Volume 1, Chapter 130 – Quasi-Imperial Armament: Profound Heart Bracelet

The fingers holding the bracelet paused almost imperceptibly.

Then Gu Han set it down and picked up the jade slip beside it, which shimmered with golden light.

Without hesitation, she sent a wisp of divine sense slowly into the jade slip.

The instant her divine sense touched its core…

“Buzz…”

The jade slip trembled faintly, glowing with a soft, lustrous white light.

A woman’s languid, teasing voice, seductive enough to captivate the soul, rang directly through her sea of consciousness.

“Little Sister Gu, how have you been?”

It was Empress Qingxuan’s voice!

Her tone brimmed with unmistakable amusement, conjuring an image of her reclining against her phoenix throne, eyes sparkling.

“Several months have flown by since we parted that day. My imperial palace has felt considerably emptier.”

“Even my ten-thousand-year Snow-Soul Spirit Tea has lost its flavor.”

She paused, then lowered her voice, her words carrying a suggestive undertone and private amusement only the two of them could understand.

“I wonder, Little Sister Gu… do you feel the same?”

“I went out of my way to find an excuse to send Luoshui here. As for this Profound Heart Bracelet, consider it a token.”

“This bracelet and the one on my wrist are a pair. They can sense each other across any distance.”

“If Little Sister Gu ever wishes to find someone with whom to drink tea and discuss the Dao, or perhaps discuss something else, simply send a message through this jade slip. I will know.”

“Oh, and Luoshui is a thoughtful girl who knows how to keep her mouth shut. You may make use of her without concern.”

“Lastly…”

Empress Qingxuan’s voice suddenly grew lighter and softer, as though she were whispering directly into Gu Han’s ear.

“I haven’t forgotten the ‘debt’ from that slap. We… have plenty of time ahead of us.”

With that, her voice faded away.

Gu Han swiftly withdrew her divine sense from the jade slip.

That Qingxuan!

Reаԁ oո ΚatReaⅾіոɡСafe

She was still as… shameless as ever!

Why couldn’t she simply send a congratulatory gift? Why call it a “token,” talk about “sensing each other,” or suggest “discussing something else”?

And that last remark!

What did she mean, they had “plenty of time ahead of them”?

Who wanted to have plenty of time with her?

For some inexplicable reason, irritation stirred in Gu Han’s heart. She unconsciously raised a hand and lightly brushed her fingertips over the warm curve of her ear.

Luoshui, who had been covertly watching her reaction from below, caught the gesture.

Her heart jolted again.

This was the Yaochi Empress who could shatter a secret realm with one palm and disperse an Immortal Ascension remnant soul…

Yet now… the tips of her ears were red?

The flush had been extremely faint and vanished almost at once, naturally concealed when Gu Han raised a hand to adjust her hair.

But Luoshui’s eyesight was keen, and she had been watching closely. She had seen it perfectly clearly!

Combined with her Master’s unusual gift and that jade slip…

Luoshui became even more certain of her theory that the relationship between her Master and the Yaochi Empress was anything but ordinary.

It seemed her Master, an iron tree that had gone ten thousand years without blooming, had finally blossomed…

Wouldn’t that make the Yaochi Empress her Master’s future Dao companion?

If this news reached the Eastern Region, her junior brothers and sisters would probably be unable to sit still!

Just as Gu Han simmered with annoyance and Luoshui’s appetite for gossip blazed ever brighter…

【Ding! Special plot item “Profound Heart Bracelet” detected! Hidden mission “Twin Lotus Hearts” triggered!】

【Ding! Message from special character detected: “Imperial Heart Slip”! Hidden plotline “The Empress’s Secret Whispers” triggered!】

【Host, Host! Not bad! She even sent you a token of love… and the bracelets are a matching pair!】

【Keep it up, Host! Try to make the Empress one of Yaochi Immortal Palace’s own as soon as possible! Once two Empresses descend upon the world, the day you sweep aside all opposition will be just around the corner! Hee-hee-hee…】

A barrage of exuberant electronic notifications, brimming with gossip and excitement, exploded like fireworks in Gu Han’s mind.

Rеаⅾ οո ΚatReаⅾіոɡСаfе

Gu Han: “…”

Her expression instantly became indescribable.

“System! Shut up!”

Gu Han roared inwardly, a vein throbbing faintly at her temple.

Would this wretched system die if it stopped teasing her?

What token of love? What two Empresses descending upon the world?

And “The Empress’s Secret Whispers”!

What kind of nonsense was all this?

【Oh my, Host, you’re embarrassed! Even your face is turning red! Did I hit the nail on the head?】

【Host, this Profound Heart Bracelet is a quasi-Imperial Armament from the Xuanhuang Continent! With it, you can sense Empress Qingxuan’s approximate location and condition at any time!】

【Of course, she can sense yours as well. Host, you’d better seize this opportunity!】

Gu Han automatically filtered out the system’s subsequent unreliable teasing, but the information about the Profound Heart Bracelet’s abilities gave her pause.

It could sense the other person’s approximate location and condition?

That was indeed useful, especially if they joined forces to explore the void nodes in the future.

Gu Han’s gaze returned to the pale-green bracelet, a hint of curiosity entering her eyes.

She composed herself and suppressed the turmoil Empress Qingxuan and the system had stirred up between them. Her expression returned to its customary aloof calm.

She placed the Profound Heart Bracelet and the Imperial Heart Slip back in the jade box and closed the lid. The box flew over to a nearby cloud table and settled upon it.

“I have received Empress Qingxuan’s kind intentions.”

Gu Han looked down at Luoshui, her voice once again steady.

“Tell her the gift is excellent.”

Luoshui hurriedly collected herself and bowed.

“Yes, Palace Master. Luoshui will be sure to convey your words.”

“Mm.”

Gu Han responded noncommittally, then said, “You have traveled a long way. You may rest in the Immortal Palace for a while. Fushan.”

Rеαd оո КatRеαԁiոɡСαfе

“Palace Master.”

Fushan hurriedly stepped forward.

“Take Luoshui to the guest quarters and see that she is properly looked after.”

“Yes!”

Luoshui bowed again.

“Thank you, Palace Master. Luoshui will take her leave.”

With that, she followed Fushan out of the main hall.

The doors slowly closed.

Silence returned to the main hall, leaving only Gu Han and A-Yao, who was nestled in her arms and craning her head curiously toward the beautiful jade box on the cloud table.

“Master Mama, did that pretty big sister come to deliver a gift?”

A-Yao tipped up her little face as she spoke.

“Mm.”

Gu Han stroked her head, though her gaze involuntarily strayed toward the jade box once more.

“The bracelet in that box is so pretty!”

A-Yao blinked her large eyes.

“Is Master Mama going to wear it?”

Gu Han fell silent for a moment.

Wear it?

Wear this bracelet sent by Empress Qingxuan, part of a matching pair that allowed them to sense each other?

No matter how she looked at it, it felt strange.

But if she did not wear it…

Wouldn’t that make it seem as if she cared too much? As if she had something to hide?

As for sensing each other’s locations…

Reαⅾ оո КαtReαⅾinɡCаfе

Forget it. It was only an artifact.

With a thought from Gu Han, the jade box on the cloud table opened once more.

The pale-green Profound Heart Bracelet floated into the air and slipped lightly around her left wrist.

The instant it touched her skin, it automatically adjusted its size to fit her perfectly.

A cool, soothing sensation spread from her wrist. At the same time, she clearly felt the imprint of Empress Qingxuan’s divine sense within the bracelet stir faintly.

It was as though something in a faraway place had formed an indescribable resonance with the bracelet and with her.

At almost the exact same moment…

In the Eastern Region, deep within the Empress’s bedchamber in the Qingxuan Imperial Dynasty.

Empress Qingxuan was cultivating with her eyes closed when the pale-green bracelet on her left wrist, which had accompanied her for ten thousand years, suddenly gave an almost imperceptible tremor.

A faint, soothing ripple that only she could sense spread from the bracelet.

Empress Qingxuan’s long lashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

A trace of surprise flickered through those beautiful, majestic eyes that seemed to contain endless galaxies.

Then a faint but genuine smile slowly spread across her exquisite features, like spring water thawing a sheet of ice.

She raised her left hand and gently brushed her fingertips over the Profound Heart Bracelet around her wrist.

The bracelet was smooth and warm, but at that moment, it seemed to carry a different kind of “warmth.”

“She put it on so soon…”

Empress Qingxuan murmured to herself, satisfaction and deeper amusement threading through her voice.

“It seems I chose the perfect gift…”

Across the boundless reaches of space, she could almost picture the silver-haired Palace Master in Yaochi Immortal Palace in the Southern Region, perhaps looking faintly annoyed and helpless at that very moment.

Mm. She must look quite amusing.

“Gu Han…”

Empress Qingxuan murmured the name, her gaze shifting to the other, empty teacup on the table.

“We’ll see each other again very soon…”