Chapter 67
Overnight, the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect was thrown into complete chaos.
Internal fighting erupted without warning. Some fled while they still could, others took advantage of the confusion to seize resources, and the entire sect descended into disorder.
But thousands of miles away, none of it affected the Wendao Sect in the slightest.
The Seven Sects Tournament was approaching, and the sect disciples were burning with excitement, eager to make names for themselves.
Amidst that atmosphere, Lou Yuqing temporarily abandoned her usual lazy attitude and threw herself into cultivation with rare diligence. Her cultivation level rose rapidly.
At least, that was how it looked on the surface.
In reality, she was currently locked in a cold war with the system.
She absolutely refused to continue acting as a passive melon-eating bystander. She was determined to see which one of them would crack first.
Standing by the lakeside, Lou Yuqing lifted her hand and formed a seal.
Then she pointed forward.
Boom—!
A bolt of lightning tore out of thin air and slammed directly into the lake.
Water exploded upward in countless sprays. Purple arcs of electricity slithered wildly across the surface like venomous snakes, crackling nonstop in the darkness.
A few breaths later, the lake slowly returned to calm.
Lou Yuqing lowered her hand and nodded with satisfaction.
While cultivating lately, she had also been practicing several spells included in her cultivation technique.
And the results looked pretty good.
Beside her, Si Nidie clapped enthusiastically.
"Junior Sister, your mastery of spells is honestly terrifying," she praised. "You've only practiced for a few days and you're already this proficient?"
Lou Yuqing laughed lightly. "Senior Sister's exaggerating. The Enforcement Hall's been unusually peaceful lately, so I've had nothing else to do except cultivate."
She paused, then asked curiously, "By the way, did Senior Sister sign up for the Seven Sects Tournament?"
Si Nidie shrugged. "Most of the participants are in the mid or late Foundation Establishment stage. I'm only at the early stage, so my chances aren't great. I'd rather just find a good seat and enjoy the show."
"Senior Sister shouldn't underestimate yourself," Lou Yuqing said comfortingly. "There's always next time."
Then her eyes brightened slightly. "I heard this tournament isn't a traditional arena competition? Something about a points system?"
"Not exactly." Si Nidie rested her chin on one hand as she explained leisurely, "Only the first round uses points.
Everyone gets divided into groups of one hundred and thrown into separate small worlds.
Each small world is different. You earn points by completing missions, and your score depends on your completion rate. "
Lou Yuqing blinked.
That actually sounded pretty interesting.
If her cultivation level had met the requirements, she honestly might've wanted to join the chaos herself.
"Do you know what the small worlds are like?" she asked curiously.
Si Nidie shook her head. "No idea. The sect's keeping it secret, and Captain Wei hasn't leaked a single word either."
She spread her hands. "But I'm guessing there'll be both literary and martial trials.
You'll be competing against a lot of people.
If you die inside a small world, your points reset to zero and you're eliminated immediately.
Once the first round ends, the top three disciples move on to the second round—the arena battles. "
Lou Yuqing nodded in understanding.
Right at that moment, voices drifted over from nearby.
A man and a woman.
"Sisi, we're almost there," the man said gently. "I heard that when sunlight hits the waterfall here during the day, a rainbow bridge sometimes appears."
His voice carried obvious tenderness when he said the name "Sisi."
"I wonder whether we'll be lucky enough to see it."
A strange feeling flashed through Lou Yuqing's mind.
Why did that voice sound so familiar?
Si Nidie immediately perked up with interest.
"Qishan really does deserve its reputation as a sacred dating spot," she said cheerfully. "One couple just left, and another one's already here."
Originally, the two of them had been heading toward the cultivation chambers.
But after passing through Qishan and seeing the scenery, they'd decided to stay for a while to admire the view. Then Lou Yuqing got itchy hands and started testing spells by the lake.
Lou Yuqing nodded solemnly. "True. We should leave the space to them."
Si Nidie was just about to summon a cloud and leave—when a soft female voice floated over.
"Brother Qinghong, it's okay if we didn't see the Rainbow Bridge this time. We can always come again later. If we visit often enough, we'll see it eventually."
Lou Yuqing paused.
She turned toward the mountain path.
A man and woman slowly walked around the bend hand in hand. The woman's cheeks were flushed red, completely immersed in the sweetness of first love.
Normally, Lou Yuqing wouldn't have cared.
But the words "Brother Qinghong" suddenly rang alarm bells in her head.
Then she finally saw the man's face clearly.
And instantly recognized him.
Gu Qinghong.
The exact same Gu Qinghong who had recently been locked inside the solitary confinement cell.
At the same moment, Gu Qinghong also saw Lou Yuqing.
The smile on his face froze.
Instantly, memories from the solitary confinement cell surged back into his mind.
That period had practically been a nightmare.
He'd suffered from endless nightmares every night, yet no matter how many examinations he underwent, nobody could find the cause. His mental state had deteriorated to the brink of collapse.
And even then, the Enforcement Hall still forced him to copy sect rules daily.
If he refused—his confinement would be extended.
Ever since joining the Wendao Sect, Gu Qinghong's path had always been smooth. His only hardship had been a temporary lack of cultivation resources, and even that was quickly resolved through his own abilities.
But solitary confinement?
That had been genuine suffering.
The Enforcement Hall disciples were simply impossible to deal with.
Throwing tantrums was useless.
Breaking things was useless.
Trying to bribe them with spirit stones was even more useless.
Not only did they extend his punishment by another twenty days, they also forced him through horrifying ideological education sessions that resembled monks chanting scriptures nonstop.
His head nearly exploded listening to it.
Worse still, they conducted random inspections afterward.
If he answered incorrectly, he'd get lectured all over again.
Gu Qinghong had ultimately spent more than a month trapped there before finally being released.
And if he'd continued causing trouble?
There was a very real possibility they would've locked him back inside.
But what he found hardest to endure wasn't the punishment.
It was the strange looks.
They were all disciples serving punishment in the same place, so why did everyone keep staring at him like that?
Especially Hao Tianping.
Every time Gu Qinghong went out for exercise, Hao Tianping would appear nearby, silently studying him with an indescribably strange gaze before sighing, shaking his head, and walking away.
The entire thing was so bizarre that Gu Qinghong nearly started wondering whether he'd unknowingly committed some unforgivable crime.
Later, he realized the truth.
Hao Tianping was simply targeting him on purpose.
Several times, Gu Qinghong nearly lost control and tried to fight him.
But Hao Tianping was slippery beyond belief. He never directly provoked him, leaving Gu Qinghong with absolutely no grounds to complain.
What was he supposed to do?
Tell the Enforcement Hall disciples that Hao Tianping's eyes made him uncomfortable and ask them to punish Hao Tianping?
If he really said that aloud, the person getting punished would definitely be himself.
Gu Qinghong had never forgotten that humiliation.
If Hao Tianping hadn't still been serving confinement himself, Gu Qinghong would've absolutely thrown a sack over his head and beaten him half to death.
Unfortunately—before he could act, someone else beat him to it first.
One night, he was ambushed with a sack over his head and beaten unconscious.
When he woke up the next morning, his face was swollen like a pig's head.
For quite a while afterward, disciples passing by would secretly laugh at him.
The matter was reported to the Enforcement Hall, but no results ever came of it.
The attacker had been too meticulous.
No clues.
No witnesses.
Even the sack used was the cheapest, most common kind found all over the sect.
The more Gu Qinghong remembered, the uglier his expression became.
And naturally, the way he looked at Lou Yuqing grew colder and colder.
After all—his month-plus stay in solitary confinement was entirely thanks to her.
Beside him, Xiao Siwen immediately noticed the shift in his mood.
She glanced warily at Lou Yuqing and Si Nidie.
Could it be... Brother Qinghong had some kind of history with these women?
"Brother Qinghong, who are they?"
She wrapped herself tightly around Gu Qinghong's arm like she was declaring ownership, then lifted her chin toward the two women with visible hostility.
As though guarding against homewreckers.
Lou Yuqing: "..."
Si Nidie: "..."
Absolutely not.
Gu Qinghong gently patted Xiao Siwen's arm. His tone sounded soft and indulgent, but there was hidden sarcasm beneath it.
"They're just people who have some misunderstandings with me, Sisi. Don't take it to heart."
Xiao Siwen's face instantly darkened.
"If they have problems with you, then they must be the ones at fault," she declared firmly. "Someone as outstanding as Brother Qinghong will naturally attract jealous people who can't have him."
Lou Yuqing: "???"
Question marks practically filled her entire head.
Was this even human language?
But after carefully observing Xiao Siwen's expression, she realized—the other party genuinely meant every word.
"..."
Lou Yuqing finally couldn't hold back anymore.
"You're misunderstanding things way too hard," she said. "Yes, we do have grievances with Gu Qinghong. But we absolutely do not have that kind of relationship with him."
Si Nidie rolled her eyes mercilessly.
"What's there to explain? Birds of a feather flock together. If someone can tolerate Gu Qinghong, how good could they possibly be?"
Xiao Siwen's pretty face immediately turned cold.
She stepped protectively in front of Gu Qinghong, her hostility obvious.
"You're not allowed to speak about Brother Qinghong like that! I know him better than anyone!"
Gu Qinghong looked at Xiao Siwen.
His expression softened instantly into something fragile and innocent.
"Sisi... thank you."
He lowered his gaze slightly, voice filled with melancholy.
"Sometimes I never want trouble with anyone, but trouble always finds me anyway. Your unconditional trust makes me the happiest man in the world."
Lou Yuqing: "..."
Si Nidie: "..."
What was this horrifying greasy nonsense?
The two of them had never heard dialogue this oily in their lives.
And judging by Xiao Siwen's expression—she was completely moved by it.
"Brother Qinghong..."
Warmth flooded Xiao Siwen's heart as she stared into his "deeply affectionate" eyes. She slowly reached up and caressed his face tenderly.
"Sisi is the happiest woman in the world because she met you."
Lou Yuqing: "..."
Si Nidie: "..."
Apparently things really could get more outrageous.
So these two were the happiest couple in the world—and they were the evil villains trying to tear apart true love?
Lou Yuqing and Si Nidie exchanged a silent glance.
Both immediately saw the same blazing fighting spirit in each other's eyes.
The next second, Lou Yuqing crossed her arms and smiled faintly. "So Fellow Daoist Gu actually has a lover now."
Her tone turned meaningful. "Then could Fellow Daoist Gu explain why you deliberately approached me during the entrance examination? That behavior seems rather disrespectful toward your relationship."
Xiao Siwen's sweet expression froze instantly.
She immediately snapped back instinctively, "What nonsense are you talking about?! Qinghong and I are deeply in love! Don't think you can trick me with lies!"
This wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
In the past, it had always turned out to be jealous women slandering Gu Qinghong because they couldn't stand seeing the two of them together.
Si Nidie let out a cold snort. "That's not a lie. Fellow Daoist Gu was even thrown into solitary confinement because of it."
She smiled without warmth. "I wonder whether he learned his lesson."
The moment those words fell—a flicker of panic flashed through Gu Qinghong's eyes.