Judging that the time was about right, Lin Qingyan opened the door to the Heart-Calming Pagoda without haste.
Then she stepped inside, her pace unhurried. The hem of her pale rose-colored dress brushed lightly against the threshold, like a peach blossom carried in by the wind.
The spiritual light inside the Heart-Calming Pagoda remained faint and gentle, casting everything in a hazy glow.
The air was filled with a presence she knew intimately, mingled with another presence she was gradually becoming familiar with.
The two auras intertwined, drifting slowly through the warm, tranquil atmosphere of the pagoda.
Lin Qingyan’s gaze passed over the glazed crystal mirror and finally landed on the large bed deep within the pagoda.
Calling it a bed was not quite accurate. It was more like a cultivation platform built into the Heart-Calming Pagoda.
The platform was broad and level, covered with several layers of spirit-silkworm mattresses unique to the Celestial Master’s Manor.
Under the faint spiritual light, the snow-white bedding gleamed with a warm luster, like an entire sheet of moonlight turned solid.
At each of the platform’s four corners stood a dark silver rune pillar, their surfaces engraved with densely packed Heart-Calming Incantations.
At that moment, the incantations glowed faintly, radiating gentle fluctuations that soothed the mind.
Gu Chengyin was leaning against the outer side, one hand pillowing his head while the other held the beauty in his arms.
The beauty had buried her entire face firmly against Gu Chengyin’s chest, not daring to look up.
A thin spirit-silkworm blanket covered her body. It was snow-white as well, blending almost seamlessly with the bare line of her shoulders.
Those shoulders were soft and rounded, their smooth skin gleaming warmly beneath the dim spiritual light. Several red marks remained near one shoulder, as though something had gripped her tightly—or perhaps nipped her lightly.
The marks were slowly fading, yet stubbornly lingered as faint traces, silently telling of what had just taken place.
Seeing Shangguan Yunying burying her head so deeply in Gu Chengyin’s arms that she did not even dare to raise it, Lin Qingyan could not help covering her mouth with a laugh.
“Looks like Sister Yunying finally got what she wanted.”
Her tone carried the satisfaction and teasing of an elder watching a younger member of the family finally get married.
How could Shangguan Yunying possibly respond? She did not even dare lift her head.
Upon hearing Lin Qingyan’s teasing, her body visibly stiffened for a moment. Her back tensed even more, and the outline of her shoulder blades showed clearly beneath the thin blanket.
She burrowed even deeper into Gu Chengyin’s embrace, her forehead almost pressing into his ribs. The tip of her nose was flattened against his lapel, and her breath came out hurried and hot.
Shangguan Yunying wished the spirit-silkworm bedding in the Heart-Calming Pagoda could be thicker—thick enough to bury her entire body, thick enough that no one could see her.
Seeing that Lin Qingyan was still wearing the official lady’s uniform, Gu Chengyin asked helplessly, “Auntie, why are you still wearing Yunying’s clothes?”
Only then did Shangguan Yunying raise her head.
When she saw the official uniform Lin Qingyan was wearing, she froze.
That pale rose color was far too familiar. Wasn’t this the formal palace dress she had folded neatly and placed in the low cabinet?
The cloud patterns at the collar had been embroidered by her own hand. The pleats of the skirt were something she carefully straightened every time before putting it on.
Every detail told Shangguan Yunying that these were her clothes.
Yet they were now being worn by Lin Qingyan.
Why was Lin Qingyan wearing them?
Wait.
Shangguan Yunying suddenly understood.
The fragments scattered throughout her mind were strung together in that instant, forming a complete picture.
After Gu Chengyin entered, the first thing he did—without saying a word—was tear off her robe.
It was not because she had revealed some flaw. It was not because he had realized she was not Lin Qingyan.
It was because he had known from the very beginning that she was Shangguan Yunying.
Gu Chengyin had known that the person waiting for him inside the Heart-Calming Pagoda was not Lin Qingyan, but her—wearing Lin Qingyan’s clothes.
That was why the first thing he did upon entering was strip away the disguise that did not belong to her.
Clearly, Lin Qingyan had told him.
Lin Qingyan had put on her clothes, gone out to meet Gu Chengyin, and let him know who was inside the pagoda.
So Lin Qingyan had never intended to make her a substitute.
Now, seeing the official lady’s uniform on Lin Qingyan, the resentment that had already been reduced by more than half in Shangguan Yunying’s heart vanished completely.
The pale rose palace dress was the standard uniform of the Chief Lady Officer of the Crown Princess Palace. In the eyes of Fairy Jingzhe, it should have been nothing more than a vulgar mortal garment.
Yet Lin Qingyan had not only put it on—she had worn it to meet Gu Chengyin, worn it back into the Heart-Calming Pagoda, and worn it as she stood before Shangguan Yunying.
If even Lin Qingyan could put on her official uniform, what more could Shangguan Yunying possibly say?
Lin Qingyan had been willing to lower herself to this extent. What right did Shangguan Yunying have to continue clinging to her small grievance?
“Sister Qingyan.”
This time, Shangguan Yunying spoke with more wholehearted sincerity than ever before.
As she said those four words, she looked directly at Lin Qingyan. There was no evasion in her eyes, no shyness, and none of the awkwardness that made her wish she could crawl into a crack in the ground.
There was only genuine recognition and acceptance.
Gu Chengyin looked at Shangguan Yunying in surprise.
From the tone of that form of address, he could hear a great deal.
It was not submission forced upon her, nor a compromise reached after weighing the pros and cons, nor resentment suppressed for the moment.
It was acceptance after lowering every last guard.
Shangguan Yunying had actually become completely convinced by Lin Qingyan?!
So what exactly had Lin Qingyan done behind his back?
She had made Shangguan Yunying wear her clothes while putting on Shangguan Yunying’s clothes herself.
Then she had worn Shangguan Yunying’s clothes to meet him and told him that the person inside the pagoda was Shangguan Yunying, wearing her clothes.
After this entire series of maneuvers, Shangguan Yunying had not become angry, jealous, or aggrieved.
Instead, she had sincerely called her Sister Qingyan.
Lin Qingyan was quite pleased by the title, though she did not show it.
She did not respond to Shangguan Yunying. She merely walked to the bedside at an unhurried pace and sat down.
Her gaze swept over Shangguan Yunying’s flushed cheeks before finally settling on Gu Chengyin’s face.
With a beaming smile, Lin Qingyan said, “Chengcheng, you should be worrying about yourself first.”
Gu Chengyin blinked.
His gaze searched Lin Qingyan’s face, trying to read something from her expression.
He simply did not understand what she meant.
Worry about himself?
What did he have to worry about?
Then Gu Chengyin saw the tip of Lin Qingyan’s tongue flash between her lips.
Her pink tongue slipped through the parting of her lips and lightly traced the curve of her upper lip, leaving behind a glistening trail of moisture before withdrawing again.
At the same time, Lin Qingyan cast Shangguan Yunying a glance.
Shangguan Yunying was puzzled at first, then enlightened, and finally eager to try.
No words, no gestures—only a silent understanding that the two of them alone could interpret passed between them.
“This time, we’ll definitely make you admit defeat and beg for mercy!”
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
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!
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
