Donggua's expression froze as it prepared to answer.
Before it could speak, Chen Baiqing's tone suddenly shifted to one of mild amusement:
"How foolish of me—if you truly feared death, how could you have so casually thrown out those false reports just to irritate people?"
"Since that's the case, why don't you satisfy my curiosity today?"
Donggua gasped. Its usually sluggish tongue turned nimble, and excuses it couldn't have dreamed up moments ago spilled out in a rush:
"It must be some secret scheme Xu Linglong planted—specifically so you'd eliminate me! This is a complete frame-up!"
Chen Baiqing's lips curled into a faint smile. She said nothing, merely measuring Donggua with an amused glance.
Donggua understood instantly—whether it ended up as winter melon soup today depended entirely on its next answer.
Yet it couldn't blame anyone else. Life as a demon was simply hard, and more than a little hopeless.
Donggua had no idea how things had reached this point—where practically no one on either the human or demon side believed a single word it said.
It knew it had been slacking off lately, but it had valid reasons.
After all, Donggua understood its own awkward position. No matter which side it leaned toward, its future looked pitch-black.
No matter how nicely Chu Xingchen spoke, Donggua never expected him to actually keep his promises.
In a situation like this, the motivation to slack off vastly outweighed any urge to work hard—working hard was exhausting, while slacking off was thoroughly comfortable.
However, to stay alive right now, Donggua needed to prove it had value.
It gritted its teeth. The master capable of raising a disciple like Cui Hao—how could he possibly be a decent person?
After a brief pause, Donggua decided to copy Cui Hao's playbook—whether it worked or not didn't matter; it was time to go big or go home.
Hardening its resolve, Donggua said through gritted teeth: "The so-called teleportation ritual—I actually don't know much about it. After all, that's top secret among top secrets."
Chen Baiqing nodded knowingly, her voice pressing further:
"Top secret among top secrets—then how did you know it was a teleportation ritual in the first place? How did you know what it did? Could your cultivation level possibly have granted you access to the core?"
"Or… was this intelligence fabricated by you as well?"
Donggua froze, standing completely stunned.
Right…
It was top secret intelligence—so how did it know?
When had it ever seen this ritual? And how had it been able to recognize it instantly?
Donggua couldn't comprehend it—why had it subconsciously overlooked such a critical question until now?
Chen Baiqing's eyes narrowed slightly as the Qingtian Treasure Ring on her hand flickered with faint points of light.
Unexpectedly… this Donggua actually had something worth digging into.
Southern Zhanbu Continent, Miaoyuan Temple.
Li Yingling sat lazily in a chair with her legs crossed, cracking melon seeds and tossing the shells straight onto the floor.
"Fellow Daoist Li…" Wu Wang held back for a moment before he couldn't resist speaking up: "Wouldn't the table be better?"
Li Yingling let out a light scoff, casually tossed another shell onto the floor, and replied nonchalantly:
"Ha—did you behave yourself when I asked you to?"
Wu Wang fell silent once more.
When conversations went like this, continuing them was pointless. Li Yingling had clearly come for the sole purpose of making his life miserable.
Wu Wang let out a soft sigh and finally said: "The New Policy has nearly shattered all cohesion within the Theravada Buddhist Teachings. Its ultimate failure is already set in stone."
"The matter is settled. Once I return, the Honored Buddha and the various Buddhas will issue my punishment."
Li Yingling didn't even glance up:
"I'm not interested in playing a game of who has it worse. My dislike for someone doesn't fade just because they happen to be miserable."
To the side, Li Xingtian sat quietly and upright, his eyes fixed on the floor.
Ever since Chen Baiqing departed, he had returned to Li Yingling's command—yet he hadn't faced any harsh reckoning from Eldest Senior Sister.
Her attitude was surprisingly gentle, almost as if the mistake had never been his.
Still, Eldest Senior Sister was likely still holding back her frustration, her temper lingering right beneath the surface.
Now was the time to stay on his best behavior.
When she wanted to be, Eldest Senior Sister could be quite petty, much like a child.
Suddenly, Li Xingtian's gaze shifted toward the entrance.
A disciple from the Tianyan Sect descended on a streak of sword-light. After offering a respectful greeting to both of them, he cupped his hands and spoke:
"A delivery from Senior Sister Chen Baiqing, intended specifically for Senior Sister Li Yingling—an Image-Recording Stone and a jade token."
Li Yingling stood up, her tone softening slightly:
"Thank you for the effort. Hand them to me."
The Tianyan Sect disciple retrieved the Image-Recording Stone and the jade token from his storage ring, presenting them respectfully into Li Yingling's hands. He cupped his hands once more:
"Do either of you have further instructions? If not, I shall take my leave and return to the Tianyan Sect immediately."
"No further instructions. Thank you," Li Yingling nodded.
"Understood." The disciple bowed, transformed into a streak of rainbow light, and sped off into the sky.
Wu Wang's curious glance naturally drifted toward the items in Li Yingling's hands.
Li Yingling shot him a sharp glare, then extended her spiritual consciousness to probe the Image-Recording Stone.
Inside, a scene unfolded of her master charging forward valiantly—only to be sent flying back by a single blow.
Li Yingling took a deep breath and quickly examined the second item.
It contained a message left by Baiqing:
Master is safe and in no danger. His actions are not endorsed.
Destroy after a single viewing.
Li Yingling's tense heart eased considerably.
When it came to Master, Baiqing had always been reliable.
The message was brief, and the instruction to destroy it immediately implied that Master was likely putting on a show.
Even so, it confirmed that her master was indeed involved in something risky.
Baiqing's decision to return stemmed from genuine concern for Master, and her timing had been immaculate.
The irritation that had weighed on Li Yingling recently dissipated almost entirely. She funneled her spiritual energy into the jade token, completely erasing its contents, before storing the Image-Recording Stones back in her storage ring.
Li Xingtian waited patiently, only to watch Eldest Senior Sister finish reviewing the items and instantly destroy the jade token's message.
Was she not going to let him see any of it?
Had Eldest Senior Sister truly excluded him from the inner circle for good?
Li Xingtian spoke up in a low voice: "Eldest Senior Sister…"
"What is it?"
"Do I not need to see it?"
"You really want to see?"
"If it's something I ought to know… then perhaps I should?"
Li Yingling turned to look at him, a sudden playful smirk appearing on her face:
"You can view it if you wish, though I doubt you'll enjoy it. As your Eldest Senior Sister, I'd advise against looking."
Li Xingtian pondered for a moment. At worst, it was probably Master criticizing him for assisting Third Junior Sister—a stern scolding at most.
If he had made a mistake and deserved a reprimand, he would accept it gladly. He was fully prepared to accept Master's judgment.
Having made up his mind, Li Xingtian gave a firm nod:
"It's fine. I can handle it."
Li Yingling's lips curled into a broader smile. She shook her head with exaggerated flair, pulled an Image-Recording Stone from her storage ring, and handed it over, adding a strict warning:
"This item must remain undamaged. If you dare destroy it… you're as good as dead!"
Li Xingtian nodded repeatedly in agreement, reached out to take the Image-Recording Stone, and immersed his spiritual consciousness into it.
Within a split second, his usually calm and composed face turned bright red.
The Image-Recording Stone captured the exact moment he was dealing with the Dream Flower crisis—he had been struck down by the Dream Lord, and Master had swooped in to save him.
In the recording, Master stood tall before his kneeling form, extending a hand to gently pat his head.
Master looked graceful in pristine white robes, his expression filled with warmth.
Meanwhile, Li Xingtian was draped in a dark, bloody aura, wearing black garments, his face twisted in a fierce, monstrous expression.
While the Image-Recording Stone carried no actual sound, Master's words echoed with perfect clarity in his mind, as if real-time audio were playing in his ears:
"Yo, Xingtian baby, need Daddy to fish you out?"
What an excruciatingly humiliating memory!
How on earth did a moment like this get captured in an Image-Recording Stone?!
[
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