Facing Gong Shangyu’s shameless words, Duan Xueyan nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood from 1982.
She truly felt she had never seen such a brazen cultivator.
“Hm… There does seem to be such a rule!”
Lu Li, ever the one to stir up trouble, was clearly siding with his own disciple to help rob the rich.
“Uh… Elder Lu, that’s really… thick-skinned…”
The surrounding disciples of the Xuling Sect broke out in cold sweat as they heard Lu Li’s recent remark.
As for Gu Qingying, who had remained silent all this time and was suddenly named by Gong Shangyu, she stared in utter confusion, eyes wide with shock.
Then she looked with disbelief at the grinning Gong Shangyu beside her.
Hey!
Second Senior Sister!
Are you addicted to extortion?
Now you’re dragging me into it too?
As for Duan Xueyan at this moment, her smile was completely unsustainable, and the corner of her eye twitched.
She suddenly felt as if she’d stumbled into a bandit’s lair, and was being mugged in turn by Duanqing Peak’s great bandit and her two little sidekicks!
Seeing this, Lu Li’s eyes glinted with deeper amusement.
Once again, at the perfect moment, he spoke to Duan Xueyan, his tone carrying a few hints of helpless consolation and apology.
“Sister Duan, children speak without filter… please don’t take offense.”
“My Qingtian really is a quiet sort—she’s never one to ask for anything. If it’s truly inconvenient for you, then just forget it…”
“Oh, is that so…”
Duan Xueyan forced a smile, squeezing the words out through clenched teeth.
On the surface, Lu Li’s words sounded conciliatory, but in truth, he was putting her on the spot!
After all, giving a gift to one and not the other?
She, Duan Xueyan, couldn’t stand to lose face like that!
But if she really gave in… then she’d have to offer something of the same grade as the Wenxue Nine Swords she’d just given away—she couldn’t show any favoritism…
And if she did take something out, what if Lu Li’s pink-haired disciple opened her mouth to demand even more?
What would she do then?
While Duan Xueyan was still hesitating, the ever-scheming Gong Shangyu exaggeratedly exclaimed again.
“Ah! The sky’s falling, the sky’s falling! Duan Xueyan, the grand Hall Master of the Merit Hall, a Nascent Soul master, actually can’t bear to give a welcome gift to a junior!”
Damn!
Could this little rascal show even a little shame?
Hearing Gong Shangyu’s words, Duan Xueyan’s face instantly darkened.
If it weren’t for Lu Li and his master—who was a Grand Ascension stage cultivator—she’d have already taught this shameless brat a harsh lesson.
In fact, Duan Xueyan should count herself lucky that Gong Shangyu had no idea what she was thinking.
Otherwise, Gong Shangyu would only laugh more recklessly and shamelessly tell her—
Face?
What’s the use of that?
Can you eat it?
Can you wear it as clothes?
Such a useless thing—she’d thrown it away long ago when she was still begging on the streets in her previous life!
Right now, Duan Xueyan felt a bit regretful—regretful she hadn’t checked the almanac before leaving today.
How could she have run into a shameless little thing like Gong Shangyu, who’d already scammed her Wenxue Sword and was still not satisfied, wanting to extort more.
But for the sake of her own reputation, Duan Xueyan could only grit her back teeth, and once again reached into her Shouhu Fa Qi, pulling out a delicate white jade gourd.
On its surface, runes resembling Xiangyun had been inscribed with Ling Shou blood, giving it a lofty and magnificent air.
“Ah… the Dingxin Gourd!”
Lu Li’s eyes lit up, inwardly exclaiming that Duan Xueyan was really paying dearly this time!
This Dingxin Gourd wasn’t any kind of offensive or defensive treasure; it lacked any attack or defense ability.
Instead, it served as an external Dan Tian mana reservoir.
The owner of the gourd could store surplus spiritual power refined daily into it, to be drawn out later in battle!
Wearing it on one’s person also helped to calm the mind and focus during cultivation.
It even prevented qi deviation in daily training, accelerated progress, and solidified cultivation—truly a treasure coveted by all cultivators.
But the cost to craft such a thing was high; high-level cultivators had no use for it, and low-level ones couldn’t afford it.
Only great and powerful sects would equip their core holy sons and daughters with such treasures.
The few remaining Dingxin Gourds in the Xuling Sect had all been acquired through special channels.
Gu Qingying looked at the rare treasure offered to her, and was instantly at a loss—unable to accept it, but unable to refuse either.
In the end, she could only look helplessly to Lu Li and Gong Shangyu.
Gong Shangyu, however, snatched it up and stuffed it into Gu Qingying’s hands with a grin.
“Senior Brother Gu, hurry up and take it! And quickly thank your Martial Aunt! Didn’t I say she’s generous? Aunt Duan really is good to us!”
Gu Qingying accepted the gourd, sensing Duan Xueyan’s resentment almost congealing into substance.
The gourd felt scorching hot in her hand, so she could only droop her head and mumble in a mosquito’s whisper:
“Uh… Disciple thanks Martial Aunt Duan.”
“Heh… You’re welcome!”
Duan Xueyan nearly ground the three words out from her molars.
Gong Shangyu, satisfied, was just about to drag the still-dazed Gu Qingying away to make a clean escape.
But Duan Xueyan was a step faster, and with her teeth clenched, issued an eviction order to the three little bandits in front of her:
“Heh… The welcome gifts have been given!”
“Junior Brother Lu, Duanqing Peak is a busy place, and your two disciples must cultivate diligently. So I won’t keep you!”
“The Merit Hall has much to do—I won’t see you off!”
At this moment, Duan Xueyan just wanted to quickly send these three bandits away, especially that shameless pink-haired brat, who had single-handedly lowered the moral standard of the entire Duanqing Peak.
Her Wenxue Nine Swords had been scammed away—that was her treasured heirloom!
Ah…
No, enough!
She couldn’t look at them any longer!
If she did, she’d have heartache, afraid they’d come up with more mischief and empty out her Merit Hall—or even the entire Xiaoyao Peak!
Lu Li looked at Duan Xueyan’s face, twisted with pain as she tried to keep up appearances and wished them gone.
The amusement in his eyes was almost overflowing.
He had braced himself to settle the mission—he’d even prepared himself mentally for Duan Xueyan to forcibly double-cultivate with him and eat him dry.
Who would have thought he’d end up watching such a delightful show, with his second disciple quietly making Duan Xueyan, who always teased him, suffer such a major loss.
His long-repressed heart felt utterly delighted.
Feigning contemplation, Lu Li did not lead his two disciples away, but instead stepped forward with what Duan Xueyan saw as a “simple and honest” smile, which was in fact brimming with mischief, and rubbed his hands together.
“Hehe~ Senior Sister Duan… You see, these welcome gifts were your kindness for the children…”
“Everyone at Duanqing Peak is deeply grateful. However…”
Lu Li’s tone shifted, and his smile grew more sincere:
“But I also completed the sect’s mission this time, so the rewards… Shouldn’t they be settled now? We were so caught up in the kids just now, we forgot the main business.”
“After all, sect rules are absolute.”
“Lu Li! You…”
Duan Xueyan’s vision darkened at his words, her blood surging up—she nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood right then and there.
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