390: Chapter 390 Recognize me as her father?

Just past noon, the scorching sun poured down over Starfall Cold Jade Peak, dyeing the swirling mist into a flowing gold. Shi Qingxuan and Ling Hao walked side by side through the air, cutting through the vast sky as they headed toward Canglan Peak.

She maintained a perfectly appropriate distance. Under the bright sunlight, her black and white crossover-collar wide-sleeved robe outlined the smooth lines of her shoulders and neck, while her waist was cinched just right, faintly revealing her slender silhouette. Her ink-grey pleated skirt fluttered gently with her mid-air steps, and when it occasionally clung to her, it revealed the long, slender contours of her legs.

The breeze was slightly warm, blowing the strands of hair hanging behind Shi Qingxuan's bun. The plain, unadorned black jade hairpin at the base of her bun reflected a restrained luster in the sunlight.

The sunlight clearly illuminated the inch-long silver sword scar at the corner of her left eye.

Ling Hao's gaze lingered on that mark for a moment.

Shi Qingxuan noticed his gaze but did not shy away; she simply continued forward with a calm expression.

"Sect Leader Shi, that scar at the corner of your eye," Ling Hao began, his tone gentle, "seems to have been there for quite some years?"

Shi Qingxuan was slightly taken aback, then nodded. "It happened four thousand three hundred years ago."

"Oh?" Ling Hao became interested. "Logically speaking, given your Realm, removing this scar shouldn't be a problem. Why…"

Shi Qingxuan turned her head. "Is the Supreme very curious?"

Ling Hao nodded and then shook his head. "If Sect Leader Shi is willing to tell me."

"Five hundred and thirty-seven years old," Shi Qingxuan said softly. "Back then, I was young and headstrong, having just entered the Soul Transformation Stage. Feeling my talent was extraordinary, I went out alone to train and encountered a Cultivator from the Niding Alliance who was also in the Soul Transformation Stage."

She paused, looking into the distance as if recalling the memory. "In less than three breaths, my protective spiritual light was shattered by a streak of Sword Qi. That sword strike nearly sliced off half of my face."

Ling Hao listened without interrupting.

"Later, it was the protective jade talisman left to me by my mother that teleported me back to the Holy Land, saving my life."

Shi Qingxuan's tone was flat, as if she were telling someone else's story. "Because of the erosion qi, the wound on my face took a long time to heal. From then on, I knew that no matter how high one's talent, one must still revere heaven and earth; no matter how strong one's cultivation, one must still remain cautious."

She turned to look at Ling Hao, the sunlight dancing in her calm eyes. "Does the Supreme think… this scar is ugly?"

Ling Hao examined her carefully. That face could not truly be called a great beauty; her features were proper, but only of average appearance. Yet, that mountain-like calm temperament, that composure and dignity, gave this face an indescribable charm.

The silver sword scar across the corner of her eye was not ugly at all; rather, it was like a mark of time, recording how a young girl had grown into the upright, taciturn Sect Master whom no one dared to defy today.

"Beauty and ugliness, how can they reside in mere appearance?" Ling Hao smiled slightly. "Sect Leader Shi, this scar is a witness to a brush with death, an imprint of four thousand three hundred years of Heart-Nature refinement. With such a temperament, who would dare judge it by beauty or ugliness?"

"However… if Sect Leader Shi ever wishes to change her look, you might consider a little embellishment. For instance, using an eyebrow pencil to trace a fine line along the scar, or applying a jade adornment, would both conceal the mark and add a touch of charm. The scar is not a flaw, but rather a unique identifier."

Shi Qingxuan listened quietly. Under the sunlight, a strange gleam lit up her calm eyes.

She nodded gently. "The Supreme's words… Qingxuan will remember them."

Ling Hao also smiled. "But with Sect Leader Shi's temperament, even with a bare face, your dignity would not be diminished in the slightest. That scar is a part of you, and it is the proof of why you are you."

"The Supreme overpraises me. It is good to keep this scar. It serves as a reminder to myself."

This was what Shi Qingxuan had thought before; as for now…

Shi Qingxuan's gaze rested on Ling Hao's face for a moment before shifting away. She raised her hand to brush over the scar, looking toward the increasingly clear Canglan Peak in the distance.

Remove the sword scar, or perhaps, as he suggested, embellish it?

After a moment of silence, Shi Qingxuan looked at the clear outlines of the palaces on Canglan Peak ahead. She remembered her mother's attention toward him on Cold Jade Peak earlier, and the awkwardness of the accidentally consumed "milk tea"...

She suddenly spoke, "Does the Supreme think… my mother is beautiful?"

"Hm?" Ling Hao stopped abruptly, turning his head to look at her in astonishment.

Wait? This development isn't right, is it? We were just talking about your scar; shouldn't you be asking me indirectly what I think of you? How did we jump straight to evaluating her mother? Could it be… she wants to play matchmaker? Recognize me, this Mahayana Supreme, as her father?! Ahem, actually, that wouldn't be impossible…

As soon as the words left her mouth, Shi Qingxuan was stunned herself. Her usually composed and calm face was instantly stained with a faint blush, and even her earlobes burned slightly.

She immediately forced herself to calm down. "Qingxuan has spoken out of turn! Please disregard such an inappropriate question, Supreme."

Ling Hao collected himself, and seeing her slightly flushed profile, he could not help but chuckle.

Just then, Canglan Peak was already right in front of them, the outlines of the palaces clearly visible.

Shi Qingxuan stopped and nodded slightly to him. "Supreme, we have arrived at Canglan Peak. I shall take my leave."

Without waiting for Ling Hao's response, she turned and left. Her heavy ink-grey skirt stirred a breeze in the Void Realm, and the smoke-grey mist-gauze cloak behind her fluttered gently, like the thin mist over distant mountains.

Ling Hao watched the figure that had suddenly sped up and shook his head.

This Sect Leader Shi was actually… much more interesting than he had imagined.

He stood with his hands behind his back, watching the figure disappear into the clouds. Suddenly, remembering something, Ling Hao flipped his hand and took out a mutton-fat jade bottle.

Inside the bottle was the "stone heart jade marrow" that Lady Shi Ji had mentioned. Ultimately, before leaving, Ling Hao had traded the Sheng-Sheng Creation Spring for it.

He looked at the warm, moist jade bottle in his hand, but in his mind, he unexpectedly recalled that glimpse from when he turned around on Cold Jade Peak earlier—the faint, spreading damp stain beneath the wide cloak.

Recalling the taste of that "milk tea"—warm, rich, and mellow, reaching straight to the Divine Soul, making his whole body feel comfortable upon drinking it; remembering Shi Yunyu's trembling fingers as she handed over the jade bottle, and the increasingly rich, warm milky fragrance in the air at that moment…

And further back, the way she had been too shy to look at him, the embarrassment in her words, "This item is not an object of trade," and Shi Qingxuan's remark, "The essence that can be harvested during this period is all in that bottle"…

Ling Hao's expression became subtle. Finally, there was that senseless question from Shi Qingxuan just now: "Does the Supreme think my mother is beautiful?"—Yeah, it was almost certainly the case.

"What a sin…" Ling Hao shook his head and sighed deeply. He had lived for decades, and yet one day he had ended up drinking something other than his own mother's… "mother's taste."

He thought of his own unintentional words; now that he thought about it, it was practically stepping precisely on a landmine. It was just a pity… and even more so that they probably thought he didn't know yet, right?

Ling Hao looked at the jade bottle in his hand, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth. Since they wanted to pretend, he would just… play dumb. Anyway, this "stone heart jade marrow" was indeed delicious and truly beneficial for his cultivation. As for the source… ahem, I don't know, I don't know.

He put away the jade bottle and adjusted his expression to look as usual before heading toward the detached courtyard of Canglan Peak.