"Take me to see Luo Zhao."
Through the system, Gu Chengyin issued his first command.
Hypnosis would not cause one to lose consciousness, but it ensured absolute obedience to commands.
Shangguan Yunying's body swayed slightly, her eyes losing focus for a brief moment before regaining their clarity.
When she looked at Gu Chengyin again, there was no hesitation. She grabbed his hand and spoke quickly and clearly, "Follow me."
Her actions were so swift and natural that they didn't even leave Chen Busha, who was standing nearby, a chance to ask any questions.
The figures of the two quickly disappeared into the deep, dark corridor.
The night breeze brushed past, sweeping up a few fallen leaves.
Chen Busha stood rooted to the spot, looking at the large doors that blocked his view. An inexplicable sense of irritability and unease welled up in his heart.
It wasn't that he was worried about Luo Zhao's safety. After all, one could say the female officials were few in number, but one could never say they were weak.
Especially Shangguan Yunying; not only was she the Chief Female Official of the Internal Affairs Bureau, but she was also the youngest Foundation Establishment realm expert.
"General?" A personal guard, seeing him standing motionless for a long time, probed in a low voice.
Chen Busha raised his hand, stopping the guard's subsequent words.
He remained silent, his jawline pulled tight, as if chewing over some indescribable doubt.
After a long while, he finally squeezed out a few chilling words through his teeth:
"Pass down the order: appear relaxed on the outside, but stay strictly vigilant on the inside. Double the hidden sentries."
.....
Inside the building, the light and shadows were deep and gloomy.
Gu Chengyin followed Shangguan Yunying, walking briskly up the stairs covered with a thick woven carpet.
Just as they were about to reach the top floor, at a corner where the sound of the night wind blowing through the terrace curtains could faintly be heard, Gu Chengyin suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Wait."
Hearing his voice, Shangguan Yunying stopped and turned her head in confusion.
In those eyes that always revealed shrewdness and caution, there was now only pure trust and the focus of waiting for instructions, as if silently asking: Are we not going?
Looking at the tool before him who was completely defenseless against him, a trace of marvel at the hypnosis flashed across Gu Chengyin's heart once again.
A woman like Shangguan Yunying, who possessed both beauty and strength, would likely be molded and manipulated at will if she fell into the hands of someone with wicked intentions.
Fortunately, Gu Chengyin had no such thoughts.
Women would only affect the speed of his cultivation.
He stopped merely because going straight in still carried a considerable risk.
No one ever knew just how many trump cards an imperial heir truly held.
Gu Chengyin needed a more secure and controlled opening.
After a brief moment of thought, Gu Chengyin issued his second command to Shangguan Yunying through the system:
"Knock Luo Zhao out, then tie her up."
Shangguan Yunying's gaze did not even ripple in the slightest. The moment she received the command, she turned around without hesitation, her steps light and decisive.
She headed straight for the top-floor terrace, temporarily leaving Gu Chengyin behind in the shadows of the staircase.
On the terrace.
Hearing the familiar footsteps behind her, Luo Zhao, who was leaning against the railing, did not turn around.
She merely gazed at the faintly undulating outlines of the mountains in the distant darkness and asked in a calm voice:
"Is it done?"
There was no response.
Luo Zhao frowned slightly. Just as she was about to turn and check:
A precise, swift, and dull pain suddenly struck the back of her neck!
Her consciousness instantly sank into darkness.
When Gu Chengyin pushed open the carved wooden doors leading to the terrace, this was the scene he saw:
Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess, who was usually so high and mighty with peerless elegance, now had her hands tightly bound by tough silk ribbons.
She was also quite creatively suspended from a hook hanging from the roof beam. Her black, gold-embroidered luxurious robes were slightly disheveled, and a few strands of dark hair hung down by her cheeks.
Shangguan Yunying stood quietly to the side like a delicate puppet, waiting for her next command.
Gu Chengyin didn't dawdle either and issued his third command to Shangguan Yunying:
"Find an empty room and stay there."
Shangguan Yunying nodded slightly and silently withdrew.
On the terrace, only Gu Chengyin and the suspended, slowly awakening Luo Zhao remained.
Her long, thick eyelashes fluttered a few times, and Luo Zhao opened her eyes.
The initial dizziness quickly faded. She saw her situation clearly and also saw the strange man standing not far away, leisurely sizing her up.
There were no panicked screams, nor were there any violent struggles.
Luo Zhao's pupils merely contracted slightly, and then she quickly regained that bone-deep calmness.
She even adjusted her slightly awkward posture caused by being suspended, then raised her eyes, her gaze locking precisely onto Gu Chengyin.
In that gaze, there was no fear, no anger, but rather a kind of scrutiny as if meeting her match, along with a vague sense of appreciation.
"Good skills."
Luo Zhao's voice was a bit hoarse, yet it still maintained a steady tone.
"In this world, you are the first person who could bypass the Internal Affairs Bureau and ultimately succeed in attacking me."
Gu Chengyin remained noncommittal. It seemed Luo Zhao still didn't know that the one who truly attacked her was actually her most trusted Chief Female Official of the Internal Affairs Bureau.
"Since you have such capabilities, I won't beat around the bush."
Luo Zhao looked straight at Gu Chengyin, her tone resolute and decisive.
"Work for me. No matter what price the person who hired you offered, I will pay ten times that amount."
Gu Chengyin smiled, his smile appearing somewhat subtle under the flickering candlelight.
He took two steps forward, his voice very light but every word clear: "Your Highness might not believe it if I say this, but I actually came here specifically to seek refuge with you."
Luo Zhao fell silent for a moment, then slightly raised her tightly bound wrists. The silk ribbons gleamed with a smooth yet cold luster in the candlelight.
Her eyes seemed to say: Seek refuge? Like this?
"Please forgive me, Your Highness."
Gu Chengyin understood her look and explained, "Time is pressing, and I had no choice but to resort to this poor strategy. Otherwise, I'm afraid that before I even got to see Your Highness, you would have already slipped away like a cicada shedding its shell."
A flash of undisguisable astonishment suddenly swept through Luo Zhao's eyes!
Slipping away like a cicada shedding its shell! How could he know about this?!
Gu Chengyin acted as if he didn't see the fluctuation in her eyes and continued to speak unhurriedly:
"Of course, I completely understand Your Highness's decision. The number of rebels in Luoshui Commandery is staggering, and the situation in the Divine Capital is changing rapidly, leaving no room for even a moment's delay."
"Though this plan is risky, it is also the fastest way to break the current deadlock. I deeply admire Your Highness's decisiveness."
Luo Zhao's expression finally darkened, and a crack appeared in her previous composure.
She stared fixedly at Gu Chengyin, her voice lowered and laced with a chill. "Who are you?"
Gu Chengyin extended a finger and wagged it gently, appearing exceptionally clear in the dim light.
"Your Highness, who I am is not important."
He spoke slowly, his tone carrying a strange, bewitching charm.
"What's important is that I have a way for Your Highness to arrive at the Divine Capital within ten days without losing a single soldier."
"Absurd!"
Luo Zhao almost blurted out. The calm she had tried so hard to maintain was completely shattered, her eyes filled with disbelief and intense questioning.
"Absolutely impossible!"
Gu Chengyin did not argue. He withdrew his finger, his smile unchanged.
"But this method comes with a prerequisite."
"A prerequisite?"
"The prerequisite is." Gu Chengyin paused after each word, his burning gaze fixed on Luo Zhao.
"Your Highness must trust me without reservation, purely, and one hundred percent..."
"With absolute trust."
The terrace fell into a brief, dead silence.
Only the night wind blew through, causing the woman suspended from the beam to sway gently.