"We have arrived at the main hall."
Fu Shan's voice interrupted her thoughts.
Luoshui looked up and saw a towering, magnificent main hall flowing with faint moonlight standing quietly ahead.
Above the hall gate, the four characters "Jade Pool Immortal Palace" possessed a natural dao rhyme; these four characters alone seemed to contain supreme majesty.
The hall doors opened silently.
Fu Shan turned to the side and gestured:
"The Palace Mistress is inside the hall, please."
Luoshui steadied herself, suppressed all the churning thoughts in her heart, adjusted her appearance, and stepped into the main hall.
The interior of the hall was vast and tranquil, with a high dome where a Formation had evolved into a deep starry sky, with stars twinkling and casting down soft, clear radiance.
The floor was made of warm, moist spirit jade, bright enough to reflect a person.
And at the end of the hall, upon that cloud bed—
A woman with hair Like Snow, dressed in moon-white palace attire, and of peerless elegance, was sitting quietly.
In her arms snuggled a little girl carved from pink jade, wearing her hair in double buns, who was blinking her large eyes and looking over curiously.
Luoshui's gaze finally locked firmly onto that silver-haired figure on the cloud bed.
Their eyes met.
A supreme majesty, vast as a sea of stars and seemingly transcending all things, spread silently.
Luoshui's heart shook violently, and she couldn't help but feel an urge to bow and pay respects!
She quickly steadied her mind, stepped forward three paces, and toward the cloud bed, gave a solemn and deep bow:
"Luoshui, the first disciple under Empress Qing Xuan of the Eastern Region's Qingxuan Dynasty, has come under Master's orders to pay respects to the Palace Mistress of the Jade Pool Immortal Palace."
Her voice was clear and melodious, her posture exceptionally respectful, performing the etiquette of a Junior paying respects to a Senior.
On the cloud bed, Gu Han calmly sized up the blue-clad woman below.
ninth level of undergoing tribulation, solid Foundation, her aura carrying a hint of water's suppleness; she had clearly cultivated a very profound water-element Cultivation Technique.
Her temperament and appearance were both top-tier, her eyes clear and determined, and her Heart-Nature seemed good as well.
That woman Qing Xuan had actually taken in a good disciple.
"No need for such formalities."
Gu Han spoke, her voice clear and calm, yet carrying a natural majesty,
"What did Qing Xuan send you here for?"
Luoshui straightened up, hesitated for a moment, and said slowly:
"Replying to Palace Master Gu, my Master specifically ordered Luoshui to come and deliver a gift."
As Luoshui's words fell, a jade box slid out from her sleeve, and she respectfully held it before her with both hands.
The jade box was entirely a warm, milky white, with complex and exquisite black bird patterns carved on its body.
Gu Han's gaze landed on the jade box, a trace of faint curiosity flashing in her eyes.
That woman Qing Xuan... what could she be sending?
With a slight movement of her mind, the jade box floated up from Luoshui's hands, slowly flying to the front of the cloud bed, where it hovered motionlessly.
Gu Han paused her fingertip slightly, injecting a wisp of spiritual power.
"Click."
With a soft sound, the jade box opened in response.
The inside of the box was lined with soft cloud brocade, and upon the brocade lay two items quietly.
On the left was a bracelet that was pale cyan throughout, its material seeming neither jade nor bone.
The bracelet's design was ancient and simple, without too many carvings!
Only on the bracelet's body were there a few naturally formed dark patterns like flowing water waves, emitting a warm luster and a faint dao rhyme.
On the right was a special Jade Slip about three inches long and two fingers wide, entirely glistening white, with faint golden light flowing along its edges.
Carved on the Jade Slip was also a black bird, only the bird's posture was more vivid, as if it could spread its wings and fly out at any moment.
The moment these two items appeared—
Luoshui, standing below, felt her eyes, which were always as calm as water, involuntarily shrink slightly, a trace of disbelief flashing deep within her pupils!
This... this is?!
That pair of bracelets!
She recognized it!
Her Master wore it on her left wrist all year round, almost never taking it off!
It was a pair of Magical Artifacts her Master had brought back when she traveled the Xuanhuang Continent in her early years, named "Profound Heart Bracelet".
According to her Master, the material of these bracelets was special, and there existed a strange resonance and connection between them.
They were true "single-hearted" items, their preciousness far exceeding ordinary Heaven Rank Magic Treasures!
Her Master treasured them exceptionally; for tens of thousands of years, she had never seen her take them off, let alone show them to others!
Now... her Master was actually going to give one of them to this Yaochi Empress?!
And that Jade Slip...
That was not an ordinary sound-transmission Jade Slip, but a "single-hearted slip" refined by her Master using her own Dao laws.
Her Master... what exactly was she trying to do?
In Luoshui's heart, countless thoughts and guesses surged instantly.
Could it be that there was something she didn't know about between her Master and this Yaochi Empress?
To the extent that her Master not only gifted her personal item that she never left her side, but also used a "single-hearted slip" to transmit messages?
Various "gossip" speculations about the relationship between the two Immortal Ascension Realm powerhouses flashed uncontrollably through Luoshui's mind.
Causing a rare, extremely subtle, almost "dazed" expression to appear on her beautiful face.
Gu Han did not notice Luoshui's momentary lapse in composure.
Her gaze was completely attracted by the two items in the box at this moment.
She first picked up the pale cyan bracelet.
It felt cool and gentle in her hand, the texture delicate, as if it had a life of its own.
What surprised her even more was when her fingertips inadvertently brushed over the bracelet with spiritual power.
From within the bracelet, a trace of aura fluctuation belonging to Empress Qing Xuan came, along with a faint sense of attraction.
"This is..."
Gu Han raised her eyebrows slightly.
Although she did not know the specific origin and efficacy of this bracelet, with her discernment, she could naturally see that it was extraordinary.
The Dao laws and material contained within it were vastly different from ordinary Magic Treasures in this realm, and its grade was likely at least Medium Grade Heaven Rank.
And... why did this bracelet look so much like the one Qing Xuan wore on her hand?
Could it be that Qing Xuan wanted to give her bracelet to her?
Wasn't this gift a bit too "intimate"?
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