Miss, let's meet another time

Back in his room, Gu Chenfeng tried entering the Phantom Martial Divine Ruins again. Sure enough, he could not get in.

He had to recover his depleted mental energy first.

Over the next few days, aside from resting and restoring his strength, all Gu Chenfeng could think about was "making money."

He had not sold Gu Yanshuang's bracelet.

His eldest sister was now single-handedly holding the entire Gu family together.

Sucking her blood on top of that would be utterly shameless.

Besides, cultivating on the Enlightenment Platform would constantly drain his mental energy, requiring large quantities of spirit medicines.

One bracelet could not solve that.

Gu Chenfeng had considered inventing something, making soap, perfume, or the like.

But those things sounded simple yet were difficult to produce. More importantly, the money would come in too slowly.

One morning, while he was agonizing over this, a maid came to report.

"Young master, Young Master Ouyang requests an audience."

"Which Young Master Ouyang? I'm busy!"

Somewhat surprised, the maid explained, "Young Master Ouyang Cai, the Minister of Revenue's son. Your close friend."

But Gu Chenfeng heard only two words.

"Revenue Ministry!"

The department responsible for the empire's finances.

"Quick, take me to see my dear brother!"

In the main hall of the chancellor's residence, Gu Chenfeng met "Ouyang Cai."

The man had decent features, but his lavish brocade clothes, jade rings, and gold bracelets... were rather dazzling.

Was he cosplaying the God of Wealth?

On the way over, Gu Chenfeng had recalled who this man was.

Like him, Ouyang Cai was a notorious wastrel in the imperial capital, even more accomplished than he was at eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling.

Not only were they birds of a foul feather, but their martial talent was equally poor.

Only after pouring in a fortune and exhausting every effort had the Ouyang family barely managed to bring Ouyang Cai to one-star Body Tempering.

Some among the capital's rich and powerful called him and Gu Chenfeng the "capital's twin good-for-nothings."

As soon as he saw Gu Chenfeng, Ouyang Cai pulled out an invitation.

"Third Young Master, come on! There's fun to be had!"

"What's this?"

"The Rare Beast Garden outside the capital opens today. This is an invitation. Only the capital's wealthy and powerful families qualify for one."

"The Rare Beast Garden? That newly opened beast-fighting arena?"

The Great Li Dynasty had a flourishing martial culture.

Besides contests between martial artists, it was also extremely fashionable for nobles to purchase Origin Beasts and pit them against one another for wagers.

Gu Chenfeng suddenly remembered that several days earlier, he had entered the Great Wilderness Ridge with the Rare Beast Garden's hunting party.

Whoever tried to kill me that day must have ties to the Rare Beast Garden! Gu Chenfeng pondered.

"Third Young Master, the Rare Beast Garden specifically approached me this time. They said you're a prominent figure in the capital and that they absolutely must have you grace their opening."

"Me... a prominent figure?"

Gu Chenfeng grew wary.

Could someone have heard I survived, grown uneasy, and decided to use this opportunity to sound me out?

"Third Young Master, stop hesitating.

"I heard they've also invited Princess Yaoyin and plenty of young ladies from the capital's distinguished families to the opening!"

Ouyang Cai knew that wherever Princess Yaoyin appeared,

Gu Chenfeng would go, even through mountains of blades and seas of fire.

Sure enough, Gu Chenfeng hesitated only briefly.

"All right. I'll go take a look with you."

"Third Young Master, you really are a devoted lover!"

A short while later,

Gu Chenfeng climbed into Ouyang Cai's dazzlingly opulent carriage.

Inside were several pretty maids, attentively serving them tea and refreshments, kneading their shoulders and massaging their legs.

Truly a wicked capitalist!

"Mmm, these refreshments are delicious. Give my lower back another massage."

Gu Chenfeng felt he ought to respect traditional culture after all.

The carriage headed out of the city.

Along the way, Ouyang Cai rubbed his hands eagerly, wishing he could charge straight into the Rare Beast Garden to gamble fortunes on beast fights.

Gu Chenfeng, however, was thinking,

If the Rare Beast Garden really did attack me, staying away would only put them on their guard.

I might as well turn their scheme against them and probe their secrets.

Even if I find nothing, finding a way to make a fortune would be worthwhile.

To be safe, Gu Chenfeng had brought a group of guards from the chancellor's residence before setting out.

Half an hour later,

the carriage arrived at the Rare Beast Garden.

It was a sprawling estate built against a mountain, peaceful and elegant, yet exuding luxury at every turn.

At that moment, iron cages and enclosures of all sizes stood in a square within the estate.

They held all manner of rare birds and fierce beasts.

Some were ordinary wild animals, but there were also quite a few Origin Beasts.

Origin Beasts could absorb the world's origin energy and possessed astonishing intelligence, making them highly prized by nobles.

A group of richly dressed young men and women were strolling around, admiring the beasts.

Suddenly, two figures swaggered over, surrounded by guards.

A stir ran through the crowd.

"Oh... aren't those the capital's two good-for-nothings?"

"Gu Chenfeng came too? I heard he fell off a cliff a few days ago. He actually survived?"

"Obviously. Her Highness the princess is here in person today. Even if Gu Chenfeng had broken his legs, he'd still have come!"

Meanwhile, in the southwestern corner of the square,

two stunning young women with exceptional bearing stood among a group of noble ladies, still standing out like cranes among chickens.

They too spotted Gu Chenfeng and Ouyang Cai, who had caused the commotion.

One wore a red dress and a phoenix hairpin. With delicate features and a regal air, she faintly furrowed her brows.

"Why is that fellow here too?"

She tugged at the woman beside her, who wore blue and possessed a cool demeanor and beauty no less striking than her own.

"Bingxin, come on. Let's go somewhere else before he sees me."

But the blue-clad woman said, "They're coming over."

The ladies looked over. Sure enough, Gu Chenfeng and Ouyang Cai were heading toward them.

"He haunts me like a lingering ghost!"

Princess Yaoyin stamped her foot in annoyance.

Soon, Gu Chenfeng and his companions drew near.

By then, Princess Yaoyin's expression had turned utterly cold, her gaze directed into the distance.

She pretended not to see Gu Chenfeng approaching.

Until Gu Chenfeng walked right up to her, then continued straight past...

"Hm...?"

Princess Yaoyin froze.

The noble girls waiting to enjoy the spectacle were surprised as well.

What... was going on?

Third Young Master Gu had actually failed to greet the princess immediately.

But a moment later, Gu Chenfeng suddenly stopped and briskly retraced his steps.

Princess Yaoyin's face filled with impatience.

She was ready to reject every invitation and overture Gu Chenfeng offered.

Then that familiar voice rang out.

"Miss, I don't believe we've met. I'm the Gu family's third son. May I ask your name?"

Looking at the handsome, courteous young man before her, the blue-clad woman hesitated.

"Are you... speaking to me?"

Gu Chenfeng gave her a warm smile.

"Miss, you've really gone too far."

"Too far?" The woman looked bewildered.

"Your bearing is so distinctive that you've drawn me in far too deeply!"

In an instant, everyone fell silent.

The blue-clad woman froze.

Princess Yaoyin froze too.

Third Young Master Gu's unexpected attempt at flirting stunned everyone into immobility for three seconds.

"Miss, what's your name?"

The blue-clad woman clearly had not recovered yet and answered instinctively.

"Shang... Shangguan Bingxin."

"'Icy silk untouched by the mortal world's hues, a heart like a lotus first mirrored in water.' A fine name!" Gu Chenfeng praised.

Hearing those lines, Shangguan Bingxin's eyes could not help lighting up.

For a moment, she even overlooked the impropriety of his remarks.

"How beautifully phrased."

"You flatter me, Miss Shangguan."

Gu Chenfeng cupped his hands, but his gaze flicked toward the jade pendant bearing a qilin design at Shangguan Bingxin's waist.

Just now, the Phantom Martial Divine Ruins had suddenly reacted to this woman.

That was why Gu Chenfeng had struck up a conversation, then pinpointed the jade pendant.

Could this pendant have some special property useful to the Phantom Martial Divine Ruins?

Before Gu Chenfeng could ask anything further, Princess Yaoyin finally could not resist interrupting.

"Gu Chenfeng, Bingxin is my friend. Stop pestering her so rudely!"

Gu Chenfeng glanced at Princess Yaoyin, thinking that although this woman was beautiful, she was rather meddlesome.

"Oh... Your Highness is here too," Gu Chenfeng said, feigning surprise.

Princess Yaoyin drew a sharp breath. Was her presence really that insignificant?

"Gu Chenfeng, what are you doing here?"

Naturally, she knew why Gu Chenfeng had come. It had to be because of her.

In the past, she would not even have bothered acknowledging him.

Yet now, she wanted to hear him say it himself.

Seeing someone interfere, Gu Chenfeng knew he could not achieve his goal, so he simply cupped his hands.

"Your Highness, I have other matters to attend to. I'll take my leave."

With that, he pulled Ouyang Cai along and turned to go.

At the same time, he did not forget to glance back and wink at Shangguan Bingxin.

It seemed to say, Miss, let's meet another time.

The sight left Princess Yaoyin's expression momentarily frozen.

The noble ladies around her also exchanged peculiar looks and whispered among themselves.

"Why is Third Young Master Gu so cold toward Her Highness today?"

"Could he have given up pursuing the princess and fallen for someone else?"

"He seems particularly attentive to Miss Shangguan."

Though the whispers around her were quiet, Princess Yaoyin was a martial artist and heard them clearly. Her expression grew increasingly unpleasant.

Gu Chenfeng's unusually cold behavior today left her deeply uncomfortable.

Could he be blaming me for never showing concern after he fell off that cliff and got hurt?

Princess Yaoyin snorted inwardly.

Hmph. He's nothing but a wastrel. Why should I care about him?

Her mood had just settled slightly when she heard Shangguan Bingxin murmuring.

"'Icy silk untouched by the mortal world's hues, a heart like a lotus first mirrored in water.' It truly is a lovely poem."

Hearing those lines, Princess Yaoyin immediately felt irritated.

That fellow is an ignorant good-for-nothing. How could he possibly write poetry? Someone must have written it for him.

But... he's never written a poem for me!