Gu Chengyin reached out and gently undid the latch on the inside of the window.
He then slowly pulled the window inward, opening a small crack.
As soon as the crack opened, a petite figure squeezed right through it with a swift whoosh.
Gu Chengyin subconsciously took a half-step back. When he focused his eyes, he was completely stunned.
The intruder was petite, sporting a neat ponytail, and had somehow gotten several streaks of ash on her face.
Yet, the dirt could not hide her delicate and lively features, especially those large eyes filled with nervousness and excitement.
Cui Zilu.
Brother Chengyin!
The moment Cui Zilu's feet hit the ground, before she could even steady herself, she immediately looked around nervously, as if some terrifying beast was hiding in the room.
When she spotted Gu Chengyin standing in front of her, her eyes lit up even more. She lunged forward and reached out both hands.
She grabbed one of Gu Chengyin's arms tightly, keeping her voice incredibly low:
Hurry! Come with me! I'm here to rescue you!!
As she spoke, she pulled Gu Chengyin with all her might, trying to drag him toward the window.
Gu Chengyin didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this rapid succession of actions and words.
He quickly steadied his stance, applied a little force to his arm, and with a backhand motion, pulled back the struggling Cui Zilu who was trying to uproot him.
Ah!
Cui Zilu hadn't expected Gu Chengyin to resist. With a soft cry, she lost her footing and bumped headlong into his chest.
Zilu, calm down.
Gu Chengyin looked at the little face before him, covered in ash and sweat, practically screaming that she was on a top-secret rescue mission.
Do I look... like I'm in prison?
He pointed to the rocking chair behind him, the half-eaten fruits and pastries on the table, and the incense burner and bonsai in the corner.
Then he pointed at his own clean and tidy casual clothes, saying:
I was invited here to cooperate with an investigation. At most, it's a temporary stay, not being locked up in a dungeon.
Those at the door are guards, not jailers.
Asked this by Gu Chengyin, Cui Zilu's grip on his arm involuntarily loosened.
She looked around, then looked Gu Chengyin up and down. The sense of mission in her eyes was gradually replaced by confusion.
Huh?
Cui Zilu blinked her large eyes, somewhat dazed. You aren't in prison? But this is how it always plays out in the operas!
The handsome male lead is framed by villains, locked away in a gloomy dungeon, and subjected to endless torture.
Then the beautiful, brave, and wise female lead tries every possible means to sneak into the dungeon and rescue him!
From then on, the two fly far away, hide their identities, stay together forever, and live happily ever after...
Towards the end, her voice unconsciously dropped, realizing she had just blurted out all those romantic plots from the playbooks she held in her heart.
Gu Chengyin reached out and gently rubbed the top of Cui Zilu's head, smudging the ash marks on her face a bit more, and said in a gentle tone:
Silly girl, operas are operas. They are made up for people to watch.
I'm fine, you don't need to break me out of prison. I'll be out of here in no time.
He paused, then said seriously, However, this is the Ministry of Personnel's office after all, not a place for play.
You sneaking in like this—if you get caught, not only will you fail to save me, but you'll also be in big trouble yourself.
Be a good girl, quickly go back the way you came, sneak out quietly, and pretend you were never here.
Listening to Gu Chengyin's words, a thoughtful expression appeared on Cui Zilu's face, finally realizing the recklessness and risk of her rescue operation.
She lowered her head in embarrassment, muttering softly, So that's how it is... I thought...
Cui Zilu looked up, saw that Gu Chengyin was indeed safe and sound, and looked at this temporary residence again. Most of the worry in her heart finally faded.
She nodded and said, Alright then, as long as you're okay, Brother Chengyin. I'll go back now.
With that, Cui Zilu turned and walked toward the window she had just entered through, her movements still light and brisk.
However, when she reached the window, grabbed the sill with both hands, and peeked outside, her body suddenly stiffened.
She maintained an awkward posture with her upper body leaning out the window and her lower body still inside the room, not moving for several seconds.
Gu Chengyin was about to step forward when he saw Cui Zilu suddenly shrink back, slowly turning around to face him.
What's wrong? Gu Chengyin asked in puzzlement. Is someone out there?
Cui Zilu's cheeks turned red at a visible rate. She fidgeted a bit before stammering:
Um... Brother Chengyin... I... I...
She took a deep breath, finally mustered up her courage, and quietly confessed:
I'm afraid of heights.
Gu Chengyin: ...
For a moment, he was utterly speechless, not knowing how to respond.
Afraid of heights?!
Seeing Cui Zilu's agile and vigorous movements when she climbed through the window earlier, he thought she was hiding profound skills.
And it turns out she's afraid of heights?!
Then how did she climb up from the outside just now?!
Seeing the question in Gu Chengyin's eyes, Cui Zilu felt even more embarrassed and explained with her head down:
I... I climbed up the branches of that big locust tree in the corner. The branches were very close to the window, so I held my breath and jumped in.
At the time, I was only thinking about saving you, so I didn't have time to be scared... Now... now that I have to go back...
Cui Zilu secretly glanced at the height outside the window and the swaying shadows of the tree, her voice growing weak again:
I... I don't dare to jump down, and... and there are no branches for me to climb back onto...
Gu Chengyin facepalmed.
It was only because the security was lax, with just a symbolic guard placed at the door, that Cui Zilu managed to slip in successfully.
After all, everyone knew that Gu Chengyin couldn't possibly run away; otherwise, he'd just be handing leverage to the Department of Civil Service Affairs.
Right at this moment, a voice suddenly came from outside the door:
Lord Chief.
Lord Chief? Shangguan Yunying?
Gu Chengyin raised his eyebrows slightly, several thoughts flashing through his mind in an instant.
Shangguan Yunying's visit must have been ordered by Luo Zhao to check on him and pass on a message.
However, compared to Gu Chengyin's calmness, Cui Zilu's reaction was completely different.
Her eyes widened sharply, and her little face instantly turned pale. She let out a low, panicked cry:
It's Sister Yunying!! Her voice was filled with undisguised terror and panic. She can't find out I'm here!
Cui Zilu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. She spun around in circles, frantically scanning the room, desperately searching for a place to hide.
Just as she was fraught with anxiety, footsteps reached the door. The sound of Shangguan Yunying conversing with the guards could be clearly heard, evidently confirming her identity and purpose.
Time was running out!
Cui Zilu finally locked her eyes on the bed and its brocade quilt.
Without the slightest hesitation, she lunged onto the bed.
She spread the brocade quilt and dove under it, covering herself tightly from head to toe.
Leaving only a tiny slit at the edge.
Gu Chengyin looked at the small, bulging lump on the bed and was speechless.
Why was Cui Zilu acting like a mouse that had just seen a cat?
Weren't you two supposed to be the best of friends?
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
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.
