The deep and drawn-out sound of the bells and drums signaling the end of the morning assembly echoed through the towering palaces, dispelling the heavy and solemn atmosphere within the hall.
The officials filed out in an orderly manner according to their ranks.
Although everyone tried their best to maintain an outward appearance of calm, the thrilling series of verbal sparring and the earth-shattering accusations and counter-accusations from just moments ago had already stirred up unpacifiable waves in everyone's hearts.
Gu Chengyin followed the crowd, slowly walking down the wide stairs paved with white marble.
The early morning sunlight had become somewhat dazzling, spilling over the golden glazed tiles of the imperial city and reflecting a blinding radiance.
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps approached; it was Shangguan Yunying.
Seeing Gu Chengyin, she quickly lowered her head and spoke in a rapid, low voice that only the two of them could hear:
"Director Gu, please wait a moment."
Gu Chengyin paused his steps and looked at her.
Shangguan Yunying quickly glanced around, confirming that no one was paying special attention to them before continuing to whisper, "Her Highness... invites you into her carriage for a talk." She turned slightly, gesturing in the direction.
Following her gaze, Gu Chengyin saw that not far away, the black and gold-gilded carriage of the Crown Princess had not yet departed.
It was parked quietly in its designated spot, surrounded by the Golden Feather Guards for protection. The carriage curtains were drawn low, obscuring the view inside.
Luo Zhao was asking him to get into her carriage?
Gu Chengyin was somewhat surprised. According to custom, after the morning assembly ended, the Crown Princess's carriage was permitted to leave first. Luo Zhao should have already boarded and been on her way back to her palace.
To specifically send Shangguan Yunying to call for him, and to invite him into the carriage for a talk, was highly unusual in itself.
It meant that Luo Zhao had something important and urgent to discuss with him, something that couldn't even wait until she returned.
Moreover... she wasn't avoiding letting outsiders see them riding in the same carriage?
While his mind raced, Gu Chengyin's expression remained unchanged. He simply gave Shangguan Yunying a slight nod. "Thank you for the trouble, Master Yunying."
Shangguan Yunying said no more and turned to lead the way.
Gu Chengyin followed behind her, walking calmly toward the carriage representing the Crown Princess under the countless overt and covert gazes of the crowd.
Many officials who had not yet gone far couldn't help but slow their steps. Whether pretending to adjust their robes or whispering with their colleagues, their eyes were firmly locked onto Gu Chengyin and the black carriage.
Her Highness the Eldest Princess was actually openly summoning an outer court official to share her Crown Princess carriage right in front of the main hall after the morning assembly?!
This was simply an extraordinary signal!
Recalling Director Gu's earth-shattering performance during the morning assembly, as well as his tactful rejection of His Majesty's hints...
The scales in countless people's hearts began to sway once again. Their evaluation and positioning of Gu Chengyin were instantly elevated to a new height.
His relationship with the Eldest Princess was clearly much closer than they had imagined.
The Second Prince, Luo Yanchen, was just preparing to board his own carriage at this moment and happened to witness this scene.
The excitement on his face was instantly replaced by a sinister gloom. He stared venomously at Gu Chengyin's back, grinding his teeth until they audibly cracked.
It was this Gu Chengyin again! Ruining his plans and being so highly regarded by Luo Zhao! If this man was not eliminated, he would definitely become a major threat!
Gu Chengyin seemed completely oblivious to the glares behind him.
He stopped in front of the carriage. The attendant female official, who had already received her instructions, respectfully lifted the carriage curtain for him.
The interior of the carriage was spacious, covered with a thick plush carpet embroidered with intricate cloud patterns. It was equipped with a comfortable soft couch and a small tea table. The light became gentle as it filtered through the specially made gauze curtains.
Luo Zhao sat upright in the seat of honor. She had already taken off the heavy Nine-Pheasant Four-Phoenix Crown, her hair now simply held up by a black jade hairpin.
Her head was slightly turned, and she appeared to be resting with her eyes closed, exuding an aloof aura that warned strangers to keep their distance.
It wasn't until Gu Chengyin bowed and entered the carriage, and the curtain fell back down to isolate all outside gazes and noise, that Luo Zhao slowly opened her eyes.
The moment those phoenix eyes looked at Gu Chengyin, their usual majesty and coldness rapidly faded away like melting ice and snow, turning into a trace of almost hollow obedience and focus.
This transformation was extremely natural, yet extremely abrupt.
It was like a precise machine instantly switching its operating mode.
Gu Chengyin's heart stirred slightly.
How similar this feeling was to the hypnotized Luo Zhao from before!
Could it be that this state would only be triggered and manifest when they were alone in their own space?
He maintained his composure, simply meeting Luo Zhao's gaze calmly.
Looking at the man before her whom she hated to the bone but had no choice but to rely on, Luo Zhao's heart was filled with extreme complexity.
If it weren't for his instructions, she would likely have fallen into a pointless argument and exposed flaws due to hasty answers.
Calling him up here was indeed to ask about the specific plans for the next step.
How should they utilize this ten-day buffer period? From what angle should they tackle the empty national treasury? All these needed to be discussed immediately.
However, before she could organize her words, Gu Chengyin suddenly spoke.
"Your Highness."
Luo Zhao's heart skipped a beat, and she looked over.
Gu Chengyin's gaze was very calm, yet it carried an indescribable meaning.
"It's just the two of us here, so..."
He paused, seemingly observing Luo Zhao's reaction.
"Who am I to you?"
This question unexpectedly pierced into Luo Zhao's heart!
It instantly turned all her preparations completely upside down!
Luo Zhao knew what Gu Chengyin was asking.
The last time this question arose, she was right there, witnessing the entire process with her own eyes.
What he wanted was for Luo Zhao, in her capacity as the hypnotized subject, to personally confirm his identity and status!
This was the most naked humiliation! The most thorough trampling! It was grinding her dignity underfoot over and over again!
Luo Zhao almost wanted to snap immediately, using all her cultivation base to tear this damn man into pieces! Even if it meant perishing together!
However...
Reason, once again, played its role at the critical moment.
She needed him!
Right now, immediately, she needed him at once!
Emperor Luo had only given her ten days!
Within ten days, Luo Zhao had to come up with a practical plan to solve the depletion of the national treasury—one that would satisfy her imperial father and subdue the entire court!
But she currently had no clue. The details of the deficit were unclear, and the implications were intricately complex. How could such a thing be completed in ten days?
Only Gu Chengyin!
Luo Zhao knew that this damn man definitely had a way to solve it.
So she couldn't fall out with him!
At least not now!
All her struggles and anger were forcibly crushed by Luo Zhao in a flash and pressed into the darkest corner of her soul.
Not a single ripple appeared on her face; she still maintained that almost hollow expression of obedience.
But only she herself knew that the heart within her chest was currently being steeped in endless humiliation.
Time seemed to stretch infinitely, yet it also felt as if only an instant had passed.
Under Gu Chengyin's oppressive gaze, Luo Zhao's beautiful phoenix eyes blinked slightly.
Then, her red lips parted slightly.
There was no emotion, nor was there any intonation.
Like the most exquisite puppet repeating a set program, the words gently slipped from between her teeth and drifted into the quiet air:
"You are my..."
"Master."
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
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.
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!
