Deployment

He naturally maintained a sense of boundaries, retreating to a safe distance, and apologized very sincerely, "It was presumptuous of this junior, please forgive me, Auntie."

Gu Chengyin then asked, "Please don't blame me, Auntie, but my schedule is quite packed today. I wanted to ask if you will be staying at the Crown Princess's Palace or?"

Hearing this question, the ionizing breath around Lin Qingyan noticeably weakened.

The subtle tingling sensation in the air also dissipated.

After a moment of thought, she spoke:

"His Majesty's requirement is to ensure you stay alive."

"So there is no need to worry about me."

"Just follow your own arrangements."

After she finished speaking, Gu Chengyin and Lin Qingyan continued to walk side by side, but they maintained a perfect distance between them.

Neither too close, nor too distant.

Since Lin Qingyan explicitly stated that she practiced the Nine Heavens Lightning Attraction Art, Gu Chengyin tactfully stopped trying to get closer to her.

He focused his attention on his upcoming itinerary.

He would have to go to the Green Sword Sect sooner or later, but there was still a week left.

And this week was crucial for him.

With every passing day, his influence would penetrate a bit further, and his cultivation would improve slightly through transformation.

This way, if he really encountered an assassination attempt, his chances of survival would be higher.

Moreover, Lin Qingyan had made it very clear: as long as he was alive, that was enough.

Thinking deeply about these words was terrifying.

Being heavily injured was still being alive, hanging on by a single breath was still being alive, and having his cultivation completely ruined was also still being alive.

Just like in that nightmare, being locked in a basement and ravaged by Luo Zhao and Shangguan Yunying was also being alive.

But Gu Chengyin did not want to live like that.

If he failed to hold on to that single breath, he would truly be dead.

So, besides increasing his own strength, the natural course of action was to gather as many experts as possible.

The outside world was not like the Divine Capital.

In the Divine Capital, he was the Junior Preceptor to the Crown Princess, the Chief of the Internal Affairs Department, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and the Marquis of Equivalence. With these four identities, ordinary scoundrels wouldn't dare to cause trouble.

But once he left the capital, those immortal cultivation sects wouldn't care about any of that. Preventing the Green Sword Sect from completing their inheritance and continuing the immortal path was their primary goal.

So, now that he had finished exploiting the Luo Emperor, the next target was naturally Luo Zhao.

Fortunately, she was the easiest target and the one he least needed to negotiate with.

Thus, Gu Chengyin took Lin Qingyan back to the Crown Princess's Palace and headed straight for the Hall of Civil and Martial Arts.

Inside the hall, Luo Zhao was sitting behind the desk, reviewing memorials.

Shangguan Yunying stood by her side, holding a stack of documents.

When Gu Chengyin stepped through the palace doors, Luo Zhao happened to see him.

She still had that submissive appearance.

But when Luo Zhao's gaze moved past Gu Chengyin and saw Lin Qingyan, a hint of surprise finally appeared in her empty eyes.

"Auntie?" Luo Zhao stood up, her tone carrying a bit of surprise.

Beside her, Shangguan Yunying also put down the documents and took the initiative to step forward and bow to Lin Qingyan. "Lord Jingzhe."

The whole process was very natural, without the slightest leak of unnecessary emotion.

Gu Chengyin watched coldly from the sidelines. No matter how he observed them now, he couldn't spot the slightest flaw in these two.

However, since they hadn't run away yet, it meant he was still very important.

Gu Chengyin introduced, "In a few days, the Ministry of Rites will conduct a joint inspection with the Heavenly Master Mansion. Auntie is the representative of the Heavenly Master Mansion."

When he said the word "Auntie," Gu Chengyin focused his attention on Luo Zhao.

If it were the sober Luo Zhao, hearing him address Lin Qingyan like that would definitely earn him an eye roll.

But Luo Zhao did not.

When she heard Gu Chengyin say the word "Auntie," she didn't even flinch. Her eyes were calm, and there was a faint smile on her lips, as if whatever Gu Chengyin said was perfectly justified.

This reaction perfectly fit the logic of someone who had been hypnotized.

Whatever Gu Chengyin said was right, and whatever Gu Chengyin did was reasonable.

As for the issue of addressing her, if Gu Chengyin asked her to call him daddy, that would also be expected.

Lin Qingyan chimed in, "This inspection is quite dangerous, which is why His Majesty arranged for me to come."

Although she spoke lightly, the word "dangerous" already indicated that this trip was out of the ordinary.

Luo Zhao nodded, a hint of worry showing on her face. "Since Auntie is taking action, I can rest assured."

"Junior Preceptor Gu has made many enemies for my sake, and this inspection is so dangerous. I must trouble Auntie to put in extra effort to ensure he comes back alive."

There didn't seem to be any problem with these words, but Gu Chengyin felt something was a bit strange.

It was as if Luo Zhao had spoken her true thoughts.

And why did she emphasize coming back alive, just like the Luo Emperor?

But on second thought, hypnosis was essentially a simulation, with more logical thinking and fewer emotional changes.

In other words, the hypnotized person would speak more directly and use fewer pleasantries.

Looking at it this way, Luo Zhao's reaction was quite reasonable.

Gu Chengyin cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I came here today primarily to request a unit of the Golden Feather Guards to accompany me, in order to display the heavenly majesty of our Great Luo."

Gu Chengyin had already calculated everything:

The Luo Emperor had given him Lin Qingyan, the most crucial Golden Core expert. If he asked for anything else, they might have a falling out.

So, Gu Chengyin decisively turned his attention to Luo Zhao.

As the Crown Princess, although she couldn't mobilize a large number of Golden Feather Guards, she could definitely dispatch a single unit.

For the Ministry of Rites' inspection, Luo Zhao sending the Golden Feather Guards to protect a close official not only demonstrated the Crown Princess's benevolence but also adhered to the rules.

Then, as the Chief of the Internal Affairs Department, it wouldn't be too much for him to dispatch a few eunuch experts, right?

The Internal Affairs Department managed palace affairs and naturally had experts holding the fort. Drawing a few to accompany and protect the Chief was perfectly justified.

With eunuch experts secured, getting female official experts would also be a matter of course, right?

Not to mention he was also the Junior Preceptor to the Crown Princess, which made sense from any angle.

Next, he would take a stroll through the Grand Secretariat. The Ministry of Rites and the Heavenly Master Mansion were conducting a joint inspection.

They had to send some civil officials along. Since there were civil officials, they would need a few more guards to protect them.

After gathering all these forces, let alone other immortal cultivation sects assassinating him, it would be a miracle if he didn't counterattack their home bases.

Hearing Gu Chengyin's request, Luo Zhao immediately understood his plan.

But as a hypnotized person, she couldn't show too much emotion, let alone bargain.

Fortunately, with the conscious puppet handling things, Luo Zhao only needed to watch quietly.

"Of course, Junior Preceptor Gu's trip is of the utmost importance."

Luo Zhao paused, seemingly thinking about candidates, and after a long while, she said:

"Hmm, let General Chen Busha accompany you."

"Now that matters in the Divine Capital are settled, he must be feeling stifled staying in the Crown Princess's Palace every day."

Luo Zhao added, her tone natural, as if she really just felt that Chen Busha had nothing to do.

"Thank you for your permission, Your Highness!" Gu Chengyin immediately cupped his hands in gratitude, a sincere smile on his face.

He had come specifically for Chen Busha. If Luo Zhao hadn't offered him, he would have had to issue a command to ask for him.

Now it seemed that the hypnotized Luo Zhao was much cuter than the real Luo Zhao.

At least she wouldn't bargain, wouldn't speak sarcastically, and certainly wouldn't harbor hidden murderous intent.

"Besides General Chen Busha," Luo Zhao continued, "draw another hundred elites from the Golden Feather Guards to accompany you."

"If you don't have enough manpower, I can write a letter for you to go outside the city and ask Xue Tian for people."

Gu Chengyin bowed once again:

"Your Highness's arrangements are very thorough. I am endlessly grateful."