Although everyone cursed at Ye Rong’s deceit, the enthusiasm for the second Spirit Cleansing Pill did not dampen in the least. In the end, the second pill went to Yan Liang for a price of fifteen million six hundred thousand spirit stones.

Faced with the amused gazes of everyone, Gu Lingzhi pretended to be oblivious.

Following the two pills, a number of other treasures were produced, all of which were suitable only for cultivators above the rank of a Martial Sage.

There was no doubt that the bidding for the Spirit Cleansing Pill was the most heated. Part of it was because there were only a few Martial Artists that were at the level of a Martial Sage, so even if all of the Martial Sages present participated in the bidding, it would not be as rowdy as with the lower level items. Secondly, because of their reputation, most of them maintained their composure during the bidding. At the end of the auction, the item that left the biggest impression on the crowd was ultimately the Spirit Cleansing Pill. The question of who these two Spirit Cleansing Pills would be given to became the talk of the town.

It was night when Gu Lingzhi and her friends returned home after the auction.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, the Third Prince, who completely disregarded the school rules prohibiting male visitors in the female residences, came to visit her once again. In his hand was the bottle containing the Spirit Cleansing Pill from the auction. Seeing him, Ye Fei flashed a knowing smile and invited him in.

“Lingzhi, come out! The star from today’s auction is here to see you!”

With such a happy announcement from Ye Fei, Gu Lingzhi could not continue pretending not to see the Third Prince.

“Your Highness, if I’m not mistaken, you can’t be here at this time. Even if we are engaged, you should still consider that Ye Fei and Tianfeng Jin also live here. A girl’s reputation is extremely important, you know?”

“Don’t worry, no one will dare to spread ill rumors about me,” Rong Yuan assuredly responded.

Gu Lingzhi was speechless, wondering where Rong Yuan’s baseless confidence came from.

Still, as she thought about it, even though rumors about Rong Yuan was aplenty, there seemed to be none that were bad. Aside from Ye Fei and a few others, most people did not dare to spread nasty things about the Third Prince, even regarding the matter of annulling his engagement with Tianfeng Wei.

This was the power held by the strong. Even though the Third Prince was not the strongest Martial Artist, his potential as well as his status accorded him the right to be treated as such.

“Third Prince, even if no one in the city dares to badmouth you, it doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t dare to say bad things about us. Tianfeng Jin and I have yet to be engaged, you know?” Ye Fei helpfully added.

As he heard this, Rong Yuan casually laughed and said, “Oh don’t you worry, I’ve always been very discerning.”

… Very discerning? What did that mean?

Ye Fei pondered for a moment before reacting fiercely. By saying that he was very discerning, that meant that he did not even think much of her and Tianfeng Jin. And besides, everyone was clear who the Third Prince was interested in, so no one would suspect anything.

“Hmph! I can’t be bothered to deal with a scoundrel like you!” Ye Fei fumed, and instantly launched an attack on Rong Yuan with a blade, forgetting the difference in their status.

Even before the sharp blade had reached Rong Yuan, it was caught by Yuan Zheng and twisted out of Ye Fei’s hands.

“Miss Ye, attacking members of the Royal Family is punishable by the law.”

“Uh….” Upon this reminder, Ye Fei immediately sobered up.

Respecting the nobility and government officials, this was a truth in every era.

“Lingzhi, this is the Spirit Cleansing Pill that I obtained in today’s auction. It’s for you,” Rong Yuan said, ignoring the commotion caused by Ye Fei.

Even though he knew that the Spirit Cleansing Pill was refined by Gu Lingzhi herself, he was still determined to give it to her. Rather than agonize over how to make her accept it, he decided to just do it frankly and directly.

Gu Lingzhi did not expect Rong Yuan to be so straightforward in giving the Spirit Cleansing Pill to her. Immediately, complicated feelings arose in her heart. Seeing the change in expression on Ye Fei’s face, Gu Lingzhi instantly reacted and had Rong Yuan follow her to her room.

However, this unexpected reaction surprised everyone in the room, making them assume that Gu Lingzhi had finally been moved by the Third Prince’s actions. No one knew that Gu Lingzhi was merely looking for a more private area to ask Rong Yuan to help her keep her secret.

Once they were in her room, Gu Lingzhi no longer bothered pretending, and said brusquely to Rong Yuan, “You’ve already guessed that the pill was refined by me, didn’t you?”

For some reason, Gu Lingzhi felt that she could not hide things from Rong Yuan. Seeing the latter nodding his head vigorously, Gu Lingzhi rubbed her forehead in exasperation, saying, “Give me the Spirit Cleansing Pill. Once I receive the money from the auction hall, I’ll return it to you.”

This money was what the Black Thorn was supposed to get from the auction hall for the sale of the Spirit Cleansing Pill. Because she was “absent”, the money was still in safekeeping in the Jubao Pavilion.

Rong Yuan did not hurry to respond, but instead took the time to look around Gu Lingzhi’s room. Then, he casually lay down on her bed, as though it were his own bed, and tucked his arms behind his head. “I’m buying a present for my fiancée, where did the talk of returning the money come from?”

Gu Lingzhi strongly resisted the urge to chase Rong Yuan out of the room and suggested, “You can give the pill to someone else, then you won’t have to get the money back.”

“How could I do that?” Rong Yuan replied, pretending not to see the anger in Gu Lingzhi’s eyes. He continued, “I’ve always been true to my words. If you feel like you haven’t done anything to deserve the pill, you can always pay me with your body. I certainly do not mind.”

“I’m sorry, but I do mind very much,” Gu Lingzhi replied, and started to chase Rong Yuan out. “Your Highness, since you’re done here, don’t you think it’s time for you to leave?”

Rong Yuan continued acting oblivious, as he inspected the covers on the bed. “The roses on this bedsheet are sewn really well. Could you get me one as well?”

Even if they couldn’t sleep together yet, using the same type of beddings was also somewhat romantic.

Gu Lingzhi followed his gaze to look at the blanket, before replying, “Your Highness, those are peonies.”

“Eh? It is? No wonder it didn’t look quite like a rose,” Rong Yuan answered, as though he did not get it wrong in the first place. Meanwhile, he used his hand to gently trace the shape of the peony flower, as though caressing the face of a lover. He dreamily said, “How I wish I were this bedsheet, so that you can lay against me every night.”

Gu Lingzhi almost choked out a mouthful of blood.

What, did the Third Prince’s talent all lie in romancing girls?

“Your Highness, I’m turning in now.”

Hearing that, Rong Yuan extended his arm and lifted the blankets, creating a small space. He teased, “Oh, sure, come on in!”

Gu Lingzhi could not take it anymore; she was about to cough up blood any moment now. Gathering water spiritual energy in her palm, she sent the ball of water flying towards Rong Yuan.

However, Rong Yuan laughed and easily caught hold of the ball of water, preventing it from wetting the bed.

“Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore. The Spirit Cleansing Pill is for you, and you can just take the earnings from the auction as some pocket money.”

“I don’t want pocket money from you!” Gu Lingzhi shouted back, sending out a few more balls of condensed water. “I can earn it myself!”

“Yes, yes, yes. My Lingzhi is capable, not only can she cook and clean, she can also earn enough to feed the family. She’s definitely the best person to be my wife,” Rong Yuan teased.

Even as he said this, more than ten balls of water were flying towards him. Unexpectedly, Rong Yuan sidestepped while opening the room door. Because of this, the people who were hiding outside the door eavesdropping on the conversation found themselves assaulted with the balls of water sent by Gu Lingzhi, and they were immediately soaked through.

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