Yin Cheng was completely dumbfounded.
With so many people watching, how… how could he become such a wretched, infuriating person?
His face turned alternately pale and flushed, a mix of shame, annoyance, and rage, and even his voice trembled as he said, "Gu Chengshu, you…"
"Did I say something wrong?"
When Gu Chengshu turned back, the fury in her eyes was so scorching it forced Yin Cheng to take a step back. "Ever since we entered Tianxiang Peak, you've always looked down on me. You felt that Master gave everything to me—your spirit stones, your magic tools, your pills… You complained inside the peak, and you complained outside the peak, claiming I stole your things. But, Yin Cheng, look at what you're wearing on your body, what you're wearing at your waist, what you're wearing on your head—which of these wasn't given to you by me? You call me ungrateful? If my father were still alive, would I need to take Master as my teacher? Wouldn't my father have cherished me? Was the engagement something I wanted? It was Master who begged bitterly for it before my father died. Yes, Master has rewarded me with many things. I even have the inventory of his past rewards right here."
Gu Chengshu threw out the inventory that the original owner had kept in the secret compartment at home. "Open your dog eyes and take a good look whether I've returned everything Master gave me to your family."
This was in the fifth year after entering Tianxiang Peak. The Yin Family opened a shop right next door to her house, borrowing this and borrowing that. At first, the manager, Old Uncle Yu, thought she would marry into the Yin Family, so he tried hard to help maintain relations, keeping things pleasant and harmonious with the Yin family. But gradually, they even started stealing their business.
Old Uncle Yu was deeply worried, yet dared not do anything, not even dropping a hint. Instead, he started a brand-new ledger right in front of her, recording all transactions with the Yin Family.
The original owner wasn't stupid. She went back and remained silent for a long time, frantically taking on sect missions on one hand while learning by example and secretly keeping her own records.
Gu Chengshu casually flipped to a passage and read it aloud: "On the twenty-fifth day of the third month in the Renyin year, Master rewarded me with one hundred middle-grade spirit stones and two bottles of Gathering Origin Pills. That evening, Senior Brother Yin Cheng said he had his eyes on a pair of upper-grade Wind-Chasing Boots that cost one hundred and twenty middle-grade spirit stones. I added twenty middle-grade spirit stones of my own and gave them to him together. Then Senior Brother said he only had three Gathering Origin Pills left, so I immediately took both bottles of Gathering Origin Pills and shoved them into his hands. Martial Uncle…"
Gu Chengshu's voice was thick with heavy sobbing and suppressed anger as she slammed her head against the ground several times. "I remember every single entry with absolute clarity. Martial Uncle can check them, and I am willing to swear by my inner demons that every word I have recorded and spoken is the absolute truth."
She could feel how heartbroken, confused, and terrified the original owner had been when recording all of this. "Upon entering Tianxiang Peak, I knew the sect and Master cared for me. I cherished that care and tried hard to repay it. Yet, for thirteen years, the growing reputation of being spoiled and arrogant has remained firmly pinned to me. I…"
"Yin Cheng!" A thunderous roar echoed in the air as Yin Zhenghai, having received the news, rushed over in a panic. "You beast! What are you trying to do? Your old man isn't dead yet, and you're already trying to bully Chengshu again?"
Wan Linglong glared at the executive disciple. Why did he have to be so fast?
The executive disciple who had sent the message to Yin Zhenghai regretted it too; if he'd known, he would have dragged his feet.
"Master!"
Ignoring Yin Cheng, who had collapsed to his knees in terror, Gu Chengshu turned back and slammed her head against the floor *thud, thud, thud* several more times.
In fact, the direction she was kowtowing was not toward the main entrance, but toward a pillar slightly to the east. "I beg Master, for the sake of my father, to grant me a way out and let me break this engagement!"
What?
Seeing the sect leader senior brother stand up with a grave expression, and then looking at his stunned son and the disciple whose forehead was practically bleeding, Yin Zhenghai's face instantly turned ashen.
"How did it come to this? How could it come to this?! Chengshu, I will properly discipline your senior brother, you…"
"Master!"
Without raising her head, Gu Chengshu remained prostrated on the floor, her voice desolate. "I want to live. I don't want to be vexed to death."
The consequences of holding back could easily be seen just by looking at the original owner.
Gu Chengshu dared not imagine the consequences of backing down any further. "I dare swear by my inner demons that that stalk of Yinyuan Grass was found by me through a stroke of luck. But Senior Brother fancied Geng Ruoqi and forced me to yield it to her at bargain-bin prices, giving it the high-sounding excuse that by befriending Geng Ruoqi, Martial Uncle Geng would be magnanimous and not target me specially on account of my father."
When she raised her head, her forehead was bruised and stained with blood. Her pretty almond eyes, naturally curved in a smile, were brimming with tears, yet she stubbornly held her head high and refused to let them fall. "I do not know what grievances exist between my father and Martial Uncle Geng. I only know that the way Senior Brother looks at Geng Ruoqi is not right. He said the person he has always liked is Geng Ruoqi, and that I was leveraging past kindness to trap him… Master, please let me finish."
Gu Chengshu cut off Yin Zhenghai, who was trying to interrupt. At that moment, True Monarch Feng Lan, having also received the news, stepped into the great hall. Feeling a wave of steady resolve, Gu Chengshu turned slightly and kowtowed once more to this martial aunt. "The sect has always rumored that I was leveraging past kindness, and that Master doted on me, giving me everything. I didn't want to be that kind of person, so I basically transferred all of your rewards to Senior Brother. I worked hard on sect missions to earn my own money, and the spirit rice produced in Xiaohe Valley was sent straight to Tianxiang Peak's kitchen simply in the hope that certain people would say a kind word about me, rather than claiming I ate their food and used their things."
"…"
Wan Linglong was simply dumbfounded.
There was such a move as this?
She looked at the one kneeling, then at the ones standing, and drew in a sharp breath.
Those three months at the Cliff of Reflection truly seemed to have opened Junior Sister Gu's eyes to many things. Not only was she calling off the engagement now, but she was also stripping away Martial Uncle Geng's face and Martial Uncle Yin's face, stripping the pants right off Yin Cheng and certain people on Tianxiang Peak!
Hiss—!
Brilliant!
"Master! I won't have my father ashamed of me! Please give me a way to live!"
As she prepared to strike the ground with her head once more, she was caught mid-motion by True Monarch Feng Lan.
"Senior Brother Dantai," she said with absolute coldness, "for the sake of Junior Brother Gu, let the engagement be annulled, and Chengshu will come with me."
Dantai Shuo: "…"
He knew the little girl would come up with some scheme, but he hadn't expected her to pull off one this massive.
Sighing, Dantai Shuo looked at Yin Zhenghai, whose face was purple with either shame or rage. "A forced melon is not sweet. The engagement between Chengshu and Yin Cheng is hereby annulled! Junior Brother, I know you are single-mindedly devoted to cultivation, but you really ought to pay more attention to the affairs of your peak's disciples. How about this…"
Seeing that he was about to speak, Dantai Shuo made a definitive final ruling. "Chengshu's emotional state is currently unstable; let her temporarily reside in Mingfeng Valley. Take Yin Cheng back with you and discipline him properly."
He really had misjudged the situation.
Previously, he had thought Yin Cheng was decent enough.
Who would have thought!
Dantai Shuo found that there were quite a few people he had misjudged.
Still, as for Tianxiang Peak…
Glancing at the bruised and bleeding forehead of the little girl, a trace of reluctance flashed in Dantai Shuo's eyes.
This child used to be stubborn and spent money like water.
To actually drive her to keep ledgers…
"We needn't speak of past matters, but Junior Brother, I hope you will make up for the spirit rice from Xiaohe Valley. That was designated for her by Martial Uncle Wushang by name."
Xiaohe Valley was not granted for his sake, after all.
One shouldn't take advantage of others to such an extent.