As her words fell, a faint change flickered across Gu Xiaoli’s usually calm little face.
Ripples of emotion, rare as hen’s teeth, stirred in her deep, dark eyes.
She bit her lip, paused for a moment, then finally spoke in a slow, deliberate tone:
“Senior Sister Qingyan is indeed very capable, but she’s always competing with me for our Lady’s attention.”
“Clearly, our Lady favors me more, but Senior Sister Qingyan insists that our Lady prefers her.”
Gu Xiaoli paused again, her voice carrying a touch of childish grievance:
“So I wouldn’t call our relationship a good one.”
Fighting for attention from their Lady?
Luo Zhao was taken aback, then began to search her memories carefully.
Now that Gu Xiaoli mentioned it, a faint impression surfaced. But she had been far too young back then—barely a year or two old.
Many things were shrouded in a haze, blurry and indistinct.
All she vaguely remembered were the frequent arguments near her mother’s side—a woman in white and a little girl as delicate as carved jade and shaped like a porcelain doll.
They would each insist on their own words, refusing to yield, until finally, their mother would step in with a smile, resolving the quarrel by holding one hand each and coaxing both into bright, laughing expressions.
Back then, Luo Zhao had not yet developed full understanding. She would simply lie in her mother’s arms and watch the commotion, thinking that the woman in white was beautiful and the little girl was lovely too.
They looked as though figures from a painting had come to life.
Now, thinking about it, the woman in white must have been Lin Qingyan, and that little girl…
Luo Zhao’s gaze fell on Gu Xiaoli.
So that was it.
There had already been discord between Lin Qingyan and Gu Xiaoli.
Although it sounded childish—nothing more than a story of rivalry over affection.
Their mother was an unparalleled woman; anyone who stayed by her side would inevitably long to draw close to her.
Lin Qingyan, her own sister; Gu Xiaoli, her cat.
Both wanted to monopolize her affection, so friction was unavoidable.
And now…
A shrewd glimmer flashed in Luo Zhao’s eyes.
Though their mother was gone, there was still Gu Chengyin.
The same presence, only even sharper and more formidable.
And most importantly—he was a man.
Why did Gu Xiaoli become so close to Gu Chengyin?
Wasn’t it because Gu Chengyin carried the same scent as their mother?
That was the warmth Gu Xiaoli had clung to since childhood—the comfort she desperately tried to hold onto after losing it.
Lin Qingyan had once competed with her for their mother. Now that their mother was gone, and Lin Qingyan had fallen in love with Gu Chengyin and even wanted to monopolize him…
Would Gu Xiaoli go after Gu Chengyin too?
Just like she did in the old days, fighting for their mother.
The more Luo Zhao thought about it, the more brilliant this idea seemed.
She didn’t need to do a thing. All she had to do was drop a few idle remarks to plant the possibility in Gu Xiaoli’s mind.
Given how dependent Gu Xiaoli was on Gu Chengyin, and the lingering wounds from her rivalry with Lin Qingyan, she would surely act on her own.
When that happened, Luo Zhao wouldn’t need to lift a finger. She could simply sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, then swoop in to reap the spoils.
One was invincible at the Golden Core stage, while the other was a half-step Nascent Soul—
With the two of them at each other’s throats, the sight alone was enough to make anyone anticipate the show.
Even Gu Chengyin would be left pulling his hair out.
Luo Zhao was certain there was no way Gu Chengyin could tame them both at once.
After all, not even her mother had fully managed that.
A faint smile tugged at Luo Zhao’s lips; her plan seemed flawless. She opened her mouth, speaking in a tone as gentle as if she were making casual conversation:
“Xiaoli, have you noticed something?”
She paused, then lowered her voice with an air of mystery:
“Our little aunt seems to be in love with Gu Chengyin.”
The moment those words were spoken, Gu Xiaoli’s world-weary face could no longer hold its indifferent mask.
Her dark, heavy eyes blinked—once, twice—as if she had misheard. With a hint of confusion, she asked,
“Senior Sister Qingyan… loves Brother?”
Her voice was thick with disbelief, as though she had just heard something utterly inconceivable.
Luo Zhao’s smile became even softer. She coaxed gently,
“Think about it, Xiaoli. Why is it that you love Gu Chengyin?”
Gu Xiaoli tilted her head, pondered for a moment, and answered honestly:
“Because Brother carries our Lady’s scent, and he’s even more powerful than our Lady.”
“Exactly,”
Luo Zhao nodded with practiced patience.
“That’s why your little aunt used to fight you for our Lady, isn’t it? Because she also liked our Lady and wanted to have her all to herself.”
At this point, Luo Zhao changed her tone sharply.
“Since Gu Chengyin carries our Lady’s scent and is even stronger than she was—even you like him, Xiaoli—”
Luo Zhao looked straight into Gu Xiaoli’s eyes and spoke word by word:
“Then don’t you think little aunt could like him too?”
“And remember, they just spent a long time together returning from the sect inspection tour.”
Gu Xiaoli’s eyes widened more and more. In those calm, stormless eyes,
there now appeared shock, confusion, and a faint trace of…
Unease.
“Senior Sister Qingyan…”
Gu Xiaoli murmured, as though trying to convince herself:
“She’s so beautiful and has such high standards. She wouldn’t…”
But her voice already lacked conviction.
Seeing this, Luo Zhao felt a secret delight, though her expression remained regretful. She sighed lightly and said:
“Little aunt’s standards are indeed sky-high. You could say no man in this world has ever caught her eye.”
“But she met Gu Chengyin anyway. You have no idea, Xiaoli—”
Luo Zhao lowered her voice, as if sharing a heartfelt secret:
“Just yesterday, little aunt came to me specially and told me she had fallen in love with Gu Chengyin.”
“She even said she wants to lock him away, so that he would belong to her forever.”
Of course, this was an outright lie. But Luo Zhao spoke with such sincerity it was as if she had witnessed it with her own eyes.
Gu Xiaoli’s face instantly changed.
In her dark, heavy eyes, not a trace of calm remained.
It was replaced by a childlike urgency and panic—the look of a child desperate not to have their favorite toy taken away.
“Senior Sister Qingyan can’t do this!”
Gu Xiaoli blurted out, her voice tinged with anger.
“Brother… Brother belongs to me!”
Luo Zhao cheered internally.
Yes, yes!
That’s it!
That’s exactly right!
She pressed the advantage, fanning the flames:
“When little aunt was here earlier, do you know what she said to me?”
Gu Xiaoli stared at her wide-eyed.
Luo Zhao sighed, sounding thoroughly helpless:
“Little aunt said I should keep Shangguan Yunying away from him. She told me to stop her from getting close to Gu Chengyin anymore.”
“Xiaoli, it’s not that I don’t want to help. She’s my elder, after all.”
“But if things go on like this, you might never see Gu Chengyin again.”
Gu Xiaoli’s lips puckered into a pout. Her large eyes locked onto Luo Zhao, and they shimmered red at the rims.
She had always worn a cynical, indifferent look, as though nothing in the world mattered to her.
But now, that layer of detachment was torn away, exposing the raw emotion underneath.
“Your Highness!”
Gu Xiaoli’s voice grew urgent:
“Xiaoli needs to find Brother!”
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
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!
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
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.
