Lin Qingyan kept her head down, the roots of her ears so red they looked as if they might drip blood.
Her hands tightly gripped her sleeves, her entire body stiff.
She didn't know what she had just said.
Or rather, she knew, but she refused to recall it.
She only remembered that after Shangguan Yunying sat up, that flushed face carried a hint of the relief of surviving a disaster.
Her eyes were rippling with moisture, looking at her pitifully.
Then, Gu Chengyin's gaze shifted over, looking at her as if waiting for something.
And then...
As if possessed, she opened her mouth.
"Let me help Yunying."
She only said this one sentence.
Her voice was very soft, so soft it was almost inaudible.
But Gu Chengyin heard it, and Shangguan Yunying heard it too.
Shangguan Yunying's eyes went wide and round. She opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped by a single look from Gu Chengyin.
Then she watched helplessly as Lin Qingyan helped her.
And after that, there was no 'after that'.
Shangguan Yunying sat to the side, completely dazed.
She looked at Lin Qingyan, then at Gu Chengyin, then back at Lin Qingyan, and then back at Gu Chengyin.
Her mouth opened and closed, closed and opened, but she couldn't utter a single word.
It wasn't because she couldn't speak; she was capable of speaking now.
It was because Shangguan Yunying simply didn't know what to say.
Lin Qingyan helped her?
This aloof and detached Golden Core fairy, untainted by the mortal world, had actually helped her?
Shangguan Yunying felt she must be dreaming.
She secretly pinched her own thigh, almost crying out in pain.
It wasn't a dream.
Then that meant...
Her gaze fell upon Lin Qingyan.
Lin Qingyan kept her head lowered, hiding her expression, but those thoroughly red ears and slightly trembling shoulders betrayed her current mood.
Shangguan Yunying suddenly had a strange feeling.
She had originally thought she was the most miserable one, having been taught such a lesson that she couldn't even speak and could only pitifully beg for mercy.
But now, looking at Lin Qingyan, she suddenly felt that she wasn't quite that miserable after all.
At least she could speak now, at least she didn't have to...
Shangguan Yunying's train of thought came to an abrupt halt.
Because Gu Chengyin's gaze had turned toward her.
"Yunying."
His voice was light, devoid of discernible emotion.
But Shangguan Yunying shuddered all over, as if she had been struck by something.
She instinctively wanted to turn her head away, not even daring to look at Gu Chengyin.
The experience from just moments ago was still vivid in her mind.
That feeling of being controlled, that feeling of being unable to resist, that shameful yet inescapable feeling.
But Shangguan Yunying's head froze halfway through the turn.
Gu Chengyin's gaze was fixed steadily upon her, carrying a hint of a half-smile in the depths of his eyes.
That look seemed to say: Try turning away if you dare.
Shangguan Yunying did not dare to try.
She slowly turned her head back, met Gu Chengyin's eyes, and tried her best to squeeze out a smile.
But that smile was uglier than crying; she tugged at the corners of her mouth for a long time without managing a proper arc.
Seeing her like this, the corners of Gu Chengyin's mouth curled up slightly.
But he knew this was not the time to laugh.
He had to take advantage of this opportunity to properly subdue Shangguan Yunying.
Otherwise, who knew what kind of trouble she would cause once they returned to the Divine Capital.
Even if he couldn't make her completely obedient, he at least needed to make her afraid at the sight of him, so she would involuntarily start behaving herself.
"Yunying."
Gu Chengyin called out again.
Shangguan Yunying trembled all over and subconsciously sat up straight, placing her hands obediently on her knees like a student called upon by a teacher in an academy.
"Turn your head to face me."
Shangguan Yunying blinked, somewhat confused.
Hadn't she already turned her head back?
But she didn't dare to ask. She just obediently let out a soft sound of acknowledgment and then straightened her head a bit more.
Looking at Shangguan Yunying's demeanor, a flash of amusement passed through Gu Chengyin's eyes.
The amusement quickly faded, replaced by a touch of seriousness.
"Are you going to cause trouble again?"
Shangguan Yunying shook her head vigorously, so fast it seemed she might shake it right off:
"No more trouble! Absolutely no more trouble!"
Her voice was rushed and quick, laced with an urgency as if she feared something terrible would happen if she spoke too slowly.
Gu Chengyin looked at her and asked again, "Will you be obedient then?"
Shangguan Yunying nodded vigorously, the motion even more exaggerated than her head-shaking:
"Yes! Obedient! Extremely obedient!"
Her eyes were sparkling, practically spelling out the words 'I am very obedient'.
Gu Chengyin looked at Shangguan Yunying, his gaze profound, and slowly asked:
"Then will you listen to Her Highness, or will you listen to me?"
Shangguan Yunying froze, instinctively wanting to answer 'listen to you'.
After all, in her heart, Gu Chengyin was already her man.
No, wait, she was already Gu Chengyin's woman.
Even more incorrect, but anyway, that was the general idea.
So wasn't it only natural to listen to Gu Chengyin?
But just as the words were about to leave her lips, Shangguan Yunying suddenly realized something.
The person Gu Chengyin was comparing himself to was Luo Zhao.
The Crown Heir.
The Highness she had sworn loyalty to, the Highness she had always believed would hold the absolute first place in her heart.
Shangguan Yunying blinked, her brain working in overdrive.
How was she supposed to answer this question?
Say she'd listen to Her Highness?
Then Gu Chengyin would definitely be unhappy.
If he was unhappy, she would be out of luck.
The recent experience was still vivid in her mind; she absolutely did not want a repeat of that.
Say she'd listen to Gu Chengyin?
Wouldn't that be a betrayal of Her Highness?
Even though Her Highness treated her very well, and even though she had always thought she would forever place Her Highness first.
But now...
Things seemed a little different.
Shangguan Yunying's thoughts were a tangled mess, her eyes darting around uncertainly.
Seeing her like this, Gu Chengyin sighed softly in his heart.
Sure enough, no matter how much Shangguan Yunying liked him, or how willing she was to be bullied by him.
In her heart, Luo Zhao still ranked first.
But this was understandable.
After all, with their bond and her loyalty laid out like that, how could it change at the drop of a hat?
Just as Gu Chengyin was about to say something to change the subject, he suddenly heard Shangguan Yunying speak.
"Listen... to you."
Her voice was very soft, carrying a bit of hesitation and uncertainty, but she had undeniably spoken those words.
Gu Chengyin raised an eyebrow and looked at Shangguan Yunying.
Shangguan Yunying kept her head down, not daring to look at him.
Her face flushed red again, and even her neck took on a faint pink hue; she looked incredibly nervous.
But she had undeniably spoken those words.
Listen to you.
A flash of surprise crossed Gu Chengyin's eyes.
Although Shangguan Yunying had been very hesitant and had thought about it for a long time, her final answer clearly favored him.
What did this mean?
It meant that his position in Shangguan Yunying's heart had already begun to surpass Luo Zhao's.
Loyalty was no longer her first choice.
Although it was a choice made after hesitation and deliberation, it was undoubtedly a massive step forward.
Gu Chengyin thought for a moment and asked another question:
"Then what if I were to act against Her Highness?"
Hearing this question, Shangguan Yunying's body trembled.
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!
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
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.
