As the night deepened, silence returned to the hall.
Gu Han sat on the Cloud Bed, her fingertips gently brushing the Profound Heart Bracelet on her wrist, her emotions incredibly complex.
Qingxuan's earlier remark, "Sister is serious," and Ling Shuang's clumsy yet direct words were like two pebbles thrown into the lake of her heart.
Having lived two lives, she had never dealt with such complicated romantic entanglements.
In her previous life, she was just an ordinary college student focused on her studies, with her romantic experience being almost a blank slate.
Transmigration to this world, becoming a woman, obtaining the System, establishing a Sect, teaching Disciples, pursuing the Great Dao... her goals were originally quite simple.
But now, two Empresses who had lived for tens of thousands of years had disrupted her originally peaceful life of cultivation.
In addition to the inside information about The Mid-State Pact that Qingxuan revealed today.
This was yet another hidden concern.
Ascension to Immortalitys from the Five Regions gathering, each with their own agendas; a single move could affect everything.
Although she was confident that her strength was second to none and she held two quasi-immortal artifacts, the Donghuang Bell and the star river ancient mirror.
But she was an outsider after all; it would be troublesome if she got caught up in it.
"My strength is still not enough."
Gu Han whispered to herself, her gaze gradually turning cold.
She originally thought that a Late Stage Ascension to Immortality cultivation level, combined with two quasi-immortal artifacts, would be enough to live freely in this world.
But now it seemed that to truly transcend, she needed to become even stronger.
The subsequent cultivation of the Chaos Scripture, the further refinement of the Donghuang Bell, the mysteries of the star river ancient mirror... and the Ten Directions World and void nodes mentioned by the System... her path was still very long.
As for the feelings those two had for her... Gu Han closed her eyes and forcibly suppressed the chaotic thoughts in her heart.
Let nature take its course.
The most important thing right now was to increase her strength and teach her Disciples.
And to deal with the upcoming Mid-State Pact.
Having figured this out, Gu Han's heart suddenly cleared.
She sat cross-legged again, her mind sinking into the vast dao rhyme of the Chaos Scripture, beginning a new round of cultivation.
Meanwhile, at the West Courtyard Guest House.
Empress Qingxuan leaned by the window, her fingertips gently stroking the Profound Heart Bracelet.
Through the bracelet, she could sense that Gu Han's emotions were gradually returning to tranquility.
The phenomenon of the Tower Spirit's birth during the day, that little girl's shocking Breakthrough, and the sharp exchange with Ling Shuang in the Main Hall just now... various images intertwined in her mind.
A faint curve appeared at the corners of Empress Qingxuan's lips, a smile carrying a hint of helplessness and a touch of playfulness.
And a trace of complex emotion that even she hadn't fully understood.
"Master."
A clear and calm voice sounded from behind, breaking the silence in the room.
Empress Qingxuan didn't turn around, only giving a soft "Mm."
Luo Shui walked into the room soundlessly and stopped three paces away from Empress Qingxuan.
She looked at her Master's back, and on her face, which was always as calm as water, a hint of hesitation rarely appeared.
"Is something the matter?"
Empress Qingxuan turned around, the moonlight outlining her exquisite profile, her lazy eyes holding a hint of inquiry.
Luo Shui pursed her lips, seemingly weighing her words.
After a moment, she looked up, her gaze falling on the Profound Heart Bracelet on Empress Qingxuan's wrist, her voice clear and restrained.
"Disciple takes the liberty to ask Master about something."
"Speak."
Empress Qingxuan walked to the table and sat down, pouring herself a cup of tea with elegant and casual movements.
"Master, regarding Palace Master Gu..."
Luo Shui paused, seemingly searching for the right words, eventually choosing a relatively neutral phrasing.
"You seem to care exceptionally much."
Empress Qingxuan's hand holding the cup paused slightly as she looked up at her most trusted Disciple.
Luo Shui's eyes were clear and serious, without any gossipy prying, only pure concern and confusion.
"Care?"
Empress Qingxuan chuckled and took a sip of tea, her voice carrying its usual laziness.
"Who does this Empress not care about?"
"There are plenty of people and things in this Canglan Continent that can make this Empress take a second look."
These words were spoken extremely casually.
But Luo Shui did not stop there.
She had followed her Master for nearly twenty thousand years and knew her temperament inside out.
If it were truly ordinary care, her Master would never react this way.
She wouldn't have given away the Profound Heart Bracelet she never let leave her side, wouldn't have broken into someone else's sleeping quarters late at night, and certainly wouldn't have been at loggerheads with Empress Ling Shuang to such an extent.
"Master."
Luo Shui's voice lowered slightly, carrying a rare persistence.
"You gave Palace Master Gu a Profound Heart Bracelet; that bracelet and the one on your hand are originally a pair."
"You..."
She took a deep breath, looked up directly into Empress Qingxuan's eyes, and asked the question that had been circling in her mind for a long time.
"Are your feelings for Palace Master Gu no longer limited to the friendship of Fellow Daoists?"
As her words fell, the room lapsed into a brief silence.
Empress Qingxuan set down her teacup, her fingertips lightly tapping on the warm rim, producing a crisp sound.
She looked at Luo Shui quietly; those eyes that always held a lazy smile were now so deep they made one's heart skip a beat.
After a long while, she spoke slowly.
"Luo Shui, how long have you followed this Empress?"
"Since I was taken under Master's wing, it has been nearly twenty thousand years."
Luo Shui answered respectfully.
"Twenty thousand years..."
Empress Qingxuan softly repeated the number, her gaze drifting to the hazy moonlight outside the window, her voice carrying a trace of almost imperceptible emotion.
"Time really does fly!"
"The little girl who almost froze to death in the snow back then is now able to stand on her own."
She turned back to look at Luo Shui, her voice gentle.
"In these twenty thousand years, have you ever seen your Master give this bracelet to anyone?"
Luo Shui shook her head.
"Never."
"Master never let the Profound Heart Bracelet leave your side. I only knew that Master obtained it during your early travels in the Xuanhuang Continent, and I've never seen Master show it to anyone."
"Then have you ever seen your Master argue with that woman Ling Shuang to such an extent over anyone?"
"Disciple has never seen it."
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