White Lotus Takes Action, Finds a Genius

Time slowly passed, and before they knew it, evening had arrived.

In front of Jianghai High School.

"Why hasn't that loser Gu come to pick me up again?"

Leng Ling'er glared at the Gu Family bodyguard who had opened the car door for her.

The bodyguard trembled in fear: "Uh... Big Sis, the young master has some matters to attend to..."

"Hmph!"

Leng Ling'er snorted lightly, tossed her bag into the car, and got in.

The bodyguard finally let out a sigh of relief, his heart heavy but unable to speak.

Vroom! The car drove off.

From a distance, Deng Feng watched Leng Ling'er leave, feeling a mix of hope and despair.

His eyes were filled with infatuation.

The image of Leng Ling'er's figure lingered in his mind, refusing to fade.

Ling'er... You will definitely see my heroic side.

Just then.

"Ah! Pervert! Help!"

A soft, cute scream rang out.

Deng Feng was stunned for a moment, then turned toward the source of the sound.

With just one glance, his blood boiled.

There,

a white-haired girl in a JK uniform was being cornered by a group of delinquents, while the people around ignored the scene.

The white-haired JK girl looked pitifully vulnerable, pressed against the wall, and she accidentally cast a fearful, pleading glance toward Deng Feng.

This scene struck Deng Feng like a bolt of lightning!

How could he stand by and do nothing? Of course not!

"Let her go!"

Deng Feng roared and charged forward.

A few minutes later, the delinquents were begging for mercy and fleeing.

The JK girl, Bai Lian, immediately threw herself into Deng Feng's arms: "Wuwuwu~~ Big brother, I was so scared~~"

She looked up, her expression fragile, timid, and full of gratitude: "Thank goodness you were here, or Lian Lian would have been in danger. Thank you, big brother!"

Buzz!

Innate Allure! Activate!!

In an instant, Deng Feng's heart shook.

For some reason, an overwhelming desire to protect Bai Lian surged within him.

Seeing this, Bai Lian's lips curled into a faint smile.

Can't handle me, can you? But as expected of someone blessed with the Black Tortoise's aura, your resistance is quite strong.

No matter, though. Once I slowly coax out the whereabouts of the remaining Black Tortoise Gate members,

I can start taking action!

Master~~ When the time comes, you must pet my head and praise Lian Lian properly~~

....

.....

The Leng Family.

Inside the study.

At some point, the two of them had rolled onto the sofa again, ending their mutual "recharging" session.

Leng Qingqiu lay in Gu Yan's arms, and after a period of affectionate cuddling,

she finally remembered the serious matter at hand and asked, "Gu Yan, did your Gu Family receive many martial artists yesterday?"

For some reason, after being well-fed and content, Leng Qingqiu felt an unprecedented sense of calm.

It was as if she had entered some kind of sage mode.

And leaning against Gu Yan's chest, she felt a warmth and security she had never experienced before.

Gu Yan held Leng Qingqiu, gently feeling the softness of her body, and nodded in response: "Yes, Qingqiu, how did you know?"

As he spoke, he tightened his embrace slightly.

It seems Shangguan Miaoyin told Qingqiu about that night...

Hearing this, Leng Qingqiu's heart grew heavy. She clenched her hands tightly, her tone tinged with complexity: "Yes... Although the Leng Family has declined, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse."

"Our family still has some martial artists left, and we know that the... [Night] has reappeared in Jianghai."

"It's not hard to guess that these forces would first approach your Gu Family, the most influential power in Jianghai."

At this point, Leng Qingqiu's voice became slightly unnatural as she asked, "Gu Yan... Am I making things difficult for you?"

"After all, in the past..."

Her voice trembled as she spoke, her hands clenched tightly.

If... if Gu Yan knew that she was actually the Night King...

What would he do?

Gu Yan naturally understood Leng Qingqiu's meaning. He sighed softly in his heart.

Then, without hesitation, he said, "Qingqiu, don't talk about the past."

"We're doing fine now, aren't we? That's all that matters!"

Hearing this, Leng Qingqiu's anxious heart gradually calmed down.

She felt an overwhelming sense of contentment.

But before she could say anything more,

"Besides..."

Gu Yan took a deep breath, his tone serious and resolute: "Even if the Night is connected to you, so what? Even if I...!!"

Before he could finish,

"Wait... don't say anymore..."

Leng Qingqiu quickly reached out and covered Gu Yan's mouth, stopping him from continuing.

She was afraid that if Gu Yan said it out loud, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from confessing everything.

Doing so would only drag Gu Yan into danger.

Her expression became incredibly complex. She opened her eyes, which she had deliberately kept dull and lifeless in front of Gu Yan.

A faint smile appeared on her lips: "This is enough. Thank you for trusting me, Gu Yan."

Gu Yan... Please forgive me. I really don't want you to know about the Night Organization or to get involved in this danger...

I have too many enemies, and the path ahead is bound to be filled with thorns.

Not to mention...

A cold glint flashed in Leng Qingqiu's heart.

A fake Night has appeared in Jianghai.

Once I've gathered enough strength, this impostor must also be eliminated!

Gu Yan's expression also grew complex. He didn't say anything, only tightening his embrace around Leng Qingqiu.

He understood Leng Qingqiu and knew her thoughts and concerns.

She was most likely afraid of putting him in danger.

Forgive me, Qingqiu. I will make sure you can stand in the sunlight again, free from worry.

No matter what it takes!

I will make sure... you have no connection to the Night!

......

.......

After leaving the Leng Family.

Old Gao was already waiting at the entrance.

Once Gu Yan got into the car, Old Gao said, "Young Master, the task you assigned has been handed over to Long Zaitian."

"He promised that the 'Light of Hope' will be fully renovated by the end of the year."

Gu Yan nodded calmly: "Good... That's good."

As he spoke, a hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes: "Find out where the Heavenly Demon Sect is, as well as all the forces that came to the Gu Family that day."

Old Gao was momentarily stunned by this request, but in the end, he smiled slightly: "Understood, Young Master."

The car started moving.

Gu Yan closed his eyes, recalling the events of that night.

If his assumptions were correct...

These sects and families were all part of the forces that had besieged the Leng Family back then.

Who would have thought... this was just the tip of the iceberg.

The number of enemies Qingqiu is facing is staggering, and the pressure she's under is unimaginable.

This is truly a battle where you can't win without turning to the dark side...

Gu Yan sighed inwardly. However... precisely because of that,

he had to get involved. He couldn't let Qingqiu turn to the dark side.

Besides, who could make Qingqiu turn as dark as in the original story? Wasn't there only one person?

Sacrifice Leng Ling'er like in the original story? No way, Gu Yan could never forgive himself for that.

Qingqiu is fine as she is now, and he didn't want her to turn dark.

The creation of the other Night was inevitable, so he had to speed things up.

Oh, and there was another crucial part of the plan.

Gu Yan sorted out his thoughts, opened his eyes, and a strange glint appeared in them.

It was time to visit the Peach Blossom Society.

Their Peach Blossom Secret Technique was an indispensable part of the plan.

It would be very helpful in recruiting the subordinates that Leng Qingqiu had in the original story.

.....

.....

Not long after Gu Yan left.

Inside the Leng Family study.

Leng Qingqiu received a message from Mei Xue.

After listening, she was slightly puzzled: "While protecting Gu Yan, you found a genius? Someone who can learn anything just by looking at it once?"

"Her name is You Xingxue?"

Leng Qingqiu fell into thought, then a faint smile appeared on her lips.

Good, this gave her an idea.

Continuously recruiting talented individuals and luring them into the Night Organization was another way to strengthen its power.

With this in mind, Leng Qingqiu issued an order to keep an eye on that talent.

Hmm, since the martial arts department is also searching for hidden talents in the world,

I can do the same. Yes...

Leng Qingqiu had an idea: if she could recruit all the talented individuals into the Night Organization and grant them the organization's unique cultivation techniques, then she would have nothing to fear, even if she had to face martial artists from all over the world!

Without hesitation, Leng Qingqiu immediately issued a command in her mind for everyone to gather talented individuals from across the globe.

Hehe... This would do. Let the fake Night take the spotlight while she worked behind the scenes to recruit talent and build her strength.

She could also carry out assassinations, attacks, and seek revenge along the way.

Perfect~~ Hehehehehe~~~

[Another me, wouldn’t this make us the fake Night’s substitute?]

Xiao Leng suddenly popped up, interrupting Leng Qingqiu's self-indulgent thoughts.

Leng Qingqiu frowned, displeased. "What are you talking about, Xiao Leng? Don’t forget, I’m the one holding the dagger."

"The Night Organization recognizes the dagger, not the person. You should know that."

[......There’s more to that saying. It’s called 'the dagger also chooses its wielder.']

Hearing this, Leng Qingqiu shook her head and sneered, "What are you implying? That the dagger would recognize that fake Night?"

"Xiao Leng, do you really think I’d let something like that happen?"

[If I were in charge, I wouldn’t allow anyone to impersonate me. I’d crush the fake Night with overwhelming force.]

[Another me, the old you would’ve definitely chosen to do the same.]

[While it’s good to manipulate the cauldron, don’t forget that the cauldron is only meant to enhance your cultivation for the sake of revenge. Manipulating others isn’t our main goal.]

[Another me, haven’t you noticed that you’ve been focusing too much on how to manipulate the cauldron lately?]

Leng Qingqiu grew increasingly irritated and embarrassed. It sounded as if she had been slacking off, spending all her time thinking about how to be lovey-dovey with Gu Yan!

"Xiao Leng, shut up! What do you know?"

"Can’t you see how I’ve lived these past five years? Don’t you know what kind of person I am?"

"I won’t be bound by emotions! Manipulating Gu Yan is just part of the plan for revenge!"

"Do you understand? Even if I’ve grown weak, it’s definitely not because I’ve fallen for Gu Yan!"

"It’s because I’m a good person! All the kindness I’ve shown is just compensation for treating him as a cauldron, understand?"

"Compensation! It’s all compensation!"

[I think......]

"Shut up! I don’t want to hear it!"

Leng Qingqiu cut off Xiao Leng’s words in her mind.

[........]

[Another me, you’ll regret this.]

As the voice faded, Leng Qingqiu finally let out a sigh of relief.

However, Xiao Leng’s words weren’t entirely without merit.

Although she wasn’t sure what Gu Yan had been busy with lately, she could guess it had something to do with the Gu Family’s annual meeting at the end of the year.

Even Gu Yan was focusing on his responsibilities. As the Night King, she really needed to be more active too!

Hmm... It just so happened that she had recently gained another boost of Night Energy thanks to Gu Yan.

Tomorrow, she’d bestow another round of blessings on her subordinates!

Yes! That’s the plan!