. Even if they canceled their engagement due to being an unsuitable match, no one would say anything. After all, you can't expect a pampered young lady to live like this with him. I fear there might be a misunderstanding. That young lady wouldn't be so vicious.”
“Indeed, if not, you should bury your disciple first. This sun exposure will make him stink. I can already smell it.”
Inside the coffin, Gu Linshu incredulously sniffed his sleeve; it wasn't smelly. The person outside was talking nonsense!
Wen Li, fake-crying without a single tear, whimpered and sighed.
“You don't understand, I've had a bitter life too. Since childhood, my sister bullied me. She usurped my name, married a rich young master, and even drove me out of the estate and hunted me down. I was penniless, left to depend solely on my disciple. Now that he's dead, I can only sell myself to bury him, to honor his lonely life.”
“Wuwuwu, my poor disciple, you died so tragically!”
The onlookers sighed, their eyes filled with sympathy.
Someone couldn't help but ask, “How much money do you want?”
The crowd watched curiously.
“Not much, just ten High-Grade Spirit Stones.” Wen Li raised a finger to the sky.
“Whoa!” That expensive? Is it inlaid with gold?
The onlookers waved their hands, seeing her as a swindler. A mere coffin only cost a few Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
Wen Li, tearfully, said, “My disciple is special; he can only be buried in a Place of Extreme Yin. Ten High-Grade Spirit Stones are needed to go there.”
“What is a Place of Extreme Yin? Never heard of it.” The crowd was puzzled.
Everyone was engrossed in the spectacle; no one noticed the princess's palanquin had stopped.
After a moment, it moved again, continuing for barely three seconds.
Wen Li, lowering her head, fake-crying and sucking in air, her eyes moved. Soon, a woman stepped forward.
“Stop crying, I'll help you.” With that, she took out ten High-Grade Spirit Stones.
“Really?” Wen Li took them, expressing gratitude as if she were deeply in character. “Thank you, thank you.”
Without needing to act herself, the woman, a cultivator, waved her hand, and the coffin flew up. She vanished with Wen Li.
The onlookers were astonished that a “big dummy” would actually spend so much money. The person was gone, and so was the juicy drama. They turned their heads to continue watching Princess Huangyue's procession returning to the palace.
“Huh, how did Her Highness's palanquin get so far away?”
...
Wen Li was taken by that woman—oh, and the coffin too—to a residence, not the imperial palace.
After the woman prepared some food for them, she closed the door and stood guard outside.
“Bang!”
Inside the coffin, Gu Linshu shattered the wooden lid with a palm strike, sat up, stepped out, and settled into a chair to read.
Yet this fellow held a book in his right hand and lifted weights with his left!
Two iron blocks, each the size of a head, moved up and down effortlessly in his hands like rattles. If not for his sleeve sliding down to reveal his well-developed, pale muscles, Wen Li would genuinely have feared the iron blocks would smash him.
No wonder, when they first met, the young man had a scholarly aura that made him seem delicate, yet he was covered in toned muscle; it turned out he had this habit.
“Why are you body training? Didn't your parents train you to read and paint from a young age?”
Gu Linshu looked up, stating matter-of-factly, “A sword cultivator must be able to wield an iron sword weighing tens or even hundreds of jin with one hand. Since childhood, I've aspired to enter the Dao of the Sword, so I trained my body while reading. I try to lift anything usable around me, and I body train regularly.”
Wen Li had an epiphany; no wonder his muscles didn't look like they were built in just a year or two.
Having nothing else to do, she pulled out a chessboard and enthusiastically waved him over. “What are you reading? Enough studying, come play chess with me.”
“...Alright.” Gu Linshu reluctantly put down the talisman drawing book he held, but he didn't put down the iron blocks in his left hand. His master had even told him to read more before.
After playing for a while, Gu Linshu realized something was off.
“Master, what kind of chess are you playing?”
“Gomoku.”
“...Oh.”
They played all afternoon, and Wen Li mostly lost.
“No more, no more! How come you always win?” Wen Li, about to lose for the thirtieth time, frowned and simply refused to play anymore.
Gu Linshu also found it strange. His master had been able to play with ease earlier, but struggled so much later on.
He hadn't said anything yet.
“Greetings, Princess Huangyue.”
There was a stir outside the door.
The person had finally arrived.
Wen Li sat in her seat, her eyes lifting as the door opened, meeting the gaze of a young woman who had changed out of her heavy morning attire and now wore a simple, elegant black and gold robe.
The system came online. 【Ding! Congratulations on unlocking the fourth villain, Zongzheng Huangyue.】
【Zongzheng Huangyue: Outwardly hypocritical and gentle, but inwardly utterly vicious. She is the one with the highest bloodline purity in the Houchi Kingdom of the Eastern Province, though not naturally so. She was chosen by the Saint Emperor, who made her personally kill ten thousand of her own kin as a sacrifice, soaking and refining their blood to extract essence blood, which she forcibly assimilated. She possesses a Nether Ghost Physique, naturally adept at controlling ghosts and death energy. Her physical body could not withstand the intensity of the essence blood and rotted away. After possessing her own biological sister, who was a Chosen of the Heavenly Dao, she resurrected in a Place of Extreme Yin, becoming a Ghost Cultivator.】
【Zongzheng Huangyue is regarded as the next Saint Emperor successor. At birth, she was betrothed to Wangquan Sheng, the Chosen of the Heavenly Dao from the Beiqiong Kingdom. However, three years ago, he transformed from a genius into a cripple. To prevent this from affecting her succession as Saint Emperor, Zongzheng Huangyue sent people to kill him.】
【However, after being chased and falling off a cliff, the Chosen of the Heavenly Dao didn't die. He found a ring and eventually, step by step, fell in love with Zongzheng Huangyue's biological sister—who had resurrected in a major sect in the Central Province and become a group's favorite. Together, they took revenge and killed Zongzheng Huangyue. Wangquan Sheng then rose to become the Saint Emperor of the Beiqiong Kingdom, unifying the Eastern Province.】
There were only three people inside the room.
Wen Li glanced at Gu Linshu. “You, go out.”
“Yes.”
Gu Linshu knew there were some matters he needed to avoid, so he immediately got up and left, not caring; in fact, he was afraid of knowing too much.
The door closed, leaving only two people inside the room.
Wen Li waved her hand, setting up a barrier.
She sat in the main seat, gazing at the noble young woman before her. “Are you looking for us for something?”
“Your Excellency twice drew my attention; aren't you the one seeking me?” Zongzheng Huangyue walked forward and sat down, meeting her gaze.
Wen Li feigned ignorance. “Oh? Didn't you have people keep us here, waiting for you to meet us?”
As soon as she said this, Zongzheng Huangyue's usually gentle face slowly turned cold. She was only fifteen after all; no matter how cunning or calculating, she couldn't maintain her composure in front of Wen Li, a monster who had lived for ten thousand years.
“What do you know?”
Wen Li chuckled, her lips curling. “Whatever you want me to know, I know.”
Zongzheng Huangyue narrowed her eyes. Gazing at Wen Li's composed demeanor, she suddenly offered a gentle smile, and her previous coldness dissipated.
“Since Your Excellency dared to draw me here, you must not fear the Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators around me, nor does my Houchi Kingdom hold any sway in your eyes. What do you wish for, Your Excellency? Speak freely, as long as it is within my power.”
This person dared to insinuate on the street that Zongzheng Huangyue had possessed her biological sister, ambushed her crippled fiancé, and even resurrected in a Place of Extreme Yin. This meant she must be certain that even if Zongzheng Huangyue told the Saint Emperor, Wen Li would face no repercussions.
Wen Li, however, did not answer but instead countered with a question, her ink-like eyes observing the young woman opposite her. “I want to know why you came. Are you afraid I'll expose your hypocrisy to the world, afraid of being scorned and insulted and losing your status, or do you want to know how I know?”
Upon hearing this, Zongzheng Huangyue's eyes slightly lifted. After pondering the purpose of Wen Li's words, she finally spoke.
“Since Your Excellency could declare on the street that the rich young woman's fiancé was so impoverished and destitute he could barely survive, you must believe that the rich young woman would be faultless even if she rejected the marriage.”
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