Volume 1, Chapter 169 – A Conversation Between Master and Disciple

As night deepened, silence returned to the palace.

Gu Han sat on the cloud couch, her fingertips brushing lightly over the Profound Heart Bracelet on her wrist, her emotions tangled beyond measure.

Qingxuan’s earlier declaration, “I’m serious,” and Lingshuang’s clumsy yet forthright words were like two stones cast into the lake of her heart.

Across both her lives, she had never dealt with such a complicated romantic entanglement.

In her previous life, she had been an ordinary university student focused on her studies, with almost no romantic experience to speak of.

Then she had transmigrated to this world, become a woman, obtained the System, established a sect, taught disciples, and pursued the Great Dao…

Her goal had originally been quite simple.

Yet now, two Empresses who had lived for tens of thousands of years had disrupted her once-peaceful cultivation life.

And then there was the inside information Qingxuan had revealed today about the Central Province gathering.

That was another source of concern.

The Immortal Ascension experts of all Five Regions would gather, each with their own agenda. The slightest move could set off a chain reaction.

Gu Han was confident she was no weaker than anyone else, and she possessed two quasi-immortal artifacts: the Donghuang Bell and the Ancient Star River Mirror.

But she was still an outsider. If she became embroiled in it all, it would inevitably mean trouble.

“I’m still not strong enough.”

Gu Han murmured to herself, her gaze gradually turning cold.

She had once thought that her late-stage Immortal Ascension cultivation, combined with two quasi-immortal artifacts, would be enough for her to roam this world unfettered.

But now it seemed that if she wanted to truly transcend it all, she would have to become even stronger.

The later stages of the Chaos Scripture, the further refinement of the Donghuang Bell, the secrets of the Ancient Star River Mirror…

And then there were the Ten Worlds and the void nodes mentioned by the System…

She still had a long road ahead of her.

As for the feelings those two harbored for her…

Gu Han closed her eyes and forcibly suppressed the turmoil in her heart.

She would let nature take its course.

For now, the most important things were to increase her strength and guide her disciples.

And to prepare for the approaching Central Province gathering.

Having sorted through her thoughts, Gu Han felt the weight on her mind lift.

She settled into a cross-legged position once more and immersed herself in the vast Dao Resonance of the Chaos Scripture, beginning another round of cultivation.

Meanwhile, in the Western Courtyard guest quarters.

Empress Qingxuan leaned against the window, her fingertips gently caressing the Profound Heart Bracelet.

Through the bracelet, she could sense Gu Han’s emotions gradually settling.

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The phenomenon caused by the tower spirit’s birth earlier that day, the little girl’s astonishing breakthrough, and her own heated exchange with Lingshuang in the main hall just moments ago…

The scenes wove together in her mind.

The faintest smile curved Empress Qingxuan’s lips, tinged with helplessness and amusement.

And a trace of complicated emotion that even she herself did not fully understand.

“Master.”

A clear, composed voice sounded behind her, breaking the silence in the room.

Empress Qingxuan did not turn around. She merely gave a soft hum of acknowledgment.

Luoshui entered the room without a sound and stopped three paces behind Empress Qingxuan.

She gazed at her Master’s back, a rare hint of hesitation appearing on her usually tranquil face.

“Is something the matter?”

Empress Qingxuan turned around. Moonlight traced the exquisite contours of her profile, and a hint of inquiry entered her languid eyes.

Luoshui pursed her lips, seemingly weighing her words.

A moment later, she raised her eyes and let her gaze fall on the Profound Heart Bracelet around Empress Qingxuan’s wrist. Her voice was clear and restrained.

“This disciple has a question she would dare ask Master.”

“Go ahead.”

Empress Qingxuan walked over to the table and sat down, pouring herself a cup of tea with casual elegance.

“Master, when it comes to Palace Master Gu…”

Luoshui paused, seemingly searching for the right words, before finally settling on a relatively neutral phrasing.

“You seem to care about her a great deal.”

Empress Qingxuan’s hand stilled around the teacup, and she raised her eyes to regard her most trusted disciple.

Luoshui’s gaze was clear and earnest. There was no prying curiosity in it, only genuine concern and confusion.

“Care?”

Empress Qingxuan chuckled, raising the teacup to her lips and taking a sip. Her voice carried its usual languor.

“Who don’t I care about?”

“There are plenty of people and matters across Canglan Continent worthy of a second glance from me.”

Her tone was exceedingly casual.

But Luoshui did not let the matter drop.

She had followed her Master for thousands of years and knew her temperament inside and out.

If this were merely ordinary concern, her Master would never have reacted this way.

She would not have given away the Profound Heart Bracelet she never removed, barged into someone else’s bedchamber late at night, or clashed so fiercely with Empress Lingshuang.

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“Master.”

Luoshui lowered her voice, revealing a rare persistence.

“You gave Palace Master Gu a Profound Heart Bracelet. That bracelet and the one on your wrist were originally a pair.”

“You…”

She drew a deep breath, lifted her gaze to meet Empress Qingxuan’s eyes, and finally asked the question that had been circling in her mind for so long.

“Do your feelings for Palace Master Gu go beyond friendship between fellow Daoists?”

The room lapsed into a brief silence.

Empress Qingxuan set down her teacup and lightly tapped her fingertips against its smooth, warm surface, producing a crisp sound.

She regarded Luoshui in silence. The eyes that always held a languid smile were now so deep they made the heart tremble.

After a long while, she spoke slowly.

“Luoshui, how long have you followed me?”

“It has been nearly twenty thousand years since Master took this disciple under her wing,” Luoshui replied respectfully.

“Twenty thousand years…”

Empress Qingxuan softly repeated the number, her gaze drifting toward the hazy moonlight beyond the window. Her voice carried an almost imperceptible note of emotion.

“How quickly time passes!”

“That little girl who nearly froze to death in the snow back then can now stand on her own.”

She turned back to Luoshui, her voice gentle.

“In those twenty thousand years, have you ever seen me give this bracelet to anyone?”

Luoshui shook her head.

“Never.”

“Master never removes the Profound Heart Bracelet. This disciple only knows that Master acquired it while traveling the Xuanhuang Continent in your early years. I have never seen you show it to anyone.”

“And have you ever seen me argue so fiercely with that woman Lingshuang over anyone?”

“This disciple has never seen such a thing.”

Empress Qingxuan smiled softly.

The smile was no longer languid or nonchalant. Instead, it held a note of frank acceptance.

“That’s right. Never.”

She rose and walked to the window. Moonlight spilled over her purple nightclothes, outlining her breathtaking curves.

She raised her left hand, and the Profound Heart Bracelet around her wrist gleamed softly beneath the moonlight.

“This bracelet has been with me for more than thirty thousand years.”

“It has accompanied me through countless storms and is one of my most cherished possessions.”

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Her voice was soft, as though she were recounting an ancient tale.

“I once believed it would remain on my wrist forever, until the day my life came to an end.”

“Until…”

Empress Qingxuan paused, then turned to Luoshui. A light Luoshui had never seen before shone in her eyes.

It was gentle and resolute, with an almost pure, burning intensity.

“Until I met her.”

Luoshui’s heart trembled.

She had never seen her Master’s eyes shine so brightly.

“Gu Han…”

Empress Qingxuan spoke the name softly, a smile unconsciously curving her lips.

“She is unlike anyone I have ever met.”

“She is powerful, yet she does not use her strength to bully the weak. She is aloof, yet gentle and patient with her disciples. She appears to let nothing touch her heart, but in truth, she values affection and loyalty more deeply than anyone.”

“She is like a moon suspended high above the Nine Heavens, seemingly beyond reach, yet her radiance shines everywhere, bathing the entire night sky in tenderness.”

Empress Qingxuan’s voice carried undisguised admiration.

“I have lived for nearly fifty thousand years and seen more peerless geniuses than I can count.”

“But never has anyone made me feel the way she does…”

She paused, seemingly searching for the most fitting words.

“She intrigues me. She makes my heart race. She makes me want to draw closer, to understand her, to…”

Empress Qingxuan did not finish, but Luoshui already understood.

“So…”

Luoshui’s voice was slightly hoarse. As she looked at the undisguised light in her Master’s eyes, a surge of complicated emotions welled within her.

There was shock, sudden understanding, and a trace of concern even she herself could not explain.

“Master, do you truly harbor those kinds of feelings for Palace Master Gu?”

Empress Qingxuan did not evade the question. She met Luoshui’s gaze openly, the smile on her lips deepening as her eyes blazed with conviction.

“Yes.”

One word, clear, resolute, and utterly without hesitation.

“I like her.”

Empress Qingxuan’s voice was calm, yet carried unquestionable certainty.

“This is not an elder’s admiration for a junior, nor the regard one has for a fellow cultivator. It is the purest stirring of the heart between two women.”

She walked up to Luoshui and gently patted her disciple’s shoulder, her tone warm yet resolute.

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“Those are precisely the feelings I harbor for Gu Han.”

“I want to be close to her. I want to understand her. I want to be with her, and I want to possess her.”

“When I see others getting close to her, I’m displeased. When I see her troubled, my heart aches. When I see her display her brilliance, I feel proud.”

A hint of cunning and determination flashed through Empress Qingxuan’s eyes.

“That woman Lingshuang has developed feelings for her too. I can see it, but so what?”

“I have lived for so many years, yet rarely have I met someone who truly moves my heart.”

“Now that I’ve finally met her, I won’t let go!”

Luoshui stared blankly at her Master, momentarily at a loss for words.

She had never imagined that her Master, who was always so languid and carefree, as though everything were under her control…

Could also have such a frank, passionate, almost innocent side.

“Master…”

Luoshui opened her mouth, but in the end, she managed only one question.

“Aren’t you afraid Palace Master Gu will reject you?”

At that, Empress Qingxuan chuckled softly.

Her laughter carried confidence and composure, along with an unmistakably imperious edge.

“Reject me?”

“How could someone I’ve set my sights on possibly reject me?”

She paused. Her gaze flickered, and her tone softened.

“Besides, I can sense that she is not entirely indifferent to me.”

“She simply doesn’t understand her feelings yet, or rather, she’s unwilling to admit them.”

Empress Qingxuan turned to Luoshui, a note of warning in her eyes:

“This matter is for your ears only. Do not tell anyone else.”

Luoshui hurriedly bowed:

“Your disciple understands. I will not reveal a word.”

Satisfied, Empress Qingxuan nodded and returned to the window. Gazing at the bright moon in the night sky, she murmured softly to herself:

“In all my life, I have never failed to obtain anything I wanted.”

“You will be no exception.”