The Arrival of a Slight Chill

The Bai Family.

Bai Qionglan angrily grabbed Meteorite's arm, trying with all her might to pull her away from Leng Ling'er's side. "Hey! Stop clinging to my Ling'er-jie like this!"

All her initial fear of Meteorite had vanished, replaced only by the fierce rivalry between factions!

"Ahh... Dragon King-sama... Dragon King-sama..."

Meteorite, her face flushed, continued rubbing against Leng Ling'er, who looked utterly helpless.

"Brother-in-law, what should we do now?"

Leng Ling'er turned her gaze toward Gu Yan.

Truthfully, she didn’t mind girls getting close to her.

But... this woman was a villain, the big bad who had attacked their Qionglan!

Hmm... What to do? I don’t know either...

Watching the woman who kept hugging Leng Ling'er's arm and rubbing against her, Gu Yan understood everything.

From their earlier conversation, he learned that her name was Meteorite.

Originally a martial artist from centuries ago, she had joined the Dragon King Palace only to have her soul sealed away by the former Dragon King, turning her into a 'Dragon Slave.'

Centuries had passed, leaving her mind unstable, even somewhat deranged.

Moreover, after the old Dragon King's death, Gu Yan had converted the other Dragon Slaves into Shadow People—but Meteorite had been overlooked.

She had been sent out earlier to interrogate Bai Qionglan about the jade pendant's whereabouts.

This oversight meant...

During the transition between the former and current Dragon King, she alone had been left out.

And now, with the destruction of the stone statue, the seal on her soul had broken.

In the end...

Gu Yan observed Meteorite's bizarre behavior.

This was the result.

Gu Yan cleared his throat and said to Leng Ling'er, "Putting everything else aside, you are now the Dragon King."

"Since you need to train, and she’s a grandmaster, sticking with her will ensure your safety and guide you properly."

Leng Ling'er: ???

What? This woman is a grandmaster?!

Leng Ling'er was stunned. Before this, the woman had been rambling about being a grandmaster and offering to train her. But she, being so clever, had naturally dismissed it.

Yet... according to Gu Yan, it was actually true?!

Leng Ling'er immediately brightened up.

Bai Qionglan, sensing something amiss, quickly tried to intervene. "Ling'er-jie—"

"Ah, Qionglan, we’re all good sisters here!"

Leng Ling'er cut her off, smiling as she took both Meteorite and Bai Qionglan's hands.

"You're both my dear friends!"

"Let’s train together!"

Meteorite, her face flushed with excitement: "Dragon King-sama!"

Bai Qionglan, on the verge of tears: "How could this happen?!"

Another rival had appeared!

Seeing that things had settled, Gu Yan stood up to leave. "Alright, I’ll leave you to it."

It was rare for the little brat to be so passionate about something.

Though he wasn’t sure about her talent.

Hmm... Probably around Xiao Lin's level?

Their luck should be about the same.

"Okay~ Take care, brother-in-law~"

After leaving the Bai Family, Gu Yan returned to his car.

The matters concerning the Dragon King Palace and the Beacon of Hope could be set aside for now.

But Gu Yan couldn’t relax yet.

For the sake of his future plans, he had to make the most of every moment.

It had been a while since he last visited the Fifth Forbidden Zone. He hadn’t forgotten his identity as the 'Nether Monarch.'

But before that...

Gu Yan decided to head home first and wait for someone’s arrival tonight.

Perhaps it was his sixth sense, but he had a feeling... Leng Qingqiu would come looking for him again.

......

Nighttime.

The Gu Residence.

Pale moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Gu Yan sat on his familiar single-seater sofa, a small side table beside him laden with sweets and milk tea.

The next moment—

A fair, delicate hand picked up a cream puff.

Its owner then casually took a seat on the sofa, her cool voice reaching Gu Yan’s ears. "You knew I was coming."

Munch munch munch~

The sound of chewing filled the air.

Gu Yan chuckled lightly, glancing at the expressionless Leng Qingqiu as she ate the puff. "Just a man’s intuition."

"Hmph. Intuition (munch munch)."

Leng Qingqiu scoffed, then picked up the milk tea and took a sip. Between bites, she said, "If you sensed I was coming, you should know why."

Gu Yan watched Leng Qingqiu—who, just like her counterpart, had a sweet tooth—and sighed helplessly. "Yeah."

"I’ve only used the dagger twice, but one of my emotions has already faded."

"Though it’s not obvious now... I really have been affected by the Power of Night."

Hearing this, Leng Qingqiu raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile curling her lips. "I warned you. You brought this on yourself."

"Hey now, ‘brought it on yourself’ is a bit harsh. I was just being cautious."

Gu Yan shrugged.

"Hmph."

"What’s with the ‘hmph’? Did you come just to laugh at me? I’ve used some methods to suppress the Power of Night’s corruption for now."

"But it’s not a permanent solution. Do you have any ideas, Leng Qingqiu?"

"Like using that cursed tome?"

Gu Yan looked at her, certain she had an answer.

Leng Qingqiu stared back impassively. "Who are you to me? Why should I help you?"

"Then give back the milk tea and sweets."

Leng Qingqiu’s eye twitched, her expression turning even colder. "........."

Gu Yan coughed lightly. "Kidding, just kidding. If you can’t help, then never mind."

"I’ll just reduce how often I use the dagger."

Seeing Gu Yan’s resigned attitude, Leng Qingqiu finished her milk tea and sighed. "I can’t stop the Power of Night from corrupting those who aren’t chosen."

"Not even Xiao Xie can, because it’s an unbreakable rule."

"If there’s one way..."

Here, Leng Qingqiu looked at Gu Yan seriously.

Gu Yan straightened, listening intently.

Only... one way?

What could it be? Don’t tell me it’s becoming a grandmaster again?

"Then it would be..."

Leng Qingqiu spoke slowly, emphasizing each word. "Stop using the dagger."

"........."

Listening to her was like hearing nothing at all.

Gu Yan’s lips twitched. He covered his face in exasperation. "If I could stop, I wouldn’t be so troubled!"

The future was unpredictable, and Gu Yan was certain he’d need the dagger again.

Leng Qingqiu fell silent, quietly finishing her sweets.

Gu Yan now understood—unless he became a grandmaster and mastered the Power of Pure Love, there was no other way.

In that case...

"Fine, I get it."

"I’ll avoid using it as much as possible. Also, I’m heading to the Forbidden Zone in a couple of days."

At this, Leng Qingqiu glanced at him. "First, it’s not ‘as much as possible’—it’s ‘never again.’ Every time you use the dagger, the Power of Night’s corruption doubles from its current state."

"Next time, it won't just be one emotion you lose."

"Secondly."

"What were you doing in the forbidden zone?"

As she spoke, Leng Ling'er inexplicably glanced at the black ring on Gu Yan's finger. "Feeding your little pet some demonic creatures?"

Seeing that she had recognized Claws, Gu Yan no longer hid it.

Gurgle!

The Claws ring began to morph, gradually transforming into three sharp talons radiating golden dragon energy, coiled around Gu Yan's finger.

Gu Yan explained, "That's right. The Tri-Life Demon Claws can harness all the abilities of those it devours."

"For the next phase of the plan, I need to let it feast a bit more."

[Screech!]

Claws let out a chirp in agreement.