Gu Lingling felt warm in her heart, her smooth fingers couldn't help but tap Dabao's chubby little face. He looked so lovely when he was asleep.
The prince watched Gu Lingling's maternal love, and his eyes were brimming with tenderness. Xiaoqing was even more anxious and uneasy. Gu Lingling loved this child, and the prince valued Gu Lingling. If this child accidentally revealed today's situation, it would be a big crime.
Xiaoqing knelt down with a thud, thinking it better to confess on her own initiative. Perhaps the prince would go easy on her considering their many years of master-servant relationship.
"Xiaoqing, what are you doing?"
"Your Highness, I've let you down. After leaving this morning with the young lord, I somehow fell asleep. I slept for half a day and didn't look after the young lord properly. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
Xiaoqing loved children very much. When she returned to the room with Dabao, she had planned to take out some small toys to amuse him. However, she felt a sudden drowsiness and fell asleep. When she woke up again, she saw Dabao, who was standing at the bedside, looking at her coldly. Although he was only a three-year-old child, his gaze was even more profound and intimidating than that of a prince.
Actually, these memories of Luo Yun can be completely removed from Xiaoqing's memory. But because he came back later than expected, he only had time to wake up Xiaoqing.
"It's okay, it's okay, everyone is bound to feel unwell at times. Besides, Da Bao is very obedient, he can play happily by himself for half a day, and nothing happened. There's no need to be so nervous."
Da Bao was already nestled in Gu Lingling's arms, sleeping with his thin eyelids lowered, the delicate blue veins on them visible, his chest rising and falling slightly.
The prince gave Xiaoqing a cold look and said, "Aren't you going to thank Teacher Gu quickly?"
Xiaoqing quickly came to her senses and hurriedly thanked Gu Lingling.
Since Da Bao was fine, Gu Lingling didn't want to argue with a little maid, so she exchanged a few pleasantries and took Da Bao back to the room.
...
Da Bao lay on the bed, sound asleep, emitting a faint snore from his small nose.
Luo Yun was still seriously injured and had not yet undergone blood pool restoration. Today, his transformation into an adult took longer than expected, almost reaching his limit. Having used his magic during the day, he was already unable to hold on. As soon as he saw Gu Lingling, he relaxed and couldn't help but fall into a deep sleep.
Gu Lingling watched quietly for a while, her eyelids also becoming heavy. She had originally planned to stay awake until dark, but the next moment she fell into darkness.
But Gu Lingling was very alert and, not knowing how long she had been in the darkness, suddenly saw a glimmer of light in front of her.
Gu Lingling walked towards the light and as it drew closer, she heard a noisy sound.
Passing through the light source, Gu Lingling found herself in a courtyard where torches flickered, filled with cries, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood.
Gu Lingling looked down and the scene changed again. The courtyard, which had been empty just a moment ago, was now full of corpses.
A shiver ran down Gu Lingling's spine. Blood had pooled on the ground, becoming a mass of red and black, and most of the corpses were dismembered, their deaths terrifying.
Suddenly, a figure flashed by, reminiscent of the silhouette from earlier in the day, or rather, the figure from earlier in the day resembled the figure that had just passed by.
Gu Lingling, paying no attention to the corpses around her, followed.
The figure moved very quickly, moving through various courtyards.
It was at this moment that Gu Lingling noticed that each courtyard was like a hell on earth, with bodies strewn around in disarray, their blood congealed into blackness.
The person also seemed to be very afraid, not daring to look closely.
Just as Gu Lingling was about to catch up with her, a small figure suddenly appeared in front of her.
Da Bao?! Gu Lingling was startled and quickly picked up Da Bao. She couldn't believe that Da Bao had followed her to this place, running around.
Da Bao, in Gu Lingling's arms, looked puzzled, as if he didn't recognize her. However, at this moment, Da Bao was somewhat different from usual, with a trace of innocence and confusion in his big eyes.
Just as Gu Lingling was about to ask him why he was here, the surroundings began to distort continuously until they disappeared.
Gu Lingling opened her eyes and found herself in the guest room of the Prince's Mansion. It turned out to be a dream, but she had not been aware of dreaming at all and she was worried about Da Bao.
Gu Lingling chuckled at herself.
Turning her head, she looked at Da Bao beside her, who was repairing his damaged soul and was very sensitive to external stimuli. The negative energy from Gu Lingling's nightmare had not allowed Da Bao to sleep soundly, and he struggled on the big bed.
Gu Lingling did not know that her nightmare had disturbed Da Bao's soul, and she thought that he had had a bad dream. She softly patted his soft little belly.
It seemed to have an effect. Da Bao stopped struggling, and his breathing became steady. Gu Lingling's touches were even gentler, but she felt something hard and round.
Could this little guy be hoarding money?
The first thought that came to Gu Lingling's mind was gold and silver ingots, but when she opened Da Bao's clothes, she found that the hard object was not the silver she had hoped for, but a small bell.
Gu Lingling looked at the bell, feeling that it looked familiar. After thinking for a while, she finally remembered that when Luo Yun appeared in the martial arts arena at the Forget Worry Pavilion, he seemed to wear such a bell around his waist. At the time, she thought the bell looked a bit tacky and even made some sarcastic comments.
Gu Lingling didn't think much of it. She thought it was probably accidentally lost by Luo Yun and happened to be picked up and kept by Da Bao as a toy.
Gu Lingling felt guilty towards Da Bao, who had suffered a lot since following her. According to Da Bao's clothes when she first found him and his picky habits, he was not a child from a wealthy family, but from a well-off family. However, now, even basic clothing and food could barely be guaranteed, let alone the need for toys and entertainment, without a single toy.
Da Bao being able to keep this bell on him meant that he really liked it, but this item belonged to Luo Yun. Since Luo Yun didn't seem like a person who carried accessories, this bell must have been worn for a specific purpose.
"Da Bao, don't blame mommy. Mommy will buy you many, many toys in the future."
Gu Lingling promised softly and, with a little effort, pulled the bell from Da Bao's waist.
At the moment the bell separated from Da Bao, his soul trembled and he also awakened from his state of meditation.
The bell, leaving Da Bao, emitted a burst of colorful light but disappeared quickly, confirming Gu Lingling's belief that it was extraordinary. She couldn't delay, she had to return it to Luo Yun as soon as possible.
Seeing Da Bao looking at her with the bell containing half of his soul, Gu Lingling became increasingly wary.
Seeing that Da Bao had finally been "persuaded" by her, Gu Lingling felt a sense of achievement. This child was indeed afraid of being frightened. Gu Lingling had been raised by her grandmother and had been terrified with various legends by her grandmother when she was young. Now used to deal with Da Bao, it was indeed effective.
Gu Lingling got up from the bed and was about to leave, and Da Bao, seeing this, couldn't help asking, "Where are you going?"
Wearing shoes, Gu Lingling didn't look back. "Wait for mommy for a while, mommy will be back after returning this to Uncle."
This thing was really a hot potato. Gu Lingling didn't want to keep it in her hands for a moment longer.
Da Bao suddenly felt a panic, not expecting this woman to be so anxious. He stretched out his lotus-like little arms in the air to stop her, but Gu Lingling had already put on her shoes and left.
At this time, it's already evening, outside the clouds are light and the breeze is gentle, a bright moon hangs in the sky, a few sparse stars dotting it, creating an indescribable serenity and coolness.
Gu Lingling took a deep breath, it had been a long time since she had felt so at ease, and it quieted her restless heart.
The bell in her hand unexpectedly emitted a clear and ethereal sound, causing a ripple in her heart, as if resonating with the bell. There was a strange feeling in her heart, as if she had been struck by something, not painful, even a bit of unexplainable anticipation, but she didn't know what would happen.
In Luoyun Zhen's room, which had been dark, suddenly lit up, Gu Lingling had been worried that Luoyun Zhen had retired for the night, but now it seemed she had overthought the situation.
Gu Lingling knocked on the door, there was no response from inside, instead there came a jumble of noises, as if something had collided with the table and chairs.
Gu Lingling's heart tightened, she really hoped nothing had happened. Lately, things had been strange, and the man in black seemed to be obstructing the investigation, and Luoyun Zhen had destroyed that fruit last time, it was likely that the man in black was causing trouble again.
Without much time to think, Gu Lingling pulled out the sword she carried with her, and with one swipe, the door latch instantly broke into two, and the door swung open.
The noisy sound in the room abruptly stopped as Gu Lingling entered.
"Leader?"
There was no one in the room, only a lonely candle burning quietly on the table.
Gu Lingling cautiously entered, holding the sword. Beside the bed, there was a screen embroidered with a handsome man bathing, and a woman sneaking a glance.
Gu Lingling couldn't help but gasp, she didn't expect such bold and avant-garde things in the prince's residence. However, the admiration only lasted for a moment, the next moment, she cut the avant-garde screen in half with her sword.
Gu Lingling lifted the sword, ready for the next attack, and the screen collapsed on both sides, leaving Gu Lingling stunned. She stuttered, "Lead, I didn't mean to, I thought it was the man in black... I came to return the bell... Please forgive me, Leader."
Behind the screen, Luoyun Zhen had her back to Gu Lingling, her long black hair cascading like a waterfall on her back, covering the thin outer robe.
Luoyun Zhen was tying her belt, looking disheveled due to the rush.
The collision just now was because in her hurry, she had bumped into the screen.
Luoyun Zhen hesitated, then slowly turned around, the room was dimly lit and her long hair covered her, perfectly concealing the blush at the back of her ears.
"Why such reckless behavior?"
Although she seemed to be questioning, her tone was somewhat absent-minded.
Gu Lingling came to her senses from her embarrassment, hastily bowed and reported, "My son accidentally saw the leader's bell, I thought it was something special, I didn't dare to delay, so I dared to disturb the leader." Gu Lingling paused, stealing a glance at Luoyun Zhen, but the light was dim, she could only see half of Luoyun Zhen's face, the flickering candlelight didn't allow her to see her expression, only the cold eyes reflecting the flame.
Gu Lingling quickly lowered her head again, and held up the bell, intending to present it to Luoyun Zhen, but accidentally stepped on the broken screen, slipped, and stumbled forward.
At this moment, Luoyun Zhen had fully turned around, one hand in front of her chest, the other behind her back, in a dignified and arrogant posture. Gu Lingling instinctively reached out, coincidentally grabbing the belt at Luoyun Zhen's waist, which was loosely tied and not providing any restraint, and in a sudden motion, she undid it.
The already thin outer robe was now gaping open.
"Don't look up..."
Gu Lingling, kneeling on the ground, couldn't help but look up, Luoyun Zhen's warning came too late.
Gu Lingling's pupils suddenly contracted, clearly startled by something, then her face flushed red.
Luoyun Zhen's rigid expression slowly collapsed, and in resignation, she closed her eyes, gritting her teeth, "Have you seen enough?"
Gu Lingling shook her head, then nodded, feeling it was inappropriate, wanting to dispel this freezing embarrassment, she chuckled awkwardly, "Leader is indeed gifted..."
"Shut up..."
Luoyun Zhen no longer held out any hope for Gu Lingling, and weakly interrupted her.
Gu Lingling finally got up from the ground, not as awkward as before, but rather closed Luoyun Zhen's clothes for her.
Unexpectedly, Luoyun Zhen, looking ethereal and elegant, not only was a leader in women's clothing, but also had an exhibitionist streak. Looking at Luoyun Zhen again, Gu Lingling's eyes now held a touch of sympathy and disdain.
Although Luoyun Zhen didn't know what Gu Lingling was thinking, she could tell from her expression that there was nothing good, and she must have been bewitched to rush out of the infant state, returning to an adult, and then ending up in this embarrassing situation.
In the several decades before Luoyun Zhen, she had never been so wronged.
But at this moment, the door suddenly burst open, the candles in the room extinguished, and in the darkness, Gu Lingling couldn't see what was inside, just felt something flying towards her.
There was a sudden tightening around her waist, warm and strong hands, followed by an even warmer embrace. After a moment of dizziness, Gu Lingling landed on the ground, her heart pounding wildly. Her face was burning, even though she couldn't see herself, she was certainly red.
Different from her burning cheeks, even through the fabric around her waist, she could feel Luoyun Zhen's hot palm.
Damn, why is it so hot? Normally, she seemed so cold, never thought she'd be this passionate...
Gu Lingling lowered her head, cursed Luoyun Zhen a few times in her mind, but her expression was somewhat shy.
"Do you, need anything?" Luoyun Zhen held Gu Lingling in her right hand, facing a group of fiercely murderous gas, shielding Gu Lingling at her side, she extended her wrist, the Frostblade appeared. Although her left hand was not good at holding a sword, Luoyun Zhen still didn't want to let go of Gu Lingling.
Luoyun Zhen didn't usually care about others, but she plucked up the courage to ask, but Gu Lingling surprisingly had no reaction.
"Gu Lingling? Gu Lingling?"
"Huh? What's wrong, Leader?" Gu Lingling was embarrassed, Luoyun Zhen had just saved her, and she was still lost in her thoughts, which was very rude, "I didn't catch what you said, I didn't hear clearly."
Luoyun Zhen naturally wouldn't say anything more, so she simply closed her mouth. Feeling somewhat stifled, she held Gu Lingling even tighter.
While holding Gu Lingling, she seemingly casually waved the Frostblade, deflecting the attacks of the gaseous entity.
The gas, while like mist, was heavier than mist, slowly began to solidify and gradually took on the form of a fox.
Similar to the skunk demon, it was enveloped in a light demonic aura, outlining the shape of fur.
The fox walked to the window, illuminated by the moonlight through the window paper, the aura that had turned into fur was distinct and seemed to emit a polished luster.
And those shallow brown eyes were shining with a strange light in the moonlight.
The ferocious fox demon glared fiercely at the tightly clasped hand on Gu Lingling's waist, its mouth sneering backward, emitting a low growl akin to an angry canine.
Want to take Gu Lingling away? No way!
The fox demon, enraged, twisted its neck in an extremely contorted manner, its body swelling by a circle, and its tail even transforming into nine tails.
"A nine-tailed fox? It's quite something for you to endure so long," Luo Yunzhen coldly snorted, a chilling sword aura slashing down. The nimble nine-tailed fox swiftly spun around on the ground, dodging the attack, "So what if you're a nine-tailed fox? You're still a beast that can only roll on the ground."
Frowning, Gu Lingling, although Liu Yunzhen was usually cold, rarely used such mocking words, couldn't help asking, "Master, do you know this fox? It's a creature that caused chaos in the prince's mansion."
Leaning against Luo Yunzhen's embrace, Gu Lingling's posture was extremely natural and comfortable, as if she had completely forgotten the ambiguous actions they had just taken.
The fox demon, observing the intimate scene between the two, immediately stabilized its body. Without waiting for Luo Yunzhen's response, its nine tails fanned out like a fan, unleashing a powerful demonic wind.
Luo Yunzhen held the Frost Flowing Sword horizontally, with the sword aura blocking off most of the demonic energy. However, the energy, like it had eyes, bypassed the sword and attacked from the side.
Although it looked like a demonic wind, it was actually enveloped in sharp, chaotic demonic energy. With one hand holding Gu Lingling and the other holding the Frost Flowing Sword, Luo Yunzhen was unable to defend against the sudden chaotic energy.
Seeing Gu Lingling about to be injured by the chaotic energy, Luo Yunzhen, unable to ward off the demonic wind, withdrew the Frost Flowing Sword gallantly and embraced Gu Lingling directly, leaving his back exposed to the chaotic energy.
Dumbfounded, Gu Lingling felt her body go stiff, her breath hitched. Everything went dark, and she found herself buried in Luo Yunzhen's warm, sturdy chest. She then heard muffled sounds of the chaotic energy cutting through flesh. Luo Yunzhen's body trembled slightly, emitting a faint grunt from his nostrils.
Stunned, Gu Lingling raised her head, catching a glimpse of Luo Yunzhen's fair neck, which was tense due to the pain. Feeling Gu Lingling's gaze, Luo Yunzhen slowly lowered his head, unexpectedly revealing a soft expression on his face, even managing to smile comfortingly at Gu Lingling.
It seemed as if he was the one enduring the attack.
"Unbelievable," Gu Lingling trembled in her heart, grabbing the Reckoning Sword at her waist, taking a deep breath and then exhaling. Without warning, she pushed away from Luo Yunzhen, exposing herself to the chaotic energy.
The fox demon's pupils constricted, promptly stopping the attack, but the chaotic energy that had already been unleashed couldn't be retrieved.
Rather than sitting idly by, Gu Lingling quickly drew a simple sigil with the Reckoning Sword.
This sigil, called the Golden Scale Sigil, was a defensive charm that allowed the caster to use spiritual power to form golden scales for protection. It was a high-level charm that required abundant spiritual power as a foundation; without it, the sigil couldn't be formed.
Although named "Golden Scale," it was actually a shape formed by intertwining golden threads of spiritual power.
A dazzling layer of golden scales protected Gu Lingling and Luo Yunzhen in the middle.
The chaotic energy and the bladed wind struck the golden scales with resounding metallic collisions, as if sparks of spiritual energy were produced. The bladed wind, containing abundant demonic energy, dropped onto the ground like a physical entity and vanished after a while.
Struggling to resist, each attack of the bladed wind transmitted a tremendous impact directly to Gu Lingling, causing her hand holding the sword to tremble, and cold sweat to form on her forehead.
It was easy to imagine the excruciating pain of being directly struck.
Just as Gu Lingling was pondering this, she felt a large hand covering her back, and a cool, resplendent spiritual power spread instantly throughout her body, allowing her to experience an unprecedented surge of spiritual power. It made her feel like a celestial being from the ninth heaven, able to oversee everything and make any decision.
Draped in a simple celestial robe that fluttered without wind, Gu Lingling stood firmly, and her Reckoning Sword emitted a radiant spiritual glow.
The Golden Scale Sigil continued to rapidly expand, and although the fox demon reacted swiftly, it was still injured by the sigil, leaving a visible scale-shaped scar on its face, gleaming with a faint golden light.
Unwillingly, the fox demon turned its head, sizing up Luo Yunzhen before casting a meaningful glance at Gu Lingling, and then transformed into a wisp of gas, fleeing.
Chasing after it to the door, Gu Lingling realized that Luo Yunzhen, already drained due to the loss of spiritual power and injuries, could no longer support himself. Stopping in her tracks when she heard the noise, she hurried back to Luo Yunzhen's side, supporting him as he almost collapsed.
Luo Yunzhen now sat wearily on the ground, with his smooth hair falling over his face and his normally icy gaze closed slightly. However, due to his injuries, his long eyelashes were still quivering gently.