Facing Gu Qingying’s string of reproaches, Gong Shangyu didn’t get angry at all.
Instead, she sneered, slowly looking up and down at Gu Qingying’s sorry state—clothes soaked through, cheeks flushed, tightly covering her little nose, eyes flickering nervously.
She spoke to her Junior Sister unhurriedly.
“Heh~ Junior Sister, you make yourself sound so righteous and upright~ But who was it just now, huh~ After getting drugged, clung to Master for dear life, almost violating all rules by bullying your own Master and disgracing your ancestors?”
“Sigh… And who was it, just now, who only accidentally caught a glimpse of Master’s body—just an eye, and suddenly got so excited that she had a nosebleed and fainted dead away?”
With each sentence Gong Shangyu uttered, Gu Qingying’s face turned a shade paler.
By the end, she was almost desperate enough to want the ground to swallow her up.
“Gu Qingying…”
Gong Shangyu stepped closer, her pink eyes full of ridicule.
“We’re both just as bad. Neither of us has room to criticize the other. That filthy little mind of yours is no cleaner than mine~”
“The only difference is, I own up to my actions. You just like to put on an act!”
“You…”
Gu Qingying was so angry she couldn’t speak.
Yet everything Gong Shangyu said was true; she had no way to refute it.
All she could do was glare fiercely at the other, cheeks burning, chest heaving with emotion.
And so, these two rebellious disciples, each with secrets in their hearts, faced off in the frozen world, tensions as sharp as drawn swords.
For quite a while, they attacked each other with the sharpest words, trying to gain the upper hand in argument, as if that could hide the panic and the shameful little thoughts inside.
But arguments couldn’t solve anything.
The bitter medicinal scent lingering in the air, and in the distance, Lu Li standing as still as a statue, soaked to the skin, all silently reminded them of the colossal mess still waiting to be cleaned up.
In the end, it was Gu Qingying who first gave in.
She took a few deep breaths, forcibly suppressing her urge to continue bickering with Gong Shangyu, then turned her gaze to Lu Li, who was still in the bath, arms around himself, completely unaware of all that had happened.
Her voice carried a trace of undetectable worry and irritation.
“Sigh… Enough! What’s the use of arguing? What are we going to do now? We can’t just leave Master standing here like a statue forever, can we?”
Seeing Gu Qingying finally face reality, Gong Shangyu gave a light snort, temporarily putting away her earlier aggressive posture.
She gave Gu Qingying a sidelong glance, her tone carrying a subtle hint of superiority:
“Do you think I’m as brainless as you, charging in without thinking of the consequences?”
Gong Shangyu pointed at Lu Li and explained, “Right after I used the Time Stop Domain to freeze everything, I immediately used Sleep and Amnesia Powder on Master. This drug is potent— even if Master is at Foundation Establishment Peak, the moment time starts moving again, the powder’s effect will kick in!”
“At that point, he’ll fall asleep instantly, and will completely forget everything that happened from entering the Warm Pavilion to the moment he passes out.”
Gu Qingying let out a small sigh of relief at those words, but soon frowned again:
“But… when Master wakes up, how are we going to explain it? He can’t possibly believe he was just standing in the bath and suddenly fainted, right?”
“Heh~ That’s simple enough, isn’t it?”
Gong Shangyu spread her hands as if she’d already thought up a story long ago, her gaze falling on Gu Qingying with a hint of gloating.
“When he wakes up, I’ll just tell Master that you, Gu Qingkong, tried to heat the bathwater for him as a sign of filial respect, but lost control of the temperature and turned the whole Warm Pavilion into a giant steam basket.”
“In the end, you and Master both got knocked out by the excessive heat and steam. Then you felt guilty and, when he wakes, you apologize and admit your mistake.”
“What?!”
Gu Qingying exploded.
“Why do I have to apologize to Master? You’re the one who caused all this! I’m a victim here, why do I have to take the blame?”
Gong Shangyu shrugged, looking at her Junior Sister like it was only natural:
“What else do you want? Should I do it? I have a perfect alibi—in Master’s memory, I was never even in the bathhouse.”
“And besides, who was it just now who almost exposed her true gender, clung to Master, and fainted from a nosebleed all because of him? This whole mess started because of you, so isn’t it only right for you to apologize and clean it up?”
Gong Shangyu leaned in close, her pink eyes gleaming slyly as she lowered her voice:
“Or do you want to let Master remember whose arms he was holding before he passed out? Maybe he’ll even recall how soft that body felt?”
Gu Qingying’s face turned crimson again, obviously completely flustered by Gong Shangyu’s words.
She ground her teeth in frustration but had no comeback.
Truly, if Master did recall any details, she’d be the first in trouble.
“Fine! I’ll apologize if I must!”
Gu Qingying practically spat the words out through gritted teeth, glaring at Gong Shangyu.
“But don’t think you’re getting off scot-free! If Master starts asking about the details, you’d better back me up!”
“Relax…”
Gong Shangyu, seeing her goal achieved, cheerfully patted Gu Qingying on the shoulder—only to have her Junior Sister dodge away in annoyance.
“Of course I’ll help you. After all, aren’t we ‘loving and supportive’ fellow disciples~”
When Gong Shangyu said this, she put particular emphasis on “loving and supportive,” her tone full of teasing.
With the plan set, the two girls exchanged a glare, reaching a temporary ceasefire.
Gong Shangyu double-checked Lu Li’s condition and the surrounding environment, making sure there were no glaring loopholes or flaws left behind, then turned to Gu Qingying.
“Are you ready? I’m about to release the time stop.”
Gu Qingying nodded, taking a deep breath and doing her best to make her expression look more natural.
She even practiced a guilty expression in advance, ready for when she’d have to perform in front of Lu Li.
With a thought from Gong Shangyu, the invisible power of the domain receded like the tide.
In an instant, time began to flow again.
Water droplets that had been suspended mid-air in the Kingdom of Zhou suddenly came crashing down with a “splash,” and the steamy mist in the bath continued to rise…
Almost at that same instant, the Sleep and Amnesia Powder floating in the air took effect!
Lu Li, who had been frozen in a hugging posture with his head bowed, suddenly swayed, his eyelids heavy, and without even a grunt, he pitched forward with a “thud,” falling face-first into the warm pool, sending up a splash—and immediately passed out cold.
Seeing that Master was now completely silent, Gong Shangyu and Gu Qingying both breathed a sigh of relief.
Gu Qingying glanced at her Master floating in the water, then touched her still-hot cheeks, letting out a resigned sigh.
Gong Shangyu’s lips curled up, already calculating in her mind just how she would savor the look on her Junior Sister’s face when Master woke up.
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