Give the Dragon King's Jade to Ling'er

Dragon King Jade?

Leng Qingqiu forced herself to stay calm.

Wait a moment.

Let me sort this out in my head first.

First, there's Xiao Lin, the sole heir of the Dragon King Palace, who possesses half of the Dragon King Jade.

Legend has it that whoever obtains the complete Dragon King Jade can command the entire Dragon King Palace.

When Leng Qingqiu first learned of this, she had considered taking action against Xiao Lin.

But!

She hesitated because of the forces backing Xiao Lin—namely, the Old Dragon King!

At the time, she feared that acting rashly might alert the Old Dragon King and put Gu Yan and Ling'er in danger.

Uncertain of the Old Dragon King's true strength, she had left Xiao Lin untouched.

But now...

Xiao Lin... just happened to die?

Hah! What a coincidence—yeah, right!

No doubt, Gu Yan killed him.

And not only that, Gu Yan even took the Dragon King Jade from him!

"Where did the other half come from?"

After a moment of silence, Leng Qingqiu asked.

"Bai Qionglan gave it to me."

"There's a rule with this Dragon King Jade—it only truly transfers to someone else if the owner willingly gives it away."

Gu Yan replied while massaging her shoulders.

He knew Leng Qingqiu was aware he was impersonating the Night King.

But she didn’t know that he knew she knew.

So, Gu Yan had to explain things from an uninformed perspective.

Leng Qingqiu appeared calm on the surface.

But inside, her mind was in turmoil.

Seriously?

Two halves of the Dragon King Jade—the complete artifact capable of commanding the Dragon King Palace—just... fell into their hands?

Just like that? So easily?

And more importantly, how did Gu Yan even get Bai Qionglan’s half?

She gripped the Dragon King Jade, sensing the strange mystical energy radiating from it.

"How did Xiao Lin just happen to die?"

"No idea. Maybe he was assassinated? I was shocked too when I heard the news."

"? Fine, let’s skip that. Then how did his jade end up in your hands?"

"He gave it to me. Qingqiu, remember Wang Yulan? The one whose mother was hospitalized before."

"Xiao Lin had some misunderstanding with her involving me. After it was cleared up, he gave me the Dragon King Jade as an apology. Who would’ve thought... sigh."

"..."

This kind of nonsense... if I didn’t already know you were impersonating the Night King, I’d call you out right now.

Huh?

Wait!

Leng Qingqiu suddenly became alert.

Is Gu Yan really treating me like a fool? Or does he think I’m that easy to deceive?

But...

Gu Yan doesn’t know that I know he’s a fake Night King.

He’s probably saying this to dispel any suspicion I might have.

Tch, such a low-level lie.

Gu Yan, how can you ever be a proper Night King like this?

[Do you even have the right to say that?]

Xiao Leng suddenly chimed in, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"...Shut up, Xiao Leng!"

Leng Qingqiu’s composure cracked internally, but outwardly, she nodded calmly.

In truth, her perception allowed her to detect lies.

And just now, everything Gu Yan said—aside from the part about Bai Qionglan—was a complete fabrication.

But this only confirmed her suspicion: Gu Yan was definitely the one who killed Xiao Lin.

After all, how could the heir of the Dragon King Palace just coincidentally die?

Come to think of it... had Gu Yan been targeting Xiao Lin all along?

Was helping Wang Yulan at the hospital back then part of his plan?

Had he been scheming since then?

For me? Or just for the Dragon King Jade?

"What about the Old Dragon King? Shouldn’t he be at Dragon King Mountain?"

Leng Qingqiu pressed further.

Gu Yan had his answer ready, feigning regret. "The Old Dragon King strayed from the righteous path. He dabbled in forbidden arts and ended up destroying his own soul."

"Who would’ve thought a figure like him would stoop so low?"

Lies again!

Leng Qingqiu seethed inwardly.

So, Gu Yan killed the Old Dragon King too.

Wait—no, the part about the Old Dragon King straying wasn’t a lie?

What’s going on? As the Dragon King, shouldn’t he have been on the side of justice?

Speaking of which...

Since when did Gu Yan become this strong?

Was it because of the dagger he borrowed?

So... his goal really was the Dragon King Palace all along. That’s why he went for the Dragon King Jade right after taking her dagger.

But...

If he only wanted the Dragon King Jade, why reveal it to her now?

Leng Qingqiu was puzzled. She held out the jade to return it. "I see. Here, take it back."

The Dragon King Jade belonged to the Dragon King Palace.

And back when the Leng Family was targeted,

the Dragon King Palace had played a part.

Holding it now felt deeply uncomfortable.

However,

Gu Yan shook his head, refusing to take it back. "No, Qingqiu, listen."

"Legend says that when the Dragon King Jade is whole, it grants command over the Dragon King Palace."

"But I already have the backing of the Gu Family—power and resources are no issue for me."

"The Dragon King Palace holds little value to me."

?

Leng Qingqiu froze for a second. Clutching the jade, a thought crossed her mind. Hesitantly, she asked, "Then you mean...?"

Here, Gu Yan revealed his true intention: "I want... to give the Dragon King Jade to Ling'er."

"The jade can ward off evil, protect its holder, purify the mind against illusions and charms, and even enhance cultivation efficiency."

Gu Yan stopped massaging and spoke earnestly. "The reason Ling'er was attacked today is because she carries immense destiny!"

"The Old Dragon King wanted to use her body to achieve immortality!"

"Luckily, the old bastard ended up backfiring on himself and died."

At this,

Leng Qingqiu was stunned.

Huh?

Ling'er is a Child of Destiny?!

And that last part...

That old monster tried to possess my Ling'er?!

Gu Yan was telling the truth!

Which means... Gu Yan just returned from Dragon King Mountain?

He went alone and killed the Old Dragon King?!

Everything suddenly made sense to Leng Qingqiu.

Xiao Lin died because he was the Dragon King Palace’s heir—an enemy of the Leng Family.

The Old Dragon King died because he targeted Ling'er.

As for Bai Qionglan’s half of the jade, since Ling'er and Qionglan were close friends, it made sense that she’d give it to Gu Yan without knowing its significance.

Gu Yan... so this was your plan all along?

Leng Qingqiu pieced together the details and fell into silence.

Meanwhile, Gu Yan continued explaining: "But even with the Old Dragon King dead, Ling'er isn’t out of danger yet."

"A Child of Destiny attracts both fortune and peril."

"With Xiao Lin—another Child of Destiny—gone, the dangers and opportunities that once fell on him will now converge on Ling'er."

"Where there is risk, there is also opportunity..."

"Rather than letting Ling'er wait for danger to come, it's better to have her train to become a martial artist."

"This way..."

Before he could finish speaking,

Leng Qingqiu took hold of Gu Yan's hand.

Gu Yan was taken aback. "Qingqiu?"

He swallowed hard. Could it be... that Qingqiu disagreed?

Or had he failed to explain himself clearly?

Just as he was about to say more,

Leng Qingqiu turned and pulled Gu Yan into a tight embrace, burying her face in his chest. Her voice was laced with emotion. "Gu Yan..."

"Promise me, no matter what you plan to do,"

"think of us. Don’t put yourself in danger."

"I won’t pry into your plans,"

"but... we can’t lose you. Don’t take reckless risks."

"And if you must, at least discuss it with me first."

Gu Yan had chosen not to reveal his identity as the Night King to her.

That meant he still had other intentions.

She... shouldn’t push the matter now.

Besides, Gu Yan seemed no different from before.

Surely... nothing would go wrong.

She trusted him.

Gu Yan understood the turmoil in Leng Qingqiu’s heart.

But...

For now, all he could offer was a promise he wasn’t even sure he could keep.

"Alright."

He pulled her closer, and the exhaustion of the past few days melted away in that moment.

Suddenly, he remembered something and added, "By the way, Qingqiu, there are a few more things..."