A flurry of thoughts flashed through his mind.
Choose Shangguan Yunying?
Then what would Lin Qingyan and Gu Xiaoli think?
One he had just appeased, and the other he was trying to win over—offending either would be unwise.
Choose Lin Qingyan?
Could he bear Shangguan Yunying’s resentment? And with Gu Xiaoli watching from the sidelines?
Choose Gu Xiaoli?
Gu Chengyin didn’t even bother considering that option.
Bringing a cat-eared loli back with him? He’d rather not get electrocuted.
But if he didn’t choose…
Could these three women really let him off that easily?
Still, Gu Chengyin was Gu Chengyin.
Ignoring the pressure they were all exerting on him, he pondered briefly and found the only way out.
“I have something to report to Her Highness.”
His tone was calm, his expression composed, as if he really did have something important to attend to.
The three women’s hearts simultaneously sank.
Her Highness?
Luo Zhao?
At this hour, going to see Luo Zhao?
They all knew the current situation between Gu Chengyin and Luo Zhao.
On the surface, it was a harmonious relationship between crown princess and young mentor.
But in truth, even though Gu Chengyin had hypnotized Luo Zhao, his suspicions had never faded.
And the three of them had all been helping Luo Zhao cover it up.
Even Lin Qingyan and Gu Xiaoli put aside their differences at a time like this.
They exchanged a glance—one filled with unspoken understanding and mutual awareness of the stakes.
Then Lin Qingyan spoke. She looked at Gu Chengyin with feigned suspicion, her voice laced with just the right amount of curiosity:
“So late at night, what do you need to see Zhao’er about? Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”
Her words actually gave Gu Chengyin a clue. He suddenly realized—
Lin Qingyan probably didn’t know he had hypnotized Luo Zhao.
Which meant she also had no idea why he needed to see her.
What’s more, if he went to Luo Zhao, he’d have to find a way to get Lin Qingyan out of the way first.
If she found out, given her personality, unexpected trouble would likely follow.
Having made up his mind, Gu Chengyin went along with Lin Qingyan’s suggestion.
“Little Aunt is right,” he said smoothly.
“It’s not appropriate to disturb Her Highness so late. I’ll go tomorrow instead.”
Lin Qingyan was taken aback.
She hadn’t expected Gu Chengyin to take the out she’d handed him so readily.
It left her momentarily unsure how to respond.
She exchanged a glance with Shangguan Yunying, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.
Then she spoke again:
“Then…”
She paused, her gaze fixed on Gu Chengyin.
Her tone carried a hint of tentativeness, a touch of anticipation, and something else—something indescribable—
“Come to my place?”
Such a forthright invitation immediately tightened the atmosphere.
Shangguan Yunying’s gaze turned sharp, like a blade aimed at Lin Qingyan.
Gu Xiaoli’s cat ears perked up, her eyes flashing with alertness.
The unspoken pact among the three women almost shattered right there.
They even began to wonder if Lin Qingyan was trying to seize an opportunity for herself.
But Lin Qingyan ignored their stares.
She simply kept her eyes on Gu Chengyin, her tone calm as she added,
“Don’t overthink it. I just want to contemplate the Dao of Immortals.”
A perfectly noble excuse.
Shangguan Yunying bit her lip. She wanted to say something but held back in the end.
After all, she still had to return to the Crown Princess’s palace to inform Luo Zhao that Gu Chengyin might be growing suspicious again, so she could prepare.
Right now, the best course of action was to let Lin Qingyan keep Gu Chengyin occupied.
After mulling it over, Shangguan Yunying took a deep breath and suppressed her displeasure.
She stood up, smoothed her dress, and said,
“Then I won’t keep you and Lord Jingzhe.”
She grabbed Gu Xiaoli by the hand.
“Xiaoli and I will head back first.”
Gu Xiaoli was pulled to her feet, still clutching a large handful of lamb skewers.
She blinked, glancing from Shangguan Yunying to Gu Chengyin.
Then she nodded obediently and said nothing.
As Shangguan Yunying passed by Gu Chengyin, she whispered, just loud enough for him alone to hear,
“You promised to eat with me. You owe me!”
Gu Chengyin nodded repeatedly, his voice warm. “Of course, of course.”
Only then did Shangguan Yunying look satisfied. She took Gu Xiaoli’s hand and led her toward the door.
Gu Xiaoli followed, one hand held by her, the other still gripping the skewers tightly.
She turned back and waved her small hand at Gu Chengyin, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
Gu Chengyin waved back. After their figures disappeared through the doorway, Lin Qingyan was silent for a moment. Then she suddenly asked,
“Did you hypnotize Zhao’er?”
Gu Chengyin’s pupils contracted, but his face remained impassive.
He turned to look at Lin Qingyan, his tone calm:
“How did Little Aunt know?”
Lin Qingyan didn’t answer. She just looked at him, her gaze growing deeper.
After a long pause, she said softly,
“I guessed.”
Gu Chengyin raised an eyebrow.
“Guessed?”
“Yes. I guessed from your reaction just now.”
Lin Qingyan continued,
“When I said you should go tomorrow, you agreed immediately. That’s not like you.”
Gu Chengyin said nothing.
Lin Qingyan pressed on,
“If you really had something important to see Zhao’er about, you wouldn’t have changed your mind just because of something I said.”
"Unless..."
She paused, her gaze sharp as a blade.
"You don't actually want me to come along."
Gu Chengyin looked at her, a flicker of admiration in his eyes.
Truly Lin Qingyan.
Her insight and intuition were indeed formidable.
He didn't deny it, only offered a faint smile.
"Then?"
"Then," Lin Qingyan continued, "you agreed so readily, which means you do intend to find Zhao'er—but not necessarily right now. You just needed an excuse—a reason to send me away."
"So I'm guessing you hypnotized Zhao'er."
"After all, you have a track record."
At that word, Gu Chengyin couldn't help but laugh.
"Track record?"
"Yes," Lin Qingyan said earnestly. "You even hypnotized me, so Zhao'er goes without saying."
Gu Chengyin watched her serious expression and suddenly found it amusing.
"And what if I hypnotize you again, Little Aunt?"
Lin Qingyan shook her head.
"You won't."
"Why not?"
"Because if you wanted to hypnotize me, you wouldn't have kissed me just now."
She said this with a slight blush, yet her eyes met his without flinching.
Gu Chengyin reached out and gently pinched her nose.
"Little Aunt is really clever."
Lin Qingyan looked at him seriously and asked again,
"So you really did hypnotize Zhao'er?"
Gu Chengyin nodded with complete frankness.
"Yes."
Lin Qingyan's eyes widened slightly.
She was silent for a moment, as if digesting the news.
Then she asked,
"Why?"
Gu Chengyin looked at her but didn't answer.
Lin Qingyan waited a while. When she saw he wasn't going to speak, she ventured a guess.
"Is it because of Zhao'er's personality? Or because she hates you?"
Gu Chengyin was momentarily taken aback.
"Little Aunt knows?"
Lin Qingyan nodded.
"I watched Zhao'er grow up, so I know her very well."
Just as Gu Chengyin was about to explain further,
Lin Qingyan suddenly leaned in, resting her head on his shoulder, and said with mischief,
"Since Zhao'er has already been hypnotized, how about..."
"We go and contemplate the Immortal Dao right in front of her~"
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
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!
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.
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
