Tacit Understanding

Passing through the long palace corridors and bypassing several towering pavilions, Gu Chengyin, led by Huang Jing, finally arrived at the warm pavilion where the Luo Emperor resided and handled state affairs.

The area was heavily guarded, and the air was thick with the solemn and oppressive majesty of the imperial family.

From a distance, Gu Chengyin spotted a cold, arrogant, and isolated figure standing beneath the corridor outside the warm pavilion.

Luo Zhao.

She stood there quietly, seemingly blending into the surrounding solemnity, yet standing out with distinct independence.

Perhaps because she was going to have an audience with the Luo Emperor, her attire today was different from usual.

She was no longer wearing her practical dark casual clothes, but had changed into a much more formal and dignified palace dress.

It was a deep cyan palace robe, embroidered with intricate cloud patterns and mythical luan birds in dark gold thread.

Under the light, the fabric shimmered with a low-key yet luxurious luster.

The wide sleeves and trailing skirt made her already slender and tall figure appear even more elongated and upright.

Her ink-black hair was meticulously pinned into a high chignon, secured by several antique-style jade hairpins, revealing a smooth, full forehead and the graceful lines of her neck.

Her face was not heavily powdered, her skin like jade, her features picturesque.

However, her phoenix eyes remained as cold as a freezing pool, her gaze calmly fixed on the empty space ahead, as if nothing in the world was worthy of her attention.

This attire added a few degrees of intimidating nobility and majesty to her already peerless elegance.

She was like a cold moon from the highest heavens fallen into the mortal realm; a single glance at her was soul-stirring, making it impossible to look away.

Standing half a step behind Luo Zhao was Chen Busha, clad in clean armor. He guarded her silently, like the most loyal bedrock.

When footsteps sounded from behind, Chen Busha vigilantly tilted his head slightly, sweeping his peripheral vision over.

When he saw Gu Chengyin limping over under Huang Jing's guidance, even this battle-hardened general could not help but freeze.

There was hardly a clean spot on his entire body, his robes torn like a beggar's.

His exposed arms and shoulders were covered in hideous wounds and bloodstains. His face was frighteningly pale, and he swayed as he walked.

What kind of asura battlefield had Gu Chengyin just crawled out of?

Astonishment flashed in Chen Busha's eyes. He quickly turned his head back and reported in a low voice to Luo Zhao in front of him:

Your Highness, Marquis Gu has arrived.

Luo Zhao seemed immersed in her own thoughts. She did not turn around, merely letting out a soft sound of acknowledgment from her throat to show she understood.

Her gaze remained looking straight ahead, not even a single eyelash trembling.

It was not until Gu Chengyin, signaled by Huang Jing, stopped about three steps behind her, forcefully propped up his body to bow, and said in a hoarse, weak voice:

Your subject Gu Chengyin greets Your Highness.

Hearing this familiar yet incredibly weak voice behind her.

Luo Zhao's calm and motionless figure stiffened almost imperceptibly.

As if suddenly awakened from a long, confusing dream, she turned around extremely slowly.

When Gu Chengyin's blood- and dirt-stained face, pale as paper yet still trying hard to maintain a respectful expression.

Along with his nearly blood-soaked robe that was torn in multiple places to reveal terrifying wounds, fully entered her vision.

Luo Zhao was struck as if by lightning.

In that instant, the pupils of her phoenix eyes, which were always deep as a freezing pool, suddenly contracted to the size of pinpricks.

For the first time, her usually indifferent and placid face showed extremely intense and completely unmasked emotional fluctuations.

Shock, astonishment, disbelief, and a trace of... bewilderment.

Luo Zhao just stood there blankly, as if she had forgotten how to react.

Her meticulously painted red lips parted slightly as she tried to say something, but she could not utter a single syllable.

In her memory, Gu Chengyin was always scheming, suave, and confident.

When had he ever been so miserable, so struggling, so weak?

Was this still the Gu Chengyin she both knew so well and hated so much?

But why...

She clearly dreamed day and night of killing him.

Yet when he actually appeared in this state.

There was not the slightest bit of pleasure in her heart?

The scene fell into a bizarre silence for a moment.

Gu Chengyin maintained his bowing posture.

Luo Zhao's emotional reactions also fell into his eyes.

But it was only for a moment.

Gu Chengyin then extremely naturally shifted his gaze away and lowered his eyes.

He focused entirely on the blood-stained tips of his boots, as if he had seen nothing and noticed nothing.

Just like the Luo Emperor maintaining the delicate balance of the court.

Were he and Luo Zhao not in another kind of delicate balance?

It was just that the unspoken understanding of adults lay in keeping things tacit.

Both of them knew very well the consequences of tearing off all pretenses: a lose-lose situation.

It wasn't that Gu Chengyin hadn't thought about hypnotizing her again.

But the prerequisite was to first figure out how Luo Zhao had broken free from the hypnosis.

Otherwise, if she resisted the control and counter-killed him during the next hypnosis, wouldn't he be doomed?

Furthermore, Luo Zhao had endured to a degree that even he felt inferior to.

The day before yesterday, after morning court, inside the Crown Princess's carriage, she had even called him Master without changing her expression.

This directly dispelled Gu Chengyin's biggest concern and confirmed one thing.

Luo Zhao needed him, very much so.

The reason for such endurance was because his value was unique.

However, once he lost his value, Gu Chengyin believed that Luo Zhao would not hesitate to chop him into minced meat.

So, to avoid this fate, he had to initiate a second hypnosis.

The system rule was: one hypnosis cannot be used on two or more targets.

But it didn't say that two hypnoses couldn't be used on the same person.

Once he figured out the reason for Luo Zhao's escape, he would use the second hypnosis to test out a solution.

Then, without lifting the first hypnosis to lower Luo Zhao's guard, he would stack the two controls together.

Beside them, Huang Jing looked at Luo Zhao, then at Gu Chengyin.

He stepped forward and spoke cautiously:

Marquis Gu, please wait a moment. This servant will go in and announce your arrival.

Huang Jing's voice was like a key, instantly unlocking Luo Zhao's frozen consciousness.

She suddenly jolted, as if waking up from a grand dream.

The stormy waves surging in the depths of her eyes were instantly forced down by an invisible hand, returning to a bottomless calm.

Yet beneath that calm, something was still faintly restless.

Then, Luo Zhao spoke indifferently in an almost mechanical voice, her gaze falling on Gu Chengyin, yet seemingly lacking focus:

Are you... alright?

There was not much warmth of concern in her tone; it sounded more like a formulated inquiry.

Gu Chengyin's heart stirred slightly, and he pulled a weak but comforting smile on his face.

His voice remained hoarse, but he tried to sound relaxed:

Please do not worry, Your Highness. Your subject is intact; it just looks a bit frightening.

His Majesty summoned me urgently, and I dared not delay, so I rushed over.

Hearing this, Luo Zhao gave a low sound of acknowledgment and stopped speaking.

She merely looked at Gu Chengyin silently. This time, her gaze was no longer unfocused.

Instead, she stared with extraordinary concentration, inching over every stain and bloody cut on his face and body.

Deep within her phoenix eyes, undercurrents surged, complex and difficult to decipher.