The fast horse galloped down the empty, long street. The night wind whipped past her ears, yet Shangguan Yunying could not calm her racing heart no matter how hard she tried.
For as long as she could remember, this was the very first time... she had been this close to a man.
When Gu Chengyin frankly admitted that he did not know how to ride, she had originally planned to immediately summon a female official skilled in equestrianism to take him.
But she never expected that Her Highness, who had been silent all along, would speak up at that moment: "Since Steward Gu cannot ride, Yunying, you shall take him along."
With that said, Her Highness flicked the reins and rode off first, giving Shangguan Yunying no opportunity to decline or make other arrangements.
Though her tone was light, it was an absolute decree.
Once Her Highness had spoken, even if it meant charging into a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, Shangguan Yunying would only obey.
With matters at this point, she had to bite the bullet and let Gu Chengyin mount the horse to sit behind her.
Fortunately, the North Gate was already in sight; the distance was not far.
What reassured her even more was that after mounting, Gu Chengyin merely rested his hands lightly against the sides of her waist to maintain his balance.
His grip was gentle, his hand placement was proper, and there were no unnecessary movements or intimate closeness. He behaved like a perfect gentleman.
This unexpected propriety quietly raised Shangguan Yunying's estimation of Gu Chengyin by a few degrees.
...
Outside the North Gate, torches blazed fiercely.
Chen Busha was pacing back and forth, yet there was little anxiety between his brows.
The hidden spies and death-sworn assassins within the city had all been recalled. The entire Golden Feather Guard had obeyed orders, shedding their heavy armor and large supply loads. Carrying only their personal weapons and three days' worth of rations, both men and horses traveled light.
Upon seeing this army, which seemed to have cast off an invisible shackle, Chen Busha felt his initial worries about abandoning their heavy gear strangely fade away.
Replacing it was a sharp excitement, akin to a blade being drawn from its sheath.
"Your Highness!"
The sound of approaching hooves rang out from afar. Chen Busha immediately went forward, clasping his fist in salute to the fake Luo Zhao who arrived first.
Immediately after, his gaze fell upon the figure behind Shangguan Yunying, who had followed closely behind.
"Steward Gu."
Chen Busha turned to Gu Chengyin, who was dismounting. His voice was loud and clear, carrying through the silent night.
"The thirty thousand troops of the Golden Feather Guard have all assembled here. We have finished shedding our heavy gear and await your orders!"
Gu Chengyin stepped down steadily, his gaze sweeping over the dark, dense, yet utterly silent military formation behind Chen Busha.
The firelight illuminated faces that were resolute and silent. No one whispered to each other; no one moved out of turn.
They stood like statues forged of flesh and blood. Only the sound of breathing and the occasional snorts of the warhorses intertwined in the night wind, forming a grim and deadly rhythm.
He walked up to Chen Busha. His voice was not loud, but every word was clear enough for the nearby commanders to hear:
"General Chen, time is of the essence. I will outline three points on behalf of Her Highness."
"First, from this moment on, if anyone encounters any enemy, regardless of their size, the first priority is not to engage in combat."
"It is to stay alive. You must utilize the speed advantage of traveling light, and then, under safe conditions, report the enemy's tracks, troop strength, and movements to Her Highness as quickly as possible."
Gu Chengyin tapped his own forehead. "Intelligence is more important than a momentary victory or defeat."
"Second, on this march, Her Highness will lead the charge at the front. However, the route and pace may change at any time, perhaps even frequently."
"Everyone must follow the banner closely and maintain a highly mobile formation. Her Highness will not allow anyone to fall behind!"
He turned back and pointed at Shangguan Yunying, who had dismounted and was walking over. "Therefore, Her Highness has ordered Lady Shangguan to activate all the Luoshan Tokens from the Internal Affairs Department. I must trouble General Chen to distribute them to the commanders of each battalion."
"Every command from Her Highness will be relayed in real time through the Luoshan Tokens, ensuring that military orders flow smoothly and without the slightest delay."
Finally, Gu Chengyin turned around to face the thirty thousand silent soldiers.
The firelight danced in his eyes. His voice suddenly rose, carrying a soul-piercing power that was clearly delivered to the ears of every soldier listening intently:
"Third."
He paused for a moment, his gaze blazing like a torch as it swept across those faces, some young and some weathered, illuminated by the flickering firelight.
Then, he solemnly raised his hand, pointing at the fake Luo Zhao sitting quietly on horseback to the side:
"A verbal decree from Her Highness:"
His voice was deep, steady, and powerful, every word striking the hearts of the soldiers:
"As long as you follow her banner closely, without falling a single step behind..."
The night wind seemed to stop at this moment. Thirty thousand gazes shot in unison toward that black-clad figure.
"She, Luo Zhao, the Eldest Princess of the Great Luo, will surely bring every single one of you..."
Gu Chengyin took a deep breath and decisively spat out that single, momentous word:
"Home!"
A brief, suffocating silence followed.
Countless gazes locked firmly onto that calm figure on horseback. There was shock, there was hope, there was the exhaustion of surviving bloody battles, and above all, there was a pure, burning loyalty ignited by that very word.
Then, someone let out a low roar, like the lighting of a fuse.
Seething emotions exploded within the military formation, transforming into a deep, thunderous chorus of response:
"Loyalty!"
The voices were not shrill, but carried the weight and resolve of iron and blood. They echoed heavily between the city walls, as if seeking to brand this vow onto the very canvas of the night sky.
Chen Busha's chest heaved violently. He abruptly clasped his fists, his armor plates clashing together. His voice trembled slightly with emotion:
"This general respectfully obeys Her Highness's decree! I am willing to lay down my life for Her Highness!"
Shangguan Yunying stood to the side and behind Gu Chengyin. Gazing at his straight back, she listened to the landslide of promises and the word home echoing in her own heart.
A certain string in her heart was gently plucked, sending ripples through her.
Meanwhile, the real Luo Zhao, floating in mid-air, had already narrowed her phantom-like eyes into dangerous slits.
Traveling light, avoiding battles, prioritizing intelligence, adopting a flexible pace, and using the Luoshan Tokens for communication...
And that final sentence—tying the entire army's morale and loyalty to the name Luo Zhao with the promise of bringing them home.
These seemingly scattered commands began to piece together a blurry yet increasingly clear outline in her mind.
Abandoning frontal confrontations and entrenched defense in favor of extreme speed, absolute information relay, and flexible mobility.
Coupled with the psychological control and morale-building forged in the name of Luo Zhao.
These methods and stratagems made the real Luo Zhao feel that Gu Chengyin was very likely the master strategist she had been searching for all along.
But what left her most palpitating and bewildered was the extreme contradiction within Gu Chengyin.
He had clearly used treacherous arts to attack and control her, yet at this moment, he was unwaveringly anchoring the entire army's spiritual pillar upon her.
So was he fighting for her, or was he merely using her?
If it were the latter, why would he attribute this supreme, unifying honor to her?
If it were the former... then what was the point of his initial attack?
This completely paradoxical conflict between his motives and actions plunged even the deeply insightful real Luo Zhao into momentary confusion.
She watched Gu Chengyin's profile, half-lit and half-shadowed by the firelight, and felt that the fog shrouding this man had not only failed to dissipate.
Instead, it had become even more unfathomable with his every move.
] [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.
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
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!
