Yangzhou City, in a quiet, secluded alley.
Gu Qingying and Gong Shangyu had exerted great effort to finally lead the children away from the City Lord’s Mansion, temporarily settling them in the shadows of this secluded alley.
At this moment, the missing children were still shaken, huddling together behind Gu Qingying.
“Quickly, count heads. Make sure all the children have safely gotten out.”
Gu Qingying lowered her voice, her violet eyes sweeping over the children.
Though her tone remained as sharp as ever, her actions were careful, making sure the children were all gathered.
Gong Shangyu’s expression was grave as he quickly counted and then nodded to Gu Qingying:
“The numbers match, the same as the amount we rescued from the dungeon.”
Gu Qingying let out a slight breath of relief.
To ensure the mission went flawlessly, she crouched down and asked the calmest-looking Wang Yingying.
“Yingying, help us confirm again—are all the kids here? Did anyone get left behind or fall behind?”
Hearing this, Wang Yingying blinked her big eyes and nodded seriously.
“Brother Gu, Brother Shang, I just counted. Everyone’s here!”
However, at that moment, a boy named Tietou timidly tugged on Gu Qingying’s sleeve, his little face hesitant as he whispered.
“Uh… Brother Gu! It seems… it seems there’s still a sister in the dungeon who didn’t come out…”
“Hm? What?!”
Gu Qingying’s heart tightened, and she turned sharply to the boy.
“There’s still a child in the dungeon? Where exactly is she? Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
The thought that she might have missed a child deep in that gloomy, terrifying dungeon while rescuing the missing children made her voice unconsciously tense with urgency and irritation.
Startled by her sudden sharp tone, the boy shivered, tears welling up in his eyes as he whimpered.
“You… you didn’t ask before either…”
“I… I was scared, and I forgot…”
“That sister doesn’t live in our big room; she stays in the small room beside it. Uncle Zhao visits her every day…”
Seeing the boy cowering in fear, Gu Qingying was momentarily stunned, then realized she had lost her temper again.
Damn it, what’s wrong with her temper?
Ever since arriving in Yangzhou City, why couldn’t she stop wanting to snap?
Still, Gu Qingying didn’t dwell on it much, blaming her irritation on Gong Shangyu, that pink-haired fox spirit, and her constant provocations.
“Sigh… alright, Qingkong, don’t scare the kids. These children are still young, and you, as a cultivator, shouldn’t be losing your temper at them.”
Gong Shangyu spoke up at the right moment, patting Gu Qingying’s shoulder to calm her, then bent down to comfort their guest’s child.
“Hehe~ Tietou, don’t be afraid. Brother Gu didn’t mean it~ Take your time and explain clearly~”
Then he looked up, softening his tone toward the fuming Gu Qingying:
“Sigh… Brother Gu, now’s not the time to argue. Saving lives comes first~”
After that, Gong Shangyu’s expression grew serious as he turned to Gu Qingying.
“If there’s still a child left behind, I’ll just activate Time Stop and go back into the dungeon to save them myself!”
Just as Gong Shangyu’s words ended and he prepared to unleash his Time Stop ability…
“Boom—”
A thunderous explosion suddenly roared from the direction of the City Lord’s Mansion!
Immediately, two figures burst through the roof of the mansion’s main hall, clashing fiercely in midair—Lu Li and Zhao Zongchang, who had revealed his true cultivation!
At the same time, the mansion’s alarm bells blared.
The City Guard inside flooded toward the battle scene like a tide, while numerous City Defense Army soldiers from the streets converged on the mansion!
The originally favorable situation for Gu Qingying and the others’ retreat instantly turned perilous!
Seeing the City Defense Army swarming from all over Yangzhou City’s streets toward the mansion, Gu Qingying’s eyes sharpened as she made a swift decision in the secluded alley.
“Master Shang! No! We have to change the plan!”
Gu Qingying grabbed Gong Shangyu’s arm and quickly used a sound transmission technique, rapidly conveying her decision.
“Senior Sister, let me handle this!”
“If you activate Time Stop, these children who escaped won’t be able to leave!”
“If I want to get them out, I’ll have to use brute force and carry them out one by one!”
“Besides, if you use Time Stop, the child still in the dungeon will be frozen too. Finding her would be almost impossible.”
“Compared to your ability, my cognitive modification power is obviously more suited for rescue. Plus, I’m more familiar with the dungeon’s layout than you.”
“Most importantly, we don’t know how many people inside the City Lord’s Mansion are colluding with the Demonic Sect, or even if they have spies within the city!”
“Therefore, with your higher cultivation and many contacts in the city, you’re better suited to take the children away safely!”
“And after you get them out, you can come back to support me and Senior!”
Gong Shangyu looked into Gu Qingying’s determined eyes, then glanced upward at the fierce battle and the gathering City Defense Army, understanding this was the most reasonable arrangement.
Although worried about Gu Qingying venturing alone, he knew the responsibility of protecting these children was equally vital.
“Alright, then!”
Gong Shangyu nodded firmly to his junior sister, a trace of concern flashing in his eyes.
“Be careful! Once you save the child, get out with the kids right away. Don’t be reckless!”
“Shut up! I know!”
Gu Qingying said sharply, then cast one last glance at the familiar figure locked in battle with Zhao Zongchang overhead.
She bit her lip and turned to activate her system ability, preparing to return to the City Lord’s Mansion dungeon as fast as possible.
Just as Gu Qingying’s figure was about to vanish into the deep shadows of the alley, Gong Shangyu suddenly seemed to recall something important and urgently used sound transmission to warn her.
“Hey! Qingying! Wait! When you sneak into the dungeon to rescue that last child, be extremely careful! Don’t rely too much on your cognitive modification ability!”
Gu Qingying stopped in her tracks, puzzled, and looked back.
“Hm? Why?”
Before she could ask more, Gong Shangyu’s voice echoed urgently in her mind again.
“I strongly suspect that among the Demonic Sect traitors colluding with Zhao Zongchang, there’s probably your Fourth Senior Sister!”
“I fought her puppet once at the Zhou family. She can control puppets immune to my Time Stop ability and is likely a system rebirth cultivator.”
“If she’s immune to my power, she probably can resist yours too.”
“Besides, neither of us knows much about her true capabilities!”
Hearing this, Gu Qingying’s pupils constricted, her face darkened with gravity, but was quickly replaced by even stronger resolve.
“Understood. I got it…”
With that, she nodded slightly at Gong Shangyu, then merged completely into the darkness like a phantom, stealthily making her way toward the increasingly chaotic City Lord’s Mansion.
Gong Shangyu took a deep breath and shouted to the children behind him:
“Everyone stick close! Brother is taking you home!”
As Gong Shangyu spoke, an aura of comfort and trust radiated from him, making the children feel safe and confident.
With that, he shielded the frightened children and swiftly vanished at the other end of the alley.