Gu Xiaoli's eyes were filled with resentment and grievance.
This was the first time she had shown such intense emotional fluctuations.
The reason for this was that Gu Chengyin had just used Luo Zhao as leverage, forcing her to swear a toxic oath equivalent to selling herself.
Under the framework of this new oath, she could not do anything contrary to Gu Chengyin's will.
Of course, Gu Chengyin still respected Empress Lin's dying wish and excluded Luo Zhao from this.
In other words, if Gu Chengyin subjectively wanted to harm Luo Zhao, Gu Xiaoli could still protect Luo Zhao.
However, she could only hypnotize her; she could not control Luo Zhao to do things that would endanger herself.
It was precisely because of this clause that Gu Xiaoli agreed.
Other than that, she could no longer do anything disadvantageous to Gu Chengyin, including lifting the hypnosis.
This thoroughly made the World-weary Loli his person.
Compared to Gu Xiaoli's grievance, Gu Chengyin did not care at all.
Instead, he looked at the Dao Heart mark on the palm of the World-weary Loli.
No matter what, Gu Xiaoli's attitude was still very sincere.
So regardless of what she had done before, her value was enough to earn any forgiveness.
This was just like Luo Zhao's tolerance towards him.
Even if he danced on the dignity of this Crown Princess.
He, Gu Chengyin, was still alive and well to this day.
Especially since the World-weary Loli had sworn such a toxic oath, there was nothing more to say.
Anyway, if Luo Zhao asked Gu Chengyin to swear a toxic oath, he would definitely refuse a hundred times over.
In the face of absolute interests, everything else was not worth mentioning.
Utilize everything that can be utilized, unite everything that can be united.
This was the path to ascending.
Gu Chengyin rubbed Gu Xiaoli's hair and then signaled,
Go back, Xiaoli.
This scumbag appearance of discarding her after use made the corners of Gu Xiaoli's mouth pout slightly.
But she still didn't say anything, obediently and submissively walking towards Wenli Hall.
No speaking, no protesting, just looking a bit wronged.
Gu Chengyin watched Gu Xiaoli's figure disappear, his brows furrowing.
Too smooth.
Smooth beyond imagination.
So smooth that it couldn't be any smoother.
Gu Xiaoli seemed honest, but she had actually hidden a lot of crucial information.
If not for the final toxic oath, Gu Chengyin would have doubted whether she had already lifted Luo Zhao's hypnosis.
Of course, this kind of oath could only constrain future events; it was definitely useless for past actions.
But whether it was Shangguan Yunying or Gu Xiaoli, these most loyal guardians of Luo Zhao.
When faced with him using Luo Zhao as leverage, they both showed unparalleled submission.
And neither showed a desperate struggle, nor did they show the absolute resolve to rescue Luo Zhao.
This was certainly because Luo Zhao's safety was incredibly important to them.
So they didn't dare to gamble, didn't dare to risk putting Luo Zhao in danger to forcefully lift the hypnosis.
But...
There shouldn't be zero resistance, right?
What was the difference between this and lying on the ground waiting to be beaten?
Gu Chengyin's brows furrowed tighter and tighter.
Whether it was Shangguan Yunying or Gu Xiaoli.
It seemed that as long as they agreed to his conditions, he definitely wouldn't do anything to Luo Zhao.
This kind of trust built on his character made Gu Chengyin couldn't help but sneer.
He himself didn't know when his reputation had become so good.
A person who hypnotized the Crown Princess, schemed against court officials, and played with power.
Would actually be trusted not to harm Luo Zhao?
This was too absurd.
And besides this bizarre smoothness, Gu Chengyin also astutely discovered a new piece of information.
Something he had sensed before, but only now clearly realized.
Tolerance.
Gu Chengyin had previously felt that Luo Zhao's tolerance towards him was unusually high.
And it wasn't just Luo Zhao.
There was also Shangguan Yunying.
After lifting her hypnosis this time, Gu Chengyin originally thought it would take a lot of effort to pacify her.
After all, he had done so many excessive things to Shangguan Yunying, both emotionally and behaviorally.
But the truth was, apart from chasing him around to kill him at the very beginning.
Shangguan Yunying later acted incredibly submissive and obedient.
So submissive that whatever he said went.
So obedient that she didn't resist no matter what he did.
This kind of submission and obedience didn't seem like coercion.
It seemed more like willingness.
There were more emotional factors involved.
So...
As the Chief Lady-in-Waiting, instead of thinking about how to rescue Luo Zhao, Shangguan Yunying.
How did you start getting all lovey-dovey?
Does this fit your style as a Chief Lady-in-Waiting?
Gu Chengyin's fingertips stopped tapping.
He suddenly remembered another thing.
If Shangguan Yunying knew that Luo Zhao was awake, how dared she kiss him in front of Luo Zhao?
That was her liege.
How dared she?
Unless...
She also believed that Luo Zhao was indeed under hypnosis.
Only then would she dare to make such an overstepping move in front of the hypnotized Luo Zhao.
Because she knew Luo Zhao wouldn't remember, wouldn't pursue it, and wouldn't care.
This deduction was very logical.
But it conflicted entirely with her behavior and style as the Chief Lady-in-Waiting.
The two sides were completely contradictory and clashing.
Shangguan Yunying was willing to be intimate with him, the premise being that Luo Zhao was not hypnotized.
So she wouldn't have the corresponding psychological burden.
No pressure from her duties as the Chief Lady-in-Waiting.
She could take doing these things for granted.
But if Luo Zhao wasn't hypnotized.
Then how dared Shangguan Yunying kiss him in front of Luo Zhao.
And even actively press him down?
The more he sorted through these thoughts, the more Gu Chengyin felt it was a tangled mess.
Why did it feel like he had fallen into a gentle trap?
Luo Zhao was hypnotized, Shangguan Yunying was pacified, and Gu Xiaoli was subdued.
Everything was so perfect.
Too perfect to be real.
Gu Xiaoli's words were half true and half false.
Shangguan Yunying's words were also half true and half false.
And Luo Zhao...
Was she really hypnotized, or was she pretending?
A trace of ruthlessness flashed in Gu Chengyin's eyes.
For a person like him, once suspicion and doubt appeared, they were hard to dispel.
He needed an answer.
He needed a definitive answer.
Otherwise, he couldn't proceed with the next step of his plan with peace of mind.
Especially with the sect inspection approaching.
If he set off and found out that Luo Zhao was never in his hands at all.
That would truly be the biggest joke in the world.
Although he currently had quite a few trump cards, especially Lin Qingyan's inner demon, which was an unexpected harvest.
It didn't mean Gu Chengyin would easily let Luo Zhao go.
So he absolutely could not be confused by this gentle trap, nor paralyzed by this smoothness.
He had to confirm.
He had to confirm it one more time.
Gu Chengyin took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
Sure enough, he still had to pull off something big.
Find an opportunity to send Shangguan Yunying away and confirm Luo Zhao's status alone once more.
This confirmation could not leave any leeway like before, and there could be no more softheartedness.
He had to cross the line all the way.
He had to touch the real bottom line.
He had to force out the most genuine reaction.
If it was still like this.
If it was still a perfect state of hypnosis.
Then he, Gu Chengyin, would have nothing more to say.

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'!"

iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.

young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."

transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”