"Stop playing dumb. If it weren't for you, how could Father have spoken to me like that?" Prince Xiao retorted.
"Heh." Gu Qingli raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile touching the corners of her lips. "I merely gave your mother a pearl. Although it was only the size of a thumb, it possesses the power to keep one eternally youthful. Do you honestly think she could have refused something so rare?"
"Eternally youthful? Stop trying to fool me!" Prince Xiao looked at her with utter disbelief and spoke in a cold, sharp tone.
"Heh." Gu Qingli chuckled. "Whether you believe it doesn't matter. What matters is that your mother does."
With that, she turned to leave.
Prince Xiao stood rooted to the spot for a moment before chasing after her. He grabbed her arm and demanded in a low, tense voice, "I am asking you—are you or are you not the same person as the Gu Qingliu I married yesterday? Why do you seem like a completely different person since falling off that cliff?"
Gu Qingli ignored him. She simply shook off his hand and continued walking forward.
Seeing this, Prince Xiao caught up again, forcefully wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to the side. "Don't walk away! You haven't answered my question yet!"
Gu Qingli glanced at him with icy indifference and said slowly, "Does it make any difference whether I admit it or not?"
Prince Xiao squinted, just about to speak, when Gu Qingli suddenly raised her hand, pressing the sharp nail guard on her finger against his throat. "If you don't let go, I don't mind slicing your throat open. This guard is not like ordinary ones; it is razor-sharp."
"You... you dare?!"
Prince Xiao glared at her in fury.
"If you don't believe me, go ahead and try. See if I dare," Gu Qingli countered with a faint, mocking smile.
"This is the Princedom Estate! If you truly harm me, my father will tear you to pieces!" Prince Xiao hissed through gritted teeth.
"Oh? Is that so?" Gu Qingli curled her lips, unimpressed, and pushed the nail guard a little deeper. "In that case, I really want to see if you dare to gamble your life against mine."
"You...!!!"
Prince Xiao was flushed with a mixture of rage and frustration. Seeing the cold glint of the guard, he had no choice but to compromise once again.
"Fine, you win!" Prince Xiao released her waist, took a few steps back, and growled.
"Hah, that's better." Gu Qingli sneered and withdrew the hand she had been pressing against his neck. "Good. I am going back to rest now. No one is to disturb me today."
Without a backward glance, she turned and left.
Watching her receding figure, Prince Xiao flung his sleeves down heavily, his eyes burning with intense hatred.
...
Returning to Liuyue Pavilion, Gu Qingli dismissed all the servants in the courtyard before summoning Luo Jiu from her ring.
"Xiao Jiu, keep watch for me. Do not let anyone in under any circumstances!" Gu Qingli ordered in a low voice. "This body is far too weak; I must seize the time to improve my cultivation."
"Don't worry, Miss. Xiao Jiu guarantees no one will get in," Luo Jiu promised immediately.
Gu Qingli hummed in acknowledgement, looking thoughtful. "Xiao Xiao must be filled with resentment toward me right now. Just now, in the hall, I saw his personal guard leaving in a hurried state; he was undoubtedly going to fetch reinforcements for Prince Xiao. Regardless, we must remain vigilant."
"If they dare to lay a hand on you, Miss, Xiao Jiu will never forgive them!" Luo Jiu clenched her fists.
Gu Qingli smiled and patted her shoulder. "Enough, no need to be so nervous. Although this body is currently weak, I have ways to elevate my cultivation realm in a short time."
"Mhm, Xiao Jiu believes in you, Miss. With your talent, these mortal cultivation levels will not be a challenge for you," Luo Jiu said, her face full of admiration.
"Alright, enough flattery. Just keep an eye on the gate. I don't like being disturbed while I cultivate." Gu Qingli brushed her brow and turned toward her room.
...
Two days passed in a flash.
Early morning at the Marquis Gu's Estate in Qingzhou City, within Lanyu Courtyard.
Two figures were admiring the flowers: Liu Nian'an, the mistress of the Marquis's estate, and Gu Qingliu.
"According to custom, today should be the day that wretch Gu Qingli returns for her visit home. I wonder how she is faring now?" Gu Qingliu said, looking relaxed as she viewed the flowers.
"Hmph, that girl always loved acting weak and pathetic. But Prince Xiao is not the type to cherish the frail. I expect she has already been tormented into a state of ruin by now," Liu Nian'an said with a mocking laugh, her tone blunt.
Gu Qingliu snorted. "I’ve never liked her. A stray girl picked up off the street, and yet Father treats her like a treasure."
Hearing this, a cold sneer formed in Liu Nian'an’s heart. "It doesn't matter how much your father treasures her now. Once she's inside the Princedom Estate, she’ll have plenty of suffering ahead!"
"Mother is right. I’m looking forward to seeing her on her knees begging for mercy in front of Prince Xiao, haha!" A cold light flickered in Gu Qingliu's eyes.
"Both of you, shut up!"
Just then, Gu Linfeng walked into the courtyard. He had come to discuss Gu Qingli's homecoming with Liu Nian'an, only to unintentionally overhear the mother and daughter's conversation.
"Father, you're here? You gave me such a fright..."
Gu Qingliu feigned fear, patting her chest, before walking over with a smile.
"Liuer, Lir'er married into the estate in your place. How can you have the heart to say such sarcastic things?" Gu Linfeng said, clearly displeased.
"Father, what are you talking about?" Gu Qingliu tugged at Gu Linfeng’s sleeve in a spoiled manner. "I am your own flesh and blood. That Gu Qingli is just a stray girl we picked up. It is her honor to marry in my stead, isn't it?"
"What do you mean, 'stray girl'? She is the only bloodline left by General Shen Nian!" Gu Linfeng replied, his face stern.
"So what? Her family is all dead. If we hadn't adopted her, would she even be alive today? She would have frozen to death on the street long ago," Gu Qingliu pouted, looking disdainful.
"You..."
Gu Linfeng was so angry his face turned red; he never imagined his own daughter could say such things.
"Enough, Father. You don't need to lecture me. I'm nineteen; I'm an adult now!" Gu Qingliu interrupted him directly.
"You, you really grow more unruly the older you get!" Gu Linfeng flicked his sleeves in frustration, scolding her sharply.
"How am I being unruly? I think you’re just being biased, Father!" Gu Qingliu retorted, unconvinced.