Chapter 243
The exam week had just ended, and Ye Zhenzhen's mind had already flown back home.
At the thought of the upcoming National Day holiday, she was so excited that she could hardly sit still.
She urged Gu Ran while frantically packing her luggage.
A few hours later, County A, Qinglin City.
The black Audi parked steadily downstairs at Binjiang Garden.
Gu Ran turned off the engine and looked sideways at the passenger seat.
Ye Zhenzhen wasn't in a hurry to get out of the car. Instead, she pulled down the sun visor mirror with a swish and checked herself left and right in the reflection.
Her fingers nervously fumbled with her collar buttons, wishing she could pull the collar all the way up to her chin to cover herself completely.
"What are you doing?"
Gu Ran rested one hand on the steering wheel, watching her with a relaxed and amused expression.
"People who don't know any better would think you just went and did something shady."
"Shut up!"
The girl glared at him through the mirror, a blush spreading across her cheeks.
"I'm checking to see if you left any marks on me. If my mom and Uncle Gu see anything, you're dead meat."
Before they left, this guy acted like a dog, catching her and kissing her wildly.
Even though she guarded herself strictly, it was hard to guarantee nothing slipped through the cracks.
You have to know, Uncle Gu has a background in criminal investigation; those eyes of his are sharper than a CT scanner.
If he saw anything, Gu Ran's legs would probably be left at Binjiang Garden as fertilizer today.
"Don't worry, Dr. Ye."
The young man unfastened his seatbelt, leaned over to help her tidy the stray hairs at her temples, and smiled in a highly punchable way.
"My skills are very good. They are all in places that can't be seen. I promise Old Gu won't be able to find out."
"Get lost!"
Ye Zhenzhen was so embarrassed she wanted to die. After making sure everything was foolproof, the girl took a deep breath and pushed the car door open.
The trunk was stuffed to the brim, entirely with local specialties Gu Ran had brought back from the capital.
Carrying bags big and small, the two of them huffed and puffed their way upstairs.
Standing in front of the familiar security door, neither of them knocked.
Gu Ran fished the keys out of his pocket.
He made a shushing gesture to Ye Zhenzhen and gently turned the key.
It was evening.
The faint sound of the evening news broadcast on the TV could be heard from inside.
Click.
The lock popped open, and the two quietly changed their shoes and entered the house.
In the living room, Gu Xiangcheng was sitting on the sofa, holding a newspaper in his hands.
His brows were tightly furrowed, as if he were pondering some major national affairs.
But Gu Ran had sharp eyes and instantly noticed that his old man was holding the newspaper upside down.
Moreover, his eyes were clearly in standby mode; it was obvious he was zoning out.
At the kitchen door, Ye Shulian, wearing an apron and holding a spatula, was frowning at the refrigerator.
"Old Gu, what should we eat tonight? It seems we're out of meat. How about you go buy some braised dishes?"
"Whatever, I'm not picky."
Gu Xiangcheng didn't even lift his head, his voice authoritative.
"Whatever? Then you can go eat dirt!"
Ye Shulian replied in a bad mood.
Gu Xiangcheng's mouth twitched, and he was just about to retort.
Suddenly, he felt a chill down his spine and whipped his head around.
A magnified smiling face was almost pressed against the tip of his nose.
"!!!"
Gu Xiangcheng shuddered in fright, and the newspaper in his hands fell to the floor with a rustle.
"You brat! Are you part cat? You walk without making a sound!"
Gu Xiangcheng clutched his chest. After seeing clearly that it was Gu Ran and Ye Zhenzhen, his originally tense, dark face instantly broke character. He wanted to get angry but couldn't help showing a smile.
"Dad, your vigilance has dropped. I've been standing here for half a minute."
Gu Ran smilingly picked up the newspaper and conveniently turned it right-side up for his old man.
"You were holding the newspaper upside down. Are you practicing upside-down reading? It seems this martial art has been lost for a long time, hasn't it?"
"Get out of here!"
Gu Xiangcheng's old face flushed red, and he slapped Gu Ran's arm.
"Show some respect!"
Hearing the commotion, Ye Shulian poked her head out of the kitchen. Seeing the two kids, her eyes instantly lit up.
"Oh my! Ranran! Zhenzhen! Why are you back today? Didn't you say you were leaving tomorrow?"
Ye Shulian dropped the spatula, completely ignoring Gu Xiangcheng.
She walked over quickly, grabbed Ye Zhenzhen's hand, and looked her up and down.
"You've lost weight. Did you not eat well at school? I told you the cafeteria food has no nutrition..."
"We just missed you guys, so we rushed back as soon as exams were over."
Ye Zhenzhen obediently let her mother hold her hand.
Her eyes, however, couldn't help but glance toward Gu Xiangcheng, terrified he might notice some clues.
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."
Ye Shulian smiled from ear to ear and turned to look at Gu Xiangcheng.
"What are you staring blankly for? We're out of meat, hurry up and go buy a roast duck, and slice up two pounds of beef!"
Gu Xiangcheng stood up from the sofa, putting on the air of a police chief, but his tone had clearly softened.
"It's not like we don't have food at home. I saw eggs and green peppers in the fridge, just stir-frying a couple of dishes will do. Or we can just go out to eat, it saves trouble."
"Go out to eat my foot!"
Ye Shulian's eyebrows shot up, and she waved the spatula in the air.
"The kids finally came back for a visit, shouldn't they eat something good to nourish themselves?"
Gu Xiangcheng coughed, "What I mean is... cough, the food outside can't compare to your cooking. I'm just worried you'll tire yourself out."
He spouted nonsense with a straight face, his expression screaming that he was doing this for her own good.
"Yeah, right!"
Ye Shulian was coaxed into a slightly better mood and gave him a reproachful glare.
"Stop being glib in front of the kids, and hurry up and brew some tea!"
Gu Ran and Ye Zhenzhen exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.
This public display of affection might be late, but it always arrives.
After a round of greetings, Ye Shulian went into the kitchen to cook, and the atmosphere in the living room gradually shifted from surprise to scrutiny.
Gu Xiangcheng sat on the single sofa, holding a teacup, but his eyes darted back and forth between Gu Ran and Ye Zhenzhen.
Even though he had long tacitly approved of these two kids being together.
But as an old father, he couldn't help but feel that something was a little off about their return this time.
Their eye contact, and the casual physical touches... they were too natural.
So natural that it was like... an old married couple?
These two kids... they couldn't be getting ready to give him a grandchild, could they?!
At this thought, Gu Xiangcheng's gaze immediately landed on Ye Zhenzhen.
The girl's face was flushed, and her eyes were evasive.
She kept her head down, pretending to organize that facial mask gift box, not daring to meet his eyes at all.
Oh no!
Something is definitely not right!
......
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
