Only Ji Xiaoyu looked utterly confused.
"You don't need to know."
Lu Zijin rolled her eyes at her.
Gu Jianlin glanced at the group, then calmly sat back by the campfire and said indifferently, "Li Yijie and Wang Jingchuan let their lust cloud their judgment, tried to assault Captain Lin, and I took care of them."
As soon as the words fell, Lin Wanqiu cooperatively sat beside him, her eyes brimming with tears.
Half-truths, half-acting.
Zhou Yiming instinctively felt something was off and immediately strode deep into the cavern.
Those two were his Guardians.
Though neither related by blood nor bonded by true camaraderie, they had a mutual interest-driven partnership he had to check on.
Lu Qingqing furrowed her brow, unable to hold back her question: "Where are they?"
"What else could've happened? They're dead, of course."
Lu Zijin waved her hand dismissively. "Trying to assault a female teammate during a mission? Such behavior can be summarily executed under the Ether Association's operational code."
Lu Qingqing, seeing her elder sister speak, chose not to argue further.
A moment later, Zhou Yiming emerged from the darkness of the cave, dragging two corpses in his hands, his face a picture of shock and horror. "Li Yijie and Wang Jingchuan are both dead, completely wiped out. Judging by the looks of it, they were instantly killed."
The reason for his panic was hardly unwarranted.
Two Fourth Rank operatives—a support and a warrior—eliminated without a trace.
Lu Qingqing fell silent as she turned her gaze toward the boy sitting by the campfire, her expression growing more and more astonished.
Even the two Guardians she had brought from the Lu Family also wore expressions of sheer terror.
The reason was simple.
Gu Jianlin had the ability to kill these Judgement Court Faction members without anyone sensing a thing.
That meant he also had the ability to kill them.
"Don't you think you owe us an explanation?"
Lu Qingqing couldn't help but grow wary.
Zhou Yiming stared straight at him, enunciating every word: "Indeed, even if Wang Jingchuan and Li Yijie planned to assault Captain Lin, they shouldn't have been killed outright. We should've handled it as a team. Moreover, these two had gone off to investigate traces of alchemy deliberately left behind here!"
He asked in a deep voice, "I noticed signs of fire burns earlier. What did you do?"
That question caused Lin Wanqiu's heart to clench.
The thing she feared the most had come to pass.
Lu Qingqing and Zhou Yiming would absolutely refuse to let this slide.
Not to mention, Minister Lu was right here!
Lin Wanqiu glanced nervously at the boy nearby, unsure if he would sell her out.
Gu Jianlin waved his hand dismissively, whether out of laziness to speak or sheer disdain to explain, no one could tell.
Chen Qing asked with concern.
Gu Jianlin shook his head. "No harm done."
Lu Qingqing and Zhou Yiming, the leaders of their respective teams, both looked visibly displeased.
Such a high-and-mighty, dismissive attitude was enough to send anyone's blood pressure soaring.
"Relax. Xiao Gu even beat down his superiors before. Do you really think he'd bother explaining things to you over something ?"
Lu Zijin, sucking on her lollipop, watched the scene unfold like entertainment, sneering. "I mean, didn't you all hear about his reputation? Yesterday, he even killed off Councilman Zhang. Two Judgement Court dogs? Nothing to get worked up about. Besides, Xiao Gu never treated you like leaders to begin with, so don't expect him to follow your rules."
She chuckled. "Might makes right, after all."
She couldn't care less about anyone else.
Her words, however, were clearly meant for her younger sister.
A perfect opportunity for this naive little fool to learn what real talent looked like.
Lu Qingqing turned around to face the petite young girl, unable to help herself: "Sister, this involves your advancement and even your safety. Now the team's short two Fourth Rank operatives, and they were killed just like that. We've got a long road ahead. What happens if this continues?"
Lu Zijin smirked. "I was never counting on those two weaklings anyway."
Lu Qingqing was irked by her dismissive tone. "But this is *my* team to command."
Lu Zijin responded indifferently, "Oh, is that so? Did someone hand you a feather and tell you it's an imperial scepter? Don't go flaunting your experience at Fusang Divine Palace like it's worth showing off— the Ancient God Realm has been a ghost of itself for years now, like some overworked girl from a seedy parlor who's been exploited far too many times."
She snorted. "Why don't you try conquering something unspoiled for once?"
Lu Qingqing spat in irritation. What kind of thug analogy was that?
"You're far from being a real talent yet. Learn to observe and grow for now."
Lu Zijin casually dismissed her younger sister's efforts.
Lu Qingqing took a deep breath. She knew what her sister was implying.
Clearly, her sister believed the true talent wasn't her—but the boy lounging by the campfire.
"Well, it's your advancement, not mine anyway."
She huffed and walked off to the side, sulking.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yiming also stepped forward, speaking seriously: "Minister Lu, although your rank is the highest here, you currently lack combat capabilities and rely on us for protection. I'll continue guarding you to ensure your safety, but from now on, I can't trust this person. I'll keep a constant watch on him."
He didn't shy away from openly raising his hand to point at the boy by the campfire.
Lu Zijin smirked sweetly. "Suit yourself."
To be fair, she knew this wasn't exactly gracious behavior.
After all, the death of these two Judgement Court members would inevitably draw scrutiny later.
By then, both Lu Qingqing and Zhou Yiming would inevitably clash with the Judgement Court.
It couldn't be helped—this was faction rivalry at its core.
As for Lu Qingqing, well, she was from the Lu Family. If she got ensnared, so be it.