Chapter 159: A Bit "Superfluous"

On the other side, after Gu Weiyu and the others descended from the flying ship, they returned to their former courtyard just as before.

Xu Weizhou and Chu Liuxing were unwilling to stay in the guest quarters either; they chose to remain in Gu Qingyun's Ling Shuang Pavilion, and the three of them lived under the same roof.

In any case, for Xu Weizhou, most of his time was spent in the meditation room and the courtyard, so where he stayed did not matter much.

Especially Chu Liuxing, who, harboring the mindset of seizing the best position near the water, willingly moved into Ling Shuang Pavilion.

When Liu Huo saw this, he found it somewhat unbelievable. If he had known earlier, although his young master usually appeared easygoing and unpretentious, the man was actually extremely particular!

Green Bamboo Courtyard.

A stray beam of dawn light filtered through the window into the room. Gu Weiyu sat cross-legged on a futon in the meditation room and slowly opened her eyes.

She had not had time to cultivate for quite some time, and she treasured this rare opportunity for practice. Especially when her body was filled with spiritual energy, she felt a profound and pervasive sense of comfort throughout her entire being.

Gu Weiyu straightened her posture, suddenly recalling that she had not heard Little Bud's voice for quite a while.

Her spiritual sense sank into her dantian, where she saw the little fellow with its leaves unfurled, dwelling deep within her dantian. The Heavenly Thunder Fire rested obediently beneath Little Bud, like a loyal little subordinate standing guard over her.

"Little Bud?" Gu Weiyu called out in a soft, gentle whisper.

Little Bud's leaves remained utterly motionless, as if it had heard nothing at all.

Gu Weiyu looked closely at Little Bud and discovered that its body seemed to have grown a size larger, with a brand-new leaf sprouting from its crown. It appeared that those things it had consumed were not eaten in vain.

"Little Bud?"

Gu Weiyu called out once more, yet Little Bud still showed no response.

Suddenly, Little Shu's voice echoed within her sea of consciousness. "Alright, stop calling out to it. This little fellow has entered a period of dormant slumber."

"Dormant slumber?" Gu Weiyu curiously withdrew from her dantian, returning her spiritual sense to the sea of consciousness, where she saw the little green book drifting leisurely like a flat-bottomed boat upon the waves of her consciousness.

"Yep, wood-type demonic beasts always enter a period of dormant slumber whenever they advance," Little Shu said with a very matter-of-fact tone. "When it wakes up again, it means it has successfully advanced."

"Then about how long will it take for Little Bud to wake up?" Gu Weiyu asked hurriedly.

She was well aware that demonic beasts and spiritual beasts possessed extremely long and enduring lifespans. Some demonic beasts might sleep for decades or even a century at a time. She hoped Little Bud wouldn't fall into a slumber and remain asleep indefinitely without anyone knowing when it would wake.

"As for that, I'm not entirely sure. The duration varies from beast to beast," Little Shu replied as it flipped its pages with a helpless air.

Hearing this, Gu Weiyu fell silent. She stood up from the futon and walked downstairs.

"Young Miss—" Seeing Gu Weiyu come down, Yueya greeted her with a beaming smile.

"Sister Yueya, Sixteenth Uncle told me all about it. Congratulations!" Gu Weiyu remembered Gu Hui mentioning that Sister Yueya and Yu Min, the manager of the outer courtyard, had already finalized their engagement.

Hearing this, Yueya blushed shyly, nervously twisting her handkerchief as she lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum, "Thank you, Young Miss, for bringing about this happy union!"

If not for Gu Weiyu's insistence back then, Yueya likely would have returned to Rock Tea Village. Perhaps she would have obeyed her parents' orders and the matchmaker's words, marrying a complete stranger and leaving a lifelong regret in her heart.

"Sister Yueya, has the wedding date been set?"

Gu Weiyu walked over and sat down in the rattan chair by the window. Little Guo had already arranged a platter of spiritual fruits, and Gu Weiyu picked one up and took a bite.

"Not yet," Yueya shook her head. "I wanted to wait until Young Miss returned before discussing the wedding date."

In truth, Yueya was reluctant to leave Green Bamboo Courtyard and wished to spend more time by the young miss's side before her marriage.

After all, once the wedding date was set, she would need to return home to prepare for the nuptials and become a wife of the Yu family. By then, she feared there would be many more restrictions.

Yueya felt a trace of melancholy. Mortal women were simply like this, possessing little freedom to speak of and ultimately unable to act entirely as they pleased.

"Very well. When the time comes, I will surely prepare a generous dowry for you so that you can marry into the Yu family with grace and dignity!"

Gu Weiyu looked at Yueya. In her heart, Yueya had always cared for her like an older sister, and she hoped Sister Yueya would live a happy and joyful life.

"Thank you, Young Miss." Yueya was deeply grateful. Having served as the personal maid to a Gu family young miss had already brought her countless benefits.

Even after she married in the future, her husband's family would hold her in higher regard.

After chatting with Yueya about domestic matters for a while, Gu Weiyu took her along to Hibiscus Residence.

Ninth Sister's personal maid, Lianzhi, had already married. However, upon hearing that the Ninth Young Miss had returned, she specially brought her one-year-old daughter back to the Gu Estate, making Hibiscus Residence exceptionally lively.

"Giggle—"

Before even stepping into Hibiscus Residence, Gu Weiyu heard from afar the crisp, delighted giggles of a little girl.

"That must be Sister Lianzhi's daughter..." Yueya said with a radiant smile on her face. She had seen the little one before; she was extremely cute and lively.

Gu Weiyu accompanied Yueya into Hibiscus Residence and saw the Ninth Sister personally holding Lianzhi's daughter, trying to reach a withered lotus leaf in the pond.

Her face was glowing with a natural, gentle smile, and it was clear her mood was exceptionally good.

Chu Liuxing was also in the courtyard, holding that dazzling, lavish golden folding fan as he stared dazedly at Gu Weihuan.

"Older Brother Chu, hurry up and wipe away your drool!"

Gu Weiyu walked up behind him, suddenly patted him on the shoulder, and said with a cheeky smile.

Chu Liuxing instinctively reached up to touch the corner of his mouth—there was no drool at all!

"Little Yu!" He turned to look at Gu Weiyu, looking somewhat exasperated and embarrassed.

Gu Weiyu made a face. "Am I not your Eleventh Sister?"

With that, she darted like a wisp of smoke behind Gu Weihuan and complained with a wronged expression, "Ninth Sister, look! Older Brother Chu was just glaring at me!"

Amused by the two of them, Gu Weihuan let out a soft laugh. The tiny little person in her arms also emitted a string of silver-bell-like, crisp, and melodious giggles.

Seeing the Ninth Sister laughing heartily, Gu Weiyu joined in as well.

Standing nearby, Lianzhi also wore a joyful smile. As for Chu Liuxing, he had long since been captivated, watching in a daze.

For a moment, the courtyard was filled with a warm and harmonious atmosphere.

Seeing that Lianzhi's daughter, Xiao Ni, had round, rosy cheeks that looked like a red apple, Gu Weiyu couldn't help reaching out to gently pinch them. They were so soft and smooth—the tactile sensation was simply wonderful.

Who could have known that the little fellow had quite a fiery temper? She glared at Gu Weiyu's hand with her big, grape-like eyes, suddenly turned down the corners of her mouth, and burst into a loud wail.

"Oh, has our little Xiao Ni gotten angry?" Seeing this, Gu Weihuan quickly lowered her head to coax the child, her expression exceptionally gentle.

Gu Weiyu withdrew her hand, and Chu Liuxing leaned over, saying, "Look at the fine mess you've made!"

"Hmph! You care more about beauty than friendship!" Gu Weiyu glanced at him sideways and couldn't be bothered to dignify him with a response.

Chu Liuxing didn't mind at all. He considerately handed over a handkerchief embroidered with golden ingots and said, "Xiaohuan, want to wipe the child's face?"

Gu Weihuan took the handkerchief quite naturally and carefully wiped away the tear tracks on Xiao Ni's face. "There, there, don't cry anymore. I'll pinch her back for you to get even!"

With that, she playfully made a pinching motion toward Gu Weiyu's arm.

Gu Weiyu: "..."

She instantly felt that she was somewhat superfluous here. Had she just been abandoned by both her friend and her sister at the same time?