Luo Zhao finally understood.
The tangled mess in her heart had been smoothed out, thread by thread.
Why Gu Xiaoli had lifted Gu Chengyin's hypnosis on her.
Yet kept the consciousness puppet intact.
Why Gu Xiaoli, who clearly could have helped her escape control entirely.
Deliberately held this one thing back.
This was both to let her feign a hypnotized state.
And to make Gu Chengyin believe everything was still under his control.
Only then would Gu Chengyin not leave.
Only then would Gu Xiaoli not lose her new master.
More importantly, this ensured Gu Chengyin's safety.
As long as the consciousness puppet existed, she could never kill Gu Chengyin with her own hands.
Because the consciousness puppet obeyed Gu Chengyin's commands.
It would seize control of her body at critical moments.
Just like earlier in the warm pavilion.
Luo Zhao lowered her eyelashes, her heart filling with a sense of helplessness.
This feeling was familiar to her, incredibly familiar.
Just like when Shangguan Yunying was caught between her and Gu Chengyin.
What had Shangguan Yunying done?
She chose to play matchmaker for the two of them.
She chose to let her be bullied by Gu Chengyin.
Using her own methods, Shangguan Yunying had left some leeway between them.
And now, Gu Xiaoli had chosen another path.
Using the consciousness puppet to leave some leeway between them.
The methods were different.
But the essence was exactly the same.
To prevent the situation from reaching a dead end.
To prevent her and Gu Chengyin from truly fighting to the bitter end.
Luo Zhao sighed softly.
She looked at the light filtering in through the window, watching the fine dust slowly floating within it.
Thoughts surged in her mind.
What was certain was that she hated Gu Chengyin, hated him very much, hated him to the bone.
Her current endurance, her current concessions, were all for the sake of a future lethal counterattack.
Therefore, in Luo Zhao's mind, Gu Chengyin had to die.
And he would inevitably die by her hands.
This goal had never changed.
But that was a matter for the future, for after she completed her apprenticeship.
For after she became a true Empress and took control of everything.
But looking at it now...
The obstacles in her way seemed a bit too numerous.
Leaving Shangguan Yunying aside for now.
Just looking at the one in front of her.
Gu Xiaoli.
A Half-step Nascent Soul cat demon.
Her mother's cat.
Her person.
Had actually become the biggest obstacle to killing Gu Chengyin.
Luo Zhao raised her head and looked at Gu Xiaoli.
Gu Xiaoli simply stood there.
Standing three feet in front of her.
Those large eyes were quietly watching her.
No dodging, no guilt, not a single trace of panic.
Just looking at her.
Waiting for her.
Luo Zhao looked into Gu Xiaoli's eyes.
And suddenly realized that the anger in her heart was gone.
Truly gone.
The moment she learned Gu Xiaoli's true identity, the anger had already dissipated.
Replaced by strange emotions.
Those emotions were complex, containing relief and peace of mind.
But mostly a deep sense of displeasure and sour jealousy.
This feeling was just like when she saw Shangguan Yunying and Gu Chengyin kissing right beside her.
The same suffocating feeling in her chest.
The same thought of why should they?
Gu Xiaoli was her mother's cat.
Her mother was gone.
Then she was her cat.
Since she was her cat.
Why should she protect Gu Chengyin!?
She was obviously her mother's biological daughter.
Speaking of scent, shouldn't hers be more familiar?
Speaking of closeness, shouldn't she and Gu Xiaoli be closer?
Luo Zhao furrowed her brows.
She spoke.
Her voice carried a trace of sour jealousy that even she didn't notice.
Xiaoli.
Gu Xiaoli blinked.
Hmm?
Luo Zhao asked very seriously:
I know Gu Chengyin is very much like my mother.
But I am my mother's daughter.
Don't you think...
Her voice rose slightly.
That I am the one most like my mother?
After saying this, Luo Zhao herself felt it was a bit childish.
But she just couldn't help but ask.
She just wanted to hear what Gu Xiaoli would say.
Gu Xiaoli looked at Luo Zhao.
Looked at this face that was seventy percent similar to the Empress.
And suddenly leaned in close.
Like a cat approaching something interesting.
Luo Zhao only felt her vision blur.
Gu Xiaoli's face was already inches away.
So close she could clearly see the curve of her eyelashes.
So close she could feel the warmth of her breath.
So close that Gu Xiaoli lightly sniffed.
Sniffing.
Sniffing the scent on her body.
Luo Zhao froze, motionless.
Allowing Gu Xiaoli to lean close to her neck, shoulder, and cuffs.
Sniffing gently.
The feeling was very strange.
It wasn't offensive.
It was being earnestly sniffed by a cat.
Three breaths later.
Gu Xiaoli retreated, her expression unchanged.
She looked at Luo Zhao just as seriously and said calmly:
Your Highness's scent is indeed very nice, and Xiaoli is very familiar with it.
Luo Zhao's heart skipped a beat.
But Gu Xiaoli suddenly changed the subject and continued:
But it's different. Her Majesty is Her Majesty, and Your Highness is Your Highness.
Gu Xiaoli's gaze became very soft.
To Xiaoli, you are both unique existences.
Luo Zhao fell silent.
She understood the meaning behind those words.
Gu Xiaoli did not treat her as a replacement for her mother.
Because in her heart, her mother was her mother, and Her Highness was Her Highness.
Both were unique.
Both were irreplaceable.
And neither could be substituted.
So even if she was her mother's biological daughter.
She still couldn't replace her mother's position in Gu Xiaoli's heart.
Because Luo Zhao was Luo Zhao.
Not someone's shadow, not someone's substitute.
She was the unique and unparalleled Highness.
Luo Zhao understood this logic.
Truly understood.
But after understanding it?
She felt even more stifled.
Because this meant Gu Xiaoli had set her sights on Gu Chengyin.
It was strange; being unique was obviously the best thing.
But Luo Zhao still felt very displeased in her heart, extremely displeased.
Especially after one similar experience after another.
Her chief lady-in-waiting had set her sights on Gu Chengyin.
Her cat had now also set her sights on Gu Chengyin.
In the future, would even her aunt set her sights on Gu Chengyin?!
Of course, this last thought only flashed through Luo Zhao's mind.
But since Gu Xiaoli had already committed to Gu Chengyin.
Would she let him die?
No.
Would Gu Xiaoli let her kill him?
Also no.
Then in the future...
Wait.
Luo Zhao suddenly realized a problem. Gu Xiaoli had indeed hidden her identity.
But her surface-level origins were still very abrupt, so abrupt that even she would subconsciously put her guard up.
But why hadn't Gu Chengyin? He had clearly expressed his doubts before.
Why was it that on that night, Gu Chengyin seemed to have forgotten about Gu Xiaoli?
With his intelligence, with his paranoia.
With his extreme caution where he wouldn't even overlook a passing dog.
Why was it that only when facing Gu Xiaoli did he act like he had no brain?
Was it a tacit understanding like when he first discovered she had broken free of his hypnosis?
Or was it...
What did you do to Gu Chengyin?
Hearing Luo Zhao's question, Gu Xiaoli tilted her head.
With no sign of surprise, she calmly replied:
Xiaoli tried to get close to brother, but it didn't work.
So...
Xiaoli used an illusion spell.
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
