Chapter 68
Gu Qinghong instinctively glanced at Xiao Siwen's expression. After confirming there wasn't even the slightest trace of suspicion on her face, he finally relaxed a little.
This foolish woman truly trusted him.
Ever since the incident at the Enforcement Hall, his reputation within the sect had begun to crumble. Ridicule followed him everywhere, both openly and in secret.
Fortunately, he had managed to smooth things over with Xiao Siwen in time and firmly pull her onto his side, which shut many people up.
After all, Xiao Siwen's father was an outer sect elder with considerable prestige. Once he stepped in, most disciples no longer dared to mock Gu Qinghong so openly.
What truly infuriated him, however, was that elder's attitude.
The man had scolded him mercilessly from beginning to end, practically calling him brainless to his face. If he hadn't already won Xiao Siwen over beforehand, the outcome of that conversation might have been disastrous.
The more Gu Qinghong thought about it, the uglier his mood became.
Still, he knew exactly what he was doing now.
This entire display was for Xiao Siwen's benefit. The more wronged and vulnerable he appeared, the more fiercely she would trust and defend him.
As long as Xiao Siwen stood firmly beside him, the two women in front of him would pose far less of a threat.
"You two have gone too far!"
Sure enough, the moment Xiao Siwen noticed the hurt expression on Gu Qinghong's face, her own expression immediately turned protective and distressed. She glared angrily at Lou Yuqing and Si Nidie.
"Brother Qinghong already explained everything to me!
He never intended to flirt with female disciples at all.
You were the ones who misunderstood him and insisted on twisting things into something filthy.
You didn't even bother listening to his explanation before throwing him into confinement.
The Enforcement Hall has been corrupted by people like you! "
She spoke with righteous indignation, as though Lou Yuqing and Si Nidie were the villains bullying the innocent.
Si Nidie nearly laughed from sheer disbelief.
"You really make it sound as though the Enforcement Hall belongs to us alone," she said dryly.
"If what Gu Qinghong said were true, then why didn't you go directly to the Enforcement Hall to appeal the decision?
Or do you genuinely think the entire hall would bend just because of a few words from us? "
Xiao Siwen's expression darkened instantly.
"Who are you implying is brainless?! I stopped him from going!
You already handed down the punishment, so of course you wouldn't overturn the verdict and damage the Enforcement Hall's reputation.
Since that's the case, why would we go there just to humiliate ourselves? "
Lou Yuqing slowly raised an eyebrow and turned toward Si Nidie with exaggerated seriousness.
"Senior Sister, when exactly did we become such influential figures in the Enforcement Hall? Since when can we decide cases with a few casual words?"
She paused thoughtfully. "Maybe we should go speak to Captain Wei later and ask him to hand us the seats of the presiding elders too."
Si Nidie immediately caught on and patted her chest dramatically.
"Junior Sister is absolutely right. With abilities this heaven-defying, why are we still working as ordinary auditors beneath other people?
We should clearly be seated elders by now.
I only wonder whether Captain Wei would kill us with one slap first."
"You—!"
Xiao Siwen was completely outmatched verbally to begin with. Worse still, Gu Qinghong remained silent beside her, which only made her look more isolated and foolish.
"Just because you're good at talking doesn't mean you're right!" she snapped angrily. "At the end of the day, you were still the ones in the wrong. The Enforcement Hall elder was deceived by you and made the wrong judgment. Once I expose your true faces, you'll regret this!"
As she spoke, she pointed accusingly at them.
Ironically, the one most alarmed by those words wasn't Lou Yuqing or Si Nidie.
It was Gu Qinghong.
If this matter truly reached the Enforcement Hall again, wouldn't that mean directly offending Elder Wei?
That was a Golden Core cultivator.
And behind Elder Wei stood an even more terrifying Nascent Soul master.
Making enemies with people like that would only bring endless trouble.
Gu Qinghong understood Elder Wei's temperament all too well. The man despised injustice. Even if Xiao Siwen claimed it had all been a misunderstanding, once the truth resurfaced, nobody would sympathize with him.
The instant that thought crossed his mind, Gu Qinghong made his decision.
"Sisi," he said gently, looking at Xiao Siwen with soft eyes, "it's all in the past now. We're fellow disciples from the same sect. I don't want to keep pursuing this matter anymore."
Xiao Siwen froze for a moment before protesting unhappily. "How can that be? I already said we can't just let people like them get away with this! Now that we've run into them, don't stop me. I have to seek justice for you."
Then she lifted her chin proudly. "Besides, my father is an outer sect elder. We don't need to worry about offending them afterward."
Gu Qinghong's smile nearly cracked on the spot.
What use was an outer sect elder in front of the Enforcement Hall?
Whether it was authority, status, or cultivation level, Elder Wei completely crushed Xiao Siwen's father in every aspect.
Just as Gu Qinghong was frantically thinking of a way to stop her, Xiao Siwen suddenly gasped and jerked her hand back.
A streak of purple lightning had brushed past her fingertip and struck the ground behind her with a sharp crackle.
A black scorch mark instantly appeared.
Xiao Siwen's expression changed dramatically as she glared at Lou Yuqing. "What are you trying to do?!"
Lou Yuqing merely smiled faintly. "I dislike people pointing at me. It's rude."
Her tone remained calm and unhurried. "Take this as a lesson. Other people might not be as easy to talk to as I am."
Si Nidie watched from the side with deep satisfaction.
Originally, she had intended to intervene herself, but Lou Yuqing had moved first.
Still... her junior sister was honestly too polite.
Compared to the speed she displayed earlier while testing her spells, that lightning attack had been deliberately slowed down by quite a lot.
Then again, considering Xiao Siwen didn't seem especially bright, Lou Yuqing's restraint made sense. If Xiao Siwen had truly failed to dodge, they probably would have ended up dragged to the Enforcement Hall for real.
Meanwhile, Xiao Siwen was already furious beyond belief.
"You openly attacked a fellow disciple! That violates sect rules!" she shouted. "The Enforcement Hall has been investigating cases like this very strictly lately. Just wait—I'll make sure you pay for this!"
Out of habit, she raised her finger again—then immediately remembered Lou Yuqing's lightning spell and stiffly lowered it back down.
That only made her angrier.
Lou Yuqing blinked innocently and turned toward Si Nidie. "Senior Sister, did we attack her?"
She tilted her head slightly, looking genuinely puzzled. "We've been standing here the entire time. Is she blind?"
Si Nidie instantly understood and nodded solemnly. "Clearly. She dislikes us and wants to frame us, but honestly, her methods are too clumsy. Nobody would believe something so ridiculous."
The two of them calmly threw the accusation right back.
After all, Xiao Siwen disgusted them.
Naturally, they had no reason to be polite.
Xiao Siwen: "..."
Gu Qinghong: "..."
The sheer shamelessness of it left both of them momentarily speechless.
"That's nonsense!" Xiao Siwen shouted sharply. "I'm not framing you! The evidence is right there!"
She instinctively looked toward the scorch mark on the ground—and froze.
The ground was completely intact.
Not even a trace remained.
Gu Qinghong's heart immediately sank.
He reflexively looked up and met Lou Yuqing and Si Nidie's smiling expressions.
It was them.
They had erased the evidence silently.
And the ability to do something like that without anyone noticing was anything but ordinary.
Ever since his release from confinement, Gu Qinghong had secretly investigated Lou Yuqing's background. He discovered she hadn't entered the sect through the standard Spirit Testing Conference at all.
Instead, she had somehow been directly inserted into the Enforcement Hall.
Because her backing was unclear, Gu Qinghong had temporarily abandoned thoughts of revenge.
But if she ever lost her support in the future...
He absolutely wouldn't miss the chance to stomp her down while she was vulnerable.
For now, he had to endure.
Gu Qinghong had always known when to bend and when to yield.
After weighing things quickly, he immediately pulled Xiao Siwen aside and transmitted his voice privately.
"Sisi, calm down. We don't have evidence right now. There's nothing we can do to them."
Xiao Siwen blurted out indignantly, "So we're just supposed to swallow this?!"
This was the first time in her life she had suffered such a loss.
And it was also the first time she had personally witnessed how shameless people could be—lying without even blinking.
Gu Qinghong gritted his teeth internally.
Why did she have to say it out loud?!
He didn't even need to look to know Lou Yuqing and Si Nidie were probably enjoying the show immensely right now. Their mocking gazes felt like needles stabbing into his back.
"Sisi," he continued patiently, softening his voice further, "their behavior clearly isn't something new. They must have powerful people backing them."
He lowered his gaze slightly. "It's fine if I'm the one being suppressed, but you got dragged into this because of me. I can't bear seeing you suffer because of them too. And I already promised your father that I'd protect you. How could I just watch you clash head-on with people like this?"
His voice grew gentler and gentler.
"Trust me. I'll keep an eye on them. Once I find evidence against them, I'll personally send them to the Enforcement Hall to be punished."
Faced with such patient coaxing from the person she loved, Xiao Siwen's anger finally softened.
"Fine," she muttered reluctantly, her gaze turning tender again. "I'll listen to you."
Only then did Gu Qinghong secretly breathe in relief.
Finally persuaded.
Seeing her calm down, he quickly changed the subject.
"Today probably isn't the right day to see the Rainbow Bridge," he said warmly. "Next time, I'll choose a more auspicious day and bring you here again. Alright?"
That instantly hit Xiao Siwen's weak spot.
"It's a promise."
Sweetness immediately flooded her heart again.
Although running into Lou Yuqing and Si Nidie had soured her mood somewhat, it didn't matter much in the end.
As long as Qinghong only cared about her, that was enough.
Watching the pair leave together, Lou Yuqing and Si Nidie exchanged glances.
After several seconds of silence, Si Nidie suddenly spoke. "Junior Sister... you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
Lou Yuqing blinked. "Hm?"
"You intentionally didn't tell her the truth."
The evidence from Gu Qinghong's case was still stored in the third district archives of the Enforcement Hall. Among it were photographic records of him harassing and insulting Lou Yuqing.
Anyone who saw those images would immediately understand that Gu Qinghong's punishment had been entirely deserved.
Lou Yuqing instantly understood what Si Nidie meant.
She winked playfully. "Senior Sister did the same thing, didn't you?"
Then she spread her hands helplessly.
"Honestly, I think saying anything would be pointless anyway. Those two are deeply in love. Their feelings are stronger than gold."
Her lips twitched. "If we interfere, we'll probably just end up labeled as evil women trying to destroy their relationship."
Si Nidie burst out laughing. "Great minds really do think alike."
Then her expression turned puzzled again. "But I genuinely don't understand. Once people fall in love, do they completely lose basic judgment?"
Gu Qinghong was suspicious from head to toe.
How could Xiao Siwen simply pretend not to notice any of it?
Lou Yuqing lifted her chin confidently.
"This is a classic case of being muddled by love. Once someone's heart gets too entangled in feelings, they naturally stop noticing certain things."
Si Nidie nodded thoughtfully. "Senior Sister Xiuxiu used to be blinded by love too. But now she's become incredibly clear-headed and spends all day improving her medical skills."
She sighed emotionally. "Doctor Qin really does treasure that disciple. Looks like being blinded by love can actually be cured."
That was exactly how Si Nidie saw it-—as a disease.
If she hadn't overheard Lou Yuqing's inner thoughts back then, Senior Sister Xiuxiu's life might truly have been ruined.
At that thought, Si Nidie secretly glanced toward Lou Yuqing again.
Strangely enough, her junior sister hadn't revealed any inner commentary at all this time.
Normally, with gossip this obvious, she would've been enthusiastically eating melons from the front row already.
What Si Nidie didn't know was that Lou Yuqing was still locked in a cold war with the system.
If the system refused to compromise, then she refused to buy gossip.
At last, though, the system finally broke first.