Gu Yunrou and Gu Yingying Arrived

The next day.

Lin Yinyin's situation wasn't urgent at the moment.

After boosting his favorability, Gu Yan left.

Before departing, he also got acquainted with the inspection team member assigned to monitor Lin Yinyin.

He learned the man's name was Sun Shi, though no further details were disclosed.

In the Gu family courtyard.

Gu Yan lay reclined on a lounge chair under a parasol, wearing sunglasses, while Yeye lazily stretched out on his chest, yawning.

"Meow~"

The sunlight was radiant today.

It would’ve been even better if Qingqiu had agreed to go on a date with him...

Nearby, Old Gao was reporting the information he’d gathered: "Young Master, we’ve uncovered details about Sun Shi."

"Male, 35 years old, a member of the inspection team at the Martial Arts Department headquarters, with an early-stage Grandmaster cultivation level."

"He has a family—a wife and child living in De'an City. They’re ordinary people, unaware of martial arts affairs."

Hearing this, Gu Yan slowly removed his sunglasses, a faint, unreadable glint flashing in his eyes.

The inspection team was a highly unique division within the Martial Arts Department.

Its purpose was to restrain martial artists within the department, preventing them from exploiting their power to harm society.

To enforce such restraint, the team naturally had to possess considerable strength.

Thus, the minimum requirement to join was achieving the Grandmaster level.

Many said that working in the Martial Arts Department was just a stepping stone to joining the inspection team—a separate, more powerful system with greater authority.

Rumors claimed the chief inspector’s cultivation had reached the pinnacle of human potential—the peak of the late-stage Grandmaster realm!

Of course, having read the original novel, Gu Yan knew these weren’t just rumors.

Unfortunately, later events... well, everyone knew how that turned out.

Back to the present.

Now that he had Sun Shi’s information, the next step was figuring out how to use it effectively.

Naturally...

While he had ideas, he wouldn’t act recklessly at this critical juncture.

After all, he was still too weak.

His "Pure Love Points" couldn’t be spent too freely due to certain circumstances.

What Gu Yan needed now was to wait until after the annual gathering...

Once he obtained the dagger, he could proceed with his plans without restraint!

Still...

Gu Yan’s eyes flickered as he considered the various outcomes his actions might trigger.

"Meow~"

The black cat Yeye seemed to sense her owner’s shifting mood.

She opened her eyes and let out a few soft meows, as if to reassure him.

Gu Yan paused, then lifted Yeye up with both hands, smiling. "Heh, I hadn’t noticed before, but you’re becoming more and more human-like."

"Should I credit Leng Ling'er’s sharp eye, or were you just this clever from the start?"

"Meow..."

Yeye squirmed slightly, uncomfortable at being held up.

Gu Yan wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but Yeye had been acting increasingly perceptive lately.

Sometimes, she even seemed to understand his words.

If he didn’t know she was just a stray Leng Ling'er had picked up, he might’ve suspected she was some new kind of magical creature.

With that thought, he idly played with Yeye’s ears while asking Old Gao, "By the way, how’s Shen Wan'er’s situation progressing?"

"Quite well. If all goes smoothly, we should be able to wrap things up by year’s end."

Gu Yan chuckled. "Good."

He had been closely monitoring and subtly manipulating Shen Wan'er and Xiao Lin’s interactions.

The goal? To push them toward taking that final, irreversible step.

After all, Shen Wan'er had been secretly dosed with the Cultivation Destruction Potion.

Once she and Xiao Lin crossed that line, one of them would lose all their cultivation!

The key to this scheme lay with Shen Wan'er’s younger brother, Shen Tian.

Just then—

Buzz!

Gu Yan’s phone vibrated.

He set Yeye down, the cat now sprawled limply on the grass, thoroughly pampered.

Picking up his phone, Gu Yan blinked in surprise.

It was a message from his father:

[Go pick up your sister, Gu Yunrou, at Jianghai Airport. She’s arriving soon.]

??

Seriously, Dad? I’m still a patient here!

Gu Yan rubbed his temples, exasperated. Had his father forgotten he’d just returned from the forbidden zone?

Tch, whatever.

Gu Yunrou, huh...

What was coming would come eventually.

With a resigned sigh, Gu Yan stood. He wasn’t entirely sure why she was arriving now, but...

Might as well meet her.

After all, she was his nominal elder sister.

......

Jianghai Airport.

A graceful figure emerged from the terminal, her steps light, long hair cascading like a waterfall down her back.

She pulled a suitcase behind her, its wheels clicking softly against the floor.

Dressed in simple casual wear—a loose top paired with light blue jeans—her outfit accentuated her slender frame.

Sunglasses shielded her eyes, and though she wore a faint smile, an air of unapproachable pride surrounded her, keeping onlookers at a distance.

A second later—

"Hey! Gu Yunrou, you’re supposed to be my sister! Was running ahead really necessary? Ugh!"

A petite girl in a frilly Lolita dress stormed out after her, followed by a man burdened with multiple bags.

Gu Yunrou didn’t even glance back, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Hah, if I hadn’t been waiting for you, Gu Yingying, I’d have taken the private jet hours ago."

"Do you really think I’d still be stuck at Jianghai at this hour?"

Gu Yingying puffed her cheeks. "It’s not my fault! Mom and Dad wouldn’t let me leave unless you came too!"

"And Lin Dang was useless! Couldn’t even handle my dad!"

Lin Dang, trailing behind them, looked ready to cry. Seriously, Young Miss?

Your dad’s my employer! You expect me to fight him??

Gu Yunrou merely smirked, scanning the pickup area.

Then—

Two luxury cars glided to a stop in front of her and Gu Yingying, instantly drawing stares from the crowd.

The doors opened.

Gu Yan stepped out, offering a polite smile to his sisters.

He’d spotted Gu Yunrou immediately in the crowd and couldn’t help sighing inwardly.

Typical of the Gu family’s genes—flawless looks.

Though Gu Yingying’s presence was unexpected. Had they traveled together?

"What’s wrong? Struck dumb by your sister’s beauty?"

Gu Yunrou removed her sunglasses, her playful gaze locking onto him.

Gu Yan shrugged. "Spare me. You two break my spirit every annual gathering. This year, go easy on me, will you?"

Before Gu Yunrou could reply, Gu Yingying snorted, lifting her chin like a proud little peacock.

"Worthless brother, if you just give up your heir status, maybe I’ll go easy on you this time."

For some reason, Gu Yingying felt today’s Gu Yan was... different from before.

The most obvious difference was... he had become more confident.

In previous years, Gu Yan would always wear an unhappy expression whenever he saw the two sisters—clearly unwilling to meet or speak, with an inexplicable sense of inferiority.

But this year, he actually came to pick them up at the airport and even initiated conversation. How strange.

"Useless brother..."

Gu Yan glanced at Gu Yingying. Was this another version of Leng Ling'er?

This kind of bratty girl needed to be taught a harsh lesson.

Wait, no—better yet, why not let two bratty girls clash?

"Hmm? Are you thinking something rude in there?"

Gu Yingying, who held an internationally certified master's degree in psychology, naturally saw right through Gu Yan's thoughts.

"You guessed wrong. I was just thinking, where did this little princess come from? She’s grown so beautiful."

Gu Yan smiled faintly, perfectly masking his true thoughts.

Joke’s on her—he was a master of acting too.

Sure enough.

The moment Gu Yingying heard this, her heart skipped a beat. "You—!!"

To cover her fluster, she glared at him. "You perverted lolicon trash, stop bothering us and just drive."

"Fine, fine."

While they were talking, Old Gao and the bodyguards had already loaded the luggage into the car.

Gu Yunrou remained silent, merely studying Gu Yan with a meaningful gaze.

Hmm? Her little brother... really did seem different.

Interesting. Was it because of Leng Qingqiu?

"Big sis, aren’t you getting in the car?"

Gu Yan opened the rear door, looking at Gu Yunrou in confusion.

The latter froze for a moment.

Huh?

Gu Yan... called her "big sis"?

For some reason, Gu Yunrou’s mood instantly improved. She stepped forward, reached out, and patted Gu Yan’s head.

"Good boy."

With that, she elegantly slid into the car with her long legs.

Gu Yan: ???

Huh?

This wasn’t how he imagined things would go.

Where was the classic "villainess stepsister" trope??

Gu Yan stood there, utterly baffled.

Weren’t these two sisters supposed to see him as a worthless loser?

Why did Gu Yunrou seem... oddly nice?

And Gu Yingying just came off as a tsundere brat?

Gu Yan was puzzled, but whatever. Time to gather some intel first!