Outside the main gate of the Ye Residence.
The square was still a mess; broken Formation runes occasionally flickered with sporadic light, and a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy lingered in the air.
Most of the onlookers had already dispersed, with only a few brave and curious ones still hiding in the shadows far away, peeking toward the scene.
The gates of the Ye Residence were tightly shut, and the guards stood behind them, still shaken, none daring to come out and clean up the aftermath.
Ye Linger held A Yao's hand, standing at the edge of the square, looking in the direction where her Master had disappeared, her eyes filled with obvious worry.
Time passed bit by bit, and the sun rose higher.
"Fourth Junior Sister..."
A Yao tugged on Ye Linger's sleeve, her small face full of confusion and urgency, as she looked up and asked:
"Master Mommy, why isn't she back yet?"
"Did that Empress sister keep her for dinner?"
Ye Linger crouched down and tidied a stray lock of hair that had been blown messy by the wind for A Yao, her voice gentle.
"Don't worry, Eldest Senior Sister. Master and the Empress Senior must have important matters to discuss; she should be back soon."
Though she said this, her own heart was also somewhat uneasy.
The earth-shaking pressure from earlier, the appearance of the Azure Dragon Guard, and finally Her Majesty the Empress personally descending and taking Master away... every scene far exceeded her understanding.
Although she had absolute confidence in her Master, they were, after all, in the heart of the Eastern Region... Ye Linger bit her lower lip, forcing herself not to think about those overly complex possibilities.
She believed in her Master.
"But..."
A Yao pouted her small mouth, her little hand tightly clutching the corner of Ye Linger's clothes.
"A Yao misses Master Mommy a little... and Second Junior Sister, Third Junior Sister, and everyone in the Immortal Palace..."
"A Yao wants to go home..."
The child's innocent words, carrying the most direct longing, poked at the same hidden emotions in Ye Linger's heart.
Go home... to the Yaochi Immortal Palace.
Although she had only joined the sect a few days ago, Master had given her a new life and warmth... that place would be her future home.
"Eldest Senior Sister, when Master returns, we will go home."
Ye Linger said softly, both to comfort A Yao and to tell herself.
Just then—
The space not far in front of them suddenly rippled without warning.
Like a stone thrown into a calm water surface, circles of soft yet profound ripples of Dao charm spread out.
Immediately after, a spatial portal surrounded by a faint rosy glow quietly manifested.
From within the portal, a familiar white figure stepped out slowly.
It was Gu Han.
"Master Mommy!"
A Yao's eyes lit up, and like a happy little butterfly, she spread her arms and pounced over.
Gu Han leaned down and scooped the little one into her arms.
A Yao immediately hugged her neck, rubbing her small face against the crook of her neck, her voice tinged with grievance.
"Master Mommy! You're finally back! A Yao missed you so much!"
"A Yao thought that Empress sister wasn't going to let you come back!"
Listening to A Yao's aggrieved little complaint, Gu Han's heart softened slightly, and she gently patted her back to soothe her.
"Isn't Master back now? It's all right."
Her gaze passed over A Yao's small shoulders and fell on Ye Linger, who was walking over quickly.
Ye Linger approached and bowed deeply, her voice full of concern:
"Master! Are you alright?"
She carefully observed Gu Han, and seeing that her Master's aura was stable, her expression normal, and there were no signs of struggle on her, her heart settled slightly.
But for some reason, she felt that Master seemed... a bit different somewhere?
Exactly where she was different, she couldn't say.
It seemed like... there was a very faint, almost imperceptible touch of red at the base of her ear?
Was it an illusion?
Ye Linger blinked, and when she looked again, Master had already returned to her cold, calm, and impeccable appearance.
"I am fine."
Gu Han set A Yao down, took her small hand, and looked at Ye Linger.
"Things have been settled with Empress Qing Xuan."
"The matter of the Ye family ends here. They will not trouble you further, nor will they involve the Ye family of Luoxing City."
Her tone was flat, as if she had merely resolved a trivial matter.
Ye Linger's heart relaxed, and a surge of great joy rose within her as she hurriedly bowed again.
"Thank you, Master! For going to such trouble for your Disciple's sake, I..."
"Since you have entered my sect, we are family. There is no need for such formality."
Gu Han interrupted her, her gaze sweeping over the closed gates of the Ye Residence and the prying eyes in the distance.
"The matter here is concluded; it is time for us to return."
Return... expectation rose in Ye Linger's heart, and she nodded vigorously.
"Yes, Master!"
Gu Han said no more, raising her hand to the Void Realm in front of her and giving it a gentle swipe.
The movement was as casual as before, yet it possessed an indescribable fluidity and... a certain settled resonance.
"Rip—"
A spatial rift, even more stable than when they arrived, with silver runes flowing more clearly at its edges, opened in response.
"Let us go."
Gu Han led A Yao and stepped in first.
Ye Linger took one last look at the grand but cold main residence of the Ye family behind her.
She took a deep breath, stepped forward, and entered the spatial passage leading to her 'new home'.
The rift slowly closed after the three figures vanished.
Silence returned to the front of the Ye Residence, leaving behind those prying gazes that couldn't snap back to reality for a long time.
Everything that happened today in front of the Ye family of Tianfeng City was destined to become the most shocking and talked-about topic in the Eastern Region for a long time to come.
And the center of the storm had already quietly departed... inside the spatial passage.
Light and shadows flowed, quiet and stable.
A Yao quickly forgot her previous worries, looking around curiously.
Ye Linger followed half a step behind Gu Han quietly, but her gaze involuntarily drifted toward her Master's back again.
Master's back was still straight and cold, her silver hair flowing with a faint luster under the starlight.
But Ye Linger felt that the cold aura around Master, which had always seemed as high as the heavens and isolated from everything... seemed to have faded slightly?
It had gained a bit of... an indescribable, 'human' vitality?
Was it an insight gained after clashing with an expert of the same level?
Or... the face of Empress Qing Xuan, beautiful, elegant, and with eyes full of shifting emotions, suddenly flashed through Ye Linger's mind.
And that searching look the other had when looking at Master, as if hiding a thousand words.
Her heart tightened slightly for some reason.
An unexplainable emotion quietly sprouted.
"Master..."
Ye Linger spoke softly, her voice exceptionally clear in the quiet passage.
"Hmm?"
Gu Han did not turn around, her voice drifting back.
"That Azure Profound Empress... what, what kind of person is she?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Ye Linger regretted it a little.
This question seemed a bit overstepping, as if she were prying into Master's private affairs.
Gu Han's body gave an almost imperceptible pause.
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