When Lu Li woke up again, it was already the next morning.
With the first faint rays of dawn gently streaming through the intricately carved window lattice of the guest room, soft light fell upon Lu Li’s face.
His eyelashes twitched slightly in slumber as he slowly emerged from a deep dream.
At this moment, Lu Li felt a dull headache and grogginess—clearly, he hadn’t slept well last night.
The main reason was largely due to the bizarre dream he had and the absurd experiences within it.
In his dream, Lu Li found himself transformed into a rope, with a pink fox and a black cat fiercely pulling him from opposite sides, almost tearing him in two.
Faced with the savage tugging of these two beasts, Lu Li tried to struggle and escape.
But no matter how hard he ran, he could never break free from their relentless pull.
Whenever he managed to slip away a bit, the two furry little beasts would stick right back onto him, their touch so real it was terrifying.
In short, it was utterly exhausting.
As his hazy consciousness gradually cleared, Lu Li rubbed his sore neck and slowly opened his slightly drowsy eyes.
But before he could fully open them, the two inexplicable “dangerous gazes” by his bedside made his heart skip a beat.
Feeling those scorching eyes on either side of him, Lu Li, still half-awake, instinctively looked toward both sides of his bed…
What he saw nearly made him leap upright in shock.
His beloved disciple Gu Qingkong and the Shaozhu of the Dan Ding Pavilion, Shang Baiyu, were sitting upright on either side of his bed like two imposing door gods!
Even more bizarre, both looked haggard and worn, with dark, panda-like circles under their eyes—clearly, neither had slept a wink all night.
At this moment, they sat with perfect posture, keeping a subtly tense distance between them, their eyes fixed unwaveringly on the newly awakened Lu Li.
Looking at his little junior sister beside him, whose face was full of grievance, Shang Baiyu snorted disdainfully, a slight smirk on his lips clearly saying…
“Hmph! So it ends like this! All night on guard against each other, and no one got any advantage in the end!”
Gu Qingkong glared back fiercely, the meaning behind her hostile gaze unmistakable.
“If I can’t get any, you, Shang Baiyu, won’t get any either…”
From the fierce exchange of glances between the two women, it was obvious they had engaged in many intense confrontations, both overt and covert, over Lu Li last night.
In the end, each guarded against the other so thoroughly that both ended up just glaring at each other by Lu Li’s bedside the entire night.
So much so that, in the end, neither of them managed to gain even the slightest advantage over Lu Li.
Seeing Lu Li finally awake, Gu Qingkong’s eyes flickered with a complex mix of unwillingness, grievance, and guilt.
In contrast, Shang Baiyu, sitting opposite Gu Qingkong, was trying to maintain the demeanor of a refined young gentleman, but his smile looked stiff, and deep within his eyes were exhaustion and an unspoken sense of defeat.
Sensing their gazes, Lu Li’s sleepiness vanished instantly.
He suddenly sat up, subconsciously pulling his loosely open robe closed, uncertain and cautious as he stared at the strange scene before him.
“Uh… Qingkong? Young Master Shang? What are you two doing here? Why are you here?”
Lu Li’s eyes scanned back and forth over the conspicuous dark circles beneath their eyes.
“You… haven’t slept all night?”
Upon hearing this, Gu Qingkong’s lips moved slightly, as if wanting to speak openly to her master.
But when she glanced at Shang Baiyu beside her, she immediately lowered her head in silent grievance, nervously fiddling with the hem of her white Daoist robe and muttering softly.
“Uh… disciple was worried about Master’s safety, so I stayed up to keep watch for you…”
Gu Qingkong’s voice was faint and hoarse, and combined with the dark circles, she truly looked like a loyal disciple worn out from too much worry.
Seeing this, Shang Baiyu quickly took over, flashing a flawless but tired polite smile.
He fanned himself with a fan that seemed almost a part of him, respectfully greeting Lu Li.
“Good day, Peak Master Lu. My father instructed me to ensure that Peak Master Lu rests safely within the Dan Ding Pavilion.”
“Yes… last night there were some subtle disturbances in the pavilion.”
“My father suspects that spies from the Yin Corpse Sect secretly infiltrated the Dan Ding Pavilion. So… Gu Xiong and I considered your safety, Peak Master Lu, and came here to inform you…”
“But when we came last night to notify you, you had already fallen asleep.”
“Not wanting to disturb your peaceful rest, Gu Xiong and I quietly sat by your side to keep watch…”
Though Shang Baiyu’s words sounded official, the dark circles under his pink eyes and the occasional sharp tension in the air only deepened Lu Li’s suspicion.
Hmm?
Subtle disturbances?
Guards?
Two young apprentices who just started cultivation sitting guard by his bedside?
The more Lu Li thought about it, the more something felt off.
Could those two greenhorns really fend off enemies threatening a Zhujishi cultivator like him?
And the atmosphere between them… why did it feel so strange?
It didn’t feel like comrades keeping watch together, entrusting their backs to each other.
Instead, it was more like sworn enemies, guarding each other with deadly vigilance all night.
Rubbing his brow, Lu Li felt something was definitely wrong, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
Sensing the palpable tension and Gu Qingkong’s guilty demeanor, a bad guess sprang up in Lu Li’s mind.
Hiss…
Could it be that his own disciple caused some trouble in the Dan Ding Pavilion last night, was caught by this Shang Baiyu, and then reported directly to him?
Lu Li glanced at the guilty-looking Gu Qingkong.
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
That brat must have been up to some mischief again, and now someone had come to his door with complaints.
That’s probably why she looked so guilty—afraid of being punished for last night’s trouble.
As for the Shang family’s Shaozhu, perhaps out of respect for Lu Li’s position as the Peak Master of the Xu Ling Sect, or because Qingkong had been pestering him, he refrained from losing his temper outright.
So he came up with the guard duty excuse to dodge direct questioning.
Thinking this through, Lu Li furrowed his brow and tentatively asked Shang Baiyu.
“Heh heh… Young Master Shang, judging by your expression, you seem to be hiding something?”
“Could it be… that my unruly disciple caused some mischief last night after I fell asleep and left him unchecked, disturbing you and the Dan Ding Pavilion?”
At this, Shang Baiyu, who had been fretting over how to explain the strange situation, lit up as Lu Li handed him an opening.
Following the principle of ‘a drowning man will clutch at a straw,’ Shang Baiyu shamelessly threw Gu Qingkong under the bus.
He quickly changed his expression, lightly fanned his face, and gave Lu Li an exasperated look.
“Peak Master Lu, you are wise! Actually… if you must call it mischief, it wasn’t that serious.”
“It’s just that last night Gu Xiong, perhaps curious about the pavilion’s internal setup, accidentally knocked over a furnace of Qingxin Pills that were being refined…”
Gu Qingkong, seeing her senior sister about to betray her, hurried to speak up and clarify.
But before she could say a word, Shang Baiyu jabbed a silver needle at her Mute Acupoint and then used the Transmission Secret Technique to warn her silently.
“Hmph! If you know what’s good for you, just cooperate! If you dare say another word to Master, I’ll reveal the whole truth to him, and we’ll all suffer the consequences together!”
Gu Qingkong’s words caught in her throat.
Her violet eyes brimmed with shock, anger, and grievance.
She bit her lip hard, nails digging into her palms, but forced herself to remain silent.
In the end, she could only bow her head in anger, her shoulders trembling slightly.
This scene in front of Lu Li was clearly the terrified reaction of a disciple caught red-handed causing trouble.
“Apologies… Young Master Shang. My teaching has been negligent. May I ask the value of the pills my disciple destroyed last night? No matter how expensive, I will compensate in full.”
Shang Baiyu only wanted an excuse to scold his junior sister and teach her a lesson, so he had no real intention of demanding compensation.
He quickly waved his hand and smiled sincerely.
“Peak Master Lu, you are too kind! A single furnace of Qingxin Pills cannot harm the harmony between our families.”
“Let the matter drop, and please say no more. It’s just…”
Shang Baiyu’s tone shifted slightly as he glanced at Gu Qingkong.
“Gu Xiong is still young and lively, which is natural, but this time, fortunately, he ran into someone as reasonable as me.”
“But if next time he meets someone less easygoing, given his personality, he might end up at a disadvantage…”
Seeing Shang Baiyu’s reasonable attitude, Lu Li felt even more guilty.
But facing his eldest disciple, Lu Li’s kind heart wouldn’t let him scold or punish harshly.
Instead, he lowered his voice and said sternly to Gu Qingkong.
“Qingkong, aren’t you going to thank Young Master Shang for his leniency? When we get back, copy the Daozang ten times! Reflect on your mistakes! No going out until you finish!”
Gu Qingkong’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, clearly frustrated beyond words!
After all, she was the one being framed by her senior sister, yet she had to take the blame for the real culprit and even face punishment.
Thinking of this, her lips quivered slightly.
Under Shang Baiyu’s warning, her expression turned utterly desperate as she lowered her head.
“Yes, Master.”
Just freed from the Mute Acupoint, Gu Qingkong’s voice was thick with nasal tone and reluctance.
“I willingly accept the punishment. Many thanks to Young Master Shang’s magnanimity…”
Hearing this, Shang Baiyu lightly fanned himself, smiling happily at the whole scene.
Hehe…
Little junior sister, trying to fight your senior sister?
You’re clearly still too inexperienced!
Ah, now everything’s perfect—not only did I explain why Gu Qingkong and I are here, but I’ve also increased Master’s favor toward me after this, made Gu Qingkong suffer silently, and forced her to accept punishment.
This one move kills three birds with one stone—simply perfect!
Thinking this, Shang Baiyu’s delicate nose nearly twitched skyward with pride!
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