Chapter Ninety-Three: Gentle Silver Jade

After parting from the youth named Yang Xun, Yin Yao made her way toward the Church of Hidden Departure. Now, she had already made up her mind: she would not enter seclusion again. During those days of forced advance, she seemed to have sensed something.

Perhaps this Void Realm was not so easy to break through after all. Yet the more she thought about it, the more curious she became as to what kind of realm would lie beyond it. Her father and mother were both people of such formidable strength, after all.

I will never disappoint them.

Without secluding herself, Yin Yao naturally had to handle the matters ahead with her own hands. She suddenly wondered: would Chu Su and Li Su encounter the same problem? She did not know why, but she had an intuition that everyone would meet this obstruction. It would not be possible to break through the Void Realm so easily.

When she reached the entrance of the Church of Hidden Departure, Yin Yao’s head suddenly swam. She caught herself on the threshold, barely steadying her swaying body. She did not know what was happening, but ever since reaching the peak of the Void Realm, she had frequently suffered such episodes—sudden dizziness, weakness all over, for no apparent reason.

This strange exhaustion troubled Yin Yao greatly. She had even taken her own pulse, but there was not the slightest abnormality. She had also probed her body with spiritual power, yet found nothing wrong with herself. It was truly strange.

She steadied her mind, took a deep breath, and waited until her strength slowly returned. Only then did she close her eyes for a moment; when she opened them again, she walked inside.

A sense of collapse and weariness. Yin Yao found that she was growing less and less able to do as she wished. What in the world was going on?

Yin Rou noticed Yin Yao approaching at a slow pace and hurried forward, immediately sensing that something was wrong. She asked in concern, “My lord, what is the matter? You seem somewhat unwell.”

With Yin Rou supporting her, Yin Yao finally felt a little better. She waved a hand and said, “Nothing. Do not worry. I have decided to cancel my continued seclusion. From now on, you and Li Yue will assist me. I will personally take charge of what comes next.”

“Really?” Yin Rou was a little thrilled.

Yin Yao gave a slight nod. She discovered that she did not even have the strength to rebuke Yin Rou for being so impetuous. Was she advancing, or falling behind?

“Yin Rou, help me down to rest. Once I wake, I will naturally come find you.” Yin Yao felt her eyelids weigh like lead; they were almost too heavy to open.

Seeing her condition, Yin Rou nodded, her heart aching. She felt that their master must have overworked herself to become like this. She placed most of Yin Yao’s weight on her own body and helped her toward the room.

The moment Yin Yao touched the bed, she fell asleep. When she still had a shred of awareness, she suddenly thought that perhaps the reason she had drifted off so abruptly the previous night was the same. Otherwise, with her strength, how could she not have managed to stay awake through an entire night? Could not manage to stay awake...

Deep in the night, Yin Yao turned over in bed and woke softly. Looking out at the stars filling the sky beyond the window, she knew it was already late. She rose, poured herself a cup of water, drank it slowly, and then went out.

In the intelligence room, everyone was busy without pause. The rustle of turning papers, the sound of quiet discussion, the urging voices—all of it drifted little by little into Yin Yao’s ears.

It was already so late, and they were still working. They must be very tired.

Seeing a servant walking toward her, Yin Yao called him to a stop. “Wait. I ask you, have the brothers in the intelligence room eaten supper?”

The servant, seeing this master who was usually cold and expressionless suddenly ask him with a smile, was somewhat flattered and at a loss. Yin Yao did not notice her own difference at all; she merely thought of it and acted accordingly.

The servant lowered his head and quickly replied, “No, not yet. The brothers in the intelligence room have already been busy all day.”

As he spoke, he trembled with a little fear. He had not forgotten how, when their master had once asked someone a question, that person had reacted too slowly and was directly thrown out of the Church of Hidden Departure.

Yin Yao did not care about the servant’s slightly awkward speech. She merely smiled faintly and lowered her head, then fell into thought again. The servant, seeing that their master seemed somewhat different, was afraid and did not know for a moment whether he should leave or stay.

Thinking of something, Yin Yao was about to depart when she noticed that the servant who had answered her still stood there, and could not help laughing a little. “Why are you still here?”

“Ah, ah!” The servant looked at Yin Yao with a slow reaction.

“Since you have not gone yet, go to the kitchen and have them prepare some late-night food. It is for the brothers in the intelligence room. Do not get the portions wrong. Also, make a little extra. You said they have been busy all day, so they must be starving. Go on.”

After giving the instruction, seeing that the servant was still out of sorts, Yin Yao gave a soft laugh and reminded him to hurry to the kitchen.

“Oh, oh, all right! I’ll go at once!” The servant nodded repeatedly and ran toward the kitchen, while inwardly wondering what had gotten into their master. She did not seem even remotely like usual. This master had an unusually gentle air about her. Yes, gentle! But wasn’t their master normally very cold? What on earth was going on?

The servant was puzzled.

When Yin Yao entered the intelligence room, she did not disturb anyone. She simply walked in without a sound. She went to the bookcase where the reports had already been organized, reached out to take a few, and began to read. From beginning to end, she did not ask anyone for anything. If it had been her usual self, she would have sat directly in the chair, stated what information she wanted, and ordered her subordinates to find it within a set time and place it in her hands.

One of the people in the intelligence room went to the bookcase to verify a report in his hand and suddenly noticed their master standing there. He cried out, “My lord, why have you come! You should have told us! If there is any information you need, just say so—I’ll go find it for you right away! Please, sit!”

His voice immediately drew the attention of everyone in the intelligence room. After all, they respected their master deeply in ordinary times. How had none of them noticed that she had been here so long? Could this be one of their master’s tests?

“My lord, I’m sorry. Everyone was too focused just now and did not notice that you had arrived. My deepest apologies.” The person in charge of the intelligence room hurried over and bowed her head as she offered her apology.

Seeing everyone react as though facing a great enemy, Yin Yao found it highly amusing and could not help but laugh softly, which only made them look at her with greater confusion. They did not understand her reaction at all.

“What is this? I deliberately lightened my steps because I did not want to disturb you all. Do not be like this. Return to your posts. Leave me be; I can find the files I need myself. There is no need to worry.” Yin Yao smiled as she explained.

But that only deepened everyone’s bewilderment. Since when did their master explain herself over such trivial matters? Shouldn’t she be criticizing them for poor vigilance? Shouldn’t she be scolding them for lacking even the slightest sense of danger?

At that moment, the servant Yin Yao had sent to the kitchen returned, and his arrival temporarily eased the awkward atmosphere among them.

Yet when he spoke, everyone only became more confused.

“My lord, the late-night food is ready. Should it be brought over to the brothers in the intelligence room at once?”

The people in the intelligence room felt a little dazed by the wind and the stars. Not on purpose, of course—but when had their master ever cared for them to such an extent? They were truly somewhat flattered. They were much more used to that cold, expressionless, sharp-wristed master. That was the master they knew.

Could it be that they had a tendency to enjoy suffering?

“Bring it quickly. I’m sure everyone has been tired all day and is hungry.” Yin Yao smiled and urged him to hurry the late-night meal over.

Eating the midnight food specially prepared by the kitchen at their master’s instruction, how many people in the intelligence room would find themselves unable to sleep that night...

The next morning, when Li Yue and Yin Rou got up and were about to go look for Yin Yao, they discovered that their master was already sitting in the main hall, leisurely eating breakfast. They had only just risen when they heard the news.

Last night, their master had woken in the middle of the night, gone to the intelligence room for information, learned that everyone was extremely busy and had not yet eaten supper, and had specially sent someone to the kitchen to prepare late-night food for them...

And there was more.

They heard that last night their master had worn a smile the entire time and had been very kind. Especially when she laughed softly, she looked incomparably graceful, like a lady of noble birth through and through. Her manner was especially gentle.

Hearing such descriptions of their master, Li Yue and Yin Rou were astonished. They asked repeatedly whether everyone had mistaken someone else for her. But when everyone insisted it was indeed their master, Yin Rou said, “You’re not joking with us, are you?” Li Yue wanted to say that this had to be a mistake. Perhaps everyone had all gone cross-eyed last night.

So they urgently needed to confirm it with the master herself. Otherwise, they would not believe it.

But when they saw Yin Yao sitting there with composed calm, expressionlessly drinking her porridge, the first thought that flashed through Li Yue and Yin Rou’s minds was: So you all were lying to us together! Where was the smile? Where was the gentleness?

Yin Yao looked up. She had long since sensed Li Yue and Yin Rou approaching, but when she suddenly noticed that they had stopped moving, she could not help finding it curious, and lifted her brows at them. “What are you doing standing there?”

Coming back to themselves, Yin Rou pulled Li Yue along toward the hall. “My lord!”

Someone immediately prepared a breakfast portion for the two of them, but neither had much appetite; their attention was nowhere near the meal. Yin Rou would glance up at Yin Yao now and then, only to lower her head again at once and pretend nothing was amiss. It was plain to see she had something to say.

Setting down her bowl and chopsticks, Yin Yao looked at Yin Rou and said blankly, “Yin Rou, if you have something to say, then say it. You do not need to act as though you want to speak but hesitate.”

Yin Rou lifted her head and looked at Yin Yao. Her gaze wavered somewhat, but in the end she could not withstand Yin Yao’s cool, indifferent eyes. She hesitated before saying, “I heard... I heard from the subordinates that last night, you were very considerate toward them, very, very gentle.”

Yin Yao froze, clearly not expecting that this was what Yin Rou meant. More importantly, the person Yin Rou described was not her, was it? Why did she have the slightest recollection of anything that happened last night? What was going on?

Still, Yin Yao would not show in front of them that she knew nothing of the matter. Looking at Yin Rou and at Li Yue, who had just stealthily lifted her head, she swept her gaze around the hall. She knew that just now, while Yin Rou was asking her, many people had stopped in their tracks to listen for her answer.

However, Yin Yao was going to disappoint them.

With a cold snort, as though it were of no concern to her at all, Yin Yao did not say another word.