Then

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.