Leng Qingqiu had been rendered speechless by Gu Yan's words, her face flushed and heart racing.
But now, she was playing the role of Leng Bingning, Leng Qingqiu's elder sister, so she had to act accordingly.
Suppressing her embarrassment, Leng Qingqiu forced her voice to remain steady as she replied, "Oh? I must have underestimated you then."
"Who knew Gu Yan could say something like that?"
What did she mean by "who knew"?
Did he usually come across as that unreliable?
Gu Yan raised an eyebrow. "Come on, hearing you say that is kind of a blow to my ego."
"But... well, I can’t blame you for thinking that, because..."
He paused for a few seconds before continuing with a teasing tone, "Even my dear wife Qingqiu hasn’t uncovered all my good qualities yet."
"What a shame. If only our Qingqiu were here—I’d definitely show her every one of my strengths!"
Leng Qingqiu’s heart skipped a beat.
Why was Gu Yan suddenly saying this? Had he figured out she was pretending?
No, no... that couldn’t be.
She was confident in her disguise.
Covering her mouth, she let out a soft laugh. "What strengths do you even have?"
"You can show them off right now, and I’ll pass them along to my little sister later."
Gu Yan, however, shook his head slightly. "Nope."
"These are qualities I only reveal in front of Qingqiu."
"Since you’re not our Qingqiu, Sister Bingning, let’s just drop it."
Leng Qingqiu felt both relieved and disappointed.
Relieved because Gu Yan maintained proper boundaries with outsiders.
Disappointed because, right now, she wasn’t Leng Qingqiu—she was pretending to be the fabricated Leng Bingning.
This disguise was limiting her too much.
Still, chatting with Gu Yan in this strange, familiar-yet-distant way gave her an oddly refreshing feeling.
She chuckled lightly. "You’re quite loyal, aren’t you? Fine, I’ll stop teasing you. Let’s just keep walking."
Gu Yan smiled without a word.
Internally, though, he was calculating—it was about time. While he wasn’t in a hurry to leave, the group gathering could interfere with his plans.
So...
In his mind, he issued an order for Plan B to Lin.
Meanwhile, Leng Qingqiu suddenly tensed, her sharp gaze turning toward Gu Yan.
Huh?
Had Gu Yan just been silently communicating with someone in his head again?
Unlike Gu Yan’s leisurely, sightseeing-like attitude, Bai Jun and his group ahead were on high alert.
"Captain, just how big is this place?"
"We’ve been walking forever, but the surroundings look exactly the same."
Zhao Zilin, a fellow innate-level martial artist with a bronze complexion, gripped his Martial Arts Department-issued rifle tightly.
His voice was tense—the faint red mist around them obscured their vision, leaving their instruments as the only way to confirm their bearings.
"No idea. Might be a quirk of the Forbidden Zone."
"Maybe it’s related to this mist."
Bai Jun shook his head, scanning the endless white haze around them.
They were in what seemed like a tropical rainforest, surrounded by dense trees and shrubs. Logically, they should’ve encountered dangerous magical creatures by now...
But...
Why was there no trace of them?
A trap?
Just as the thought crossed his mind—
*Hum!*
The mist began to shift. Bai Jun could clearly see its color deepening from pale red to... blood crimson!
Even the previously visible trees and shrubs became indistinguishable.
"Stay sharp, everyone!"
"Keep your eyes open!"
Bai Jun shouted—but it was already too late.
When he turned around, his expression froze.
The people who had been behind him moments ago were gone.
"Damn it...!"
Bai Jun cursed under his breath.
His instrument showed all the surrounding signals had vanished—his team had been separated.
How did this happen?
Staying rooted in place, Bai Jun warily observed his surroundings.
The crimson mist was spreading rapidly, swallowing even the faint outlines of the path until nothing remained but pure white.
Like an invisible hand, the mist had effortlessly torn them apart.
The team was now scattered.
Yet—
Before Bai Jun could react, the mist shrouding the Forbidden Zone began to dissipate.
The scene before him gradually cleared.
"??"
Bai Jun blinked in confusion.
He found himself standing near a seemingly tranquil swamp, its surface covered in thick moss and decaying leaves.
Along with... over a dozen martial artists from the department and various sects!
They exchanged bewildered glances, equally disoriented by the sudden shift.
Bai Jun quickly realized—they had been...
Teleported?
"Brother Bai Jun...!!"
A familiar, fragile voice reached his ears.
He turned—
There stood Bai Lian, her eyes red-rimmed like a frightened fawn amidst the crowd.
Her vulnerable appearance instantly stirred a fierce urge to protect her.
She, too, seemed to have been separated from her team by the mist.
"Bai Lian?!"
Bai Jun was stunned, then immediately strode toward her without hesitation.
Meanwhile—
Every martial artist from the department or sects who had entered the Forbidden Zone had been similarly scattered and regrouped by the mist.
Shangguan Miaoyin and Ning Qian coincidentally ended up in the same area.
"Hmm? Interesting... The mist split us up?"
Shangguan Miaoyin surveyed her surroundings.
They were in a vast, open space with a floor made of an unknown material. At its center stood an ancient altar, above which the air warped—as if hiding a portal to another world.
Ning Qian frowned, tightening her grip on her sword as she eyed the altar warily. "This thing feels off. The aura of magical creatures here is overwhelming."
Shangguan Miaoyin nodded slightly, scanning the others nearby.
Their cultivation levels varied—some were department martial artists, others from sects.
Their confused expressions suggested they, too, had been randomly relocated by the mist.
Well, no matter.
Her gaze flicked to Ning Qian, who was intently studying the altar.
*Being paired with Ning Qian...*
*Not the worst outcome.*
Time to filter out who belonged to which faction.
...
As expected, Mei Xue and You Xingxue were grouped together.
"Waaah! Where are we?! This is so scary...!"
You Xingxue crouched on the ground, hugging her head as tears welled in her eyes.
Mei Xue ignored the other party, merely casting a quiet glance around. She found herself in a dense, shadowy forest where towering trees stood closely together, their intertwined canopies blotting out the sky.
Even though the crimson mist had dissipated, the place remained as dark as night.
More importantly...
Mei Xue observed the attire of the people surrounding her.
Why such a coincidence?
But it didn’t matter. She narrowed her eyes slightly.
The terrain was perfect—an ideal... assassination ground!
Coincidentally, her former master had tasked her with hunting down sect warriors, and this was the perfect opportunity to test her new abilities.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
