Shangguan Yunying thought for a moment and closed her eyes.
She calmed her mind and began to look inward at her own body.
Soon, she discovered another Shangguan Yunying within her mind.
When Shangguan Yunying attempted to make contact, a switch occurred.
Her consciousness began to retreat, pulling back to a position where she could observe but not control.
Meanwhile, that consciousness puppet took over control of her body.
Shangguan Yunying saw herself open her eyes.
Saw herself stand up from the ground.
Saw herself look down at her hands, then raise her head to look at Gu Xiaoli.
It was a very strange feeling, as if her body had been put on autopilot.
The consciousness puppet controlled her body, but her perception did not disappear; instead, she could clearly watch the puppet's actions.
Moreover, as long as she wished, she could switch back at any time.
Not only that, no matter how great her emotional fluctuations were, they would not show.
Because right now, the consciousness puppet was the one controlling the body.
This way, no matter how strong Gu Chengyin's perception was, or how clever he was, it would be absolutely impossible for him to notice.
After taking back control of her body, Shangguan Yunying grabbed Gu Xiaoli's wrist and asked urgently,
Xiaoli, can you wake up Her Highness?
She could not be the only one awake.
Luo Zhao was still under hypnosis, and she had to wake her up; this was her duty.
Gu Xiaoli nodded.
Let's go, Shangguan Yunying said immediately, pulling Gu Xiaoli toward the sleeping quarters. We are going to wake up Her Highness.
But Gu Xiaoli did not move.
With a gentle tug, she made Shangguan Yunying stop.
Shangguan Yunying turned around in confusion.
Gu Xiaoli looked up, her expression incredibly serious.
Sister Yunying, Xiaoli thinks you should think things through and prepare yourself before waking up Sister Highness.
Shangguan Yunying was stunned.
She stood in place, the hand gripping Gu Xiaoli's wrist unconsciously loosening.
Prepare herself?
In her mind, Luo Zhao's eyes, burning with monstrous hatred, instantly surfaced.
Within them was the humiliation of being trampled upon, the anger of being manipulated, the pain of being betrayed, and emotions intense enough to drive someone mad.
With Luo Zhao's personality, once she woke up...
Could she endure it?
Would she endure it?
Shangguan Yunying's lips began to tremble slightly.
She looked at Gu Xiaoli and said bitterly,
Are you saying that Her Highness will kill Gu Chengyin after she wakes up?
Gu Xiaoli did not answer, but her meaning was already very clear.
Shangguan Yunying continued to ask,
So that is why you woke me up first instead of Her Highness, right?
Gu Xiaoli nodded and said softly,
Xiaoli hopes that Sister Yunying can stop Sister Highness.
A self-deprecating smile appeared on Shangguan Yunying's face.
Why would you think that I wouldn't kill him?
Her voice was very light, carrying suppressed emotions.
After all, he went too far with me.
Gu Xiaoli shook her head and said without a hint of hesitation,
Whether under hypnosis or not, Sister Yunying, you still trust and like my brother just the same.
These words were like a key that suddenly unlocked a tightly sealed box in Shangguan Yunying's heart.
She was stunned.
Gu Xiaoli continued,
Xiaoli thinks the reason Brother hypnotized you is because he needed to hypnotize Sister Highness.
If it weren't for Sister Highness, Brother wouldn't have hypnotized you.
Shangguan Yunying was speechless.
She opened her mouth to say something, but found her throat felt as if it were blocked by something.
Moreover, Shangguan Yunying suddenly realized that her emotions were actually slowly calming down.
It wasn't that she didn't hate, didn't hurt, or didn't feel betrayed.
But that hatred had been diluted by something much more complex.
Such as... understanding.
She had to admit that Gu Xiaoli made sense.
This was probably also the reason why Gu Xiaoli had awakened her first.
I understand.
Shangguan Yunying began to confirm her own thoughts.
After waking up Her Highness, she will very likely order me to kill Gu Chengyin.
If this were before returning to the Divine Capital, I would obey without hesitation.
But this time... I can't.
Shangguan Yunying looked out the window into the night, the distant palace lanterns reflecting in her eyes.
Whether it's me, or Her Highness...
We simply cannot leave him.
Besides, he hasn't violated Her Highness.
Just like her answer when she was hypnotized, her bottom line was Luo Zhao.
As long as Gu Chengyin hadn't done anything unforgivable to Luo Zhao.
Then she could understand and even forgive Gu Chengyin for hypnotizing her.
After all, from the playback of the records, she also knew Gu Chengyin's purpose for doing all this.
From a certain perspective, one could say that Gu Chengyin simply had too much ambition.
He merely wanted a promotion, what could be wrong with that?
Furthermore, for some unknown reason, after learning the truth of it all.
Shangguan Yunying found that she actually felt no disgust.
Instead, she admired this man's decisiveness and ruthlessness from the bottom of her heart.
Pulling back her chaotic thoughts and confirming her stance.
Shangguan Yunying took Gu Xiaoli's hand and headed toward the bedchamber.
The moonlight paved the way for them, and the shadows provided cover.
Inside the Crown Princess's bedchamber, everything remained as before.
On that large, elaborately carved bed, Luo Zhao was still soundly asleep.
Her moon-white casual clothes were slightly disheveled from turning over, and her black hair cascaded over the pillow like a waterfall.
That devastatingly beautiful face looked exceptionally serene in her sleep, her long eyelashes casting fine shadows on her eyelids, her lips the color of cherry blossoms, and her breathing even and drawn out.
She was completely unaware that two figures were slowly approaching her bed.
Shangguan Yunying stood by the bed, looking at the sleeping Luo Zhao.
Then she stepped sideways, making room.
Gu Xiaoli took a step forward, reached out her small hand, and gently pressed it against Luo Zhao's forehead.
The next second, her eyes became vacant once again.
The bedchamber was deathly silent.
Shangguan Yunying held her breath, staring unblinkingly.
Time seemed to slow down at this moment.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths...
After about ten breaths.
Luo Zhao suddenly opened her eyes!
The moment those phoenix eyes opened, her pupils contracted violently; her gaze went from hazy to clear, and then erupted with monstrous hatred and fury.
She sprang up from the bed, gasping heavily, her chest heaving violently, as fine beads of cold sweat instantly seeped from her forehead.
Every breath was heavy and rapid, as if she wanted to expel all the humiliation and hatred in her chest through this panting.
Then, she spoke.
Her voice was twisted by intense emotion, every word like a venomous snake squeezed through her clenched teeth:
Gu Chengyin! I will definitely kill you! Kill you!
Before her voice faded, the true qi within her body had already begun to circulate madly.
Although her body had just awakened, that monstrous hatred instantly forced her into a battle-ready state.
True qi surged through her meridians like a flood bursting a dam.
It looked as though Luo Zhao was about to explode into action, about to charge out, about to find Gu Chengyin regardless of the consequences.

transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”

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!

rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!

lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...