Gu Chengyin didn't have time to respond to such a shocking remark.
“Boom!”
A loud crash rattled the bowls and dishes on the table.
Lin Qingyan slammed her palm down heavily, rising abruptly.
She pointed a trembling finger straight at Gu Xiaoli, her eyes blazing with fury, her voice cold and sharp as a blade.
“Dead Cat! I've had it with you!”
Her voice carried a bitter, teeth-gritting hatred, an uncontrollable rage, and the catharsis of a long-awaited explosion.
Lin Qingyan had never been one for an easy temper.
Jingzhe of the Celestial Masters’ Residence had always settled scores on the spot and vented her anger without delay.
It was only because she liked Gu Chengyin so much that she had learned to endure.
And these past days, caught up in playing the role of a heart demon, Lin Qingyan had held back far too long and far too much.
She swallowed her bitterness when she saw Shangguan Yunying getting close with Gu Chengyin.
She held back when she saw Gu Xiaoli fussing over Gu Chengyin, even feeding him food.
But now—this dead cat actually wanted to become Gu Chengyin’s bride?
If she let that slide, she wouldn’t be the invincible golden-core cultivator, Lord Jingzhe of the Celestial Masters’ Residence.
Lin Qingyan glared at Gu Xiaoli, her eyes practically bursting with flames.
The room froze.
Three gazes turned sharply toward Lin Qingyan.
In Shangguan Yunying’s eyes, there was a hint of knowing vindication.
Now, this was the Lord Jingzhe she remembered.
That stiff, unfeeling, zombie-like grimness earlier—all an act.
After all, this was the same fairy who, back in the day, had her breaking rules just to steal delicious food with her.
No way she would just sit by while Gu Xiaoli fawned over someone else.
Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore.
Compared to Her Highness, Lord Jingzhe’s patience paled.
If Her Highness were sitting here, she wouldn’t even flinch if Gu Xiaoli offered to become the bride—or even if someone pushed Her Highness into the bridal chamber herself.
Shangguan Yunying curled her lips slightly, picked up her teacup, and settled in for the show.
Meanwhile, Gu Xiaoli blinked her big, dark eyes at the furious Lin Qingyan, a glint of slyness flashing swiftly in her gaze.
It was so fleeting, almost imperceptible.
Then, with a tilt of her head, she put on a mask of innocent bewilderment, blinking softly as she whispered in a tiny voice:
“Could it be that Sister Qingyan is upset?”
Her words came out soft and cherubic, laced with confusion, a hint of fear, and a touch of helplessness.
Like a frightened little kitten.
Lin Qingyan watched her, trembling with rage.
Keep pretending!
Go on!
Nobody knew what that Dead Cat was really like better than she did.
On the surface, harmless and adorable, but behind it all, she was the queen of putting on a sweet facade.
The moment you let your guard down, she’d strike.
Even though she was already half-way into the Nascent Soul stage, she still loved pulling these tricks.
And that cunning flicker in her eyes—Lin Qingyan had seen it clearly!
But Gu Xiaoli just refused to take the bait. She played the innocent card to the hilt.
Those big eyes wet with moisture, as if she really was scared stiff.
Gu Chengyin, on the other hand, looked far more amused.
From the moment Lin Qingyan slammed the table and shot to her feet, his gaze locked onto her.
His eyes traveled over her—head to toe, toe to head—taking in the finger still aimed at Gu Xiaoli, the blush of anger spreading across her cheeks, and the blaze in her eyes.
He studied every inch of this immortal maiden meticulously.
He didn’t say a word, just kept observing.
His stare was layered—full of curiosity, comprehension, and a hint of an unreadable smile.
Lin Qingyan caught his gaze, and her heart skipped a beat.
Oh no.
Only then did she finally realize what she had done.
Stung by Gu Xiaoli's provocation, she lost control and got carried away.
Her role as a heart demon, the persona she had slaved to maintain, her disguise—all tossed out the window.
Now, Gu Chengyin must have figured out she was lying.
In fact, even a blind man could tell.
It was over.
All over.
The anger Lin Qingyan had felt toward Gu Xiaoli instantly evaporated, replaced by a wave of panicked regret.
She glanced cautiously at Gu Chengyin.
She met his oh-so-meaningful gaze.
There was a smile in his eyes, a knowing look.
And something else—a hint of mockery.
That made Lin Qingyan even more flustered.
Her hand, still pointing at Gu Xiaoli, slowly fell.
She stood frozen, not knowing what to do next.
What if Gu Chengyin got angry?
What if he dumped her over this?
Because of that arrangement, she could still stay by his side.
No clinginess, no affection, no intimate moves—fine.
But at least she could still look at him.
But now…
At best, she could…
Lin Qingyan bit her lip.
What else could she do?
She could use absolute power to force him to stay.
It was a last-ditch effort, yeah.
But with things already at this point, she had no other option.
There’s no way in hell she was letting Gu Chengyin out of her life.
Her mind raced with wild schemes.
Should she just kidnap him back to the Celestial Masters’ Residence?
Get there first and seal the deal— let the rice be cooked?
Or go all in, burn the bridge, and…
While Lin Qingyan’s thoughts spiraled in chaos, Gu Chengyin pulled his eyes away from her.
He turned to Shangguan Yunying and Gu Xiaoli, softening his tone.
“Yunying, Xiaoli, go ahead and eat. Little Aunt and I have something to discuss.”
His voice was steady, without a trace of emotion.
Shangguan Yunying nodded without objection.
She sensed the shift in the atmosphere.
Though curiosity burned inside her like wildfire, as the Chief Attendant, she knew when to pout and when to behave like a good girl.
Gu Xiaoli nodded too. Her big, dark eyes flickered between Lin Qingyan and Gu Chengyin.
A glimmer of something unusual danced in her gaze, but she too said nothing.
They were both sharp-witted women, well aware this wasn’t the moment to cause trouble.
Gu Chengyin took Lin Qingyan by the wrist and walked out without delay.
She didn’t resist.
Head low, she let him hold her, like a kitten who had just misbehaved, meekly following along.
But as they passed by Gu Xiaoli,
Lin Qingyan suddenly caught a flicker of a glance.
She turned and met Gu Xiaoli’s eyes.
Those big, pitch-black orbs sparkled with the sly joy of a cat stealing a fish, gazing at her triumphantly.
The expression was unmistakable: I did this on purpose. What can you do about it?
Lin Qingyan’s face stiffened.
That Dead Cat really planned it.
But so be it. For now, she could do nothing.
Still—this grudge had been made.
One day, she would settle the score.
Lin Qingyan shot one furious glare at Gu Xiaoli before giving in, letting Gu Chengyin lead her out of the room.
Through the walkway, taking a corner.
They stepped into an empty chamber.
It was quiet in the room.
Only the moonlight trickled through the window lattice, scattering across the floor—silver frost carpeting the dark.
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.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
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!
