Lin Qingyan shot Gu Chengyin a meaningful glance, pointed toward the door and then walked out first.
Gu Chengyin didn't say anything more but got up and followed Lin Qingyan.
Meanwhile, Shangguan Yunying and Gu Xiaoli sat on either side of Luo Zhao, forming a sort of pincer formation.
Lin Qingyan led Gu Chengyin out of the bedchamber and stopped in the empty corridor.
The night breeze swept through the hallway, tousling the stray strands of hair at her temples and stirring the hem of his moon-white robe.
Lin Qingyan turned around, about to speak.
But before she could utter a word, Gu Chengyin suddenly stepped forward and pulled her into his embrace.
Her words died in her throat.
She froze for a moment, her body instinctively stiffening.
But the stiffness lasted only an instant, before melting away like spring ice meeting the sun.
Lin Qingyan yielded, burying herself in Gu Chengyin's arms, pressing her face against his chest.
The moon-white robe still bore the stains left by that blade—dried into dark brown marks, carrying a faint metallic tang.
Yet Lin Qingyan didn't find it unpleasant. Instead, she buried her face deeper, as if that would bring her closer to Gu Chengyin's heart.
“They’re still inside,” she whispered, her voice muffled, laced with shyness and a feigned seriousness.
Gu Chengyin didn't care at all, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips.
“Isn't that even better?”
Lin Qingyan blinked.
Better?
Well, maybe it was.
Especially with Luo Zhao just on the other side of the wall.
Before she could think further, Gu Chengyin gently lifted her chin.
She looked up, meeting his gentle, water-soft gaze, and her heart skipped a beat.
The next moment, his demanding lips pressed against hers.
Now Lin Qingyan couldn't care less about anything else.
She raised her arms, wrapped them around Gu Chengyin's neck, and kissed him back without hesitation.
Her kiss was just like her personality—never passive acceptance, always active pursuit.
But Gu Chengyin didn't retreat; instead, he pushed forward, one hand holding her waist, the other cradling the back of her head.
He pinned her against the corridor pillar, deepening the kiss.
Moonlight spilled over them, freezing the scene into a tender, lingering portrait.
Only after a long while did they part.
Lin Qingyan leaned against the pillar, breathing lightly, her cheeks flushed, her lips even redder than before.
She looked down, fumbling to button up her undone collar.
Her fingers trembled slightly, but she couldn't manage to fasten the clasp.
“All your fault!” she murmured with a hint of reproach.
“Now I've forgotten what I was going to say.”
Gu Chengyin watched her flustered look and couldn't resist teasing her.
“Then, maybe we should kiss a little longer?”
Lin Qingyan looked up and shot him a glare.
That look carried reproach, shyness, and a hint of indescribable affection.
She lowered her head again, continuing her battle with the stubborn clasp while trying to gather her thoughts.
Earlier, she and Shangguan Yunying and Gu Xiaoli had discussed for a long time before reaching an agreement.
They had debated whether Gu Chengyin might hypnotize Luo Zhao again, what to do if he did, and whether they should stop it and how.
After going back and forth, they had finally reached a consensus.
None of them wanted Luo Zhao to be hypnotized.
But how could she explain this conclusion to Gu Chengyin?
Would he be upset?
Would he feel she wasn't on his side?
And Gu Chengyin, quietly watching Lin Qingyan, wasn't thinking about how to hypnotize Luo Zhao at all.
He was currently in the Foundation Establishment stage, with only two hypnosis slots available.
One had been used on Lin Qingyan’s inner demon, and the other was originally for Luo Zhao, but it had already been lifted.
As for whether he would re-hypnotize Luo Zhao—
Gu Chengyin shook his head inwardly.
No.
If he truly planned to re-hypnotize Luo Zhao, he wouldn’t have lifted the hypnosis in front of the three of them.
The reason he did it was to give them a chance to intervene, while simultaneously lowering their guard.
Because Lin Qingyan, Shangguan Yunying, and Gu Xiaoli all believed, without a doubt, that Gu Chengyin lifted the hypnosis solely to reapply it to Luo Zhao.
But in Gu Chengyin’s eyes, Luo Zhao was no more threatening than a stray dog on the street.
Hypnotizing her again would simply be a waste of a slot.
It was far better to maximize the benefit of the hypnosis-lifting gesture and use it on someone who was truly valuable.
For instance—Lin Qingyan.
At this thought, Gu Chengyin couldn’t help but feel a bit exasperated.
For most people, one hypnosis was enough, but Lin Qingyan was different. She needed two.
Ever since he learned that Lin Qingyan had evaded hypnosis by using her inner demon, he had planned this strategy: if one wasn’t enough, two would surely bring her under control.
Given Lin Qingyan’s status, position, and power, even using both slots on her was far more worthwhile than wasting them on Luo Zhao.
“Chengcheng.”
Lin Qingyan’s voice snapped Gu Chengyin out of his thoughts.
She had finally fastened the frog buttons on her dress and looked up at him, speaking earnestly:
“I’ve discussed it with Yunying and Xiaoli.”
“Since you’ve already lifted the hypnosis, then... don’t hypnotize Zhao’er again.”
After saying this, Lin Qingyan kept her eyes fixed on Gu Chengyin’s face, waiting for his answer.
Under the moonlight, her cool, clear eyes carried a hint of anticipation, a touch of nervousness, and a trace of cautious hope.
Gu Chengyin didn’t reply immediately.
Lin Qingyan waited a moment. When he remained silent, her heart grew uneasy. She was about to speak again when Gu Chengyin suddenly pressed her against the wall again.
Her back met the cold surface, and she instinctively looked up, meeting Gu Chengyin’s eyes.
Those eyes, so close to hers, usually as gentle as flowing water, now held an intensity that made her heart race.
“Chengcheng?”
Lin Qingyan hesitated, her voice unconsciously softening.
But Gu Chengyin still didn’t answer.
Instead, he leaned in, his face nearly brushing hers, so close that she could feel the warmth of his breath.
Close enough to see the faint glimmer deep in his gaze.
Then, he said tenderly:
“Whatever Little Aunt says, goes.”
“I’ll listen to everything you say, Little Aunt.”
Lin Qingyan’s heart suddenly raced.
Whatever she said, that was it?
He agreed?
A surge of joy lit up Lin Qingyan’s eyes as a spark of brilliance flickered within them.
She lowered her voice, looking into Gu Chengyin’s eyes, and whispered:
“Chengcheng, don’t worry. As long as I’m here, no one will lay a hand on you.”
Five.
“Mm.”
Gu Chengyin responded softly.
His hands, without a sound, slid around her waist, pulling her just a little closer, bringing them even nearer.
Four.
Lin Qingyan’s heart was pounding like thunder.
She had no idea she was locking eyes with Gu Chengyin.
Three.
“Little Aunt.”
His voice grew even more tender, like a spring breeze drifting across a lake.
Two.
“Mm...”
She answered, her voice melting like a pool of spring water.
One.
“You’re beautiful.”
[Hypnosis Failed]
Gu Chengyin: "?"
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
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!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
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?!
