On a Bed

An unknown amount of time passed.

So long that the clamor of the imperial street below began to fade, the bustling crowds gradually dispersed, and even the string and bamboo music from the pleasure boats slowly ceased.

The bright moon had risen to the middle of the sky, its clear radiance like white silk, shining solely upon Fanlou.

Gu Chengyin maintained his embracing posture, his arms slightly numb from holding the same position for so long.

But he did not move, allowing Lin Qingyan to lean on his shoulder like a weary bird that had finally found its roost.

Until the person in his arms suddenly moved.

It was not the lazy shifting of the inner demon, but a much more lucid adjustment.

Then, a voice sounded.

"Gu Chengyin."

The tone was not the bewitching and alluring one from before, nor was it that sickly sweet dependence.

Instead, it was clear and cold, carrying the unique sense of detachment characteristic of Jingzhe of the Celestial Master Mansion, and even faintly holding a bit of reserve.

Gu Chengyin froze for a moment.

Instinctively, he loosened the hands wrapped around Lin Qingyan's waist.

This tone...

This voice...

It was obvious that the real Lin Qingyan was back.

Gu Chengyin waited.

Logically speaking, with Lin Qingyan's temperament, she should immediately stand up, pull away, and resume her aloof posture that pushed people a thousand miles away.

But strangely, Lin Qingyan did not move immediately.

She merely withdrew her hands, lowered her head, and sat sideways on his lap.

Just sitting there like that.

Motionless.

She neither stood up nor spoke.

A subtle silence permeated the air.

Gu Chengyin subconsciously held his breath, his mind racing.

What was this situation?

Had the inner demon just retreated, and her consciousness was still in a transitional phase?

Or...

Was it some kind of situation he couldn't comprehend at the moment?

"Aunt?"

Finally, Gu Chengyin cautiously spoke up to test the waters.

Lin Qingyan's body stiffened for a second.

Then, she finally moved.

There was no panic, no fluster, not even the slightest hint of embarrassment.

She just calmly stood up from Gu Chengyin's lap.

And she readjusted her robes, covering all the skin that shouldn't be exposed.

At this moment, Lin Qingyan's face clearly bore that indifferent and cold expression Gu Chengyin was so familiar with.

There was not a trace of charm between her brows, and the corners of her lips were no longer turned up.

It was as if the person who had just been sitting on Gu Chengyin's lap, curled up in his arms, rubbing against his neck like a cat, wasn't her at all.

A subtle feeling rose from the bottom of Gu Chengyin's heart.

How should he describe it...

It felt like being used and then discarded.

Except this time, the one who did the using was Lin Qingyan, and the one discarded was Gu Chengyin.

The inner demon had clung enough, hugged enough, stabilized its emotions, and was fully satisfied, and then Lin Qingyan returned.

After returning, she didn't even say a word. She just calmly stood up and resumed her posture of a fairy untouched by worldly affairs.

After standing up, Lin Qingyan did not sit back down. Instead, she raised her eyes to look at the night sky.

The moonlight was thick, the stars sparse.

"The time is up. I should go back."

"Eh?"

Before Gu Chengyin even had time to ask a question.

His vision blurred.

It wasn't the kind of movement that could be tracked.

Rather, it was the speed belonging to a Golden Core stage cultivator.

Lin Qingyan's figure rippled into a blurry circle.

And then...

Vanished.

The plain white robes, the pitch-black hair, the cold face—all disappeared into the air.

All that was left was the empty corridor and the lingering fragrance on the small couch.

The night breeze blew in from outside the railing, brushing past Gu Chengyin's face.

He stared blankly at the spot where Lin Qingyan had just been standing; there was nothing there.

Only the moonlight remained, and the bamboo blinds swayed gently.

It took a good while for Gu Chengyin to snap out of it.

When Lin Qingyan said her time was up, she must have been referring to what she mentioned earlier about only appearing for one shichen.

Although in reality, more than one shichen had already passed.

But Lin Qingyan still followed the agreement; when the time was up, she went back.

Gu Chengyin shook his head.

Lin Qingyan's behavior was just so sudden.

Suddenly releasing her inner demon, suddenly hugging him all night, and suddenly disappearing without a trace.

The whole process was as abrupt as a sudden downpour on a summer afternoon.

Arriving without warning, leaving cleanly and decisively, leaving only damp traces on the ground and the un-dissipated scent of rain in the air.

But Gu Chengyin didn't dwell on it too much.

Since Lin Qingyan had left, he should go back too.

Back to the Crown Prince's Palace to confirm some unfinished business.

......

The Crown Prince's Palace.

At this hour, the entire palace had fallen into a deep slumber.

Gu Chengyin stood outside the bedchamber, looking up at this familiar building.

Then he pushed the door open and entered, arriving outside Shangguan Yunying's room.

If he wanted to get close to Luo Zhao, Shangguan Yunying was an obstacle he could never bypass.

The door was tightly shut, and there was no sound inside.

Gu Chengyin gently pushed the door open, slipped inside sideways, and immediately closed the door behind him.

His movements were fluid and seamless, without making any unnecessary noise.

Then he froze.

In the direction of the bed, there was no one.

Shangguan Yunying was not there.

Gu Chengyin frowned.

At this hour, she should have already gone to rest.

Unless there were special circumstances, she would absolutely never leave her post without authorization.

Gu Chengyin walked up to the bed and reached out to touch the bedding.

Ice cold.

There was not a trace of body heat left.

This meant that Shangguan Yunying had been gone for a long time, at least for over a shichen.

Gu Chengyin stood in place and pondered for a moment.

Then he closed his eyes, and the Azure Cloud Incantation circulated within his body.

The true qi of the late Foundation Establishment stage flowed along his meridians, ultimately converging at the sea of consciousness between his brows.

His perception began to spread out slowly like water ripples, centered on him.

This was an extremely subtle method of investigation.

Perception was essentially an extension of true qi and spiritual energy, like countless invisible tentacles reaching into the surrounding air to capture any minute fluctuations.

The sound of breathing, the beating of hearts, the traces of flowing true qi, and even the fluctuations of emotions.

But this method of investigation also carried risks.

It was fine if he encountered cultivators with a lower realm than his own; the other party would find it hard to notice.

But if he encountered a cultivator of the same realm or even a higher realm, these invisible tentacles could easily be discovered by the other party.

And once discovered, this kind of probing was often regarded as a grave offense.

At best, it would trigger a conflict; at worst, it would forge a blood feud.

Therefore, Gu Chengyin was very cautious.

He slowed the speed of his extending perception to a crawl and kept the range very small, only covering this area of the bedchamber.

But strangely...

Within the entire bedchamber area, there was unexpectedly not a single female official on duty.

This defied logic.

According to palace rules, there must be at least two female officials on duty all night outside the Crown Prince's inner chamber, in case of unexpected needs.

But at this moment, it was completely empty.

This scene felt rather familiar.

It was very much like the previous two times he had come; the situation had been exactly the same.

The outer perimeter of the bedchamber was heavily guarded, but the inner chamber was completely empty.

Gu Chengyin's perception continued to extend inward.

It passed through the spacious outer hall, crossed the silent corridors, and finally probed into the confines of the inner chamber.

He found Shangguan Yunying.

She was in the inner chamber.

Gu Chengyin's perception clearly captured the sound of two people breathing.

Furthermore, the two breathing sounds were extremely close to each other.

Gu Chengyin's perception cautiously probed toward the inner chamber.

It passed through layers of draperies, crossed multiple folding screens, and finally locked onto that large, spacious bed.

Then, he saw it.

Moonlight filtered in through the window, barely illuminating the silhouette of the bed.

Beneath the brocade quilt, two figures lay side by side.

Luo Zhao and Shangguan Yunying...

Were sleeping in the same bed?