Worthy of My Regard?
The female cultivator in red had probably grown accustomed to being spoiled, and a haughty tone crept into her voice whenever she spoke.
Seeing that Sang Ying had made no move for some time, she pointed at the booklet in her hand and ordered, "I want that. Give it to me."
Sang Ying quickly recovered from her surprise. She had not expected to meet this person so soon-Gu Hongyi.
She was the daughter of the Cloud Cauldron Sect's sect master. As his only daughter, she had been doted on since childhood and raised with a spoiled, willful temperament. Sang Ying had not known her originally, but she had remembered her name because, like Sang Ying, she was a female supporting character who met a tragic end in the book.
Not only did the heroine steal Gu Hongyi's fiancé, but Gu Hongyi also ended up dying in a beast tide because she had targeted Su Fuyun.
It was hard to say which of her and Sang Ying had suffered the worse fate, but both had been nothing more than stepping stones for Su Fuyun.
Having recalled all this, Sang Ying ignored her and paid the stallholder ten low-grade Spirit Stones, as the stallholder had told her. Sang Ying tucked the booklet into her robes and made to leave.
But how could Gu Hongyi allow Sang Ying to ignore her like that? She immediately blocked her path and snapped, "I said I want that booklet. Are you deaf?!"
"You want the booklet, so what does that have to do with me? I got here before you, and the stallholder and I have already completed the exchange. This booklet should be mine." Unlike the overbearing Gu Hongyi, Sang Ying explained herself calmly.
Their dispute had caused enough of a stir that the people around them had already begun to look their way without realizing it.
But Gu Hongyi did not care at all. Still tugging at Sang Ying and refusing to let the matter go, she said, "It doesn't matter if you've bought it. Name a price, and I'll buy it from you!"
Sang Ying shook her head. "I like this booklet very much. I won't sell it, no matter how much you offer."
While the two were arguing, Su Fuyun also came over after hearing about the matter.
The moment Sang Ying saw her, she frowned instinctively. She felt that this matter probably would not end anytime soon.
Sure enough, as soon as Su Fuyun arrived, she stepped in front of Sang Ying and asked Gu Hongyi gently, "Fellow Daoist, I wonder how my junior sister has offended you? I apologize to you on her behalf."
Sang Ying was almost angry enough to laugh. Su Fuyun had not even asked what had happened before admitting fault "on her behalf."
But Sang Ying had no need whatsoever for her meddling.
"Hmph, you know the rules better than your junior sister. For your sake, as long as she hands over that booklet, I'll let bygones be bygones." Gu Hongyi was very pleased with Su Fuyun's attitude toward her and did not mind doing her a favor.
Su Fuyun breathed a sigh of relief, then tugged at Sang Ying's sleeve and instructed her, "Quick, give this fellow Daoist what she wants."
Sang Ying pulled free of Su Fuyun's hand. "Senior Sister, you haven't even asked what happened, yet you've decided it was my fault?"
Sang Ying's gaze turned cold, and Su Fuyun shrank back under it. "Junior Sister, stop making a fuss. Whatever you want, I'll buy it for you later. For now, give her the thing!"
The way she put it made Sang Ying sound terribly unreasonable.
Sang Ying pressed her lips together, considering how to retort.
Before she could decide, someone came over to Gu Hongyi.
A young man in blue-green robes called Gu Hongyi's name from a distance. His striking appearance drew countless gazes as soon as he appeared.
He had already reached the Golden Core realm. To have such impressive cultivation at such a young age, he truly deserved to be called a "genius."
"Hongyi, what trouble have you caused this time?" The young man wore a stern expression, but his voice was gentle as he asked. One look was enough to tell that he was an upright and gentle person.
As he spoke, the young man casually glanced over Sang Ying and Su Fuyun. At the sight of Sang Ying, he was briefly struck by her beauty. But when he saw Su Fuyun, his whole body trembled slightly.
Gu Hongyi did not notice, but Sang Ying saw it clearly.
After the two exchanged a glance, the entire atmosphere turned strange.
Gu Hongyi briefly explained the situation to her fiancé. In short, Sang Ying had snatched something she wanted.
Su Fuyun quickly believed her and looked embarrassed. "I'm terribly sorry. We've spoiled my junior sister. I'll have her return the item to you at once."
The young man reassured her unconcernedly, "It's only a little trinket. There's no need to be so anxious. My junior sister has also been spoiled by her family and has something of a short temper. I hope you two will be understanding."
The two exchanged names, and after a few words, they had struck up an acquaintance.
"Brother Yunhe, not only are you not helping me, you're even speaking ill of me to outsiders!" Gu Hongyi was unhappy.
The young man was named Zhao Yunhe. He was the eldest disciple of the Cloud Cauldron Sect's sect master and was said to possess a Single Wood Spirit Root and extraordinary talent. That was how he had caught the sect master's eye and become his son-in-law.
Zhao Yunhe also enjoyed considerable prestige among the Cloud Cauldron Sect's younger generation. He chided Gu Hongyi, and although she felt wronged, she could only obediently listen.
Seeing this, Su Fuyun nudged Sang Ying. "Junior Sister, give the item back to her."
Sang Ying clenched her fists. She had never been good at this sort of scheming and preferred to deal with things directly. Su Fuyun's attitude made her very uncomfortable, but given their respective positions, she could not strike her.
Fortunately, the peculiar stallholder stepped forward to speak for her, and the moment the stallholder opened their mouth, they retorted bluntly, "Where did you get such a big face? You didn't pay a coin or lift a finger, yet you just shout a few things at random and expect someone to give away what belongs to her. Are all youngsters these days so unreasonable?"
The stallholder's voice was aged and raspy, and people instinctively assumed that beneath the cloak was an elderly person with impressive cultivation.
Although the stallholder's words came without preamble, Su Fuyun and Gu Hongyi still understood that they were talking about them.
Su Fuyun's face instantly turned pale, and even her lips lost their color. She looked utterly pitiful.
Gu Hongyi was different. She immediately moved to take out a Law Artifact and strike the stallholder. "What do you mean by that, old man? Are you going against my Cloud Cauldron Sect?!"
Her Law Artifact was a whip refined from the demon bones of an eighth-tier Red Chain Demon Snake, and its power was extraordinary. If it struck someone, even a Golden Core cultivator would suffer.
Gu Hongyi moved quickly, swinging her whip at the stallholder. She did not believe she would come off worse. In her view, someone who set up a stall in a place like this and sold nothing but useless trinkets could not possibly be anyone formidable.
Even if she could not win, was her senior brother not there?
With that thought, Gu Hongyi struck with her whip swiftly and viciously.
Unfortunately for her, the whip never landed on its target. Instead, the stallholder caught it in one hand. By the time Gu Hongyi instinctively tried to pull her Law Artifact back, it was too late.
The stallholder merely raised a hand and utterly destroyed her rare treasure.
This was something refined from the demon bones of an eighth-tier Demon Beast, yet this person had destroyed it so casually. Their cultivation was surely extraordinary!
For a moment, not only Gu Hongyi but even Zhao Yunhe, who had always been called a "genius," changed color.
"Junior did not know your identity, Senior, and has offended you. I hope that, for the sake of my master, the Cloud Cauldron Sect's sect master, you will forgive my junior sister's unintentional offense." Zhao Yunhe immediately pressed Gu Hongyi's head down and apologized to the person before them.
But before Gu Hongyi could even bow her head and admit fault, the stallholder snorted coldly again. "What sort of thing is the Cloud Cauldron Sect's sect master? Is he worthy of my regard?"