She turned around, her gaze calmly sweeping over the three figures standing dazed at the door.
When her gaze met Ye Ling'er's, which was staring fixedly at her and almost spitting fire.
Empress Ling Shuang's brow twitched imperceptibly.
This girl... her reaction is quite intense.
"It seems this Empress has interrupted Fellow Daoist Gu's gathering with her Disciples."
Empress Ling Shuang's voice remained cold, betraying little emotion.
She gave Gu Han a slight nod:
"Today's discussion of the Dao was most beneficial. We shall talk again another day."
After speaking, she no longer looked at the three people at the door and stepped directly toward the hall entrance.
Her steps were composed, the hem of her ice-blue palace robes brushing against the smooth floor, carrying a chilling aura that warned strangers not to approach.
As she passed by Ye Ling'er, Empress Ling Shuang's steps seemed to pause for a fraction of a second.
Her gaze swept over Ye Ling'er's clenched fists, her slightly trembling body, and those eyes filled with resentment, anger, and hostility.
The corner of Empress Ling Shuang's lips curled up in an almost imperceptible, extremely faint arc.
Immediately, she withdrew her gaze, and her figure had already left the Main Hall, disappearing around the corner of the corridor.
Silence returned to the Main Hall.
But it was an even more awkward and subtle silence.
Ah Yao looked at her Master's red and embarrassed face, then at the broken Tanghulu on the ground, and her small mouth puckered in extreme grievance:
"Master Mother... Ah Yao's Tanghulu fell... Third Junior Sister and Fourth Junior Sister bought them for me..."
The little one hadn't fully understood what had just happened.
She only felt the atmosphere was strange, Master seemed unhappy, and her Tanghulu was also broken.
Gu Han took a deep breath, forcing herself to quickly calm her churning emotions.
She walked to Ah Yao's side, crouched down, and gently stroked her small head, her voice returning to its usual gentleness.
"It's alright, Master will buy you more if they fell."
"Be a good girl, Ah Yao. Go out and play with your Third Junior Sister for a while, okay?"
Ah Yao sniffled, nodded, and looked at Gu Luoli with a aggrieved expression.
Gu Luoli had also retracted the shock in her eyes by now, regaining her usual cold demeanor.
She took a step forward, took Ah Yao's small hand, and bowed to Gu Han:
"Master, this Disciple will take Senior Sister out first."
Her voice was steady, the stormy waves in her heart forcibly suppressed by her.
"Mm."
Gu Han nodded slightly, not saying much.
Gu Luoli didn't stay any longer, leading Ah Yao, who kept looking back every few steps, quickly out of the Main Hall.
Inside the hall, only Gu Han and Ye Ling'er, who was still standing frozen in place with her head lowered, remained.
Gu Han looked at Ye Ling'er's tightly clenched fists with white knuckles and her slightly trembling shoulders, sighing softly in her heart.
"Linger."
Gu Han walked up to Ye Ling'er, her voice becoming even softer.
Ye Ling'er's body jolted, but she still didn't look up.
Her ice-blue hair fell down, covering most of her face and the intense emotions churning in her eyes.
"Ma... Master."
Her voice was very light, carrying a suppressed tremor, almost inaudible.
"Just now..."
Gu Han opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but found herself not knowing where to start for a moment.
Could she say Empress Ling Shuang just leaned in to ask a question, and she was just a bit panicked from being cornered?
Even she felt those words were weak and hollow.
Moreover, the embarrassment of that moment was real.
"Empress Ling Shuang has a direct personality; just now, there was some disagreement while Discussing the Dao with me."
Gu Han chose her words carefully, trying to make her tone sound natural.
"It's not what you think."
Ye Ling'er slowly raised her head.
Her eyes were now clouded with a layer of tears, her eye sockets red, yet she stubbornly didn't let the tears fall.
She looked at Gu Han, her gaze containing grievance, confusion, and a fear she hadn't even fully clarified herself.
"This Disciple... understands."
She responded in a low voice, her voice still trembling.
Understands?
What does she understand?
Gu Han looked at her clearly distressed but feigning composure, and a mix of helplessness and pity surged in her heart.
This girl has a heavy heart and is stubborn; once she's decided on something, it's hard to change her mind.
Looking at her now, she probably didn't believe the explanation at all.
Gu Han sighed softly, no longer trying to use hollow words to explain a scene that was already becoming more suspicious the more she spoke.
She reached out her hand, her fingertips carrying an imperceptible warmth as they gently landed on Ye Ling'er's clenched fist.
"Unclench your hand; you've left nail marks."
Gu Han's voice was soft, carrying an unquestionable concern as her fingertips gently brushed over her clenched hand.
The cool sensation made Ye Ling'er's body tremble slightly, and she subconsciously loosened her fist.
The palm indeed had several deep red marks from her nails, with even faint traces of blood seeping out.
Amidst her intense emotions just now, she hadn't felt the pain at all.
A glimmer of light flashed from Gu Han's fingertip, and a wisp of pure and gentle spiritual energy quietly merged into those few wounds.
The cool yet warm breath instantly smoothed over the stinging pain and also quietly soothed Ye Ling'er's tense heartstrings.
"Master..."
Feeling the warmth from her palm, Ye Ling'er's nose tingled, and the tears she had been suppressing suddenly became uncontrollable.
She hurriedly lowered her head, not wanting Master to see her weak state.
"Silly girl,"
Gu Han's heart softened as she looked at her Disciple, who was bowing her head in silence with her shoulders trembling slightly.
Ye Ling'er was, after all, a child not much older than Ah Yao, though her temperament was more resolute than those her age.
But the inherent dependency and sensitivity toward those close to her hadn't changed.
She reached out and patted Ye Ling'er's shoulder reassuringly.
This action caused Ye Ling'er's body to jolt.
In the next instant, as if suddenly using up all her courage, or as if her suppressed emotions had finally burst through the dam.
She took a sudden step forward, opened her arms, and tightly, almost recklessly, hugged Gu Han.
Her movements were somewhat stiff, but her arms wrapped around Gu Han's back were very tight, burying her face deep into the fabric of Gu Han's shoulder.
Gu Han could clearly feel the slight trembling of Ye Ling'er's body, and her suppressed, damp breath.
Gu Han gently returned the hug to this emotionally out-of-control little Disciple, her movement carrying a sense of reassurance.
"Alright, it's okay now."
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