"This way, I will either die on the road while inspecting the sects, or perhaps die inside one of the cultivation sects."
Gu Chengyin's tone was incredibly calm, as if he were analyzing a matter that had nothing to do with him:
"When that happens, what will the consequences be?"
"Naturally, it would draw His Majesty's 'thunderous fury' and an army at their borders."
Shangguan Yunying's face gradually paled.
This was an angle she had never considered.
Because she had an almost instinctive trust in Gu Chengyin.
With his abilities, as long as he went to the Azure Sword Sect, he would definitely succeed.
This was the most basic trust born from her past observations of him and her understanding of his exquisite calculations.
But what Gu Chengyin wanted to shatter was exactly this kind of trust.
"Even for me."
"Going to an unknown, completely unfamiliar place, I cannot say I have a hundred percent chance of success."
"All I can do is try my absolute best to increase my trump cards and improve my chances of survival."
"For example, expanding the size of the inspection team."
"Or for instance..."
"Taking Her Highness as a hostage."
Shangguan Yunying's pupils suddenly shrank.
"What... what did you say?"
Her voice trembled a little, unable to believe what she was hearing.
Gu Chengyin did not evade her gaze. He looked straight into Shangguan Yunying's eyes and repeated word by word:
"Taking Her Highness as a hostage. That is the true reason why I controlled her."
Shangguan Yunying's brain worked at lightning speed.
She was digesting the meaning of these words, re-evaluating all of Gu Chengyin's actions, and connecting those seemingly contradictory points from the past.
Why did Gu Chengyin hypnotize Luo Zhao?
It wasn't just for self-preservation.
It was more to hold Luo Zhao in his hands as a bargaining chip against Emperor Luo.
Why did he release her from hypnosis?
Because Lin Qingyan's inner demon outbreak was an accident, and he had to free up a slot to control the inner demon.
But the priority of controlling Luo Zhao, this hostage, still remained above all else.
Why did he dare to tell her all this?
Because he already held the biggest bargaining chip; Luo Zhao was in his hands.
And Shangguan Yunying's loyalty to Luo Zhao was her most effective weakness.
All the fragments pieced together in this moment to form a complete, ruthless, yet incredibly exquisite scheme.
"Her Highness trusting me, and Her Highness being in my hands, carry completely different meanings."
Gu Chengyin's voice was very calm, so calm that it sent chills down one's spine:
"The former means she can withdraw her trust at any time, turn against me at any time, and cooperate with His Majesty to sacrifice me at any time."
"The latter means she is my hostage. As long as she is still in my hands, His Majesty will not dare to sacrifice me easily."
He paused and looked at Shangguan Yunying:
"And to control Her Highness, you were an obstacle I could not bypass."
"You are the Chief Lady-in-Waiting, Her Highness's confidante, and the person she trusts the most."
"So... I had to control you first."
The alley fell into a long silence.
Shangguan Yunying shrank in Gu Chengyin's arms, falling into deep thought.
This logic of Gu Chengyin's was indeed something she had never expected.
Originally, she thought Gu Chengyin controlled Her Highness merely out of fear that she would harm him, thus striking first to gain the upper hand.
After all, she understood Luo Zhao's personality.
But she hadn't expected there to be an even deeper calculation behind it.
Taking Her Highness as a hostage to blackmail Emperor Luo.
How should this be described?
Audacious? Indeed.
Looking at the entire Great Luo, Gu Chengyin was probably the only one who dared to take the current Crown Princess as a hostage.
Flawless in his calculations? Also true.
This scheme was meticulously interlocked, resolving the immediate threat while also preparing countermeasures for future crises.
But the problem was...
"I am Her Highness's Chief Lady-in-Waiting."
Shangguan Yunying finally spoke, her voice light, but very firm:
"Now that I know about this, I will absolutely not allow you to continue controlling Her Highness."
"This is my duty, and my obligation."
Shangguan Yunying raised her head, looking at Gu Chengyin with utmost clarity:
"Gu Chengyin, I understand your situation, I understand your methods, and I understand your calculations."
"However, understanding does not mean acceptance."
"As long as I am alive, as long as I have a breath left, I must stop you. I must stop you from treating Her Highness as a hostage, and stop you from using her to blackmail His Majesty."
These words were spoken with absolute resolve.
So resolute that Gu Chengyin could even feel the killing intent in her words.
If necessary, she would truly fight him to the death once again for Luo Zhao's sake.
But Gu Chengyin smiled.
Not a sneer, not a mocking laugh, but a smile carrying appreciation and helplessness.
"Of course. You understand me, and I equally understand you."
Gu Chengyin's tone was very gentle:
"But Yunying."
Gu Chengyin lowered his head, leaning close to Shangguan Yunying's ear.
This posture was very intimate; his breath brushed against her ear, carrying a warm aura.
But the words he spoke were so icy they made one's heart tremble:
"Do not forget, Her Highness is currently in my hands."
Shangguan Yunying stiffened all over.
"Moreover..."
Gu Chengyin's voice became lower, lighter, carrying a bewitching tone:
"You cannot defeat me now. You already tried just now at the Celestial Master's Mansion."
"So~"
"As long as you obediently listen to me, I guarantee that nothing will happen to Her Highness."
"She will be perfectly fine, safe, sleeping deeply just like she is now, waiting to wake up one day."
"But if you do not listen..."
Gu Chengyin did not finish his sentence, but the unspoken implication was far more terrifying than if he had said it out loud.
Shangguan Yunying was completely stunned.
She never expected that Gu Chengyin would so bluntly use Luo Zhao to threaten her!
It wasn't a discussion, nor a negotiation.
It was a threat.
Shangguan Yunying's face turned green and white in turns.
Tell Gu Chengyin that Luo Zhao had already broken free from the hypnosis?
No, if she did that, Gu Chengyin would definitely leave without hesitation.
And just as he said, she was no longer a match for him; she couldn't even catch up to him.
Then the best method was to maintain the status quo, making Gu Chengyin believe that Luo Zhao was still under hypnosis.
And then, accept his blackmail.
Ultimately, Shangguan Yunying squeezed a sentence through her gritted teeth:
"What do you want in order to let Her Highness go?"
Gu Chengyin smiled.
"That will depend on you, Yunying."
"Is it true that as long as you can save Her Highness, you will do anything?"
This question was too direct, too naked.
So direct that it instantly brought a flush to Shangguan Yunying's cheeks.
She cursed herself in her heart. She was clearly being threatened; she should be angry, she should feel humiliated.
But why was her heart beating so fast? Why was her face so hot?
And... why was she feeling a little expectant?
In the end, Shangguan Yunying shifted her gaze away, looking at the wall beside them.
The mottled brick wall and withered yellow vines cast scattered shadows in the sunlight.
Then, she heard her own voice, very soft and faint:
"Yes."
Shangguan Yunying's heartbeat drummed in her chest, mixed with complex emotions that made it almost impossible for her to think.
She had even begun to anticipate it.
Anticipating just how excessive Gu Chengyin's conditions would be.
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
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!
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.
