Sitting on the Mountain and Watching the Tigers Fight

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!”