The carriage drawn by six horses made a sound, its curtain lifted, and a familiar, elegant figure peeked out.
The person’s attire was different from usual, appearing somewhat formal.
She wore a light pink dress, her long black hair held back by two fan-shaped gold hairpins. Her clear, beautiful face was lightly made up, and her lips were brushed with a faint red, adding a touch of maturity.
It was Ling Yuyan.
She saw Gu Ming standing dazed at the entrance and called out, “Get in. Why are you still standing there?”
Hearing this, Gu Ming nodded and walked toward Ling Yuyan’s carriage.
Seeing him approach, Ling Yuyan retracted back into the carriage to make room for him.
After Gu Ming entered, Ling Yuyan told the driver to depart.
The carriage jolted slightly, and Gu Ming felt it slowly move forward.
The carriage was large, so the two did not sit close together. Ling Yuyan sat in one corner, while Gu Ming sat opposite her.
Once inside, Gu Ming studied her with a strange look.
Initially, Ling Yuyan didn’t think much of it and feigned composure, but a flush of crimson inevitably crept across her pretty face, betraying her feelings.
Unable to hold back any longer, Ling Yuyan asked, “Why do you keep looking at me?”
“You look good,” Gu Ming admitted.
“Thank you for the compliment.” Ling Yuyan felt a bit embarrassed, but then warned, “However, it’s very rude to keep staring at a girl.”
“Sorry.”
Gu Ming apologized sincerely.
Actually, what he really wanted to say was that Ling Yuyan’s current makeup didn’t quite suit her girl-next-door image.
However, he knew that saying this would surely cause her displeasure and lead to unnecessary trouble. So, he had improvised and complimented her instead.
As he expected, Ling Yuyan wasn’t angry; she was actually quite happy.
‘As expected, when dealing with girls, one should give plenty of compliments,’ Gu Ming thought.
Ling Yuyan looked at him suspiciously and said, “I feel like you didn’t mean that.”
“How could that be?” Gu Ming replied with a straight face. “It’s the truth.”
Ling Yuyan still didn’t believe him. She stared at him for a while before letting out a soft sigh. “Forget it, I won’t dwell on it.”
Gu Ming secretly breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Are all girls this sensitive?’
“By the way,” Gu Ming quickly changed the subject, fearing she would start overthinking again. “Why are we taking a carriage? Aren’t there more convenient ways?”
“Because I want everyone to know you’re my fiancé,” Ling Yuyan said seriously.
“I’m a fake one, right?” Gu Ming had a bad feeling. Why did it feel like this fake act was becoming real?
“Nonsense.” Ling Yuyan curled her lip. “Do you actually want to make it real?”
“Or perhaps —”
Ling Yuyan smiled mischievously. “You’re already in too deep and can’t pull yourself out?”
“No.” Gu Ming shook his head frantically, like a rattle drum. “Of course not. I still have the professional ethics I should have.”
“Hee hee.”
Ling Yuyan covered her mouth and chuckled.
“Then again, is it really necessary to make such a big fuss?”
Gu Ming thought about it and still felt it was too exaggerated.
One carriage would have been enough, but now, besides theirs, four more carriages followed behind. There were numerous guards around the carriages, a whole guard detail at the rear, and even a ceremonial procession leading the way…
This arrangement would make anyone think some high-ranking official was arriving.
However, as the daughter of the Lingyun Pavilion Master, Ling Yuyan’s status was indeed prominent, placing her among the nobility.
“It is necessary.”
Ling Yuyan nodded seriously.
After Shen Lingxi and Feng Qing’er had questioned the authenticity of their engagement, Ling Yuyan felt that just showing affection wasn’t enough. She decided to go all out.
She wanted everyone to know she was grandly bringing her fiancé back to Lingyun Pavilion to meet her father. This way, their relationship as a betrothed couple would become public knowledge, solidifying their status.
Her father would surely care about the reputation of Lingyun Pavilion and would no longer consider a marriage alliance with the Hundred Flowers Valley.
Even if her father found out about their fake relationship one day, she wasn’t afraid.
Because no major power would accept a girl whose reputation was already tied to another man.
Even if her father was thick-skinned enough to ignore his pride, would the Valley Master of the Hundred Flowers Valley do the same?
Ling Yuyan’s mental calculator was clicking away, and she couldn’t help but chuckle foolishly. She felt she was simply too clever.
Seeing her giggling like an idiot, Gu Ming muttered to himself. ‘What is this woman laughing about?’
‘She couldn’t be planning something outrageous, could she?’
***
After a long journey, six hours later, Ling Yuyan’s convoy finally arrived at Lingyun Pavilion.
Once the carriage convoy entered the gates of Lingyun Pavilion, it drew many disciples to stop and watch.
Since it was evening, there weren’t many disciples, but there was still plenty of gossip.
“The Second Young Miss’s carriage? Why is she taking a carriage back?”
“Don’t you know? Rumors are flying everywhere. The Second Young Miss is bringing her fiancé to meet the Pavilion Master.”
“Gu Ziye?”
“Not him. It’s a fiancé the Second Young Miss found herself.”
“Who?”
“The champion of the Saintess Mountain’s last Outer Disciple Martial Arts Tournament. Oh, it’s not called the Outer Disciple Martial Arts Tournament anymore; it should be the recruitment tournament for the Personal Disciple of the Holy Maiden.”
“Personal Disciple of the Holy Maiden?!!! Is our Lingyun Pavilion forming an alliance with Saintess Mountain? I thought there were rumors of a marriage alliance with the Hundred Flowers Valley. Why did it change?”
“No idea. Anyway, Gu Ziye must be miserable. He went to the tournament at Saintess Mountain to get close to the Saintess, but before even competing, he was locked up for insulting her. Now, the future wife his father found for him has run off with someone else. Hahaha, that’s hilarious.”
“Wait, I remember the champion’s name was Nameless, right?”
“What about it?”
“Before the tournament started, that Nameless fellow had a bit of history with Gu Ziye. Nameless even broke Gu Ziye’s hand.”
After talking to this point, a dozen or so disciples looked at each other and then burst into laughter.
“Hahaha, Gu Ziye is too pathetic! He’s going to become a massive laughingstock.”
“When he gets out, I’m going to mock him ruthlessly to his face.”
“Forget it. You? The Valley Master of the Hundred Flowers Valley would come for you with a Great Cleaver the next day, and even the Pavilion Master wouldn’t be able to protect you.”
“Just kidding, just kidding. I can’t laugh to his face, but can’t I laugh in private? Hahaha.”
…
Not long after the carriage entered, it came to a stop. After Ling Yuyan and Gu Ming got out, they saw Ling Yunfeng waiting nearby to greet them.