Late at night.
Clickety-clack, clickety-clack!
Qin Luo opened his eyes groggily in bed.
What the hell is that noise?
He turned his head, intending to pat Su Muwan, but all he felt was the cold emptiness of the bed.
??
Qin Luo blinked.
Where did our big girl go?
Clickety-clack, clickety-clack!
The annoying noise came again.
Qin Luo listened carefully and realized the sound was coming from the gaming room.
After a moment of thought, he quickly got up.
He headed to the gaming room.
Qin Luo saw the door slightly ajar, a sliver of light peeking through the crack, accompanied by the sound of keyboard tapping.
There was also some indistinct muttering.
"No... no way... I checked the reviews, and this shop has a bad one."
"Ugh... why did you have to show me that bad review? Now I have to start over!"
"Hmm? This shop looks good... 4.9 rating... Wait, are these reviews even real?"
"Waaah... I just want to sleep..."
Creak—!
The door was pushed open.
The person inside trembled like a startled deer.
"Miss?"
Qin Luo crossed his arms, looking at Su Muwan, who was sitting at the computer desk typing away, with a resigned expression. "It's so late, and you're still up making travel plans?"
"Luo... Luo Luo!!"
Su Muwan turned her head, her eyes lighting up as if she had found her savior. Her eyes reddened.
With a sob, she lunged at him, clinging to Qin Luo like a koala, wailing, "Waaah! I don't want to make travel plans anymore!!"
"It's so exhausting!"
"Whoever wants to do this can do it themselves!"
Looking at Su Muwan, who was hanging onto him like a koala, Qin Luo chuckled and shook his head, gently patting her head while comforting her. "There, there, Miss. Don't cry, don't cry."
"I knew this would happen, so I already made the plans for you."
Sniff~!
Su Muwan looked up in surprise. "Really?"
"Of course."
Qin Luo smiled, about to boast a little.
"Then why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"......."
Qin Luo's eye twitched as he looked at Su Muwan, whose expression was gradually turning dangerous. "If I said it was to give you a sense of participation, would you believe me?"
"Haha..."
"I don't believe a word of it, you jerk Qin Luo!!! I'm going to bite you!!"
"!!!"
...
...
The next day.
"Ouch..."
In the bathroom.
Qin Luo lifted his collar and sighed as he looked at the "little strawberry" mark on his neck.
Tsk tsk.
The domineering Miss Su Muwan—utterly adorable!
He walked into the living room.
Whoosh—!
The sound of a suitcase dragging across the floor echoed.
"Luo Luo! Look! I bought a new automatic suitcase!"
"Isn't it amazing?"
Su Muwan was wearing a comfortable shark onesie, her slightly messy hair cascading over her shoulders.
She was sitting on the suitcase, sliding back and forth across the living room floor.
Seeing this, Qin Luo couldn't help but laugh. "Why are you so excited, Miss? It's not like we haven't traveled before."
Hearing this, Su Muwan quickly slid off the suitcase.
She tiptoed over to Qin Luo.
She tilted her head up, first glancing smugly at the "little strawberry" on Qin Luo's neck.
Then, her eyes sparkled mischievously.
"Hmph!"
Su Muwan stood on her tiptoes, leaning close to Qin Luo's ear, her voice playful and sly. "Well, Luo Luo, don't you get it?"
"This is... our first honeymoon trip together."
Whoa...
Qin Luo's ear tingled from her breath.
Honeymoon trip...
He looked at Su Muwan, her eyes filled with anticipation, and smiled.
Right.
As the ultimate villainess, Su Muwan probably didn't get many chances like this.
This time, he'd let her relax and enjoy herself.
But...
Qin Luo watched as Su Muwan turned and ran off to pack her luggage.
He tilted his head. Surely nothing unexpected would happen on this trip to Cherry Blossom City, right?
Should he... do a divination?
Nah.
Qin Luo shook his head. It's bad luck to do divination before a trip. Let's just go with the flow!
Meanwhile, Su Muwan was happily stuffing snacks into her suitcase.
Halfway through, she suddenly frowned.
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Would something unexpected happen on this trip to Cherry Blossom City?
No, no, that's such a bad thought!
Su Muwan recalled her past life—she had been to Cherry Blossom City before, and everything had been fine.
So this time should be no different... right?
...
...
Cherry Blossom City.
District 11.
A traditional Japanese-style courtyard was surrounded by high walls.
Inside the courtyard, neatly trimmed pine trees and exquisite stone lanterns complemented each other, while a winding path of white gravel led through the garden.
The main room was spacious and bright, but the air was thick with tension.
This was where members of the Jiutian Family regularly gathered to discuss important matters. Portraits of past family heads hung on the walls, their sharp gazes seeming to scrutinize everyone present.
Whoosh—!
The sliding paper door was abruptly opened, and a sliver of sunlight spilled onto the wooden floor.
"Father!!"
Jiutian Dudao burst into the room, panting, and shouted incredulously at the middle-aged man sitting at the head of the low table. "Why are you disbanding the Black Dragon Organization?!"
The core members of the Jiutian Family were seated around the long low table.
Everyone's expression was grave.
No one spoke.
Only one young man slowly stood up, looking at Jiutian Dudao with a smug expression. "Sister, don't you understand yet?"
"As the eldest daughter of the Jiutian Family, creating your own faction was already an act of rebellion."
"But Father didn't want to crush your confidence, so he indulged you."
"And what did you do?"
"You listened to the sweet talk of the Rakshasa Palace's leader in Jiang City, thinking that by joining forces, you could dominate the underworld of the Eastern Kingdom."
"And then what?"
"The Rakshasa Palace was destroyed, and Jiang City was unified."
"Everything you did only paved the way for that Su Muwan!"
"How much manpower and resources did you waste during this time?"
"Sister, you should just stay at home and rest!"
Buzz—!
These words left Jiutian Dudao's mind blank. She stared in disbelief at her beloved younger brother.
How could he say such things to her?
That Su Muwan isn't human—she's a monster!
None of you could have done anything against her back then!
"Father..."
Jiutian Dudao turned her hopeful gaze to her father.
But...
"Dudao."
The Kudo Family Head shook his head solemnly. "The other underworld forces in Cherry Blossom City are stirring. We can no longer focus on your Black Dragon Organization."
"You... should take a break for now."
With those words, Jiutian Dudao's heart sank. She clenched her fists, lowering her head in defeat. "Understood."
Whoosh—!
The paper door slid shut.
The others sighed. "Our lady is so skilled and ruthless. How could she have been defeated by someone from a small place like Jiang City?"
"Indeed... Not only that, but the Rakshasa Palace was wiped out too."
"Is Su Muwan really that terrifying?"
The young man who had mocked Jiutian Dudao earlier sneered. "Terrifying? Ridiculous! She's just the young lady of some small family from a tiny place."
"Compared to the underworld of Cherry Blossom City, she's nothing!"
"Father."
The young man stood up and bowed to the Kudo Family Head. "Once our Jiutian Family unites the underworld of Cherry Blossom City, we can expand into neighboring cities!"
"I request that when that day comes, you allow me to lead a team to Jiang City and take over their forces!"
"What my sister couldn't do, I will accomplish!"
The Kudo Family Head nodded approvingly. "Very well, Chishima. You've truly grown."
Jiutian Chishima lowered his head, a glint of excitement in his eyes.
This way...
The position of the next family head will surely be mine!
As for Su Muwan...
I should thank you for stripping my sister of the Jiutian Family's support!
Hehe...
Once we unite the underworld of Cherry Blossom City...
Then, Kudo Chishima will go down in history!!