Although he had indeed told Shangguan Yunying to follow Lin Qingyan in her cultivation.
But by “follow,” he had meant following her in cultivation.
He meant for Shangguan Yunying to learn from Lin Qingyan how to break through to the Core Formation Realm and how to steady her Dao heart.
Clearly, Lin Qingyan had twisted the meaning of “cultivation” into something else entirely.
One could only say that Lin Qingyan truly was Luo Zhao’s biological aunt.
The two of them not only had the same taste in men, but apparently the same taste in women as well.
As for Luo Zhao, she was completely dumbfounded.
Her grip on Shangguan Yunying’s hand loosened unconsciously.
Her gaze shifted from Lin Qingyan to Shangguan Yunying, then back from Shangguan Yunying to Lin Qingyan.
In the end, she looked at Shangguan Yunying, whose face had already turned bright red, in utter disbelief.
Shangguan Yunying had always been dignified and restrained.
She had served as the chief lady-in-waiting at the Crown Princess’s Palace for many years and had never lost her composure in front of others.
Yet at that moment, Lin Qingyan had an arm around her waist, and her neck was covered in marks left by her “special training.”
Her face was flushed as she lowered her head, not daring to look at anyone. She looked embarrassed and bashful, yet she had not struggled free.
It was obvious that she was admitting everything Lin Qingyan had said was true.
Luo Zhao’s lips moved, and even her voice trembled slightly.
“Yunying, those… were they done by Aunt?”
How could Shangguan Yunying possibly dare look at Luo Zhao? Her face was already burning red.
With Lin Qingyan’s arm locked around her waist, she could neither escape nor hide.
In the end, she could only lower her head and give a tiny hum, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.
Luo Zhao: “…”
She suddenly felt that she was still far too young. She had thought she was already quite perverted.
But now, compared with Lin Qingyan, her own level was practically child’s play.
Yet Luo Zhao quickly recovered from her shock.
No.
Putting Lin Qingyan aside for the moment, whatever was going on between Lin Qingyan and Shangguan Yunying, outrageous as it might be, could be dealt with later.
There was absolutely nothing simple about the relationship between Shangguan Yunying and Gu Chengyin either.
Some of those marks had been left by Lin Qingyan—but what about the rest?
Shangguan Yunying had slept in the Tranquility Pagoda last night, and Gu Chengyin had been there too.
The two of them had been alone in the same room, and Shangguan Yunying was dressed like this…
So Luo Zhao continued asking, “Then what about you and Gu Chengyin?”
This finally brought the conversation back to the real issue.
That was exactly the question Lin Qingyan had been waiting for.
With one arm still around Shangguan Yunying’s waist, she smiled meaningfully at Luo Zhao.
“Zhao’er, Sister Yunying already belongs to Chengcheng.”
As she spoke, Lin Qingyan gently pulled Luo Zhao’s hand away from Shangguan Yunying, as though dismantling a package that did not belong to her.
With her wrist freed, Shangguan Yunying instinctively shrank behind Lin Qingyan, as if she had found a place where she could hide.
Lin Qingyan tilted her chin slightly toward her and gestured in the direction of the stairs.
“All right, Sister Yunying. Go change your clothes first.”
Shangguan Yunying looked as though she had just been granted a pardon. With her head lowered, she did not even dare glance at Luo Zhao as she hurried toward the stairs in small, quick steps.
The hem of her nightgown flashed around the landing and disappeared, leaving only the sound of her hurried footsteps echoing through the stairwell.
Luo Zhao remained rooted to the spot.
Although the marks had not been caused by Gu Chengyin—or at least, not all of them had—Shangguan Yunying had still become Gu Chengyin’s woman.
And judging by the situation, Shangguan Yunying’s relationship with Lin Qingyan was exceptionally close.
Lin Qingyan had an arm around her waist, and although Shangguan Yunying was blushing, she had not resisted.
When Lin Qingyan helped her out of the awkward situation, she had naturally hidden behind her.
When Lin Qingyan called her Sister Yunying, she obediently acted just like a younger sister.
The sight stirred up incredibly complicated emotions in Luo Zhao’s heart.
For some inexplicable reason, she felt as though she had become an outsider.
Shangguan Yunying had been her former chief lady-in-waiting, someone who had stayed by her side for many years.
Lin Qingyan was her aunt, the family member closest to her—the aunt who had watched her grow up.
Yet now, her former chief lady-in-waiting had become her aunt’s “Sister Yunying,” living in the Tranquility Pagoda and dressed like this.
And Luo Zhao herself was standing here as the last person to learn about it.
Was this right?
Of course it wasn’t!
She was the Crown Princess.
Shangguan Yunying was her former chief lady-in-waiting.
Lin Qingyan was her own aunt.
So how had she ended up becoming the outsider instead?
Luo Zhao’s lips moved, and she nearly blurted those words out.
But in the end, her years of experience in suppressing her emotions kept her from making a scene on the spot.
She drew a deep breath and gradually forced down the turmoil in her heart.
Her face once again settled into the cold, aloof expression of the Crown Princess, as though nothing had happened.
It wasn’t that Luo Zhao didn’t care. She simply knew that losing her temper would accomplish nothing.
Things had already reached this point, and she was not the center of the matter now.
Gu Chengyin was.
Why was Lin Qingyan so close to Shangguan Yunying?
It could only be because of Gu Chengyin.
Otherwise, with Lin Qingyan’s temperament, she would not even have spared Shangguan Yunying a glance.
But as the de facto principal wife, Luo Zhao had to make sure that Gu Chengyin’s household did not descend into chaos.
So, pretending that nothing had happened, Luo Zhao silently climbed the stairs and sat down at the table on the second floor.
Gu Chengyin was the last to come up.
By the time he arrived, Lin Qingyan and Luo Zhao were already seated.
Neither of them spoke. An oddly delicate silence hung in the air.
Gu Chengyin first glanced at Luo Zhao, whose expression was calm.
There was not a trace of unnecessary emotion on that cold, aloof face, but he could still read her current feelings in those phoenix eyes.
She was sour with jealousy, as though she had drunk an entire bowl of vinegar but was stubbornly refusing to admit it.
Her eyes held grievance, displeasure, and a trace of unease at being left out. Hidden even deeper was a longing that only Gu Chengyin could understand.
Gu Chengyin said nothing about it. Instead, he asked Lin Qingyan, “Aunt, do you have the list of offerings to the Celestial Master’s Residence?”
At the mention of business, the smile vanished from Lin Qingyan’s face, replaced by seriousness.
Her brows drew together slightly, and she tapped a finger lightly against the tabletop before answering, “I actually forgot about that. I’ll have someone… No, forget it. I’ll go get it myself. You two wait here for a moment.”
After saying that, Lin Qingyan turned and headed toward the stairs, her steps cool and decisive.
Once the tower door opened and closed again, someone suddenly landed in Gu Chengyin’s arms.
Luo Zhao had leaped straight from her chair.
She moved so quickly and with such force that she nearly knocked both him and the chair to the floor.
Wrapping both arms around Gu Chengyin’s neck, she buried her entire face in his chest.
Then her aggrieved, jealous voice came from beside his ear.
It carried a trace of grievance, a trace of displeasure, and a hint of coquettishness.
She was still as obedient and docile as ever, but her final syllable trembled faintly.
It was as though she had just swallowed an entire bowl of lemons mixed with vinegar, sour enough to make her teeth ache.
“Master~ You can’t play favorites~”
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!
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
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?
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.
