The Dragon

The Spoiled Girl Doesn’t Understand Worldly Emotions

After she had been punished to kneel in the ancestral hall, Gu Fuyou returned to her room, sulking and avoiding her father, Gu Wanpeng.

Although Gu Wanpeng stayed at the Xuan Miao Sect for three days, the father and daughter ultimately didn’t meet again to have a proper conversation.

When it was time for Gu Wanpeng to return to Xiaoyao City, Gu Fuyou lay on her bed with her hair a mess, refusing to see him off.

Gu Huaiyou sat beside her and nudged her, saying, “Ah Man, there shouldn’t be lingering resentments between a father and daughter. Listen to your second brother, go apologize to father, and everything will be in the past.”

Gu Fuyou turned to face the wall, murmuring, “I did nothing wrong.”

Gu Huaiyou sighed. Outside, Gu Fuyou had a more restrained temper, keeping to herself unless provoked. But at home, she was fiery and stubborn, as if she was destined to clash with Gu Wanpeng. Whenever Gu Wanpeng was home, it was inevitable they’d have a minor argument every three days and a major one every five.

After a fight, their relationship would become strained, with neither willing to apologize.

Fortunately, while Gu Fuyou was stubborn, she was also willing to listen. After some persuasion from her eldest brother, she would usually reconcile with Gu Wanpeng, and his anger would dissipate.

However, her second brother’s words didn’t have much of an impact.

The two brothers often lamented that temporary persuasion was just a band-aid solution for their little sister’s rebellious nature. They worried she’d suffer in the outside world and didn’t know how she’d ever change her bad habits.

When Gu Fuyou was young, their family was made up of three men trying to raise a “rose,” which was already difficult. Gu Wanpeng was often busy with official duties and couldn’t always be home, while Gu Shuangqing was increasingly focused on his cultivation, starting to take over matters in Xiaoyao City. Gu Huaiyou was just a young boy at the time and didn’t know how to guide her.

Gu Fuyou was left to the servants, growing up freely and, eventually, in the wrong direction.

When the family realized this, it was already too late. Trying to correct her now would not only be an excruciating process for her but would also leave their hands bloody from the rose’s thorns.

Unless Gu Fuyou was willing to change herself, it was clear she didn’t want to. She thought she was just fine the way she was.

Perhaps one day, Gu Fuyou would meet someone she’d be willing to change for, someone she’d want to become better for.

Because of this, Gu Wanpeng and Gu Shuangqing had once considered finding a suitable husband for Gu Fuyou…

Gu Huaiyou advised, “Even if you don’t apologize, father is leaving. You should at least see him off.”

Gu Fuyou responded firmly, “I’m not going!”

“Huaiyou!” Gu Wanpeng’s voice called from outside the courtyard, urging him to hurry.

Gu Huaiyou stood up and said, “If you don’t resolve this now, it will be awkward the next time you see Father. Don’t tell me you plan not to return for the family visit next month?”

Gu Fuyou pulled the blanket over her head, saying, “I won’t go home if I don’t want to.”

Gu Wanpeng called out again, and seeing he couldn’t persuade her, Gu Huaiyou gave up and went to see their father off.

Once Gu Huaiyou left, the room fell silent.

Throwing off the blanket and with her hair in a mess, Gu Fuyou felt restless. She couldn’t fall asleep, couldn’t focus on a book, and ended up pacing back and forth.

Suddenly, she grabbed a wooden hairpin from the bedside, twisted her hair into a bun, and walked out.

She took a shortcut down the mountain and, upon seeing the teleportation formation, walked into the nearby woods and stood behind an old locust tree.

Soon, voices approached from the mountain path. Three figures slowly descended and stopped near the teleportation formation.

It was Ji Zhaoling, Gu Wanpeng, and Gu Huaiyou.

Gu Wanpeng had official matters to discuss with Ji Zhaoling and family matters to explain to Gu Huaiyou. Since flying down the mountain on their swords would be too quick to say much, the three walked slowly down.

Gu Fuyou managed to get there ahead of them. She saw them approaching but didn’t step out from her hiding spot, just leaned against the tree and watched as Gu Wanpeng said his goodbyes to the others and stepped into the teleportation formation until his figure disappeared.

While she was lost in thought, someone suddenly tapped her on the back. Turning around, she found herself facing Si Miao’s smiling face.

“You silly girl,” Si Miao teased, “If you want to see someone off, you should do it openly. Why hide and skulk around here?”

Gu Fuyou crossed her arms and gave a cold snort. “Who cares about seeing him off?”

Going out there to say goodbye would feel like admitting defeat, like she was backing down and admitting fault. Her feelings of injustice and anger would seem like nothing more than a childish tantrum.

But who takes their sadness lightly?

Without another word, Gu Fuyou turned and headed straight back to their room, as if she had just been out for a leisurely stroll. Si Miao’s face remained smiling, not pressing the topic further.

When they entered the courtyard, they immediately noticed a dark figure lurking on the porch, with a faint scent of blood lingering in the air.

Gu Fuyou called out, “Ah Fu!”

The dark figure turned around, revealing sharp fangs and fierce wolf-like eyes. With a piece of bloody raw meat still hanging from its mouth, it looked like a wild beast caught in the act.

However, upon seeing Gu Fuyou, the beast’s eyes softened, its pupils relaxing, and its fierce look faded away. It devoured the meat in a few quick bites and bounded over to her like an oversized puppy.

Gu Fuyou gave it a light smack. “You stink of blood! Don’t rub against me.”

As she walked into the house, Ah Fu followed, whimpering pitifully.

Once inside, she saw a large bloodstain on the floor, roughly the size of a full-grown bull, indicating that Ah Fu had feasted well before they returned.

She quickly opened a small pearwood cabinet inside, only to find it completely empty.

This cabinet was a storage unit similar to a storage bag , with a space inside the size of a room, where Gu Fuyou kept Ah Fu’s food supply.

Gu Fuyou stepped outside, glared at Ah Fu, and said, “Are you a pig? How can you eat so much?”

Ever since she had brought Ah Fu out, it had grown sharp fangs and become significantly bigger in just a day. Apart from occasionally asking Gu Huaiyou to hunt spirit beasts for Ah Fu’s food, she basically let Ah Fu roam free.

Ah Fu’s size and appetite grew daily. It would eat anything — the remnants of Si Miao’s pill concoctions, the meals Gu Fuyou cooked, and the flesh of the spirit beasts Gu Huaiyou caught. Now, it had even started sneaking into the storage cabinet to consume the stored food when she wasn’t around.

Gu Fuyou couldn’t help but marvel at this rare spirit beast. It had been only a few months since it was born, and it was already as intelligent as a human child.

“Isn’t Ah Fu growing too fast? Most Zhenmaos don’t grow like this,” Si Miao remarked.

Gu Fuyou also found it strange that Ah Fu was growing so quickly.

From birth until now, barely four months had passed, yet Ah Fu was already the size of an adult horse.

Its fur, which was originally grey with a tinge of white, was now shiny black. The fur on its belly and legs was white, completely like ‘dark clouds covering snow.’

Gu Fuyou pondered for a while, but couldn’t find an answer. She thought about asking Zhong Michu, perhaps she would know.

However, it’s fine when she didn’t think of Zhong Michu, but as soon as she thought of her, she started to feel uncomfortable again, irritable all over.

Since their argument in the ancestral hall, Gu Fuyou had been on edge. The dispute might not have seemed significant to others, but for someone like Zhong Michu, who seldom spoke and preferred to avoid conflicts rather than confront them, it was quite intense.

What bothered Gu Fuyou was that she didn’t want this tension between her and Zhong Michu, but she didn’t know how to make amends.

In the past, when she argued with Gu Wanpeng, Gu Shuangqing would always encourage her to apologize and point out where she went wrong.

Now, having argued with Zhong Michu, she didn’t know where she went wrong. In fact, she felt she hadn’t done anything wrong, yet they indeed had an argument.

It was frustrating.

The more she spent time with Zhong Michu, the less she knew how to get along with her.

When dealing with her family, Gu Fuyou always acted spoiled and silly to get attention, and eventually being willful and carefree became the norm. With Si Miao, they often teased each other, helping each other out along the way. When she was with Zhu Ruo and the others, they were like gentle and caring sisters who knew how to pamper and tolerate her, so she could be herself around them. As for Yuan Changshui and the others, who looked down on her, she became withdrawn, preferring to avoid them.

But how should she behave with Zhong Michu? She was worried that being too close might make Zhong Michu tire of her, while keeping a distance wasn’t something she wanted either. She didn’t want Zhong Michu to notice her strange temperament, yet hoped she would accept it.

Sometimes, she would act without thinking, and later regret her behavior, wishing she could go back in time and strangle her old self.

She wanted Zhong Michu as a friend so much. She believed Zhong Michu could be her confidant, someone with whom she could become close friends, sharing a deep, unbreakable bond. She wanted it more than anything, with a passion she had felt only once before, when she first discovered formations.

Gu Fuyou sighed, frustrated.

Dealing with her father, thinking about how to apologize to him, never required so much thought.

Thinking, thinking, Gu Fuyou chose to give up thinking.

And she maintained this mindset until the day Xuan Miao Sect allowed disciples to go home.

Due to a family matter, Si Miao had to return early. Gu Fuyou, still upset and not ready to go home herself, saw that Gu Huaiyou was deeply worried about Si Miao, prompting him to escort Si Miao back first.

After a few days, just as she was planning to go back, Zhu Ruo suddenly sent a message.

The Wandering Market is open.

This Wandering Market is the largest in the world, hosted by the biggest merchant guild. It opens every three years, attracting traders from everywhere. It’s a place where anyone, from the esteemed members of the Four Immortal Sects to ordinary villagers, can come to trade if they have something valuable to sell. Therefore, the merchants, buyers, and travelers that come are diverse: sect members, rogue cultivators, reclusive experts, you name it.

The market offered a range of items for trade, including magical artifacts, spiritual pills, spirit beasts, spiritual plants, rare treasures, and all sorts of wonders. Gu Fuyou’s ‘Records by the Azure Emperor’ was acquired from this very place.

There are also activities like beast battles, competitions, and scholarly debates were organized, offering generous rewards.

This is a grand event in the cultivation world, bustling with activity. Since the market is set up in different locations each time, it earned the name Wandering Market.

This year, the Wandering Market is set to open in Wantong City. Gu Fuyou had visited the Wandering Market several times before, always accompanied by her eldest brother, Gu Shuangqing.

However, this time, Gu Shuangqing was tied up with numerous obligations and couldn’t make it.

Gu Fuyou thought to herself that since she had been there a few times and was familiar with the rules, and since it was in Wantong City, so close by, she might as well go and take a look by herself.

With her mind made up, she packed her things that very day and descended the mountain with Ah Fu.

On her way down, she came across a wisteria tree and remembered that it was here where she had first seen Zhong Michu.

She walked over to the tree. Now, in midsummer, the wisteria was in full bloom, with clusters of flowers like light purple silk tassels.

Gu Fuyou counted on her fingers and realized it had been over a month since she last saw Senior Sister Zhong and hoped she was no longer mad at her.

With that thought in mind, she suddenly smelled a familiar, fresh scent, and looking up, saw Zhong Michu standing under the wisteria flowers, her ethereal beauty and the delicate flowers forming a charming picture.

Gu Fuyou glanced at the talisman in her hand, feeling embarrassed. She had only thought about it in her mind, but her hand had subconsciously taken out the talisman, and she had unconsciously called out her name.

Summoning her had become almost an instinctive habit.