His pupils contracted rapidly twice before slowly opening again.
A faint trace of moisture clung to his eyelashes, barely noticeable.
Whether it was sweat from the stuffiness, or something else, no one could tell.
On the whites of his eyes, a single, extremely fine red thread stretched from the corner all the way to the edge of the pupil.
Like a dried-up red creek painted on rice paper.
Lin Qingyan looked at Gu Chengyin.
Gu Chengyin looked at Lin Qingyan.
They gazed at each other for about three breaths.
Then Lin Qingyan suddenly buried her face into his chest.
So fast, so fierce—like a frightened rabbit diving headfirst into the nearest burrow.
Her forehead pressed against his collarbone, the tip of her nose brushing his shirt, her entire face buried in the fabric.
Her hands broke free from the tangled blanket, as if summoning strength from nowhere, clutching tightly at the cloth by his waist—like she was holding onto something that might vanish at any moment.
Gu Chengyin lowered his head, able only to see the crown of her head.
Her messy strands of hair brushed against his chin, tickling slightly.
He could feel Lin Qingyan’s breath seeping through his shirt—rapid and disordered.
Like a small animal that had just run a very, very long way and finally found a safe haven.
He didn’t speak. He didn’t move.
He just sat there quietly, letting Lin Qingyan’s face stay buried in his chest.
Letting her fingers grip his shirt, letting her breath slow down, bit by bit, from frantic to calm.
After a long while, Lin Qingyan finally spoke.
“Chengcheng.”
Her voice was muffled by his shirt, sounding fuzzy and indistinct.
“Mm.”
“Do you think you’re really something special?”
Gu Chengyin raised an eyebrow slightly.
The question came out of nowhere, and her tone was off.
Not accusatory, not reproachful—but a soft, aggrieved complaint.
“No,” he said.
“You’re lying.”
Lin Qingyan’s voice turned even stuffier, as if she’d rubbed her face against his shirt.
“You shook your head when you left this morning. You thought I didn’t see?”
“Did you think the ‘Jingzhe’ of the Heavenly Masters’ residence was nothing special?”
Gu Chengyin said nothing.
His silence was taken by Lin Qingyan as confirmation.
Her fingers tightened on his shirt again, her knuckles pressing into his side.
Not too hard, not too soft—just enough for him to feel it.
“I knew it!”
Her voice was gritted through her teeth, but because she had no strength, it came out more like a petulant growl.
“You, on the surface all proper and serious, but deep down you’re rotten to the core.”
“Last night was on purpose. Those three rules—just to watch me make a fool of myself.”
Gu Chengyin looked down at her messy crown of hair, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
“I didn’t,” he said, his tone flat, as if stating a fact.
“You did.”
“I didn’t.”
“You did, you did, you totally did!”
Lin Qingyan lifted her head from his chest, her flushed face once again exposed to the light.
Her eyes were still red, the corners still damp, but now a spark of stubborn defiance flickered in them.
She glared at Gu Chengyin, her lips slightly pouting.
Like a cat that had been bullied, finally caught its breath, and was ready to settle scores with the one who’d messed with it.
“You did it on purpose! You knew full well… you knew I can’t take that.”
“And you still made me beg you. And after I begged, you made me say it louder.”
“Chengcheng, are you some kind of pervert?”
Gu Chengyin watched her—her flushed face, her huffy expression, laced with grievance and embarrassment.
And that look that said I want to fight you but I don’t really have the guts.
He suddenly leaned down and gently bit her pouted lower lip.
The pressure was very light—light as if biting into a fully ripe cherry, afraid of breaking the skin and letting the juice spill.
His teeth grazed her lower lip once, then let go, then grazed it again.
Lin Qingyan’s accusations came to an abrupt halt.
Her eyes went wide, her pupils dilated, her lips stayed in that bitten position, slightly parted, revealing just a hint of teeth and the tip of her tongue.
Her breath paused for a beat, then quickened even more furiously than before.
“You!”
Her voice floated, unsteady. “You bit me!”
“Mm.”
Gu Chengyin’s expression remained calm, but something stirred in the depths of his eyes.
Like mud disturbed at the bottom of a deep pool—the surface still clear, but chaos brewing beneath.
“What right do you have to bite me?”
Lin Qingyan’s voice grew even flimsier, her confidence clearly draining.
“Because you needed it.”
Lin Qingyan opened her mouth, as if to say something, but in the end, nothing came out.
She just stared at him for about two breaths, then the corner of her mouth lifted.
“Chengcheng.”
Her voice suddenly dropped.
“Mm.”
“When you left this morning…”
She paused, her gaze shifting from his face to his shirt.
Her fingers were still clutching his clothes, loosening slightly, then tightening again, as if hesitating.
“When you went to find Zhao’er,” she repeated, her voice even softer. “Did you think of me?”
Gu Chengyin answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“Yes.”
Lin Qingyan’s eyes lit up.
Not the defiant glint from before—this was softer, like something lit from within.
Her eyelashes quivered, the curve of her lips widening a little more.
“Liar,” she said, but her tone held no trace of doubt.
“I’m not lying.”
“Then how long did you think of me?”
“A moment.”
“Just a moment?”
Lin Qingyan’s eyebrows shot up—for real this time, not just for show.
“Two moments.”
Gu Chengyin changed his answer without changing his expression.
“Two moments is still…”
Lin Qingyan’s words stopped mid-sentence.
Because she saw the corner of Gu Chengyin’s mouth twitch.
That curve wasn’t a smile, nor was it a lack of one—it was a barely suppressed grin.
“Gu Chengyin!”
Lin Qingyan suddenly raised her hand and punched his shoulder.
The force was light—in her current state, she probably couldn’t even kill a mosquito.
But the sound was loud, smacking in the quiet hall, sharp and clear.
Gu Chengyin didn’t dodge.
He didn’t even furrow his brow.
Instead, he caught Lin Qingyan’s hand.
Her fingers were slender and soft, the tips flushed red, her palm slightly damp with a thin layer of sweat.
He held her hand in his, his thumb slowly rubbing over her knuckles.
Lin Qingyan’s breath grew unsteady again.
She could feel the ridges of his thumb—rough and warm, calloused.
As it moved inch by inch across her knuckles, the sensation was like sanded wood:
Not smooth, but with a real, raw texture.
“Chengcheng.”
Her voice dropped again.
“Mm.”
“Then… what were you thinking about me?”
ver to a world of cultivation and returned invincible. Modern medicine is child's play compared to elixirs; technological might crumbles before true cultivation. My name is Qin Ning, Earth's sole cultivator!
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
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.
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!
