Then who do you think is more beautiful, me or Leng Bingning

After leaving the black tower,

stepping onto the crimson muddy ground,

Gu Yan gradually reverted to his usual demeanor, a faint smirk curling at the corners of his lips. "What a bunch of fools, actually believing I’m the Netherworld Monarch."

Old Gao chuckled as he glanced at the surrounding demonic creatures bowing their heads in reverence. "Isn’t this a good thing...?"

"The dumber they are, the better it is for us."

Of course, Old Gao admitted he didn’t fully grasp the specifics of the young master’s plans.

From the past until now, truth be told, Old Gao had no clue what Gu Yan was truly scheming.

One moment he was stealing the Dragon King Jade, the next he was raiding the King of Hell Palace, then threatening someone’s cousin, and now he’d waltzed into the forbidden lands and become the Netherworld Monarch.

Old Gao could only shrug—he didn’t understand, but sticking close to the young master was the way to go!

"Exactly. Trash mobs should know their place."

"If they mistake me for their leader, then they’d better work hard for my sake."

Gu Yan wiped the smirk off his face and gazed into the distance. He could sense it—

Tao Ying and Wang Yulan were there.

Heh. They were next on the list.

But before that...

Gurgle!

Gu Yan hastily pulled out his phone. The moment he saw the caller ID flashing [Wife], his voice trembled.

"This... is a sin...!"

He raised the phone and bellowed, "I missed my Qingqiu’s call! Damn you, trash mobs!!"

Old Gao glanced at the cowering demons trembling on the ground and sighed. "...Young Master, calm down. Mind your image."

Ahem.

Gu Yan took a deep breath, straightened up, and dialed back.

Ring, ring, ring—

After a few beats, the call connected.

A voice that sent a jolt through Gu Yan’s soul came through.

"Hello? Gu Yan?"

---

At the Leng Family residence,

Leng Qingqiu had been discussing with Xiao Leng whether they should just storm the forbidden lands and clear out the riffraff.

Then the phone rang.

Pressing it to her ear, Leng Qingqiu spoke uncertainly—

After all, Ling’er had told her that this number was known only to Gu Yan and Ling’er.

"Mhm, mhm, mhm!! Qingqiu, my Qingqiu! Why’d you call your dear husband? Did you miss me?"

"I know, I know. You must be feeling lonely without me, right?"

"Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon!"

Leng Qingqiu: "!!"

The familiar, shameless voice on the other end made her heart race with embarrassment.

She leaned back in her chair, gripping the phone, her tone slightly strained.

"W-Who misses you? I just wanted to ask about tomorrow’s expedition."

"Oh? So you weren’t missing me, but worried about me? Qingqiu, you really do love me!"

"Honestly, I was a little nervous, but hearing your voice instantly put me at ease."

"You know what that means? It means you’re my everything, my lifeline."

"What would I do without you?"

"Qingqiu, say something, Qingqiu!"

Gu Yan was overjoyed. Qingqiu’s this worried about me?!

He waved at two bulky, bear-like demonic creatures nearby.

The two beasts exchanged glances before lumbering over obediently.

Gu Yan mounted one and ordered them to head toward Wang Yulan’s location.

Old Gao watched as the demon bear beside him locked eyes with him.

"......"

Meanwhile, Leng Qingqiu was completely flustered by Gu Yan’s relentless barrage of words.

Her face burned.

This damn guy...

Why does he keep saying things that make me blush?

Ugh!

With a light huff, she retorted, "Who’s worried about you? Ling’er said she wanted to eat your cooking, and I was just concerned she’d miss out. That’s why I called!"

"Don’t flatter yourself!"

Gu Yan immediately caught her meaning—his tsundere Qingqiu was adorable.

"Oh? So I’m fine, and Ling’er wants to eat something I make? Does she want cream puffs?"

"You—!"

Leng Qingqiu’s face flushed. She knew he’d seen through her and was teasing her on purpose now.

She took a deep breath. No, no, Leng Qingqiu.

Even if you’ve kinda-sorta-maybe fallen for Gu Yan...

That doesn’t mean you act like a lovestruck girl in front of him!

Pathetic! You’re the Night King!

[A little late to remember that now, isn’t it?]

"Xiao Leng, shut up!"

Scolding inwardly, she steadied her voice and asked coolly, "Anyway, tomorrow’s expedition is supposed to be dangerous. Are you really going?"

Truthfully, Leng Qingqiu hoped Gu Yan would skip it. The forbidden lands were no joke.

Though with her secretly guarding him, it’d probably be fine.

Gu Yan pondered the question.

Hm? Why’s Qingqiu asking about this so insistently?

Wait... does she have her own plans for tomorrow?

Ah!

A realization struck him.

You idiot, Gu Yan! Leng Qingqiu is the Night King!

Last night, Leng Bingning was at the martial arts department, and later Mei Xue and the others met with her.

What does that mean?

It means Leng Qingqiu, as the Night King, must’ve set something up for tomorrow’s expedition!

And it probably involves the martial artists heading there—not just the department, but also the sect members.

Some of them were the Leng Family’s old enemies, so Qingqiu must be planning to eliminate them.

But things might get messy, and she’s worried I’ll get caught in the crossfire.

That’s why she keeps checking if I’m going.

Makes sense.

Gu Yan had it all figured out.

Sure, he planned to make an early exit tomorrow.

But—!

He had to keep up appearances in front of others.

Especially since he’d run into Leng Bingning and spouted all that bravado in front of her sister.

So—!

"Qingqiu, I can’t back down. The forbidden lands are a threat to the world."

"As martial artists, we must stand between danger and ordinary people."

"No matter how perilous it gets, I will go to the forbidden lands tomorrow to purge the demons!"

His declaration was righteous and resolute.

The demonic creatures beneath him and Old Gao exchanged glances.

Wait... is His Majesty talking about slaughtering... humans?

Leng Qingqiu’s heart clenched. She knew Gu Yan was doing all this for her sake.

But...

The forbidden lands were too dangerous.

Sigh. Fine. Tomorrow, I’ll just protect him from every angle.

With that resolve, she sighed softly. "Alright. Go if you must, but stay safe."

At this point, Leng Qingqiu seemed to recall something, her tone carrying a hint of deliberate evasion: "Ah, right, I think you’ve met my sister, haven’t you? Someone named Leng Bingning?"

Gu Yan inwardly confirmed his suspicions. Of course, Qingqiu would bring up Leng Bingning now—she must have her own agenda.

So he replied, "Yeah, I ran into her yesterday. You and your sister look quite alike, Qingqiu. We should all hang out together sometime."

Of course, Gu Yan was just being polite. No way did he actually want to see Leng Bingning again—there was something oddly unsettling about her.

Naturally, Leng Qingqiu had no intention of letting Gu Yan meet this fabricated "sister" of hers. She snorted coldly, "Oh? So eager to see my sister, are you?"

"Between me and Leng Bingning, who do you think is prettier?"

Ah, here it comes—the classic question women love to ask.

As a self-proclaimed master of pure romance, Gu Yan knew exactly how to handle such an easy win: "Is that even a question? Of course, it’s you, Qingqiu!"

Though secretly pleased, Leng Qingqiu couldn’t shake a strange feeling. After all... Leng Bingning was her. If Gu Yan said she was the prettiest, didn’t that mean Leng Bingning wasn’t?

For some reason, this thought unsettled her. "Oh? So you’re saying my sister isn’t pretty?"

Gu Yan froze. Huh? Sisterly loyalty, huh? Got it. He quickly backpedaled, "Ah, no, no! Your sister’s beautiful too."

Detecting his hasty correction, Leng Qingqiu felt a mischievous urge. "So you like both of us? Gu Yan, don’t tell me you’re aiming for both?"

It was unclear whether she was joking or not.

Gu Yan couldn’t help but sense an inexplicable aura of murderous intent in her latter words.

"??"

"Qingqiu, my Qingqiu, my love for you is sworn by heaven and earth! Do I look like the kind of man who’d waver between two?"

"Hmph. Of course, I know you’re not."

"?? Then why—"

"Just teasing you."

"......"

Click.

The call ended abruptly.

Gu Yan stared at his phone, lost in thought. Then he looked up.

Just as Old Gao beside him braced for some profound remark—

The next second, Gu Yan threw his head back and shouted at the sky, "Even when she’s being cryptic, Qingqiu’s the cutest!"

Old Gao: "......"

The demon pinned beneath him: "........"