Chapter 83, Double Scam

Chapter 83, Double Scam

Gu Qinghong felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were being watched by some ferocious beast. He quickly said to Xiao Siwen, "Sisi, let's go. I promised you last time that we would go see the Rainbow Bridge."

Xiao Siwen said shyly, "Mmm."

at the same time.

Lou Yuqing had just bought the melons from Gu Qinghong and Xiao Siwen when she noticed that everything around her was quiet.

Why is everyone so still?

Si Nidie's heart tightened, and she looked at Si Nanren: "Brother, think of something quickly!"

Si Nanren's mind raced, and he transmitted his voice, "I'm thinking about it!"

Many others were just as anxious as they were. If Lou Yuqing became suspicious, they would miss out on the gossip. Just then, someone stepped forward.

"Gu Qinghong, I challenge you!" Shen Lijun shouted, blocking Gu Qinghong's way out.

Gu Qinghong was taken aback at first, then looked at Shen Lijun. He knew that this person harbored ill intentions towards him, but he did not expect that the other party would challenge him to a duel in front of everyone.

Was it unintentional or deliberate?

You must know that tomorrow is the Seven Sects Competition. If he gets injured today, he won't be able to participate in the competition in his best condition, and it's not impossible that he won't be able to participate at all.

Gu Qinghong didn't want to accept this challenge. Who knew who had sent this person? If he accidentally fell into a trap, it would be too late to regret it.

In his own opinion, he should have just refused outright.

However, seeing the stares from everyone, Gu Qinghong had to hide his annoyance and said to Shen Lijun in a polite tone, "This senior brother has been so kind to invite me, and I shouldn't refuse. However, Sisi and I have agreed that I will accompany her to Qishan to enjoy the scenery, so I have to decline your kind offer. Let's have another chance to challenge you next time."

Shen Lijun said impatiently, "Don't bother with the 'next time' thing. I'm just asking you, do you know Shao Qiuyan? If so, I'm going to fight you today! I'll also be participating in the Seven Sects Competition tomorrow. Don't worry about me harming myself or others; we can stop here! I just want to see just how capable Qiuyan's close associates really are!"

Everyone's eyes lit up: another love triangle scandal.

When Gu Qinghong heard the name "Shao Qiuyan" from Shen Lijun, his expression changed drastically. How could it be related to her? He took a deep breath and said, "I haven't asked my senior brother's name yet?"

“Shen, Li, Jun!” Shen Li Jun stared intently into his eyes and said, word by word.

It really was him!

Gu Qinghong was able to find out that Shao Qiuyan had a fiancé, so he naturally knew that she had a persistent suitor. In an instant, he understood everything. This person must have been dissatisfied with Shao Qiuyan's closeness to him and came to him to vent his jealousy.

If Xiao Siwen weren't around, it wouldn't be a big deal for him to admit it. But since Senior Sister Shao had given him a pill, it would be too easy for him to be exposed if he said he didn't know her. If this matter reached Senior Sister Shao, his good image would be ruined, and then this shortcut of currying favor would be wasted.

Unfortunately, Xiao Siwen happened to be there and overheard these words.

Women are always sensitive to potential rivals. Xiao Siwen frowned and questioned Gu Qinghong, "Who is Shao Qiuyan? I don't know her. Why did you keep it from me?"

Everyone perked up their ears: Oh wow, something's up.

Shen Lijun calmly added fuel to the fire, saying, "That's right. There's nothing between you and Qiuyan that goes beyond the relationship between senior and junior brothers. Why don't you tell your partner? Unless, you're thinking of climbing the social ladder."

Gu Qinghong cursed inwardly: Damn it.

He turned his head and saw Xiao Siwen's face full of anger, her pretty face twisted with rage: "Gu Qinghong, I'm asking you a question. Do you have some shady ideas, like he said?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd's expressions of amusement became even more evident.

If Gu Qinghong didn't handle this well, the news would spread throughout the sect, ruining his reputation. He tried to calm himself down, cursing Shen Lijun in his heart. What he needed to do now was to appease Xiao Siwen; he could deal with other things later.

"Sisi, you'd rather believe outsiders than let me explain first? I can assure you that Senior Sister Shao and I are completely innocent, there's absolutely no romantic relationship between us," Gu Qinghong said with an upright expression.

Seeing his confident tone, Xiao Siwen's expression softened slightly: "Really?"

Gu Qinghong was about to speak when Shen Lijun seized the opportunity to say, "Qiu Yan definitely doesn't have it, but he might. Throughout history, there have been many people who are greedy and always want more than they have.

Everyone: What a brilliant way to stir up trouble!

Xiao Siwen's anger was reignited: "Gu Qinghong, don't try to evade the issue. I told you I forbade you to associate with strange female disciples. Now that you've entered the inner sect, you think you're all grown up and have forgotten your promise to me?"

"That's not how it is, Sisi, listen to me." Gu Qinghong wished she could seal Shen Lijun's mouth, but she didn't have time to care about him at the moment. She hurriedly explained, "I've only known Senior Sister Shao for two days. We just happened to be delayed because of cultivation. I originally wanted to take advantage of today to tell you. Don't believe the outsiders' attempts to sow discord. Some people can't stand seeing us get along because they can't have what they want."

Gu Qinghong practically pointed at Shen Lijun's nose and accused him of having malicious intentions.

Shen Lijun glared at him, about to retort.

The next moment, Lou Yuqing's inner voice echoed softly.

[No way, no way, no one actually believed Gu Qinghong's nonsense, right?]

Everyone shook their heads: They didn't.

Those with weak wills felt guilty for a few seconds. After all, what Gu Qinghong said made a lot of sense. They couldn't just assume the worst about him based on a few suspicious points.

Si Nanren was not surprised by this. Before the truth comes out, there are always two opposing voices. He turned his head and saw that Si Nidie was watching intently.

Si Nidie looked very excited. She had wanted her junior sister to spill all the gossip about the couple she had met at Qishan that day, and now her wish had finally come true.

Upon hearing this, Shen Lijun proudly straightened his back.

Junior Sister Lou is on his side!

To his bewilderment, Gu Qinghong seemed oblivious to his own thoughts, continuing to swear oaths to Xiao Siwen. As Gu Qinghong brainwashed her, Xiao Siwen's resolve began to waver.

Lou Yuqing complained.

[You're hopelessly in love. You treat her like your life partner, but she just wants to find a chance to dump you, this burden, and make her own way in the world.]

Gu Qinghong was originally a "phoenix man" (a man from a poor background who achieves success through humble beginnings). He used his partner's influence to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. Once his partner lost her usefulness, he planned to find a better opportunity to exploit the next target.

Shen Lijun's heart skipped a beat, and a bad premonition suddenly arose.

That's right, the unlucky girl who got targeted was Shao Qiuyan.

Putting everything else aside, Gu Qinghong is quite talented at charming women. After realizing that he and the woman's ideal woman looked somewhat alike, he specifically studied swordsmanship as a secondary skill.

Unlike Shen Lijun, who gave up halfway, he persisted for six years despite his lack of talent in swordsmanship, finally winning over Shao Qiuyan with his perseverance.

Shen Lijun almost gritted his teeth to pieces.

Damn it, that phoenix man is so cunning, he's even learned to put others down. Back then, he persisted in swordsmanship for two years before giving up.

If he knew that Qiu Yan would look at him with new eyes, he would be willing to train for ten or eight years!

Unfortunately, it was too late to regret it.

Shen Lijun didn't think too deeply about it. Perhaps showing his dedication to the way of the sword could move Shao Qiuyan's heart, but what was more important was that face that resembled Bai Yueguang's.

On the other side, Si Nidie's lips twitched, and she glanced at Gu Qinghong speechlessly. With such determination, she could achieve anything, so why did she have to take the crooked path? It's truly an eye-opener.

She will probably never understand that some people just like to take shortcuts.

Having tasted success with Xiao Siwen, Gu Qinghong abandoned any thought of relying on himself, since relying on a woman was better than relying on himself.

Xiao Siwen has an outer sect elder as her father, while Shao Qiuyan has a Nascent Soul cultivator as her master. As for himself, he's just a lowly Karami.

Lou Yuqing's tone was full of mockery.

Everyone chuckled, their eyes filled with disdain as they looked at Gu Qinghong.

If he truly loved the other person, that would be one thing, and they wouldn't find it objectionable. But he's just using the guise of love to do things that benefit his partner, which is utterly disgusting.

What's even more infuriating is that although Xiao Siwen initially suspected Gu Qinghong, she has now been coaxed by him. How could he be so careless? Who else would he lie to if not her?

Shi Xiuxiu looked at Xiao Siwen with empathy, feeling a little anxious. Their experiences were so similar; they had both been deceived by scheming men who used money to seduce them.

She really wanted to expose Gu Qinghong's true colors to Xiao Siwen, but unfortunately she had no evidence. This kind of man is the best at pretending to be affectionate. If it weren't for the poisonous sachet that Qi Luofeng gave her, she might have continued to deceive herself.

If Xiao Siwen could hear her inner thoughts, things would probably be much simpler.

As Shi Xiuxiu thought this, her mind went blank as if struck by lightning.

Yes, why can't Xiao Siwen hear her own thoughts?

While Shi Xiuxiu stood there stunned, Lou Yuqing continued to attack.

Gu Qinghong is really something, deceiving both sides.

He told Xiao Siwen that Shao Qiuyan was his senior sister who instructed him in swordsmanship, without mentioning at all the training resources Shao Qiuyan had given him free of charge. Xiao Siwen believed him and treated Shao Qiuyan with great courtesy.

Then Gu Qinghong turned to Shao Qiuyan and said that he and his wife respected her very much—implying that he already had a wife and wouldn't have any thoughts about Shao Qiuyan's kindness towards him.

Shao Qiuyan was simply looking for a stand-in to distribute resources; she didn't want the stand-in to rise in rank, and she was quite satisfied with Gu Qinghong's actions in avoiding suspicion.

And so, over time, this relationship was maintained.

Everyone was heartbroken.

Gu Qinghong is no human being; he actually gained such a huge advantage.

Shen Lijun looked as if the sky had fallen. "Qiuyan, are you confused? Gu Qinghong was just faking it. How can you not see through it? Or are you pretending to be ignorant? Does that person really have such a deep influence on you?"

According to the original plan, he died during the land reclamation. If he were still alive, he certainly wouldn't have let Qiuyan suffer.

Shen Lijun became increasingly depressed as he thought about it.

The next moment, a turning point arrived.

Until one day

Someone informed Xiao Siwen that Gu Qinghong and Shao Qiuyan were having an affair, and from then on, things spiraled out of control.