The voice grew softer, the last words almost inaudible.
Gu Chengyang watched her like this, and the smile at the corner of his lips deepened.
Ever since the Crown Prince’s Palace, he had been very proactive toward Shangguan Yunying.
First, to solidify their relationship—after all, her importance to him was beyond doubt.
Second, to subtly test the reactions of Lin Qingyan and Luo Zhao.
Given the true personalities of these two, neither could tolerate him being affectionate with Shangguan Yunying in front of them.
Lin Qingyan had a strong possessiveness, and Luo Zhao’s possessiveness was even stronger.
Thus, this was a very interesting test.
But it wasn’t deliberate; it was merely done on a whim. Being cautious never hurt.
For now, however, it seemed the two were still under hypnosis.
Since that was the case, Gu Chengyang saw no reason to hold back.
After all, his path was one of forgetting emotions, not being without them.
When one cultivates the forgetting of emotions, one must first have emotions to forget.
If there were no emotions, what would there be to forget?
So Gu Chengyang would no longer avoid his feelings.
He needed genuine fondness, the feeling of a racing heart, the emotions that bring both joy and sorrow.
Only by truly experiencing them could he truly let go.
And the moment he fully let go would be the moment of his ascension.
As for Shangguan Yunying, she appeared in the right place at the right time.
Looking at her flushed earlobes, a trace of tenderness flickered in the depths of Gu Chengyang’s eyes.
Then he thought of something and asked casually:
“How is your cultivation of the Azure Cloud Art progressing?”
At the mention of this, Shangguan Yunying immediately shifted her gaze back. Her previous shyness was replaced by excitement.
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him, and she said enthusiastically:
“I’m about to break through to the Great Perfection!”
Gu Chengyang raised an eyebrow.
So fast?
Hadn’t Shangguan Yunying only just advanced to the late stage?
How long had it been since then? And she was already reaching the Great Perfection?
While a complete Heaven-grade technique was certainly terrifyingly powerful, Shangguan Yunying’s own efforts were likely the real key.
Born into a noble family, she was never spoiled.
She always took cultivation seriously, never slacking off.
Especially after Lin Qingyan appeared. Gu Chengyang squinted slightly.
Under Lin Qingyan’s stimulation, Shangguan Yunying had probably been cultivating day and night, without pause.
Afraid of being overshadowed, afraid of not being good enough, afraid...
Gu Chengyang’s heart softened at the thought.
He raised his hand and gently stroked Shangguan Yunying’s head.
Her hair was soft and smooth, like running his hand over the finest silk.
“Cultivation is good,”
Gu Chengyang said gently, his tone carrying a hint of concern:
“But don’t push yourself too hard. Otherwise, I’ll worry.”
Shangguan Yunying froze. Meeting his tender gaze, she felt her heart skip a beat.
A Gu Chengyang this tender. Words this gentle. A look this warm.
She couldn’t resist; she had absolutely no defenses against it.
At this moment, she would do whatever he asked.
Even the most excessive demands, Shangguan Yunying would follow without hesitation.
As long as it made Gu Chengyang happy, as long as he was satisfied.
So, almost instinctively, she buried herself in Gu Chengyang’s arms.
Pressing her face against his chest, she mumbled softly:
“Mm!”
Her voice was tender, with a hint of playful coquettishness, like a kitten nuzzling into her owner’s embrace.
Gu Chengyang chuckled softly, reached out, and pulled her closer, encircling her in his arms.
Outside the window, lanterns gleamed brilliantly. Inside, warmth and affection filled the air.
But in a place the two could not see,
an icy gaze was fixed on this scene.
Lin Qingyan stood in the void, her aura concealed to the limit.
Her eyes were cold as she watched Shangguan Yunying acting spoiled in Gu Chengyang’s arms.
Her gaze was like tempered ice, yet also like burning fire. She wished she could kill this senior female official on the spot.
Damn it.
If it weren’t for the unexpected accident, she would be the one playfully leaning in Gu Chengyang’s arms right now!
Those gentle words, that look of sympathy, that hand on the shoulder—
should all be hers!
Lin Qingyan clenched her jaw so hard her fingers turned white.
If only she hadn’t been so impulsive.
If she hadn’t gotten carried away back then, wanting more, how would things have ended up like this?
Now she could only hide in the shadows, helplessly watch another woman act spoiled in Gu Chengyang’s embrace.
This was an insult she could not swallow.
Nevertheless, Lin Qingyan didn’t forget to fix her attention on Shangguan Yunying.
Given her cultivation level, as long as she didn’t deliberately expose herself after learning of Gu Chengyang’s breakthrough in his Dao heart,
he wouldn’t be able to detect her presence.
But even with that confidence, Lin Qingyan still despaired inwardly.
No.
What if Shangguan Yunying didn’t return tonight?
What if after dinner, the two went for a walk, then watched the moon, and then discussed Dao?
Lin Qingyan dared not think further.
Gu Chengyang was hers, and if anyone was going to discuss Dao, it would be with her!
She had to get Luo Zhao to find an excuse to call Shangguan Yunying back.
And it had to be a reason that couldn’t be refused.
Just as Lin Qingyan’s mind was racing,
a sharp sense of danger suddenly burst from within her.
Someone was about to attack her!
Lin Qingyan’s figure flickered, and she disappeared instantly from her spot.
A sharp claw mark flashed past where she had been, carrying chilling hostility, tearing through the void.
This sudden strike made it impossible for Lin Qingyan to suppress her spiritual energy. She had no choice but to reveal herself from the void.
Gaining some distance, Lin Qingyan then glared coldly at the small figure that had attacked her.
Gu Xiaoli.
At this moment, Gu Xiaoli did not look at all like the usual calm, world-weary little girl.
Her nails had grown sharp and long, glinting with icy light under the moonlight, like ten miniature daggers.
On top of her head, two fuzzy cat ears had popped out—triangular, with tips trembling slightly, the fine fur ruffling in the night breeze.
Behind her, a long cat tail was stretched taut, a clear sign of being unnerved.
But most terrifying of all were her eyes.
Those large, dull, uncaring eyes had narrowed into long, slit-like cat pupils—vertical like needles, gleaming in the faint green light of the moon.
Her gaze was fierce, staring fixedly at Lin Qingyan, full of vigilance and hostility.
Gu Xiaoli was in a full-on back-off stance; her body slightly arched, baring two sharp little canines.
A low hissing sound came from her throat. She looked like a little tiger ready to pounce and tear into someone.
Lin Qingyan watched her like this, frowning slightly.
Where had this wretched cat come from?
Ever since she had glimpsed the Memory of the Heart Demon, Lin Qingyan knew who Gu Xiaoli was.
She also knew about the conflicts between herself and Gu Xiaoli in the past—though she hadn’t told Gu Chengyang.
But she hadn’t tried to provoke Gu Xiaoli. Why had Gu Xiaoli suddenly attacked her?
Meanwhile, Gu Chengyang and Shangguan Yunying also noticed Lin Qingyan, who had suddenly appeared.
Shangguan Yunying’s eyes widened, and for a moment, she was at a loss for words.
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!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
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.
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
