When Gu Chengyin said these words, his face bore the tragic solemnity of a martyr.
There was even a faint glimmer of tears in his eyes, as if he were truly enduring the immense agony of betraying his ancestral teachings.
But only he knew that at this moment, his heart was so calm it bordered on indifference.
He acted out this scene with absolutely no psychological pressure; the words came to him effortlessly.
The one betraying the ancestral teachings was the heir of the Qingyun Immortal Clan.
What did that have to do with him, Gu Chengyin?
Even if lightning struck from the heavens, it wouldn't hit his head.
But falling into Luo Zhao's ears...
Every single word was like a red-hot needle, viciously piercing her heart.
This was practically declaring to the civil and military officials of the entire court, and to the whole Great Luo Empire:
That he, Gu Chengyin, in this life and the next, would only have her.
Coupled with the rumors that had already spread through the streets and alleys of the Divine Capital over the past few days...
How the Eldest Princess and the Marquis of Equal Rank were inseparable, how the Marquis flew into a rage at the Ministry of Revenue for the Crown Princess, and so on... Each and every incident was already hard to distinguish between truth and falsehood, inviting endless speculation.
Now, this vow of betraying his clan for love was undoubtedly pouring a bucket of boiling oil onto an already blazing fire.
Luo Zhao's hands, hidden beneath her black wide sleeves, had their nails digging so deeply they almost pierced her palms.
The stinging pain came, but it could not suppress the rage that was about to erupt from her heart.
She originally thought that the identity Gu Chengyin found at the Myriad Phenomena Pavilion was meant to deal with the inevitable questioning at today's court session.
She even secretly admired this man's quick wit in her heart. By relying on the background of an ancient immortal clan, he not only had a sense of mystery but could also explain why he was so extraordinary.
He could also use the excuse that the hidden immortal clan did not wish to involve themselves in the mortal world to cover his lies if his identity was exposed.
What a perfect calculation.
But Luo Zhao never in a million years expected...
That this bastard, in order to guarantee the authenticity of this disguise, to provide a sufficiently shocking reason...
Would actually gamble her pure reputation along with it!
Furthermore, the words he spoke were increasingly explicit and increasingly shameless!
Luo Zhao could almost imagine how the teahouses, taverns, and inner courtyards of the noble families across the entire Divine Capital would gossip after today's court session.
It would definitely be unbearable to hear!
She wished she could step forward right now, point at Gu Chengyin's face that was written all over with deep affection, and scold him in public.
But she couldn't.
Her rich experience in enduring time and time again firmly suppressed her impulse.
Because right now...
It was the morning assembly.
It was the final battle to bring down the Xiao family.
And Gu Chengyin was the sharpest blade in this decisive battle.
He had just used the identity of the immortal clan's heir to break the Xiao family's first wave of attacks, and then used his deep affection of betraying his clan for love to silence everyone's doubts.
Next, he still had to completely nail the Xiao family to the pillar of shame.
This blade could not be broken.
At least not now.
If she stepped forward to deny it at this moment, if she publicly exposed Gu Chengyin's affectionate act, then the identity Gu Chengyin had just established would immediately collapse.
The Xiao family faction would definitely seize this opportunity to counterattack, firmly pinning the crime of deceiving the emperor on his head.
Then, the subsequent purge would inevitably come to an abrupt halt.
Therefore... she still had to endure.
Luo Zhao slowly opened her eyes. Deep within her phoenix eyes, cold ice condensed. The rage was forcibly pressed down into the deepest depths, leaving only a seemingly calm profoundness.
She slightly turned her gaze, looking at Gu Chengyin in the center of the great hall.
The man was currently bowing to express his loyalty to Emperor Luo, his expression solemn and his posture respectful.
Such good acting skills.
So good that it made her want to slice him into a thousand pieces right now.
But ultimately, Luo Zhao merely lowered her eyelids.
She did not speak.
She did not deny it.
She did not even show any abnormality.
She just stood there quietly. Her black palace dress embroidered with golden phoenix patterns set off her tall and straight figure like a lone pine, her temperament as cold and clear as the winter moon.
But it was exactly this lack of reaction that, in the eyes of the civil and military officials of the entire court...
Became the most shocking silent admission.
All the officials held their breath, their gazes sweeping back and forth between Luo Zhao and Gu Chengyin, monstrous waves churning in their hearts.
Her Highness the Eldest Princess... did not refute.
Did not scold.
Did not even have the slightest bit of embarrassment or anger.
She just stood there, silent, tacitly approving of all of Gu Chengyin's statements.
What did this mean?
This meant... everything Gu Chengyin said was true!
Falling in love at Beihe City was true!
The immortal clan's heir betraying his clan for love was true!
Heavens!
Some young officials could no longer help but exclaim in their hearts.
That was Luo Zhao!
The Eldest Princess of the Great Luo, the only Crown Princess, Luo Zhao who was hailed as a goddess descending to the world!
She was as aloof as the bright moon in the ninth heaven, as cold and clear as the freezing spring on a snowy mountain.
How many noble young masters and young talents admired her, yet even getting within three feet of her was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
And now.
This Gu Chengyin had not only walked into her line of sight and walked into her faction, but also walked into her heart?
To be able to gain her favor, let alone betraying the immortal clan, even betraying the human race would be worth it!
Upon the dragon throne, Emperor Luo's gaze lingered on Luo Zhao for a moment.
His eyes stayed on Gu Chengyin for a full three breaths, then swept across Luo Zhao's face again.
Finally, he turned to the civil and military officials of the entire court and asked indifferently:
"Do you beloved ministers have any objections to what Gu Chengyin has said?"
The civil and military officials looked at each other.
The officials of Xiao Song's faction looked at each other in dismay, their lips moving, wanting to say something, but not knowing where to start.
The hall was quiet for about ten breaths.
Finally, the Minister of Rites, Cui Zhengji, tremblingly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty is wise."
"Since Junior Preceptor Gu is the heir of an immortal clan, and is willing to betray his ancestral teachings for Her Highness, his feelings are pitiful, and his resolve is commendable."
"This old minister... has no objections."
This title of Junior Preceptor Gu had already tacitly acknowledged Gu Chengyin's identity.
With someone taking the lead, the rest of the officials bowed one after another, especially the officials from humble backgrounds whose voices were the loudest:
"We subjects have no objections."
"Your Majesty's judgment is wise."
...
The voices rose and fell, drowning out all doubts like a tide.
Even Xiao Song opened his eyes, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty is wise, this old minister also has no objections."
They accepted it.
They had to accept it.
The identity of an immortal clan's heir was enough to explain all the abnormalities on Gu Chengyin.
After all, in legends, immortals never forgot what they saw, progressed a thousand miles a day, were favored by heaven and earth, and were sheltered by destiny...
Wasn't this talking about Gu Chengyin?
Besides him, who else could simultaneously have Emperor Luo's tacit approval, Luo Zhao's favor, and astonishing personal abilities.
His connections were so wide that the Cui faction was the first to express support, and the humble background faction closely followed.
He even faintly had the background of the Azure Sword Sect.
If Gu Chengyin was just an ordinary person, let alone the Xiao family, even the dogs on the side of the road wouldn't let him off.
But when they discovered that he wasn't human at all...
Everything became perfectly logical and reasonable.
Even Xiao Maoqing was left speechless at this moment.
He stared fixedly at the faintly discernible immortal aura on Gu Chengyin's body.
Feeling that sense of suppression coming from the level of life, he ultimately could only dejectedly lower his head.
That was irrefutable proof.
Irrefutable proof that could not be argued against.
And Luo Zhao still stood there in silence.
Only she herself knew that the rage churning in her chest at this moment was almost going to swallow her.
Her pure reputation.
The pure reputation she had guarded for over twenty years.
Just now, it had been casually thrown onto the gambling table by Gu Chengyin.
For the big picture.
To bring down the Xiao family.
For this damn battle that must be won.
She endured it once again.
But this humiliation, this anger, she would firmly remember.
Emperor Luo, seeing that no one objected, then opened his mouth and said:
"Since there are no objections, then this matter is settled."
His gaze fell back upon Gu Chengyin:
"Gu Chengyin."
Gu Chengyin immediately cupped his hands in obeisance, his posture incomparably respectful:
"Your subject is here."
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
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.
