Since You're Already Here (Bonus Update)

The next day.

The morning light slanted through the high windows of the Wenli Hall, casting a warm, mellow halo over the lapis lazuli floor.

A faint scent of ink and sandalwood floated in the air, mingling with the crisp, refreshing breath unique to the early morning.

When Gu Chengyin stepped through the hall doors, the soles of his boots struck the floor with a crisp, unhurried sound.

His gaze immediately fell upon the figure seated behind the long desk.

Luo Zhao sat there as usual, dressed in a moon-white palace gown. Her long hair was pinned up with a simple jade hairpin, revealing a slender, snow-white neck.

She was looking down at the memorial in her hands, her long eyelashes casting dense shadows under her eyes, her expression focused and serious.

The morning light spilled in from the window lattice to her left, gilding her shoulders with a pale golden edge.

Several stacks of documents were piled on the desk: newly delivered memorials, official dispatches submitted by the Ministry of Personnel, and various palace affairs files that required her personal annotation.

She was much busier now than before. Ever since The Xiao Clan fell and power was reshuffled, the affairs she needed to handle had noticeably increased.

Yet Luo Zhao handled them with effortless ease.

She sat perfectly straight, the lines of her shoulders and neck graceful. The fingers holding the brush were pale and slender, her wrist steady as she wrote, making every annotation clear and forceful.

That serious and focused expression made Gu Chengyin involuntarily...

Let his thoughts drift back to last night.

Yes.

Luo Zhao had been just as serious and focused then as she was now.

It was just that what she was doing was completely different.

At that time, Luo Zhao had been kneeling before him, her head tilted up, her phoenix eyes looking at him calmly.

The moonlight had shone on her face, illuminating her breathtakingly beautiful features with perfect clarity.

Just like now, she had been focused and serious, as if completing a matter of utmost importance.

Gu Chengyin quickly reined in his thoughts. Luo Zhao seemed to have heard the sound of his entrance.

Because he hadn't deliberately muffled his footsteps.

Gu Chengyin wanted to see Luo Zhao's reaction.

He wanted to see if this Crown Princess would reveal any emotion after the absurdity of last night.

Luo Zhao raised her eyes and glanced in Gu Chengyin's direction.

Those phoenix eyes were calm and placid, devoid of any superfluous emotion.

Then she withdrew her gaze, lowered her head again, and continued reviewing the memorial in her hands.

As if nothing had happened last night.

The corners of Gu Chengyin's lips curled up slightly.

Very good.

From now on, although he would maintain a baseline observation,

He would no longer probe as frequently as before, much less forcefully coerce Luo Zhao into revealing a flaw.

It was time to focus his mind and attention on proper business.

Gu Chengyin shifted his gaze and began searching the hall for another figure.

Then, he saw Shangguan Yunying standing by the curio shelves on the eastern side of the hall.

She was directing several female officials to move things. Today, she wore a light-colored martial outfit, a belt cinched around her waist, outlining her slender yet powerful figure.

Her long hair was tied high in a ponytail, revealing a smooth forehead and bright eyes.

She was instructing the female officials, pointing at some scrolls and artifacts on the shelves.

It wasn't until Gu Chengyin approached and his footsteps sounded behind her that Shangguan Yunying abruptly turned her head.

In that instant.

Gu Chengyin clearly saw Shangguan Yunying's face involuntarily start to flush.

From her cheeks to the roots of her ears, and down to her neck, the blush spread rapidly like cinnabar dropped into clear water.

Her eyes also grew visibly flustered, like a thief caught red-handed.

But soon, Shangguan Yunying suppressed these reactions.

She quickly averted her gaze and continued speaking to the female officials, though her tone had noticeably hurried.

Once she finished her instructions and the female officials began to act,

Shangguan Yunying finally looked at Gu Chengyin, pretending that nothing was amiss as she asked:

"Why are you here?"

When she asked this, her gaze remained fixed on the female officials, not daring to look at Gu Chengyin.

Gu Chengyin looked at the female officials who were moving things.

They indeed held scrolls or artifacts in their hands and moved as if they were working diligently.

But every one of them had their ears perked up high.

Their gazes also darted over from time to time, filled with curiosity and inquiry.

Gu Chengyin withdrew his gaze, looked at Shangguan Yunying, and said in a businesslike tone:

"I'm looking for you to ask about something. Regarding the Qingjian Sect."

Shangguan Yunying shot him a quick glance, then rapidly looked away.

Her cheeks were still a bit red, but much better than before.

"Then come with me."

She gave the female officials one last instruction, then turned around, gesturing for Gu Chengyin to follow.

Gu Chengyin followed her toward a small room adjacent to the Wenli Hall.

It was a place for storing confidential documents—not large, but very quiet, and usually free from interruptions.

The two figures walked one after the other, until they completely disappeared from sight.

Only then did Luo Zhao, behind the long desk, slowly set down the brush in her hand.

She turned her head and looked in the direction they had vanished, her phoenix eyes now surging with complex emotions.

Her lips were pressed tightly together, the corners turned down, pulling the lines of her cheeks taut.

Then, Luo Zhao's gaze turned resentful, and she gritted her teeth, saying:

"Forbear for now!"

"Forbear for now!"

Every word seemed squeezed from between her teeth, carrying an indescribable endurance.

Luo Zhao took a deep breath, picked up her brush again, and continued reviewing the memorials.

Only, the hand holding the brush trembled slightly.

......

Inside the small room.

The door closed gently behind them, cutting off the sounds from the outside world.

It was a modest room with simple furnishings: a desk, a chair, and several bookshelves standing against the wall, neatly stacked with scrolls and secret missives.

Shangguan Yunying stood in place with her back to Gu Chengyin, seemingly calming her emotions.

Her spine was perfectly straight, and the ponytail cascading down her back rose and fell slightly with her breathing.

After quite a while, she finally turned around and looked at Gu Chengyin.

The blush on her face had mostly faded, but her gaze was still a bit erratic, not quite daring to meet Gu Chengyin's eyes directly.

"Uh..."

Shangguan Yunying cleared her throat, trying to make her voice sound more natural.

"The situation with the Qingjian Sect isn't complicated."

She walked over to the bookshelf, picked up a booklet, and handed it to Gu Chengyin.

"The current Sect Master, who is also my maternal grandfather, is Jiang Qingshan."

"But he rarely makes public appearances nowadays. The sect's affairs are managed by several elders."

Gu Chengyin nodded slightly, took the booklet, and flipped it open. Inside was basic information about the Qingjian Sect.

"What is their cultivation level?" Gu Chengyin asked.

Shangguan Yunying replied, "My grandfather is in the early stage of the Golden Core realm."

She paused, a hint of helplessness creeping into her tone.

"Because of the Qingjian Art, he has been stuck at this bottleneck for a very long time."

"The other elders are all stuck at the great perfection of the Foundation Establishment realm, unable to break through to the Golden Core."

Gu Chengyin looked thoughtful.

If even the Qingjian Sect was like this, the situation in other sects was probably much the same.

No wonder these immortal cultivation sects were all so anxious to find the descendants of the Immortal Clan.

They had been trapped in their current realms for far too long; they desperately needed a new opportunity for a breakthrough.

Seeing Gu Chengyin deep in thought, Shangguan Yunying took the initiative to speak:

"My mother has already told me."

"Besides her accompanying us, the Qingjian Sect will also send people to receive us."

"So you can rest assured. Unless the other sects send out a Golden Core cultivator, they definitely won't be able to lay a finger on you."

Gu Chengyin nodded; he was fairly confident about this much.

However, in these kinds of matters, it was always better to be safe than sorry.

"Mhm."

Gu Chengyin gave a sound of acknowledgment, then added,

"That works out well. I was planning to go look for Madam Jiang anyway."

Saying this, Gu Chengyin prepared to turn around and leave.

But the very moment he turned, Shangguan Yunying suddenly reached out and caught his sleeve.

Gu Chengyin paused his steps and looked back in confusion.

Then, he saw Shangguan Yunying with her head bowed, a blush creeping up her cheeks once again.

Not daring to meet Gu Chengyin's eyes, she looked off to the side and muttered softly,

"Since you're already here..."