Just as he finished assigning the resources, he noticed the distinct absence of Qingying, his most loyal or at least, least disobedient disciple. A faint sense of foreboding crossed his mind. Where is she wandering off to now? he thought.
Meanwhile, Qingying marched down the road with a sense of grim determination. The image of her junior sisters smiling and forgiving her after receiving her heartfelt gifts was the only thing keeping her from breaking down completely. In her mind, it was foolproof: Bribery through thoughtful trinkets. If she couldn’t mend their trust with sincerity, then at least she could try with shiny baubles.
However, fate or rather, Gu Yu, had other plans. As she approached the small town’s bustling market, her spiritual sense prickled. Qingying froze mid-step. He’s here.
Looking up, she saw Gu Yu casually strolling through the market, examining a fruit stand with an air of someone deciding whether to buy an apple or wipe out the stall owner’s lineage for daring to overcharge. Qingying’s heart sank. The gifts could wait; her master was far more dangerous than any wrath her junior sisters might unleash.
Back in the sect, Liu Wanyue sulked in her room, replaying every moment of betrayal over and over in her mind. The tears had stopped, but only because she’d completely dehydrated herself crying earlier. A faint knock interrupted her wallowing. “What now?” she snapped, expecting another unwelcome attempt at reconciliation.
Instead, her third junior sister Su Nuanshi peeked in, holding what looked like a steaming bowl of soup. “You should eat,” Su Nuanshi said quietly.
“Why would you care?” Liu Wanyue shot back, her voice sharp but her stomach growling audibly.
Su Nuanshi sighed, placing the bowl on a nearby table. “Because if you die of hunger, I’ll have to deal with the guilt. And frankly, I don’t have time for that.” She turned to leave but paused in the doorway. “By the way, Eldest Sister went to town to buy you a gift.”
Liu Wanyue blinked. A gift? The audacity! And yet... she felt her resolve waver slightly. Was Qingying really trying to make amends? Or was this another ploy masterminded by that devil, Gu Yu?
“Devil!” she muttered under her breath, taking a small sip of the soup despite herself.
As Qingying prepared to discreetly avoid her master, Gu Yu’s voice called out, “Oh, Eldest Disciple. Fancy meeting you here.”
Qingying froze, her carefully crafted plans for appeasement crumbling like a poorly built sandcastle under a tidal wave. Turning slowly, she forced a smile. “M-Master! What a coincidence.”
Gu Yu smirked, his piercing gaze narrowing as if seeing through her very soul. “Buying something nice for your junior sisters, I see? How thoughtful of you. But... have you asked yourself, do they deserve it?”
For a moment, Qingying felt a pang of doubt. But then she remembered Liu Wanyue’s trembling figure, her tear-streaked face. “Of course they do, Master,” she replied firmly. “They’re my family.”
Gu Yu raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “How touching. Well, don’t forget who gave you the freedom to go shopping in the first place.” With that, he casually strolled past, leaving Qingying standing there, fists clenched.
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