Chapter Thirty-Six: Named Green Dumpling

The courtyard gate opened with a gentle sound, and Gu Qingyun entered, bringing Liuguang along. Gu Weihuan followed close behind.

“Ninth Sister, Twelfth Brother, you’ve come?” Gu Weiyu greeted them with a smiling face, standing in the courtyard.

“Eleventh Sister, I heard from Yueya that you were injured?” Gu Weihuan walked in, concern written all over her face.

“It was nothing, just a small wound. I’m already fine,” Gu Weiyu replied lightly, as if it were a matter of no consequence. “You two came at the perfect time. The bamboo shoots in my courtyard are growing splendidly. Shall we dig some up and fry them with meat?”

“Yes! Yes!” Gu Qingyun, the little glutton, immediately raised both hands in agreement and dashed toward the bamboo grove. Liuguang hurried after him.

Gu Weihuan walked to Gu Weiyu’s side, her face stern. “Let me see your hand.”

Resigned, Gu Weiyu stretched out her hand. Her ninth sister always seemed gentle, but was the hardest to fool.

Seeing the battered palm before her, Gu Weihuan couldn’t help but gasp. This was what she called a “small wound”?

“Ninth Sister, I really am fine,” Gu Weiyu insisted earnestly. “See, it’s already scabbed over!”

“It must have hurt a lot yesterday, didn’t it?” Gu Weihuan’s voice was full of pity; just looking at it made her ache.

“Ninth Sister, Eleventh Sister, come quickly!” Gu Qingyun’s excited voice broke the conversation, calling from the bamboo grove. Relieved, Gu Weiyu quickly pulled Gu Weihuan along.

It was rare for the three of them to gather together. As they dug for bamboo shoots, their laughter filled the air, though Gu Weiyu mostly watched from the side.

“In a few days, I want to visit the Treasure Pavilion. Do you two want to come along?” Gu Weiyu’s two thousand contribution points were burning a hole in her pocket.

“The Treasure Pavilion?” Gu Weihuan shot her a glance. “Two missions outside and you’re already flush with cash.”

“Hehe, Ninth Sister, come with me?” Gu Weiyu knew she was still annoyed at her for not taking care of herself, so she shamelessly snuggled closer.

“Eleventh Sister, I want to go too!” The mention of the Treasure Pavilion made Gu Qingyun abandon his digging for fear of being left behind.

“We’ll go together on our day off the day after tomorrow!” Gu Weiyu decided.

That evening, all three gathered for supper. The bamboo shoots in the meat dish were the very ones they had dug up themselves, which made the meal especially delicious.

Two days passed in a flash. After taking the Nurturing Pill, Gu Weiyu’s hands and back had healed so well that, unless one looked closely, there was no trace they’d ever been injured.

“Sister Yueya, let’s go!” The long-awaited day had finally arrived. As soon as the appointed hour came, she couldn’t wait to grab Yueya and head out.

Gu Qingyun was just as impatient. As soon as she stepped out, his voice came ringing closer, with Liuguang hurrying behind. “Young master, slow down!”

“Ninth Sister, hurry up! Eleventh Sister must be waiting!” Gu Qingyun urged, not slowing down in the slightest, while Gu Weihuan trailed leisurely behind.

Gu Weiyu quickened her steps to greet them, and together the three made their way to the Treasure Pavilion outside the Gu family estate.

The Treasure Pavilion stood on the busiest street in the county city. It was three stories tall and covered a hundred square meters, the finest shop in town for selling magical and spiritual artifacts, bringing the Gu family a handsome income each year.

“Wow—” It was Gu Qingyun’s first time here. The dazzling array of artifacts left his eyes sparkling with wonder.

“Twelfth Brother, let’s go to the third floor,” Gu Weiyu suggested, pointing upstairs. The first two floors were open to all: the ground floor sold artifacts for the Qi Refining stage, the second floor for the Foundation Building stage. The third floor was off-limits to outsiders, reserved for Gu clan members to exchange contribution points for their preferred magical and spiritual items.

The three made their way up. The attendant on duty greeted them respectfully, “Ninth Miss, Eleventh Miss, Twelfth Young Master, your servants must remain outside.”

Gu Weiyu understood it was the rule. After giving instructions to Yueya and the others, they entered together.

“Eleventh Sister, what do you plan to exchange your points for?” Gu Weihuan strolled the third floor, her eyes lighting up at the treasures on display. But with each item costing at least a thousand or two contribution points, she could only look—she had none at all.

“I want a flying artifact!” Gu Weiyu’s eyes shone. She’d long coveted Uncle Sixteen’s flying artifact.

“Ninth Sister, help me pick one!” She pulled Gu Weihuan toward the section with flying artifacts.

For the Qi Refining stage, more than twenty different types of flying artifacts were displayed, most shaped like spirit boats, but there were also gourds, round fans, gold ingots, and other unique designs.

Gu Weiyu led Gu Weihuan to a cloud-shaped flying artifact, no bigger than a palm, and said with great enthusiasm, “Ninth Sister, what do you think of this one?”

The first time she’d come to the Treasure Pavilion, she’d fallen for this cloud-shaped artifact at a glance. Nothing else could compare.

Gu Weihuan gazed at the cloud-shaped artifact, her eyes flickering. “Uh—Eleventh Sister, what drew you to this one?”

“Oh, the spirit boat shapes are too common and boring. The gourd—what if you slipped while flying? The gold ingot is just tacky. And that round fan is a bit too feminine…” Gu Weiyu rattled off her complaints, finding fault with every other design.

“So… why this one?” Gu Weihuan still hadn’t heard the answer she wanted after all that, and pressed on with a sigh.

“This cloud is so ethereal! Just imagine me riding on a cloud—wouldn’t it be the picture of celestial grace?”

Gu Weihuan: Is she serious? This cloud is pitch-black—what’s graceful about that?

“And look, you can sit or lie on it. It must be soft and comfortable!”

Gu Weihuan: That’s even more absurd. Why not just make it a bed?

“See the description? This cloud isn’t just fast—it combines offense and defense. It’s full of advantages!”

Gu Weihuan: Did you see the price? The others top out at a thousand points, but this one wants two thousand! Daylight robbery!

“Ninth Sister, do you think I should exchange for this one?” Gu Weiyu looked at her with hopeful eyes, seeking approval.

Throughout this, Gu Weihuan had been silently criticizing every thought. If it were her, she’d never choose this black cloud artifact. Still, she could see Gu Weiyu was truly happy with it. “It’s fine. As long as you like it.”

“Isn’t it? I think it’s great. I’ve even named it—henceforth, it’ll be called Qing Tuan!”

“Qing Tuan?” Gu Weihuan echoed absent-mindedly. The name was odd, too.

“Yes! ‘Qing’ means black, and a cloud is also called a ‘tuan.’ So, a black cloud is Qing Tuan!” Gu Weiyu explained with confidence.

The corner of Gu Weihuan’s mouth twitched. How had she never noticed just how peculiar her little sister’s way of thinking was?