Volume 1, Chapter 80 – Ling’er Takes the Initiative

“Master, this is Tianfeng City.”

Ye Ling’er spoke softly as she gazed at the magnificent city below, her eyes filled with complicated emotions.

This was her second time visiting the city where the main family resided.

The first time she had come here, she had been diagnosed with the Nine Yin Severed Meridians and branded a cripple.

She had thought that this was how the rest of her life would be!

Never had she imagined that she would meet her Master, much less return here in this manner.

Gu Han glanced sideways at Ye Ling’er. Seeing the lingering unease and complexity in her eyes, she immediately understood.

She reached out and gently patted Ye Ling’er on the shoulder.

“Do not dwell on it.”

Gu Han’s voice was calm and carried a strangely soothing power.

“The past is nothing more than drifting smoke.”

“You are now a member of my Yaochi Immortal Palace and a disciple of mine, Gu Han.”

“With your Master here, you may go anywhere beneath the heavens. No one can harm even a hair on your head, and no one will dare make you suffer the slightest grievance.”

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“Mm! A-Yao will protect Fourth Junior Sister too!”

Imitating Gu Han, A-Yao stretched out her small hand and tried her best to pat Ye Ling’er on the shoulder.

Because of their difference in height, however, she could only reach Ye Ling’er’s arm.

Her little face was full of seriousness, and her large eyes blinked brightly.

“Master Mother is the strongest!”

“If those bad people dare bully Fourth Junior Sister, A-Yao… A-Yao will have Master Mother beat them up!”

Looking at her delicate, doll-like Eldest Senior Sister trying to appear fierce, Ye Ling’er could not help bursting into laughter.

The gloom in her heart vanished completely, replaced by an unprecedented sense of warmth and belonging.

Her Master’s powerful protection and her Eldest Senior Sister’s innocent yet sincere concern…

This was her sect. This was her new home.

A powerful impulse suddenly surged through her heart.

She stepped forward and extended both arms, holding Gu Han tightly yet with a trace of caution.

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She gently wrapped her arms around Gu Han’s waist and buried her cheek against the front of her moon-white robes.

“Master…”

Her muffled voice trembled with emotion, but it held even more dependence and complete trust.

“Thank you… Thank you…”

The embrace was light, carrying the youthful shyness and nervousness unique to a young woman.

Gu Han’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

Through the fabric came the soft, fragrant warmth of Ye Ling’er, touched by a faint coolness.

The girl’s body heat, the subtle fragrance in her hair, and her unreserved dependence and closeness…

Gu Han could clearly feel the slender body in her arms trembling slightly, and she could hear Ye Ling’er’s heart beating a little too quickly.

Gu Han did not think much of it. She raised a hand and gently patted Ye Ling’er’s slender back.

“All right. You are already grown, yet you are still acting like a child.”

The moment Ye Ling’er heard her Master’s words, she realized that her behavior might have been inappropriate.

A blush rapidly spread across her cheeks. She hurriedly released Gu Han, stepped back a little, lowered her head, and stammered softly,

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“I… I am sorry, Master. This disciple… this disciple lost her composure.”

Gu Han looked at her ears, which had once again turned bright red, and smiled faintly. She merely thought the girl was simply too adorable.

She shook her head and let the matter go, then raised her eyes toward the majestic city below, her gaze calm.

“It is fine.”

“Since we are here, let us pay a visit to the Ye family of Tianfeng City.”

She took A-Yao’s small hand and said to Ye Ling’er,

“Ling’er, lead the way.”

Ye Ling’er took a deep breath and suppressed the emotions churning within her. She pointed toward the most conspicuous cluster of buildings in the eastern part of the city.

“Master, that is the Ye family’s main estate.”

Gu Han nodded slightly. She did not choose to appear directly inside the Ye family estate.

That would certainly have been direct, but it would have lacked the air of a proper “visit.”

She had come today to settle Ye Ling’er’s karmic ties with the Ye family. More importantly, she intended to make the Ye family understand a few things clearly.

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The three of them slowly descended from the sky. They did not deliberately conceal their auras, but neither did they make an earth-shaking display.

Even so, their sudden appearance above the Ye residence drew the attention of countless cultivators throughout the city.

“Look! There are people in the sky!”

“Heavens! They actually dare hover directly over the Ye family estate?”

“Who are those three? Do they not know that flying above the Ye family is forbidden?”

“The little girl in the middle is so adorable! And that blue-haired woman beside her… Why does she look a little like that Ye family girl who could not cultivate…”

“Was she not a cripple? Why does it feel like she has cultivation now?”

“And that silver-haired woman… She is so beautiful… I like her so much… Her bearing is so unusual, and I cannot see through her at all…”

“Could she… be the Ye family ancestor who has been in seclusion for nearly a thousand years?”

“Shh! Keep your voice down! Do you have a death wish?!”

Countless gazes, both open and concealed, focused upon the three of them.

The guards and patrols around the outer perimeter of the Ye family estate had also long since noticed the disturbance, and warnings were swiftly sent deeper inside.