Becoming Suspicious

Luo Zhao’s heart sank.

Unwell?

When had she ever been unwell?

This was clearly a test, or perhaps a confirmation of something.

What exactly was Gu Chengyin trying to confirm?

Fortunately, her consciousness puppet showed no emotional fluctuations, responding obediently:

“Thank you for your concern, Junior Preceptor Gu. I am well, with no discomfort.”

Gu Chengyin nodded and said, “That’s good.”

His gaze lingered on Luo Zhao’s face for a moment before shifting to Shangguan Yunying and Gu Xiaoli nearby.

Shangguan Yunying nodded to Gu Chengyin, her eyes silently asking why he had returned.

Gu Xiaoli looked up, still chewing on lamb, and mumbled a vague, “Big brother.”

Then she lowered her head again, continuing to gnaw on her lamb skewer, as if everything had nothing to do with her.

Gu Chengyin’s gaze rested on them briefly before withdrawing.

He turned to look at Lin Qingyan.

Lin Qingyan nodded slightly.

Then she spoke.

“Zhao’er.”

Her voice was clear as frost yet carried a softness Luo Zhao had never heard from her before.

Luo Zhao’s heart skipped a beat.

Here it comes.

“What is it, Little Aunt?”

Lin Qingyan’s gaze was calm as still water: “I wish to contemplate the Immortal Path here tonight.”

Luo Zhao: “...”

Indeed.

“Contemplate the Immortal Path?”

Luo Zhao repeated, her voice tinged with disbelief: “Right here?”

This was the consciousness puppet’s simulated reaction, tailored solely for Lin Qingyan.

“Mm.”

Lin Qingyan nodded, her expression still cool and detached:

“Your Crown Prince’s residence has abundant spiritual energy, making it ideal for contemplation.”

Behind the consciousness puppet, the real Luo Zhao was speechless.

Abundant spiritual energy?

While the Crown Prince’s residence did have slightly more spiritual energy than other places, that was hardly a reason to come here for Immortal Path contemplation!

The esteemed Lord Jingzhe of the Heavenly Masters’ residence, an unparalleled golden-core immortal—there were countless places she could go for such contemplation. Why did it have to be right in her bedchamber?

Just then, Gu Chengyin suddenly spoke:

“Actually, it’s mainly because of Yunying.”

Shangguan Yunying blinked in surprise, looking confused as to how she had become the reason for this.

Gu Chengyin turned his warm gaze to her, explaining unhurriedly:

“You’ve now mastered the Azure Cloud Art, and since you’re a woman, your meridian circulation differs from a man’s.”

“I mentioned this to Little Aunt just now, and she expressed interest in observing your Immortal Path.”

At these words, Shangguan Yunying finally understood.

So Gu Chengyin and Lin Qingyan had returned to the Crown Prince’s residence not to engage in that kind of act in front of Luo Zhao, but to find her—a woman who practiced the Azure Cloud Art and possessed a complete Immortal Path.

The taut string in Shangguan Yunying’s heart quietly relaxed.

Lin Qingyan added, “Mm, after Chengcheng told me, I found it quite reasonable.”

“A man’s meridians differ from a woman’s. If I could gain insight from a female practitioner, it would greatly benefit my Immortal Path contemplation.”

Lin Qingyan paused, her gaze settling on Shangguan Yunying, her tone light yet earnest:

“So, I’ll trouble you.”

Shangguan Yunying immediately rose, clasped her hands in a respectful bow, and said solemnly:

“Lord Jingzhe’s command, Yunying dares not refuse.”

With that, she walked to an empty spot beside the hall, found a cushion, and sat down. Adjusting her robes, she closed her eyes and focused her mind.

Lin Qingyan glanced at Gu Chengyin, her eyes carrying a hint of deep meaning.

Then she looked away, sat cross-legged beside Shangguan Yunying, and carefully observed the aura around her.

Before long, a faint spiritual light began to emanate from Shangguan Yunying’s body, the energy of the Azure Cloud Art flowing gently.

Strands of mysterious Dao patterns emerged from her form, like smoke and threads, tracing the meridian pathways of a woman in the air.

The patterns were distinctly different from a man’s—softer and more elongated, like flowing water, like unfolding clouds.

Lin Qingyan watched intently, a gleam of insight flickering in her eyes.

As a golden-core immortal, her understanding of the Immortal Path was already profound. But now, seeing Shangguan Yunying’s Dao patterns, certain aspects she had failed to grasp fully from Gu Chengyin began to dawn on her with clarity.

Behind the consciousness puppet, Luo Zhao watched this scene and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

So Lin Qingyan had been looking for Shangguan Yunying all along.

She should have known—no matter how bold Little Aunt was, she wouldn’t do that sort of thing in front of her niece.

Her earlier wild thoughts had been unnecessary.

Luo Zhao silently congratulated herself, quietly observing everything in the hall through the puppet’s eyes.

Gu Chengyin watched the Dao patterns swirling around Shangguan Yunying for a while before looking away.

The distance between male and female cultivation was immense.

Though he practiced the Azure Cloud Art, as a man, he found it difficult to grasp its more feminine nuances.

But Shangguan Yunying, being a woman yet sharing the same technique, could offer Lin Qingyan far greater insight than he ever could.

That was why, when Lin Qingyan proposed contemplating in front of Luo Zhao, he had thought of Shangguan Yunying, who had already returned.

Using this, he had redirected Lin Qingyan’s deviant intentions.

And in so doing, Gu Chengyin could conveniently come to the residence and find Luo Zhao.

Now that Shangguan Yunying and Lin Qingyan were off to the side for contemplation, it was time to attend to the real matter.

Gu Chengyin glanced at Gu Xiaoli a few times before finally settling his gaze on Luo Zhao.

The Crown Prince was sitting upright by the bed, with a calm expression and a docile look in their eyes as they observed everything in the hall.

Their expression was perfectly measured—showing just the right amount of curiosity and confusion, with no trace of any inappropriate emotion.

A flawless performance.

Gu Chengyin looked at Luo Zhao’s face, but in his mind, he arrived at a completely opposite judgment.

He had indeed grown suspicious of Luo Zhao.

It wasn’t because of caution, nor because Luo Zhao had revealed any flaws.

On the contrary, Luo Zhao’s performance remained utterly perfect.

From any angle, they appeared exactly like a thoroughly hypnotized puppet.

What truly made Gu Chengyin suspicious of Luo Zhao were the other three people in this bedchamber.

Lin Qingyan, Shangguan Yunying, and Gu Xiaoli.

Before this, he had always harbored a faint inkling of an idea, one so elusive that he could never grasp it no matter how hard he tried.

Gu Chengyin often felt he was overlooking something, but whenever he tried to examine it closely,

that inkling slipped away like a fish in water, vanishing without a trace.

Until tonight at the Star-Picking Pavilion.

Until he witnessed with his own eyes the eruption triggered in Lin Qingyan by Gu Xiaoli’s provocation.

At that moment, when she told him she was pushing out her inner demon for him to hypnotize,

that inkling was finally seized firmly by Gu Chengyin.

Gu Chengyin replayed everything that had happened that night in his mind.

Lin Qingyan used absolute power to control her inner demon, making him believe she was hypnotized.

Then she herself impersonated the inner demon.

No, not necessarily impersonation.

What he saw might have actually been the hypnotized inner demon.

Only on rare occasions would Lin Qingyan come out to pretend, in order to avoid real exposure.

But after all, Lin Qingyan lacked Luo Zhao’s endurance.

And in the end, under Gu Xiaoli’s provocation, she could no longer hold back and erupted.