Lu Li followed the Shang Family Father and Son around the Dan Ding Pavilion, carefully inspecting every corner inside and out.
He found that the Dan Ding Pavilion was indeed exactly as Shang Qianyue had described—clean to an almost unbelievable degree.
Lu Li almost felt a twinge of guilt, as if he had been momentarily blinded and had misjudged these good people.
By the time Lu Li finished inspecting the Dan Ding Pavilion with Gu Qingkong, it was already midnight.
Seeing the late hour, Lu Li originally planned to take his disciple back to the Inn to rest.
Unexpectedly, the Shang Family Father and Son were overly enthusiastic, strongly insisting that Lu Li and Gu Qingkong stay overnight at the Dan Ding Pavilion.
Lu Li wanted to refuse but found their hospitality impossible to decline, so in the end, he reluctantly agreed to their invitation.
After returning to the Guest Room arranged for him at the Dan Ding Pavilion, Lu Li casually closed the door and decisively cast a soundproofing barrier around the room.
Turning around, Lu Li furrowed his brows slightly as he looked at his clearly distracted disciple, whose face bore a faint trace of inexplicable guilt.
“Qingkong,”
Lu Li’s voice slowed, carrying a hint of inquiry,
“what do you make of today’s events? How much do you think the words of those two Shang family men can be trusted?”
At this moment, Gu Qingkong was privately agonizing over having helped Second Senior Sister deceive her master and unwittingly invited a wolf into their midst, increasing the competition against herself.
So when Lu Li asked, Gu Qingkong shivered suddenly, almost like a kitten stepped on its tail, and jumped up from her seat.
Realizing her outburst, she quickly lowered her head, avoiding eye contact with Lu Li.
Her fair fingers nervously twisted at the hem of her clothes, and her voice was quieter than usual.
“Uh… Master, I think the Shang Family Father and Son didn’t seem fake when they spoke. Their analysis did have some merit…”
Her voice grew softer as she spoke, trailing off into a near whisper.
“Besides, if they were truly villains, why would they bother explaining things to us, even showing us the Map…”
“I think… maybe they genuinely just want to clear up the misunderstanding and cooperate with us to solve the case?”
After speaking, Gu Qingkong timidly lifted her eyes to glance at Lu Li quickly before lowering them again and adding,
“In short… I feel like they mean us no harm and even gave us clues.”
“So I think… what they said just now is probably true, right?”
Gu Qingkong’s words stumbled awkwardly, and although her logic was roughly sound, her guilty, breathless demeanor—unable to meet Lu Li’s gaze and overly eager to defend them—appeared suspicious to Lu Li.
Lu Li listened quietly, his gaze settling on the little head almost buried in her chest and the faintly reddened tips of her ears.
He couldn’t help but think something was strange.
Hiss…
This kid is usually a bit impulsive but can hold steady when it counts.
Why was she suddenly so timid today?
Could it be… she was frightened when caught earlier?
Lu Li pondered for a moment but didn’t immediately call out his disciple’s unusual behavior.
Instead, he spoke calmly, his tone devoid of any emotion.
“Hm, I understand. This matter is rather strange. Although what the Shang Family Father and Son said seems reasonable, they may not have told us the full truth. The Map and the clues about the Yin Corpse Sect could be useful, but we must verify them carefully and not accept their words blindly.”
With that, Lu Li patted Gu Qingkong’s shoulder and comforted her softly,
“You were frightened today, and it’s quite late now. You should return to your room and rest well.”
“Yes, Master.”
Gu Qingkong lowered her head and timidly left the Guest Room to rest in the next room.
After she left, Lu Li stared at the Map Gong Shang Yu had handed him earlier, frowning slightly as he looked at the four suspicious areas marked.
“Dan Ding Pavilion, Yin Corpse Sect… Are these four suspicious spots really problematic, or are they bait laid by the Dan Ding Pavilion?”
With that, Lu Li rubbed his sleepy eyes and let out a lazy yawn toward the empty room.
“Enough, enough… I’ll sleep first. Whatever problems this Shang Family’s Dan Ding Pavilion has, I’ll deal with them after waking up tomorrow!”
He blew out the candle in the Guest Room and silently lay on the bed, his mind full of questions and doubts as he drifted off.
Not long after Lu Li fell asleep, the previously tightly closed Guest Room door suddenly opened.
The night in Yanzhou was so quiet.
Moonlight streamed through the vermilion door into the room, casting a thin, dark shadow on the floor.
Gu Qingkong, who had activated cognitive alteration, returned from the neighboring room with a face full of guilt, making sure her master was deeply asleep.
She stood by the bedside, staring at Lu Li’s sleeping profile in the moonlight, a mix of emotions swirling in her heart.
At this moment, the guilt of colluding with Second Senior Sister to deceive her master—inviting trouble and increasing competition—weighed heavily on her sensitive, fragile heart.
“Sorry, Master, I’m sorry…”
Gu Qingkong knelt beside Lu Li’s bed, whispering in a voice full of remorse, like a helpless wife who sells out her husband for promotion.
Her violet eyes shimmered with tears.
“Master, I didn’t mean to lie to you…”
“I know you don’t want to be deceived, but I’m just as forced into this—blame Second Senior Sister, it’s all her fault!”
“I had no choice…”
The more she spoke, the more wronged she felt, and by the end, she was justifying herself.
“Master, you should understand me, right?”
“After all, I’m doing this to protect you!”
“If I cooperate with Second Senior Sister, I can better protect you in the future!”
“Besides, if I don’t help her, I might not be able to stay by your side anymore…”
“So, Master, you should understand me, right?”
Her tone grew more urgent, and a strange flush crept onto her cheeks.
Her pulse and heartbeat sped up as she trembled and gently lifted the corner of Lu Li’s quilt.
Looking at her master’s cold, serene sleeping face under the moonlight, Gu Qingkong felt a burning heat surge through her body.
Biting her lip and closing her eyes, she prepared to crawl into her master’s arms.
But just as her body was about to touch the bed!
A faint yet incredibly clear sound echoed outside the Guest Room—a strange noise like the precise meshing and locking of gears!
At the sound, Gu Qingkong’s movements froze instantly.
Everything around her suddenly stopped; the room became deathly silent.
Terrified, Gu Qingkong turned her head and saw Second Senior Sister Gong Shang Yu leaning against the doorframe, a teasing smile playing on her face.
“Aha… my dear little Junior Sister~ I knew it, you naughty little cat wouldn’t behave quietly~”
“With your System Ability to alter others’ cognition and lower your own presence, you think I’d believe you wouldn’t secretly do something to Master?”
“Gong Shang Yu! You’re ruining my plan again!”
Gu Qingkong nearly lost her mind and lunged toward her sister’s sleeve.
But before she could touch it, Gong Shang Yu easily flipped her over and scooped her up like a kitten.
“Sigh… little Junior Sister, you’re clearly still too young to tussle with me~”
Gong Shang Yu tilted her head, her pink eyes gleaming with delight in the moonlight.
“To prevent you from pulling any more tricks and tarnishing our sect’s reputation, tonight… Second Senior Sister will personally supervise your sleep~”
With that, she forcibly carried Gu Qingkong out of Lu Li’s room, “thoughtfully” closing the door behind her with her toe and deactivating time stop.
As the two girls quietly left, Lu Li’s room regained its silence.
But this peaceful silence lasted less than the burning of two incense sticks before it was broken again.
Two incense sticks later, Lu Li’s door opened once more.
Gong Shang Yu’s sneaky figure quietly appeared at the threshold.
“Phew~ finally got that troublesome brat to sleep…”
Gong Shang Yu muttered softly, rubbing her hands together.
Her pink eyes sparkled in the darkness like a fox spotting treasure.
She reactivated time stop and swaggered to Lu Li’s bedside.
Staring at her master’s defenseless sleeping face, a glimmer appeared at the corner of Gong Shang Yu’s mouth.
“Sslurp… Master, I’m here!”
“I just took care of the little Junior Sister for you. Now it’s my turn to collect a little ‘supervising troublesome Junior Sister’ fee from you~ Master~”
Gong Shang Yu giggled softly and decisively reached toward the waistband of Lu Li’s sleeping pants with her “sinful” claws.
But just as her fingertips were about to touch their target!
A cold, bone-chilling voice filled with mockery rang out from behind Gong Shang Yu, from the direction of the door.
“Hehe~ Second Senior Sister~ Looks like your little hand isn’t quite as honest as you thought~”
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