Volume 1, Chapter 197 – Lingshuang Eavesdrops Outside the Door

The night breeze blew cool across the spiritual peak, yet it could not dispel the heat and turmoil in her heart.

Gu Han returned to her guest palace. The doors closed soundlessly behind her, shutting out the world beyond.

She stood alone in the spacious hall, her thoughts consumed by everything that had just happened with Qingxuan.

Those words, that kiss, that fervent and unwavering promise.

They washed through her mind again and again like an endless tide.

Her fingertips rose unconsciously to her forehead, where that cool, soft touch seemed to linger.

“The Xuanhuang Continent…”

Gu Han murmured as she walked to the window and gazed toward Qingxuan’s guest palace.

Was that woman, always wearing a languid smile as though everything were under her control, just as unsettled as she was now?

One year.

Qingxuan had said she would leave in a year.

The road ahead would be perilous, with powerful enemies on every side. Even with Longteng, the Desolate God, and Venerable Baiyun accompanying her, how could they possibly guarantee that nothing would go wrong?

The ancient Liyang clan… the pursuit of two Great Emperors…

Qingxuan had spoken of it lightly, but Gu Han knew it would be anything but pleasant.

That woman was always like this.

She kept the most dangerous part for herself and promised Gu Han the relatively peaceful “future.”

Gu Han slowly exhaled, trying to suppress the surging worry and bitterness in her heart.

The path of cultivation was long. Partings were only natural.

And yet… this time felt different.

She turned away from the window and sat cross-legged on the couch, trying to cultivate.

But no sooner had the Chaos Scripture begun to circulate than it stalled beyond her control.

Another cold, breathtakingly beautiful face rose unbidden in her mind.

Lingshuang.

Earlier that day in Soaring Dragon Hall, when the Sovereign Longteng had asked whether they would stay or leave…

Lingshuang had answered decisively that she would “stay for now,” then looked at Gu Han with absolute resolve.

And before that, she had brought over a box of Snow Lotus Pastries she had made herself, along with that awkward but earnest promise: “I’ll make more for you in the future.”

Lingshuang’s feelings were just like the woman herself: direct, unmistakable, and completely undisguised.

They were utterly different from Qingxuan’s languid, seductive, carefully calculated teasing, yet equally… difficult to withstand.

And now, with things as they were…

Gu Han rubbed her brow, finding the situation more troublesome than facing a powerful enemy or deriving a cultivation technique.

Worse still, she did not seem entirely indifferent to either of them.

Qingxuan’s intelligence and sense of responsibility, along with the flashes of slyness and tenderness she occasionally revealed.

Lingshuang’s candor and awkwardness, together with the devotion and concern hidden beneath her icy exterior.

All of it made it impossible for Gu Han to remain truly unmoved and pretend she saw nothing.

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“I’ll take things one step at a time.”

In the end, that was all Gu Han could tell herself.

The most urgent matter was traveling to the Abyss at the Edge of the Star Sea in seven days to see the void node for herself.

She would do everything in her power to help them stabilize the passage and minimize the danger.

As for everything else…

She closed her eyes and forcibly pushed those chaotic thoughts aside for the moment.

Meanwhile, as Gu Han tried to calm herself in her guest palace…

In another, colder guest palace…

Empress Lingshuang stood in the hall with a mirror of ice floating before her, reflecting her unreadable expression.

Everything that had happened in Soaring Dragon Hall earlier that day, as well as the conversation between Gu Han and Qingxuan not long ago, had reached her ears with perfect clarity.

Of course, she had not meant to eavesdrop. She had merely been curious about why Gu Han wanted to see Qingxuan and happened to overhear their conversation.

She knew it might not have been entirely proper, but she could only use her own methods to express herself, fight for what she wanted, and protect it.

Gu Han had chosen to stay for the time being, so naturally, she would stay as well.

It was not out of spite, nor was it because she wanted to “compete” with Qingxuan for anything.

It was because Gu Han was here.

Her heart was here, so naturally, she had to be here too.

But…

A rare flicker of irritation crossed Empress Lingshuang’s ice-blue eyes.

She realized she was worried.

She was not worried about what might happen to Qingxuan on the Xuanhuang Continent, nor was she worried that someone might “steal” Gu Han away.

She was worried… that Gu Han would be sad.

Somehow, Qingxuan had used this method to leave her mark on Gu Han’s heart.

No matter how calm Gu Han appeared, how could Qingxuan’s departure possibly leave her heart untouched?

At the thought…

Empress Lingshuang abruptly swept out a hand. The ice mirror shattered into a cloud of crystalline powder that drifted softly to the floor.

She turned toward Gu Han’s guest palace, her gaze conflicted.

She wanted to go and see her too.

Even if she said nothing, she still wanted to see her.

Once the thought arose, she could no longer suppress it.

She drew a deep breath, pushed open the palace doors, and stepped into the night.

The night was deep, and the spiritual peak exceptionally quiet.

Empress Lingshuang arrived outside Gu Han’s guest palace but did not immediately approach.

Sensing the aura within, she realized Gu Han seemed to be cultivating.

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This was not the right time to disturb her.

Yet her feet seemed rooted to the ground, refusing to move.

Just then, the palace doors opened soundlessly.

Gu Han appeared in the doorway, her moon-white robes fluttering gently in the night breeze.

She seemed to have sensed the presence outside. When she raised her eyes, her gaze met Lingshuang’s.

Their eyes locked.

In the darkness, their gazes met across the space between them. Neither spoke.

Empress Lingshuang stiffened almost imperceptibly. Like a child caught doing something wrong, she suddenly seemed at a loss.

She parted her lips, wanting to say something, but had no idea how to begin.

Was she supposed to say she had been worried Gu Han might be sad, so she had come to check on her?

Would that not be the same as admitting she had overheard everything they had said?

That definitely would not do.

Gu Han regarded Lingshuang’s slightly stiff figure beneath the moonlight and the fleeting panic in her eyes.

She walked slowly over and stopped in front of Lingshuang, then asked gently,

“Lingshuang, it’s so late. Is something wrong?”

Empress Lingshuang looked at Gu Han standing so close, saw the confusion in her eyes, and suddenly felt the knot in her heart dissolve.

“No.”

She heard her own dry voice say,

“I was just… taking a walk.”

The excuse was so clumsy that not even she believed it.

The faintest hint of amusement crossed Gu Han’s eyes, but she did not call her out.

“Would you like to… take a walk together?”

she suggested softly.

Empress Lingshuang froze for a moment, then slowly nodded.

“All right.”

They walked side by side along the spiritual peak’s secluded path.

Neither spoke. There was only the rustle of the night breeze through the treetops and the faint murmur of a spiritual spring in the distance.

Moonlight poured over them like water, stretching their shadows long across the ground.

Empress Lingshuang turned her head slightly. She could see Gu Han’s exquisite profile outlined by the moonlight and the faint shadows cast by her long lashes.

Her heart suddenly began to beat a little faster.

“Gu Han.”

She spoke without warning, her voice especially clear in the stillness of the night.

“Mm? What is it?”

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Gu Han turned to look at her.

Empress Lingshuang met her gaze. A trace of struggle flickered through her ice-blue eyes before settling into awkward sincerity.

“Qingxuan… will be fine.”

She paused, then added,

“The Xuanhuang Continent may be dangerous, but she’s very strong. Longteng and the others are no weaklings either.”

It sounded as though she were comforting Gu Han, yet also trying to convince herself.

Gu Han was briefly taken aback, then understood.

Lingshuang had overheard her conversation with Qingxuan. Worried that Gu Han would be upset by Qingxuan’s departure, she had come to comfort her.

The awkward concern left Gu Han torn between laughter and exasperation.

This woman truly was far too foolish.

“I know.”

Gu Han nodded lightly, her voice calm.

“She has her own path to walk, and I have my own responsibilities to fulfill.”

“Ten years or a hundred are no more than the blink of an eye to people like us.”

She turned back to Lingshuang, a faint smile in her eyes.

“But what about you? Why did you choose to stay? Aren’t you afraid…?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Empress Lingshuang cut her off. Her gaze rested on Gu Han’s face as she spoke each word with perfect clarity.

“Wherever you are, that is where I will be.”

Those words were more direct than any declaration of love, and far weightier.

Gu Han’s heart trembled as she looked into Lingshuang’s eyes and saw the undisguised devotion and sincerity within them.

Only after a long silence did she speak softly.

“Lingshuang, you really don’t have to…”

“I want to.”

Empress Lingshuang interrupted her again, her voice carrying a rare note of stubbornness.

“I want to stay by your side. I want to be with you, watch over you, and protect you.”

Time itself seemed to stop at that moment.

Moonlight flowed between them, and the night was so quiet that they could hear each other’s soft breathing.

Gu Han gazed at the almost pure flame burning in Lingshuang’s eyes and found herself at a loss for words.

Reject her?

But she did not dislike having Lingshuang close. In fact, this direct, awkward devotion moved her deeply.

Accept her?

She was now merely a woman herself, and the road ahead remained shrouded in uncertainty. How could she make such a promise lightly?

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Besides, she and Qingxuan had only just parted…

Empress Lingshuang seemed to notice the hesitation and conflict in Gu Han’s eyes, and her own gaze flickered.

She stepped forward, narrowing the distance between them.

Then she reached out. Her fingertips carried a faint chill as they gently brushed the hand resting at Gu Han’s side.

“I can wait.”

“I’ll wait until you’ve dealt with everything. Until you understand your own heart.”

“No matter how long it takes, I’ll wait.”

With that, she stopped looking at Gu Han, turned, and walked back the way she had come.

Her ice-blue figure soon vanished into the night, leaving only a faint chill in the air.

And those words, “No matter how long it takes, I’ll wait,” echoed endlessly in Gu Han’s heart.

Gu Han stood alone where she was, gazing in the direction Lingshuang had disappeared. For a long while, she did not move.

The cool touch seemed to linger on the back of her hand.

The tangled knot of emotions in her heart seemed… even more tangled now.

Qingxuan’s departure and promise. Lingshuang’s decision to stay and wait.

In entirely different ways, the two Empresses had each left an indelible mark on her heart.

And as for her own heart…

Gu Han raised a hand and pressed her fingertips to her chest.

There, her heart beat steadily, yet something seemed to be quietly taking root and spreading.

She could not say what it was.

Was she moved? Was it attraction? Confusion?

Or… something else?

Perhaps Lingshuang was right. She needed time to understand her own heart.

She also needed time to deal with everything before her.

Seven days from now, at the Abyss at the Edge of the Star Sea.

Before Qingxuan left, it would be the last time they stood side by side.

After that would come a long separation and an equally long wait.

Lingshuang, meanwhile, would remain by her side, accompanying her, protecting her, and waiting in her own way.

“So be it.”

Gu Han finally let out a soft sigh, drew back her gaze, and turned toward the guest hall.

She would cross that bridge when she came to it.

For now, she needed to focus on the matter at hand.