Volume 1, Chapter 157 – The Excuse Left Behind

Before long, she returned carrying a jade tray. On it sat an exquisite jade teapot and three jade cups.

There were only a few tea leaves in the pot, yet they radiated an indescribably hazy Dao Resonance that refreshed the mind and lifted the spirit.

They were leaves from the Enlightenment Tea Tree on the island in the middle of the lake.

“Both of you have come a long way. Please, have some tea.”

Gu Han picked up the jade teapot and poured each of them a cup.

The tea’s fragrance curled through the air as Dao Resonance suffused the hall, seeming to ease the tense atmosphere somewhat.

Empress Qingxuan lifted her cup, her gaze settling on Gu Han’s face once more. Her tone held a note of inquiry and concern.

“Little Sister Gu, when I first arrived, you seemed… somewhat tired.”

She paused and cast a pointed glance at Empress Lingshuang.

“Has some tactless person been disturbing your peace lately?”

Empress Lingshuang’s hand tightened slightly around her cup.

“Qingxuan, are you insinuating something?”

“I’m merely concerned about Little Sister Gu. What could I possibly be insinuating?”

Empress Qingxuan took a sip of tea and continued languidly,

“You, on the other hand, have been imposing on her hospitality. Have you ever considered whether you might be causing her trouble?”

“I’m here to discuss the Dao and exchange insights with Fellow Daoist Gu. How could that cause her any trouble?”

Empress Lingshuang countered coldly.

“Discuss the Dao?”

Empress Qingxuan arched a brow, her smile turning faintly cold.

“I’m afraid discussing the Dao isn’t your real purpose.”

The two of them looked ready to clash again.

Gu Han set down her teacup and gently rubbed between her brows, deciding to stop beating around the bush.

“Fellow Daoists.”

She spoke calmly, her voice carrying a lucid directness that cut straight to the heart of the matter.

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“I founded Yaochi Immortal Palace for nothing more than the peace and quiet to cultivate and teach my disciples.”

“May I ask whether you have any other important business in the Southern Region beyond discussing the Dao and reminiscing with me?”

The question was courteous, but in truth, she was tactfully asking: When exactly are you planning to leave?

How could someone as perceptive as Empress Qingxuan fail to grasp Gu Han’s meaning?

She set down her teacup. The smile remained on her peerlessly beautiful face, but her gaze deepened slightly.

“I came, first, because I haven’t seen you in a long time, Little Sister, and have missed you terribly.”

“Second, I heard that Lingshuang was here, so I came especially to ‘reminisce.’”

She placed deliberate emphasis on the word “reminisce,” turning an openly scrutinizing gaze upon Empress Lingshuang.

“Thirdly…”

She changed tack and looked back at Gu Han, her tone growing more serious.

“Did Sovereign Longteng also mention the ‘Central Province gathering’ to you?”

Gu Han’s gaze shifted subtly, and she nodded.

“ Sovereign Longteng did mention it. He said it concerned the mystery of the path to immortality and invited me to Central Province to discuss it.”

“That is precisely the matter.”

Empress Qingxuan inclined her head.

“It is a matter of tremendous importance, not something that can be explained in a few words. I also came because I wanted to discuss it with you in detail, Little Sister.”

She paused, then added meaningfully,

“After all, certain secrets are better discussed in private.”

The implication was clear: she had legitimate business that required her to stay.

At the mention of the “Central Province gathering” and the “mystery of the path to immortality,” a trace of solemnity also flashed through Empress Lingshuang’s eyes.

Naturally, she knew of the matter. Sovereign Longteng had extended an invitation to her long ago as well.

Apart from her curiosity about Gu Han herself, she had remained in the Southern Region because she wanted to discuss this matter with Gu Han beforehand.

She simply had not expected that woman Qingxuan to act so quickly and use it as an excuse.

“Since this concerns the path to immortality, I naturally have an interest in it as well.”

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Empress Lingshuang spoke coldly.

“Fellow Daoist Gu, this matter requires careful deliberation.”

Well, then.

Both of them had found perfectly legitimate reasons to stay.

Her plan to see her guests off had officially failed.

She inhaled softly, suppressing her faint exasperation.

“In that case, please stay at the Immortal Palace for a while, Fellow Daoists.”

Gu Han regained the composed bearing of a Palace Master.

“We can discuss the Central Province gathering and the mystery of the path to immortality in detail another day.”

“For today, why don’t you both get some rest first?”

Naturally, Empress Qingxuan and Empress Lingshuang understood what Gu Han meant.

They exchanged a glance, and invisible sparks once again seemed to fly through the air.

“How considerate of you, Little Sister.”

Empress Qingxuan rose, her purple skirts brushing across the cloud couch and stirring a fragrant breeze.

She walked over to Gu Han and leaned down slightly, speaking so quickly and quietly that only the two of them could hear.

“I haven’t forgotten the ‘debt’ from that slap, you know.”

Her warm breath caressed the curve of Gu Han’s ear, leaving behind a teasing itch.

Before Gu Han could react, she gave her a radiant smile, turned, and walked out of the hall.

Empress Lingshuang also stood. She gave Gu Han a long, searching look, her gaze sweeping over the faint flush on her ear.

In the end, she said nothing more. She merely inclined her head to Gu Han before turning to leave as well.

The two figures departed one after the other, disappearing beyond the doors of the hall.

At last, Gu Han was alone in the main hall.

She sat by herself on the cloud couch, staring at the empty doorway. Only after a long while did she slowly exhale.

“What kind of mess is this…?”

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Gu Han rubbed her throbbing temple and muttered under her breath.

“Both of them are old… seniors who’ve lived for tens of thousands of years. How can they still do whatever they please?”

“That woman Qingxuan already… did that in the bedchamber last time. And now she dares tease me right in front of Lingshuang?”

“Lingshuang too. She looks so cold and aloof, yet she’s terrifyingly direct.”

“The way she stood so close yesterday, the questions she asked… and how fiercely they went at each other today…”

The more Gu Han thought about it, the worse her headache became.

She had founded Yaochi Immortal Palace to complete the System’s missions, teach a few disciples, and explore this unknown world along the way.

And what had happened instead?

She had taken in plenty of disciples, and every one of them was doing her proud.

But as for peace and quiet… she had not gotten even a shred of it!

First, she had somehow become the “Yaochi Empress,” her name resounding throughout the Southern Region.

Then the Empress of the Northern Region came knocking to “test” her. After their fight, she refused to leave, claiming she wanted to “discuss the Dao.”

And now the one from the Eastern Region had arrived too, looking as though she wanted to devour Gu Han whole.

These two ancient rivals, who had fought for tens of thousands of years, had now moved their “battlefield” directly into the main hall of her Yaochi Immortal Palace!

Caught in the middle, Gu Han had to mediate, serve tea, and smooth things over…

“What did I ever do to deserve this…?”

Gu Han sighed helplessly and lay back on the cloud couch. Gazing at the simulated starry sky across the vaulted ceiling, she felt utterly exhausted.

She could not send them away, and she could not truly fight them either, since there was no deep hatred between them. On top of that, she still had to observe the basic courtesies owed to guests and maintain the dignity expected of an Immortal Ascension expert.

Being a Palace Master was even more exhausting than studying for the graduate school entrance exam in her previous life!

At least things had not been this troublesome back then.

But now?

These two “honored guests” were staying right here in her Immortal Palace. She was bound to run into them constantly.

Especially Qingxuan…

At the thought of the whispered words Qingxuan had breathed against her ear before leaving, the heat that had only just faded from Gu Han’s ears seemed poised to return.

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And then there was that bracelet…

Gu Han raised her left hand. The Profound Heart Bracelet around her wrist gleamed with a warm luster in the hall’s soft light.

Qingxuan wore one too.

They could sense each other…

Wearing this thing now was like holding a hot potato!

If her emotions fluctuated even slightly, would Qingxuan sense all of it?

How was she supposed to live like this?

For a moment, Gu Han truly wanted to take off the bracelet and throw it into the deepest corner of the system space.

On second thought, however, this was a quasi-Imperial Armament that Qingxuan had solemnly presented to her.

More importantly, it could serve as a vital token if they joined forces to explore the “void node” in the future.

Taking it off or putting it away outright would be far too discourteous, and it would make her look guilty.

“Forget it, forget it…”

Gu Han sighed again and decided to stop thinking about these vexing matters for the time being.

Sovereign Longteng had mentioned the “Central Province gathering” and the “mystery of the path to immortality,” and Qingxuan had now confirmed it. It seemed the matter truly was of tremendous importance.

She would have to find time to discuss it with them properly.

Then there was the development of her Immortal Palace, the training of her disciples, and her subsequent plans for Lingxu Blessed Paradise…

Each matter required her, as Palace Master, to make a decision.

“I should cultivate first.”

Gu Han closed her eyes, trying to suppress the chaotic thoughts in her mind as she immersed herself in the vast Dao Resonance of the Chaos Scripture.

Only within the profound mysteries of this supreme cultivation scripture could she find true peace.

Time slipped quietly by as Gu Han entered meditation.