The Wise Do Not Fall in Love

As all emotions began to fade from Lin Qingyan’s eyes, leaving only a hollow obedience, Gu Chengyin knew he had succeeded.

That emptiness came so completely, as if someone had used an invisible brush to scrub away every trace of color from her eyes.

Pain, joy, hatred, love...

The emotions that had been churning and intertwining in Lin Qingyan’s eyes just moments ago were now entirely gone, leaving only two bottomless voids.

Gu Chengyin let out a long breath, but he didn’t completely relax.

Because what he had hypnotized was desire and love.

It was the Lin Qingyan who felt, who could be moved, who could fall in love.

But the other her—

That heart demon, cold and ruthless, carrying all the pain and hatred—had not been hypnotized.

Sure enough.

In the next instant, a terrifying blood-red hue suddenly surged into Lin Qingyan’s eyes.

It came without warning, like a blaze of karma igniting abruptly beneath a deep pool, burning away the emptiness in her eyes in an instant.

What replaced it was a chilling indifference.

Not coldness, not aloofness—

But a complete disregard for all things, a bone-deep callousness.

Lin Qingyan moved.

Before Gu Chengyin could react, an icy hand had already clamped around his throat.

Her fingers tightened.

The force was astonishing, like a steel vise, locking onto his windpipe.

Gu Chengyin felt his breath catch. The next moment, his entire body was lifted and slammed violently backward.

Bang!

His back crashed heavily against the tower wall.

The impact was so fierce that the entire tower trembled slightly.

Gu Chengyin let out a muffled groan.

The searing pain in his back made his vision go dark, but he didn’t struggle or even show any sign of agony.

He simply lifted his head to look at the person who had him by the neck, pinning him to the wall.

Lin Qingyan.

Her blood-red eyes were like glass soaked through with crimson, so cold they struck fear into the heart.

Like magma churning beneath a sheet of ice, cold and heat intertwined, creating an oppressive presence that was impossible to face directly.

She stared at him fiercely, her gaze like knives, slicing through Gu Chengyin’s skin inch by inch.

As if she wanted to see through him, from the inside out.

Gu Chengyin didn’t look away. Instead, he met her gaze.

The pain in his back still lingered. The hand on his neck continued to tighten.

His breathing grew more and more difficult, but he remained calm.

“Hello, little aunt,” Gu Chengyin said. His voice was a little hoarse; being choked made it hard to even speak.

But there was no fear, no panic, not even a trace of tension in that hoarseness.

Only... an invitation.

Like a host inviting a guest to take a seat, or a friend asking an old acquaintance for tea.

Lin Qingyan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

In that narrowing curve there was scrutiny, appraisal, and something unreadable.

She didn’t let go. Instead, she moved closer, almost pressing her face against his.

So close that their breaths mingled, so close that Gu Chengyin could see every blood-red vein in her eyes.

“So you’re the one I fell in love with?” asked Lin Qingyan. Her tone was completely different from the Lin Qingyan before.

It was as indifferent as if she were reciting an article that had nothing to do with her—every word cold enough to freeze.

Gu Chengyin looked into those utterly different eyes and couldn’t help but laugh.

“So you’re the real little aunt?”

He paused for a moment, then countered:

“No, you’re not.”

Lin Qingyan raised an eyebrow.

“Because you have neither desire nor love.”

After Gu Chengyin said these words, he fell silent, merely watching her in stillness.

Lin Qingyan’s eyes narrowed even further.

She didn’t speak, and she didn’t let go. She just stared at him like that.

Her gaze was so piercing it felt as if she could split open his very soul to see what lay hidden inside.

But beneath that sharp stare, something else churned.

Countless images flashed rapidly before her eyes.

Lin Qingyan was rifling through her memories.

During the period she had been hypnotized, she had been utterly oblivious to what happened in the outside world.

What she had done, what she had said, what had happened between her and Gu Chengyin—she knew none of it.

But they were one being, so the memories were shared.

As she looked, Lin Qingyan’s eyes suddenly flew wide open.

The next instant, Gu Chengyin felt the hand around his neck tighten violently.

The force was so great that his vision dimmed and his breath completely stopped.

“This stupid woman!”

Lin Qingyan’s voice squeezed out between her teeth, every word like a poison-tipped knife.

Gu Chengyin opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

He could only watch the riot of emotions churning in her blood-red eyes.

There was rage, shame, disbelief, and something bordering on frenzied...

Breakdown?

Gu Chengyin blinked. He probably knew which part of the memories Lin Qingyan had found.

But the thing was, those incidents had happened more than once or twice.

Could this inner demon of an aunt actually slit his throat over this?

Gu Chengyin thought this to himself, but the expression on his face remained unchanged.

He even managed to force out a smile—though it looked somewhat eerie given the choking.

Fortunately, even though Lin Qingyan trembled all over with fury, the veins on her hand bulging as she gripped his neck,

her blood-red eyes practically spitting fire,

she didn’t actually deliver a killing blow.

She just kept strangling Gu Chengyin while grinding her teeth in rage.

After a long time—perhaps only a few breaths, but to Gu Chengyin, it felt like an eternity—

Lin Qingyan finally released her hand.

“Cough, cough, cough...”

Gu Chengyin clutched his neck and coughed violently.

Fresh air flooded his lungs, carrying a searing, stinging sensation.

He leaned against the wall, sliding to the ground as he gasped heavily.

If he hadn’t had a bit of cultivation, he might really have suffocated to death.

Lin Qingyan stood above him, looking down.

Her gaze held no trace of pity, only pure contempt and disgust.

“Aunt...”

Gu Chengyin finally caught his breath, looking up at her, his voice still hoarse.

“You’re way too harsh...”

Lin Qingyan narrowed her eyes, a dangerous glint flashing within them.

“If you weren’t still slightly useful, ”

“with all the things you’ve done, I’d have torn you limb from limb long ago.”

Hearing this cold, utterly different tone, and seeing the undisguised scorn and disgust on her face,

Gu Chengyin couldn’t help but smile. The smile started at the corners of his mouth,

slowly spreading across his entire face until even his eyes brimmed with amusement.

Lin Qingyan’s brow furrowed tighter. She didn’t understand what there was to laugh about.

But Gu Chengyin offered no explanation. He simply kept smiling.

This was the Lin Qingyan he wanted.

A clear-headed, calm, detached one.

One who wouldn’t fall into romantic foolishness, who wouldn’t lose her head.

What Gu Chengyin had always wanted was never a companion to spend his life with.

It was the peerless Golden Core cultivator of the Tianshi Prefecture—Jingzhe.

A wise man does not fall into the river of love.

Only a fool repeats the same mistakes.

Though Lin Qingyan with desire could be endearing, could stir his heart, could bring him warmth at times, she was far too troublesome. She would lose control, act impulsively, and do things that caught him off guard.

But this Lin Qingyan would not.

She would only scrutinize him coldly, analyze him calmly, and decide dispassionately whether to kill him.

This version of Lin Qingyan was the one Gu Chengyin truly needed.

“Aunt.”

Gu Chengyin leaned against the wall, tilting his head back, a smile still on his face.

“In truth, both you and her are Lin Qingyan.”

Lin Qingyan did not respond, her face still twisted with utter disgust and loathing.

“Only you are without desire and love.”

“And she is without pain and hatred.”

“Other than that, your personalities, memories, habits—everything else is the same.”

“Am I right?”

Lin Qingyan was silent for a moment.

Those blood-red eyes remained fixed on Gu Chengyin, as if re-evaluating him.

Then she nodded.

Once confirmation was given, Gu Chengyin continued:

“In that case.”

“How about we make a deal?”