Volume 1, Chapter 78 – Storybook Tales

Inside the spatial passage, a dazzling stream of multicolored light raced backward.

Ye Ling’er followed closely behind Gu Han, her heart filled with both excitement and unease.

She could not resist stealing a glance at the silver-haired figure ahead of her.

Immortal Ascension…

Her Master was actually a legendary Immortal Ascension powerhouse!

In the Eastern Region, the name of Empress Qingxuan resounded like thunder from the Nine Heavens, striking awe into billions of living beings.

Yet her own Master was an existence capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with her!

“Master…”

Ye Ling’er called softly. Her voice sounded especially clear within the silent passage.

“Mm?”

Gu Han did not turn around, but her voice was gentle.

“This disciple… is a little worried.”

Ye Ling’er bit her lower lip.

“About Empress Qingxuan…”

Gu Han chuckled softly upon hearing this.

“Ling’er, remember this: you are mine, Gu Han’s!”

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“Sometimes, the principles of this world are very simple. The strong are supreme, and strength itself is the rule.”

“If I had been weaker today, Ye Zhenyue could have forcibly taken you away, and the Ye family would not have felt the slightest remorse.”

“But because your master is stronger than they are, I was able to protect you.”

She paused, and a deeper meaning entered her voice.

“As for Empress Qingxuan, if she is reasonable, she will naturally restrain those beneath her.”

“If she is not… then we will simply fight!”

A warm current instantly surged through Ye Ling’er’s heart, making her eyes sting with tears.

Throughout her entire life, aside from her parents, no one had ever protected her with such unwavering determination.

You are mine?

Her Master’s words carried unquestionable authority beneath their calmness, yet they also declared her resolve to protect Ye Ling’er with unmistakable clarity.

For some inexplicable reason, Ye Ling’er’s heart began to beat a little faster.

She had been unable to cultivate all these years. During her idle moments, she had secretly read a few storybooks from the mortal world.

In those tales, the heroine would always meet a powerful yet gentle hero who saved her and protected her…

And as for herself…

Ye Ling’er’s gaze shifted from Gu Han’s back to the hand holding A-Yao’s.

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That hand had just wiped away her tears. Then, with effortless ease, it had erased those who wanted to take her away.

Now Gu Han was even bringing her along to personally confront the Ye family…

Powerful, gentle, fiercely protective… and so beautiful.

Although her Master was a woman, Ye Ling’er had heard many stories in the cultivation world about beautiful female cultivators becoming Dao companions.

The instant that thought appeared, Ye Ling’er startled herself.

Her face flushed bright red, like a red plum blossoming amid the snow.

She hurriedly lowered her head. Her long, icy blue hair fell around her face as she tried to conceal her burning cheeks and ears.

Her heart pounded wildly, as though a young deer were crashing about inside her chest.

“W-what am I thinking about?!”

Ye Ling’er scolded herself inwardly.

“That is my Master! The Master who gave me a new life!”

Yet another tiny voice whispered from the depths of her heart.

“But… Master really is wonderful… She is powerful and gentle, and she is so beautiful…”

The two thoughts battled inside her mind, throwing her heart into chaos and even disrupting her breathing.

Gu Han, walking ahead, seemed to notice something and turned her head slightly.

“Ling’er?”

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Her gentle voice pulled Ye Ling’er from her thoughts.

Like a child caught red-handed after doing something wrong, Ye Ling’er abruptly lowered her head. Even her speech became somewhat stammered.

“M-Master! This disciple… This disciple is fine!”

Gu Han looked at her bright red ears, and a trace of puzzlement flashed through her eyes.

However, she did not investigate further, merely assuming that Ye Ling’er was overly nervous.

“Tell me if you are tired. Tianfeng City is still a short distance away.”

“N-no… I’m not tired! This disciple is not tired!”

Ye Ling’er hurriedly shook her head.

A-Yao also turned around and blinked her large eyes, curiously looking at her Fourth Junior Sister, who had suddenly lowered her head.

She thought Ye Ling’er’s ears looked rather red, like the spirit fruits she loved to eat.

“Fourth Junior Sister, your ears are so red. Are you sick?”

A-Yao asked innocently.

“N-no!”

Ye Ling’er’s ears became even redder. She was so embarrassed that she wished she could crawl into a crack in the ground.

“Maybe… maybe it is a little stuffy inside the passage.”

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“Oh, so that is why!”

A-Yao nodded despite not fully understanding, then turned around again and buried her head against Gu Han.

Gu Han looked at A-Yao, then at Ye Ling’er, who was still hanging her head, and shook her head without asking anything further.

Silence returned to the passage, broken only by the faint hum of shifting space.

Ye Ling’er secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but her heart could no longer settle down.

She cautiously raised her eyes and once again looked at her Master’s tall, aloof figure.

The peerless bearing she had displayed with that palm strike, the gentleness with which she had softly comforted Ye Ling’er, the domineering confidence of her words, “Then we will simply fight”…

And that declaration: You are mine, Gu Han’s…

Every little detail fell like a pebble into the lake of her heart, stirring ripples that refused to fade.

She pinched her own palm hard, trying to clear her head.

“Ye Ling’er, what are you thinking?!”

“She is your Master, a legendary Immortal Ascension powerhouse who can live for a hundred thousand years, an existence you can only look up to!”

“Being accepted into Master’s tutelage is already an immeasurable blessing. How could you harbor such… such irreverent thoughts on top of that?!”

She sternly admonished herself, trying to suppress those inappropriate ideas.

But once certain seeds have fallen, no matter how deeply they are buried, there will always come a day when they break through the soil.