Stepping on the demon door, the witch becomes the strongest.

Chapter 857 Extra Chapter 3: Christmas Gift
Yan Yu felt that Lin Ning seemed a little off.

His personality hasn't changed much; he still likes to complain, be stubborn, and be arrogant.

But he developed some strange habits, such as liking to brew tea and then space out for a while; he started learning how to grow and care for flowers from Yun Jin; and sometimes when he saw the news on TV, he would sigh about how "young people these days" are.

The girls were stunned: Sisters, although cultivators do have long lifespans, we are only in our early twenties, okay?

Don't say things like that old women usually say!
Su Yunjin, who was familiar with Lin Ning, was naturally the most puzzled by the changes that had occurred in her.

She thought back carefully and realized that the point in time when Lin Ning's personality changed should be around the time she became the Master of the Taiyin Sword.

No one knows exactly what happened to her at that time. All that is known is that Lin Ning disappeared for several days, and then rushed to the battlefield with the Taiyin Suming Sword. She resisted the raging attack of the giant serpent of light, and bought precious time for Yan Yu to finally break through to the next realm.

But if becoming the Master of the Taiyin Sword caused any change in his state of mind, then why was Yan Yu unaffected?

That evening, Yun Jin invited Ning Ning along, and the two of them went to Yan Yu's place for a pajama party.

Exhausted, the three changed into clean pajamas. Yan Yu held them in his arms, one on each side, when Yun Jin suddenly asked:
"Captain, have you noticed that Ningning has changed a lot lately?"

"You noticed it too?" Yan Yu asked in surprise.

"Oh dear, don't talk nonsense," Lin Ning quickly denied. "I haven't changed at all."

“You used to be reluctant to take the initiative and the captain had to coax you with sweet words,” Yun Jin said seriously. “Now you can not only take the initiative, but you can also joke and laugh with us as if nothing is wrong.”

“That’s right,” Yan Yu also said. “Before, when I used to rub and pinch you like this, you would always shyly slap my hand away, but now you can stick to me as if nothing’s wrong.”

"Oh, what's so strange about that!" Lin Ning stubbornly refused to admit it. "We're an old married couple, we're used to it! If the change you're talking about is this kind of thing, then Yun Jin has changed a lot too, why don't you mention that? She used to keep her mouth shut the whole time, but now she's screaming like she's singing..."

"Are you trying to kill me?!" Su Yunjin was extremely embarrassed and rushed over to tear Lin Ning's mouth apart. "How dare you joke about me like that!"

The two women were hitting each other with pillows and kept pestering Yan Yu to stand up for justice.

Annoyed to the point of exhaustion, Yan Yu could only give each side a hard slap again, wearing down the boards to almost nothing.

“I didn’t mean anything by it.” Su Yunjin lay on the pillow, panting heavily, and continued, “It’s just that Ningning, you seem to have matured a lot in your mindset.”

"People always grow up," Lin Ning said dismissively. "We're mothers now, we can't be as immature as we were when we first went to college."

"Alright, alright." Yan Yu could tell that Lin Ning didn't want to talk about this anymore, so he quickly gestured for Yun Jin to stop. "Let's not talk about this tonight. How about we talk about the children's education?"

"Hmm, do you have any complaints about my recent work?" Su Yunjin rolled over and pinned him down, letting out a threatening chuckle. "Looks like you need to be taught a lesson too."

Yan Yu could only raise his hands in pleading for mercy, but Yun Jin had already rested and was unwilling to forgive his mistake so easily. She had forgotten about continuing to interrogate Lin Ning.

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Lin Ning didn't want to talk about it for a simple reason.

Nine consecutive life simulations, with memories sealed by the Taiyin Suming Sword and then cast into the mortal world, being played like a fool—it's hardly a glorious thing.

"It's all your fault," she said to Taiyin Sumingjian in her mind. "I've been reincarnated multiple times in my dreams, which has changed my state of mind. You have to give me an explanation for this."

"This is a good thing!" Su Mingjian said, puzzled. "The worldly experience will cleanse your heart and make you insightful and worldly-wise, which will be of great benefit to your future cultivation. How did it become my responsibility?"

“They all think I’m weird,” Lin Ning said. “The captain too. You’re the one who caused this, so you have to help me think of a solution.”

"My advice is to get used to it. As they get older and their resolve strengthens, they will eventually become like you."

“Yes, you’re not the one they think looks like an old woman, and you’re not the one the captain suspects. Of course you can pretend nothing’s wrong and only talk about the benefits of the life simulation, without mentioning the downsides at all,” Lin Ning said.

Su Mingjian sighed and said, "Then why don't we just tell them? We'll say that your Dao heart became clear because of your purification by the mortal world, which is why they feel uncomfortable about it."

“No way.” Lin Ning refused decisively. “They will definitely ask a lot of questions, and I don’t want to talk about them. I find it annoying.”

“You could also make up a reason,” Su Mingjian continued, offering suggestions. “For example, would becoming the Master of the Taiyin Sword subtly change your character?”

"Then why hasn't the captain changed at all in terms of temperament even after becoming the master of the True Sun Sword?" Lin Ning asked rhetorically.

"So annoying." Su Ming also complained, "If someone keeps pestering you and asking questions, just tell them 'Go tell my Su Ming sword.'"

Lin Ning fell silent, clearly sullen.

"Sigh, never mind, I'll teach you a trick," Su Mingjian sighed. "Since your thinking makes you seem too old-fashioned, just pretend to be young. Don't be afraid, men all like that."

"Huh?" Lin Ning said with an unfriendly expression.

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Yan Yu received a text message from Lin Ning saying that she had prepared a surprise gift for him and had personally delivered it to his room.

This is quite unusual, because Ningning rarely gives him gifts before—she's not the type like Yun Jin or Xiao Lian who enjoys rituals and occasional romance.

"Tonight's dishes happen to be your favorite, but they weren't made especially for you, it just happened to be a coincidence," this was already her limit.

They actually prepared a gift for me?
To be honest, Yan Yu wasn't very confident in Lin Ning's taste in anything other than food. After all, this guy always bought sportswear, prioritizing simplicity and comfort.

but!

It is precisely because they are not good at choosing gifts that such thoughtfulness is all the more touching.

Yan Yu had already decided that even if Lin Ning prepared a pile of poop for him, he would smile and say, "Oh, it's chocolate," and then pretend to be extremely surprised and delighted to accept it.

He pushed open the door, took a deep breath, and a smile appeared on his face.

Then I saw Lin Ning leaning against the wall, holding a red Christmas velvet mini-skirt in her hand, still in a stiff position as if she had put on the skirt, staring blankly at me.

She had changed into a red strapless top, her thick black hair was wrapped in a Christmas hat, revealing her fair and beautiful shoulders and collarbone, and a bright ribbon bow was tied around her neck.

She wore sparkling magnetic teardrop earrings on her earlobes, and her light and pure makeup (mostly Xie Ruoxi's work) made her look like an exquisitely perfect Christmas girl.

"You..." She hesitated for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed in annoyance, "Didn't I tell you to come back at 10:30 tonight?!"

"It's already 10:30 at night," Yan Yu said, puzzled.

"Three minutes left!" Lin Ning lifted her skirt high, pulled out her phone with her other hand, and showed it to him. "Can you be a little on time?"

"I know, it was my fault." Yan Yu knew he couldn't argue with her, so he readily raised his hands in surrender. "So, where's my gift?"

"...The gift is me." Lin Ning said through gritted teeth, "If you had waited for me to put on my dress before coming in, it would have been a perfect surprise!"

“It’s perfect enough now.” Yan Yu walked over apologetically. “Let me help you put on your dress.”

"Careful, the belt on this skirt is tight, it's a bit constricting... Wait! Why are you taking it off?"

"I'm unwrapping my Christmas presents."

(End of this chapter)