Night fell.
The moonlight filtered through the broken window, spilling into a shabby room in an old residential complex.
The peeling paint on the walls and the yellowed celebrity posters looked even more chaotic under the moonlight.
On a worn-out bed in the room, You Xingxue slowly woke from her dream.
She sat up in confusion, her fingers lightly brushing against the familiar headboard, taking in her surroundings.
“This is... my home?”
You Xingxue muttered to herself, looking around and confirming that this was indeed her house.
What’s going on?
What happened?
You Xingxue felt something was off. She touched her forehead, but there was nothing there—no wounds, not even a scratch.
But she distinctly remembered being granted power by that person.
Could it all have been... a dream?
A glimmer of disappointment and loneliness flashed in her dazzling eyes.
She clenched her fists tightly, her expression filled with frustration.
Was it all fake...?
Just then.
Creak~
The door to the room opened.
A middle-aged woman with streaks of white in her black hair walked in.
When she saw You Xingxue, her tense expression relaxed. She rushed over in a few steps.
She hugged You Xingxue tightly, choking back tears. “Xingxue, you scared me to death!”
“When your classmate brought you back, your face was so pale. I thought something terrible had happened to you!”
You Xingxue felt as though she had been transported to another world, as if she hadn’t fully returned from the private room at Rose Love.
But her mother’s worried voice brought her back to reality. You Xingxue hugged her mother back and reassured her, “It’s okay, Mom... I think everything’s fine now...”
After comforting each other for a while,
You Xingxue asked, “Mom, what exactly happened? Why did I faint?”
“And who is this classmate you mentioned?”
The middle-aged woman’s expression turned grateful. “Oh, it’s a classmate named Mei Mei.”
“Mei Mei?”
As soon as the words left her mouth,
a voice came from the doorway. “You’re awake?”
You Xingxue looked over.
A tall figure stood at the door, dressed in a fiery red coat.
Her eyes were unsettling—the whites of her eyes were pitch black.
Yet, You Xingxue’s mother didn’t seem to find anything strange about her. Instead, she introduced her gratefully. “Xingxue, this is your classmate. She’s the one who brought you back!”
“I heard that many people died at Rose Love. When I found out you were there, I was terrified!”
“Thank goodness you’re back, otherwise I wouldn’t know what to do!”
As she spoke, You Xingxue’s mother started crying again.
But she quickly composed herself. She stood up and warmly said to the woman in red, “Come on, you two chat. I’ll go prepare dinner!”
With that, she left the room.
Now, only the woman in red and a bewildered You Xingxue remained.
The atmosphere in the room grew eerie.
The woman in red was Mei Xue.
Her fourth task was to guide and train You Xingxue to become an entry-level martial artist.
Because of this, protecting Leng Ling'er had been temporarily set aside.
However...
Mei Xue looked at You Xingxue, who was sitting on the bed, clutching the sheets tightly, her eyes darting around nervously, too afraid to meet her gaze.
Mei Xue felt a pang of disdain.
This kind of person... was worth Gu Yan’s attention?
You Xingxue indeed felt intimidated by the woman before her. Whether it was her aura or her beauty, You Xingxue felt she couldn’t compare.
It was as if they were from completely different worlds.
“Um...”
You Xingxue timidly opened her mouth, about to thank her,
but Mei Xue cut her off. “Since you’re someone Gu Yan cares about, let’s get straight to the point.”
“He asked me to train you to become a decent martial artist. Well, more accurately, as long as you can cultivate true qi, my task will be complete.”
“So, you won’t be going to school for a while. I’ve already taken care of your leave. As for me, I’ll be training you rigorously.”
“Be prepared.”
After saying this, Mei Xue quietly watched You Xingxue, waiting for her response.
As long as she agreed, the training would begin immediately, with the goal of turning her into a martial artist as quickly as possible.
And then, the fourth task would be complete!
But... contrary to Mei Xue’s expectations,
You Xingxue looked extremely nervous and uneasy. She timidly raised her hand and said fearfully, “Um... what are you talking about?”
“I don’t understand...”
?
Mei Xue slowly raised a question mark in her mind. This girl knew nothing?
No, no, no.
Mei Xue shook her head internally. No matter how much of a jerk Gu Yan was, he wouldn’t give her an impossible task.
So, this You Xingxue might genuinely not know what a martial artist was, but she had the potential to become one.
Looks like I’ll have to start with the basics...
Mei Xue sighed softly.
Then, she began explaining the origins of martial artists...
........
.......
Dinner at the Leng Family was unusually lively, with an extra dish of fried chicken legs—Leng Ling'er’s favorite.
To keep his sister-in-law quiet, Gu Yan had also agreed to let her sign with Gu Entertainment as an internet celebrity under Gu Corporation.
Overall, the plan worked. Leng Ling'er had already forgotten about the jade pendant incident earlier that day.
At the door.
When Gu Yan said he had something to do, he really meant it.
So, after dinner, he didn’t stay at the Leng Family for long.
“If you run into any problems you can’t solve, you can always come to me.”
“After all, I’m smarter than you.”
Leng Qingqiu’s cold, beautiful face still carried a hint of arrogance.
But her words warmed Gu Yan’s heart.
He smiled. “Of course, I’m not a fool. If I can’t handle something, I’ll definitely come to my super-intelligent wife for help~~”
“Hmph! Go on, then!”
Leng Qingqiu lifted her chin, clearly pleased, and then walked back into the house with a spring in her step.
Seeing this, Gu Yan couldn’t help but think that maybe he should just forget about everything else and focus on being happy with his wife.
Who cares about the chaos? He’d deal with it when the time came!
But...
Bai Jun was right. The changes in Jianghai City had been too drastic lately.
If he didn’t prepare and continued to slack off, the happy ending he had worked so hard for might turn into a tragedy again.
Damn it!! These martial artists are ruining everything!! They’ll all pay!!
Gu Yan raged internally, but all he did was rage.
Then he got into his car, closed the door, and pulled out his laptop from the compartment.
His movements were smooth and practiced.
He skimmed through the reports his subordinates had sent him.
When he saw a particular name,
a faint smile appeared on his lips.
After closing the laptop,
Gu Yan opened his phone and checked WeChat.
A rare chat window popped up.
【Happy Family (3)】
He clicked on it.
His father was frantically tagging him: Brat, hurry back! We’ve got a lot of guests at home, all your seniors. Smile more when you get back!
Attached was a photo.
Looking at the group of people sitting in the living room,
Gu Yan’s eyes gleamed with a strange light.
Old Gao seemed to know what was going on and said, “Young Master, we’ve had many guests at home today.”
“They’ve come from other provinces or the ancient martial world.”
“They’re all... from martial arts families.”
Hearing this,
Gu Yan nodded. He had already anticipated this.
In the original story, when the 【Night】 organization surfaced,
Jianghai was flooded with martial arts factions.
Since the Gu Family was essentially the local powerhouse in Jianghai, any polite factions would first pay a visit to the Gu Family.
Gu Yan leaned against the car window, pondering how to deal with these people, and said slowly, “Old Gao, let’s head back.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
....
....
Meanwhile,
back with You Xingxue.
Mei Xue had finished her explanation.
She looked at You Xingxue again, waiting for her response.
But... to her disappointment,
the student Gu Yan had taken such an interest in
only grew paler and more frightened after hearing everything.
You Xingxue clutched her head, her eyes filled with nervousness as she looked at Mei Xue. "No... it's too terrifying..."
"To think that martial artists are actually like that... it's too horrifying... Do I really have to become someone like that?"
"And who is that person? I don’t even know them..."
"No, no, please let me go... I just want to focus on my studies, graduate, and find a job..."
Seeing this, Mei Xue couldn't help but frown, her voice turning cold. "This isn’t up to you."
"Training starts tomorrow, whether you like it or not!!"
After saying this, whoosh!
Mei Xue’s figure vanished from the spot.
Only the sound of You Xingxue’s sobs remained.
However...
Just a few minutes after Mei Xue disappeared,
You Xingxue, who had been trembling and crying while clutching her head,
gradually calmed down. The look of fear on her face... shifted... into something disturbingly twisted.
She covered her face, her lips curling into an uncontrollable smile, her dazzling star-like eyes gleaming with a perverse sense of delight.
Ah~ It’s real~
All of this is real~
Master... is this an initiation test?
Don’t worry... I will absolutely follow your orders...
Just moments ago, the information that had appeared in her mind had made everything clear to You Xingxue.
She slowly raised her head, gazing at the moon outside the broken window.
It was as if the Master was caressing her through the moonlight.
Ah~ Master........
Snap!
"Xiao Xue, come down for dinner."
"Mei Mei had something to do and left."
!! The spell was broken.
You Xingxue snapped back to reality, her expression instantly turning timid and anxious. "Oh... okay, Mom..."
Ugh... what just happened to me? That was so strange...