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: "......"
+ 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!
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.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
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!
