Lin Qingyan watched Shangguan Yunying take a deep breath, her expression one of someone ready to face death, and nodded.
“Then I’ll go find Chengcheng first. Wait here patiently, Sister Yunying. Don’t lose your nerve when the time comes.”
As she spoke, Lin Qingyan gave Shangguan Yunying one last, thorough look.
The moon-white robe fit her perfectly. The lightning patterns at the collar were neat and distinct, and the belt was tightened just right.
She looked exactly like a second version of Lin Qingyan herself.
Shangguan Yunying bit her lower lip without answering. Her eyes held only the grim determination of someone who had burned every bridge behind her.
Lin Qingyan turned and walked toward the tower entrance.
After two steps, she stopped as though she had remembered something. Tilting her head, she cast Shangguan Yunying a glance from the corner of her eye.
That look held a reminder, a warning, and a hint of mischievous amusement.
“Oh, right. Chengcheng likes people who are a little more forward.”
“When the time comes, Sister Yunying, don’t be too reserved. Just do what needs to be done.”
With that, Lin Qingyan left the Heart-Calming Tower without looking back.
Only Shangguan Yunying remained inside, along with the glazed crystal mirror reflecting her current appearance.
Once she was out of the Heart-Calming Tower, Lin Qingyan’s steps grew light and quick.
The buildings of the Celestial Master’s Estate spread out beneath the sunlight, their blue-tiled roofs, white walls, soaring eaves, and interlocking beams all exuding the solemn grandeur of a thousand years of history.
Lin Qingyan passed through the corridors, went around the scripture hall, and crossed the broad bamboo grove, her footsteps so light it was as if she were walking on clouds.
Several cultivators from the Celestial Master’s Estate came toward her. Upon seeing her, they all bowed and addressed her as Lord Jingzhe.
Lin Qingyan gave a slight nod, her expression as cool and composed as ever, perfectly embodying the bearing of Fairy Jingzhe.
But no one knew that the mood of this Fairy Jingzhe was more buoyant than a cat that had just stolen a piece of dried fish.
At last, Lin Qingyan entered a secluded little courtyard. An old plum tree grew there, its gnarled branches twisting across the sky. Though it was not flowering season, it possessed a quiet, austere charm all its own.
She pushed open the door and went straight into the inner room.
With a flick of her finger, a set of clothes appeared on the table.
They were pale pink court robes, made of fine fabric and exquisitely tailored, with the distinctive cloud-patterned embroidery of the Heir Apparent’s Palace hidden along the collar and cuffs.
They were Shangguan Yunying’s clothes.
Before changing into Lin Qingyan’s moon-white robe, Shangguan Yunying had taken off this set of pale pink court robes, folded them neatly, and placed them on a low cabinet in the corner of the Heart-Calming Tower.
When Lin Qingyan had left the tower, she had brought them along.
She picked up the pale pink court robes, shook them open, and examined them for a while.
Shangguan Yunying was about the same height and build as she was, so the clothes should fit without any trouble.
It was only that Shangguan Yunying’s curves were more striking than hers, which meant the robe had been given a little extra room across the chest.
Lin Qingyan lowered her head to look at herself, then at the court robes in her hands, and pursed her lips slightly.
The expression lasted only an instant.
She removed the moon-white robe she was wearing.
Then she put on the pale pink court robes piece by piece.
The inner garment, the ruqun skirt, the outer robe, the belt.
At last, Lin Qingyan stood before the mirror and studied her reflection in the pale pink court robes.
The woman in the mirror had cool features and a distant air, forming a subtle contrast with the gentle elegance of the pale pink outfit.
It was like placing a block of ice inside a box carved from warm jade. The ice remained ice, and the jade remained jade.
Yet when the two were brought together, they produced an entirely different kind of charm.
Lin Qingyan studied herself in the mirror for a while, then nodded.
Fine. This would do.
She turned and left her residence, following the route she had taken earlier toward the main entrance of the Celestial Master’s Estate.
She did not use the main gate. There were too many eyes there, and leaving in these clothes would likely cause an unnecessary commotion.
So she took the side gate instead, following a quiet and secluded path.
Bamboo grew thickly on either side of the path. Its leaves swayed gently in the breeze, making a soft rustling sound, as though whispering among themselves.
Outside the side gate of the Celestial Master’s Estate lay a bamboo grove of modest size.
A path paved with blue-gray stones wound through its center, leading toward the main street outside the estate.
The moment Lin Qingyan stepped through the side gate and into the bamboo grove, she saw Gu Chengyin.
He stood at the edge of the grove with his hands behind his back, his gaze resting on the patches of sunlight filtering through the bamboo leaves. His expression was calm.
Lin Qingyan slowed her pace.
Stepping over the bamboo leaves scattered across the stone path, she walked toward Gu Chengyin one step at a time.
The pale pink hem of her skirt swayed lightly around her ankles, complementing the green and yellow bamboo leaves carpeting the ground.
From the corner of his eye, Gu Chengyin caught sight of a pale pink figure.
He knew that color all too well.
He turned his head and saw [Shangguan Yunying] emerge.
The pale pink court robes fit her perfectly. The belt had been tied in a neat, proper knot, while the white magnolia hairpin trembled faintly in her hair, its tassels brushing lightly against the side of her neck.
Her movements were calm and graceful, and the hem of her skirt drifted over her ankles, carrying a delicate fragrance on the breeze.
Gu Chengyin froze for the briefest moment.
It was not because he had seen [Shangguan Yunying], but because something was wrong.
Gu Chengyin’s gaze lingered on [Shangguan Yunying]’s face for an instant.
That face was gentle and elegant, her brows and eyes curved with a smile. It was indeed Shangguan Yunying.
And yet he felt that something was off.
It was not her appearance, nor her clothes, but a lack of harmony between the two.
When this [Shangguan Yunying] walked, her back was held a little straighter than Shangguan Yunying’s.
When she looked at him, the light in her eyes was sharper than Shangguan Yunying’s.
And the curve of her lips held a touch more composure—and a touch less shyness—than usual.
Before Gu Chengyin could figure out what was wrong, [Shangguan Yunying] had already walked up to him.
She was very close, close enough for him to smell her.
Then Gu Chengyin caught it.
It was not the light floral fragrance Shangguan Yunying usually carried, but a crisp, frosty scent.
Like the first snow of deep winter settling on pine branches, cold and sharp yet touched with a distant elegance.
He knew that scent far too well.
Gu Chengyin’s eyes narrowed slightly. His gaze moved slowly down from [Shangguan Yunying]’s face, passing over the pale pink court robes.
It passed over the neat, proper knot at her waist, then over the white magnolia hairpin swaying faintly in her hair.
Finally, it returned to [Shangguan Yunying]’s face.
Gu Chengyin was silent for a moment before asking, “Little Aunt, why are you wearing Yunying’s clothes?”
The corners of Lin Qingyan’s lips curled upward. There was no embarrassment at being exposed, nor any guilt at being found out.
Only the satisfaction of knowing that he had recognized her, just as she had expected.
Her features shifted, returning from Shangguan Yunying’s face to her own.
She took another half-step forward, compressing the distance between them until almost none remained.
The pale pink hem of her skirt overlapped the edge of Gu Chengyin’s robe, and the tip of her nose nearly brushed his chin.
“Don’t I look good?”
Lin Qingyan countered, her tone carrying mischief, provocation, and a faint trace of anticipation.
As she spoke, she tilted her head slightly, allowing the tassels of the white magnolia hairpin to slide along her neck and trace a glittering arc.
The tassels brushed lightly against her throat, drawing Gu Chengyin’s gaze toward the slender, fair curve of her neck.
His eyes followed the path of the tassels, rested there for a moment, and then shifted away.
He reached out and pinched the end of the pale-crimson sash at Lin Qingyan’s waist, his fingertips rubbing the delicate fabric.
“Yunying’s clothes have a unique charm when worn by Little Aunt.”
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!
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
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.
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'!"
