Volume 1, Chapter 167 – A-Yao’s Origins

In the Western Courtyard guest quarters, Empress Qingxuan withdrew her gaze from Yaochi.

She gently set down the teacup in her hand, a meaningful smile appearing on her breathtaking face.

“That little girl is truly extraordinary.”

She murmured to herself, a searching gleam flashing through her eyes.

“Little Sister Gu seems to be hiding more and more secrets…”

Beside Yaochi, Empress Lingshuang looked equally grave.

She had noticed A-Yao even earlier than Qingxuan had.

She had already sensed that the little girl possessed a somewhat unusual physique, but she had never imagined it would be this exceptional!

“That method of breaking through… I’ve never heard of anything like it.”

Light flickered in Empress Lingshuang’s ice-blue eyes.

“Her Dao foundation is completely natural, as if it had always been meant to look that way, rather than something formed through acquired cultivation…”

“And that affinity she displayed when absorbing spiritual energy…”

Only one possibility could explain it, and the thought surfaced in her mind.

Could it be…

Was this little girl the reincarnation of an Immortal Ascension expert?

Or perhaps someone chosen by destiny, like Sovereign Longteng?

And Gu Han had deliberately taken her as a disciple and taught her with meticulous care…

Empress Lingshuang looked toward the main hall, the complexity in her eyes deepening.

Night fell, and the moonlight flowed like water.

Silence blanketed Yaochi Immortal Palace. The commotion caused during the day by the awakening of the Myriad-Phenomena Tower’s spirit and A-Yao’s astonishing breakthrough had long since subsided.

Only the Enlightenment Tea Tree on the island at the center of the pool shimmered with hazy Dao Resonance beneath the moonlight. From time to time, spirit fish leaped from the water, sending rings of ripples across the surface.

In the main hall, Gu Han lay upon the cloud couch, her expression conflicted.

Just then…

“Tap.”

An almost imperceptible sound rang out.

Here she was.

Gu Han had known someone would come.

Empress Qingxuan stood at the entrance to the hall, without her usual languid smile.

She merely gazed in silence at Gu Han on the cloud couch, her eyes more serious than Gu Han had ever seen them.

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“Does Little Sister have anything she wishes to tell me about the commotion that little girl caused today?”

Gu Han raised her eyes to meet hers.

Qingxuan’s gaze was far too serious tonight. Without the playful facade she usually wore, it made something in Gu Han’s heart tighten faintly.

She sat up, her moon-white skirts sliding across the cloud couch.

“A-Yao possesses a special physique, and her method of cultivation differs from that of ordinary people. That is all.”

“That is all?”

Qingxuan repeated the words softly, her fingers unconsciously brushing over the Profound Heart Bracelet around her wrist.

She could sense that Gu Han’s emotions were perfectly calm at that moment.

“The tower spirit was born, its Dao Resonance fed back into the entire palace, and your first disciple seized the opportunity to break through three minor realms in a single day…”

“Little Sister, even after ruling the Eastern Region for tens of thousands of years, I have witnessed such a phenomenon only a handful of times.”

She paused, lowering her voice.

“Now that Little Sister is attracting so much attention, I imagine those people in the other regions have noticed you as well.”

Gu Han’s gaze sharpened slightly at her words.

“Let them notice.”

Gu Han’s tone remained indifferent.

“Why should I, Gu Han, have to explain my actions to anyone?”

Hearing this, Qingxuan suddenly let out a soft laugh.

Her laughter carried a hint of helplessness, indulgence, and an affection Gu Han could not quite define.

“Yes, yes. Little Sister naturally owes no one an explanation.”

She walked over and sat beside the cloud couch, gently brushing aside a strand of silver hair resting against Gu Han’s cheek.

“I’m simply worried that the tallest tree catches the strongest wind.”

Her touch was featherlight and withdrawn almost at once, yet it quietly pulled taut a string in Gu Han’s heart.

This woman’s behavior tonight was far too unusual.

There was less teasing, fewer jokes, and far more seriousness.

“Qingxuan.”

Gu Han lifted her eyes and looked directly at her.

“What are you actually trying to say?”

Empress Qingxuan held her gaze for a moment before letting out a soft sigh.

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“I want to ask Little Sister…”

Her voice was gentle.

“When do you intend to attend the Central Province gathering?”

Gu Han frowned slightly.

They had already discussed this the other day. Qingxuan had clearly come to ask again in the middle of the night because there was something more behind it.

“Once I have made the necessary arrangements within the palace, I will naturally go.”

“Do you know something?”

Empress Qingxuan did not answer immediately.

She looked toward the moonlight outside the hall, her profile exceptionally soft amid the hazy glow and shadow.

“That man, Longteng… He may appear gentle and easygoing, but his thoughts run deeper than anyone’s.”

“It is true that he invited the Immortal Ascension experts of the Five Regions to investigate the mystery of the path to immortality, but I fear he has other plans.”

She turned back to Gu Han, a complicated look flashing through her eyes.

“There are some things Little Sister may not know. Sacred Lord Yaoguang, one of the three Immortal Ascension experts of the Central Province, is Longteng’s Dao companion.”

“Sacred Lord Yaoguang is also the longest-lived of the ten Immortal Ascension experts. At most, she has only six thousand years of lifespan remaining…”

Gu Han’s pupils contracted slightly at those words.

“Longteng claims to have invited the Immortal Ascension experts of the Five Regions to explore the path to immortality, but his true purpose is to gather everyone’s strength to extend Yaoguang’s life or seek an opportunity for her to break through.”

Empress Qingxuan spoke very softly, yet every word was distinct.

“The implications are too great. If they succeed, perhaps they truly will glimpse a sliver of the secrets of the path to immortality. But if they fail…”

She did not finish, but Gu Han already understood the danger.

If anything went wrong when Immortal Ascension experts joined forces, the resulting backlash would be terrible enough to gravely injure everyone present, or even kill them.

“That is why I hurried to the Southern Region. I wanted to warn Little Sister…”

Empress Qingxuan reached out and gently clasped Gu Han’s cool fingertips.

“When it comes to Sacred Lord Yaoguang, Longteng is capable of anything.”

Gu Han fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked:

“Why are you telling me this?”

Empress Qingxuan froze at Gu Han’s question, then smiled.

There was helplessness and honesty in that smile, as well as a trace of… tenderness Gu Han could not understand.

“Why?”

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She tilted her head, her dark hair slipping over her shoulder.

“Perhaps it’s because I don’t want to see Little Sister put herself in danger. Or perhaps…”

She paused, her voice dropping until it was nearly inaudible.

“I feel that…”

Just then…

“Tap.”

Another soft sound came from the entrance to the hall.

Gu Han and Empress Qingxuan turned their heads at the same time.

Empress Lingshuang stood in the doorway, dressed in ice-blue palace robes and surrounded by a biting chill.

Her gaze swept over the two women sitting side by side on the cloud couch, lingering for a moment in particular on Qingxuan’s purple nightclothes.

“You are certainly diligent, Qingxuan.”

Lingshuang’s voice was colder than usual, nearly freezing the very air.

“You seem awfully fond of visiting Fellow Daoist Gu in the middle of the night…”

“Today, I have finally witnessed the etiquette of the Empress of the Eastern Region for myself.”

Qingxuan slowly rose to her feet, her habitual languid smile returning to her face, though deep in her eyes lingered clear displeasure at having been interrupted.

“Hasn’t Little Sister Lingshuang come as well? What, you’re allowed to come, but I’m not?”

Empress Lingshuang gave a cold snort and strode into the hall.

“I came because I have serious business to discuss with Fellow Daoist Gu.”

“Unlike certain people, who spend all day behaving without the slightest sense of propriety.”

“No sense of propriety?”

Qingxuan arched an eyebrow. Her smile deepened, but there was no warmth in her eyes.

“What an odd thing to say… Little Sister Gu and I get along well. What is wrong with being a little closer?”

“As for Little Sister Lingshuang, you wear that cold expression all day long. Have you forgotten how to smile?”

“You!”

Seeing that the two were about to clash again, Gu Han rubbed her brow wearily.

“Both of you.”

She rose and stepped between them.

“If you have something to say, then say it. If not, please leave.”

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Her words were blunt, carrying even a trace of impatience.

At that, both women actually fell silent for a moment.

Empress Lingshuang spoke first. Her voice remained cold, though it had lost some of its earlier confrontational edge.

“I came to ask Fellow Daoist Gu about the little girl who broke through today.”

She turned her gaze to Gu Han, curiosity flashing through her ice-blue eyes.

“That little girl’s method of breaking through… I have never seen anything like it.”

“Her Dao foundation is completely natural, as though it was not formed through acquired cultivation but was innately destined to be so.”

Something stirred in Gu Han’s heart.

Lingshuang’s insight was indeed frighteningly keen. She had actually perceived what made A-Yao special.

“Everyone has secrets.”

Gu Han lifted her eyes to look at her.

“Just as Fellow Daoist Lingshuang has never explained where her Frostheaven Sword came from, or Fellow Daoist Qingxuan what mysteries her Profound Heart Bracelet contains.”

“I have never questioned either of you, so I ask that you both refrain from prying any further into A-Yao’s affairs.”

Her words were neither servile nor overbearing, yet they carried a meaning that brooked no dispute.

Empress Qingxuan and Empress Lingshuang were both intelligent. Naturally, they understood the warning behind her words.

A-Yao was Gu Han’s disciple. It was not an outsider’s place to probe into her origins.

Lingshuang fell silent for a moment before speaking again.

“That little girl… Is she the reincarnation of an Immortal Ascension expert?”

The question was direct, and it went straight to the heart of the matter.

Empress Qingxuan also put away her playful expression and looked at Gu Han.

Gu Han met Lingshuang’s gaze and slowly shook her head.

“No.”

She was not lying.

A-Yao truly was not the reincarnation of some mighty Immortal Ascension expert.

She had been born from the remnant soul of an immortal after Gu Han reshaped a body for her using Nine Heavens Xirang.

Her origins were far greater than those of any Immortal Ascension expert.