Lin Qingyan shuddered.
The trembling began in her shoulders and quickly spread throughout her entire body.
Her eyes flew wide open, the desire within them vanishing in an instant, replaced by shock, confusion, and disbelief.
"Chengcheng..."
Lin Qingyan's voice trembled, laced with uncontrollable panic.
"How could you know..."
Gu Chengyin said nothing. His gaze was calm, as if he had long anticipated this reaction.
Lin Qingyan's breathing grew rapid.
She wanted to pull away, to break free from his embrace, but her body felt frozen, unable to move.
All she could do was stare at the man before her, at those too-lucid eyes.
There was tenderness in those eyes, and concern, and something she couldn't understand.
But there was no surprise, no anger, no indignation at being deceived.
"The inner demons I saw—they were all you, weren't they?"
At these words, Lin Qingyan bit her lower lip.
She bit hard, her lip quickly turning pale, as if using pain to suppress something.
But she didn't deny it, didn't defend herself. She slowly nodded.
Gu Chengyin was too clever—clever enough to guess the truth.
Too clever for her lies and concealment to mean anything.
Gu Chengyin looked into Lin Qingyan's eyes.
The desire was gone from them, replaced by a tangle of emotions.
Panic, fear, a deeply hidden sorrow.
Yet even so, she didn't avert his gaze.
She was waiting for him to continue.
"Your inner demons,"
Gu Chengyin said, word by word, "are not desire and love, but pain and hate."
Something in Lin Qingyan's eyes shattered.
It wasn't grief or anger, but something deeper, more complex.
Like old, buried memories suddenly unearthed, like a sealed wound reopened.
Lin Qingyan said nothing. She merely looked at Gu Chengyin—at this man who had guessed her greatest secret.
After a long moment, she nodded again.
"Yeah."
Gu Chengyin asked nothing more. He said nothing else.
He simply tightened his arms and pulled Lin Qingyan back into his embrace.
This hug was different from before.
The previous one had been full of ambiguity and fluttering hearts.
This one was pure, free of any desire.
Like holding a child who had endured too much but would never speak of it.
Lin Qingyan stiffened for a moment.
Then she buried her face in his chest, and her shoulders began to tremble.
She didn't cry out loud. She just shook silently, as if trying to shake off all her grievances.
Gu Chengyin felt the fabric over his chest gradually grow damp—warm liquid seeping through the cloth, pressing against his skin.
He raised a hand and gently stroked her back, slow and soft, again and again.
"I always thought inner demons were the embodiment of desire,"
Gu Chengyin said softly, as if speaking to her, or to himself.
"So when your inner demon appeared, I thought it wasn't you."
"But the more I thought about it, the more wrong it felt. If inner demons are desire, why would you love me so much?"
Gu Chengyin's fingers threaded through her hair, his movements as tender as if he were stroking something fragile and precious.
"Shouldn't the real you have been cold and indifferent?"
Lin Qingyan's body trembled again.
"Aunt."
Gu Chengyin lowered his head, his lips pressing against the top of her hair, his voice muffled.
"The real Lin Qingyan became the inner demon."
"Is that right?"
Silence.
A long silence.
Only their breathing filled the room, along with the faint whisper of wind outside the window.
The lamplight flickered, casting their shadows on the wall like two trees leaning into each other.
After who knows how long, Lin Qingyan finally spoke.
"Chengcheng."
Her voice was muffled against his chest, a little hoarse.
"Do you know what cultivators fear most?"
Gu Chengyin didn't answer. He knew she wasn't looking for a reply.
"Obsession,"
Lin Qingyan said. "Too deep an obsession becomes an inner demon."
"So cultivators learn to let go—let go of grudges, of love and hate, of everything that can trap a person."
"But some things can't be let go."
Gu Chengyin's arms tightened.
Lin Qingyan's voice was so faint it sounded as if it came from far away.
"And if you still can't let go, you'll fall into demonic possession."
Lin Qingyan lifted her head from his chest. Her eyes were red, with teardrops still clinging to her lashes.
But her expression had calmed.
It was an eerie calm, like a pool of stagnant water—no ripples, no life.
"I didn't know any of this before. But in that glimpse from the inner demon's memory, I saw a lot."
"It was also because of that glimpse that I realized I wasn't whole."
"The real me took away everything she couldn't let go of and became the inner demon."
"Pain, hatred, resentment... everything that would break me—she took it all."
Lin Qingyan smiled, a bitter, indescribable smile.
"And then I became what I am now."
This version of her that could feel desire, could yearn, could fall.
Because without pain and hate, the current Lin Qingyan was beautiful.
Free-spirited, untroubled by anything.
Gu Chengyin was silent for a long time, then suddenly asked,
"Would she like me?"
Lin Qingyan froze for a moment, then understood who he meant.
She shook her head, a hint of something unreadable in her expression.
"She wouldn't like anyone. All the desire was left to me. She only has pain and hate."
Gu Chengyin said nothing, lost in thought.
"When did you figure it out?" Lin Qingyan asked.
"Just now,"
Gu Chengyin said. "When you were leaning against me."
Lin Qingyan's face flushed slightly, but she didn't look away.
"Back then,"
she paused, choosing her words carefully,
"I couldn't control myself."
"I know."
"You know?"
Gu Chengyin nodded, explaining,
"Because your desire has nowhere to go."
"So whenever emotions run high, you lose control."
Lin Qingyan was silent for a moment, then muttered quietly,
"You see things pretty clearly."
Gu Chengyin looked at her and suddenly asked,
"What about now?"
"Now?"
"Are you sober now?"
Lin Qingyan was startled, then understood his meaning.
She lowered her head, looking at her hand, still resting on Gu Chengyin's chest. Through the thin fabric, she could feel the rhythm of his heartbeat.
Then, the pressure of a golden core cultivation slammed down like a mountain collapsing.
Gu Chengyin didn't even have time to react before an invisible force locked his limbs, leaving him unable to move even a fingertip.
This oppressive force was fierce and overbearing, carrying an undisguised weight as it crushed down upon him.
Gu Chengyin looked at Lin Qingyan.
Lin Qingyan was looking back at him.
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
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.
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!
