Only after taking a step back and letting out a soft breath did he seriously fix his gaze on Gu Yuena's sapphire-blue eyes and ask:
"Can you tell me… what your situation is now?"
"I don't understand… who are you now?"
Gu Yuena lowered her head in a crestfallen manner, her voice very quiet.
"I… am the more human side of the Silver Dragon King."
"To be exact, I'm a soul born from this body—a small fragment of the endless memories of the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena."
"The main consciousness of the Silver Dragon King doesn't like you, Brother… So when I awakened during cultivation, I resisted merging with her main consciousness."
Gu Yuena's blue eyes showed a trace of fear as she looked at Ye Tian.
Her voice carried a faint sob.
"To the Silver Dragon King, I'm nothing more than a segment of her endless memories."
"But to me, these past three months… are my entire life!"
"I don't want to be her subordinate. I want to be able to embrace you anytime I want, Brother, not become someone who walks past you like a stranger."
Gu Yuena stepped forward again, wrapping her arms around Ye Tian tightly, burying her head deep into his chest.
Two sparkling tears escaped from her beautiful eyes.
Her voice was barely audible: "I want to be my own person…"
Ye Tian, who had been silently listening, was now staring at his hand frozen in mid-air.
This time, it wasn't because his body had gone stiff again.
Nor was it that he didn't dare to place his hand on Gu Yuena.
It was because… he didn't know how to comfort her.
There was no doubt—the Silver Dragon King had miscalculated.
She hadn't expected her split consciousness to develop independent thought.
Now that Gu Yuena had rejected merging with the main consciousness, she was gradually becoming a separate entity.
This left Ye Tian's hand hanging midair, unsure of how to respond.
To Gu Yuena, he was practically her whole world in this brief life of hers.
This inevitably meant she would place immense trust and dependence on him.
If he accepted all of this without hesitation…
He would become the enemy of the Silver Dragon King.
And the Silver Dragon King would never let it go. After all, she had invested thousands of years of painstaking effort into this vessel.
If that vessel turned against her, it would be a fatal blow.
But if he chose not to accept her…
There was no doubt—Gu Yuena would fall into utter despair.
To her, Ye Tian was the person she was closest to in the whole world.
After a moment of silence—
Ye Tian finally rested his broad palm on Gu Yuena's shoulder.
"Everyone has the right to choose who they want to become."
"That right doesn't change because of someone else's will."
"I support you."
His voice wasn't loud—but it was resolute.
Gu Yuena abruptly raised her head, her beautiful eyes locking with Ye Tian's.
Hearing these words—like a shot of adrenaline—her heart began to pound wildly.
"Thank you… Brother."
She lowered her head again, nestling into his chest, holding onto Ye Tian even more tightly.
…
"I've been standing here for half an hour now."
"Are you two planning to stay in that hugging position forever?"
At the doorway of the courtyard hall, Bibi Dong leaned casually against the threshold, her crimson lips curling into a slight smirk.
Her proud gaze swept toward Ye Tian and Gu Yuena, who were still tightly embracing in the middle of the courtyard.
The two looked like a pair of lovebirds, utterly inseparable.
This brought a faint trace of jealousy between Bibi Dong's brows.
She had thought Gu Yuena was just a cute little girl.
Turns out… she was a little love rival.
But Gu Yuena had no intention of letting go of Ye Tian.
She clung to his left arm tightly, as if afraid he would run away the moment she released him.
"Brother… will you abandon me?"
Gu Yuena asked cautiously, lifting her head slightly, her eyes peeking out from under her lashes to gauge Ye Tian's expression.
"Why would you ask that?"
Ye Tian tilted his head, confused.
Gu Yuena had matured—but she'd also become more suspicious.
She averted her gaze, her voice as soft as a mosquito's whisper:
"Because… you're everything to me."
Ye Tian smiled and reached out to gently stroke her soft silver hair.
"You'll always be my little sister."
Just a sister…?
A fleeting trace of disappointment flashed in Gu Yuena's eyes.
But almost instantly, she brightened again and looked up at Ye Tian with a radiant smile:
"I'll always, always stay by your side, Brother."
Her tone was heavy—like a solemn vow.
"Ye Tian, come here. I have something important to discuss with you."
Bibi Dong finally couldn't take the sweet atmosphere any longer.
She crossed her arms and crooked a long finger at him.
Then, she shot a sharp, hostile glance at Gu Yuena.
"You go find Sister Xiaobai for now."
Ye Tian smiled and patted Gu Yuena's shoulder, signaling her to let go.
Since Bibi Dong was awake now, he figured she wanted to discuss the timing of the attack on the Elder Hall.
"I'm scared… scared that the Silver Dragon King's consciousness might descend again."
Gu Yuena still refused to let go of his arm, gazing at him sincerely.
Looking into her gem-like blue eyes, Ye Tian said nothing more.
He let her cling to him and walked over to Bibi Dong.
Bibi Dong squinted at him:
"Confidential matters aren't for outsiders to hear."
"Don't think I didn't notice that look of provocation in your eyes."
"If you still want my help, you'd better keep those veiled barbs to yourself."
Gu Yuena's expression instantly turned cold.
Her voice chilled like frost falling.
It was as if the Silver Dragon King had taken over.
Gu Yuena's personality wasn't much different from the Silver Dragon King's.
Her more human side just made her more attached to Ye Tian.
So only in front of Ye Tian did she show that gentler, more emotional side.
But when facing the Pope of the Spirit Hall—Gu Yuena had no such softness.
With her sharp intellect, how could she not see that the way Bibi Dong looked at Ye Tian was far from professional?
There were feelings involved.
"Interesting."
Bibi Dong's smile deepened, and battle intent flickered in her eyes.
Gu Yuena raised her head proudly, still holding onto Ye Tian's arm.
"Even if I haven't inherited my body's elemental powers, my physical strength alone is enough to deal with you."
"If you want to fight—then I'll go all out."
"Enough!" Ye Tian suddenly stepped between them.
He hadn't expected Gu Yuena's first encounter with Bibi Dong after maturing would be this explosive.
"There's no conflict of interest between you two."
"There's no need to settle things with violence."
"Aren't you the biggest conflict of interest?" Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes.
"Isn't that reason enough for us to fight over you?"
Ye Tian froze slightly, not understanding what she meant.
Bibi Dong gave him a sidelong glance and chuckled lightly:
"Don't tell me you actually think Gu Yuena will always just be your sister?"
"She's not?"
Ye Tian looked at Gu Yuena.
Unless she merged with the Silver Dragon King's consciousness…
He believed Gu Yuena wouldn't change her heart.
After all, those three months of sincere care weren't for nothing, right?
"Heh. Ask her yourself—what's her biggest wish?"
Bibi Dong let out a faint sneer, as if she'd just heard something laughably naive.
At that—
Ye Tian turned toward Gu Yuena beside him, his expression slightly complicated.
"What's your biggest wish?"
Gu Yuena forced a gentle smile. "To always stay by your side, Brother."
"Something's off…"
Ye Tian's brows furrowed, staring at her.
He wasn't dense. He could hear the tenderness in her voice.
Just as Gu Yuena opened her mouth to speak again—
Ye Tian covered her lips with his hand, his eyes calm as still water.
Everything he wanted to say was in that gaze.
"Just be my sister."
Ye Tian smiled gently.
To him, Gu Yuena was just an innocent girl unfamiliar with the world.
She had only been in the human world for three months.
It was only a short moment.
There were many things that even she herself probably couldn't figure out.
Her dependence on him stemmed more from familial bonds—
Not love.
What's more, this so-called "familial bond" was merely something Ye Tian had deliberately cultivated.
From the very beginning, Ye Tian's relationship with Gu Yuena was one of mutual use.
This kind of situation couldn't be reversed with just a few words.
If Ye Tian did harbor a hint of affection for Gu Yuena, it would only be a result of physical attraction.
After weighing everything, Ye Tian didn't want to hurt Gu Yuena.
Upon hearing Ye Tian's words, Gu Yuena's gaze quickly dropped.
Her face turned pale as she nodded firmly.
"Mhm."
On the side, Bibi Dong couldn't help but raise her eyebrows, a bit smugly.
But she didn't continue provoking Gu Yuena.
Instead, she straightened her expression and said:
"Ye Tian, to avoid dragging this out, I've decided to act tonight."
"Have you informed Hu Liena?" Ye Tian looked up and asked.
"Not yet. Soon, I'll send a trusted spy from the Pope's Hall with a sealed letter to quietly leave the city and notify Nana."
"Good. The Heavenly Strategy Army already hiding in the city will support them." Ye Tian nodded slightly.
Bibi Dong's gaze drifted into the distance. She extended her clenched palm:
"Our main targets this time are Golden Crocodile Douluo and Azure Luan Douluo."
"No matter what, both of them must permanently withdraw from the Spirit Hall tonight."
She spoke with absolute resolve.
Although she didn't explicitly say they had to be killed—
There was no doubt that if the two elders refused to surrender, bloodshed would be unavoidable.
For the sake of secrecy—
Bibi Dong didn't call for a general meeting.
Instead, she had her confidants inform others separately.
After leaving the courtyard, Ye Tian returned to his residence.
Gu Yuena silently followed behind him, not saying a word.
To maintain a good state for the evening, Ye Tian walked into the bedroom, lay quietly on the bed, and closed his eyes to rest for a bit.
Soon after—
The door creaked open.
Still wrapped in a blanket, Gu Yuena silently walked to the bedside and stared at Ye Tian.
"Xiao Nana, didn't I tell you to go to Sister Xiaobai first and change your clothes?"
Although Ye Tian had some of Gu Yuena's clothes here, they were bought half a month ago.
Gu Yuena was now almost as tall as he was—
Naturally, they wouldn't fit anymore.
She'd have to borrow some from Xiaobai for now—
Their body shapes were the most similar, after all.
Gu Yuena seemed to not hear him and just stood there staring at Ye Tian.
A long moment passed—
Then she finally said:
"You like Hu Liena, don't you?"
"That's right." Ye Tian nodded.
Hu Liena was his wife—of course he liked her.
"But you also like Bibi Dong," Gu Yuena said suddenly.
That made Ye Tian break into a cold sweat.
Uh… When did Gu Yuena notice that?
For a moment, Ye Tian didn't know how to respond.
After all, his relationship with Bibi Dong had never been known by a third party—
Even Hu Liena didn't know.
Ye Tian thought back carefully, and soon recalled a moment from his memory—
It seemed like Bibi Dong had thrown a provocative glance at Gu Yuena.
This Bibi Dong really thought Gu Yuena was a three-year-old child…
"Mhm. Don't tell anyone about this."
Ye Tian half-sat up in bed and gave a serious reminder.
Since Bibi Dong had yet to fully take control of the Spirit Hall, their complicated relationship would only undermine her authority.
That was something Ye Tian didn't want to see.
"You can like me too."
Gu Yuena's eyes flickered as she said this seriously.
Ye Tian's eyes widened, then he chuckled lightly:
"That's not something to joke about. I've only ever seen you as my little sister."
"I'm not joking."
Gu Yuena looked dead serious.
She let go of the blanket. It slid off her body.
"Am I not beautiful enough?"
"…You can have me."
Ye Tian's smile suddenly froze.
Half-sitting on the bed, he stared at Gu Yuena's stunning figure—
This kind of full exposure really could make someone lose control.
"You're serious?"
"Yes," Gu Yuena replied.
But Ye Tian sighed, took the blanket, and draped it over her again.
He wasn't a saint, but he had his boundaries.
To stop her from doing anything more impulsive—
He pulled her into his arms, still wrapped in the blanket.
Gu Yuena didn't resist. Her beautiful eyes simply kept watching him.
"You're too immature."
"I don't want mistakes to turn into regrets that can't be undone."
"I hope you understand—love doesn't have to be like this."
"Understand?"
Ye Tian reached out and pressed a hand to Gu Yuena's forehead, checking if she had a fever.
"I don't understand."
Gu Yuena shook her head in confusion.
"Why is it okay for you to like Hu Liena and Bibi Dong, but not me?"
"Am I worse than them?"
"…Or is it just that I came too late?"
Gu Yuena looked up and gazed at the man in front of her.
She truly couldn't understand.
Compared to Bibi Dong and Hu Liena, she lacked nothing.
Ye Tian, however, gave a faint laugh for no reason:
"Let's put facts aside. We've only known each other for three months, and you're talking about love. Don't you think that's a bit ridiculous?"
"Real feelings need time to settle. Only after washing away all the superficial stuff does something truly unbreakable remain."
Maybe that was the only way to help Gu Yuena clear her head.
"But I heard that you married Hu Liena after knowing her for only three months."
Gu Yuena said seriously.
Ye Tian: "…"
This kid… he really had no way to deal with her.
(End of Chapter)