The words were spoken softly, but to Lin Qingyan, they struck like a thunderclap out of nowhere.
Her body tensed violently. Her pupils contracted in an instant, and even her breathing quickened.
She stared at Gu Chengyin in disbelief, her lips trembling, unmistakable panic in her voice.
“Zhao’er has a heart demon? But she’s only at the Foundation Establishment Realm! She hasn’t even formed her Golden Core yet, so how could she have a heart demon?”
Heart demons were something cultivators only faced upon reaching the Golden Core Realm.
Talking about heart demons at the Foundation Establishment Realm was like discussing how to run a marathon with a child who had only just learned to walk.
It was far too early, far too distant, and completely unreasonable.
Luo Zhao had not even found her path to the Great Dao. How could she possibly have a heart demon?
Gu Chengyin reached out and wrapped an arm around Lin Qingyan’s waist.
Then he pulled her closer, letting her lean against his chest before speaking softly.
“Little Aunt, don’t panic. It isn’t a true heart demon yet. At most, it can only be considered a rudimentary form.”
“More precisely, Her Highness’s mind has developed an illness.”
“Only when she breaks through to the Golden Core Realm will it truly become a heart demon.”
Lin Qingyan’s breathing gradually steadied.
A rudimentary heart demon.
A mental affliction.
That was far better than a genuine heart demon. It was like the difference between cancer in its early stages and cancer in its late stages.
As long as it had not yet become a true heart demon, there was still a chance. There was still time to remedy the situation. It had not yet reached the point of no return.
Based on Lin Qingyan’s experience, she was quite confident that she could help Luo Zhao resolve the problem.
However, just as she was about to let out a sigh of relief, Gu Chengyin spoke again.
“And, Little Aunt, haven’t you noticed that Her Highness is already almost at the Foundation Establishment Realm’s great perfection?”
Lin Qingyan froze.
It was as though someone had pressed a pause button in her mind, bringing every thought to an abrupt halt.
She blinked once, then again.
It was as if she were desperately trying to digest the sheer amount of information in those words.
Or perhaps she was struggling to recall some detail she had overlooked.
Luo Zhao was almost at great perfection?
The great perfection of the Foundation Establishment Realm?
How had she not known?
An indescribable feeling suddenly welled up in Lin Qingyan’s heart.
She was Luo Zhao’s aunt, her elder, and one of the people closest to her in this world.
Yet she had not even known how far Luo Zhao’s cultivation had progressed.
It was not that she had been unwilling to find out. It simply had never occurred to her to consider it.
In Lin Qingyan’s mind, Luo Zhao was still that little girl who needed protection, care, and step-by-step guidance.
But that little girl was already on the verge of reaching great perfection in the Foundation Establishment Realm.
What did that mean?
It meant that, just like Shangguan Yunying, Luo Zhao would soon face the bottleneck of breaking through to the Golden Core Realm.
It meant that the gates to the world of cultivation would soon open before her.
And waiting beyond those gates was not only the formidable power of the Golden Core Realm.
There was also a heart demon that had been gestating for who knew how long—one she had no idea how to deal with.
Lin Qingyan’s expression changed.
A moment ago, she had still thought she had plenty of time to help Luo Zhao.
But Luo Zhao was already almost at great perfection in the Foundation Establishment Realm. That meant the rudimentary heart demon might no longer be merely rudimentary.
Lin Qingyan suddenly seized Gu Chengyin’s hand. Her usually cool and distant eyes were now filled with panic and unease.
“What do we do, Chengcheng? Zhao’er is still so young.”
“She doesn’t even know how to deal with heart demons! What if something goes wrong?”
Lin Qingyan was genuinely panicking. She might have scolded Luo Zhao before, but whenever Luo Zhao’s safety was involved, no one wanted her to come to harm more than Lin Qingyan did.
Besides, Lin Qingyan understood heart demons far too well.
Heart demons could not be overcome through cultivation, strength, or influence.
They came from within—from the deepest parts of one’s heart, from unease, fear, obsession, and desire.
No one knew when they would appear, what form they would take, or whether they could even be defeated.
How many astonishing geniuses had fallen at this very trial?
Not because they were not strong enough, but because they had too much hidden within their hearts.
And Luo Zhao had more hidden within her heart than anyone.
Gu Chengyin said nothing. He merely placed his hand over the one Lin Qingyan had wrapped around his.
His expression remained utterly calm from beginning to end.
This was not an act, nor was he forcing himself to remain composed. His calmness was rooted deep within his very bones.
It was as though no matter how violent the storm, it was nothing more than ripples on a pond.
No matter how lofty the mountain, it was merely a mound of earth beneath his feet.
Calmness was contagious.
Lin Qingyan looked into Gu Chengyin’s eyes, feeling the warmth flowing from his palm.
The panic and unease in her heart, along with the fear surging toward her like a tide, receded bit by bit.
It had not vanished. It had merely been suppressed.
Suppressed by Gu Chengyin’s composure—the kind that allowed him to remain expressionless even as Mount Tai collapsed before him.
“That’s why I said Her Highness’s heart demon is the same as yours, Little Aunt.”
Gu Chengyin’s voice remained as tranquil as ever, yet his judgment was utterly precise.
Lin Qingyan blinked.
Her mind raced as she connected Gu Chengyin’s words with every clue that had come before.
Luo Zhao called Gu Chengyin Master.
Luo Zhao possessed a rudimentary heart demon.
Luo Zhao’s heart demon was the same as hers.
What was her heart demon?
Her elder sister.
Lin Qingyan’s pupils contracted.
She suddenly understood. It was like a bolt of lightning tearing through the pitch-black night, illuminating everything with perfect clarity.
Lin Qingyan raised her head and looked at Gu Chengyin. Her voice held hesitation, disbelief, and the complicated emotions that came with sudden realization.
“Chengcheng, are you saying that Zhao’er’s heart demon is also my sister?”
Gu Chengyin nodded, then continued.
“Not entirely, but you can put it that way.”
“Little Aunt, do you remember why I was able to weaken your heart demon?”
His words were like a key, sliding precisely into the lock within Lin Qingyan’s mind and turning gently.
The lock opened.
She understood.
She understood everything.
Why had Gu Chengyin been able to weaken her heart demon?
Because, to a certain extent, he had taken her sister’s place.
Because he had occupied a position in her heart that had once been irreplaceable.
That position had originally belonged to her sister—the obsession that had ultimately transformed into a heart demon.
A heart demon like that should have been impossible to weaken.
But then Gu Chengyin had appeared, taking her sister’s place.
Indeed, in Lin Qingyan’s heart, Gu Chengyin had already surpassed her sister.
He was no longer merely a substitute capable of weakening her heart demon.
He had become the one and only man she loved most.
The same logic applied to Luo Zhao. Her heart demon was also her elder sister.
But not entirely.
Her sister had died when Luo Zhao was too young.
In Luo Zhao’s memories, even her sister’s appearance was blurred.
Yet deep within Luo Zhao’s heart, there must still be some kind of obsession.
And Gu Chengyin had likewise become the substitute Luo Zhao needed.
Lin Qingyan’s eyes widened, her lips parting slightly.
The expression on her face shifted from confusion to understanding, from understanding to shock.
Finally, shock gave way to a sympathetic ache.
“So that’s why Zhao’er calls you Master?”
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
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!
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.
