Staring at Gong Shangyu, who stood at the doorway with a silly grin:
Just moments ago, Gu Jieying’s meridians had been stuffed so full of pills by Lu Li that she thought she might explode and die at any moment, but now, a spark of hope flared up in her heart!
At this moment, she was like a drowning person grabbing at the last life-saving straw.
Naturally, she no longer cared about her image or whatever little grudges she had with Gong Shangyu.
She scrambled and crawled over, flinging herself at Gong Shangyu’s feet, hugging her thigh tightly.
Lifting her little face—swollen from being stuffed with pills by Lu Li and glistening with tears—she mustered all her strength and let out a muffled, desperate plea.
“Senior Sister… save me! Please help me…”
“Could you, when the time-stop is lifted later, plead on my behalf in front of Master…”
“I really… really can’t eat anymore!”
Gu Jieying begged as she desperately shook Gong Shangyu’s leg, trying to stir even a tiny shred of sisterly compassion from her.
But Gong Shangyu only lowered her gaze slightly, her exquisite phoenix eyes filled not with sympathy, but with playful ridicule and undisguised schadenfreude.
She even lightly nudged Gu Jieying’s hands, which were clutching her ankle, with the tip of her shoe.
Her tone was lazy and laced with biting sarcasm.
“Oh~ isn’t this our incredibly gifted, beloved little Junior Brother? Why do you look so pitiful?”
“Hehe… Master personally feeds you pills—now, that’s a blessing your Senior Sister could never even dream of! And yet, you’re so ungrateful, little one?”
Gong Shangyu purposely stressed the words “beloved,” and as she looked at Gu Jieying’s sorry state, a malicious smile curved her lips.
“Hehe… Little Junior Sister~ As a Returnee Disciple, you should know deep down: if you want to become a peerless powerhouse, you must endure pains others can’t even imagine~”
“So, just bear with it a bit longer~ Master only stuffed you with so many pills for your own good, after all~”
As Gong Shangyu spoke, she started walking out, then conveniently brought up the System Panel to prepare to lift the time-stop.
Seeing this, Gu Jieying’s heart sank straight to rock bottom.
She knew all too well that counting on Gong Shangyu’s conscience to save her was impossible!
She was only here to laugh at her, maybe even wishing for things to get worse!
Realizing this, Gu Jieying once again scrambled over to Gong Shangyu’s feet, grabbed her thigh tightly, and raised her tear-stained, pill-stuffed face, crying out with all her strength.
“Aaahh… Senior Sister, you can’t just stand by and watch me die!”
“Senior Sister! My dearest Senior Sister… I’m your own Junior Sister, aren’t I? You’re my own Senior Sister, aren’t you!”
As Gu Jieying pleaded, she shook Gong Shangyu’s leg even harder.
Even if she couldn’t rouse Gong Shangyu’s pity, at the very least, she could disgust her.
Gong Shangyu’s body swayed from the shaking, and just as she was about to bring up the System Panel with her mind and lift the time-stop she had just set, Gu Jieying’s fierce tug threw her hand off course, causing her to accidentally swipe across the system’s “lift time-stop” button.
Before Gong Shangyu could react, the stagnant power that had frozen time receded like a tide.
The bird frozen mid-flight in the air resumed flapping its wings; the sound of wind filled her ears once more.
Inside the cabin, Lu Li’s movements, which had been paused, flowed smoothly forward.
“Hm? Qingkong, why are you hiding?”
“There are only ten pills left—hold on! I prepared these Qi Condensing Pills specially for you! The medicinal power is pure and will greatly benefit your cultivation!”
As he spoke, Lu Li habitually tried to hand over the last few pills, but found his hand empty.
Only then did he notice that the disciple who had been slumped before him was now nowhere to be seen.
Lu Li turned his head in confusion, just in time to see Shang Baiyu standing at the door, with Gu Qingkong cowering behind her like a startled rabbit.
Only half her head peeked out, her eyes filled with a mix of fear and desperate pleading as she tried hard to chew and swallow, cheeks bulging comically.
Lu Li froze for a moment, then frowned and looked at Gong Shangyu in front of him.
“Baiyu? Why are you here? Didn’t I have you at the prow, piloting the spirit vessel?”
Gong Shangyu silently cursed Gu Jieying for ruining things, but her face showed nothing but an appropriate mix of curiosity and slight embarrassment.
She bowed with cupped hands and said,
“Master, just now, while at the prow, I suddenly heard some unusual noises from within the cabin…”
“I was worried that Junior Brother Gu’s cultivation might have gone awry, so in my haste, I rushed in to check. If I have disturbed Master’s teachings, please forgive me.”
Her explanation was reasonable—she justified her unauthorized departure and showed both concern for her peer and respect for her elder’s teachings.
Sure enough, Lu Li didn’t blame her.
In fact, a look of appreciation flickered in his eyes!
Hmm…
Look at that!
Now that is the demeanor of a disciple from a prestigious clan, a diligent and well-bred student!
Not only does she care about her fellow disciples, she also has an impressive curiosity and drive to learn, seeking out opportunities to observe and study the ways of the sect!
Such a passion for the Dao is truly rare!
Thinking of this, Lu Li couldn’t help but remember his troublesome Rebate Disciple System…
If guiding Gu Shikong’s Qi Refinement cultivation had yielded such generous rebates, then if he could help Shang Baiyu at the Foundation Establishment stage, wouldn’t the rewards be even greater?
Realizing this, Lu Li’s eyes turned incredibly “kind” and “fiery” as he looked at Gong Shangyu, like a walking treasure trove of cultivation power.
Lu Li broke into a warm smile and beckoned to Gong Shangyu.
“No need, no need! Baiyu, your dedication to learning brings honor to Zhejie Peak!”
“Since you’re here, you needn’t stand on ceremony. I was just helping your Junior Brother strengthen his foundation!”
“Though this method is, hmm… a bit of a test of willpower, the results are truly extraordinary.”
“Since you’re at Foundation Establishment, your endurance should be much greater. Why not try it yourself? Let me check the strength of your foundation, so I can better guide your future cultivation.”
Hearing this, Gong Shangyu seemed to recall some not-so-pleasant memories from her past life, and the smile on her face froze.
“Ah… Master! That’s not what I meant! I just came to watch, really!”
She instinctively tried to retreat, only to find that her robe was being death-gripped by Gu Jieying behind her.
Although Gu Jieying was still miserable from the pills, seeing Gong Shangyu being dragged into the mess too, her tear-filled violet eyes flashed with a gleeful, vengeful, and utterly unrestrained smile!
Heh, well then…
Second Senior Sister, since you’re here, let’s suffer together!
Lu Li remained oblivious to the rivalry between the two women, only pleased at the chance to “cultivate” two outstanding disciples at once and boost his own power.
He enthusiastically produced another jade bottle and smiled at the ashen-faced Gong Shangyu.
“Baiyu, don’t be shy; come, have a seat. Let your Master see just how far your limits go. I have no shortage of top-grade Qi Condensing Pills for you!”
As Gong Shangyu stared at the jade bottle in Lu Li’s hand, and at Lu Li’s expectant eyes, she felt the world go dark.
“Aaahhh… It’s over! I’ve really brought disaster on myself this time!”
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