CHAPTER 636: CHAPTER 636: TRUE MIGHTY MAGE

The moment Long Yifan turned his head, his body froze.

A few meters away, two figures were standing in the shadow of a tall marble pillar.

Their eyes were locked on him with a hatred so intense that it almost felt like knives piercing through the air.

The faces were familiar, yet strange. It was as if he had seen them somewhere.

Suddenly, he remembered their name and where he had seen them.

"Colin... Avery..." Long Yifan whispered to himself.

They were once the mighty mage pair a year ago, the ones everyone admired and feared. But now, their faces were twisted with rage and resentment.

"Why are they here?" he muttered under his breath. "And why are they glaring like that?"

Even though he said so, how can Long Yifan not know? In fact, no one knew better than him.

They were most probably blaming them (Gu Jin and Long Yifan) rather than their own greed for getting outsed from their post.

’Hm... from the looks of it, they must be plotting something in their mind... How boring...’

Gu Jin noticed his change in expression and followed his gaze.

Her red eyes landed on Colin and Avery, and for a moment, her lips curved into a cold smile.

"They still haven’t moved on," she said quietly.

Long Yifan shrugged and looked away. "Let them glare. They’re nothing but ghosts of the past."

His tone was calm, almost bored, but inside, he was ready. If they dared to do anything, he would make sure they regretted it.

After all, he wasn’t just the owner of the Long Family’s businesss but also...

Seeing Long Yifan dismiss them so easily made Colin’s blood boil. He clenched his fists tightly.

"How dare he!" he hissed. "How dare he ignore us like that!"

Avery placed a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down. He’s underestimating us. That’s his first mistake."

Colin laughed bitterly. "Then he will pay for it. Both of them will."

Avery’s eyes darkened. "They took what was ours. Our position, our glory. They will pay a heavy price."

The two turned and walked away, their cold eyes never leaving Gu Jin and Long Yifan until they vanished into the crowd. Yet they didn’t stop there; instead, they trailed behind them.

Meanwhile, outside the courtroom, a sudden flash of white light appeared. The air grew still, and then Lady Ling stepped out of the portal.

Her presence was as calm and powerful as ever. The moment Gu Jin and Long Yifan saw her, they both smiled.

"Lady Ling," they said together, bowing slightly.

"Congratulations," Lady Ling said with a small smile.

"What are you saying, Lady Ling? If it weren’t for your statement, people would still fear necromancy. But now, the entire world is ready to welcome it. All thanks and congratulations should go your way!" Gu Jin stated with confidence in her eyes.

Long Yifan nodded. "We’re grateful. Truly. Without your help, none of this would have been possible."

Lady Ling waved her hand. "Gratitude is unnecessary. I came here for another reason."

She looked at them seriously. "Tell me, how was your experience working under me?"

Both Gu Jin and Long Yifan exchanged a glance. They thought for a moment before answering.

"It was good," Long Yifan said honestly. "Challenging, but good."

"Yes," Gu Jin added. "We learned a lot. In fact, we even earned a lot too."

Lady Ling’s eyes softened. "I am glad. But... I know you were a bit dissatisfied with the resources I gave you."

The words hit them like lightning. They both froze.

After all, they thought they had hidden it well, but Lady Ling still knew it.

"Eh? No... You must be mistaken? Haha!" Long Yifan stammered.

Lady Ling chuckled softly.

"I have seen thousands of people in my life. I can read emotions like the back of my hand. I knew from the beginning."

Gu Jin quickly shook her head. "It’s not like that! We never felt ungrateful..."

Lady Ling raised her hand, cutting her off.

"I know. But there was a reason. If the other mighty mage couples learned that you not only became a mighty mage pair without any competition but also received high-level resources, they would have attacked you before you even consolidated your power."

Both Gu Jin and Long Yifan went silent. Their expressions turned serious as they realized how dangerous the situation could have been.

"I see," Gu Jin murmured.

"So it was to protect us," Long Yifan said quietly.

For a moment, both of them were a bit touched by Lady Ling’s hidden efforts.

Lady Ling nodded. "Exactly. And now that you know the truth, I have something else to tell you."

She took a step closer, her white robes brushing the marble floor. "I am here to offer you a deal. I want to make you the real mighty mage couple."

For a moment, neither Gu Jin nor Long Yifan moved.

Their eyes widened, and their hearts began to race.

They almost felt as if they were not hearing things correctly.

"Wait... Bao, pinch me! This plot... this plot is even ridiculous than a Heaven Rank Mage falling for an ordinary woman with no mana!" Lu Siyao muttered while shaking Liang Bao.

Liang Bao was irritated and pushed Lu Siyao’s hand away at a distance,

"Keep your paws away from me!"

"Hey! Don’t be so rushed and do as I say!" Lu Siyao insisted, her eyes flashing with disbelief.

A fierce glint flashed in Liang Bao’s eyes, and she suddenly smirked, "Oh? So you want to see if everything is not a dream?"

"Yesss.... ouch! F*ck! Its hurts! Do it slower!" Lu Siyao jumped on her position, her body instinctively dodging Liang Bao’s hand.

"Serves you right! Who asked you to overreact?" Liang Bao rolled her eyes and focused on Gu Jin and Long Yifan.

"Are... are you serious?" Long Yifan asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Lady Ling replied simply.

"I have not seen anyone as impartial and ungreedy as the two of you. You had access to the cultivation pool the entire time. You could have used it freely. I never stopped you. But you didn’t. That tells me you are worthy."

Gu Jin blinked in surprise. "Wait... we could have used the cultivation pool? But weren’t there guards? They might have caught us or stopped us, worse... they might have reported us too!"

Lady Ling chuckled. "Indeed, but the guards there are sworn to secrecy. They cannot speak about anything they see."

Long Yifan stared at her, completely stunned. "We... we didn’t know."

Lady Ling: "..." Wow... so it was all my misunderstanding, huh?

Lu Siyao and Liang Bao almost laughed due to the absurdity in Gu Jin’s statement.

For some reason, they felt that if Gu Jin knew about the guard’s true status, she might have used the cultivation pool!

Lady Ling smiled warmly. "And that is exactly why I trust you. You followed the rules even when no one was watching. That is rare."

’Yup... she is pretending not to understand Gu Jin’s word!’ Lu Siyao and Liang Bao thought.

For a moment, silence hung between them. Then Gu Jin and Long Yifan looked at each other.

"Do you want to do it?" Long Yifan asked softly.

Gu Jin nodded. "Yes. I think we should."

They both turned back to Lady Ling and said in unison, "We accept."

Lady Ling’s eyes sparkled with approval. "Good. Then I will arrange everything. For now, you both deserve a break. You have one month of vacation."

"Vacation?" Long Yifan repeated, blinking.

"Yes," Lady Ling said with a smile. "Use it well. Because after that, things will get serious."

With those words, she turned and disappeared into a portal of light.

The moment she left, silence hung in the air. Then Gu Jin and Long Yifan looked at each other and both burst out laughing.

"This is unbelievable!" Long Yifan said, grinning from ear to ear.

"We’re going to become real mighty mages," Gu Jin said, her eyes shining with joy. "Without the competition."

Lu Siyao and Liang Bao, who had been watching quietly, suddenly jumped in excitement.

"This is amazing!" Lu Siyao shouted. "I knew you could do it!"

"Congratulations!" Liang Bao cheered, clapping her hands. "You deserve this!"

The group laughed and celebrated together.

But across the hall, Colin and Avery stood hidden in the shadows. Their faces were twisted with anger as they watched the joyful scene.

"This is unacceptable," Colin hissed. "They’re getting everything handed to them."

Avery’s eyes burned with fury. "If we don’t stop them now, they will rule over us."

"I already have a plan," Colin said, his lips curling into a dark smile. "They won’t see it coming."

Avery smirked. "Good. Then let’s begin."

Meanwhile, Gu Jin and Long Yifan returned to the Gu Mansion.

The grand doors swung open, and they were immediately greeted by the sight of their family waiting inside.

Everyone was pacing nervously, glancing at the clock and then at the door.

The moment they saw the two walk in, cheers and laughter erupted.