The next day, at the gates of Luodu City.
Morning light spilled through the thin mist, outlining the city gate tower with a faint layer of gold.
The water of the moat was as calm as a mirror, reflecting a few drifting clouds on the horizon, as well as the fully equipped procession ready to depart before the city gates.
The procession for inspecting the sects had finished reassembling. The carriages and horses were in neat order, and the banners fluttered in the wind.
The next stop: Shendu.
In the center of the procession, the spacious carriage of the Heavenly Master Mansion sat quietly.
Inside the carriage, Gu Chengyin sat upright, but his gaze was somewhat erratic.
To his left, Lin Qingyan rested with her eyes closed.
Her cold and detached face was bathed in the faint light filtering through the carriage curtains. Between her brows lay an innate indifference, as if nothing had happened last night.
On his right, Shangguan Yunying was looking down and adjusting her sleeves. She looked gentle yet capable, the very picture of a Chief Court Lady.
Two women, one cold and aloof, the other gentle and refined. Both appeared completely normal.
But Gu Chengyin knew this was all an illusion.
Last night, after Shangguan Yunying's provocation, it took him a great deal of effort to calm Lin Qingyan down so she wouldn't actually release her heart demon.
Gu Chengyin closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.
Right now, only one word remained in his mind:
Regret.
He regretted why he had ever chosen to hypnotize Lin Qingyan's heart demon.
Couldn't he have just hypnotized Lin Qingyan herself?
Make her obedient, well-behaved, and coldly self-restrained like a true fairy.
Wouldn't that have been great?
But no, he just had to go and hypnotize her heart demon.
And the result?
The heart demon was obedient, but Lin Qingyan herself wasn't!
In fact, at certain times, Lin Qingyan was even harder to deal with than the heart demon.
What rendered Gu Chengyin even more speechless was why this broken system could only hypnotize two targets.
If only he could have hypnotized Shangguan Yunying as well.
He would be able to peacefully cultivate his immortality right now, instead of being overwhelmed with all this trouble.
One electrocuted him, while the other clung to him.
One acted completely out of character and pestered him endlessly, while the other stirred up trouble without ceasing.
One threatened to release her heart demon at the drop of a hat, while the other casually called him Master.
Gu Chengyin suddenly felt that what he had been cultivating these past few days wasn't immortality, but his very life.
He opened his eyes and glanced to the right.
Shangguan Yunying was still adjusting her sleeves with elegant movements and a dignified posture, looking the picture of gentle competence.
How had he never noticed before that Shangguan Yunying was such a troublemaker?
She clearly looked gentle and capable, and clearly handled matters in the Crown Princess's Palace with perfect order.
She was clearly a loyal and excellent court lady in front of Luo Zhao.
So why did she turn into this kind of person the moment she was with him?
All those wicked ideas, those words meant to provoke Lin Qingyan, those actions that wouldn't stop until they shocked someone to death.
Was this still the Shangguan Yunying he knew?
She was clearly a demoness wearing the guise of a gentle woman!
Was this the legendary white on the outside, black on the inside?
Gu Chengyin then glanced to his left.
Lin Qingyan was still resting with her eyes closed, her eyelashes trembling slightly in the morning light, her expression utterly indifferent.
Gu Chengyin shook his head inwardly again.
The grand Jingzhe of the Heavenly Master Mansion, an invincible fairy at the Golden Core stage, was actually so easily provoked by Shangguan Yunying.
That Master she called out last night, those meows and barks, that heart demon she released just to fight for his favor.
Was this how an elder should act?
Was this the demeanor a Golden Core fairy should have?
Gu Chengyin suddenly felt that the women around him were each more abnormal than the last.
Just as he was thinking about whether he should say a few words before departure to tell them to behave themselves on the road.
Shangguan Yunying suddenly spoke up:
Lady Jingzhe.
Her voice was sweet, carrying a bit of deliberate innocence:
After I left last night, did you follow Master's orders and return to your own room?
Master.
Coming from Shangguan Yunying's mouth, this word carried a provocative tone.
Gu Chengyin's eyelids twitched, and he subconsciously looked at Lin Qingyan.
Sure enough, the coldness on the face of this fairy resting with her eyes closed froze for a split second.
After Shangguan Yunying left last night, did Lin Qingyan return to her own room?
The answer was obvious.
No.
Not only did she not go back, but she thoroughly—no, ruthlessly—taught Gu Chengyin a lesson.
Lin Qingyan's eyelashes fluttered slightly, as if she were trying hard to calm the emotions in her heart.
A moment later, she opened her eyes.
Her gaze was flat, betraying no ripples of emotion.
Lin Qingyan cast a glance at Shangguan Yunying, said nothing, and closed her eyes again.
Ignored.
A complete, undisguised ignoring.
But Gu Chengyin knew this was only on the surface, because the bases of her ears were faintly flushed red.
Shangguan Yunying saw that flush of red as well.
The corners of her lips curled up into a smug arc, and just as she was about to say something else.
Suddenly, a hand reached over and pulled her in.
Before Shangguan Yunying could react, her entire body was yanked over.
Ah?
She instinctively struggled for a moment, but in the next breath.
A crisp smack rang out, exceptionally clear inside the carriage.
Shangguan Yunying froze.
She widened her eyes, unable to believe what had just happened.
How many times have I told you!
Gu Chengyin's voice came from above her head, carrying a scolding tone:
You just won't listen, will you!
Another smack.
Shangguan Yunying's face instantly flushed crimson.
She opened her mouth to say something, but Gu Chengyin gave her no chance at all.
I haven't even settled the score with you for last night, and here you are, starting again bright and early?
You think this is fun? You want to be disobedient?
With every sentence Gu Chengyin spoke, a slap landed.
The force was neither light nor heavy, just enough to sting without causing real harm.
Shangguan Yunying's face was as red as a cooked shrimp as she tried to resist:
Gu Chengyin! You...
Still defiant?
Shangguan Yunying shut her mouth.
She bit her lower lip, her eyes turning slightly red, looking utterly wronged.
Gu Chengyin, however, paid it no mind. He gave a cold snort and said:
Feeling wronged? What do you have to feel wronged about? I'm not done talking yet.
He paused, then continued to scold:
What kind of attitude is this? Auntie is an elder, don't you know that?
Shangguan Yunying opened her mouth to retort, but swallowed her words back down.
She knew Gu Chengyin was reminding her not to take the joke too far.
After all, Lin Qingyan's status, position, and strength were plain to see.
Outside the carriage, the inspection procession slowly began to move.
The carriage wheels rolled over the stone slabs, letting out a monotonous rumbling sound.
The horses snorted, and the footsteps of the Golden Feather Guards were neat and uniform.
The morning breeze blew the banners, making them snap in the wind.
But inside the carriage, there was an eerie silence.
Gu Chengyin finally stopped. Seeing Shangguan Yunying's well-behaved appearance, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He could see it clearly now: this woman just needed to be disciplined.
If you didn't discipline her, she would tear the roof off; if you did, she became obedient and well-behaved.
Gu Chengyin softened his tone and asked:
Do you know what you did wrong?
Shangguan Yunying gave a muffled reply:
Mhm...
What do you mean mhm? Speak properly.
Shangguan Yunying turned her head slightly, the blush on her face yet to fade.
With her eyes still slightly red, she said in a small voice:
I'm sorry, Master. I know I was wrong.
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!
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
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.
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.
