“See? Getting anxious again.”
Compared to Cui Shifan’s fiery temper, Gu Chengyin was far more composed.
His expression hadn't changed since the moment Cui Shifan glared at him.
His state of mind was so calm it didn’t seem like he had just been yelled at to his face.
Facing an old fox like Cui Shifan, Gu Chengyin handled him with ease.
The more anxious you get, the more stable he becomes.
The more stable you are, the more anxious he grows.
That was the basic rule of the game.
“Pavilion Elder Cui, I have no intention of being disrespectful.”
“Not only that, I hold you in great esteem, and I also hold Zilu in great esteem.”
“That’s precisely why I say this is a special case.”
When Gu Chengyin spoke of respect, he was telling Cui Shifan:
This isn’t a transaction, nor is it about weighing pros and cons.
You have your difficulties, and I have mine.
That was why he was speaking so plainly.
Cui Shifan’s lips twitched, and he understood the meaning perfectly.
He had known it ever since Gu Chengyin mentioned “special circumstances.”
It was clearly referring to Lord Jingzhe from the Celestial Master’s Residence.
Lin Qingyan, whether in status, position, or strength, was beyond anything the Cui clan could match.
The Celestial Master’s Residence was an entity that stood above the imperial court—under no jurisdiction, bound by no officials.
It answered only to Taihe alone.
The Cui clan might be a millennial-old lineage, with former students and old subordinates scattered across the land, their roots buried deep in every crack of the court.
But before the Celestial Master’s Residence—before Lin Qingyan—they were nothing.
Let alone mentioning the words “invincible at the Golden Core stage,” which could terrify countless noble houses.
Cui Shifan fell silent.
Countless emotions roiled and clashed in his chest, like a pack of trapped beasts desperately trying to break free.
But Cui Shifan suppressed them.
Not because he had seen reason, not because he had accepted it.
But because he knew that before absolute power, all emotions were useless.
Anger would not weaken Lin Qingyan; resentment would not make Cui Zilu more worthy; heartache would not change Gu Chengyin’s mind.
The only thing he could do was accept.
Cui Shifan opened his mouth, about to say something, but the moment his lips parted, he stopped.
He turned his head toward the palace gate.
Gu Chengyin also turned to look.
At the gate of the Crown Prince’s Palace, a carriage came to a steady halt.
It was small, with a plain black lacquered top and no ornamentation.
It looked no different from the ordinary carriages seen everywhere on the streets of the divine capital.
But the horses pulling it were sleek and muscular, their hooves gently pawing the ground in a rhythmic tapping sound.
These were palace horses—fine steeds carefully raised by the Imperial Stable.
The carriage curtain was pushed open from inside, and a face slowly emerged.
Lyu Fang.
He descended from the carriage, steadied himself, and didn’t immediately walk forward. Instead, he first looked around.
His gaze swept from the gate to the courtyard, from the courtyard to the corridor, from the corridor to the entrance of the main hall.
Lyu Fang’s eyes paused briefly on Gu Chengyin and Cui Shifan.
Then he nodded to them from a distance.
Gu Chengyin narrowed his eyes slightly and murmured,
“His Majesty moves faster than I expected.”
Cui Shifan nodded in complete agreement, his gaze still fixed on Lyu Fang.
Both of them knew why Lyu Fang was here.
From the moment news spread that Cui Zilu had proposed a marriage to Gu Chengyin, the palace would inevitably react.
Because this matter had touched Emperor Luo’s bottom line.
A marriage alliance between the Cui clan and the Crown Prince’s faction would shatter the balance of the court.
That balance was the very foundation that kept Emperor Luo securely on the dragon throne.
It was the capital that allowed him to mediate adroitly among all factions.
Now, someone was about to flip the table.
Emperor Luo would not sit idly by.
He was bound to act—it was only a matter of time.
But what Cui Shifan and Gu Chengyin hadn’t expected was how quickly Emperor Luo would act.
So quickly that Cui Shifan hadn’t even left the Crown Prince’s Palace yet, so quickly that the two hadn’t even finished their conversation.
And yet, Lyu Fang’s carriage had already stopped at the gate.
This meant that Emperor Luo had known from the moment Cui Shifan stepped into the Crown Prince’s Palace.
He had already been considering it the moment Cui Shifan made the marriage proposal.
He had made a decision the moment Cui Shifan and Gu Chengyin walked out of the main hall.
This speed wasn’t just quick reflexes—it was preparation.
Emperor Luo hadn’t started thinking about this just today. He might have been thinking about it from the day Cui Zhenji resigned.
He had merely been waiting.
Waiting for Cui Shifan to make his move, waiting for Gu Chengyin to respond.
Waiting for everyone to show their stance.
And then he acted.
Gu Chengyin and Cui Shifan had no intention of continuing their conversation.
There was no need.
Lyu Fang’s appearance meant today’s discussion ended here.
No matter what they had just been talking about, no matter how far their discussion had progressed, no matter what tacit understanding they had reached.
None of it mattered now.
Because the most important thing now was not whether Cui Zilu could marry Gu Chengyin.
It was what Lyu Fang would do next.
Both watched as Lyu Fang walked from the palace gate toward the main hall.
As he approached the doorway, he paused, nodded to the two men under the corridor, then continued straight into the hall.
He didn’t approach them. His goal was clear: he was heading to the main hall.
Gu Chengyin’s eyes flickered as he watched Lyu Fang’s figure.
This trip by Lyu Fang was neither for him nor for Cui Shifan.
It was for Luo Zhao.
He had judged this the moment Lyu Fang headed toward the main hall instead of toward them.
If Lyu Fang had come for him, he would have walked straight to the corridor.
If Lyu Fang had come for Cui Shifan, he would have done the same.
But no.
Lyu Fang walked to the main hall.
It meant his target was not under the corridor—it was inside the hall.
Gu Chengyin’s eyes narrowed again.
Emperor Luo was summoning Luo Zhao to the palace—right at this critical juncture.
Cui Shifan had just made his proposal, Gu Chengyin had just seen him out, and then Lyu Fang appeared.
The timing was too precise to be coincidental.
Emperor Luo had been waiting—waiting for Cui Shifan to finish speaking, waiting for Gu Chengyin to see him out, waiting for them to have their private conversation under the corridor.
Then he dispatched Lyu Fang.
Not to interrupt them, but to tell them:
I know what you’re doing. I know everything.
After watching Lyu Fang enter the main hall, Gu Chengyin withdrew his gaze and turned to Cui Shifan.
Cui Shifan also withdrew his gaze, and their eyes met in the air.
“Pavilion Elder Cui, I won’t see you out.”
These words meant one thing clear: You may go now.
Cui Shifan let out a soft grunt.
His expression shifted from the earlier gravity to an even calmer understanding.
If Lyu Fang hadn’t appeared, he could have continued talking with Gu Chengyin.
About Cui Zilu, about the marriage proposal, about the special circumstances, about whether she would be the primary wife or a concubine.
About whether there was any way to save face for the Cui family without costing Gu Chengyin anything substantively.
But Lyu Fang had appeared. So things had to be put on hold for now.
Before Emperor Luo’s stance became clear, everything they said was meaningless.
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
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?
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!
