Volume 1, Chapter 31 – The Clown Moment

Gu Han’s words exploded through the private room like thunder from the Nine Heavens!

Gu Luoli froze where she stood, her mind going completely blank.

Her double pupils contracted violently, reflecting the figure before her.

A moon-white dress, hair as silver as snow, and peerless elegance.

The figure slowly overlapped with the fleeting glimpse she had caught yesterday, the woman who had calmed the sea of flowers!

They were exactly the same!

No…

When viewing her from afar yesterday, Gu Luoli had only sensed boundless majesty, as though she were a deity above the clouds.

Now that she stood so close, she could feel even more clearly the presence hidden beneath that calm exterior, vast as a sea of stars!

The gentle and refined “Young Master Gu Bai” who had just helped her…

was actually Gu Han, the master of Yaochi Immortal Palace?!

The person she had searched for so desperately, whom she regarded as her only chance of survival, and whose sect she had not even dared dream of entering…

had just been sitting across from her, pouring tea for her and listening as she recounted everything she had endured.

And now… she was even asking whether Gu Luoli was willing to enter the Immortal Palace?!

An overwhelming sense of absurdity and unreality crashed over Gu Luoli like a towering wave, swallowing her in an instant.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

It felt as though an invisible hand had closed tightly around her throat, making even breathing difficult.

Her body trembled slightly, not from fear, but because the sheer shock and impact left her almost unable to remain standing.

“Y-You…”

Gu Luoli’s voice came out broken and hoarse with disbelief.

She recalled the five men who had died so strangely on the mountain path, and the way their lives had been erased without warning or trace.

Of course…

Who else but the existence before her could have done it?

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She remembered everything she had confessed to “Gu Bai,” her humble pleas, and even her offer to pay “any price”…

An indescribable sense of embarrassment surged through her, making her cheeks grow warm.

She had been like a clown desperately performing onstage.

Inside the ring, Yun Miaoyi’s remnant soul had fallen into a deathly silence.

There were no fluctuations and no voice transmission. It was as though she had completely dissipated.

Yet Gu Han could clearly “sense” the violent turmoil the remnant soul inside the ring was experiencing!

Shock? Horror? Absurdity? Lingering fear?

And even a trace of trembling from having been completely seen through, with nowhere left to hide?

Before her death, Yun Miaoyi had been a Mahayana cultivator and an eighth-grade alchemist. She considered herself exceptionally knowledgeable and experienced.

Even as a mere remnant soul, her perception and judgment still far surpassed those of ordinary Mahayana cultivators.

Yet just now, she had failed to notice anything unusual at all!

From his aura to the fluctuations of his spiritual power, that “Gu Bai” had been a young man in every possible way!

There had been no flaw whatsoever. The disguise had been perfectly natural!

She had even been secretly assessing his strength and intentions while considering how she might make use of him.

But in the end…

he had been the very person they were looking for!

Her petty thoughts and little schemes had probably been as clear to Gu Han as lines on the palm of her hand, laughable beyond measure!

A chill instantly swept through Yun Miaoyi.

She had now personally experienced just how inconceivably high this existence’s cultivation truly was!

It was not merely a difference in power, but an overwhelming suppression in every respect: their level of existence, their understanding of the laws, and their control over the very essence of “being”!

Those thoughts she had entertained and those intentions she had hidden just moments ago…

Gu Han took in both of their reactions, her expression remaining calm.

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“Gu Luoli, I have seen your tenacity and resolve.”

Gu Han’s voice rang out once more, breaking the suffocating silence.

“Despite your Dao injury and your double pupils being obscured, you still dared to seek life in the face of death and pursue the faintest hope. Your disposition is acceptable.”

“As for the one inside your ring…”

Gu Han’s gaze seemed to pass through Gu Luoli’s finger and fall upon the ancient ring.

Yun Miaoyi’s remnant soul trembled violently, as though an invisible gaze had locked directly onto her.

“An eighth-grade alchemist with an incomplete soul body and lingering obsessions. There is nothing wrong with wishing to live another life.”

There was neither joy nor anger in Gu Han’s tone. She was simply stating the facts.

“You secretly guided her to seek me out. You wished to fight for a chance of survival for her, but you were also seeking a path forward for yourself.”

“Am I correct?”

An almost imperceptible halo flashed across the ring.

Yun Miaoyi’s remnant soul could no longer remain silent.

A slightly illusory female figure, through whom traces of her former elegance could still be seen, slowly emerged from the ring and appeared beside Gu Luoli.

She bowed deeply to Gu Han, her posture incomparably respectful and even carrying a trace of fear.

“This junior is Yun Miaoyi, a mere remnant soul clinging to existence. I did indeed harbor selfish motives and intend to make use of Luoli!”

Her voice was ethereal and pleasant, but it trembled noticeably.

“Luoli is pure-hearted and extraordinarily talented, but fate has treated her cruelly. This junior could not bear to see such a precious pearl covered in dust and allowed to sink into ruin.”

“After learning of Senior’s immortal presence, I began to harbor an extravagant hope. If Luoli could enter Senior’s sect, not only could she obtain a new life, but this junior…”

“This junior is also willing to offer everything I learned about the Dao of alchemy throughout my life and serve at the Immortal Palace’s command, in repayment for the grace of granting us a new beginning!”

Yun Miaoyi spoke with complete sincerity, practically laying all her cards and intentions bare.

Before an existence like this, any concealment or scheming would appear both laughable and dangerous.

Honesty might be their only way forward.

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Gu Luoli looked at Yun Miaoyi’s remnant soul beside her and listened to her words, complicated emotions flashing through her eyes.

There was gratitude, understanding, and a faint realization that everything had been “arranged” for her.

In the end, however, all of it transformed into even deeper reverence for the Palace Master before her.

Gu Han listened quietly, her gaze moving between Gu Luoli and Yun Miaoyi for a moment.

“Yun Miaoyi, you are at least forthright.”

She nodded slightly, seemingly acknowledging Yun Miaoyi’s honesty.

“The experience and knowledge of an eighth-grade alchemist will indeed be useful to a newly established Immortal Palace.”

Then she looked at Gu Luoli once more, her voice cool and majestic.

“Gu Luoli.”

“I will ask you one more time.”

“Are you willing to enter my Yaochi Immortal Palace?”

Gu Luoli’s delicate body trembled, and she abruptly awakened from her overwhelming shock and confusion.

She looked at the peerlessly beautiful and unfathomable Palace Master before her.

She recalled the fleeting glimpse from that day, the strange extinguishing of life on the mountain path, and the gentle way Gu Han had listened to her in the teahouse…

At that moment, all the coincidences connected into a single clear line!

This had not been an accident. This was a bond of fate that the Palace Master had arranged long ago!

Gu Han had noticed her from the very beginning and had been testing her character all along!

She had been watching to see whether Gu Luoli could preserve her true heart and perseverance even in the depths of despair!

Overwhelming excitement, relief, and the honor of having been “chosen” instantly swept away all hesitation.

Without the slightest hesitation, Gu Luoli dropped to both knees and kowtowed deeply to Gu Han.

Her forehead touched the cold floor. Her voice was choked with emotion, yet every word was clear and resolute.

“I, Gu Luoli, am willing to enter Yaochi Immortal Palace!”

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“I will never regret it for the rest of my life! Senior, please… take me in!”

By the time the last word fell, she was already sobbing uncontrollably.

They were tears of wild joy after finding hope in a desperate situation, and of relief after someone who had drifted without support had finally found a home.

Yun Miaoyi’s remnant soul also bowed gracefully at the same time.

“I, Yun Miaoyi, am willing to join Yaochi Immortal Palace, offer everything I have learned throughout my life, and serve the Immortal Palace. I will obey any command, even at the cost of my life!”

Gu Han looked at the young woman and the remnant soul kneeling before her. At last, a trace of genuine warmth appeared in her eyes.

She extended a hand and made a slight lifting gesture.

A gentle yet irresistible force raised Gu Luoli to her feet.

“From this day forward, Yaochi Immortal Palace will be your home.”

Gu Han’s voice was calm, yet it carried a power that soothed the heart.

“From now on, you will be my third disciple.”

“As for Yun Miaoyi…”

Gu Han turned her gaze toward the illusory soul body.

“You may continue residing in Luoli’s ring for now. Once we return to the Immortal Palace, I will find a way to reconstruct a physical body for you.”

“In the future, the Immortal Palace’s Alchemy Pavilion will require your full devotion.”

“Yes! Thank you, Master!”

“Yes! Thank you, Palace Master!”

Gu Luoli and Yun Miaoyi answered at the same time, their voices filled with excitement and gratitude.

Gu Luoli wiped away her tears. Within her double pupils, the radiance that had been dim for so long seemed to have been infused with new vitality, and faint light began to flow through them.

“Come. Return to the Immortal Palace with me.”

Gu Han lightly swept her sleeve, and the three figures vanished in an instant, leaving behind only the lingering fragrance of tea and empty seats.