It was no wonder they laughed. The standards of acceptance for the top four schools in Xinghua, the Celestial Academy, White Heron Academy, Bamboo Academy, and Snow Academy were very strict. Celestial Academy was located in the capital and many talented students had graduated from it. Since it had particularly stringent standards for acceptance, it was impossible for it to accept a student who was incapable of cultivating.
It was open knowledge that Gu Fenghua could not cultivate, so it was a complete joke for someone like her to apply for Celestial Academy. They would sooner believe pigs could fly than think that Gu Fenghua was capable of making it into the school.
They were not alone. Everyone who had caught wind of this was waiting for Gu Fenghua to make a laughingstock of herself.
Everyone had clean forgotten that the last time someone mocked Gu Fenghua saying that pigs could fly, her eldest brother made the person climb up a tree with a pig and jump out of it. It was a complete embarrassment.
As everyone gossiped about Gu Fenghua, she was busy putting things inside her interspatial bracelet. Interspatial storage tools were so expensive that barely anyone could afford them. The interspatial bracelet her older brothers gave her had a storage capacity of three to four rooms. Even the emperor's favorite son only possessed an interspatial ring with enough space to put a table and chairs.
Everyone knew about Gu Fenghua's interspatial bracelet. Most of them knew about it, but no one knew for sure how large it was. However, no one dared to touch her things because of her scary brothers. Who would dare court death? Now that her brothers had gone missing, people started to eye her things.
Gu Fenghua was preparing to go to Celestial Academy.
"Shiliu, where are the stuff I told you to buy? Get it sent over." Gu Fenghua had told Shiliu to buy over 50 kilograms of all kinds of snacks from Five Spices. She told her to buy over 150 kilograms of beef jerky altogether. Since Gu Fenghua was a carnivore, how could she survive without meat? The same went for dried fruit.
Her maids looked at her sadly. Neither of them felt that Gu Fenghua would make it into Celestial Academy. Was she preparing to go on a long trip? Was she trying to run away from all these people who were out to get her? They were certain of it. That definitely sounded like a good idea. After her maids realized what Gu Fenghua was up to, they eagerly prepared the things she asked for.
The maids packed their luggage and prepared to run off with Gu Fenghua. However, Gu Fenghua did nothing and continued as though everything was normal.
Gu Fenghua sat in a pavilion at home as she leisurely drank fruit tea and ate melon seeds.
"M-miss, when are we leaving?" Shiliu could no longer suppress herself and rushed Gu Fenghua nervously. Heaven knew how worried she was. Gu Fenghua was so frail that she was completely powerless against her enemies. How could she protect Gu Fenghua?
"I can't bring any maids for the freshmen exercise," said Gu Fenghua unhurriedly as she narrowed her eyes and ate the melon seeds Shiliu had shelled.
What? Shiliu was at a loss. What was Gu Fenghua talking about? Why did she not get it?
"Miss, aren't we going into hiding?" asked Shiliu cautiously.
"Huh?" Gu Fenghua drank some fruit tea before she smiled. "Shiliu, you are adorable."
Shiliu was stunned. Although she did not understand what Gu Fenghua had said, she had a feeling it was nothing good.
"I don't understand why all of you think that I am weak." Gu Fenghua stood up slowly. The vulnerability on her face instantly disappeared and her eyes looked bright. The determination in her eyes left everyone's hearts palpitating. A breeze swept by and her sleeves fluttered in the wind. In that instant, she looked like a cold flower standing in a field of ice and gave off a cold, indifferent and proud aura
Her maids' legs could not help trembling and they wanted to kneel altogether. What was going on with this powerful aura of hers? It made them shudder from the bottom of their hearts.
In an instant, the sensation disappeared. They looked at Gu Fenghua only to see her looking vulnerable as usual.
It was an illusion, right? It must have been their imagination.
No one knew that the world was about to change and the person who changed history was Gu Fenghua.
***
After Gu Fenghua finished getting ready, a guard came in to tell her that Miss Zhong was here to see her.
"Show her in," said Gu Fenghua nonchalantly. Her eyes landed on Shiliu's hands as she shelled melon seeds. "Shiliu, look at how beautiful your hands are. I never get sick of looking at them. I wonder which lucky guy will get to hold them in the future."
"Miss, stop teasing me! I'm never going to marry. I will serve you for the rest of my life." Shiliu instantly blushed crimson before she said solemnly, "I wonder what brings Miss Zhong here."
"Maybe she found out that you are going for the entrance exam, so she dropped by to root for you?" speculated her other maid, Pingguo. It was common knowledge that Miss Zhong was close friends with Gu Fenghua.
Her full name was Zhong Wanying and she was Marquis Jingbei's daughter. She was kind, graceful, and also a talented martial artist. The people in the capital only had praise for her. She was Gu Fenghua's only girlfriend. Ever since Gu Fenghua's brothers went missing, Zhong Wanying often swung by to hang out with her and comfort her.
Gu Fenghua merely smiled quietly. She raised her head to see a young woman dressed in pink walking over. Zhong Wanying was always dressed in pink and looked ethereal.
"Fenghua." Zhong Wanying walked up to Gu Fenghua with a worried look on her face. She sat down on the stool next to Gu Fenghua and asked anxiously, "Are you really going for Celestial Academy's entrance exam?"
"Uh huh," replied Gu Fenghua calmly. She took the melon seeds Shiliu had shelled and leisurely placed them into her mouth bit by bit. It was such a joy to eat melon seeds this way!
"What? Are you really going?" Zhong Wanying's voice sounded a few degrees higher before she anxiously said, "Fenghua, what were you thinking? Don't you know people are waiting to hit you while you're down now that your brothers are missing? They are all waiting to see you make a fool of yourself. How could you make such a mistake? How could you abandon yourself to despair? Your brothers would be heartbroken if they knew."
"I haven't." Gu Fenghua smiled. She ate melon seeds and drank fruit tea as she looked at the disappointed Zhong Wanying and spoke deeply.
"What do you mean you haven't?" Zhong Wanying looked even more disappointed when she saw Gu Fenghua in denial. "You know that you are unable to practice martial arts, yet you signed up for the entrance exam, and plan on making a fool of yourself. If that isn't considered abandoning yourself to despair, I don't know what is."