Hearing Li Qiancheng's words, Qin Yu gave him a smirk. "Senior Brother Li, could it be that you're not confident in your own abilities? That you're afraid to go first?"
"If that's the case, why did you have to act tough and insist on coming along? Wouldn't it have been better to stay behind and sweep the sect gates?"
Qin Yu certainly knew how to provoke Li Qiancheng.
He and Qin Yu were already at odds, so his words made Li Qiancheng's temper flare. "Who said I'm afraid? But if you're the one left outside for backup, I'm guessing you'd only come in after I'm already dead!"
Qin Yu raised an eyebrow. "Senior Brother Li, are you saying you don't trust me?"
Li Qiancheng rolled his eyes. "Obviously. If I said I trusted you, would you even believe me?"
Just then, Ye Zhiyao spoke up. "Senior Brother Li, how can you say such a thing? We're all from the same sect. Even if we have minor disagreements, none of us would be vicious enough to wish death upon a fellow disciple."
"Even if you don't trust Senior Brother Qin, you should be able to trust me, right? With me here, I guarantee that if anything happens inside, he and I definitely won't just stand by and watch!"
Ye Zhiyao's expression was so earnest that it made Li Qiancheng seem petty by comparison.
But Lu Sangjiu sneered inwardly. 'Heh, you might not stand by and watch, but at the critical moment, your dear Senior Brother will just knock you out!'
'By the time you wake up, everyone will already be dead. Then Qin Yu will take all the responsibility, claiming he did it to protect your safety or some other nonsense.'
'Then you'll put on a show of anguish and self-reproach. In the end, you'll convince yourself that Qin Yu did it all to save you, so you'll hide the fact that he left everyone to die from the sect. And all those who died will have died in vain.'
'Even if the truth comes out later, you'll just put on an innocent face and say it was because Qin Yu knocked you unconscious. That you didn't *mean* to leave them to die.'
'See? You get to remain the kind, innocent little flower, and everyone else is to blame for the wrongdoing.'
That was Ye Zhiyao's style.
Of course, Lu Sangjiu knew all this, but the others didn't. They still thought Ye Zhiyao was kind and sincere.
Chen Xiaofeng, empathizing with Ye Zhiyao, couldn't help but join her in trying to persuade Li Qiancheng.
"That's right, Junior Brother Li. We're all fellow disciples here. No one would just leave someone to die. Talking like that is a bit hurtful, you know?"
Being ganged up on by the three of them, Li Qiancheng was furious.
In truth, he wasn't worried about himself. It was just that his Little Junior Sister had always been in poor health. If something were to happen inside, he might be fine, but the same couldn't be said for Lu Sangjiu.
In the end, he couldn't hold back. He slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet. "It's all fine and good for you to say! But if something really happens, who knows what you'll—"
Before he could finish, however, Lu Sangjiu tugged on his sleeve from the side.
Li Qiancheng looked down to see Lu Sangjiu's eyes curving into a smile. She gave him an obedient look. "Senior Brother, calm down."
It was a simple phrase, but for some unknown reason, Li Qiancheng's heart grew strangely calm.
'Hmm... Little Junior Sister hasn't cultivated the Seven Emotions Technique, so her emotions are more stable. I should listen to her!'
And so, Li Qiancheng, who had been about to explode just a moment ago, gave a cold snort and sat back down.
Lu Sangjiu then turned to Qin Yu, her tone earnest. "Senior Brother Qin, you've all misunderstood my senior brother. He's definitely not afraid of the danger. It's just..."
She lowered her gaze, a sorrowful look on her face. "My health has never been very good. My senior brother is worried I'll be in danger, but he's afraid of hurting my pride by saying it out loud. That's why he..."
"Sigh," she heaved a small sigh. "It's all my fault. Now my senior brother is being misunderstood because of me."
After she finished speaking, she suddenly covered her mouth with a handkerchief and fell into a fit of coughing. When she pulled the handkerchief away a moment later, everyone could clearly see the specks of blood on the cloth.
Chen Xiaofeng hadn't known Lu Sangjiu before this, and he was shocked at the sight. "Junior Sister Lu, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing..." She waved a hand weakly. "It's a chronic condition I've had since I was a child. I often cough up blood, but it's not life-threatening at the moment."
Chen Xiaofeng's face immediately filled with sympathy. "Junior Sister Lu has such great talent, how could she... He sighed. But Junior Brother Li's concern is valid. With Junior Sister Lu's poor health and low cultivation, if something were to really happen in there, she would have a hard time protecting herself."
As he spoke, his eyes, along with Lu Sangjiu's and Li Qiancheng's, all turned to face Qin Yu and Ye Zhiyao.
Qin Yu: "..."
Ye Zhiyao: "..."
There were only five people in their group. It was obvious that whichever side won Chen Xiaofeng over would gain the upper hand in the discussion.
Qin Yu hadn't expected Chen Xiaofeng to switch sides so quickly, and his expression darkened.
He stared at Lu Sangjiu's blood-stained handkerchief and couldn't stop himself from making a sardonic comment. "...Junior Sister Lu, your timing for coughing up blood is truly impeccable."
Lu Sangjiu looked perfectly innocent. "Oh, my illness causes me to cough up blood whenever I experience strong emotional fluctuations. You always seem to be around to see it, Senior Brother Qin. I suppose that's because I always find our encounters so... stimulating."
Qin Yu: "..."
Chen Xiaofeng, of course, understood the insinuation in Qin Yu's words. More than half of the goodwill he'd built up for him over the course of their journey instantly evaporated.
'Junior Sister Lu is clearly in poor health, so how could he subtly accuse her of faking it? The man has no class at all.'
Unable to let it slide, he spoke up again. "Junior Brother Qin, why don't you and Junior Sister Ye go instead?"
With things having come to this, Qin Yu had no choice but to respond. His face was cold as he said, "Fine, I can go. But since Senior Brother Li doesn't trust me, how can I possibly trust him?"
Lu Sangjiu had been waiting for those exact words. She immediately put on a naive and innocent expression. "Senior Brother Qin, how can you say such a thing? We're all from the same sect. Even if we have minor disagreements, none of us would be vicious enough to wish death upon a fellow disciple."
"Even if you don't trust my senior brother, you should be able to trust me, right? With me here, I guarantee that if anything happens inside, my senior brother and I definitely won't just stand by and watch!"
Everyone: "..."
Weren't those the exact words Ye Zhiyao had just used? Lu Sangjiu had repeated them, almost verbatim, to shut them up.
Li Qiancheng couldn't hold back a snort of laughter. He chimed in, "Exactly! We're not the type to leave people to die. You can rest assured, Junior Brother Qin!"
Having her words thrown back at her, Ye Zhiyao looked awkward and flustered. In a wronged tone, she said, "I was being completely sincere just now. Junior Sister Lu, why must you deliberately mock me like this?"
Lu Sangjiu looked blank and innocent. "Mock you?"
"No, no, no, what are you talking about, Senior Sister Ye? I have absolutely no intention of mocking you. I just felt your words were so heartfelt and sincere that if I said them too, Senior Brother Qin would be more likely to believe me."
Ye Zhiyao: "..."
She opened her mouth, but was left at a complete loss for words.
Hearing her blatant nonsense, Qin Yu's face grew even darker. But he couldn't immediately refute her, since Ye Zhiyao had said the original words. If he argued, it would only make Ye Zhiyao look even more foolish.
So, he could only latch onto another point. "...But Senior Brother Li is stronger. He'd have a better chance of success if he went in!"