Peerless Spirit Master - Chapter 2

The Liu Family was a well-respected clan in Chunyuan Town, and Liu Ruyu prided himself on being the town’s distinguished Young Master Liu.

When Ye Guilan arrived at the Liu Family residence, the servant who opened the door for her was surprised. “Miss Ye, I didn’t expect you to come so late.”

Ye Guilan walked inside, hearing their unrestrained gossip.

“Still the same useless look as always. What is she wearing? Can’t she tell the Young Master was joking? Who would be so brainless as to take it seriously?”

Ye Guilan walked in expressionless. Having occupied this body, she owed it to the original owner to do something for her. Forcing her own father to buy a birthday gift for Liu Ruyu at the cost of her own life-such devotion surely deserved to be made known to the Young Master Liu.

She had been to the Liu Family many times. For the sake of pursuing Liu Ruyu, Miss Ye was always showing up on all sorts of occasions, big or small.

The formal birthday banquet had yet to begin. Ye Guilan strode into the inner garden, where Liu Ruyu, surrounded by several young ladies, resembled a proud peacock.

His gaze swept over, and the moment he saw Ye Guilan, there was undisguised disgust and contempt in his eyes-as if wordlessly saying, she really dressed up like this.

A few servants in the garden saw Ye Guilan and turned away, stifling laughter. Ye Guilan raised an eyebrow-let them laugh; even she found her own appearance hard to accept.

“Oh, if I didn’t look carefully, I’d have thought some kind of monster had wandered in. Isn’t this Ye Guilan?”

A few young ladies around Liu Ruyu turned their heads and laughed. “Ruyu was just joking, and you took it seriously?”

“A joke? But I went to all this trouble to dress like this-didn’t Ruyu say he wanted to see it?” Ye Guilan smiled and strode forward. “Ruyu, were you really just joking?”

Ye Guilan stared at Liu Ruyu. In her memory, his image was a bit blurry, but now that he stood before her, his looks were only a four out of ten. He probably wasn’t as rich as Ye He either. If it weren’t for some tricks up his sleeve, how could he handle so many admirers at once?

Clearly, he was keeping a whole pond full of fish.

Unfortunately, the Ye Guilan of before had been too foolish, too gullible, and too easily trusting of others.

“Anyone could tell it was a joke-except you.” Gone was the earlier look of disdain; Liu Ruyu now spoke with a smile, even sounding a bit affectionate.

The surrounding young ladies were unhappy to hear this. “What’s this, Ruyu? You’re actually speaking up for her?”

Liu Ruyu chuckled softly, glancing at Ye Guilan. If not for that earlier look, Ye Guilan herself might have believed that this young man had some real feelings for her.

It must have been such moments that kept Ye Guilan hopelessly hooked.

Though Ye Guilan had lived less than twenty years in her previous life, she had matured earlier than her peers. Such cheap tricks were utterly useless on her.

If you want to keep a pond of fish, go ahead. I have no time to play along.

“Ye Guilan, since you’ve come to the birthday celebration, where’s your gift?”

“You yourself said you’d give Ruyu a Spatial Container. Did you bring it?”

The young ladies eyed Ye Guilan. “Don’t tell me you were just bragging?”

“A Spatial Container is far too valuable. I only mentioned it in passing-you didn’t have to take it seriously.” Liu Ruyu looked at Ye Guilan. “Of course, you’ve always kept your word. If you really gave it to me, I’d feel bad accepting it.”

“Ruyu, if she wants to give it to you, you should take it.”

“That’s right. It’s her token of affection for you. Hasn’t it always been that way?”

Ye Guilan stood there. Over the years, the original owner had given Liu Ruyu countless things, every single one paid for by her father-and all of them expensive.

Sometimes she’d claim to want something herself, and only then would Ye He buy it-only for her to turn around and give it to Liu Ruyu.

This time, as for the Spatial Container, perhaps her father finally realized this couldn’t go on, and refused. But after years of doting, Miss Ye had developed a spoiled temperament and chose the most foolish path-to threaten her own father with death, and in the end, really lost her life.
“Ruyu, I’m really sorry, my father won’t buy me a Spatial Container.” Ye Guilan spoke, squeezing a girl aside as she did so. When Liu Ruyu saw her trying to get close, he moved back in clear distaste.

“It’s alright, I was just saying it offhand.”

“How could that be? Even if you just said it casually, Ruyu, you must really want one, right?” Ye Guilan looked at him, enraptured. “Don’t worry, I’ll think of something.”

“Ye Guilan, don’t get so close to Ruyu!”

A girl stepped forward and pulled Ye Guilan back. “I heard you fell into the water a few days ago. What happened?”

“Yeah, I heard you looked pretty miserable when they fished you out. What was all that about?”

Ye Guilan stood with her head bowed, then suddenly burst into tears. “I threatened my father with my life, hoping he’d buy me a Spatial Container, but he still wouldn’t do it.”

At her words, the expressions of several people present changed.

“Ruyu, believe me, if I try a few more times, my father will definitely get it for me!” Ye Guilan lifted her head. “If jumping into water doesn’t work, I can try something else. I can even hurt myself! As long as it’s for you!”

“Are you crazy? What does your suicide or self-harm have to do with Ruyu? You’re the one insisting on gifting a Spatial Container-what does it have to do with Ruyu?”

“Didn’t Ruyu say he wanted one? Of course I’ll get it for him! If I hurt myself, Ruyu, would you marry me? I’m doing all this for you…”

Bang!

Liu Ruyu reached out and directly pushed Ye Guilan away, watching coldly as she fell to the ground. In his eyes, Ye Guilan was a big catch-after all, the countless rare treasures she’d brought over the years spoke for themselves.

He intended to string her along-why let go of such a fool?

But now, she was clearly getting out of control.

“Ye Guilan, what you do has nothing to do with me. The Spatial Container was your idea to give; I never forced you. Sure, I mentioned I wanted one, but everyone could tell I was just making conversation.”

“Just making conversation… so you didn’t mean it at all?” Ye Guilan sat on the ground, looking up at him.

Liu Ruyu let out a cold snort. “Don’t you know which words should be taken seriously?”

“If you’d just said so earlier, none of this would have happened.” Ye Guilan stood up and dusted off her clothes. “Since that’s the case, I won’t bother you anymore. You told me not to take it seriously, so I won’t. Goodbye.”

She finished, turned and left without looking back.

“What a mess of clothes. I wish I could tear them off right now,” Ye Guilan muttered, finally out the Liu Family’s gate, barely able to stand it any longer. “What kind of taste is this? Can’t I dress more normally?”

She looked at the dangling ornaments on her clothes, ripped them all off in one go, and tossed them on the ground.

“Ye Guilan, one fall into the water really has changed you a lot.”

Startled, Ye Guilan looked up and saw a young man sitting atop the wall, his gaze lowered toward her. “These clothes-only you could wear them.”

He leapt down in front of her. “Your obsession with Liu Ruyu actually drove you to threaten your father with death for a Spatial Container. That’s really something.”

His words were barbed, full of chill, and even deeper disappointment.

Ye Guilan wasn’t angry, but instead laughed. “You know so much about me. Do you like me?”

“Like you? Don’t kid yourself.” The young man looked at her coldly. “I just overheard what you said at the Liu Family. The Liu Family is about to be promoted to a Fifth-Rank Family.”

Ye Guilan froze. Fifth-Rank Family? What’s that supposed to mean?

Seeing her look of confusion, the young man let out another cold laugh, leapt a few times, and quickly disappeared from view. Ye Guilan had no interest in figuring out who he was.

She stood there, letting out a long, helpless and bitter growl.

She should have seen this coming. For this Miss Ye, her whole life for more than a decade had been nothing but Liu Ruyu, Liu Ruyu, Liu Ruyu. Her mind was a blank-how could she know anything else?”