Inside the Main Hall, as the doors closed silently, the clamor and prying eyes of the outside world were completely cut off.
The floor, paved with spiritual jade, reflected the soft starlight simulated by the ceiling, and the air was thick with a heavy atmosphere.
Gu Han walked to the front of the Cloud Bed and turned around, her gaze calmly meeting the two Empresses who followed closely behind.
"Fellow Daoists, please sit."
She raised her hand to gesture toward the jade seats on either side of the Cloud Bed.
Empress Qingxuan's eyes shimmered. She did not head toward the guest seats, but instead took light, graceful steps, naturally walking to the side of the Cloud Bed where Gu Han stood.
Her lips held her habitual lazy smile, as if she were doing the most ordinary thing.
"Sister, this Cloud Bed looks quite comfortable. You don't mind if I sit here, do you?"
The words had barely left her mouth when she gracefully took her seat.
Her purple skirt spread out like water, almost touching Gu Han's moon-white sleeves.
The distance was so close they could clearly smell each other's crisp and unique scents.
Gu Han's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
She hadn't expected Qing Xuan to be so direct.
Seeing this, Empress Ling Shuang on the right let out a cold snort and likewise walked to the other side of the Cloud Bed to sit down.
Ice-blue palace robes, moon-white clothing, and the purple dress sat side by side; the three of them were seated together on the not-particularly-spacious Cloud Bed.
The atmosphere instantly became subtle.
Empress Qingxuan seemed completely indifferent to Empress Ling Shuang's actions, and her smile even deepened slightly.
She turned sideways, one hand resting casually on the edge of the Cloud Bed, her fingertips only an inch away from Gu Han's hand.
"Just now outside, there were some things I couldn't say easily."
Empress Qingxuan lowered her voice, carrying an intimacy only the two of them could understand, while her gaze swept seemingly unintentionally over Gu Han's lips.
"Has Sister been well lately?"
As she spoke, the hand resting on the edge of the Cloud Bed moved forward a tiny fraction.
Coincidentally, the side of her fingertip lightly brushed against the back of Gu Han's hand.
The touch was slightly cool, carrying a blatant sense of testing and flirtation.
A slight shiver instantly rippled across the skin on the back of Gu Han's hand.
She immediately withdrew her hand, placing it on her lap, her fingertips curling slightly.
This movement fell into Empress Qingxuan's eyes, making the smile at the corners of her lips even more meaningful.
Gu Han forcibly suppressed the slight strangeness in her heart, her face maintaining its usual calm.
"Thank you for your concern, Fellow Daoist Qing Xuan. Everything is well."
Her voice was clear and melodious, showing no ripples of emotion.
However, her eyes involuntarily stole a quick glance at Empress Qingxuan's flawless profile.
Could it be... she still remembers that slap from back then and came this time to get even?
This thought caused a small alarm to go off in Gu Han's heart.
[Ding! Detected Empress Qingxuan using the 'Fingertip Flirtation' skill on the Host!]
[Host, Host! Your hand was touched! Your ears are a bit red too! Is your heart racing?]
[This System already said this woman has designs on you! Look, she dares to make a move right in front of Empress Ling Shuang!]
[But Host, your reaction to withdraw your hand just now was too fast, wasn't it? Could it be 'playing hard to get'? Tsk tsk, you're making progress!]
[Current Scene Rating: shura field · Elementary. Suggesting the Host speak cautiously and maintain elegance.]
The System's cheerful and mocking electronic voice rang out in Gu Han's mind like exploding fireworks.
A vein throbbed slightly at Gu Han's temple.
This System really loves to watch the world burn!
"Playing hard to get"? "shura field"?
What on earth is it talking about!
"System! Shut up! You dare to tease me?"
Gu Han was utterly speechless.
[Oh my, the Host is shy! I hit the nail on the head!]
[But don't worry, Host, this System's 'shura field Survival Guide' is on standby at any time!]
[Do you need this System to provide some paid plans on 'How to Maintain Poise and Successfully Escape While Caught Between Two Empresses'? First-time users enjoy a 50% discount!]
Gu Han: "..."
She decided to ignore this unreliable System for now.
However, the System's banter strangely calmed her somewhat chaotic thoughts.
At least she wasn't fighting alone... even if this "comrade" was a bit unreliable and loved to gossip.
While Gu Han was "clashing" with the System in her mind...
Empress Ling Shuang, sitting on the other side, took in Qing Xuan's subtle movements and Gu Han's instant reaction.
"Qing Xuan."
Empress Ling Shuang suddenly spoke, her voice like ice beads hitting a jade plate, breaking the subtle atmosphere in the hall.
"This is not your Eastern Region Imperial Palace. Restrain yourself."
Her gaze swept over Empress Qingxuan's "restless" hand, finally landing on Gu Han's seemingly calm profile.
"Fellow Daoist Gu has a cold disposition and does not like such frivolous behavior."
These words were direct, even carrying a clear tone of accusation.
Hearing this, Empress Qingxuan was not angry but instead laughed softly.
She withdrew her hand, her eyes shimmering as she looked at Empress Ling Shuang, her tone carrying undisguised mockery:
"Frivolous? Ling Shuang, when did you become so old-fashioned?"
"Sister Gu and I are kindred spirits; what's wrong with being a little close? Could it be..."
She trailed off, a flash of cunning and provocation in her eyes,
"...that you're envious? Or... jealous?"
"You—!"
Empress Ling Shuang's breath hitched, and a chill exploded around her!
The temperature in the Main Hall plummeted, and fine ice crystals began to form on the floor, the jade seats, and even in the air!
"I would be envious of you? What a joke!"
She stood up abruptly, her ice-blue palace robes fluttering without wind. The phantom of the frost heaven sword loomed behind her, its cry clear and sharp.
"Qing Xuan, do you dare to step outside and fight me?!"
Facing Empress Ling Shuang's sudden burst of Battle Intent and pressure...
Empress Qingxuan remained lazily seated, even raising her hand to gently tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
The smile on her lips remained, but her eyes suddenly turned cold, and the phantom of a great sun appeared behind her once more.
"If you want to fight, then let's fight. Do you think I'm afraid of you?"
The Auras of the two Empresses clashed violently again in the Main Hall!
Though they hadn't truly made a move yet, the intersection of that terrifying pressure already caused the space in the hall to make a "creaking" sound.
Caught in the middle, Gu Han felt a headache coming on.
These two really were ready to fight at the slightest disagreement.
This was her territory; how could she let them run wild?
"You two!"
Gu Han's cold voice suddenly rang out, carrying a hint of unquestionable majesty.
The moment her words fell, an invisible, formless neutralizing force that seemed capable of embracing all things...
...quietly rippled out with her as the center, like a gentle stream of water, slowly soaking into the violent, intermingled Auras of ice and fire.
The phantom of the great sun behind Empress Qingxuan swayed slightly.
The chill surrounding Empress Ling Shuang also came to a halt.
Both of them looked at Gu Han simultaneously, a flash of surprise in their eyes.
They could feel that their own Auras had been skillfully harmonized by an even more vast power.
This was a suppression in cultivation, and also a gap in the level of their Cultivation Techniques!
Gu Han slowly looked up, her calm gaze sweeping over the two of them.
"If you two wish to spar, you may go to the heavens beyond."
Her tone was peaceful, yet it carried a decisiveness that brooked no argument.
"Fighting here, injuring the Disciples in the palace, or damaging the hall's furnishings... would be beneath your status."
Empress Qingxuan was the first to withdraw her Aura. The phantom of the great sun faded, and she returned to her lazy appearance.
"Sister is right. I lost my composure."
She looked at Empress Ling Shuang with a hint of playfulness in her eyes.
"Ling Shuang, look, you've made Sister Gu unhappy."
Empress Ling Shuang snorted cold and slowly sat back in her original place, the chill around her gradually dissipating.
But the look she gave Empress Qingxuan was still as cold as a blade.
The tense atmosphere in the hall temporarily eased.
But that subtle, undercurrent-filled sense of confrontation did not disappear.
Gu Han felt helpless, knowing that things couldn't go on like this.
With a thought, she sent a voice transmission to Liu Ruyan, who was waiting outside the hall:
"Ruyan, go and fetch the 'Enlightenment Tea'."
Hearing her Master's message, Liu Ruyan turned and left.
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