This chief female official appeared to be diligently working.
She held a folded document in both hands, her posture upright, her expression focused.
But in truth, her gaze kept drifting toward the door—glancing over, pulling back, glancing over again, pulling back again.
This absentminded demeanor clearly meant her mind was elsewhere.
As for what she was thinking about, Luo Zhao could guess it even with her toes.
Gu Chengyin.
Ever since Shangguan Yunying genuinely fell for Gu Chengyin, she had changed.
She became prone to daydreaming, prone to distraction, constantly looking toward the entrance.
Anyone watching might think Gu Chengyin, not Luo Zhao, was Shangguan Yunying’s true master.
Luo Zhao felt a mix of emotions.
Shangguan Yunying had served as chief female official for so many years.
Luo Zhao trusted her, relied on her, treated her as the most trusted of confidants.
And what was the result?
The result was that this woman’s heart had flown straight to Gu Chengyin.
But then again...
A flicker passed through Luo Zhao’s eyes.
Unlike Gu Xiaoli, Shangguan Yunying had already given herself away.
Since she had already surrendered, she might as well be put to good use.
Shangguan Yunying might not yet fully belong to Gu Chengyin, but her heart was leaning toward him.
What if she were sent to stall for time?
Luo Zhao’s mind quickly calculated.
Gu Xiaoli was still her cat.
But since Gu Chengyin already knew Gu Xiaoli’s true identity, he wouldn’t let the matter rest.
He would definitely find a way to turn Gu Xiaoli into his cat.
Whether through coercion or bribery, the world-weary girl might be skilled in cultivation,
but when it came to cunning, a hundred Gu Xiaolis combined couldn’t outplay a single Gu Chengyin.
So she had to find a way to prevent Gu Chengyin from taking Gu Xiaoli.
But what options did she have now?
A direct confrontation wouldn’t work, reasoning was useless, and playing mind games—
when had she ever outmaneuvered Gu Chengyin?
The only choice was to stall for time and first move Gu Xiaoli out of the Ten Thousand Realms Tower.
As long as Gu Chengyin couldn’t find Gu Xiaoli, there was still hope.
And to stall for time, someone needed to distract Gu Chengyin,
to cause him trouble, to make it harder for him to enter the Ten Thousand Realms Tower.
As for who that person should be...
Luo Zhao’s gaze fell on Shangguan Yunying again.
Shangguan Yunying was the most suitable choice.
Her heart belonged to Gu Chengyin, so Gu Chengyin wouldn’t be too suspicious of her.
Thus, having Shangguan Yunying stall for time would be perfectly reasonable and would not arouse his suspicion.
Moreover...
A subtle smile curved at the corner of Luo Zhao’s lips.
Since this woman dared to give her heart to Gu Chengyin, she ought to pay a little price.
Sending her to spar wits with Gu Chengyin would also serve as punishment for her defection.
As for whether Shangguan Yunying could actually hold Gu Chengyin back...
Luo Zhao wasn’t sure, but it was better than doing nothing.
There was no time to waste.
Luo Zhao spoke at once: “Yunying.”
Shangguan Yunying had been staring at the door in a daze. Not long ago, Gu Chengyin had poked his head in right there,
wearing that moon-white robe, making him look all the more refined. Some sunlight seemed to have come from nowhere,
just landing on his profile, illuminating his features so beautifully.
It was a pity he had only glanced and left—if only she could have seen him a little longer...
“Yunying!”
Shangguan Yunying started, snapping back to reality, and hurriedly replied, “Your Highness?”
Luo Zhao didn’t speak immediately but instead walked over to stand before Shangguan Yunying.
Shangguan Yunying looked up at her, slightly bewildered, unsure what Luo Zhao intended.
Luo Zhao leaned close to her ear, lowering her voice to a whisper so soft that only the two of them could hear.
“Yunying, listen to me...”
As Shangguan Yunying listened, her eyes gradually widened, her expression shifting from confusion to surprise, and from surprise to complexity.
“Your Highness, this...” she hesitated, speaking up: “This isn’t appropriate, is it?”
Luo Zhao stepped back, fixing her gaze directly on her. “What’s inappropriate about it?”
Shangguan Yunying opened her mouth, as if to say something, but couldn’t find the words.
Of course it wasn’t appropriate.
Her Highness wanted her to hold Gu Chengyin back, to make him delay his visit to the Ten Thousand Realms Tower.
Though Shangguan Yunying didn’t know why Luo Zhao wanted to stall him,
would she truly go through with it?
Seeing Shangguan Yunying’s conflicted expression,
Luo Zhao laughed inwardly but let a trace of disappointment show on her face:
“Yunying, you are my chief female official. Now, even you refuse to help me?”
Shangguan Yunying hurriedly replied, “Your Highness, that’s not what I meant...”
“Then what do you mean?” Luo Zhao pressed.
Shangguan Yunying fell silent.
Luo Zhao sighed, softening her tone: “Yunying, I know you don’t want to go against Gu Chengyin.
“But you must also understand: my aunt now sides with Gu Chengyin, and she’s abandoned me, her own niece.
“If even you refuse to help me... then I truly don’t know what to do anymore.”
As Luo Zhao spoke, her voice trembled slightly, and her eyes grew a little red.
Seeing Luo Zhao like this, Shangguan Yunying’s heart softened at once.
Her Highness had always been good to her.
Though sometimes she was harsh, scolded her, or took out her frustrations on her,
when it came to protecting her, she never failed.
And this was the first time Luo Zhao had ever shown such a pitiful side.
How could she refuse?
Besides...
It was only a matter of stalling for time, not a big deal, right?
At most, she could make it up to him later.
It's not like Gu Chengyin would really stay mad at her.
Shangguan Yunying bit her lower lip and finally nodded. "Your Highness, I'll go."
A flicker of amusement passed through Luo Zhao's eyes, but she kept up her worried expression.
"Yunying, you're truly the best."
Shangguan Yunying dared not admit she had already planned to seek out Gu Chengyin.
Lowering her head, she whispered, "Your Highness, should I go find him now?"
Luo Zhao nodded and added, "Remember, you're supposed to hold him off, not throw yourself at him, got it?"
Shangguan Yunying acknowledged with a soft reply and turned to leave the main hall.
After a few steps, she looked back. "Your Highness, what if he gets angry?"
Luo Zhao smiled faintly. "He likes you so much; he won't be angry with you."
Shangguan Yunying was taken aback. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she quickly turned and hurried out of the main hall.
Luo Zhao watched her figure vanish beyond the doorway, her smile gradually fading.
She turned and went back behind the long desk, sat down, and retrieved a Luo Mountain Token.
The other half of this Luo Mountain Token was with Gu Xiaoli.
Luo Zhao had to ensure she could contact Gu Xiaoli at any time.
Only after instructing Gu Xiaoli to leave the Ten Thousand Phenomena Tower without being discovered by Gu Chengyin did Luo Zhao put the token down, pick up her brush, and continue reviewing the memorials.
Her expression was calm, as if nothing had happened.
But the hand holding the brush tightened slightly, and her mind churned with turbulent thoughts.
Damn Gu Chengyin—first he steals my chief female official, then he steals my little aunt.
And now he wants to steal my cat.
It won't be that easy!
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.
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
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!
