In the dimly lit banquet hall, three people stared at each other in bewilderment.
Mei Xue felt very anxious. Wait a minute, that person was definitely Gu Yan, right?
Had she activated her abilities correctly?
Then why could Gu Yan see them? How was he even able to walk over to them?
What was going on?
Though Leng Qingqiu appeared outwardly calm, her heart was racing with panic.
This was bad - why could Gu Yan see them? This shouldn't be possible!
It was over, he had spotted them. No, no, stay calm.
Leng Qingqiu clenched her fists. She and Mei Xue had not only concealed their auras but had also changed their appearances.
Even Gu Yan shouldn't be able to recognize them directly. No, the fact that he could approach and speak to them was shocking enough.
The idea that he could see through their disguises was simply impossible.
Gu Yan was curious. He had originally been searching for Leng Qingqiu.
With just a glance, he had spotted two people standing in the corner who seemed out of place.
Mei Xue aside, it was mainly the woman wearing the veil that gave him a sense of familiarity.
As he got closer, that feeling of familiarity grew even stronger.
Sensing Gu Yan's suspicious gaze, Leng Qingqiu composed herself.
Stay calm, she thought. Her appearance was changed, and she could alter her voice if needed.
She just needed to avoid doing anything that might give away her identity to Gu Yan.
So Leng Qingqiu spoke, transforming her voice into a mature, alluring tone that made her sound several years older than herself.
She looked at Gu Yan with feigned interest, as if wondering which family's young master had carelessly wandered over: "Hmm? Little brother, have we met somewhere before?"
"When you say it like that, should big sister take this as you trying to flirt?"
When Leng Qingqiu's teasing voice came out, Mei Xue was startled.
Goodness! Was this really how her master would normally speak?
Leng Qingqiu was cringing internally.
Damn it, to hide her identity, she had no choice but to act this way. Besides, she had already done those things with Gu Yan in front of Mei Xue.
So it didn't matter anymore.
Gu Yan was slightly taken aback. He looked at the woman in the black veil whose face he couldn't clearly see, seeming to want to say something but holding back.
How strange - though the voice was different and she appeared much older than Qingqiu, why did she feel so familiar? Especially after she spoke, the feeling of familiarity grew stronger.
More importantly, he found himself unable to put up any pretenses in front of her.
Thinking this, Gu Yan shook his head, cleared his throat, and said: "No, no, it's just that madam's figure reminds me of my beloved."
"So I unconsciously walked over, thinking she might have come to this banquet as well."
?
Leng Qingqiu was puzzled. Although Gu Yan hadn't discovered her true identity, why did his words make her so annoyed?
Oh right, that feeling - she knew that Gu Yan was flirting with her, but she also knew that the person he was seeing wasn't really her, so it was irritating.
Gu Yan watched as the elegant woman's demeanor changed. She smirked and let out a light laugh, her refined voice carrying over: "Little brother, don't you know your flirting techniques are outdated?"
She reached out and grasped Gu Yan's chin, toying with it briefly before nodding, her tone filled with mock regret: "What a shame. Though you're quite handsome..."
"Big sister doesn't like frivolous men like you."
She released her hand and looked at Gu Yan, speaking coolly: "You... already have someone you love, yet here you are, flirting around. Don't you know this would make your beloved at home feel terribly sad and hurt?"
Gu Yan was stunned. He looked at the veiled woman whose features he couldn't make out.
Then he turned to look at the person beside her...
"Mei Xue, is this your friend? Why is she so full of herself?"
Leng Qingqiu: !!
Mei Xue: .......!
Leng Qingqiu stiffly turned her head to look at the panicking Mei Xue and said: "Mei... Mei Xue... do you know him?"
What's going on? How did Gu Yan recognize Mei Xue?
No, wait! Why couldn't he recognize me?
No, no, isn't it good that he didn't recognize me? But why am I so unhappy? Damn it, it's all Gu Yan's fault for making me so flustered. Why did you have to come over here?!
Leng Qingqiu clenched her fists, waiting for Mei Xue's response.
Mei Xue was already very nervous because she hadn't disguised her appearance, so it was natural for Gu Yan to recognize her.
But that was because she never imagined anyone would be able to detect where she and her master were.
"Ahem... this is Qingqiu's husband, Gu Yan," Mei Xue coughed, responding according to the answer Leng Qingqiu had given her in her mind.
Leng Qingqiu acted surprised upon hearing this answer. She carefully looked at Gu Yan and nodded: "Oh my? So you're Qingqiu's beloved?"
"I never expected to meet you here."
"I apologize for the misunderstanding. I'm Qingqiu's sister, Leng Bingning."
Hearing this, it was Gu Yan who became uncertain.
He had originally thought the person beside Mei Xue was Leng Qingqiu.
But when she introduced herself as Leng Bingning, he suddenly understood.
Leng Bingning - so it was her.
In the original story.
Leng Qingqiu actually had an older sister named Leng Bingning, a character who was supposed to appear in the middle to later parts of the story.
She had been sent to train at the Ice Heart Sect in the ancient martial arts world at a very young age, which helped her escape the midnight massacre that year.
Later on, Leng Bingning became the leader of the Ice Heart Sect, possessing immense power. When she first appeared, she defeated the protagonist's group and became Leng Qingqiu's ally.
However, when people discovered her connection to the dark path - specifically her alliance with Leng Qingqiu - she was jointly attacked and eliminated by the martial artists of the ancient martial arts world.
The discovery of her alliance with Leng Qingqiu and subsequent elimination was actually orchestrated by Leng Qingqiu herself.
By the time Leng Bingning appeared, Leng Qingqiu had already been completely corrupted by the deaths of her family members and sister.
Even knowing Leng Bingning was her sister, Leng Qingqiu, who had no emotional connection with her, only saw her as a tool to be used.
To utilize Leng Bingning, or rather to obtain all of her cultivation power, Leng Qingqiu acknowledged their relationship. She had gone mad, focused solely on revenge.
After using everything Leng Bingning had to offer, she chose to betray her and absorbed all of her cultivation power.
She allowed the righteous warriors to eliminate her sister.
In short, she was a truly pitiful person. Sent by her family to train in the Ice Heart Art at the Ice Heart Sect from a young age.
When she grew up and achieved mastery in her cultivation, she learned that her entire family had been killed, with only her sister Leng Qingqiu surviving.
After finding Leng Qingqiu, she was betrayed and had all her power absorbed by her.
After Leng Qingqiu absorbed Leng Bingning's cultivation power, she also learned the Ice Heart Art and mastered it to perfection.
She became completely heartless and emotionless. One could say that by then, Leng Qingqiu had become merely a shell driven by the notion of revenge.
However, Gu Yan hadn't expected Leng Bingning to have reunited with Leng Qingqiu so early.
It seemed that in the original story, Leng Bingning had been one of Leng Qingqiu's hidden pieces.
Or perhaps the plot had completely changed now?
Gu Yan became less confident in his understanding.
But before that.
He smiled at Leng Qingqiu, who was pretending to be Leng Bingning, and said: "Hello, I'm Gu Yan."
"I had no idea Qingqiu had an older sister."
"But you two give off very similar vibes, which is why I mistook you for her. I'm really sorry about that."
I definitely don't have a sister! This guy, why did his attitude suddenly improve so much?
Leng Qingqiu felt somewhat dejected inside, but outwardly she giggled: "Well, we are sisters after all."
"You know... Qingqiu and I grew up together, sharing everything."
"You..."
Leng Qingqiu leaned forward slightly, gradually moving closer to Gu Yan. When they were face to face at an extremely close distance, she laughed softly and said: "What do you think of big sister? If you'd like, I could remove my veil and show you my true face~"