Volume 1, Chapter 38 – The Disciple Who Loves to Overthink

Liu Ruyan’s heartbeat involuntarily quickened. She steadied herself and stepped forward.

“Master, did you ask this disciple to remain because you have further instructions?”

Gu Han’s gaze settled on Liu Ruyan, carrying a trace of scrutiny that was difficult to detect.

This second disciple was thoughtful and meticulous, handled matters reliably, and had begun to display the extraordinary qualities of the Samsara Dao Body. At present, she was one of Gu Han’s most trusted aides.

Recently, however, Liu Ruyan seemed somewhat distracted. She had even lost focus in the great hall just now, which was rare for her.

“The Internal Affairs Hall involves countless complicated matters. Since you have only just taken over, it is inevitable that you will find the work demanding.”

Gu Han’s voice remained cool and calm, revealing little emotion.

“As the Immortal Palace gains more members, there will be daily expenses, resource allocation, arrangements for disciples’ residences…”

“Many of these matters may appear trivial, but they concern the stability of the Immortal Palace’s foundation.”

“Disciple understands.”

Liu Ruyan hurriedly answered while rapidly considering her next steps.

“Disciple intends to begin by taking inventory of our current supplies and planning our daily expenditures, ensuring that everyone has sufficient cultivation resources.”

“As for the disciples’ residences, many rooms are still vacant at present. However, as Master said, Elders Mo Lin and Fushan may bring talented young demons into the sect in the future, so we will need to plan ahead…”

She delivered her report in a clear and orderly manner, doing her best to make her voice sound calm and dependable.

However, when she raised her head slightly and her gaze inadvertently swept across Master’s exquisitely beautiful face, another scene suddenly flashed through her mind beyond her control.

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Inside that dark cave, her consciousness had been clouded. Driven into a desperate situation by that heretical cultivator, she had nearly taken her own life…

Then Master had descended like the Mysterious Maiden of the Nine Heavens.

Although some time had passed, the memory was still far too vivid!

“Ahem…”

Liu Ruyan’s report came to an abrupt halt. She quickly lowered her head and stared fixedly at the tips of her feet, which were pressed together, as though a flower had suddenly bloomed there.

It’s over! It’s over!

Could Master think that I’m… no longer pure?

Could she want to expel me from the sect?

But that heretical cultivator never succeeded!

All sorts of chaotic thoughts left her mind in complete turmoil. The calm plans she had formed earlier were instantly thrown beyond the Ninth Heaven.

Gu Han had been listening to Liu Ruyan’s report and felt slightly satisfied by her clear reasoning and appropriate arrangements.

Yet halfway through the report, Liu Ruyan suddenly faltered…

Then she lowered her head until it was almost buried against her chest, leaving Gu Han somewhat bewildered.

What was wrong with her?

Had she not been perfectly fine just moments ago?

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Gu Han frowned slightly and instinctively swept her divine sense over Liu Ruyan.

Hmm…

Her aura was slightly disordered, her heart was beating too quickly, her blood was circulating faster, and her soul was fluctuating violently…

These were clearly signs of extreme emotional tension.

But there had been nothing unusual about what Gu Han had just said.

Could Liu Ruyan be feeling too much pressure? That did not seem right.

Liu Ruyan had a resilient temperament. She should not react like this.

Then was she… physically unwell?

That was even less likely. She had only recently broken through, and her aura was stable.

Gu Han’s gaze involuntarily lingered for a moment on Liu Ruyan’s pale face and rapidly rising and falling chest.

In a flash, a thought crossed her mind.

Could this girl be thinking about… what happened in the cave?

Gu Han herself did not care, but Liu Ruyan was thin-skinned. It was only natural that she would feel embarrassed when remembering it.

At that thought, Gu Han found the situation both amusing and somewhat helpless.

Judging from Liu Ruyan’s panicked appearance, she clearly did not see it that way.

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After thinking for a moment, Gu Han decided it would be better to address the matter openly.

Liu Ruyan was her disciple, after all. If this incident became a lingering barrier in her heart and affected her state of mind or cultivation, that would only cause unnecessary harm.

“Ruyan.”

Gu Han softened her voice. It carried less of the Palace Master’s authority and more of a Master’s gentleness.

Liu Ruyan’s delicate body trembled, and she lowered her head even further. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.

“D-Disciple is here…”

“Raise your head,” Gu Han said.

Liu Ruyan’s body stiffened again. After struggling for a long moment, she finally raised her head very slowly and with great difficulty.

Her gaze flickered constantly. She did not dare meet Gu Han’s eyes and could only let it rest vaguely somewhere below Gu Han’s shoulders.

The rims of her beautiful eyes were slightly red, and she looked as though she might burst into tears at any moment.

Seeing her like this, Gu Han felt even more helpless.

She tried to make her tone sound casual and accepting.

“Are you… still thinking about what happened in the cave that day?”

Boom!

Liu Ruyan felt as though ten thousand bolts of heavenly lightning had exploded inside her mind at once!

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Master… Master really did remember!

“M-Master! Disciple… That day, disciple…”

Liu Ruyan was so anxious that her words became incoherent, and her voice carried a sobbing tone.

“Disciple…”

As she spoke, she tried to kneel again.

Gu Han raised a hand. A gentle but firm force supported Liu Ruyan and prevented her from kneeling.

“That was not your fault. Let the matter end here. There is no need to mention it again, much less keep dwelling on it.”

She paused. Seeing that Liu Ruyan’s face was still pale, she added,

“As cultivators, we should keep our thoughts unobstructed and not become trapped by minor matters.”

“If you cannot resolve the knot in your heart because of this, it will instead affect your Dao heart and hinder your cultivation. Ruyan, do you understand?”

Liu Ruyan listened in a daze. Master’s words were clear and powerful, each sentence striking the turbulent lake of her heart.

That was right. Before someone as powerful as Master, whose cultivation reached the heavens, what happened that day probably truly meant nothing.

By acting so awkward and embarrassed, Liu Ruyan was only making herself appear petty and inviting ridicule.

Once she understood this, the panic in Liu Ruyan’s eyes gradually gave way to relief and realization.