Make Him Miserable

By the time he emerged from Wenli Hall, the sky had already darkened.

The twilight was like a bolt of silk soaked in ink, draping across the sky of the Divine Capital.

The silhouettes of the palace walls blurred, and the glazed tiles on the eaves lost their luster, only occasionally reflecting a faint, dim yellow from distant palace lanterns.

Gu Chengyin stood outside the hall and took a deep breath of the evening breeze.

He turned his head, wanting to ask Lin Qingyan about the condition of her inner demon.

That kiss behind the screen just now should be considered a success, right? At least it didn't trigger the Nine Heavens Lightning Attraction Incantation.

But before Gu Chengyin could even speak, he saw Lin Qingyan suddenly avert her gaze, looking in a completely unrelated direction.

"I need to go back and consolidate my state."

"See you tomorrow."

The moment her words fell, Gu Chengyin saw that the tips of Lin Qingyan's ears seemed to flush red for a brief second.

But that blush disappeared too quickly—so fast that before he could get a clear look, Lin Qingyan's figure had already begun to fade.

It wasn't the sudden swish of teleportation.

Instead, it was like a drop of ink falling into clear water, slowly blooming, gradually fading, until it completely melted into the night.

The entire process took no more than two breaths of time, but with every breath, the process of Lin Qingyan's disappearance could be seen clearly.

Gu Chengyin even saw the final arc her hem traced in the air as she turned away.

And then she was completely gone.

Not even a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation was left behind.

Gu Chengyin stood frozen in place, his mouth open, his words still caught in his throat.

He looked at the spot where Lin Qingyan had just been standing. It was empty, with only a few fallen ginkgo leaves swept over by the evening breeze, swirling gently on the stone slabs.

He then looked at himself.

His robes still bore the lingering scent of Lin Qingyan—the smell of lightning spiritual energy mixed with a cold fragrance.

The sensation also lingered on his lips: cold, soft, carrying a faint, elusive sweetness.

So what was this?

Kiss and run?

Leaving him to wipe his own mouth?

"Forget it."

In the end, Gu Chengyin could only sigh helplessly.

At the end of the day, he was the one who had taken advantage of the situation.

Since Lin Qingyan had already left, he could only ask about the specifics when they set off tomorrow morning. For now, it seemed to have been effective.

It was just that the method was a bit strange.

Like having an illicit affair.

Who on earth weakens an inner demon by having an affair?

Gu Chengyin shook his head, throwing this absurd thought out of his mind.

He looked left and right.

The palace lanterns along the pathways of the Crown Prince's Palace had already been lit. The glazed lamps bloomed with dim yellow halos in the night, resembling a flowing river of stars.

The sound of patrolling palace guards' footsteps came from afar, uniform and orderly, accompanied by the faint clinking of armor.

Everything was in perfect order.

Now that the sect inspection team had been finalized, they would set off punctually at the hour of Chen tomorrow morning.

The schedule had been distributed to all departments and manors, and everyone was making the necessary preparations.

He had confirmed that Luo Zhao was under hypnosis, which put Gu Chengyin's mind at ease.

Finally, there was his cultivation base...

Gu Chengyin closed his eyes and looked inward at his dantian.

His true qi and spiritual energy flowed slowly through his meridians, much purer than before.

The circulation of the Qingyun Art made this true qi and spiritual energy more condensed, taking on a more ethereal, immortal quality.

His current realm was stabilized at the late stage of Foundation Establishment. Although he hadn't reached the great perfection stage, he wasn't far off.

If judged solely by the volume of true qi, Gu Chengyin was undoubtedly already at the great perfection of the Foundation Establishment realm.

It was just that after being refined by the Qingyun Art, the volume of his true qi had dropped back to the late stage level, but its quality had multiplied several times over.

The main issue was that he had been running around constantly and didn't have much time to practice the Qingyun Art to consolidate his true qi and spiritual energy.

Originally, Gu Chengyin had planned to continue cultivating through the night until dawn, using the last bit of time before departure to refine as much true qi and spiritual energy as possible.

But...

Shangguan Yunying's face surfaced in Gu Chengyin's mind.

Those eyes, that aggrieved expression, the way she had grabbed him by the collar and fiercely warned him.

Gu Chengyin had promised to go see her tonight.

"Then I'll just have to cultivate after I get back."

......

Deep into the night.

The bedchamber of the Crown Prince's Palace.

The room was brightly lit by candles.

Luo Zhao sat upright on the edge of the bed, wearing extremely form-fitting nightclothes.

It was made of fine cloud brocade in a very pale moon-white color. The fabric was thin and soft, clinging tightly to the curves of her body.

The neckline of the nightgown was cut slightly lower than usual, revealing a small patch of fair skin and delicate collarbones.

The wide cuffs swayed gently with her movements, like two soft clouds.

Her long hair was not tied up but left to fall freely. The waterfall of black hair draped over her shoulders, the tips still bearing the damp moisture from a recent bath.

Luo Zhao sat just like that, her back perfectly straight, her gaze fixed intently on Shangguan Yunying standing before her.

Her eyes were very cold.

Shangguan Yunying stood in front of her, head bowed, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.

She had also changed into nightclothes, similarly in moon-white.

"Yunying."

Luo Zhao spoke, "Do you still remember what your punishment is?"

Shangguan Yunying's body trembled slightly.

She raised her head, glanced at Luo Zhao, and then averted her eyes, not daring to look directly at her.

"...I am not allowed to let Gu Chengyin touch me."

Her voice was very weak, so faint it sounded like she was stating a fact she herself was unwilling to admit.

"And what else?"

Luo Zhao pressed on, her tone entirely devoid of emotion.

Shangguan Yunying's face visibly flushed red.

Her lips moved, and her voice grew even softer:

"Se... seduce him..."

By the time she reached the last two words, it was barely a whisper.

But Luo Zhao heard it.

A hint of a satisfied smile finally appeared on her face.

"Mhm."

Luo Zhao nodded gently, her gaze sweeping over Shangguan Yunying.

The reddened cheeks, the tightly pursed lips, the shoulders trembling slightly from nervousness.

"Remember, when Gu Chengyin arrives, you are to seduce him, but you must not let him touch you."

"Do you understand?"

Shangguan Yunying bit her lip. Somewhat reluctantly, she finally nodded and said:

"I understand..."

Luo Zhao withdrew her gaze, turned, and lay down on the bed.

The bedding was soft and thick, layered with several sheets of brocade. Lying on it felt like sinking into clouds.

Luo Zhao closed her eyes, her breathing gradually steadying.

Shangguan Yunying stood by the bed, staring at the side of Luo Zhao's face for quite a while.

The candlelight cast soft shadows across Luo Zhao's face, making her features look much gentler than usual.

Her eyelashes were very long, casting fine shadows beneath her eyelids, trembling slightly with her breathing.

Very beautiful.

But also very dangerous.

Shangguan Yunying sighed softly and eventually climbed into bed, lying down beside Luo Zhao.

The bed was large. They were separated by half an arm's length—neither too close nor too far.

They could clearly smell each other's scent. Luo Zhao carried the fresh fragrance of soap locust from her bath.

Shangguan Yunying stole a glance at Luo Zhao, who already had her eyes closed, and then quickly looked away.

Actually, she had somewhat guessed what Luo Zhao was trying to do.

This punishment was not just to punish her, but also to punish Gu Chengyin.

Making her take the initiative to seduce Gu Chengyin, while forbidding Gu Chengyin from touching her.

Wasn't this just letting Gu Chengyin see but not eat, torturing him to death with frustration?

So ruthless.

Suddenly, a bold thought flashed through Shangguan Yunying's mind.

Her Highness only said that Gu Chengyin wasn't allowed to touch her...

But...

What about Her Highness herself?