Chapter 28: Aren’t You a Girl?

Ye Feng stood, facing Leng Qingqiu, whose beauty seemed otherworldly and whose aura was as commanding as an empress’s.
Swallowing hard, she timidly repeated, “Why I chose the sect leader as my master…?”

Chu Huaizhou’s heart leapt to his throat. He grabbed Leng Qingqiu’s arm, blurting, “I can explain this, Qingqiu, listen—”
“Master, be quiet.”
“Ugh…”
Oh no, this is bad.

He’d planned to give Qingqiu a tweaked version of the story first, but if Ye Feng spoke… he might not survive the day. His only hope was Haji Bai.
When Bai Li flew him back to Heavenly Sword Peak, he’d predicted her escape attempt and grabbed her, holding two of her tails gently. If she tried to bolt, he’d tickle them.
Feeling the subtle sensation on her tails, Bai Li was inwardly flustered.
Wicked human! What are you doing to me, meow?!
This… isn’t okay… I’ll get weird, meow…
She wanted to huff, but with the terrifying Leng Qingqiu nearby, she suppressed it, feigning calm.

Luckily, Leng Qingqiu was too focused on staring down Ye Feng with her full aura to notice Bai Li.
If Ye Feng dared confess any feelings for Master, Leng Qingqiu would show her why her other two sisters only founded small sects while she built an entire dynasty!
Hmph!
She wouldn’t stoop to sabotaging or framing a Foundation Establishment junior. As an empress, she was above that.
In fact, as Master’s disciple, Ye Feng’s cultivation couldn’t lag—she’d even provide pills and treasures.
But meeting Master? Delusional.

Ye Feng felt an overwhelming pressure, her blood seeming to freeze under Leng Qingqiu’s aura.
This must be the presence of a supreme ruler Empy Old mentioned. Truly terrifying.
Touching her weathered ring, she mustered courage.
“Isn’t choosing the sect leader as my master obvious…?”
“He’s mysterious and powerful. Before joining the Heavenly Origin Sword Sect, I heard legends about him.”

Her eyes lit up, slipping into fangirl mode, recounting tales that thrilled her.
“Some say he cleaved the nine-layered cloud sea with one sword, its light shifting heaven and earth. Others say he stormed the Nether Abyss alone for three days and nights, returning unscathed…”
Her tone grew fervent, eyes shining with unabashed admiration, a total starstruck teen.
“To be guided by such a figure would be my life’s greatest fortune. With the chance before me, how could I not seize it?!”

Her gaze burned, trembling under Leng Qingqiu’s pressure but refusing to back down.
“And most importantly, a benefactor who’s helped me greatly is gravely injured. I need soul-nourishing pills, but my cultivation’s too low to access them…”

Leng Qingqiu, propping her chin, assessed Ye Feng’s sincerity.
Her words rang true—she genuinely revered Master.
Special feelings? A bit, but within acceptable bounds.
After all, Master was near-perfect; it’d be weirder if someone didn’t like him.
Fine, she passes. No special relationship with Master.
She’d misjudged Master—she’d need to make it up to him later.

Nodding, Leng Qingqiu said, “Not bad. I sense your respect for the sect leader.”
“You’ll train under me from now on. This is a welcome gift.”
A white light flashed between her fingers, producing a jade-green porcelain bottle and a delicate ice-prism shield, which she tossed into Ye Feng’s arms.

Ye Feng, stunned, instinctively opened the bottle—a habit from her rough adventuring days.
A fragrant aroma wafted out, refreshing her spirit and banishing fatigue with one whiff.
She realized it was a soul-nourishing pill.
“Uh, thank you, fairy, but if you’re my master, won’t people gossip about a man and woman alone…?”

Sensing things going awry—her dream of a dashing sect leader master turning into an icy beauty—she spoke up to negotiate.
Leng Qingqiu’s eyes flicked over, coolly saying, “What’s there to care about? Aren’t you a girl?”
“Yeah, I—wait, what?!”

Her casual tone caught Ye Feng off guard. Only after speaking did she realize the slip, clutching her chest and stepping back, cheeks blazing.
She glanced at Leng Qingqiu, then turned to Chu Huaizhou for confirmation.
He nodded with a smile, as did Bai Li in his arms, though her nod seemed stiff.
Clearly, both knew.

Hiss—
Ye Feng gasped, floored that Empy Old’s gender-disguising illusion, crafted with secret techniques, was seen through so easily.
He’d claimed it could fool all secret realm detectors and most cultivators.
Yet it was exposed so fast…
Well, Empy Old probably didn’t expect me, a Foundation Establishment rookie, to meet the continent’s top cultivators.

Resigned, Ye Feng bowed to Chu Huaizhou and Leng Qingqiu.
“Disciple Ye Feng greets Sect Leader Master and Fairy Master!”

Seeing their talk winding down, Chu Huaizhou seized the moment to pursue his original goal.
“Ye Feng, about that benefactor you mentioned… won’t they come out to say a few words?”
Though it deviated from his goodwill plan, this was a good chance for candor.
Two Great Vehicle and one Tribulation Crossing cultivator—thinking they wouldn’t notice the ring’s oddity was absurd.
Ye Feng’s words had practically announced her “ring grandpa.”
Not forcing the entity out with overwhelming power was already a massive show of goodwill.
Plus, Leng Qingqiu had given her a fifth-grade soul-nourishing pill, rare even for Spirit Severing cultivators.

Ye Feng froze, her blush fading into a grave expression.
Empy Old was her biggest secret, not to be shared lightly.
He’d warned her his own secrets were massive—she couldn’t reveal him until she was strong enough.
But… this was the continent’s top cultivator. She was an open book to him. Denying it was pointless.

Silence fell.
Chu Huaizhou waited patiently. After a moment, Ye Feng spoke slowly.
“My benefactor… Empy Old is indeed in this ring.”