Extreme Love and Hatred

In that split second.

Gu Chengyin realized that his rock-solid Dao Heart had experienced a slight tremor.

This was the power of pure love.

Gu Chengyin closed his eyes.

He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as the Azure Cloud Incantation slowly circulated within his body.

Pale azure spiritual energy rose from his dantian, flowing through his meridians to every part of his body, completely smoothing out the wavering and ripples in his Dao Heart.

When he opened his eyes again, his gaze had returned to its usual calm and profundity, like a freezing pool reflecting the moon, entirely unruffled.

He looked at [Shangguan Yunying] once more.

She was still leaning against the wall, her eyes vacant.

Moonlight slanted in through the window, coating her moon-white clothes in a layer of silver radiance.

She looked absolutely exquisite.

Gu Chengyin spoke, his tone indifferent,

"Do you have any Dharma treasures on you that can break mind control?"

[Shangguan Yunying], "No."

The answer was crisp and clean, without any hesitation.

Gu Chengyin frowned slightly and continued asking,

"Then how did you find out?"

This time, [Shangguan Yunying] paused for a moment.

Deep within her pupils, it seemed as if fragments of some memory were slowly churning.

"Because Her Highness was acting strange."

"When did you notice?"

"In North River City, when I saw you sitting together with Her Highness."

Gu Chengyin's gaze sharpened.

So [Shangguan Yunying] had indeed started harboring suspicions back then.

"Why didn't you expose me?" Gu Chengyin asked.

"I needed to ascertain the method you were using to control Her Highness."

As expected.

Gu Chengyin understood in his heart.

This was the real [Shangguan Yunying]—smart, cautious, and fiercely loyal to Luo Zhao.

Without being sure of the control method, rashly exposing him would only endanger Luo Zhao's safety.

Therefore, she chose to observe, even going so far as to put herself in the game.

"So what did you do?" Gu Chengyin pressed.

[Shangguan Yunying]'s speaking speed increased, as if she were reciting a plan she had rehearsed countless times,

"Contradict you in public, and judge your true intentions through your explanations."

"Approach you in private to gain your trust."

Gu Chengyin fell silent before asking,

"So you don't actually like me, you were just doing it to save Her Highness."

[Shangguan Yunying], "Before returning to the Divine Capital, I approached you to save Her Highness."

Before returning to the Divine Capital?

This time qualifier made Gu Chengyin's expression shift.

He astutely caught the subtle nuance and immediately followed up,

"You noticed that Luo Zhao broke free from the control?"

[Shangguan Yunying], "Her Highness's acting skills are very poor, but as the Crown Princess, she is excellent."

Gu Chengyin was stunned for a second, then he understood.

[Shangguan Yunying] was tactfully admitting that she was fully aware of the changes in Luo Zhao before and after.

At the same time, it meant that she had indeed lied to him that day.

Gu Chengyin steered the topic toward a more practical issue,

"How many defensive Dharma treasures does Luo Zhao have on her?"

This question seemed to touch upon [Shangguan Yunying]'s area of expertise.

Her originally flat voice suddenly became fluent, and she began to spout off like she was reciting from a book,

"The Bright Moon Earring on Her Highness's left ear is made from a Water Repelling Pearl nurtured by a thousand-year-old clam spirit. It can repel water, fire, and poison, and can neutralize any water, fire, or poison-based spells below the Nascent Soul realm."

"The Crimson Jade Pendant on her right ear is made of Solar Jade Marrow mined from the depths of the Western Wasteland volcanoes. It seals three streams of True Solar Fire, which, when triggered, are comparable to a strike from a Golden Core realm cultivator."

"The Nine Phoenix Pearl Necklace on her neck has nine Illusion Breaking Stones for the phoenixes' eyes, which can see through illusions, invisibility, disguises, and all other forms of camouflage."

"The bright pearl held in the phoenix's beak is a Soul Stabilizing Pearl, which can secure the divine soul and resist soul-searching, possession, and mind-bewitching spells."

"The white jade bracelet on her left wrist is a Soul Protecting Jade bestowed personally by Her Highness's mother. Once it senses an attack targeting the soul, it will automatically activate to protect its master."

Gu Chengyin's eyelids twitched as he listened.

[Shangguan Yunying] was still going,

"The gilded gem-inlaid bracelet on her right wrist appears to be a decoration, but it actually hides thirty-six Astral Breaking Golden Needles, designed specifically to pierce a cultivator's protective astral qi. They can instantly break the defenses of anyone below the Nascent Soul realm."

"The black gold-embroidered palace sash around her waist has golden threads that are all Dragon Binding Silk. Once triggered, they can turn into a Dragon Binding Rope that no one below the Nascent Soul realm can break free from."

"The Nine-Tailed Phoenix Hairpin in her hair has nine tail feathers, each sealing a bolt of Nine Heavens Profound Lightning. If all nine bolts are fired at once, it is comparable to a lightning spell strike from a Golden Core realm cultivator."

"The palace robe she wears is woven from Heavenly Silkworm Cloud Brocade. It is impervious to water and fire, highly resistant to swords and sabers, and can clean and repair itself. It is also enchanted with three formations: Heart Clearing, Mind Focusing, and Dust Repelling."

"And there's also..."

"Stop."

Gu Chengyin finally couldn't help but interrupt.

He rubbed his temples, feeling his scalp go numb.

How was this a Crown Princess?

This was clearly a walking humanoid Dharma treasure armory.

He remembered that back in North River City, Luo Zhao didn't have this many things on her.

Could it be that she specifically added them after returning to the Divine Capital?

Then who she was guarding against went without saying.

It seemed that when he hypnotized Luo Zhao later, he would have to strip all these things off her first.

Gu Chengyin then asked,

"So you liked me in order to trick me into trusting you?"

[Shangguan Yunying], "In order to trick you into trusting me, I came to like you."

Gu Chengyin understood this sentence.

By putting herself into the game, she ended up playing herself.

This gave Gu Chengyin a bit of a headache.

In comparison, he would have preferred that [Shangguan Yunying] approached him with a clear, calculated purpose.

If that were the case, things would be much simpler.

But as it turned out, she used her affection as a method.

Gu Chengyin sighed.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to ask a few more questions to ascertain her bottom line.

"If Luo Zhao ordered you to kill me, what would you do?"

[Shangguan Yunying] answered very quickly,

"I would kill you very hesitantly."

This answer made Gu Chengyin breathe a slight sigh of relief.

At least her loyalty to Luo Zhao was absolute. Even though she would hesitate, she would still do the deed in the end.

Loyalty over personal feelings.

This was good, at least the logic was clear.

However, before Gu Chengyin could finish his sigh of relief, he heard [Shangguan Yunying] continue,

"And then I would slit my throat to die for love."

Gu Chengyin, "..."

Kill you, and then die with you.

What was this?

Both completing the mission and fulfilling her personal desires?

Gu Chengyin suddenly felt that women's logic was truly difficult to fathom with common sense.

He continued asking,

"Then what if I intended to do something untoward to Luo Zhao?"

This time, [Shangguan Yunying] answered even faster,

"I would kill you without hesitation before you could do anything untoward."

Gu Chengyin nodded; this answer was very reasonable.

But [Shangguan Yunying] wasn't finished,

"And then I would just treat it as if I was blind and misjudged you."

Gu Chengyin, "..."

He was now completely clear on what kind of personality [Shangguan Yunying] had.

Clear-cut principles, extreme in love and hate.

Absolutely loyal to Luo Zhao, willing to protect her even at the cost of her own life.

Even if she liked him, if he did something that crossed her bottom line, she would kill him without hesitation.

And then completely sever those feelings, acting as if they had never existed.

Straightforward, resolute, and leaving no room for compromise.

Gu Chengyin stayed silent for a long time, and finally asked a question that even he thought was absurd,

"Then what if Luo Zhao is willing?"

Gu Chengyin wanted to know, between protecting Luo Zhao and the person she liked the most, if the conflict disappeared, how would she choose.

This time, [Shangguan Yunying] paused for a bit longer.

Deep within her pupils, it seemed as if some complex logic was rapidly calculating.

Then, [Shangguan Yunying] gave an incredibly shocking answer:

"Then I will help push you from behind."

Gu Chengyin: "......"