Identity Exposed

After a brief tour of the Heavenly Palace with Ben Yansi, Yin Hong returned to the residence Gu Changyuan had arranged for them.

It was a courtyard nestled against a mountain—not large, but delicately designed.

Standing in the yard, Yin Hong looked up at the bright moon in the sky, her eyes reflecting its light. She remained still for a long time.

She had lived for eons and endured much; she had long been accustomed to drifting.

In the Abyss of Disorder, there was no concept of a "home"—only the question of where to sleep that night.

Later, they had left the Abyss and returned to the Ten Thousand Immortal Realm.

With cultivation, savings, and the freedom to travel, the habit of being homeless had still been etched into their bones.

They continued to roam, from the Eastern Continent to the Western Continent, from the Northern Continent to the Southern Continent, experiencing many parts of the Ten Thousand Immortal Realm.

Now, reunited with their former benefactor, they had found an anchor to rest upon.

It wasn’t because they needed protection; it was because they were willing to trust.

Gu Changyuan imposed no strict rules upon them, nor did he restrict their freedom. He didn't demand they do certain things or forbid them from others.

They could still travel as they pleased, without fear of being bound by any faction.

At the same time, at the other end of the Heavenly Palace, Gu Changyuan returned to his own residence.

As he pushed open the door, before he could even step inside, he sensed something amiss—the breath of a living person in his room, and a familiar one at that.

A figure shot out from the shadows inside the room, leaving a trail of afterimages in the air.

Jun Anshi’s left hand precisely seized Gu Changyuan’s raised right hand, her fingers locking tight and pressing his hand against the door panel.

At the same time, she lifted her right leg, driving her knee against Gu Changyuan’s thigh, pinning him between her body and the door.

The movement was fluid, without a single hesitation or pause.

Gu Changyuan’s back hit the door. His right hand was pinned against the wood, his body held in place by her leg—completely "fixed" against the doorframe.

Though a faint smile lingered on his face, his eyes had grown serious.

"Xiao Shi?" he asked, his voice calm but tinged with bewilderment.

"What’s this all about?"

Jun Anshi didn’t answer.

She stood right before him, so close that he could feel her breath against his chin.

Her gaze burned into him, her eyes swirling with a storm of emotions.

There was a sudden clarity—a "Now I finally understand"—and a deep, unspoken grievance, as if accusing him of keeping a secret for so long.

Her breathing was rapid, her chest rising and falling, as if she had run a great distance.

Her fingers gripped his wrist—not hard, but tightly, so tightly that he could feel the warmth of her fingertips through the fabric of his sleeve.

"Master, aren't you going to tell me the truth now?"

Her voice was lower than usual, carrying a calm that seemed to suppress deeper feelings. That calm was more impossible to ignore than outright anger.

"Or should I call you—"

Her lips parted, speaking two words.

"Xuanxu."

Gu Changyuan’s pupils contracted slightly.

The moment those words fell, it was as if a lightning bolt had struck through his mind.

When Yin Hong and Yin Wuji had called out "Xuansha Ruin Lord" in the skies above the Heavenly Court, Jun Anshi had been stunned.

At that moment, something in her mind had been violently struck.

It was as if two overlapping shadows she had never thought to separate suddenly swayed and then, slowly, irreversibly, merged into one.

She had been staring intently at the figure high above—the familiar silhouette, the familiar posture, the familiar movements.

Before, she had always felt that Xuanxu resembled her Master, but she had always told herself—he is Master; how could they be the same person?

But after hearing "Xuansha Ruin Lord," everything that had never quite fit, every coincidence she had dismissed, suddenly clicked into place.

Only with this understanding did the events in the Cangwu Secret Realm make sense.

How could Xuanxu’s comprehension be so profound?

How could Xuanxu possess so many Daos?

Why, even though she had never truly known Xuanxu, did she always feel a sense of peace, an irresistible urge to draw close to him?

Why, at the final moment, did Xuanxu choose to protect her, letting her escape alive while he himself fell?

When she realized that this person was none other than her Master, all these questions found simple answers.

Every coincidence had a reason, every doubt found its home.

It was him all along, and he had kept it from her.

He could have told her earlier, but he had chosen to act as if they were strangers.

Gu Changyuan looked at Jun Anshi’s blazing, reproachful eyes and sighed inwardly.

Indeed, he should have confessed sooner.

Now that he was caught, it was a different matter altogether.

Gu Changyuan stared into Jun Anshi’s eyes, so close to his own.

"Well," he said, his voice carrying a forced lightness, "if I say I had my reasons, would Xiao Shi forgive her Master?"

Before he could finish, Jun Anshi remained stern. Her eyes were locked on him, unyielding.

It was the severity of someone who knew he had finally admitted it, the sternness of someone who knew he was about to try to placate her—and she wouldn’t let him.

Did she believe him? Of course, she did.

But that was another matter.

Her Master had kept it from her, pretending not to know her.

He had said she would meet him once she reached the Immortal Realm—but he had been right beside her all along, every day, yet he let her search like a headless fly.

If not for today's accident, for the appearance of those two Immortal Emperors, how long would she have been kept in the dark?

So she couldn’t let him off easily.

Seeing that her expression didn’t change, Gu Changyuan felt increasingly helpless.

"Then what must Xiao Shi do to forgive her Master?" he asked softly, a note of resignation in his voice.

A faint smirk suddenly curled at the corner of Jun Anshi’s lips.

It was subtle, but unmistakably clear.

"Anything at all?"

"Yes," Gu Changyuan replied without hesitation.

"As long as your Master can do it."

The smirk on Jun Anshi’s lips grew wider.

"Then I want the same treatment as Senior Sisters."

Huh?

Gu Changyuan was still wondering, "What treatment?"—Ye Qingxue’s treatment? Bai Ling’er’s treatment? Yue Lingxi’s treatment?

What special treatment did they have?

And then it dawned on him instantly.

Before he could speak, Jun Anshi’s face was already pressed close.

Gu Changyuan was startled.

He hadn’t expected this little girl to be so bold.

He had imagined countless scenarios of confessing—imagined countless reactions from Jun Anshi upon learning the truth.

Anger, grievance, silence, tears.

But never this one.

Still, a complex gleam flashed in Gu Changyuan’s eyes, quickly replaced by something softer.

One more would not make a difference; one less… would not make a difference either.

Since matters had already progressed this far, and since this little girl had made her decision so resolutely, he had no reason to push her away.

After all, he had already accompanied her for a hundred and ten years in the dream world, and in reality, he had taken her as his disciple and been her Master for over a century. The bond between them could no longer be simply summed up by the word "master and disciple."

Since that was the case, he might as well take on one more training subject.

With this thought, Gu Changyuan withdrew his right hand from the door panel.

The force with which Jun Anshi pressed his hand was not strong, and he easily pulled free with a light tug.

His right hand descended, wrapping around Jun Anshi's waist, and steadily lifted her entire body.

Jun Anshi let out a soft hum, her body tensing for a brief moment before relaxing again, as if she had finally arrived at a place she had long been waiting for.

Gu Changyuan held her in his arms, turned, and walked toward the depths of the room.