Under the moonlight, Gu Qingying and Gong Shangyu had just finished using their respective channels to inform their families and cultivation sects of the massive crisis looming over the Kingdom of Jin.
The two were currently rushing back toward the inn as fast as they could, desperate to save time.
Consequently, they failed to notice Feng Lingshuang, who was crouching low within the bushes.
The world around them remained eerily still.
This was, of course, the work of Gong Shangyu’s [Time Stop System].
Gu Qingying ran in the lead, looking back with an irritated expression as she lowered her voice to complain.
“It’s all your fault! You were dawdling for so long in that Danyi Pavilion of yours! If I hadn’t reminded you, we would have missed our window! If Master returns and finds out we weren’t staying obediently in the inn, how will we explain ourselves? We’ll definitely be punished!”
Upon hearing this, Gong Shangyu immediately retorted in disagreement.
Her voice was also intentionally lowered, yet it couldn’t hide her flirtatious, spoiled tone.
“Hah! Blame me? Gu Qingying, are you being reasonable? If you hadn’t insisted on running off to contact that precious family of yours and sending them emergency intelligence…”
“Would we have needed to rush back this late? And you have the nerve to say I’m the one wasting time!”
Gu Qingying didn’t stop her pace, but her purple eyes shot a fierce glare at Gong Shangyu.
“Hmph! Gong Shangyu! I said you were top-heavy and brainless, and you didn’t believe me!”
“I contacted my family for important matters! Besides, sending intelligence to my family only requires letting a Mechanical Wood Phoenix fly away. How much effort could that possibly take? Not like you!”
Gu Qingying’s tone was thick with disdain.
“You insisted on personally running to the Jin Capital branch of Danyi Pavilion!”
“And then, after delivering the intelligence, you said something about inspecting newly arrived herbs? You wasted so much time there!”
“You!”
Gong Shangyu was so angry that her teeth itched.
She wanted to reach out and grab Gu Qingying’s back collar.
“I was preparing for Master’s Nascent Soul Pill! I plan to refine pills for Master to increase his strength!”
Gu Qingying nimbly stepped aside to dodge her, counter-attacking with sharp words.
“Save those lies to trick Shizun! Who knows if you’re actually refining a Nascent Soul Pill or some other shady thing!”
Gong Shangyu was momentarily silenced by Gu Qingying’s jab, unable to find the words to respond.
This was because she did indeed have a guilty conscience.
The pill she wanted to refine was certainly not anything proper!
Gu Qingying laughed.
“Why aren’t you talking? Did I actually hit the mark?”
Faced with Gu Qingying’s interrogation, Gong Shangyu’s pink eyes flickered and her cheeks puffed out slightly.
Her thoughts had clearly been seen through.
To be honest… she did harbor some ulterior motives.
She wanted to use the excuse of refining pills to perform certain ‘indescribable’ actions.
Now that Gu Qingying had exposed her directly, even with her thick skin, she felt a bit embarrassed.
“You… stop slandering people!”
Gong Shangyu barked back, but her confidence was visibly lacking.
Her eyes darted around quickly as she decided not to linger on a topic that disadvantaged her.
She quickly pointed toward the blue-clad figure frozen in time not far ahead, her face instantly switching to a smile filled with smugness and a hint of a peace offering, attempting to divert Gu Qingying’s attention.
“Fine, fine. My dear Junior Sister, don’t be angry! Look!”
Gong Shangyu deliberately softened her voice, her tone carrying a bit of a boast.
“Master is still standing there perfectly fine, isn’t he? He’s frozen solid by my [Time Stop Domain]! What does that mean? It means we came back at exactly the right time. We aren’t late at all!”
Gong Shangyu leaned in close to Gu Qingying, bumping her shoulder playfully as her tone turned lighthearted.
“Since Master is stuck there by my [Time Stop System], there’s no need for us to worry.”
“We just need to walk over slowly, return to the inn, and lie down in our bedrooms to pretend we’re sleeping. Master will never find out that we sneaked out!”
Gu Qingying followed the direction of her finger and indeed saw Master Lu Li.
He was maintaining a posture of looking up at the stars, motionless like a jade statue.
Even the folds in his robes were frozen with absolute clarity.
Gu Qingying huffed, tentatively agreeing with Gong Shangyu’s logic, though her tongue remained sharp.
“Hmph… I suppose these sneaky tricks are the only things you’re actually good at. Why aren’t you moving? Do you really want to wait until the time stop ends and get caught red-handed by Master?”
The two women said no more, quickening their pace as they walked toward Lu Li.
However, every single word of their conversation had pierced through the air like ice picks, stabbing clearly into the ears of Feng Lingshuang, who was hidden behind the bushes!
Underneath her veiled hat, Feng Lingshuang’s pupils constricted violently.
It felt as if an invisible hand had clamped down on her heart, nearly causing it to stop beating!
Feng Lingshuang recognized these two “youths” who had suddenly appeared!
No, to be precise, she had seen them!
Not long ago, during the Dharma Assembly, she had caught a glimpse of these two disciples following behind Lu Li from across the arena.
She had even snatched a promotion stone casket away from that black-haired one.
At the time, she simply thought they were new male disciples Master had taken in this life.
Though she felt the pink-haired youth’s features were overly delicate and the black-haired boy was far too pretty, she hadn’t looked deeper into it.
But just now, what did they call each other in their conversation?
‘Junior Sister? Gong Shangyu? Gu Qingying?’
Tsk… why were those two names so familiar?
Then, a sudden thunderclap seemed to explode within Feng Lingshuang’s mind, instantly cleaving through the fog of certain sealed memories that belonged to the depths of a distant dream.
Feng Lingshuang focused her gaze once more.
Her eyes were like the sharpest sword blades, pinning themselves onto the two running figures!
This time, Feng Lingshuang was no longer fooled by their masculine attire.
She pierced through the surface, scrutinizing the contours of their frames, the subtle grace in their movements, and the unique aura of young women that they couldn’t entirely suppress despite their efforts!
That was it!
That was it!
That slender figure with black hair and purple eyes was clearly the Junior Sister from her dreams—Gu Qingying!
In those dreams, she was sometimes icy and sometimes stubborn, always secretly following behind Master and looking at him with eyes full of adoration!
And that tall one with pink hair and pink eyes, who moved with an innate, flirtatious charm… wasn’t that the second sister who was spoiled and full of schemes, always coming up with ways to attract Master’s attention—Gong Shangyu?!
So… so the two of them were actually staying by Master’s side in this life as well?
An indescribable bitterness and shock surged into Feng Lingshuang’s heart like a tidal wave.
‘So… in this life, I wasn’t the only one who crossed the barriers of our former life to find Master again!’
Her two fellow sisters had actually come as well!
And Gong Shangyu had just mentioned a system…
Furthermore, it was a [Time Stop System]…
Tsk… could it be?
Did the two of them have systems as well?
Systems similar to her own [Heart Reading System]?
A [Time Stop System]?
Could it be… that the phenomenon around them, where time seemed paused and even a Golden Core True Person like Master was frozen in place, was Gong Shangyu’s doing?
As Feng Lingshuang thought this, her gaze suddenly landed on the sword hanging at Gu Qingying’s waist—a blade wrapped in silver threads, shimmering with a profound spiritual light!
That… that was…
Feng Lingshuang’s breath caught in her throat.
Her mind went completely blank!
‘The Love Thread Sword that Master… gifted to me!’
That was the sword Master Lu Li had bestowed upon her in her former life!
In her past life, she had wiped that blade repeatedly through countless days and nights, treasuring it more than her own life, viewing it as a special token of the bond between her and Master!
But… but why… why was it hanging from Gu Qingying’s waist?
Judging by the way she wore it, it was clearly an item used for daily practice!
Master… Master actually gave the Love Thread Sword… to Gu Qingying?!
‘Why? On what grounds? Clearly… clearly I was the first one here!’
‘Master… You gave my sword to her? You gave what was between us… to her?!’
‘Then what about me? What am I?!’
‘Is it because I arrived too late in this life?’
‘Is it because I didn’t recognize you immediately?’
‘Or is it that in your heart, Junior Sister is simply more important than I am…?’
It hurt!
The pain was almost unbearable!