Inside the spatial passageway, the dazzling, colorful scenery rapidly receded.
Ye Linger followed closely behind Gu Han, her heart filled with both excitement and anxiety.
She couldn't help but steal a glance at the silver-haired figure ahead, whose hair was Like Snow.
Ascension Realm... her Master was actually a legendary Ascension Realm Great Expert!
In the Eastern Region, the name of Empress Qing Xuan was like thunder from the Nine Heavens, intimidating countless living beings.
And her Master was actually someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with her!
"Master..."
Ye Linger spoke softly, her voice exceptionally clear in the quiet passage.
"Hmm?"
Gu Han did not turn around, her voice gentle.
"Disciple... Disciple is a bit worried."
Ye Linger bit her lower lip.
"About Empress Qing Xuan..."
Upon hearing this, Gu Han chuckled lightly:
"Linger, remember, you are my person!"
"The principles of this world are sometimes very simple: the strong are respected, and strength is the rule."
"If I were weak today, Ye Zhenyue could have forcibly taken you away, and the Ye Family wouldn't have shown a shred of remorse."
"But your Master is stronger than them, so I can protect you."
She paused, her voice carrying a hint of deeper meaning:
"As for Empress Qing Xuan, if she is reasonable, she will naturally restrain her Disciples."
"If she is unreasonable... then we'll just have to fight!"
A warm surge instantly flooded Ye Linger's heart, making her eyes slightly hot.
From childhood to adulthood, aside from her parents, she had never been so firmly protected by anyone.
You are my person?
Her Master's words, calm yet carrying undeniable authority, so clearly declared her determination to protect her.
Ye Linger's heartbeat inexplicably quickened a few beats.
Over the years when she couldn't Cultivate, out of boredom, she had secretly flipped through some mundane storybooks.
In those storybooks, the female lead always met a powerful yet gentle male lead, saved by him, protected by him... and herself... Ye Linger's gaze shifted from Gu Han's back to the hand holding A Yao.
That hand had just wiped away her tears and, with effortless ease, erased those who wanted to take her away.
Now, it was even taking her to personally visit... powerful, gentle, protective... and so beautiful.
Even though her Master was a woman, in this Cultivation world, she had heard many stories of beautiful female cultivators becoming Dao Companions.
As soon as this thought emerged, Ye Linger startled herself.
Her face flushed instantly with a light pink, like red plum blossoms blooming in the snow.
She hurriedly lowered her head, her ice-blue hair falling down, trying to hide her burning cheeks and ears.
It felt like a little deer was thumping wildly in her heart.
"I... what am I thinking!"
Ye Linger scolded herself inwardly.
"That's my Master! The Master who gave me a new life!"
But another tiny voice whispered in her heart:
"But... Master is really good... so capable, so gentle, and so beautiful..."
The two thoughts battled in her mind, leaving Ye Linger's heart in turmoil, her breathing even becoming a bit ragged.
Gu Han ahead seemed to sense something, slightly turning her head.
"Linger?"
The gentle voice snapped Ye Linger out of her thoughts.
Like a child caught doing something wrong, she abruptly lowered her head, her voice becoming somewhat stammering:
"M-Master! Disciple... Disciple is fine!"
Gu Han looked at her reddened ears, a faint trace of confusion flashing in her eyes.
But she didn't press further, simply assuming she was too nervous.
"If you're tired, just say so. There's still a short distance to Tianfeng City."
"N-no! Disciple isn't tired!"
Ye Linger quickly shook her head in response.
A Yao also turned her head, blinking her big eyes, curiously looking at the suddenly lowered-headed Fourth Junior Sister.
Thinking her ears looked a bit red, like the Spirit Fruits she loved to eat.
"Fourth Junior Sister, your ears are so red. Are you sick?"
A Yao asked innocently.
"N-no!"
Ye Linger's ears turned even redder, so embarrassed she wished she could find a crack in the ground to hide in.
"Maybe... maybe it's a bit stuffy in the passage."
"Oh, I see!"
A Yao nodded, half-understanding, then turned back to bury her head against Gu Han.
Gu Han glanced at A Yao, then at the lowered-headed Ye Linger, shook her head, and asked no more.
The passageway returned to quiet, with only the faint hum of spatial flow.
Ye Linger secretly sighed in relief, but her heart could no longer find peace.
She secretly raised her eyes once more, looking at her Master's tall, aloof back.
The peerless grace of that palm strike, the gentleness when she softly comforted her, the domineering "then we'll just have to fight"... and that "you are my person"... each detail, like stones thrown into the lake of her heart, stirred ripples that were hard to calm.
She pinched her palm hard, trying to sober herself up a bit.
"Ye Linger, what are you thinking!"
"She is your Master, a legendary Ascension Realm Great Expert who can live for a hundred thousand years, someone you need to look up to!"
"Being able to become her Disciple is already an immense blessing. How could you have such... such blasphemous thoughts!"
She sternly admonished herself in her heart, trying to suppress those inappropriate ideas.
But once some seeds are sown, no matter how deeply buried, they will eventually sprout one day.
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