This was not a gentle, lingering kiss, but one that bordered on plunder.
At the same time, Gu Chengyin's perception climbed to its peak, and he made his move.
He was testing.
Testing whether Luo Zhao would stiffen from nervousness.
Testing whether the rhythm of her breathing would be disrupted.
Testing whether her body would subconsciously lean back to dodge.
Testing whether she would have even the slightest instinct to resist.
If even a tiny bit appeared, he would immediately release the Crown Princess.
Then he would flee thousands of miles away, never looking back.
But.
There was none.
Luo Zhao's breathing remained steady, her body still relaxed.
Like the most perfect puppet, she didn't resist, didn't respond, only accepted.
Only when hypnotized would this be the case.
Gu Chengyin's doubts were finally alleviated.
He released Luo Zhao and took a few steps back to create some distance.
On Luo Zhao's lips, the originally delicate lip line had become blurred, and crimson stained the area around her mouth.
It added a touch of profaned glamour to her breathtakingly beautiful face.
Gu Chengyin stared at Luo Zhao for a moment, carefully observing her condition.
After confirming that there were no issues, he spoke like a scumbag who discards women after use:
"Wipe it clean yourself, don't let anyone notice."
"Then go back and tell Yunying to come up."
Hearing this command, Luo Zhao obediently raised her hand.
Her slender fingers brushed across her lips, her fingertips wiping away the smudged rouge bit by bit.
There was no shame or anger in her movements, as if she were just wiping dust off a table.
Once wiped clean, she lowered her hand, and her lips returned to their original color.
Then she turned around and walked toward the stairs again.
Her footsteps remained steady, her back still straight.
But what Gu Chengyin didn't know was.
The moment Luo Zhao turned her back to him.
Deep within those constantly vacant phoenix eyes, a terrifying flame suddenly burst forth.
However, it was fleeting. Before Gu Chengyin could notice, they returned to their stagnant vacancy.
Luo Zhao walked down the stairs, her footsteps fading away.
After a short while.
Shangguan Yunying's figure appeared at the top of the stairs on the second floor.
She wore a puzzled expression, her brows slightly furrowed, and a trace of confusion in her eyes, as if asking "what's the matter".
But Gu Chengyin saw it very clearly.
That confusion only floated on the surface.
Deep in Shangguan Yunying's eyes, there was still a hollow obedience.
This was a normal reaction simulated by a conscious puppet after being hypnotized.
Gu Chengyin's doubts eased a bit more.
And this time, he decided to test her in a different way.
The test on Luo Zhao just now was aggressive, sudden physical contact, a rough kiss, observing the instinctive resistance.
Now, the test on Shangguan Yunying would be intimate, gentler, more ambiguous, and a greater test of the authenticity of emotional simulation.
If she was awake, she should have emotional reactions like shyness, heart-pounding nervousness, and so on during such intimate physical contact.
But if she was hypnotized, she would only execute commands without any emotional fluctuations.
Gu Chengyin looked around, then pulled over a chair and sat down.
He patted his thigh and commanded:
"Sit on me."
Shangguan Yunying froze for a moment.
But her pause lasted for less than half a breath.
Then she walked over obediently, stopped in front of Gu Chengyin, looked down at his thigh, and then looked up into his eyes.
In those gentle eyes, there was still a vacant obedience, without any shyness or resistance.
Finally, she slowly sat down.
Gu Chengyin's hand naturally wrapped around Shangguan Yunying's waist, pulling her entirely into his embrace.
His other hand rested on her knee.
Then he issued a new command:
"Kiss me."
Without any hesitation, Shangguan Yunying cupped Gu Chengyin's chin with both hands and took the initiative to kiss him.
This kiss was very much like one a woman who liked Gu Chengyin would give.
Gentle, proactive, carrying a hint of cautious flattery.
But what Gu Chengyin focused on was not the kiss itself.
It was the emotional response.
And the instinctive reactions the body should have during such intimate physical contact and kissing.
Accelerated heartbeat, quickened breathing, rising body temperature, and even more subtle physiological reactions.
But Gu Chengyin's perception told him once again.
There were none.
Just like Luo Zhao.
Shangguan Yunying's body remained relaxed.
Her heartbeat remained steady.
Although her breathing seemed slightly hurried during the kiss, it was not the disorder caused by emotion.
Most importantly.
Shangguan Yunying had no reaction to his other hand.
It was as if her body wasn't hers, as if the touch had nothing to do with her.
The distance between the two was extremely close, and Gu Chengyin could clearly see every subtle change in her pupils.
Vacant.
Still vacant.
Those eyes that used to be gentle and smiling now lacked any emotional radiance.
No shyness, no heartbeat, no nervousness, not even the radiance one should have when being kissed by someone they like.
There was only complete, hollow obedience.
Like a machine executing a kissing command according to a program.
After about twenty breaths.
Gu Chengyin took the initiative to release Shangguan Yunying.
Looking at the gentle and beautiful face in front of him, and the still vacant look in her eyes.
The last trace of doubt in Gu Chengyin's heart finally dissipated completely.
Now, whether it was Luo Zhao or Shangguan Yunying, there were no problems.
They were indeed both under hypnosis.
Luo Zhao had no instinctive resistance.
Shangguan Yunying had no emotional fluctuations.
Both of them perfectly fit the characteristics of hypnotized subjects.
Although the testing was a bit out of line, since it concerned his own life, Gu Chengyin felt it was absolutely necessary.
Now it seemed he was indeed overthinking.
The reason he suspected Luo Zhao had broken free from the hypnosis last time was that she showed signs of vivid life.
She would care about details, have little moods, and display traits belonging to Luo Zhao herself.
But this time, neither Luo Zhao nor Shangguan Yunying showed the slightest hint of vivid life.
They were like two perfect puppets, executing commands without any sense of self.
Gu Chengyin let out a long breath.
His tense nerves finally relaxed.
He waved his hand and, still using that scumbag tone of discarding after use, said:
"Wipe yourself clean, don't let anyone notice, and then go back."
Shangguan Yunying obediently raised her hand and used her fingertips to wipe away the smudges on her lips.
Her movements were exactly the same as Luo Zhao's, mechanical, calm, and devoid of emotion.
After standing up from Gu Chengyin's lap, she stepped directly toward the stairs.
The sound of her footsteps faded away and eventually disappeared.
The second floor of the Wenli Hall returned to silence.
Sunlight poured in through the high windows, casting bright spots of light on the floor.
Fine dust floated in the air, dancing slowly in the light.
Gu Chengyin sat alone on the desk, silent for a long time.
Then he slowly raised his hand and held it up to the sunlight.
His fingertips were slightly moist and gleaming.
Lingering on them was the scent of Luo Zhao and Shangguan Yunying.
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!
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
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.
