Was this also part of your plan

Gu Chengyin hadn't even said a word, but Gu Xiaoli was the first to explode.

She dashed forward and stopped right in front of Gu Chengyin.

Though she wasn't tall—standing before Gu Chengyin, she was a full head shorter than him—the way she spread her arms wide to shield him was like a small beast with its fur bristling, guarding its most precious territory.

Every bit of her seemed on edge, her eyes filled with hostility as she glared at Lin Qingyan before her.

This single move separated Lin Qingyan from Gu Chengyin.

"Xiaoli is the one who's going to be gege's bride!"

"Qingyan jiejie is the homewrecker!"

The moment those words left her mouth, the surroundings fell into a sudden hush.

Lin Qingyan's mood, which had been soaring brightly because of the imperial betrothal, felt as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head. The smile on her face slowly faded, bit by bit.

She froze for a moment, as if she hadn't quite heard what Gu Xiaoli had said, or as if she couldn't believe what her own ears had just picked up.

Then her brows knitted together, and a vertical crease appeared between her eyes—a sign that she was about to lose her temper.

She narrowed her eyes, and somewhere deep in her pupils, a glint of golden light flashed past.

Lin Qingyan didn't argue with Gu Xiaoli. Instead, she simply raised her right hand.

On her pale, slender fingertips, golden lightning abruptly flickered to life.

Like tiny golden serpents slithering and weaving between her fingers, accompanied by faint crackling sounds.

Each bolt of lightning carried terrifying power as it detached from Lin Qingyan's fingertips and flew straight toward Gu Xiaoli.

Lin Qingyan's intention was clear: she meant to push Gu Xiaoli aside with that lightning—not to harm her, but to force her out of the way.

Yet the moment the golden lightning touched the space three inches before Gu Xiaoli, it vanished into nothing.

Like snow meeting blazing sun, like a drop of water falling into boiling oil.

It disintegrated silently.

No collision, no sound, not even a ripple of spiritual energy stirring. It simply vanished, clean and pure.

Lin Qingyan's pupils contracted.

She saw it.

A nearly transparent spiritual energy field had formed around Gu Xiaoli, and yet it was this seemingly fragile barrier that had completely neutralized her lightning strike—without leaving behind even a trace.

Gu Xiaoli stood there, completely unmoved.

Her arms remained spread wide, blocking Gu Chengyin behind her.

Her chin lifted slightly, and the look she gave Lin Qingyan held neither fear nor hesitation—only stubborn resolve.

She had no intention of stepping aside.

Because she had sworn a solemn oath.

No.

Gu Xiaoli silently corrected herself. That wasn't a curse oath—it was a vow.

A wedding vow, sworn between her and her gege.

Every word had been carved into her Dao heart with her own hand. Every sentence was a promise she had made willingly.

Since she had sworn it, she had to see it through.

Although Gu Xiaoli was usually fond of playing dumb and hiding behind sweetness, she was never someone who broke her word.

And right now, in her eyes, this was exactly the moment when Gu Chengyin needed her.

Because Lin Qingyan was going to marry her gege!

But it was she who had said the wedding vows with her gege!

It was she who would stand by his side no matter what happened!

It was she who was supposed to be her gege's bride!

Why should some imperial decree allow Lin Qingyan to take her gege away?

Gu Xiaoli straightened her back even more, her gaze burning as she glared at Lin Qingyan.

The two of them stood there, less than five paces apart, locked in a standoff.

One was at the pinnacle of the Golden Core stage, the other half a step into Nascent Soul.

The air seemed to freeze solid in that instant. Even breathing grew heavy and strained.

Invisible pressure radiated from both of them, pressing the fallen leaves flat against the ground, pinning them there without a twitch.

And watching the two of them face off, Gu Chengyin only felt a splitting headache.

A truly pulsing headache.

Emperor Luo had changed the original decree from "recruiting a son-in-law" to an outright betrothal—and to Lin Qingyan, of all people.

This was neither strange nor terrifying in itself.

If only Lin Qingyan had told him privately.

He could have discussed it with her calmly, weighed the pros and cons, measured the gains and losses.

Together, they could have found a response that benefited everyone.

Lin Qingyan, despite her straightforward nature, wasn't unreasonable. As long as he laid out the reasoning clearly, she would likely have been willing to cooperate.

But no. Not privately.

It had to be in front of Gu Xiaoli.

And not just any Gu Xiaoli—a Gu Xiaoli who had just sworn a vow of death.

Which meant things were about to get very ugly.

Gu Chengyin's gaze swept past Gu Xiaoli's ears, red enough to drip blood.

Then it drifted over the golden lightning flickering at Lin Qingyan's fingertips.

Finally, it settled on the nearly tangible tension crackling between the two of them.

And his headache only worsened.

Gu Xiaoli had just carved those wedding vows into her Dao heart.

This was the moment she was most sensitive, most serious, most unwilling to tolerate even a grain of sand in her precious illusion.

In Gu Xiaoli's mind, she and he had sworn their vows, which meant she was already his bride.

And as for Lin Qingyan—with the imperial decree backing her, there was absolutely no chance she would back down.

So Gu Chengyin thought to himself: Emperor Luo's timing in revising that decree and sending it down had hit the most critical juncture with devastating precision.

Had it come a little earlier—say, before Gu Xiaoli swore that third vow—she would have been upset, sure. But her reaction wouldn't have been anything this intense.

Back then, she hadn't yet carved those wedding vows into her Dao heart. At most, she'd pout her lips and nurse a sulk.

She wouldn't have charged straight at Lin Qingyan for a confrontation.

Or if it had come a little later—say, after he'd found some excuse to send Gu Xiaoli away, and Lin Qingyan had broken the news to him in private—

He would have had plenty of time to soothe Gu Xiaoli, to properly prepare her mindset, to help her slowly accept the fact.

Given how much Gu Xiaoli trusted him now, as long as he coaxed her well enough, there was a real chance she'd reluctantly nod her head in the end.

But no. It had to be now. Right. This. Moment.

The very next instant after Gu Xiaoli carved those wedding vows into her Dao heart.

And with that, Lin Qingyan descended from the heavens bearing the message of the betrothal.

Not a single second of breathing room was left for Gu Chengyin.

And so the scene of marital chaos unfolded exactly like this.

Gu Chengyin cursed silently in his heart.

Emperor Luo, was this all part of your grand plan?!

He even began to suspect that Emperor Luo might be using some magical treasure to keep watch on him at all times.

Otherwise, how could the timing be this perfect? So precise it felt like someone had measured it with a ruler.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Luo Zhao's reaction was the complete opposite of Gu Chengyin's.

Far from stepping in to break up the fight, the look in her eyes was gleaming with excitement.

Genuine excitement.

The "recruiting a son-in-law" decree turning into a betrothal would have normally displeased Luo Zhao.

With the original decree, she'd at least still have a chance.

But an outright betrothal was different—when Emperor Luo spoke, the die was cast, leaving no room for changes.

Inwardly, Luo Zhao had been seething, furious at her father for not supporting her.

But she hadn't expected this—Gu Xiaoli actually stepping forward.

This was an unexpected blessing.

When it came to who among Gu Chengyin's inner circle could go head-to-head with Lin Qingyan, Gu Xiaoli was the only one.

The only problem was that this cat liked to play cute and hide her claws far too much.

Luo Zhao had tried more than once—through overt means and covert means, with soft words and hard pressure—to get Gu Xiaoli to throw herself against Lin Qingyan.

But Gu Xiaoli always acted reluctant. She'd take the gifts and flash her sweet smiles, but that was as far as it ever went.

At critical moments, he would play dumb, slippery as a little loach.

Luo Zhao had nearly given up on him by now.