"Many thanks, Lord Thousand Stars," Ye Yun nodded gratefully. In his current state, it would be difficult to return to the Celestial Domain without someone to escort him.
Qian Qingning smiled faintly, "Then you may rest for now. I will prepare for you, and someone will pick you up tomorrow."
...
Early the next morning, someone came to find him, reminding him it was time to depart.
"Lord Ye Star, the flying ship is ready. We can depart at any time."
"Flying ship?"
Hearing the name, Ye Yun was quite surprised. After all, the flying ships he had encountered before were all internal to the Celestial Domain, used for travel within planets.
Could such a long-distance journey of thousands of light-years also be accomplished by flying ship?
Before long, Ye Yun, filled with curiosity, followed the person to the departure point.
The escort team designated for him was all gathered here. Among them were three Heavenly God level powerhouses and a considerable number of Star God level cultivators, indicating how much importance they placed on him!
However, compared to these, what truly surprised Ye Yun was the leader of this escort team.
Upon seeing the person, Ye Yun couldn't help but freeze.
"Aren't you escorting me back to the Celestial Domain? Why are you here?"
The reason for Ye Yun's surprise was that the person before him was none other than Qian Qingning's disciple, Qian Ling.
This 'girl' who now shared a significant bond with him.
Ye Yun had not expected her to be part of the escort team.
Hearing this, Qian Ling also crossed her arms with a hint of annoyance and huffed, saying, "It's all because Master said you are my life-saver, and also a great benefactor to our Lingluo Domain, so she insisted that I personally lead the team to escort you back to the Celestial Domain."
As she spoke, her tone carried a touch of indignation.
"I have no choice but to reluctantly escort you personally."
"With me, the future Star Lord of Lingluo Domain, personally sending you off, that's quite a show of respect, isn't it?"
By the end, Qian Ling's voice held a hint of pride. However, in Ye Yun's eyes, she looked like a tsundere.
Her demeanor struck him as rather endearing.
Ye Yun couldn't help but smile, nodding along with her words.
"Indeed, being escorted by Princess Qian Ling is a great honor. Thank you very much."
"Hmph, it's good that you know that."
Qian Ling was pleased with his attitude and tilted her head slightly.
Then, she pointed to the golden grand ship beside them and said, "Alright, hurry up and board. To ensure your swift arrival, Master has procured our only newly constructed Star River Flying Ship for this journey!"
Ye Yun looked at the golden flying ship before him. It was about a hundred meters long and over ten meters high. While not overly imposing, the exquisite formations and divine power guiding patterns on it were akin to works of art.
Later, in response to Ye Yun's inquiries, he learned that this so-called Star River Flying Ship had a Heavenly God level divine spark as its core, enabling it to warp space and enter a new state of superluminal cruise.
Of course, in essence, it still involved folding space to take shortcuts to another location.
Even so, its technological advancement far surpassed his previous Divine River Flying Ship.
With the power of the Celestial Domain, it was unlikely they could construct similar flying ships in a short period.
After a moment of thought, Ye Yun looked at Qian Ling and asked, "By the way, will you be able to build more of these Star River Flying Ships in the future? I'd like to prepare one for the Celestial Domain."
Upon hearing this, Qian Ling paused and asked in surprise, "You want a Star River Flying Ship?"
"That's right. We can discuss the price."
Ye Yun nodded.
Immediately, Qian Ling said with a smile without hesitation, "What price are we talking about between us? When we reach our destination, you can have this Star River Flying Ship."
"Uh, is that alright? Wasn't it said that this is your only one?"
Ye Yun frowned slightly. However, Qian Ling smiled and said, "Only for now. We have already mastered the construction process for these Star River Flying Ships, and we will be producing new ones soon, so you don't need to worry."
"So that's how it is..."
Ye Yun suddenly realized. It seemed Lingluo Domain had established its own production system!
"In that case, I won't be polite."
Ye Yun was never one to stand on ceremony when it came to such matters.
He thought about how, upon returning, he would gift this Star River Flying Ship to his disciples or his wife Xing Wu, and wondered what level of flying ship he might receive in return.
Thinking of this, his anticipation grew even stronger.
Before long, Ye Yun and the people from Lingluo Domain boarded the Star River Flying Ship. After a brief acceleration, they sped directly towards the Celestial Domain.
During the journey, Qian Ling and Ye Yun sat together in a room, a silence falling between them.
Finally, Qian Ling looked at him and asked, "Um, how is your body? Are you recovering well?"
"My body is fine. I just need some time to recuperate."
Ye Yun smiled and nodded, then looked at her and said, "Of course, I'm able to be like this now, thanks to your help."
"Uh, thank me for what?"
Qian Ling blinked, unsure if she was genuinely surprised or just pretending to be oblivious.
Seeing this, Ye Yun smiled faintly. "I know about the blood matter."
Upon hearing this, Qian Ling's face flushed inexplicably.
"Did Master tell you?"
"Mm."
"Really, I told her to keep it a secret!"
Qian Ling pursed her lips, clearly displeased that her master had revealed her secrets.
At the moment, she was still feigning indifference, saying dismissively, "Of course, don't misunderstand. I'm not worried about you or anything. It's just that since you saved me, I don't want to owe you a favor."
"Yes, yes, I understand."
Ye Yun saw through her thoughts but did not expose her. A subtle understanding remained between them, neither willing to break the unspoken barrier.
Finally, Ye Yun said with a smile, "In any case, thank you."
He was a person who always clearly distinguished between kindness and grievances.
Since she had saved his life, in his eyes, she belonged to a special group of people.
Hearing this, Qian Ling was silent for a moment, then replied, "You're welcome..."
Her words fell, and the room fell into silence once more. Neither of them spoke further.
Afterward, Ye Yun felt that he had nothing else to do, so he said to Qian Ling, "I'm going to take a nap. Feel free to do as you please."
With that, he lay down on the small bed and closed his eyes.
He wasn't actually planning to sleep, but rather to use this opportunity to enter the Master-Disciple Space and check on his disciples.
As his consciousness withdrew, the darkness before his eyes began to warp, and everything gradually became brighter.
When his vision cleared again, he found himself in the long-unseen Master-Disciple Space.
It had been quite some time since he had last been here, and the changes within surprised him.