Heading to the Bai Family, Martial Artist Selection

The next morning.

The Leng Family.

At the entrance.

"Good morning, brother-in-law~ You actually didn't stand me up today!"

"Worth praising!"

Leng Ling'er, fully prepared, greeted Gu Yan cheerfully while holding her game console.

Gu Yan glanced helplessly at Leng Ling'er, who was carrying a bag of snacks and a game console.

This... little brat, do you think we're going on a spring outing?

Leng Qingqiu, meanwhile, descended the stairs, holding onto the handrail.

As soon as Gu Yan saw his wife, his day brightened up: "Good morning, Qingqiu. You're as beautiful and charming as ever today!"

"Even though you can't see, you walk as if you can!"

What kind of nonsense is this?

Leng Qingqiu walked over, feeling pleased inside but maintaining a cold exterior: "Who asked for your opinion?"

Then, she turned to Leng Ling'er and said, "Behave yourself when you're at your friend's place. Don't make it seem like you lack manners."

"Did you bring a gift?"

Leng Ling'er, who was still somewhat afraid of her older sister despite their big argument the previous day, meekly lifted the bag of snacks she was holding and said, "I did... Qionglan loves Wangwang milk."

"Mm, that's good."

Leng Qingqiu nodded slightly. Although Ling'er was usually a bit mischievous, she at least knew some basic etiquette.

Though bringing milk, snacks, and a game console to someone else's house was a bit odd.

But... it was rare for Ling'er to visit a friend's house, so she had to support it, especially since it was a girl's home.

That made her feel even more at ease.

She then turned to Gu Yan and reminded him, "Don't forget to pick Ling'er up in the afternoon."

Gu Yan wasn't happy to hear this, as if he was always the type to leave Leng Ling'er hanging.

He patted his chest and assured her, "I definitely won't forget!"

Leng Ling'er, standing nearby, pouted and muttered under her breath, "You better not."

"? Did you say something just now?"

Gu Yan gave her a friendly look.

"Ah! No, no, brother-in-law is the best! Of course, you wouldn't forget about me~"

Leng Ling'er forced an awkward smile, thinking to herself that Gu Yan was such a petty guy. Truly, like wife, like husband.

The whole family bullies me! How infuriating!

.....

.....

Old Gao placed Leng Ling'er's pile of snacks in the trunk.

Then, he returned to the car and started the engine.

Leng Ling'er swung her legs in the car seat and hummed an unfamiliar tune.

Gu Yan found it strange. Why was she so happy today?

He asked, "What are you so excited about? It's just a visit to Bai Qionglan, isn't it?"

"Haven't you two been seeing each other all the time?"

Hearing this, Leng Ling'er almost blurted out that she was going to ask Bai Qionglan, "What does kissing feel like?"

But she quickly caught herself. If she said that, Gu Yan might rat her out.

So she shut her mouth and snorted, "You're old, Gu Yan. You wouldn't understand the thoughts of us young people."

?

Gu Yan twitched his lips. Being in his twenties is considered old now?

Forget it, better not engage with this little brat anymore, or I might end up punching her twice.

With that thought, he leaned against the car window and closed his eyes to rest.

As time passed, Leng Ling'er grew bored and glanced at Gu Yan.

Seeing him with his eyes closed and breathing steadily, as if asleep, she reached out to tease him.

But then... she noticed something and curiously pulled it out of Gu Yan's pocket.

She looked at it and saw that it was half of a dragon-shaped jade pendant.

"A jade pendant?"

Leng Ling'er was puzzled. Why was it only half? And why did it look so strange?

Wait... this jade pendant... why does it look familiar?

The color... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before...

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't recall where.

"Little brat, what are you doing with my stuff?"

Gu Yan suddenly woke up, took the Dragon King Jade from Leng Ling'er's hand, and stuffed it back into his pocket.

Caught red-handed, Leng Ling'er chuckled awkwardly, "No, I just thought it looked familiar, so I took it out to have a look."

Hearing this, Gu Yan's eyes flashed with a hint of something unreadable. He deliberately asked, "Oh? This thing is so rare. You think you can find another one like it?"

Seeing that Gu Yan didn't believe her, Leng Ling'er grew anxious. "You! Don't you dare doubt me! Once I remember where I saw it, I'll definitely bring it over to show you!"

"Alright, alright, I believe you. So stop bothering me and let me sleep."

Gu Yan waved his hand dismissively and closed his eyes again.

This attitude made Leng Ling'er extremely unhappy. She felt her dignity had been trampled on.

So!

Stupid Gu Yan! Just you wait! I'll definitely find a jade pendant that looks just like this and slap it in your face! Then you'll see if I was lying or not!

.....

.....

The Bai Family.

Due to Bai Jun's influence and the Bai Family's secretive ties to the Dragon King Palace, all those in the know had funneled countless resources into the family, elevating it to a top-tier status in Jianghai.

It was a family that everyone wanted to befriend and no one dared to offend.

At the entrance.

Bai Qionglan and Bai Jun were already waiting.

As the luxury car came to a stop, Leng Ling'er hopped out.

"Good morning, Qionglan! I'm here to play with you!"

She greeted Bai Qionglan cheerfully.

The latter happily ran over and hugged Leng Ling'er's arm. "Ling'er~ Ling'er~ I've been waiting for you for so long~"

Leng Ling'er scratched her head. Well, organizing the snacks had taken some time, but it wasn't a big deal.

Now, it was time to have a good chat with Bai Qionglan about what kissing feels like!

Wait... no, we still have that game we didn't finish last time. Maybe I should focus on gaming first, then talk about kissing later!

Plus, there are so many snacks... I want to eat them too... At home, my sister keeps an eye on me, so I can't binge.

But at Qionglan's house, it's no problem! After all, my sister isn't here!

Gu Yan exchanged greetings with Bai Jun. "It's been a while."

Then he glanced at Leng Ling'er, who was already being dragged inside by Bai Qionglan. "This kid insisted on coming over to play. Well, it's a good chance for me and Qingqiu to have some alone time, so I brought her here."

Bai Jun chuckled awkwardly, unsure how to respond, so he cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Gu Yan, you're as unique as ever."

"I don't mind at all. In fact, I wanted to talk to you about something."

Gu Yan's interest was piqued. "Oh? What is it?"

Bai Jun continued, "Chen Yingyin resigned. I plan to have her participate in next January's Martial Artist Selection Conference. Of course, she's been specially recommended by me, so she'll breeze through to the final talent assessment."

Gu Yan smiled inwardly.

He hadn't expected Chen Yingyin to be so decisive, but this was for the best.

He looked at Bai Jun and said with a grin, "Martial Artist Selection Conference? That's quite a modern name you've got there."

Bai Jun nodded. "Times have changed. We live in a society governed by law now. Martial artists need to be specially managed."

"Every martial artist will have a special ID. We're just keeping up with the times, making things more formal."

Gu Yan nodded in understanding. "So, the reason you're telling me this is..."

Bai Jun, seeing that Gu Yan had caught his drift, said, "First, since Chen Yingyin was introduced by you, I thought you should know."

"Second..."

He glanced at Old Gao, who was standing behind Gu Yan, and after some thought, continued, "Every year, the Martial Artist Selection Conference requires each martial arts family to send a martial artist as an examiner."

"I'm in charge of the Jianghai selection. Chen Yingyin will have her talent assessed there, and your Gu Family also needs to send a martial artist."

"Which brings me to my question..."

"Would you be interested in being an examiner? As an innate martial artist, you're more than qualified for the role."

Gu Yan thought for a moment but didn't answer immediately. He turned to Old Gao. "Who did our Gu Family send in previous years?"

In the original story, to protect the Gu Family's young master, who was a cultivation failure, the family had never disclosed anything about martial artists to him.

Old Gao smiled and said, "It's always been me."

Wow, directly sending a grandmaster to be an examiner, truly befitting of the Gu Family.

No... I should say, Old Gao really does everything.

He’s a butler, an examiner, and a bodyguard all at once.

As expected of you, Old Gao!

Gu Yan praised him in his heart, while the plot of the Martial Artist Selection Conference popped into his mind.

Hmm...

The Martial Artist Selection Conference is a gathering of talented individuals. Originally, Xiao Lin was supposed to participate as well. In the original story, Xiao Lin was directly recruited into the Martial Arts Department, which caused a lot of dissatisfaction among others.

So, Xiao Lin volunteered to enter through the selection process.

In the end, there was no shortage of the typical "show-off and slap-face" protagonist moments, and he entered the Martial Arts Department with the top score. Along the way, he also developed an ambiguous relationship with a beautiful female examiner.

It’s just unclear whether he’ll still participate this time.

Moreover... the Martial Artist Selection Conference is scheduled for January every year.

This timing works perfectly, as it allows him to wrap up the Gu Family’s annual meeting plotline.

With the time in between, he can accomplish a lot. When the Martial Artist Selection Conference comes around...

Gu Yan seemed to have thought of something, letting out a sinister "heh heh heh" laugh in his mind.

He nodded and said, “I agree.”

Bai Jun showed a faint smile. “Good, thank you.”

Truth be told, he was under pressure from higher-ups. The grandmasters in the Martial Arts Department were all eccentric and unwilling to serve as examiners for the Martial Artist Selection Conference.

Yet, every year, the Gu Family would send a grandmaster to showcase their strength, which created a bad impression.

So, he was instructed that for next year’s Martial Artist Selection Conference, aside from him as the chief grandmaster examiner, all other examiners sent by the major families must be below the grandmaster level!

Sigh, the personalities of the leaders in the Martial Arts Department are all over the place.

Bai Jun felt thoroughly exhausted.