No Way Out

Gu Chengyin was completely dumbfounded.

Satisfy the inner demon?

How was he supposed to satisfy something like that?

Lin Qingyan seemed to realize her words were ambiguous and quickly added,

"Not right now, of course."

"I mean, the next time the inner demon appears, you guide her to gradually fulfill those desires..."

"Instead of forcefully commanding her to go back like you just did. After all..."

Lin Qingyan's tone revealed a deep sense of helplessness.

"Desires don't just disappear; they can only be satisfied."

"I'm afraid that the harder we suppress them, the fiercer the backlash will be."

Gu Chengyin understood.

Lin Qingyan was looking for a long-term solution.

The inner demon was essentially formed from her own desires. Forceful suppression would only cause it to grow in the shadows, and one day, it would completely spiral out of control.

While hypnotic control was effective, it was ultimately an external force.

It was like building a dam to hold back water—the higher the water level, the more destructive the flood when the dam finally breaks.

Lin Qingyan wanted him to help "release the floodwaters."

By taking it step by step, allowing the desires to be released within a controllable range, they could ultimately weaken or even eliminate the inner demon.

This way, even if the inner demon was hypnotized, it wouldn't reach a critical point of losing control due to long-term accumulation.

After all, the prerequisite for hypnosis was that the subject was conscious and could understand commands.

If the inner demon went completely berserk and descended into pure madness, the commands would naturally lose their meaning.

Gu Chengyin thought for a moment and asked,

"What's in it for me?"

There was no need to hide things when it came to deals between adults.

If he was taking the risk to help Lin Qingyan solve her inner demon problem, he definitely needed adequate compensation in return.

Lin Qingyan seemed to have anticipated his question.

"First, I will become your ally."

She stretched out her pale fingers, counting them one by one.

"Second, during this sect inspection, I will protect you with everything I have."

"Third..."

Lin Qingyan paused here, a trace of complexity flashing through her eyes.

"Once my inner demon is eliminated, I can do one thing for you, as long as it doesn't cross my bottom line."

Gu Chengyin remained silent.

Each of these three conditions was tempting enough.

But the risks were equally immense.

Guiding an inner demon to satisfy its desires sounded simple, but in practice, it would be like walking on thin ice.

The slightest carelessness wouldn't just trigger the inner demon to lose control; it could even cause a backlash upon himself.

"I need to know exactly how to do this."

Gu Chengyin said in a deep voice.

"For example, what type of desires does your inner demon have? What degree is considered satisfied?"

He threw out a series of questions, but Lin Qingyan did not mind. The more detailed his questions, the more it showed that Gu Chengyin was seriously considering it.

"As for the details... she will tell you the next time the inner demon appears."

Gu Chengyin didn't notice that when she said this, the base of Lin Qingyan's ears began to turn red.

"Alright, I promise you."

Gu Chengyin finally nodded.

Lin Qingyan finally let out a sigh of relief, her previously tense shoulders relaxing.

She raised a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and said apologetically,

"I'm sorry, this time it was indeed my fault."

"If my Dao heart hadn't been unstable, it wouldn't have caused such a big mess, and I wouldn't have dragged you into it."

Gu Chengyin waved his hand.

"You're too serious, Auntie. We are allies, so helping each other is only natural."

Lin Qingyan didn't say anything more. She waved her hand, and the glow of the restrictions on the tower door slowly faded, opening a crack inward.

"I need to recover in the Serenity Tower for a bit."

Lin Qingyan said, her voice laced with exhaustion.

"Once I've recovered, I will go find you. Take care of your own safety first."

Gu Chengyin cupped his hands in a salute.

"Auntie, please rest and recover with peace of mind. I'll take my leave now."

After saying that, he couldn't wait to turn around, walking briskly toward the tower door.

He looked as if he was terrified that the tower door would close again if he was even a second too slow.

Watching Gu Chengyin's departing back, Lin Qingyan stood in place, unmoving for a long time.

Only when his figure had completely disappeared did she slowly raise her hand.

The tower door closed silently, and the restrictions lit up again, completely isolating the inside from the outside.

Lin Qingyan returned to her futon and sat cross-legged, but her gaze was still fixed on the tower door.

After a long while, she muttered softly to herself,

"I'm sorry, Gu Chengyin."

Then she closed her eyes and looked inward.

Her consciousness sank deep into her sea of consciousness. This place was supposed to be a land of clear Dao heart, but at this moment, a blood-red halo hovered within it.

In the center of the halo, a blurry human figure could faintly be seen.

It was the inner demon.

But right now, this inner demon that had troubled Lin Qingyan for so long was exceptionally quiet.

It curled up in a corner of her sea of consciousness, its blood-red light undulating softly, without the slightest hint of violence.

Even when Lin Qingyan's consciousness approached, it trembled slightly, conveying a submissive emotion.

Yes, Lin Qingyan had lied to Gu Chengyin.

The inner demon had indeed been hypnotized, and the hypnotic effect was far more thorough than she had imagined.

And that so-called double-pupiled personality from earlier...

It was all an act.

Lin Qingyan slowly opened her eyes, a trace of guilt flashing in them, but it was quickly replaced by determination.

The inner demon losing control was real. Her comprehension of the complete Immortal Dao had indeed detonated the inner demon she had suppressed for years.

Gu Chengyin successfully hypnotizing the inner demon was also real. It was precisely because the inner demon was controlled that Lin Qingyan was able to return to her normal state.

But from this point on, everything else was fake.

From those bizarre heterochromatic pupils, to calling him Master, to the seductive words, the aggrieved expressions, and the act of leaning in to sniff his scent...

It was all fake.

Lin Qingyan had intentionally opened her mind, allowing the aura of her inner demon to leak out, and then imitated the inner demon to put on a show of a dual-pupiled personality.

Why did she do this?

Lin Qingyan's fingertips trembled slightly.

Because she had suddenly figured something out: she couldn't delay dealing with her inner demon any longer.

Today's loss of control was just the beginning.

As her cultivation level got higher and higher, the inner demon would only grow stronger.

When would the next loss of control happen?

Lin Qingyan didn't dare to gamble on it.

And Gu Chengyin's appearance had shown her an opportunity.

An opportunity to weaken her inner demon without actually losing her virginity.

Letting desires gradually dissipate through repeated restraint—this idea had actually existed in Lin Qingyan's mind for a long time, but she had never found the right person to execute it.

First, this person had to have no emotional entanglements with her, so they could cleanly sever ties once it was done.

Second, this person had to be smart enough to know their limits and not overplay their hand.

Finally, this person must not covet beauty, and their interests had to be bound together.

Gu Chengyin fit all the conditions almost perfectly.

First, he was merely an ally to her, with no romantic feelings involved.

Second, he was smart enough, as could be seen from his responses tonight.

Third, despite having such means, he had not coveted Luo Zhao's beauty.

Most importantly, Gu Chengyin could control her inner demon.

"So... I'm sorry."

Lin Qingyan whispered again, her tone firmer this time.

"But I really have no other choice."

Outside the Serenity Tower.

Gu Chengyin did not leave immediately.

He currently felt like he had boarded a pirate ship.

And this pirate ship wasn't one he could get off just because he wanted to.

He was afraid that for a very long time in the future, he would have to maintain this... strange relationship with Lin Qingyan.

Gu Chengyin rubbed his temples, his headache worsening the more he thought about it.

"I'll just take it one step at a time."

After a sigh, Gu Chengyin stepped away from the Serenity Tower.

After all, there was an even bigger trouble he needed to solve right now.

Shangguan Yunying.