Things had come to this, so Gu Chengyin had no choice but to come back in the afternoon.
Fortunately, it wasn’t urgent. After all, only a day had passed.
“Auntie, Yunying, I’ll be going now. I’ll come back to see you this afternoon.”
Hearing Gu Chengyin’s voice, Lin Qingyan gave a muffled hum.
She didn’t even open her eyes. She merely rolled over, lifted an arm from the mattress, and sleepily reached to the side.
By sheer coincidence, she pulled Shangguan Yunying, who was curled up beside her, into her arms.
Lin Qingyan’s arm wrapped around Shangguan Yunying’s waist, completely enclosing her in the crook of her elbow.
Then she went right back to sleep.
Shangguan Yunying’s body stiffened for a moment when she was pulled in, but soon relaxed again.
Watching this scene, Gu Chengyin raised an eyebrow.
Why did Lin Qingyan hug Shangguan Yunying as if she were hugging a giant stuffed toy?
Could it be that she had set her sights on Shangguan Yunying long ago?
Had she refrained from doing anything only because Shangguan Yunying had once been Luo Zhao’s chief lady-in-waiting?
Still, there was no denying that the sight of two great beauties embracing was pleasing to the eye.
Lin Qingyan’s arm was wrapped around Shangguan Yunying’s waist, while Shangguan Yunying’s forehead rested against Lin Qingyan’s chin.
Their hair had become tangled together, spreading across half the pillow in a weave of black and black.
They resembled two vines growing in a secluded valley, quietly entwining where no one could see.
Morning light spilled down from the dome, gilding their bare shoulders with a thin layer of gold.
It illuminated the fading red marks on their skin, making them appear and disappear beneath the light.
But Gu Chengyin did not linger. He would be seeing them every day from now on, anyway.
His gaze rested on the scene for one last moment before he turned and strode toward the stairs with easy confidence.
The spiral staircase stretched away beneath his feet. The dark-silver runes glimmered faintly as he passed, then slowly dimmed once he had gone.
As his footsteps gradually faded, the tower fell silent once more.
The spiritual light was dim and gentle. The rune pillars hummed softly, while the breathing of the two women on the silkworm-silk mattress mingled together.
Everything returned to the tranquility that belonged only to sleep.
Lin Qingyan, still holding Shangguan Yunying, opened her eyes.
There was none of the dazed confusion one would expect from someone who had just awakened, nor any of the languid satisfaction that followed such an indulgent night.
Her eyes were perfectly clear—sharp, lucid, and carrying a hint of calculation and mischief.
Lin Qingyan’s lashes fluttered once. Her gaze first lingered on Shangguan Yunying’s face for a moment.
Then she looked toward the spiral staircase. The footsteps had already vanished, and even the faint glow stirred by the runes had completely faded.
Gu Chengyin was truly gone.
Lin Qingyan withdrew her gaze, then lightly patted Shangguan Yunying and said, sounding quite displeased, “Chengcheng’s already gone. Stop pretending to be asleep!”
Only then did Shangguan Yunying open her eyes.
Her eyes were clear as well. Though the rims were still slightly red and fine traces of dried tears clung to her lashes, there was not the slightest hint of sleepiness in those beautiful eyes.
Her gaze quickly swept toward the spiral staircase, confirming that there was no longer any sound coming from that direction.
Only then did Shangguan Yunying blush and say, somewhat embarrassed, “I’m sorry, Sister Qingyan. Chengcheng was too formidable. I really couldn’t hold out.”
As she spoke, Shangguan Yunying didn’t dare look at Lin Qingyan.
She simply stared at her fingers, curled against the mattress.
She had called him Chengcheng, too.
This was the first time Shangguan Yunying had used that name. When it left her lips, even the tip of her tongue had trembled.
It was like a child who had secretly eaten a piece of candy—sweet, yet afraid of being discovered by an adult.
But she had still called him that.
Because after last night, Shangguan Yunying felt that she was allowed to use the name now.
Lin Qingyan didn’t mind the name itself, but she refused to accept that explanation.
She sat up in one swift, decisive motion. There was no trace left of the languid woman who had seemed too tired even to roll over moments ago.
The silkworm-silk quilt slipped from her shoulders and gathered around her waist, revealing her long neck and exquisite collarbones.
She folded her arms over her chest, raised her chin, and once again took on the aloof, distant bearing of the Jingzhe of the Celestial Master’s Manor.
Staring straight at Shangguan Yunying, she gave a cold snort.
“Two against one, and you still got countered and wiped out. Yunying, you’re a little too useless.”
Lin Qingyan’s voice was as clear and cold as frost, her displeasure utterly undisguised.
Shangguan Yunying, meanwhile, lowered her head, looking thoroughly meek and submissive.
The main reason was that she really had no grounds for argument.
After all, Lin Qingyan had taken the brunt of the assault.
In the battle last night, Lin Qingyan had unquestionably been the main force.
Shangguan Yunying had only needed to provide a little support from the side.
Lin Qingyan attacked head-on while she coordinated from the rear.
Lin Qingyan met the enemy’s force directly while she maneuvered around the flanks.
She didn’t need to withstand too much pressure or hold out for very long.
All she had to do was take over whenever Lin Qingyan needed a moment to recover, buying her enough time to regain her strength.
But in reality, the moment Lin Qingyan withdrew and Shangguan Yunying took her place, Gu Chengyin carried her off in an instant.
She hadn’t even used her ultimate move. Shangguan Yunying hadn’t made it through the first round.
She surrendered outright, and after that, she never managed to get back on her feet.
It was no wonder Lin Qingyan was so frustrated.
They had clearly held the advantage. The situation had been completely in their favor.
She had even been directing Shangguan Yunying to move five centimeters to the left.
By all rights, Gu Chengyin should have been the one admitting defeat and begging for mercy.
Yet in the end, it was the two of them who had been crying and begging him for mercy.
The afterechoes of those sounds still lingered in their ears. Every one of them had come from their own mouths.
Every word had been forced out at the very edge of defeat, after they had cast aside all pride and restraint.
How could the proud Lin Qingyan possibly stomach that?
She could beg for mercy in front of Gu Chengyin, because he was Gu Chengyin—her man.
But after begging for mercy, Lin Qingyan had to win back her pride.
No matter what, she was the Jingzhe of the Celestial Master’s Manor, an invincible Golden Core cultivator.
She had never lost in her entire life, yet now she had never once won.
She hadn’t even won with two against one. That only stirred Lin Qingyan’s competitive spirit even further.
If once wasn’t enough, then twice. If twice wasn’t enough, then three times. Sooner or later, she would win!
“No. From now on, I’m going to put you through special training!”
The more Lin Qingyan thought about it, the angrier she became, and the more convinced she was that she really needed to teach Shangguan Yunying properly.
Her gaze swept over Shangguan Yunying from head to toe, moving from the crown of her lowered head to her curled toes.
It traveled from the fading red marks on her shoulders to her faintly trembling fingertips, filled with scrutiny and appraisal.
Shangguan Yunying’s talent was actually quite impressive.
Although her cultivation was far below Lin Qingyan’s, she was hardly some delicate woman confined to the inner chambers.
The reason she had collapsed at the first clash was not that her foundation was too weak, but that she lacked experience.
She didn’t know how to distribute her strength, how to maintain her rhythm amid a storm of attacks, when to advance, when to retreat, when to grit her teeth and endure, or when to temporarily avoid the enemy’s edge.
All of these things could be taught.
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.
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
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!
