Hello, Sister-in-law

The Mortal Realm.

Jianghai High School.

Inside a newly constructed martial arts building.

Leng Ling'er sat in the martial arts class, gazing boredly out the window.

Ah, so boring.

Why wasn’t Qiong Lan assigned to the same class as me? Now I have no one to talk to during lessons...

Just then.

Buzz!

A black hole appeared in the tree outside the window.

Immediately after.

A figure and a raven emerged from the black hole, landing on a branch.

The snow-white-clad figure had a calm yet icy expression, bearing some resemblance to her elder sister.

In her hand, she was holding a little girl.

"?"

Leng Ling'er blinked.

She rubbed her eyes.

Huh? What was that?

At the front of the classroom.

A martial artist with post-natal cultivation was explaining the advancement system for martial arts students to the dozens of students present.

"Class, as students of the martial arts stream, your path is different from the regular classes."

"Your college entrance exams are in March, coinciding with the Martial Arts Department’s nationwide talent assessment."

"As long as you test positive for martial arts talent, you’ll be admitted to different schools based on your potential."

"This talent assessment evaluates the highest achievements you can reach in the future."

"It’s a method pioneered by Master Ya of the martial arts forum, later refined by the department’s array division."

"Coincidentally, I’ve brought a sample today."

With that, the martial artist produced a crystal ball and smiled. "Just place your hand on it, and it will reveal the highest cultivation level you can attain in the future."

"Of course, I must emphasize—your future is in your own hands. What you achieve depends entirely on your efforts."

As he spoke, he noticed a certain blonde-haired student staring out the window instead of paying attention.

He frowned slightly.

From what he recalled, this student had been flagged for special attention by higher-ups.

But no specific reason had been given.

Regardless...

He cleared his throat. "Leng Ling'er, is the lesson too dull for you?"

"But this is crucial knowledge for your martial arts talent assessment in March."

"If you can become a martial artist in the future—"

Before he could finish.

"T-teacher!!"

Leng Ling'er stood up abruptly, turning around with a shocked expression as she pointed outside. "Teacher! A raven and a person just appeared out there!"

The martial artist: "?"

Though interrupted, he didn’t get angry. Instead, he followed her finger and looked outside.

But there was nothing there.

Leng Ling'er was stunned. She had seen them just moments ago.

The rest of the class burst into laughter.

"Leng Ling'er, are you daydreaming in broad daylight?"

"Yeah, a person and a raven? Really?"

"Hahaha, Leng Ling'er, I heard you were always pulling stunts in your old class. Still not behaving even in the martial arts stream?"

"Tch, someone like her won’t amount to anything in the future."

The teacher took a deep breath, forcing a smile. "Well, Ling'er must be feeling restless. That’s why she’s saying such things."

"How about this—come up and demonstrate the crystal ball’s function for the class?"

"Since this is the martial arts stream, all of you were actually supposed to complete the talent assessment today."

Leng Ling'er withdrew her gaze and sighed. "Fine."

Had she really imagined it?

Shaking off the thought, she stepped forward to begin the assessment.

Five minutes later.

BANG—!!!

The sound of shattering crystal echoed through the classroom.

Followed by the martial artist’s frenzied exclamation.

"!!"

"The crystal ball—it shattered!!"

"Grandmaster!! Leng Ling'er has the potential of a grandmaster!!"

......

......

On a high-rise somewhere in Jianghai.

Swish!

A black hole appeared.

The raven and Leng Bingning stepped out.

Leng Bingning’s usual composure was gone. She took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in her heart, and murmured, "That was Ling'er..."

"No mistake. She looks exactly the same as back then. Ling'er is alive... and attending school like normal."

Gu Yan, in raven form, interjected, "In the martial arts stream, preparing to advance as a martial artist."

Leng Bingning ignored the Night King’s avatar.

Stop acting so familiar with my sister, will you?

The world’s upheaval—wasn’t half of it your fault, Night King?

Wait.

Because of the Night King...

Leng Bingning suddenly felt something was off.

If the being before her was truly an avatar of the Night King’s main body...

Then who was the Night King appearing in live broadcasts recently?

The world had changed drastically, and even Leng Bingning had started keeping up with online news.

Frowning, she studied the raven before her. Something...

felt fishy.

She spoke coldly, "What exactly is this 'cooperation' you mentioned? Who are you?"

"Are you really the Night King?"

Hearing this, Gu Yan sounded amused. "Hm? Don’t you want to see Leng Qingqiu first?"

Of course she did.

But not now.

Leng Bingning sighed inwardly. She... wasn’t ready to face her yet.

When her sisters had needed her most, she hadn’t been there.

With a cold shake of her head, she replied, "No. Explain your cooperation first."

At this, Gu Yan dropped the act.

His voice shifted—to Leng Bingning’s surprise, it was now an ordinary man’s voice!

"Calling it cooperation is just a formality. I actually need a favor from you, sis-in-law."

"Nice to meet you, sis-in-law. I figured you wouldn’t believe me, so I had to resort to this."

The raven hovered mid-air, its words leaving Leng Bingning stunned.

Sis... sis-in-law?!

Leng Bingning scrutinized the raven.

Swish!

In an instant, an ice sword materialized in her hand, its tip aimed at the so-called raven avatar.

"Who the hell are you?!" she demanded, voice frosty.

Sis-in-law? Since when did she have a brother-in-law?

Gu Yan sighed. "Sis-in-law, you really don’t browse the internet, do you?"

Though, he could understand.

Information between the Mortal Realm and the Ancient Martial Realm rarely overlapped.

Especially for someone like Leng Bingning, who cultivated the Ice Heart Art with single-minded focus.

Add to that the Night King’s emergence—any past news had long been buried in the depths of the web.

Had Leng Bingning kept up with mortal-world trends, she would’ve known about Leng Qingqiu and Leng Ling'er’s survival months ago—back during the Gu Family’s annual gathering.

"Sis, just look it up yourself!"

With that, the raven-form Gu Yan pulled out a phone from his system space, quickly searching and explaining.

Leng Bingning fell silent.

Gu Yan—the young master of the Gu Family, who had become her sister Leng Qingqiu’s lover in her absence.

CRACK!

She crushed the phone in her hand, the one displaying intimate photos of her sister and Gu Yan.

Her icy gaze locked onto the raven.

Setting aside the fact that this man was her sister’s beloved...

He... was tainted by the Night King’s power?!

Which meant...

Did he really cause the world to become like this?

Most importantly... does Leng Qingqiu know about this?

However, Gu Yan had already anticipated this kind of reaction.

Clearing his throat awkwardly—though it looked rather comical for a raven to do so—he spoke, "Sis—"

"Don't call me that."

"Then... sister-in-law?"

"?"

"Ms. Leng, it's a long story, so I'll keep it short. I'll give you a memory fragment, and everything will make sense."

As he said this, a black orb of light floated toward Leng Bingning.

She examined it carefully—it was a materialized memory sphere, nothing suspicious.

With that in mind, she absorbed the memory.

Several minutes later.

"!!!"

Leng Bingning's eyes snapped open, staring at the raven in disbelief.

So...

The previous Night King—her father—had indeed died, and the dagger had chosen a new successor.

And that successor was... Leng Qingqiu!

Her own younger sister... had become the Night King?!

Yet... Gu Yan had taken the dagger from her, stripping her of the Night King's power.

And most shockingly, his ultimate plan was actually... this?

Leng Bingning gazed at Gu Yan with a complicated expression. "What you need from me is to use the Ice Heart Technique to suppress your negative emotions and keep you sane, right?"

Gu Yan nodded. "Honestly, even if I hadn’t run into you, I would’ve sought you out eventually."

His tone then lightened slightly. "But... who would’ve thought we’d meet like this? Guess it’s the bond of family, huh?"

"........."

Leng Bingning fell silent.

Her eyes remained fixed on the raven, thoughts swirling, until she finally sighed. "I understand."

Seeing this, Gu Yan grinned. "Good. Then... Sis, how about we make a quick trip to the Third Forbidden Zone first? Help me stabilize these emotions—I’ve been absorbing too much lately, and it’s getting hard to handle. I’ll fill you in on the details later."

But Leng Bingning shook her head, her voice firm. "That can wait. There’s something else I need to do first."

Gu Yan paused. Something else? And with such a serious tone—was she planning to find a place for the little girl she was carrying?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, she spoke again.

"Take me to see Qingqiu first. Just a glimpse from afar—don’t let her notice us, like what happened with Ling'er."

Gu Yan: ?