The next morning.
Gu Chengyin woke up in his bed.
He sat up, rubbed his forehead, and frowned deeply.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
After returning to his quarters last night, he had originally just wanted to take a short nap before continuing to cultivate the Qingyun Mantra.
But bizarrely, he had fallen asleep.
Not entering a state of meditation, not contemplating, but falling into a deep slumber like a mortal.
Even more bizarrely, he had a nightmare.
In the dream, he was locked in a pitch-black basement.
The walls were damp and cold, and the air was filled with the smell of mold and rust.
His hands and feet were tightly bound by iron chains, and his cultivation and true qi had been completely crippled.
Then, Shangguan Yunying wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, her warm body pressing against his back.
The action seemed intimate, but was actually a form of control.
Luo Zhao stood in front of him, holding a water-soaked leather whip.
She softly called his name, her voice filled with a sick, twisted pleasure:
Gu Chengyin...
Do you know? I have waited for this day for far, far too long.
Then, the whip fell.
Luo Zhao wielded the whip, lashing him relentlessly.
Her movements were elegantly cruel; every strike precisely avoided his vitals, yet inflicted the deepest pain.
And on her face was a deeply satisfied, obsessive, and delicate smile.
What was even more terrifying...
At the same time, Shangguan Yunying's hands were slowly sliding downwards.
...
Gu Chengyin abruptly opened his eyes.
The dream had been far too real.
So real that he could feel the excruciating pain of the whip striking his body.
He could see Luo Zhao's possessive, twisted madness, as well as Shangguan Yunying's deeply controlling embrace and grasp.
What the hell was that.
Logically speaking, having already reached the Foundation Establishment realm, his Dao heart was stable and his divine sense clear; he should have long surpassed the realm of dreaming.
Gu Chengyin rubbed the space between his eyebrows, his heart full of an ominous premonition.
Could this be some kind of warning?
A thought instantly flashed through his mind:
Could Luo Zhao and Shangguan Yunying have broken free from the hypnosis again?
This thought made Gu Chengyin's heart tighten.
If that was really the case, he would have to pack his bags and run for his life.
No, he had to go and confirm it.
Gu Chengyin immediately got up, pushed open the door, and walked briskly towards the sleeping quarters.
Outside the sleeping quarters.
The female official on duty saw Gu Chengyin and hastily bowed: Chief Steward Gu.
Where is Her Highness? Gu Chengyin asked directly.
The female official lowered her head and replied: Reporting to Chief Steward Gu, Her Highness and the Head Disciple have gone to the Hall of Letters and Logic.
Gu Chengyin was taken aback.
This early?
Was it because, after being hypnotized, they no longer felt normal fatigue?
So they just automatically started working?
Gu Chengyin nodded, turned around, and headed towards the Hall of Letters and Logic.
The Hall of Letters and Logic.
Gu Chengyin stood at the entrance of the hall, looking from afar.
Behind the long desk, Luo Zhao was buried in a massive pile of official documents.
She wore her signature palace dress, her long hair pinned up in a high bun, her side profile looking exquisite and focused in the morning light.
The vermilion pen in her hand moved quickly across the memorials, her movements fluid and without the slightest hesitation.
Not far from her side, Shangguan Yunying was organizing several stacks of files that were half a person tall.
Her black hair was simply tied up, and she skillfully sorted and neatly arranged the files one by one.
Everything looked perfectly normal.
There was no unusual eye contact, no superfluous movements, and even the rhythm of their breathing was as steady as usual.
But the vigilance in Gu Chengyin's heart did not fade because of this.
He stood where he was, not approaching immediately, just watching from a distance, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two of them.
He was observing.
Observing their micro-expressions, observing the details of their movements, observing if there were any traces of acting.
It wasn't until Shangguan Yunying finished organizing a batch of files and straightened up that her gaze unconsciously drifted over.
She saw Gu Chengyin standing at the entrance of the hall.
The moment their eyes met.
Gu Chengyin stared intently into Shangguan Yunying's eyes, waiting for her reaction.
Would her eyes light up like yesterday?
Or...
The next second, Gu Chengyin saw it.
In those gentle eyes, there was no pleasant surprise, no emotion, not even the slightest ripple.
There was only a hollow sense of obedience.
Seeing this, the heavy stone hanging in Gu Chengyin's heart was lowered slightly.
It seemed Shangguan Yunying was still under the hypnosis.
But...
Gu Chengyin turned his head to look at Luo Zhao.
Her Highness was still buried in the official documents, completely unaware of his arrival.
Gu Chengyin stepped forward.
His footsteps echoed in the hall, but Luo Zhao seemed completely oblivious, still burying herself in reviewing the memorials, the vermilion pen in her hand never stopping.
If it had been the previous Luo Zhao, a greeting would have floated over long ago.
But now, she had no reaction at all.
As if she truly hadn't heard him.
Gu Chengyin walked up to the long desk and stopped.
He looked down at Luo Zhao.
She remained focused on the memorial, her long eyelashes drooping, the lines of her profile soft and beautiful in the morning light.
The vermilion pen glided across the paper, leaving behind elegant yet forceful handwriting.
He could even smell the faint, cool fragrance on Luo Zhao's body.
Gu Chengyin leaned over, got close to Luo Zhao's ear, and issued a command:
Follow me.
After speaking, he straightened up and walked towards the stairs without looking back.
The moment he stepped onto the first stair.
Footsteps sounded from behind him, along with the rustling of a palace dress brushing against the floor.
Luo Zhao followed him.
The second floor of the Hall of Letters and Logic.
Gu Chengyin quickly scanned the area.
There was no one.
Right now, there were only neatly arranged, clean desks and fine dust floating in the air.
Gu Chengyin turned to look at Luo Zhao following behind him.
She stood at the top of the stairs, her face devoid of any expression, her eyes hollow and obedient.
A perfect state of hypnosis.
Gu Chengyin took a step forward and raised his hand to gently lift Luo Zhao's chin.
Luo Zhao did not resist, did not dodge; she merely raised her head obediently.
Allowing his fingers to rest against her jaw, allowing his gaze to look directly into her eyes.
Their eyes met.
Gu Chengyin stared intently at her pupils.
Hollow.
Obedient.
Without the slightest emotional fluctuation.
Like a pool of stagnant water, without a single ripple.
Gu Chengyin moved his hand away from Luo Zhao's chin.
Then he took a step forward, pinning Luo Zhao against the wall behind her.
At the same time, Gu Chengyin's face slowly began to draw closer.
Closer and closer, closer and closer...
As if he was about to kiss her.
But Gu Chengyin's eyes remained fixedly staring into Luo Zhao's eyes.
He was observing.
Observing if her pupils would constrict.
Observing if her breathing would become erratic.
Observing if her body would subconsciously tense up.
Observing if she would have an instinctive reaction of resistance.
No matter how good the acting of a conscious person is, no matter how perfect their disguise.
When faced with sudden intimate contact, the body's instinctive reactions are impossible to control.
The fluttering of eyelashes, the rate of breathing, the tensing of muscles... these tiny details can often betray the truest emotions.
But...
Nothing.
Luo Zhao's eyes remained hollow.
Her breathing remained steady.
Her body remained relaxed.
Even when Gu Chengyin's lips were so close that they were only an inch away from touching hers.
She still had no reaction.
Gu Chengyin stopped his movements.
His lips stopped merely half an inch from Luo Zhao's.
He did not kiss her.
Because he had already gotten his answer.
At least on the level of physical reactions, Luo Zhao's hypnotic state had no flaws whatsoever.
But... that ominous premonition in his heart simply would not fade away.
Gu Chengyin slowly straightened up, creating some distance between them.
He looked at Luo Zhao, fell silent for a moment, and then waved his hand.
"Go back. Tell Yunying to come up."
Luo Zhao gave a hum of acknowledgment.
Her voice was flat, devoid of any emotion, like the programmed response of a machine.
Then, she turned and walked toward the stairs.
Her movements were natural, her footsteps steady, without the slightest hint of hesitation.
Perfect.
Too perfect.
But just at the exact moment Luo Zhao was about to step down the stairs.
Gu Chengyin suddenly moved.
He lunged forward in a single stride, reached out to grab Luo Zhao's wrist, and yanked her fiercely backward.
He pulled Luo Zhao entirely into his embrace.
And then.
His lips pressed against Luo Zhao's.
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
] [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!"
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!
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
