Gong Shangyu folded her arms across her chest, leaning against a corridor pillar.
Her pink eyes squinted at Gu Qingying, who was currently holding the slip of paper left by Lu Li, turning it over and over to examine it.
Her delicate chin was slightly tilted up, and her face was filled with a mocking expression that screamed “I knew it would be like this.”
“Heh…”
She let out a short, cold laugh, breaking the brief silence between them.
“What did I say? Gu Qingying, is that mushy brain of yours only good for being filled with Master’s ‘kindness’?”
Gu Qingying was staring blankly at the note that read, “Master has temporary matters to attend to and needs to leave for a moment. You two wait here, do not worry.”
She was trying to find evidence in the lines that Master had not abandoned them.
Hearing those words, she suddenly looked up, fire burning in her Purple Eyes.
“Second Elder Gong! What do you mean?!”
“What do I mean?”
Gong Shangyu stood up straight, approaching step by step, her pink eyes flashing with a light that saw through everything.
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s Master’s diversionary tactic! He used the Dharma Assembly to attract our attention so he could slip away and investigate that damned Dream Phenomenon alone! Only a little fool like you, who is dizzied by Master’s charms, wouldn’t be able to see through such a simple trick!”
Gong Shangyu extended her slender finger, nearly poking Gu Qingying’s nose, her tone carrying unmasked resentment.
“It’s all your fault! If you hadn’t eyes shining like a little puppy lured by a bone the moment you heard Master say ‘Young people should experience more, this Dharma Assembly is a good opportunity’ and ‘If you win, Master will grant you a small, reasonable request,’ and eagerly dragged me to register, how could we have let Master slip away right under our noses? Hmm?”
Gu Qingying’s cheeks turned red and white as she listened, stamping her feet in anger, yet she could not fully refute it.
At that time, Master’s warm and encouraging gaze had indeed made her head spin with heat; she only wanted to perform well in front of Master and hadn’t thought much about the hidden cleverness behind it.
“You… You’re talking nonsense!”
Gu Qingying stiffened her neck, trying to force a sense of dignity to defend Master and herself.
“Master is not that kind of person! He… he said it was a temporary matter! He must have discovered some urgent clue and had to deal with it immediately! Once he’s done investigating, he will naturally come back to find us!”
Gu Qingying’s voice grew smaller as she spoke, her confidence clearly lacking, her fingers tightening slightly on the note.
In truth, she knew in her heart that what Gong Shangyu said was likely true, but she was unwilling to admit she had been “tricked” by Master again, and even less willing to show weakness in front of Gong Shangyu.
“Oh? Really?”
Gong Shangyu raised an eyebrow, a mocking curve hooking her lips.
She leaned closer to Gu Qingying and lowered her voice, a sharp glint flashing in her pink eyes.
“Then what if… Master encounters some danger during the investigation? For instance, falling into a trap meticulously laid by some Demonic Path Evil Cultivator, or even that traitor Mo Qingyou? Or perhaps accidentally stumbling upon some secret he shouldn’t know and being cornered in an alley by those Demonic Path rebellious thieves?”
Gong Shangyu’s words were like ice picks, stabbing ruthlessly into Gu Qingying’s heart.
Gu Qingying’s breath suddenly hitched, her Purple Eyes widening instantly.
Images of Lu Li meeting with misfortune uncontrollably surfaced in her mind.
Although Master had reached Core Formation, the waters of Yicheng were very deep.
Who knew what kind of terrifying existence was hidden behind that bizarre Dream Phenomenon?
Furthermore, that Fourth Senior Sister Mo Qingyou, who was suspected of having a higher System level, might also be lurking in the shadows…
“Master, he…”
Gu Qingying opened her mouth, wanting to say “Master is very powerful,” but she swallowed the words back.
Having undergone Rebirth, she knew the dangers of the world of Cultivation better than anyone; an open spear is easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow is hard to defend against.
Seeing Gu Qingying’s face turn pale in an instant and her speechless state, Gong Shangyu knew she had struck a nerve.
A flash of gratification went through her heart, but it was accompanied by an even greater, unspeakable anxiety.
She was actually just as worried about Lu Li’s safety; she was simply used to expressing it in this confrontational manner.
Just as the atmosphere became even more stagnant, and Gu Qingying was about to be driven by her inner worry and Gong Shangyu’s words to turn back and search for Lu Li—
“Dong!!!”
A loud and distant chime of a bell rippled out from the highest point in the center of the square, instantly spreading through the entire Dharma Assembly area.
Following that, a thick and powerful voice resounded through the clouds via a sound-amplifying Magic Array.
“The auspicious hour has arrived! The Jin Kingdom Yicheng Jiachen Session Cultivator Dharma Assembly… officially begins now! Would all fellow Daoists who have registered for the competition please follow the guidance of your number plates and head to your respective designated areas to prepare!”
“The first round melee will begin in half an incense stick’s time!”
The clamor of voices was like a lake into which a stone had been thrown, boiling over instantly!
The Cultivators who were originally talking or waiting immediately took action, surging toward different Arena areas according to the instructions.
Spiritual light flickered in the air as battle intent rose.
This sudden bell toll and announcement were like a life-saving straw, instantly rescuing Gu Qingying from her predicament of worry, self-blame, and stubbornness.
Gu Qingying’s eyes brightened suddenly, as if she had found the perfect excuse.
She grabbed the wrist of Gong Shangyu, who was still mocking her, with an urgency to change the subject and a bit of undeniable “excitement.”
“Ah! The competition has started! Senior Sister, did you hear that? The competition has started!”
Without another word, she dragged the slightly unresponsive Gong Shangyu toward Arena C, which their number plates had indicated.
As she squeezed through, she shouted loudly, “Don’t just stand there! Hurry, hurry! Master told us to participate in the competition for experience; we cannot fail Master’s expectations! If we get kicked out in the first round, that would truly be losing face for Master!”
Gong Shangyu was pulled into a stumble, nearly crashing into a tall body-tempering Cultivator nearby.
She stabilized herself and looked at Gu Qingying’s back—the back of someone who was clearly feeling guilty but forced herself to act full of fighting spirit—and was so angry she almost laughed.
“This dead green tea! She’s quite skilled at changing the subject!”
A flash of annoyance went through Gong Shangyu’s pink eyes, but with the current crowd surging, it was indeed not a good time to continue the argument or look for Master.
Moreover… she glanced at Gu Qingying, and in her heart, she was suddenly sparked with a hint of competitiveness by Gu Qingying and the atmosphere of this Dharma Assembly.
“Fine, since we’re already here… Hmph, it’s just the right time to vent some anger on these blind fellows. I might as well see if I can get lucky and find a clue or two about that bizarre Dream Phenomenon among these mixed-bag participants.”
Thinking of this, Gong Shangyu stopped struggling and let Gu Qingying pull her through the crowd.
However, her mouth remained unforgiving as she sneered, “Heh, now you know we shouldn’t fail Master’s expectations? Why didn’t you think of that just now when you were helping count the money after being sold by Master? Once we’re on the stage, don’t expect me to help you!”
Gu Qingying didn’t look back, snapping back with sarcasm, “Who wants your help! Just worry about yourself! Don’t get beaten down in the first round; that would truly lose all face for the Pill Cauldron Pavilion’s Shaozhu!”
The two of them continued to snap at each other while struggling through the dense crowd, finally arriving at the Arena C area.
This was a massive circular field marked with white lime, surrounded by many Cultivators and commoners watching the excitement.
Inside the field, including the two of them, there were a total of twenty participants.
Their Cultivation levels were uneven, ranging from Qi Refining level one to Foundation Establishment.
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
***
At the same time Gu Qingying and Gong Shangyu were about to step onto the stage to begin their match in the Dharma Assembly, Lu Li, located inside Zhang’s Sweet Water Shop, also began his questioning of the shopkeeper.
“Shopkeeper Zhang, this Daoist has not come to your place today for anything else. I mainly want to ask how much you know about that nursery rhyme related to the Red Moon that the Children in the Royal City have been singing lately!”
Facing Lu Li’s questioning, Shopkeeper Zhang gave a fawning smile and spoke.
“Oh… Master, you’re asking about that nursery rhyme. I did indeed dream about that nursery rhyme a few days ago…”
“However, for some reason, these past few days it has actually been spreading everywhere through the mouths of those Children in the capital. Regarding this, I actually find it very strange as well…”
“After all, I only dreamed of that song once and never mentioned it to outsiders. Yet now it is everywhere; it is truly strange, truly strange…”
Hearing this, Lu Li felt a strange sensation in his heart and increasingly felt that the Shopkeeper Zhang before him was somewhat odd.
After all, he had only mentioned the nursery rhyme; he hadn’t even asked other questions yet!
This Shopkeeper Zhang was acting as if he were confessing without being prompted, pouring everything out like beans from a bamboo tube.
That feeling was like someone with a guilty conscience, desperate to distance themselves from the song.
Seeing this, Lu Li quickly said to Shopkeeper Zhang again, “Regarding the strange dream that has been widely rumored in the capital recently, and the dream where you heard the nursery rhyme that day, how much do you know?”
Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Zhang said with a face full of smiles, “I’ve long since forgotten about those kinds of things~”
“After all, no matter how much people talk about it, it is ultimately just a dream! Who would be so idle as to remember what they dream about every day…”
“As for those so-called strange dreams in the city, if you ask me, it’s purely the mindless talk of foolish men and women following the crowd.”
“In any case, I don’t believe in such sinister things.”
Afterward, Lu Li spent some time there asking Shopkeeper Zhang many things in a casual manner, but in the end, he couldn’t get anything useful out of him.
However, this did not make Lu Li give up.
Through the series of questions just now, Lu Li had already faintly perceived the suspicious points in Shopkeeper Zhang’s words and felt that something was very wrong with the man.
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