With the official matters conveyed, Shangguan Yunying finally shifted her attention, focusing entirely on the young guard who had been staring at her with burning eyes from the very beginning.
The more she looked at those eyes, the more familiar they seemed, gradually merging with a lively and charming figure deep in her memories.
Shangguan Yunying hesitated for a moment before calling out softly, unsure, ...Zilu?
Sister Yunying!
Cui Zilu could no longer hold back. She cheered like a happy little sparrow.
She threw her arms around Shangguan Yunying and buried her small face into her chest:
It's been so long! I missed you so much!
The soft and warm touch, the familiar sweet scent, and this completely unreserved way of hugging... Shangguan Yunying's body stiffened for a second before she completely confirmed the girl's identity.
She blinked and looked at Gu Chengyin beside them with a hint of helplessness, asking with her eyes: What is going on here?
Gu Chengyin didn't make a sound. He merely opened his mouth and mouthed a word to her: Amulet.
Shangguan Yunying instantly understood. So the amulet Gu Chengyin had mentioned yesterday was the Cui Clan behind Cui Zilu.
She immediately shot Gu Chengyin an exasperated glare. This guy really dared to think of anything and do anything.
To actually target the Cui Clan, and to have actually succeeded.
Shangguan Yunying withdrew her gaze and looked down at Cui Zilu, who was still clinging to her embrace. Her tone unconsciously softened:
Zilu, I missed you too. It really has been a long time.
Just then, Chen Busha came out of the Wenli Hall. Seeing from afar that Gu Chengyin hadn't gone far, he waved his hand, seemingly having a matter to discuss.
Gu Chengyin took a look and said, General Chen is looking for me. Zilu, go wait for me in the carriage first.
Okay! Cui Zilu nodded obediently, watching Gu Chengyin walk towards Chen Busha.
Then she said to Shangguan Yunying, Sister Yunying, I should go to the carriage.
Shangguan Yunying smiled, I'll walk you there, we can chat on the way.
Cui Zilu immediately perked up, her small face glowing with excitement:
Sister Yunying, was my acting convincing? This was Brother Chengyin's brilliant idea!
You have no idea. My father and mother look at me like I'm a lit fire starter now; they absolutely forbid me from leaving the estate. I was bored to death!
Fortunately, Brother Chengyin came. He asked if I wanted to go out with him to handle a major case, and I agreed immediately!
Then he said I could disguise myself as a man to sneak out! Look, do I look the part?
Cui Zilu proudly puffed out her chest, showing off her heroic bearing, and continued to talk incessantly:
Then I followed Brother Chengyin to the Left Vice Minister's estate! Oh my goodness, Sister Yunying, the atmosphere there was so heavy, with Golden Feather Guards everywhere.
We even saw the crime scene and met Constable Zhu from the Ministry of Justice and Censor Wang from the Chief Surveillance Bureau. Brother Chengyin looked so majestic!
Later we also went to see... uh...
Thinking of the corpse covered in a white cloth, Cui Zilu's voice lowered a bit, but she quickly grew excited again:
Anyway, the whole process was super thrilling! A hundred times more exciting than all the plays I've seen and stories I've heard!
The more she spoke, the more excited she became, her eyes shining as if stars had fallen into them:
Brother Chengyin is really amazing! He knows everything. He didn't show any stage fright facing those high officials. When investigating the case, he was meticulous and arranged everything perfectly.
And he was so good to me. He didn't find me to be a nuisance at all. He even listened carefully to my opinions and praised my ideas!
Cui Zilu was completely immersed in her own narrative. Her tone was filled with admiration for Gu Chengyin, excitement for the adventure, and an almost blind trust and joy.
She called him Brother Chengyin so naturally and intimately, as skillfully as if she had called him that thousands of times.
Shangguan Yunying listened quietly. At first, she felt amused and helpless by her friend's liveliness and this bizarre encounter.
But the more she listened, the clearer and stronger the sense that something was wrong became in her heart.
Cui Zilu's eyes, tone, and demeanor when describing Gu Chengyin... were not at all the admiration for a respectable older brother or senior, but rather...
A thought exploded in her mind like a clap of thunder, making her heart skip a beat.
Shangguan Yunying suddenly spoke up, interrupting Cui Zilu's enthusiastic narration, and asked somewhat nervously: Wait, Zilu.
Cui Zilu was just talking about her analysis in the carriage. Interrupted, she looked at Shangguan Yunying blankly: What's wrong, Sister Yunying?
Shangguan Yunying took a deep breath, locked her gaze on Cui Zilu's eyes, and asked word by word:
You don't...
Like him, do you?
The question came too suddenly, like a basin of cold water suddenly poured over her.
Cui Zilu froze entirely, the excitement and radiance on her face instantly solidifying.
She stared blankly at Shangguan Yunying. In those big eyes that were always filled with smiles and curiosity, for the first time, clear panic and shyness surfaced, along with the helplessness of having her secret unexpectedly exposed.
Time seemed to stand still for a few seconds.
Finally, Cui Zilu's long eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly lowered her head.
Her fair cheeks were dyed an intoxicating crimson at a visible speed, spreading all the way to the base of her ears and neck.
She neither admitted nor denied it, but merely gave a slight nod.
This tiny movement, however, struck fiercely against Shangguan Yunying's heart.
For a moment, Shangguan Yunying actually didn't know what to say.
She knew Gu Chengyin was excellent—possessing superior intellect, exceptional courage, and outstanding looks and bearing.
It wasn't surprising that such a man would attract a young girl experiencing her first awakening of love.
But why did it have to be her best friend?
Zilu.
Shangguan Yunying's voice became unconsciously soft, carrying comfort but also a trace of seriousness:
Marquis Gu... he is currently at the center of a vortex. His path ahead is unpredictable, and he is surrounded by danger.
Your feelings for him might just be a temporary attraction to the novelty and thrill, not...
It's not!
Cui Zilu suddenly raised her head, interrupting Shangguan Yunying.
The blush on her face hadn't faded, but her eyes were exceptionally firm, even carrying a kind of desperate bravery:
He is different!
Sister Yunying, I know what he is doing is very dangerous.
But he listens to me seriously, validates my childish thoughts, and takes me to see a world I have never seen before.
He also quietly lets me hold onto the corner of his clothes when I'm scared.
Cui Zilu's voice gradually steadied, filled with sincerity and passion: I don't like him because of the thrill.
I just feel that he is different, different from anyone else I know.
By his side, I feel like I've become a different, more useful version of myself too.
Sister Yunying, do you understand this feeling?
Shangguan Yunying stared at Cui Zilu blankly.
The undisguised adoration and earnestness in her eyes were like a beam of light that was far too bright.
Did she understand?
Of course she understood.
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.
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
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.
+ Slow Paced + Main Character Thrives Together with His Disciples】 Transmigrated into a cultivation world, Chu Xingchen awakens a discipleship system that reveals the tags of his disciples! Starting from scratch, he builds the strongest sect. Disciple One: Li Yingling 【Gold Tag: Genius Cultivator】【Purple Tag: Extremely Lucky】【Blue Tag: Bewitchingly Beautiful】 Disciple Two: Li Hangtian 【Gold Tag: Reincarnated】【Purple Tag: Ruthless and Decisive】【Blue Tag: Loyal and Noble】 Disciple Three: ??? 【Orange Tag: Alluring Demoness】【???】【???】 Thus, in the cultivation world, an unremarkable little sect appears out of nowhere, but little do others know that each member of this sect is a powerhouse in their own right. The book is also known as: Cultivation? It's Exactly Like This!
