Volume 1, Chapter 90 – The Sensitive Ye Ling’er

Outside the main gates of the Ye family estate.

The square was still a complete mess. Fragments of formation runes occasionally flickered with scattered light, and faint fluctuations of spiritual power lingered in the air.

Most of the cultivators who had gathered to watch had already dispersed. Only a few of the bolder and more curious ones remained hidden far away in the shadows, peering in this direction.

The gates of the Ye residence were tightly shut. The guards, still shaken by what had happened, stood watch behind them, and no one dared come out to clean up the aftermath.

Ye Ling’er stood at the edge of the square holding A-Yao’s hand. She stared in the direction where her Master had disappeared, obvious worry in her eyes.

Time passed little by little, and the sun climbed higher.

“Fourth Junior Sister…”

A-Yao tugged at Ye Ling’er’s sleeve. Her little face was filled with confusion and impatience as she looked up and asked,

“Why hasn’t Master-Mother come back yet?”

“Did that Big Sister Empress ask her to stay for a meal?”

Ye Ling’er crouched down and smoothed a strand of hair that the wind had blown out of place. Her voice was gentle.

“Eldest Senior Sister, don’t worry. Master and Her Majesty must have important matters to discuss. She should be back soon.”

Although she said that, Ye Ling’er herself felt deeply uneasy.

The earth-shaking pressure from earlier, the appearance of the Azure Dragon Guards, and finally Her Majesty’s personal arrival before taking Master away…

Every scene had far exceeded her understanding.

Although she had absolute confidence in her Master, they were still in the heart of the Eastern Region…

Ye Ling’er bit her lower lip and forced herself not to think about the more complicated possibilities.

She trusted her Master.

“But…”

A-Yao pouted, her small hand tightly clutching the corner of Ye Ling’er’s clothes.

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“A-Yao misses Master-Mother a little… I also miss Second Junior Sister, Third Junior Sister, and everyone at the Immortal Palace…”

“A-Yao wants to go home…”

The child’s innocent words carried the purest longing, striking the same emotion hidden within Ye Ling’er’s heart.

Home…

Yaochi Immortal Palace.

Although she had joined her Master’s sect only a few days ago, her Master had given her a new life and shown her warmth…

That place would be her home from now on.

“Eldest Senior Sister, once Master returns, we’ll go home.”

Ye Ling’er spoke softly, both to comfort A-Yao and to reassure herself.

At that moment, the space not far in front of them suddenly rippled without warning.

It was as though a stone had been dropped into a calm lake. Rings of gentle ripples containing profound Dao Resonance spread outward.

Immediately afterward, a spatial gateway surrounded by faint rosy light silently appeared.

A familiar figure in white slowly emerged from within.

It was Gu Han.

“Master-Mother!”

A-Yao’s eyes lit up. Like a cheerful little butterfly, she opened her arms and threw herself forward.

Gu Han bent down and swept the little girl into her embrace.

A-Yao immediately wrapped her arms around Gu Han’s neck and rubbed her little face against the hollow of her shoulder. Her voice was full of grievance.

“Master-Mother! You’re finally back! A-Yao missed you so much!”

“A-Yao thought that Big Sister Empress wouldn’t let you come back!”

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Hearing A-Yao’s aggrieved complaint, Gu Han’s heart softened. She gently patted the little girl’s back to comfort her.

“Master is back now, isn’t she? Everything is fine.”

Her gaze passed over A-Yao’s small shoulder and landed on Ye Ling’er, who was hurrying toward them.

Ye Ling’er came forward and bowed deeply, her face full of concern.

“Master! Are you all right?”

She carefully examined Gu Han. Seeing that her Master’s aura was steady, her expression normal, and her body bore no signs of a struggle, Ye Ling’er felt somewhat relieved.

Yet for some reason, she still felt that something about her Master seemed… a little different.

She could not say exactly what had changed.

It seemed as though… there was an extremely faint hint of red at the base of her ears, so slight that it was almost impossible to see?

Was it her imagination?

Ye Ling’er blinked. When she looked again, her Master had already returned to her usual cool, calm, and flawless appearance.

“I am fine.”

Gu Han set A-Yao down, took her small hand, and looked at Ye Ling’er.

“I have reached an agreement with Empress Qingxuan.”

“The matter with the Ye family ends here. They will not trouble you again, nor will they implicate the Ye family in Falling Star City.”

Her tone was calm, as though she had merely dealt with some insignificant matter.

The tension in Ye Ling’er’s heart eased, and immense joy surged through her. She hurriedly bowed again.

“Thank you, Master! You went to such trouble for my sake. This disciple…”

“Since you have entered my sect, we are family. There is no need for so much ceremony.”

Gu Han interrupted her, her gaze sweeping over the tightly closed gates of the Ye residence and the distant eyes spying on them.

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“The matter here is settled. It is time for us to return.”

Return…

Anticipation rose in Ye Ling’er’s heart, and she nodded firmly.

“Yes, Master!”

Gu Han said nothing more. She raised a hand and lightly drew it through the empty space before her.

The motion was as casual as ever, yet compared with before, it carried an indescribable smoothness and… a certain lingering afterglow that had quietly settled within it.

“Riiip!”

A spatial rift opened in response. It was more stable than the one they had used to arrive, and the silver runes flowing along its edges were much clearer.

“Let’s go.”

Holding A-Yao’s hand, Gu Han stepped inside first.

Ye Ling’er cast one final glance at the grand yet cold main estate of the Ye family behind her.

She took a deep breath, stepped forward, and entered the spatial passage leading to her “new home.”

After the three figures disappeared, the rift slowly closed.

Only silence remained before the gates of the Ye residence, along with the hidden onlookers who could not recover from their shock for a long time.

Everything that had happened today before the gates of the Ye family in Tianfeng City was destined to become the most shocking and widely discussed topic in the Eastern Region for a long time to come.

The center of the storm, however, had already quietly departed.

…

Inside the spatial passage.

Light and shadow flowed around them. The passage was silent and stable.

A-Yao quickly forgot her earlier worries and began looking around curiously.

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Ye Ling’er quietly followed half a step behind Gu Han, but her gaze involuntarily drifted toward her Master’s back once again.

Her Master’s figure remained upright and aloof, her silver hair gleaming faintly beneath the starlight.

Yet Ye Ling’er could not shake the feeling that the cool aura surrounding her Master, which had always seemed as lofty as heaven and earth and isolated her from everything else…

Had faded slightly?

There seemed to be a little more… indescribable vitality belonging to an ordinary “person.”

Was it an insight gained after confronting an expert of the same level?

Or…

The image of Empress Qingxuan’s breathtaking and graceful face suddenly flashed through Ye Ling’er’s mind, together with her rippling eyes.

She also remembered the probing look the empress had given her Master, as though it contained countless unspoken words.

For some inexplicable reason, Ye Ling’er’s heart tightened slightly.

An indescribable emotion quietly began to grow within her.

“Master…”

Ye Ling’er spoke softly, her voice exceptionally clear within the silent passage.

“Mm?”

Gu Han did not turn around. Her voice drifted back to her.

“That Empress Qingxuan… What… what kind of person is she?”

The moment the question left her mouth, Ye Ling’er regretted it slightly.

It seemed somewhat presumptuous, almost as though she were prying into her Master’s private affairs.

Gu Han’s body paused so faintly that it was nearly imperceptible.