I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

Zhou Zhengyuan coughed a few times.

He looked at her quietly.

"What's wrong?"

"You think you can just kick this old man out?"

Pei Youyi chuckled softly.

Why would we want you to leave?

She picked up her teacup and took a sip.

"Is Old Zhou here for Master Gu?"

"I also heard that Master Gu was kidnapped."

She sighed, her face showing just the right amount of worry.

"My Pei family is very worried and has mobilized all its resources to search for them."

She paused, then looked at Zhou Zhengyuan.

"If Old Zhou has nothing else to do, he should hurry and go find Master Gu."

"Don't let this interfere with important business."

This was said euphemistically, but the meaning was clear.

Gu Yan isn't with me, you should leave now.

Zhou Zhengyuan's expression was somewhat strange.

He lowered his voice, speaking only at a volume that Pei Youyi could hear.

"Aren't you just trying to kick this old man out?"

Pei Youyi also lowered his voice, responding at a volume that he could only hear.

"Master, now that you know, why don't you leave quickly?"

Zhou Zhengyuan coughed for a moment.

He coughed several times before he recovered.

Then he spoke in a low voice.

"The daughter of the former prime minister really needs Master Gu to take a look at her."

Pei Youyi's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"The Marquis of Champions?"

Zhou Zhengyuan frowned slightly.

A hint of struggle flashed across that usually calm face.

It seemed like he was hesitating whether or not to speak.

Just then.

The elder clan leader couldn't take it anymore.

He felt a chill run down his spine as he watched Zhou Zhengyuan and Pei Youyi whispering to each other.

He dared to be a little tougher in front of Pei Youyi.

But in the presence of these elders...

He was filled with lingering fear.

It should be noted that there are twelve spots for the three academies' elders.

But only eight are still alive today.

Why?

Because it's better to have nothing than something bad.

Four of the twelve spots were vacant, and the Empire preferred to leave them empty rather than simply find someone to fill them.

Everyone who can sit in that position is a ruthless person who has crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Zhou Zhengyuan was one of them.

The elder took a deep breath and spoke.

"Elder Zhou, I wonder what I, the Pei family, have done wrong in our hospitality?"

His voice carried a hint of caution.

"We absolutely did not mean to kick people out."

"I've already prepared the food. How about we move to another place and talk while we eat?"

Those who can sit in this position are all shrewd and capable.

He had already arranged for a dinner party.

Zhou Zhengyuan glanced at him and nodded.

"That's fine too."

He looked at Pei Youyi.

"Youyi, let's go together and talk slowly."

Pei Youyi's eyes flickered slightly.

She wasn't mistaken.

When Zhou Zhengyuan mentioned "Champion Marquis Fu Shiwei" earlier, his brows furrowed slightly.

His expression also turned somewhat unpleasant.

Based on her understanding of Zhou Zhengyuan, if it were Fu Shiwei himself, he would never be so secretive.

Instead, they will readily admit it.

After all, Fu Shiwei was his junior and also the pride of the empire.

But now...

It's probably not that simple.

She recalled the rumors she had recently heard.

Fu Shiwei, leading a number of top-notch super-powered ancient martial arts teams and the most elite troops, has already reached the core of the Antarctic Black Tide Secret Realm.

If we can truly conquer it and make this secret realm disappear completely...

At least on the surface, Fu Shiwei is undoubtedly the number one person in the world.

It will shock the whole world.

Even she, the old master, was unwilling to talk about it...

Pei Youyi felt a little alarmed.

At the same time, it also sparked my interest.

She stood up and followed Zhou Zhengyuan outside.

After walking a few steps, she suddenly remembered something.

These past few days, Yu Ran and Xiao Yan haven't gone out.

She didn't know what was wrong with her.

I'm always feeling down.

Mingming was still very happy when she brought Xiaoyan back.

Did Yu Ran go too far?

She suddenly remembered.

He had promised himself that he would not go against Xiao Yan's choice.

Yu Ran said that Xiao Yan stayed on voluntarily...

This child wouldn't be lying, would he?

Not right either.

Yu Ran never lies.

Forget it.

Let's go check it out later.

If Yu Ran acts recklessly, as her mother, I can't let her do whatever she wants.

……

now.

In Gu Yan's courtyard.

Gu Yan slumped in the chair, looking utterly hopeless.

He's been going crazy these past few days.

On the first day, he came up with an idea.

"Sister Yuran, shall we play a game?"

Pei Yuran looked at him.

"What game?"

"mora."

"The loser should listen to the winner."

Gu Yan smiled gently.

Pei Yuran nodded.

Then she won thirty games in a row.

Gu Yan: "..."

He suspected that this silly goose could read minds.

The next day, he came up with another idea.

"Sister Yuran, let's have a memory contest!"

"I can memorize things very quickly; you definitely can't beat me."

Pei Yuran looked at him.

"How do we compete?"

Gu Yan took out two decks of cards and drew one card from each deck.

"Remember this card, then blend it into the deck and find it."

Pei Yuran nodded.

Then she took three seconds.

Gu Yan took three minutes.

Gu Yan: "..."

On the third day, he changed his strategy.

"Sister Yuran, are you tired?"

Pei Yuran shook her head.

"Not tired."

"Do you want to sleep?"

"In no mood."

"Would you like to close your eyes and rest for a while?"

"don't want."

Gu Yan: "..."

Is this silly goose made of iron?

On the fourth day, he went all out.

"Sister Yuran, look into my eyes."

Pei Yuran leaned closer and looked intently into his eyes.

Those icy blue eyes were very close to him.

Gu Yan quietly formed a hand seal.

Pei Yuran looked at it for a few seconds, then suddenly spoke.

"Gu Yan, your eyes have become more beautiful."

Gu Yan was taken aback.

"what?"

"It's seven-colored and brighter than before."

Pei Yuran said earnestly.

"It looks like there's a mirror image inside."

Gu Yan: "..."

What about his illusions?

What about his mental energy consumption?

Why isn't there any reaction?

Pei Yuran looked at it for a few more seconds.

"You're blinking."

"Are your eyes bothered?"

Gu Yan took a deep breath.

"no."

"I'm just a little tired."

Pei Yuran nodded.

"Then you should rest."

Then she sat down next to him and just watched him.

Gu Yan couldn't hold back any longer.

He's come up with dozens of ideas in the last few days.

None of them were useful.

This silly goose is like a block of ice; it just won't melt.

And every time she looked into his eyes, she was very serious.

He was so serious that he was a little...

Is your heart racing?

Gu Yan shook her head, banishing the thought.

No.

We need to keep thinking of other solutions.

He glanced out the window.

The sun is shining brightly.

Pei Yuran sat on the stone bench outside, quietly watching him.

Those ice-blue eyes were as clear as a lake.

Gu Yan suddenly felt...

like……

It's not that hard to get through?

Of course, it's only a little bit.

This did not deter him from running away to go on vacation with his grandfather.

Gu Yan felt somewhat helpless.

Holy crap, this is way too difficult.

It would be good to let him succeed just once.

If we succeed, we can intensify the process just before the goose is freed, and maybe we can keep this silly goose under control for a long time.

The question is, is the mental power of an S-class superhuman really that abnormal?

I just can't seem to get past the point where I can hypnotize myself.