Oh, My Beloved

Gu Chengyin walked with a steady pace, now only twenty or thirty steps from the grand entrance of Wanxiang Tower.

Golden guards stood watch before the tower, their armor gleaming, holding long halberds in solemn stillness.

He was pondering how to find the world-weary loli once he entered the tower.

After all, Wanxiang Tower was vast, with countless bookshelves, and spiritual power formations restricted movement.

His divine sense could not be freely extended, so locating Gu Xiaoli was no easy task.

Just then, a call suddenly came from behind.

"Gu Chengyin!"

The voice was crisp, carrying a hint of breathlessness, clearly someone who had run to catch up.

Gu Chengyin paused and turned around.

Shangguan Yunying was walking toward him briskly.

Today she wore a pale crimson palace robe, tied with a sash of the same color at her waist. She moved quickly, her hemline swaying gently at her ankles.

Gu Chengyin stopped and waited for her to catch up, then asked:

"What is it, Yunying?"

His tone was casual, with a touch of warmth.

Shangguan Yunying did not answer immediately.

She stood still in front of Gu Chengyin, but her gaze drifted past him toward Wanxiang Tower.

The golden guards before the tower remained mute and straight-faced.

But since they were stationed guards, every move the two made fell under their watch.

Shangguan Yunying glanced left and right, then noticed a corridor not far away that seemed fairly secluded.

"Let's talk over there?"

She gestured toward the corridor, her voice lowered.

Gu Chengyin raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking Shangguan Yunying had something serious to discuss.

Perhaps there was new movement from Luo Zhao's side, or maybe Shangguan Yuan had asked her to relay a message, or perhaps it was about the court's political landscape after the joint tribunal.

He nodded in agreement and followed Shangguan Yunying toward the corridor.

The two walked one after another, turned into the corridor, and after weaving through winding paths, finally arrived at a narrow alley.

This place was indeed secluded. The alley was not deep, ending in a tall wall.

On both sides were side walls and the rear wall of another hall, leaving only the alley's entrance they had come through as a way in or out.

The alley was cluttered with abandoned wooden boxes and old furniture, thick with dust, evidently long unused.

Shangguan Yunying walked to the depths of the alley, still uneasy, and glanced back at the entrance.

After confirming no one could see them, she threw herself straight into Gu Chengyin's arms.

The sudden embrace caught Gu Chengyin off guard.

But the beauty in his arms had already wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, her face buried in his chest.

She rubbed and nuzzled, like a kitten finally finding its owner.

Shangguan Yunying rubbed so hard it was as if she wanted to mold herself entirely into his embrace.

After a long while, she stopped, her face still pressed against his chest.

Her voice was muffled, as tiny as a whisper:

"I missed you so much."

A pause, then she added in a muffled tone:

"Did you just come out of the Censorate? Nothing bad happened, right?"

Shangguan Yunying had already received news of the joint tribunal's outcome.

The Imperial Household Department had highly efficient intelligence, and such major events were reported immediately.

Although her heart had settled the moment she learned Gu Chengyin was acquitted, knowing wasn't the same as seeing him standing here and asking him herself.

Her tone was filled with concern, with longing, with all her missing him.

Gu Chengyin looked down at Shangguan Yunying in his arms, his heart stirred.

The embrace came suddenly, but it was not entirely surprising.

The relationship between him and Shangguan Yunying had long since gone beyond that of a simple tutor and female official.

Now, Shangguan Yunying's feelings for him were practically out in the open.

You could say she had stopped pretending altogether.

Unlike before, when this affection was mixed with calculation—meant as a probe, a means to rescue Luo Zhao.

Instead, Luo Zhao now seemed more like a catalyst to bring them closer.

And Gu Chengyin indeed needed to maintain this connection.

Jiang Qingshan of the Green Sword Sect, and Shangguan Yuan of the Grand Secretariat—both required Shangguan Yunying as the link.

She was his bond, the foundation of his future cultivation after reaching the Golden Core realm.

Gu Chengyin pulled Shangguan Yunying closer into his arms, gently placing one hand on the back of her head.

He stroked her hair and laughed softly: "What could happen to me? Just a mere joint tribunal."

His voice was gentle, brimming with an utterly calm confidence.

Hearing this, Shangguan Yunying's mood immediately brightened.

Yes, he was Gu Chengyin.

How could a mere joint tribunal possibly trouble him?

Shangguan Yunying lifted her head to look at his face, but suddenly remembered Luo Zhao's instructions.

Her Highness had told her to stall for time, to prevent Gu Chengyin from entering Wanxiang Tower.

But...

A hesitation flickered through Shangguan Yunying's heart.

Right now, she was in Gu Chengyin's arms, hugged by him, stroked by him, spoken to in his soft voice.

How could she delay him? How could she bear to delay him?

Her heart was his.

Her body, also his.

Only her title... was still Chief Female Officer.

Her Highness had treated her well, protected her, trusted her.

Now that her Highness had asked for her help, would doing nothing mean betraying years of kindness?

Shangguan Yunying bit her lower lip, a fierce battle raging within her heart.

After a moment, she finally spoke, her voice as soft as could be, tinged with a hint of reproachful sorrow:

“Then why didn’t you come find me when you got back? Am I not as good as the revered Jingzhe?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Shangguan Yunying gave herself a little mental pep talk.

This counts as stalling for time, right?

Even though it was a jealous accusation, at least it shifted some focus away from the Ten Thousand Realms Tower, didn’t it?

After all, the jealousy almost overflowed from her words.

When Gu Chengyin heard it, he didn’t find it strange at all.

Ever since returning from Luo Zhao, Shangguan Yunying had indeed been quite shaken by Lin Qingyan.

Not to mention anything else, just the gap in cultivation level was enough to frustrate her.

Shangguan Yunying was currently at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, which was considered impressive among her peers.

But Lin Qingyan? She was already invincible at the Golden Core stage.

So Shangguan Yunying had been bottling up a fierce determination inside her.

Gu Chengyin could tell she wished she could break through to Golden Core tomorrow.

Then go find Lin Qingyan and fight it out, proving she was no lesser.

But…

Gu Chengyin smiled inwardly.

Shangguan Yunying obviously didn’t know that Lin Qingyan was no longer the same person she used to be.

She wouldn’t act like before, constantly competing with her over jealousy and pride.

But that wasn’t the right time to bring it up yet.

Gu Chengyin thought for a moment and soothed her, “Yunying, it’s not that I didn’t come see you. I just had some things to take care of first.”

“I was planning to finish those matters before finding you, so we could spend even more time together.”

Shangguan Yunying’s eyes immediately lit up, and she asked with boundless delight:

“Really!?”

Her bright, sparkling gaze was just like a child’s after receiving a promise, full of anticipation.

Gu Chengyin smiled and nodded, “Of course it’s true. After all…”

He paused, his tone growing even gentler:

“You are the person I love the most.”