407: Chapter 407 Son-in-law?

Xuanji Peak.

This was Shi Qingxuan's residence. The peak was shrouded in mist and clouds all year round, with the sound of babbling spirit springs.

It was dusk, and the setting sun dyed the horizon a golden red, reflecting onto the palace at the peak, plating it with a layer of warm radiance.

When Shen Yunjie stepped into the palace, Shi Qingxuan was sitting by the window. The sunset light outlined her slender profile, the collar of her black and white deep robe slightly open, revealing a slender neck.

Shen Yunjie bowed and was about to speak, but her gaze suddenly froze.

On the silver-white sword scar at the corner of Revered Master's eye, there was a small jade ornament pasted.

The ornament was teardrop-shaped, with a warm, jade-like luster, covering that inch-long scar perfectly.

This did not look abrupt at all; instead, it added an indescribable charm to her face, like a frost flower quietly blooming in the snow of distant mountains.

"Revered Master, you..."

Shen Yunjie was somewhat surprised and couldn't help asking, "Why did you suddenly think of wearing this?"

Shi Qingxuan turned her head slightly, her fingers subconsciously brushing over the jade ornament at the corner of her eye, and said indifferently, "It was just a whim."

Shen Yunjie did not ask further.

Revered Master always had her reasons for doing things, and she never pried into the root of them.

A small head poked in from outside the door. Cen Xi saw the jade ornament at Revered Master's eye corner at a glance, and her eyes immediately lit up: "Revered Master! Why are you..."

The words reached her lips, but she suddenly remembered the important business, so she giggled and leaned forward.

"Revered Master, why isn't this month's rock milk here yet? The three of us are waiting for it."

Shi Qingxuan coughed lightly, her expression unchanged: "Grandmaster did not give it to me this time, perhaps there won't be any more later."

Cen Xi blinked, her gaze sweeping across Revered Master's face, and she suddenly revealed a look of sudden realization:

"Revered Master, is it because you wanted to drink it yourself, so you didn't give it to us? That won't do..."

"Nonsense."

Shi Qingxuan reached out and tapped her on the head, "How could I be as gluttonous as you all?"

Cen Xi rubbed her forehead, still giggling, not afraid at all.

Her eyes rolled, and she suddenly lowered her voice: "Revered Master, are Grandmaster and Supreme Moonshadow... really..."

"There is no such thing."

Shi Qingxuan interrupted her, subconsciously denying it.

Cen Xi was relentless, counting on her fingers:

"You left together after the meeting, and not even three days have passed, Supreme Moonshadow invited Grandmaster out for a walk, and they haven't returned yet. When has Grandmaster ever gone out alone with someone? And a man at that?"

Shen Yunjie stood to the side, not saying a word, but her gaze also quietly shifted over.

Even Jiang Shiyu, who was usually cold and reticent, raised her eyelids at this moment, her gaze falling on Revered Master from beneath her long lashes, carrying a rare hint of gossip.

Shi Qingxuan felt somewhat uncomfortable being watched by her three Disciples and straightened her face:

"Why think so much? Go Cultivate! Look at Supreme Moonshadow's Disciple; they are already at the Void Refinement Stage and can even defeat those at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage. What about you? Still at the Body Integration Stage and Soul Transformation Stage!"

Cen Xi curled her lips and muttered softly:

"They are Supreme Moonshadow's Disciple, can they be compared? Once you, Revered Master, achieve a Breakthrough to Mahayana, wouldn't we be at the Void Tempering stage too?"

Shi Qingxuan made a gesture to hit her, and Cen Xi giggled and hid behind Shen Yunjie.

"Senior Sister! Revered Master is going to hit someone!"

Shi Qingxuan withdrew her hand and sighed softly:

"Mahayana... it's not that easy to achieve a Breakthrough."

Shen Yunjie was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke:

"Revered Master, if you had the secret techniques of the Moon Shadow Holy Land... perhaps you could also have combat power at the Mahayana level."

Cen Xi's eyes lit up, and she poked her head out from behind Shen Yunjie: "That's right, that's right! If we could learn that secret technique..."

Before she finished speaking, her excitement quickly faded, and she curled her lips:

"Pity, such secret techniques probably cannot be passed on to outsiders."

Shi Qingxuan did not reply, just waved her hand:

"Go and Cultivate. I will go see if your Grandmaster has returned."

...

The great river flowed, rushing westward.

The river was over a hundred feet wide, its water a pale green, shattering into ten thousand points of golden light under the setting sun.

The green mountains on both banks were like dark eyebrows, and lines of white egrets flew across the water surface, their wingtips dipping up a string of water droplets, crystal clear like diamonds in the twilight.

Ling Hao and Shi Yunyu walked along the stream to this place. The sunset dyed the horizon a warm color, falling on Shi Yunyu's large cloak, plating the moon-white to ash-grey gradient fabric with a layer of soft gold trim.

"The Empress of the Wutong Divine Dynasty is also a remarkable woman with the common people in her heart; I often talked with her by candlelight..."

Ling Hao said as he walked, "When establishing the Tianyuan Immortal Dynasty, I even poached a female official from her."

...

"I heard there is a further education system..."

"That's right, to strengthen the connection with subordinate Sects and progress together, I established a further education system, which allows..."

Shi Yunyu listened quietly, nodding occasionally, and asking about things she had heard.

She rarely had times like this, walking side by side with someone, chatting about daily life. Since adopting Shi Qingxuan, she rarely left Starfall Cold Jade Peak.

When Shi Qingxuan became Sect Master, all the affairs of the Holy Land were handed over to her, and she only appeared when most needed.

"Little Xuan..."

Shi Yunyu suddenly sighed softly, "Sometimes I think, if she were not Sect Master, perhaps she could be freer. No need to maintain a facade everywhere, no need to handle everything perfectly, laughing when she wants to laugh, and being annoyed when she wants to be annoyed."

Ling Hao nodded slightly:

"Sect Master Shi has a rare temperament—caring for the common people while not losing her edge. I have also seen this in the Empress of the Wutong Divine Dynasty."

He paused, looked at Shi Yunyu, and smiled: "Perhaps it is innate, inherited from you, Yunyu?"

Shi Yunyu shook her head, her voice light and slow,

"Actually, Little Xuan is not my biological daughter."

Ling Hao raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"

Shi Yunyu's gaze was distant, as if passing through time, seeing that night more than four thousand years ago.

"That year, the Erosion Beast Tide swept through the borders of Baiyan Province, and countless villages were destroyed. When I rushed there, I only saw corpses everywhere, blood flowing like a river. I originally thought there were no survivors..."

Pausing for a moment, Shi Yunyu continued.

"Under a collapsed house, I heard a faint cry. It was a baby, protected by her parents beneath them. That couple... used their bodies to block the collapsing beam for her, while they themselves had long since stopped breathing."

Ling Hao listened quietly, not interrupting.

A gentleness flashed in Shi Yunyu's eyes,

"That baby was Qingxuan. I couldn't bear it, so I brought her back to the Holy Land, fed her with stone heart jade marrow, and raised her little by little. She was sensible from a young age, never asking about her background, just Cultivating desperately, saying she wanted to protect the Holy Land, to protect me."

Ling Hao sighed lightly:

"No wonder she is so resilient, and also such a filial person."

"Yes."

Shi Yunyu smiled slightly, "She loved to laugh when she was little, but later when she became Sect Master, she laughed less and less."

The two continued to move forward, the river breeze blowing, bringing the coolness of water vapor and the fragrance of grass and trees. A cluster of wild chrysanthemums on the bank was blooming just right, the golden flowers swaying in the sunset, like scattered gold on the ground.

Shi Yunyu suddenly said: "Actually, Qingxuan is very beautiful."

Ling Hao looked at her sideways.

"She was almost disfigured when she was young, luckily her Cultivation had a Breakthrough in time, so there was no major damage. Later she simply covered her true appearance. Later, when she was training, that sword scar was added..."

Ling Hao nodded and said:

"Sect Master Shi told me about the sword scar."

Shi Yunyu looked surprised: "Little Xuan told you?"

"Yes. Why?"

Shi Yunyu shook her head: "Nothing, it's just... except for those of us close to her, she never talks about these things with outsiders."

Ling Hao didn't mind, smiling:

"I advised her at the time, if she wanted to change her appearance, she might as well decorate it slightly. Pasting a jade ornament to cover the trace, not only does it not lose dignity, but it can also add a bit of charm."

Shi Yunyu looked at him, her gaze soft: "So it was you."

Ling Hao was taken aback: "What?"

"I saw this morning that she had a jade ornament pasted at the corner of her eye."

Shi Yunyu's lips curved slightly, "I was wondering why she suddenly changed her nature, so it was you who suggested it."

Ling Hao laughed:

"It seems Sect Master Shi adopted my suggestion. However, why cover her original appearance?"

Shi Yunyu's gaze was distant, and she said softly:

"She doesn't like others staring at her appearance, thinking it is unnecessary attention. Since she is willing, she has always been like this. Perhaps, she will only show it in front of someone she cares for."

Ling Hao was thoughtful: "I see."

That plain appearance was just a facade, she used a secret technique to cover her appearance, he hadn't thought about this layer, and hadn't noticed it.

Then, what would her real appearance be like?

Shi Yunyu looked at Ling Hao and suddenly smiled: "Little Xuan is willing to tell you about the sword scar, so she must trust you. If you have the chance, Hao, why not ask her if you can see her real appearance."

As soon as the words came out, she froze.

How did this sound like...

Ling Hao's gaze carried a hint of teasing:

"Yunyu, are you... wanting me to be your son-in-law?"

Shi Yunyu's face turned red instantly, and she turned her head away: "I... I was just saying it casually."

But ripples rose in her heart.

If he saw Qingxuan's true appearance, if he really became Little Xuan's Dao Companion, then he would be my son-in-law?...

But...