Leave right after sending, what a jerk

Time passed slowly.

Leng Qingqiu's reputation as the leader of the alliance had reached unprecedented heights.

Everyone revered and praised her great achievements.

During this time, Shangguan Miaoyin and others, who had been planted in Long Tianyun's faction, uncovered evidence of the three major families and various other clans' involvement in the demonic weapon experiments from their offices.

It went so smoothly that Leng Qingqiu suspected they had deliberately left the evidence there.

However, further investigation revealed no issues with the evidence.

Leng Qingqiu guessed that it was most likely due to Long Tianyun and his allies' sheer incompetence, carelessly leaving critical evidence lying around in their offices.

Now, all that remained was to wait for the right moment to strike.

At that moment...

In the headquarters' training grounds, sunlight streamed through the high windows, casting interwoven patterns of light and shadow across the floor, creating a strikingly bright atmosphere.

The air was thick with tension. Since the last invasion by the Grandmaster-level demonic creatures, the warriors' training had become even more rigorous.

At the center of the training platform...

Leng Ling'er and Lin Yinyin stood facing each other, their expressions focused, their auras intense.

Leng Qingqiu stood below the platform, her hands clasped behind her back, her sharp gaze locked onto every detail of the match above.

She could sense every movement, every subtle shift in their energies.

"Ready?" Leng Ling'er asked softly, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Lin Yinyin nodded, tightening her grip on her sword. "Anytime."

The two exchanged a smile before swiftly assuming their battle stances.

Leng Qingqiu gave a slight nod from below. "Begin!"

With her command, the fight erupted.

"Watch out!"

Leng Ling'er let out a low shout as golden light flickered within her body.

With her movements, over a dozen golden dragon silhouettes coiled around her. Wielding a dragon-patterned sword, she charged toward Lin Yinyin.

A powerful gust of wind surged in her wake.

The other warriors turned their attention to the match, their faces filled with awe.

"That's the Nine Revolutions Divine Dragon Art at its peak! Legend says each additional dragon represents a deeper mastery of the technique."

"But look—there are already thirteen! Just how much of a genius is Leng Ling'er?"

"Exactly! No one in history has ever manifested thirteen. First, Chief Leng, and now Leng Ling'er—these sisters are truly a blessing for humanity!"

"At such a young age, she's already at the peak of the Innate Realm, just one step away from becoming a Grandmaster. Her future is limitless!"

On the other side...

Lin Yinyin channeled silver energy, her body enveloped in a shimmering silver glow. Each of her strikes carried a trail of silver flames, her reflexes lightning-fast.

Boom!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Gold and silver clashed violently.

Leng Qingqiu watched silently from below.

Thanks to absorbing draconic energy and her innate talent, Ling'er had surpassed the limits of the Nine Revolutions Divine Dragon Art.

She was a true prodigy. Once she broke through to the Grandmaster realm, her power would soar even higher.

On the platform...

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Leng Ling'er pressed her assault, a golden dragon lunging straight for Lin Yinyin.

Lin Yinyin remained composed, sidestepping the lethal strike before countering with a silver energy-infused slash aimed at Ling'er's abdomen.

Neither held back—after all, Leng Qingqiu was present to intervene if necessary.

Leng Ling'er retreated swiftly, summoning another golden dragon to block the attack.

The other warriors in the training grounds paused their own drills, gathering to witness the intense spar.

As time passed...

Both Leng Ling'er and Lin Yinyin unconsciously accelerated the pace of their duel. Golden dragons and silver energy intertwined midair, the sound of clashing steel relentless.

Leng Qingqiu remained vigilant below, ready to step in if anything went wrong.

Finally—BOOM!

Amidst a dazzling collision of sword light and dragon silhouettes, a blinding radiance erupted.

Everyone instinctively shut their eyes.

When the light faded...

Leng Ling'er and Lin Yinyin simultaneously disengaged, standing firm.

Both were panting heavily, beads of sweat glistening on their foreheads.

Then—

"!!"

Leng Ling'er's expression shifted abruptly as she clutched her chest.

Just as the crowd braced for the worst...

ROAR!

A deep growl echoed from behind her.

Five additional golden dragons materialized, their presence causing her aura to skyrocket.

It was as if she had undergone a qualitative transformation.

BOOM!

With an explosive surge of power...

Eighteen golden dragon silhouettes now encircled Leng Ling'er.

The spectators were stunned.

This... another breakthrough?!

"Sis!! I finally made it to Grandmaster!"

Leng Ling'er beamed, waving excitedly at Leng Qingqiu below.

She didn’t forget to stride over to Lin Yinyin, ruffling her hair affectionately. "Thanks, Yinyin!"

"Hehe, I’m glad I could help, Ling'er-jie," Lin Yinyin replied, blushing slightly.

"Ling'er-jie!"

"Ling'er-jie, you’re amazing!"

"Ling'er-jie, what are we eating tonight?"

Soon after...

Bai Qionglan, Ning Qian, Ying Xing, and others who had been watching from the sidelines rushed onto the platform, surrounding Leng Ling'er in a lively circle.

They weren’t alone—several girls from the ancient martial world, all captivated by Ling'er's charm, joined in.

Leng Qingqiu observed the harmonious scene with satisfaction.

Ling'er's popularity was astonishingly high.

"Ah, no can do! Today’s a special day, so I can’t hang out with you guys," Leng Ling'er waved them off.

After all, it was her sister’s birthday—no way was she ditching her for a night out.

"Eh? Ling'er-jie..."

"Aww..."

"No way..."

Disappointed murmurs filled the air.

After finally extricating herself from the crowd, Leng Ling'er pulled Bai Qionglan, Ning Qian, Ying Xing, and Lin Yinyin over to Leng Qingqiu.

With a grin, she asked, "Sis, are you coming home for dinner tonight?"

Leng Qingqiu immediately realized what day it was.

April 1st.

Her birthday.

She reached out, ruffling Ling'er's hair. "Sure. I’ll cook."

"Cough, cough—sis, not today. We’ve already got everything prepared," Ling'er hastily interjected.

The thought of her sister cooking? Absolutely not.

Then, as if remembering something, she added, "Oh, by the way, have you heard from Gu Yan lately? I couldn’t reach him either."

"......"

Leng Qingqiu fell silent at the mention of Gu Yan.

Seeing her sister's reaction, Leng Ling'er quickly changed the subject. "Ahaha... He must be busy. Forget him—we’ll celebrate with you!"

Damn that useless Gu Yan. Where the hell are you?

Sis has been so down lately—it’s all because you haven’t been around!

Leng Qingqiu composed herself, pushing thoughts of Gu Yan aside.

She smiled faintly. "Alright."

Maybe it was better to shift her mood and not dwell on him for now.

......

......

That night...

Despite her resolve, Leng Qingqiu's mind kept drifting back to Gu Yan.

But...

As Leng Qingqiu listened to Leng Ling'er and the others singing a birthday song and offering their blessings by her ear, she couldn't help but think—if only Gu Yan were here too.

She didn’t let her emotions show, and the evening ended in a harmonious and cheerful atmosphere.

The four girls had bought Leng Qingqiu a large birthday cake.

After eating and drinking their fill,

Leng Ling'er and the others crowded together on the sofa, chatting and watching TV.

Leng Qingqiu, however, hadn’t eaten much. After cleaning up, she headed toward the study.

This was the only place where she could find peace for her heart.

She faintly remembered that it was here, in this very study...

where she had bared her heart to Gu Yan.

Her first kiss had also been given to him in this room.

This study held too many memories of her and Gu Yan.

And yet...

Leng Qingqiu’s mind flashed with the image of Gu Yan’s cold, detached expression after being corrupted by the Power of Night.

Her heart ached unbearably at the thought.

Gu Yan... just what happened that forced us to come to this?

With a heavy heart, Leng Qingqiu climbed the stairs, gently pushed open the study door, and stepped inside.

"Hmm?"

The moment she entered, she sensed something unusual.

First, the study was freezing, as if it were an ice cellar.

Second...

On the desk lay a large, peculiar object—at least, that’s how it appeared to Leng Qingqiu.

It looked like a stuffed toy.

Confused, she wondered if Leng Ling'er had left it there... but no, that couldn’t be.

Leng Ling'er had already given her gift earlier.

Could it be...?!

A certain figure flashed through Leng Qingqiu’s mind, and her heart surged with excitement.

She hurried forward, reaching out to examine the strange object.

In an instant,

she knew exactly what it was.

It was...

"A cream puff..."

Leng Qingqiu squeezed the oversized cream puff plushie. The texture was soft and satisfying—when she pressed hard, the toy cream inside oozed out, only to retract when she let go.

A faint smile tugged at her lips as she found a card beside the puff.

The card was thick and firm.

Almost like... braille.

Her fingers traced over the raised dots, and when she deciphered the message,

her heart trembled violently.

Because the words on the card read...

[Happy Birthday.]

Both the cream puff and the card carried Gu Yan’s lingering presence.

Had he left them here deliberately, as proof that it was really from him?

Leng Qingqiu wrapped her arms around the plushie, burying her face in its softness.

A whisper, almost too faint to hear, drifted through the room.

"To leave a gift and just disappear..."

"What a jerk..."