Letting Go of His Idol Image

Wutan City had marketplaces, and naturally, the Gu Clan had them as well—only the goods sold here were of a far higher grade.

The marketplaces here were all controlled by the Gu Clan, which dispatched experts to maintain their order and safety.

In return, mercenaries and merchants who set up stalls and traded in the marketplace had to pay the Gu Clan a commission.

As the Gu Clan's beloved daughter, when Gu Xun'er arrived, every guard in the marketplace welcomed her with a smiling face.

A sturdy man walked up to Gu Xun'er and Gu Fengchen, gave a slight bow, and said, "Miss Xun'er, Young Master Fengchen, have you come to the marketplace to buy something?"

Gu Fengchen thought for a moment and said, "Just looking around."

Gu Fengchen's voice was polite and gentle, without the arrogance and unruliness typical of clan disciples.

The guard nodded and withdrew.

Gu Xun'er and Gu Fengchen, one grown and one small, began wandering through the marketplace.

Neither of them actually had anything they needed to buy. Especially Gu Xun'er—if she wanted anything, all she had to do was mention it to the Clan Head, Gu Yuan.

As for Gu Fengchen, well.

How about a dozen Seventh-Grade Pills?

Even Seventh-Grade Pills were hardly as common as cabbages in the Gu Clan, and the prices in the Gu Clan's marketplace were anything but cheap.

Gu Fengchen casually entered a shop to look over its goods. Even third- and fourth-grade pills were outrageously expensive, while the more high-end items were entirely beyond his means. In the end, he could only slink out in embarrassment.

Whenever this happened, Gu Fengchen would sigh, Damn it, Xiao Yan has it so good. He has an old grandpa who gives him cultivation techniques and Dou Skills. Why the hell didn't I get that kind of luck?

After wandering around for half the day, Gu Fengchen, the poor bastard, still had not found anything he liked.

Gu Fengchen sighed miserably, "This is rough, little sister Xun'er. Do you know any quick way to make money?"

"Yes."

Gu Xun'er cheerfully pointed in a direction. "Go straight from here and you'll reach our Gu Clan's bank. Rob it once, and you'll have everything."

"...Who doesn't know how to rob a bank?!" Gu Fengchen rolled his eyes. His gaze shifted, and he said with a grin, "Little sister Xun'er, does our Scripture Repository have any technique that can turn stone into gold?"

"Brother Gu Fengchen, if you don't have money, just tell me. Stop thinking about such crooked schemes all the time." Gu Xun'er reprimanded him righteously, then gave Gu Fengchen another 3,000 Gold Coins as spending money.

With Xun'er around, what did I need those spells for?

Time always passed too quickly, and before long, Gu Fengchen and Gu Xun'er parted ways.

Of course, Gu Fengchen still bought Gu Xun'er quite a few little trinkets that day. It was not because he had money to throw around—actually, all the money in his hands had been given to him by Xun'er.

Gu Fengchen himself did not have much money, but Gu Xun'er especially liked seeing her brother spend money on her, so she gave Gu Fengchen money and then had him buy things for her.

This tradition seemed to have begun after Gu Xun'er started receiving spending money at the age of four.

Well, I'm a transmigrator. I don't know anyone here.

The original owner liked living off women. What did that have to do with me? Gu Fengchen thought.

After parting with Gu Xun'er, Gu Fengchen did not immediately return to his residence. Instead, he headed for a separate courtyard in the deepest part of the Ancient Realm.

Inside a pavilion in the Ancient Realm, thin wind screens hung down on all four sides. A middle-aged man sat within.

His appearance was ordinary, and his face was as still as an ancient well, yet his body seemed to contain an incomparably terrifying power.

He was the current Clan Head of the Gu Clan, one of the Supreme Experts of the Dou Qi Continent—Gu Yuan.

He was also Gu Xun'er's father.

Before Gu Yuan sat a small red-clay stove. Flames licked at a bronze filigree teapot, and the water within bubbled away as flat, emerald-green tea leaves rose and fell in the rolling boil, filling the air with the fragrance of tea.

A maid stood beside him, adding charcoal to the stove.

At that moment, Gu Yuan turned his head and saw Gu Fengchen approaching from outside the pavilion. Smiling, he said, "So it's Fengchen. What brings you here?"

Gu Yuan held a white porcelain teacup, took a deep breath of its fragrance, then drained it in one gulp.

"Clan Head, I have something to ask you today."

Gu Fengchen had a fairly good relationship with Gu Yuan, so he did not bother with excessive pleasantries and went straight to the point.

Gu Yuan nodded slightly. "Go ahead. What is it?"

Gu Fengchen looked Gu Yuan in the eye and said seriously, "I want to leave the Gu Clan and venture outside to temper myself."

Gu Yuan frowned slightly upon hearing this. "No. You are only at the level of a Dou Zhe right now. If you insist on leaving, then go to the Xiao Clan with Xun'er. I'll have Elder Ling protect the two of you. Otherwise, if you go alone, it will be far too dangerous."

Have Ling Ying follow me?

Dou Emperor Ling Ying was Xun'er's personal bodyguard. How could that work?

I'm supposed to have Yun Yun in one hand and Xiao Yi Xian in the other. If Ling Ying followed me, then whether I stepped in to save Yun Yun or lent Xiao Yi Xian a hand after her Body of Calamitous Poison erupted, Ling Ying would likely discover it and ruin my opportunities.

Gu Fengchen shook his head. "I want to train on my own. Maybe if I'm lucky, I might even discover some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures!"

That was right. Although it was practically as difficult as ascending to heaven for ordinary people to obtain high-level cultivation techniques, nothing was absolute. The Dou Qi Continent was vast, with countless races standing side by side. There truly were many fortuitous opportunities.

Perhaps one day, you might casually fall off a cliff and end up obtaining an enormous opportunity.

But in theory, the Gu Clan did not lack such resources. This line of reasoning might have worked in some declining minor clan, but it had no place in the Gu Clan.

Gu Yuan considered it, then said, "This matter requires further consideration. At the very least, with your current strength as a Dou Zhe, I absolutely cannot rest easy letting you leave the Gu Clan. If you want opportunities, then once you are strong enough, I will naturally provide them for you."

Gu Fengchen grumbled inwardly, You old fossil, all you know is how to talk. You're nothing like Xun'er—when she says she'll give something, she gives it.

The conversation was not particularly pleasant, but Gu Fengchen did not care. At worst, he would simply leave without saying goodbye and deal with the consequences afterward. Xun'er knew he was leaving anyway, and that was enough.

Gu Yuan watched Gu Fengchen depart. Outside the pavilion, ancient peach trees stretched their branches like winding dragons. Peach blossoms bloomed everywhere, and as the breeze passed through, petals scattered across the sky like a thin pink mist.