Chapter 152: Chapter 152: Brewing Up a Big Move?
Just as Lu Sangjiu was at a loss, Gu Jue’s voice echoed in her mind. "I can’t hold on... I’m sorry, I have to trouble you to get me back..."
As his voice trailed off, Lu Sangjiu felt his full weight press against her.
It was only then that she belatedly realized... ’Is Gu Jue suffering a backlash because the Phoenix Cry Sword’s power is too strong?’
Immortal Artifacts, though powerful, were indeed not something a Golden Core Cultivator could wield. That was why most of the power in Gu Jue’s Phoenix Cry Sword had been sealed by Sword Bu Gui.
Now that Gu Jue had unsealed seventy percent of its power, the strength displayed was certainly immense, but Gu Jue himself couldn’t withstand it.
He might have looked fine, but when Lu Sangjiu probed him with her Spiritual Energy, she immediately discovered the Spiritual Energy within him was in complete chaos. His internal organs had all been damaged by its rampage.
For Gu Jue to have endured long enough to get off the stage without so much as a change in expression... was already an incredible feat!
And Lu Sangjiu more or less understood why Gu Jue had forced himself to hold on. ’He just put on this huge show. If he collapsed right after, wouldn’t that be humiliating?’
So now that Gu Jue had passed out, Lu Sangjiu had to keep up appearances for him.
All eyes were currently on Gu Jue, so their every move naturally wouldn’t escape notice.
Since Gu Jue had used a voice transmission to speak with Lu Sangjiu, from the onlookers’ perspective, it just looked like Gu Jue had walked over and embraced her.
And who doesn’t love gossip? In an instant, everyone turned to look, surprised and excited, each trying to guess Lu Sangjiu’s identity.
Lu Sangjiu was helpless. She couldn’t explain, so she had no choice but to quietly stick a Mirror Image Talisman on Gu Jue before placing her hands on his shoulders and pushing him away.
Although Gu Jue was unconscious, the Mirror Image Talisman made his actions perfectly mirror Lu Sangjiu’s. Even his eyes were open.
So to everyone else, it just looked like the two of them were pushing each other apart by the shoulders, which didn’t seem strange at all.
"Ahem... Feng Dao You, Gu Jue says he’s a bit tired. Let’s take him back to rest for a while."
Feng Lin was actually a little confused, but she vaguely sensed that something was off. She didn’t ask any questions and just immediately agreed, "Okay."
And so, Lu Sangjiu turned, and Gu Jue turned with her. The three of them walked away from the crowd together.
As people watched them leave, someone couldn’t help but mutter, "Why do Gu Jue’s movements seem a little stiff... and weird?"
"I’m more interested in who that Female Cultivator is to him. Tsk, tsk, hugging in broad daylight. What has the world come to!"
"Pah! Sounds like a case of sour grapes to me. If they’re cultivation partners, what’s wrong with a little hug?"
The faint murmurs of their discussion reached Lu Sangjiu’s ears, and she felt truly helpless. ’My relationship with Gu Jue is becoming impossible to explain. The misunderstanding is just getting deeper and deeper. This is killing me!’
Only after they were away from the crowd did Feng Lin finally whisper, "You and Mr. Gu..."
Lu Sangjiu sighed and sent a voice transmission to her. "He’s not in good shape. He’s already unconscious. I used a Mirror Image Talisman just to get him out of there. We need to hurry and get him somewhere he can heal."
Feng Lin finally understood. "No wonder he seemed so strange... So, where are we taking him?"
Lu Sangjiu thought for a moment. "Let’s take him directly to his master."
In any case, Sword Bu Gui was right here. Whether he decided to treat Gu Jue himself or call for a Medical Cultivator from the Gold and Silver Gate would be his decision.
Once they had a plan, they immediately headed toward the VIP seating area.
With so many arenas and this being only the first round of matches, Sword Bu Gui and the others must have been bored. They were just sitting there, drinking tea and chatting, not paying much attention to the fights.
Otherwise, they would have likely noticed something was wrong with Gu Jue and come over long ago.
Afraid that people would notice something was amiss, Lu Sangjiu had Feng Lin go find Sword Bu Gui while she and Gu Jue waited a short distance away.
Yet in that short amount of time, they unexpectedly ran into Ye Zhiyao.
Things had gotten pretty ugly between them last time, yet when Ye Zhiyao saw Lu Sangjiu now, she actually approached to greet them as if nothing had ever happened.
"Junior Sister Lu, Senior Brother Gu, what are you two doing here?"
Her "Senior Brother Gu," of course, couldn’t answer her. Lu Sangjiu was inwardly disgusted and afraid Ye Zhiyao would notice something was wrong, so her only thought was to get rid of her quickly.
So she said deliberately, "Oh, Gu Jue is about to introduce me to his master. Did you need something, Senior Sister Ye? If not, you shouldn’t stand here and delay us."
Hearing that, Ye Zhiyao’s expression changed. ’Are they really together? To the point where he’s introducing her to his master?’
She couldn’t help but glance at Gu Jue, hoping he would refute the claim, but he didn’t react at all. He didn’t even look at her.
Ye Zhiyao’s heart filled with bitterness and rage. She felt as if Lu Sangjiu had snatched away her beloved, and her resentment toward her deepened.
At the same time, any initial affection she’d had for Gu Jue vanished without a trace.
But she still wouldn’t give up on Gu Jue, simply because... ’I refuse to lose to Lu Sangjiu again!’
A thousand thoughts raced through her mind, but Ye Zhiyao maintained her superficial grace. She smiled at Lu Sangjiu. "Is that so... Then congratulations, Junior Sister Lu. I won’t keep you. I’ll be on my way."
Lu Sangjiu was stunned. She hadn’t expected Ye Zhiyao to back down without a fight this time. But the more agreeable she was, the more uneasy Lu Sangjiu felt. ’She’s not planning some big move, is she?’
Just as she was thinking this, Feng Lin returned with Sword Bu Gui.
Lu Sangjiu quickly snapped out of her thoughts and bowed to Sword Bu Gui. "Greetings, Sword Master Bu Gui."
Sword Bu Gui glanced at Lu Sangjiu, his tone chilly. "It’s you again."
For some reason, Lu Sangjiu suddenly felt a pang of guilt...
There was no good way to respond to that, so she could only change the subject. "Gu Jue... his condition doesn’t seem very good."
Sword Bu Gui reached out and took Gu Jue’s pulse, and his expression immediately soured. "You little brat. You’re getting bolder and bolder."
’The moment he gets a girl, he throws all caution to the wind, and I’m the one who has to clean up his mess!’
He said irritably to Lu Sangjiu, "All right, come with me."
Lu Sangjiu was dumbfounded. "Huh? I... I have to go too?"
’I was just supposed to drop Gu Jue off! Why do I have to go?!’
Sword Bu Gui glared. "What? Aren’t you his dear friend? He’s in this state, and you’re just going to walk away?"
Lu Sangjiu was speechless.
His words made Lu Sangjiu shrink back. She suddenly felt like some kind of irresponsible deadbeat...
Feeling inexplicably guilty, and since she didn’t have anything else to do anyway, she could only nod sheepishly. "Well... all right."
Just as she was about to follow Sword Bu Gui, she suddenly heard someone call her name. "Little Jiu..."
