Chapter 117: The Era of Living Together as a Trio

Following the Eastern Expedition, the subsequent tsunami, and the establishment of the Kyushu Barrier, the world of cultivation suffered a devastating blow from which it could not recover for a long time. Furthermore, since cultivators had been exposed to the public eye, the cultivation community began recruiting disciples openly from the secular world. After one year, they had secretly enrolled twenty thousand disciples before officially announcing the sealing of the space gates. Each sect then closed its mountain gates, hoping to restore its former glory as soon as possible.

When the tsunami struck, the world learned that there were so many "immortals" in China, but thereafter, no more news of them surfaced. Time eventually washes everything away; aside from a few fanatics still searching for traces of cultivators, the "immortal" incident gradually faded from people’s memories.

In contrast to the quiet withdrawal of the cultivators, traditional Chinese martial arts emerged into the public consciousness, sparking a nationwide fervor for martial arts once again. Several ancient martial arts schools stopped keeping their techniques private and began recruiting disciples across the country. Ancient martial arts differed from standard martial arts in that they involved the cultivation of internal energy. For a time, enthusiasm for these arts among the youth reached its peak, with everyone dreaming of mastering profound techniques and becoming a legendary hero.

However, ancient martial arts demanded exceptional natural talent, and few truly met the requirements—achieving great success was even rarer. This led to a mix of joy and sorrow; those with low aptitude could only look upon the gifted with envy, wishing they had been born with such talent.

As ancient martial arts were revealed to the world, supernatural organizations from various nations also stepped into the light, led by China’s Dragon Group.

With ancient martial arts becoming a national trend, even those who could not master them practiced basic martial techniques, and their destructive potential was far greater than that of ordinary people. Consequently, the Dragon Group was exposed to the public, tasked with handling crimes committed by ancient martial artists. While this had always been the Dragon Group's mission, they now operated openly.

Every nation, of course, requires a degree of secrecy. While the Dragon Group stepped into the public eye, the Chinese government secretly established a new organization: the Soul Group.

Their missions were more difficult than those of the Dragon Group, and their members held higher authority. A large portion of the former Dragon Group was transferred to serve as the core of the Soul Group. Ouyang, the former leader of the Dragon Group, was transferred to become the deputy leader of the Soul Group, while the identity of the Soul Group's leader remained a closely guarded secret known to very few.

Meanwhile, the Western Church began a massive reform, renaming itself the Divine Court. Although it still claimed to be the Vatican to the outside world, it was no longer the same entity within the world of the powerful.

Since supernaturals worldwide had been fully exposed to the public—everyone knew they existed, though they could not identify who among them were supernaturals—managing them became an urgent priority. Under the leadership of the Divine Court, governments agreed to appoint an "Executor" in every city to handle those who violated the moral code of the supernatural community. This was similar to how the Spirit-Ghost Realm appointed a City God in each city to manage its ghosts. These Executors were managed by the Unified Guild of Executors.

The identities of these Executors were kept secret; even fellow Executors in different cities did not know each other's identities. There were over six thousand Executors worldwide, with China accounting for more than six hundred. Abroad, due to the prestige of the Divine Court, all Executors were under its unified command. In China, due to the inherent strength of the cultivators, the Chinese government and the cultivation community jointly managed the Chinese Guild of Executors.

Executors existed independently of national governments, but they were forbidden from killing at will. Otherwise, they would be hunted by the management agencies and pursued by all other Executors.

Through Qingxu, Leng Bingyan also obtained a position as an Executor, and the city she managed was Beijing.

Back in reality, when Leng Bingyan heard Fang Yanbin mention her parents, the figures that had been dormant in her heart for so long surfaced once more. A wave of inexplicable irritability washed over her, and she turned and walked away.

"Hey, wait for me! I'm going back too," Fang Yanbin called out loudly from behind.

"Then hurry up!"

"Oh," Fang Yanbin replied, quickly catching up to Bingyan. "Why are you out so early?"

"To get breakfast, obviously!" Leng Bingyan said. "And to bring some back for Tianyu." She gestured to the breakfast in her hand.

"You're really good to Tianyu!" Fang Yanbin said, his voice a mix of envy and jealousy.

Leng Bingyan chuckled. "He's my little brother! Are you jealous? Why don't you be my little brother too?" Fang Yanbin and Leng Bingyan were both twenty-one, while Long Tianyu was a year younger, at twenty. To them, Long Tianyu was just a little brother.

Fang Yanbin waved his hands quickly. Jealousy was one thing, and it was just a joke between friends, but he couldn't bring himself to be Leng Bingyan's younger brother.

Leng Bingyan seemed to have anticipated his reaction. She scoffed and let it drop. "Let's go back. I bet that guy Tianyu is still asleep."

"Yeah, that guy is a total lazybones; nothing could wake him up! I really admire his carefree attitude." As Fang Yanbin spoke, his face showed a hint of envy as he swung the plastic bag in his hand.

Leng Bingyan nodded and added, "That's how Tianyu is. Even if Mount Tai collapsed, he'd still sleep soundly. But don't be fooled by his appearance; Tianyu isn't as simple as he seems." Just the fact that he was admitted to Tsinghua University was unusual, and his family owned a large company, much of which he managed himself. Being able to balance his studies with running a large company while still appearing so relaxed—the kid was truly extraordinary.

Fang Yanbin nodded in deep agreement with Leng Bingyan's words. It seemed this little brother was indeed more than he appeared.

Not far from Tsinghua University, Leng Bingyan unlocked the door to a luxurious apartment where the three of them lived. As soon as she entered, she placed the breakfast on the table. Fang Yanbin, being quite direct, sat down at the kitchen table and began to eat heartily.

"Ring, ring, ring..." While Fang Yanbin was enjoying his meal, the pleasant sound of the landline rang. "I'll get it..." Fang Yanbin called out from the kitchen with his mouth full of food, leaving Leng Bingyan to sigh helplessly and walk over to the phone. She glanced at the number. "Oh, it's Tianyu's younger sister calling."

"Hello..."

"Was that my brother on the line just now?" the voice on the other end asked.

Leng Bingyan thought for a moment and decided to play a prank. Although she knew Long Tianyu had a sister who was supposedly very cute, she had never met her. She picked up the receiver and said, "That's right, I am... um... I am the biggest stain on your life, your brother, Long Tianyu!"

"What are you saying, brother? Why does your voice sound a bit different? Are you sick?" Judging by her tone, the girl on the other end seemed to be pouting, sounding quite confused.

"Ahem," Leng Bingyan coughed. "No, I'm not sick." She wasn't sure if the girl believed her, but before she could think further, the girl said, "Listen, brother, tomorrow is Sunday, and I want to come visit you."

Leng Bingyan had another thought. A mischievous impulse surged within her, and the corners of her mouth curled up. She wanted to tease Long Tianyu, and she wouldn't be satisfied until she had tarnished his image. She mimicked Long Tianyu's voice as best she could and said, "Sorry, I can't look after you. Actually... actually, I'm currently locked up in a detention center. I did something wrong and I'm being held." It was a highly irresponsible answer, and Leng Bingyan secretly giggled to herself. "This will surely get Long Tianyu into a mess."

"I knew you'd come up with an excuse like that again. I'm definitely coming, so tell me what gift you want me to bring you."

The reply on the other end caught Leng Bingyan completely off guard. Did Long Tianyu often use such excuses? "Anything is fine, a doll!" she replied with a lack of interest. Had she failed to trick the siblings?

"You... you actually want that?!"

"Yes, please... I'm counting on you." After saying that, Leng Bingyan hung up the phone, bored. "Tch, failure!" she gestured disparagingly at herself.

"What? Couldn't handle Tianyu's sister?" Fang Yanbin, who had happened to witness her moment of frustration, teased her happily.

"Yeah, neither of those siblings is normal," Leng Bingyan replied sullenly. She then headed toward Long Tianyu's bedroom. Since she felt frustrated regarding his sister, she would have to get some payback from the brother himself!

"Bang!" She kicked open the door to Long Tianyu's bedroom with a sound that could have shaken the heavens. Downstairs, Fang Yanbin covered his ears, his face showing no surprise at all; clearly, this scene had played out countless times in this apartment.

Leng Bingyan walked into the room to find the bed in the center occupied by a mound of blankets, curled up high like a giant snail shell. A wicked grin played on her lips. "This kid is still sleeping! Let's see how I can get revenge for earlier!" Thinking this, she walked to the bedside, reached out both hands, and with a swift tug, pulled the entire blanket away.

The bed revealed a tall, muscular boy curled into a ball—