So Strange

The carriage stopped in front of the gates of the Crown Princess's Palace.

Gu Chengyin stepped out of the carriage, his footsteps pausing for a moment on the ground.

He looked up toward the direction of Wenli Hall, feeling a profound sense of absurdity welling up inside him.

In front of Luo Zhao, with her little aunt?

Previously, doing it with Shangguan Yunying was to test Luo Zhao's hypnotic state.

And although this time was to weaken Lin Qingyan's inner demon...

It still gave him an indescribably bizarre feeling.

Gu Chengyin looked at Lin Qingyan beside him and asked with a slightly dry throat,

"Little Aunt, do we really have to do this?"

Lin Qingyan gave a light nod, her gaze also fixed on the direction of Wenli Hall.

"With Zhao'er here, I will be distracted."

"If I am distracted, I won't be tense. If I am not tense, I won't shock you with lightning."

The logic was clear and well-organized.

However, Gu Chengyin heard a deeper layer of meaning: I need a witness, an anchor to keep me rational.

And that anchor must be someone I care about.

Gu Chengyin sighed inwardly.

His sense of morality was screaming frantically, telling him that this was wrong and should not happen.

But his reason calmly analyzed the situation: Lin Qingyan's inner demon had to be weakened. This concerned the safety of the sect's inspection tour, and even the survival of the entire team.

And the only way to weaken the inner demon was to satisfy it.

As for how absurd and transgressive the method of satisfaction was...

In the face of life and death, it all became secondary.

Gu Chengyin pondered for a moment before saying, "But Little Aunt, we don't necessarily have to do it right in front of Her Highness, do we?"

"How about we try it somewhere to the side first? For example... the second floor of Wenli Hall."

Lin Qingyan said flatly, "As long as it distracts me, anywhere is fine. After all, it's the inner demon that will be in contact with you."

"However, it is best not to do it right in front of Zhao'er. After all, I am her elder, and it goes against propriety."

Gu Chengyin gave Lin Qingyan an odd look.

So you actually know this goes against propriety. Thank goodness Luo Zhao is currently hypnotized.

Otherwise, if she were to see with her own eyes what he and Lin Qingyan were doing...

And doing it right in front of her face, to boot. The consequences would definitely be countless times more severe than the incident with Shangguan Yunying.

Gu Chengyin could not help but start missing the political struggles of the royal court.

At least in comparison, the safety margin was much higher, and it was not nearly as nerve-wracking.

"Let's go."

Gu Chengyin finally spat out the words.

He took the lead and walked toward Wenli Hall. His steps were steady, and his robes swayed gently with his movements, making him look unhurried and composed.

Lin Qingyan followed three feet to his side, her steps light and silent.

The two passed through the palace gates and stepped onto the palace path leading to Wenli Hall.

Occasionally, palace servants passed by. Seeing Gu Chengyin, they all bowed in greeting, and when they saw Lin Qingyan, they did not even dare to lift their heads.

Gu Chengyin noticed that the awe and fear in these servants' eyes toward Lin Qingyan even surpassed their reverence for Luo Zhao.

This was not hard to understand. Luo Zhao was the Crown Princess, the future Empress, but ultimately she was still considered a mortal.

Lin Qingyan, on the other hand, was a Golden Core cultivator. She was Jingzhe of the Heavenly Master Mansion, an existence who could summon the heavenly thunder of the nine heavens with a mere wave of her hand.

Mortals revered heaven and earth; this was an instinct carved into their very bones.

The outline of Wenli Hall became increasingly clear.

Gu Chengyin stopped in front of the hall's doors and looked up at the inscribed plaque.

He took a deep breath and cast another glance at Lin Qingyan beside him.

Her expression remained indifferent, as if what they were about to do was nothing more than an ordinary, trivial matter.

Gu Chengyin withdrew his gaze and stepped into the hall.

Inside Wenli Hall, it was brightly lit with candles.

Behind the long desk, Luo Zhao was holding a brush, reviewing memorials.

Hearing the footsteps, the brush in her hand paused, but she did not look up.

This was the perfect demeanor of a Crown Princess: focused on state affairs, undisturbed by external matters.

But only Luo Zhao herself knew that she had long since switched over to her conscious puppet.

From the moment Gu Chengyin's carriage appeared outside the Crown Princess's Palace, she had received the news.

Not just their location, but even more detailed intelligence.

This included Gu Chengyin and Lin Qingyan walking together within the Heavenly Master Mansion, how many cultivators they encountered who bowed to them on the way, the physical distance between the two, and how Gu Chengyin reached out to help Lin Qingyan into the carriage.

In addition to all that, there was also information on where Gu Chengyin went, who he met, what he said, how long he stayed, his facial expressions, his emotional changes, and so on...

All of this information had been meticulously compiled by Shangguan Yunying and then presented to her desk.

Luo Zhao had read it all, reviewing it even more carefully and earnestly than she did her official duties.

But right now, she could not ask anything or say anything.

Because in front of Gu Chengyin, she was the hypnotized Luo Zhao, the completely obedient Crown Princess.

So she could only watch, watching her conscious puppet act freely.

The footsteps stopped in front of the desk.

Luo Zhao stopped her brush at the appropriate moment and looked up.

"Your Highness."

Gu Chengyin cupped his hands in greeting, his voice steady.

"Regarding the time for the Ministry of Rites' inspection tour, it has been confirmed for tomorrow morning at the hour of Chen."

Luo Zhao nodded faintly. "I understand."

"This journey will be perilous. You all must be extremely careful."

Her tone was very steady. Every word seemed carefully calculated, neither appearing too concerned and inviting suspicion, nor appearing too cold and violating the attitude she ought to have.

Indeed, even the most perfect performance could not compare to the natural execution of the conscious puppet itself.

Gu Chengyin immediately bowed and said, "This subject thanks Your Highness for your concern."

Luo Zhao felt a little relieved in her heart.

It seemed that Gu Chengyin had indeed let his guard down around her now.

His attention was not even as focused on her as it used to be.

According to common sense, after reporting his official business, Gu Chengyin should have taken his leave.

But what happened next completely exceeded Luo Zhao's expectations.

Gu Chengyin indeed started to move.

But he did not walk toward the outside of the hall; instead... he walked deeper into the hall.

Luo Zhao was suddenly startled. Shangguan Yunying was right in the back of the hall handling affairs!

Could this bastard be trying to again...

Just as Luo Zhao's irritated emotions were about to slip out of control again, Gu Chengyin suddenly turned and stepped onto the stairs leading to the second floor.

This action left Luo Zhao stunned.

The second floor of Wenli Hall?

There was nothing up there. The last time Gu Chengyin went up there was to test her.

And it was precisely because of that time that she lost her first kiss.

What was he going up there for this time?

Wait... why did Little Aunt go up as well?

Luo Zhao's gaze shifted to Lin Qingyan.

Her little aunt was following unhurriedly behind Gu Chengyin and also stepped onto the stairs.

The two of them, one after the other, disappeared at the top of the stairs.

Luo Zhao sat behind the long desk, the brush in her hand having completely stopped.

Her gaze was fixed on the stairway entrance, with only a massive question mark in her mind.

Gu Chengyin took Lin Qingyan up to the second floor of Wenli Hall?

Whether it was the time, the location, or the people involved...

It was all just too weird!

At this point, Luo Zhao could be said to be completely unable to sit still.

But she was also afraid that Gu Chengyin might suddenly turn back and expose her.

After thinking it over and over, she finally summoned a female official.

She ordered her to immediately go and fetch Shangguan Yunying.

Although Shangguan Yunying was currently in a state of completely throwing herself at Gu Chengyin for free...

At least she could find out what those two were doing on the second floor of Wenli Hall.

In a short while, Shangguan Yunying rushed over.

Upon learning the whole story, she immediately nodded and said:

"Please rest assured, Your Highness."

"I will go take a look right now."