The Bai Family.
Tap tap tap!!
The game was in full swing.
Half an hour later.
Bai Qionglan smiled on the surface, thinking, "Just one more level to clear..."
An hour later.
"Just one more level to clear..."
Two hours later.
"Just one more level to clear..."
Three hours later.
Knock knock~~
"Hey sis, come out and eat with your friend!"
Bai Jun shouted from the doorway.
Bai Qionglan's eyes had lost their sparkle. She glanced at the time, then at the game on the TV, and finally at Leng Ling'er, who was still brimming with excitement beside her.
Ahhhhh!! Why did we spend the entire morning playing games?!
Bai Qionglan was on the verge of tears.
But it’s fine! She looked at the "Level Cleared" text on the TV screen.
This afternoon! We’ll definitely finish it this afternoon!
"Ling'er, don’t worry, my love for you won’t be shaken by such trivial matters!"
Lunch was cooked by Bai Jun, and it was... well, it wasn’t exactly delicious.
To put it mildly...
"It’s passable, but not as good as my brother-in-law’s cooking."
"Hey, glasses guy, why don’t you become Gu Yan’s apprentice?"
Leng Ling'er wiped her mouth and giggled.
She had always been this carefree, fearless of anyone except her sister.
Bai Jun’s mouth twitched... He was, after all, a master in his own right, and even a few years older than Gu Yan.
Asking him to become Gu Yan’s disciple? That was just absurd.
So he coughed lightly and didn’t respond. There was no point arguing with Gu Yan’s sister-in-law.
She didn’t even know about the existence of martial artists and such.
Bai Qionglan, however, chimed in, "Yeah, big bro, you should listen to Ling'er!"
Thud!
Bai Jun clutched his chest, pretending to be wounded, his expression turning helpless.
"Sis, if Ling'er weren’t a girl, I’d really think you had a crush on her."
But being the bigger person, he decided not to argue with the two kids.
With a resigned tone, he said, "Alright, alright, I’ll consider asking Gu Yan for some lessons when I get the chance."
Buzz buzz~
At that moment.
The special phone from the martial arts department vibrated.
Bai Jun’s expression remained calm as he picked up the phone and stood. "You guys keep eating, I need to take this call."
Once the elder left, the atmosphere at the table became even more relaxed and lively.
The two girls started fooling around.
"Qionglan, be honest, are you a bro-con?"
"Huh? Ling'er, that’s so unfair! Why would you say that about me?"
"I’ve read a lot of manga, and your type always has a thing for their older brother!"
"....You! Ling'er, stop talking nonsense! I’m not a bro-con! Really, I’m not!"
Bai Qionglan was almost in tears.
Meanwhile.
Bai Jun answered the call.
The message from the other end made his expression change drastically.
He hung up, clenched his phone, and his face turned grave.
The Night Organization... they’ve truly resurfaced!
The death of the King of Hell Palace’s leader wasn’t an accident! It was the Night King seeking revenge!
Recalling the influx of martial forces into Jianghai following the King of Hell Palace leader’s death, Bai Jun’s expression grew even more serious.
And Jianghai just happened to be under his jurisdiction.
This... was going to be a huge problem.
He sighed. What a time to be holding such a position.
The Leng Family would undoubtedly be the first suspect.
Gu Yan... can you withstand this storm?
The Night King’s methods are so ruthless, and they’re a threat to the world.
If it really was the Leng Family behind this, Gu Yan, what will you do then?
.......
.......
The Leng Family.
Mei Xue knelt respectfully on one knee, her tone heavy as she finished delivering the report.
The news about the Night Organization was of utmost importance and had quickly spread to all those in the know.
She, Mei Xue, had also learned of it through her own channels.
After settling You Xingxue as instructed by Gu Yan, she immediately rushed to inform her master.
"What? You’re saying the Night Organization has reappeared?"
"And they’ve killed five people, leaving behind the message—'The Night will eventually obliterate all sin'?"
Leng Qingqiu was utterly baffled upon hearing this.
No, no, no, I definitely didn’t order anyone to do something like this!
She, the Night King, was right here! How could there be a second Night?
If it wasn’t her doing, then who else could it be?
So! It must not be the real Night!
With a cold laugh, Leng Qingqiu said, "Hmph, mere imitators daring to use the name of the Night."
"If they want to play as the Night, let them."
Leng Qingqiu believed they were nothing more than a bunch of nobodies trying to wreak havoc under the Night’s name.
They weren’t worth her attention, and in fact...
This was even better. Let the fake Night take the heat while the real Night stayed hidden.
No matter what the real Night did from now on, it would all be blamed on the imposters.
Perfect for deflecting attention!
Though she didn’t know what motivated these imposters to pretend to be the Night, it worked in her favor.
With the influx of martial forces into Jianghai, this incident allowed her to remain hidden, with no one able to uncover her true identity.
Absolutely perfect~! Hehehehehe~~~
With this in mind, Leng Qingqiu said solemnly, "You may leave. I’ll handle this matter."
Hearing this, Mei Xue was even more in awe of her master’s wisdom.
In just a few minutes, she had already devised a plan to deal with the fake Night Organization!
Truly godlike! No—her master was a god!
As Mei Xue was about to leave, Leng Qingqiu suddenly spoke again.
"Wait."
It seemed she had remembered something. "Recently... has Gu Yan encountered any dangerous situations?"
"Not that I care, but he’s an essential part of the plan."
"So he can’t be harmed."
Leng Qingqiu immediately regretted asking about Gu Yan.
She realized her tone was slipping, almost ruining her cold persona in front of her subordinate.
The more she explained, the worse it got. Better to just shut up.
Mei Xue, on the other hand, broke out in a cold sweat.
Her expression turned horrified, her heart pounding wildly.
Why... why is the master asking this?
Does she already know I haven’t been protecting Gu Yan?
Has she discovered my deal with him?
Is this... a test of my loyalty?
Or something else?
Mei Xue’s heart grew heavy. The master must have known about this all along.
By asking now, she was testing Mei Xue’s loyalty.
If she told the truth now, there might still be a chance...
But... she would never find out about her brother’s whereabouts again...
What should she do? What should she do?!
Leng Qingqiu was also growing anxious. What’s going on?
Why isn’t Mei Xue answering? Did something really happen to Gu Yan recently?!
Finally, Mei Xue decided to take a gamble. She lowered her head, her expression tense, her voice trembling as she replied, "M-master..."
"The most dangerous situation Gu Yan faced recently... was with Xiao Lin, the young master of the Dragon King Palace, at the hospital."
At this, Mei Xue quickly looked up and forced a smile. "But don’t worry, master! Gu Yan had a master-level expert protecting him, and I also interfered with Xiao Lin’s plans. So Gu Yan wasn’t harmed at all!"
"Not a single scratch!"
Hearing this, Leng Qingqiu finally relaxed.
Oh, Xiao Lin. Gu Yan had mentioned that incident when he came back.
Thankfully, with Mei Xue and the master-level expert by his side, nothing bad happened.
But... it’s not like I was actually worried about Gu Yan. It’s just that he’s my nominal husband.
And also...
[The other me, our cauldron has arrived.]
"He’s my cauldron!"
Leng Qingqiu emphasized in her heart, feeling a bit annoyed.
Honestly, why does Little Cold only show up when Gu Yan is around?
It’s so irritating. Are you some kind of Gu Yan detector? How do you sense his presence faster than I do?
Even though Little Cold is another part of me, it’s still frustrating.
However, before that, Leng Qingqiu was well aware that the matter involving Mei Xue here must never be revealed to Gu Yan.
Therefore,
Leng Qingqiu gave a slight nod and offered some rare praise: "Well done. Continue to protect Gu Yan in secret, and make sure he never finds out."
"You may go now."
Upon hearing these words, Mei Xue felt as if she had been granted a pardon, her entire body drenched in sweat.
She quickly bowed and excused herself: "Thank you, Master!"