“Bastard! You, stop right there!”
Gu Qingying was trembling with rage.
Without a second thought, she prepared to chase after the person to settle the score.
However, just as Gu Qingying circulated her Spirit Energy, her rationality slowly returned.
The competition rules strictly prohibited contestants from attacking one another.
If she chased him down and started a fight now, regardless of who was in the right, she would inevitably be disqualified by the referee just like Gong Shangyu.
If that happened, all her previous efforts would go to waste.
At that thought, Gu Qingying clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug deep into her palms.
She watched the direction where the figure in the big-head doll mask had vanished, her chest heaving violently.
Ultimately, she forced down the impulse for immediate revenge.
“The Heavenly Sword Sect… the one in the big-head doll mask… I’ll remember you!”
Gu Qingying squeezed the words through her teeth, burning the humiliation and anger into her heart.
“Don’t let me run into you in the next match!”
“Otherwise… I’ll show you what’s what!”
Gu Qingying glanced resentfully at the empty spot where the thief had been.
No longer in the mood for battle and with no way to vent her pent-up frustration and fury, she could only fly back to the arena floor in a dejected, sluggish manner.
Waiting for her was Gong Shangyu’s unveiled, mocking, and schadenfreude-filled smile, followed by a sharp, verbal jab via Transmission.
“Oh~ isn’t this our determined Senior Brother Gu? What’s the matter? Where is the second stone casket? Didn’t get it? Seeing you like this… could it be that you were ‘educated’ by someone? Tsk tsk, how truly unfortunate~”
Gong Shangyu stood with her arms crossed, her pink eyes full of mischief as she prepared to further “comfort” her frustrated Junior Sister.
However, before her teasing words could fully land, she sensed a familiar, gentle aura approaching.
Both Gong Shangyu and Gu Qingying turned their heads simultaneously.
They saw that Lu Li had returned to their vicinity at some point.
He was walking toward them at a leisurely pace, holding three oil-paper packages that were radiating wisps of steam.
An enticing scent of roasted meat wafted over with him.
“Master!”
Gu Qingying’s eyes lit up as if she had found her pillar of support, temporarily tossing her earlier frustration aside.
Gong Shangyu also retracted the teasing look on her face and replaced it with an obedient expression, though a flash of realization flickered deep in her eyes.
“Master, where did you go just now?”
Gu Qingying asked curiously, her purple eyes blinking.
Lu Li stepped closer and gestured with the oil-paper packages.
With a gentle smile and a natural tone, he said, “Oh, I saw a stall over there selling Yicheng Specialty Grilled Meat Pies. It smelled quite good, so I went to buy a few. I figured you two were working hard in the competition, so these would be good to fill your stomachs.”
As Lu Li spoke, he gave a somewhat poor performance by picking one up first, taking a bite, and nodding in satisfaction.
“Mm, the taste is indeed not bad. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and the meat is very fragrant.”
Lu Li then handed the remaining two oil-paper packages to Gu Qingying and Gong Shangyu respectively.
“Here, why don’t you try some? They’re still hot.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Qingying’s attention was immediately drawn to the fragrant meat pies.
Her earlier gloom seemed to be diluted by the aroma.
She let out a cheer and eagerly took the pie.
Ignoring the heat, she took a careful little bite, and her purple eyes narrowed with happiness.
“Mmm! It’s delicious! Thank you, Master!”
As she ate, Gu Qingying acted as if she were presenting a treasure.
She pulled the stone casket she had obtained earlier from her storage pouch and held it up in front of Lu Li.
Her face was filled with a small sense of pride and anticipation.
“Master, look! This disciple got a stone casket! I’ve successfully advanced to the next round!”
Lu Li looked at her “please praise me” expression as if he were looking at his own child who had scored well on an exam.
A look of relief appeared in his eyes as he nodded with a smile.
“Mm, you did well. But do not be arrogant; you must still be cautious in the subsequent matches.”
“Yes! This disciple understands!”
Gu Qingying nodded vigorously.
Her mouth was stuffed with meat pie, making her cheeks bulge like a satisfied little hamster.
On the side, Gong Shangyu also reached out and took the meat pie Lu Li offered.
Her face wore an impeccable, grateful smile.
“Thank you, Master.”
However, her internal thoughts were a different story entirely.
‘Hmph, buying meat pies? Master’s excuse is far too casual.’
Gong Shangyu sneered inwardly.
‘With Master’s Nascent Soul Stage cultivation and temperament, would he really run off to buy mundane meat pies because of a craving during such an important moment? He clearly left to investigate the collective dream! These pies were likely just bought from some roadside stall as a front to deceive us.’
‘Sigh… Master’s clumsy lie is only believable to a little fool like Gu Qingying…’
Gong Shangyu was meticulous.
Combining this with the secret conversation in the Imperial Study she had previously overheard, she saw through Lu Li’s seemingly reasonable excuse almost instantly.
Of course, she would not expose him.
She simply held the meat pie obediently and took small bites, her gaze occasionally sweeping over Lu Li’s face as she tried to read any progress of the investigation from his subtle expressions.
‘Looking at Master… he should have found some clues already…’
‘I just don’t know how far he’s progressed!’
Seeing that both his disciples had taken the meat pies, Lu Li continued eating his own as if nothing was out of the ordinary, acting as though he truly had just stepped away for a moment to buy snacks.
He asked seemingly at random, “Was the match just now smooth? You didn’t run into any trouble, did you?”
The moment those words were spoken, Gu Qingying’s chewing slowed down.
A flicker of awkwardness crossed her face.
She was clearly thinking about the embarrassment of having her casket stolen and her head stepped on, but she was too embarrassed to complain to her Master.
She could only say vaguely, “It was… it was fine.”
Gong Shangyu, standing beside her, let the corners of her mouth curl up imperceptibly.
She swallowed her food slowly before speaking.
“Senior Brother Gu is naturally formidable; the first stone casket was obtained cleanly and efficiently. As for what happened later… perhaps it was a momentary lapse in judgment. While competing for the second stone casket, he suffered a slight disadvantage.”
Her tone was flat, yet she accurately rubbed salt into Gu Qingying’s wound.
Gu Qingying immediately glared at her and then decisively retorted with a heavy dose of sarcasm.
“Yes… I am indeed not that great.”
“But that is still better than a certain someone who attacked another contestant just because she couldn’t handle someone grabbing her leg, resulting in her own disqualification!”
“You…”
Gong Shangyu pointed at Gu Qingying, her temper flaring up at her Junior Sister’s words.
However, she couldn’t throw a tantrum in front of Lu Li, so she could only take a massive, angry bite out of her meat pie.
Lu Li saw all the little interactions between his two disciples.
He merely viewed it as the playfulness and competitiveness of youths and didn’t look deeper into it.
He simply smiled gently.
“It is enough that you advanced smoothly. In the upcoming matches, just do your best. Safety comes first.”
While Lu Li was speaking, the final stone casket on the arena was claimed by a woman in green robes wearing a Dragon-pattern Mask.
With that, the first round of the Dharma Assembly officially came to an end.