The Leng Family.
After Leng Qingqiu’s thorough explanation, Leng Ling’er was completely stunned.
She swallowed hard, unsure whether the information was too shocking or something else, but her voice trembled as she exclaimed in disbelief, “No way, sis?! So these kinds of miraculous things actually exist in the world?”
“Martial artists? Cultivation techniques? Demon Creatures?”
Leng Qingqiu knew her younger sister would struggle to accept this all at once.
Time was the only way for her to adjust. She nodded. “Yes.”
“And just so you know, our Leng Family was once a lineage of martial artists.”
“Including your brother-in-law’s Gu Family.”
Hearing this—
“Hiss!”
Leng Ling’er sharply inhaled.
So this world… was actually so extraordinary?!
Then that little bear they brought out for a performance during the Gu Family’s annual gathering…
Could it have been… a Demon Creature?!
As someone who had read plenty of novels, comics, and watched movies, she naturally understood what this meant.
It meant—
Leng Ling’er turned to Leng Qingqiu with excitement. “Sis, I want to become a martial artist!”
“Can you teach me how to cultivate?”
?
Leng Qingqiu slowly typed a question mark in her mind.
Wait, Ling’er’s ability to accept this was way too strong, wasn’t it?
As if sensing Leng Qingqiu’s thoughts, Leng Ling’er said eagerly, “This world of martial artists is just so… me!”
“Sis, once my cultivation reaches a certain level, won’t I be able to fly through the skies and move through the earth?”
“Wow! Just thinking about it gets me so excited!”
Leng Ling’er was already impatient.
Leng Qingqiu chuckled helplessly. “You… you’re way too fired up about this.”
“Let me tell you, becoming a martial artist isn’t easy.”
“And once you do, you might get dragged into dangerous situations.”
“Of course, your sister and brother-in-law will protect you, so if you cultivate and become a martial artist, it’ll mostly just be an extra layer of security.”
Leng Ling’er asked, confused, “Security?”
Leng Qingqiu nodded seriously. “Yes. In case of emergencies, so you don’t die before we can get to you.”
Ling’er’s attitude was far too casual about the martial world—that wasn’t acceptable.
She needed to scare her a little.
As expected, the words had an immediate effect.
!!
Leng Ling’er seemed to recall what had happened earlier that day.
If her sister hadn’t intervened, she would’ve…
Leng Ling’er immediately buried herself in Leng Qingqiu’s arms, shivering. “Waaah, sis, you’re just trying to scare me!”
“You succeeded, happy now?!”
Leng Qingqiu smiled and gently patted her. “I just don’t want you to underestimate the martial world.”
“It’s a brutal place, one where strength reigns supreme and reason often doesn’t matter.”
As she said this, Leng Qingqiu sighed inwardly.
Just like their Leng Family back then…
Leng Ling’er nodded belatedly, but then seemed to think of something else. “Then, sis, once I become a martial artist, can I teach Bai Qionglan and Ning Qian too?”
Leng Qingqiu listened, then patted Leng Ling’er’s head with a smile. “Bai Qionglan has her older brother—she’ll become a martial artist sooner or later.”
“As for Ning Qian…”
“Ling’er, her cultivation is at the same level as your brother-in-law—both are at the Innate Realm.”
“Though the fact that you even get along with her is something I never expected.”
After all, Ning Qian was a disciple of Dragon King Mountain.
Leng Ling’er was dumbfounded.
Wait, Ning Qian’s cultivation… was already at the Innate Realm?!
After Leng Qingqiu’s earlier explanation, she now understood the martial world’s hierarchy:
Third-rate Martial Artist, Second-rate Martial Artist, First-rate Martial Artist, Postnatal, Innate, Master, Grand Master.
Anyone who cultivated true qi was considered an entry-level martial artist, and with further training, they could become a Third-rate Martial Artist.
But Ning Qian…
Was already at the Innate Realm?!
Leng Ling’er suddenly felt a little wronged. “Mmm… you all kept this from me.”
“If I had started cultivating earlier, I’d definitely be a Master by now!”
Hearing this, Leng Qingqiu smiled without a word.
She wasn’t yet sure about Ling’er’s talent.
But…
Even with the highest aptitude, it was impossible to reach the Master Realm in just a few years.
Ling’er wasn’t some heaven-blessed individual who could stumble upon countless fortuitous encounters.
In Leng Qingqiu’s eyes, reaching the Postnatal Realm would already be quite an achievement.
Now that she had decided to let Ling’er cultivate…
She needed to find a suitable cultivation technique for her.
The Night Organization’s techniques were out of the question—
If Ling’er were mistaken for a member, it’d be trouble.
In that case…
Just then—
Leng Qingqiu’s heart skipped a beat as she sensed a familiar presence downstairs.
Soon after—
Tap, tap, tap!
Footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Leng Ling’er seemed to notice something too and whispered, “Sis, is that brother-in-law?”
“Mm.”
Leng Qingqiu nodded.
The next second—
Click.
The door swung open.
Gu Yan rushed in.
His eyes quickly scanned the room before settling on Leng Qingqiu and Leng Ling’er, both safe and sound.
The tension in his chest finally eased.
When he had arrived on the first floor and seen the wreckage, a wave of unease had washed over him.
After all, with Leng Qingqiu’s dagger taken, she had likely lost all her strength.
“Qingqiu, Ling’er.”
“I’m glad you’re both alright.”
Gu Yan let out a relieved sigh as he sat on the chair across from them, his tense expression finally relaxing.
Leng Qingqiu remained silent, refusing to look at him.
Leng Ling’er, sensing the awkward atmosphere, cleared her throat and glared at Gu Yan. “Brother-in-law, why did you hide something so important from me too?”
Gu Yan blinked. “What thing?”
“The whole martial artist thing! You’re an Innate Realm martial artist, and sis is also—”
Before she could finish—
Leng Qingqiu cut in calmly. “Alright, Ling’er, step outside for now.”
“I need to talk to your brother-in-law.”
Leng Ling’er immediately shut her mouth. Before leaving, she shot Gu Yan a helpless good luck look.
The room fell into silence.
Gu Yan hesitated before speaking softly. “Qing…”
“Qing what?”
Before he could finish—
Leng Qingqiu coldly interrupted.
She opened her eyes, her gaze steady as she stared at him.
Compared to before, Gu Yan’s life essence now carried faint traces of gray impurities…
Was that… the Power of Night?
Because he had used the dagger.
Gu Yan knew he was in the wrong, so he could only cough lightly and lower his head, staying silent.
Time passed slowly.
Leng Qingqiu said nothing.
Gu Yan occasionally glanced up at her cold expression.
Maybe it was his imagination, but those once-lifeless eyes of hers…
Now seemed to carry faint silver specks of light…
He didn’t know what they were.
Finally, after ten minutes of silence—
Leng Qingqiu spoke.
“Gu Yan, what exactly have you been doing these past few days?”
The dagger was taken.
Ling’er was targeted.
Gu Yan had set up additional protective measures on Ling'er...
All these signs indicated... Gu Yan must know something!
Hearing these words, Gu Yan let out a soft sigh. "I'm sorry, Qingqiu. Once I finish handling one last matter..."
"I'll tell you the truth. Now that I know both of you are safe, I should take my leave."
?!
The truth...
Leng Qingqiu's heart jolted.
Could it be... Was Gu Yan about to... come clean with her?
But the moment this thought crossed her mind, Gu Yan stood up, preparing to leave.
Leng Qingqiu immediately pressed her lips together, her fists clenching tightly as she demanded, "You're leaving just like that?"
"Ling'er just went through something terrible, and you won’t even stay here with us?"
Gu Yan paused mid-step but still moved forward. "I'm sorry. I'll return soon."
With that,
Gu Yan left through the window.
"Bastard..."
Leng Qingqiu gritted her teeth.
He... actually walked away just like that?
What had Gu Yan been up to lately? And where was he going now?
Leng Qingqiu suddenly realized—Gu Yan was keeping more and more secrets from her...
] [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!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
spital. Good news: I've bound a system. Bad news: I'm still a baby. "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully the middle-aged for being poor — Divorce Comeback System." "Your marriage may have failed, but your luck in love has never run dry. Your childhood sweetheart, out of contact for twenty years, reappears. Her beauty remains, yet her eyes are brimming with tears." [Listen to the childhood sweetheart's sorrowful story.] Chen Zhi looked down at the diaper he was wearing, then at the little childhood sweetheart crying her heart out beside him, and fell into deep thought. Can anyone relate? I'm having a midlife crisis at an age where even rolling over is a struggle.
