[v]Laugh at me for being a loser? You'll all kneel down after you awaken your talent!

"What...you actually refused?" Old Master Gu was stunned and stood there in disbelief.

"We're family-oriented!"

He earnestly persuaded her, "The Gu family holds a pivotal position among the four great families of Tianfen. If you become my darling, you will not only have your own mother's protection but also the Gu family's full support. Why would you refuse such a good opportunity?"

Bai Huang glanced at him sideways, her tone firm: "No matter how glamorous the mask, it can't hide the truth. Even if you create the perfect identity for me, I'm still just a substitute for someone else."

"I was born to be Bai Huang, and I can only ever be Bai Huang. I can't be your darling."

Grandpa Gu was stunned.

He rarely saw such unwavering determination in the eyes of a young girl.

These words struck a chord with him.

Although the other party rejected his proposal, his persistence and courage are truly admirable.

"Grandpa, I should go now." Bai Huang turned to leave.

"Wait a minute!" Old Master Gu's tone softened considerably. "Do you have any relatives?"

"An orphan."

Aren't unwanted children orphans?

"Then...you can remain Bai Huang, but could you stay with my daughter for a while?"

After a moment's hesitation, Old Master Gu quickly added, "Our Gu family is willing to adopt you as our goddaughter."

"Such a good thing?" Bai Huang frowned, looking somewhat puzzled.

"The hearts of parents are all the same."

Old Master Gu smiled bitterly, his eyes filled with the weariness of time. "In front of Nianci, I'm not some patriarch of the Gu family, just a worried old father. I'm just afraid she'll run away from home again."

When Gu Nianci left home, no one could stop her.

After all, she possesses the strength of a Xuan King.

Now she treats Bai Huang as her daughter, and since Grandpa Gu also admires this child, taking her in as his goddaughter is a win-win situation.

But in Bai Huang's mind, the faces of the Bai family members appeared.

Madam Bai, the maid who bullied her, and the two people who stole her jade pendant...

She took a deep breath, a determined glint in her eyes.

It would probably take a long time for one person to fight against a behemoth like the Bai family.

However, if one becomes the adopted daughter of the Gu family and receives their guidance and support, the situation will be quite different.

“I agree,” she said in a deep voice.

......

Before long, the news of the Gu family adopting a goddaughter spread throughout the streets and alleys.

To welcome Bai Huang, the Gu family patriarch specially prepared a grand banquet, with delicacies and fine wines laid out on the long table, and invited many distinguished figures to attend.

"Wow, these days have been quite lively!"

"That's right! First, Madam Bai found her long-lost daughter, and now the Gu family has taken in a goddaughter!"

"I heard the Gu family is hosting a banquet tonight, are you going?"

"Of course we have to go!"

"By the way, have you heard? That crazy old woman in Beggar's Alley is actually Gu Si, the Gu family's fourth son who disappeared many years ago!"

"She's back? Does that mean the Gu family has gained another Xuan King?"

Teahouses, streets, and even some minor sects were buzzing with discussion about the Gu and Bai families' search for their daughter.

"I've heard that Miss Bai is exceptionally talented, possessing the Seven-Star Mystic Body!" The gambling den buzzed with discussion. "I wonder how capable that adopted daughter of the Gu family is?"

"She might even be better than Miss Bai!" someone interjected. "But wasn't Miss Bai already selected as a candidate for the Crown Prince's consort?"

"Shut your stinking mouth!" A furious shout rang out, and several people rushed forward, giving the two gossiping individuals a beating.

“How dare you judge our young lady so casually?” A maid in a green dress puffed out her chest; it was Bai Sang.

"A wild girl of unknown origin, a mere adopted daughter, dares to compare herself to the eldest daughter of the Bai family?"

After saying that, she turned around and helped a woman in a white dress behind her.

It was during that day of family reunion that the little beggar was discovered to possess the Seven Star Fire-type Mystic Body.

"Miss, please don't be angry." Bai Sang's face was full of a fawning smile.

"Look at this place, tsk tsk, it's disgusting." The woman in the white dress looked around and frowned in disgust.

She had long since shed her former shabby beggar appearance and changed her name to "Bai Zhu".

Now she is dressed in magnificent robes, and her complexion is rosy and radiant.

"It's all your fault for bringing me to this awful place. It's smelly and filthy, what's there to see? Let's get out of here."

The surrounding gamblers were furious upon hearing this, but dared not utter a word.

"Stinky and filthy?" Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and a woman stood in the doorway, a sly glint in her eyes.

"I actually find this place quite fascinating!"

She strode in, and the maid who had been so arrogant just moments before turned deathly pale, as if she had seen the King of Hell.

"You...how could you...?"

The woman at the door ignored her and walked straight to the center of the hall, announcing loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself. I am the adopted daughter of the Gu family, the one you all talk about over tea and after meals for 'marrying into a wealthy family.' My grandfather just said that this gambling den is a gift for me."

"From this day forward, I, Bai Huang, will be in charge of this place!"