Chapter 265: Is She the Mistress?
"I more or less understand your situation now. I can accept being called 'Master,' but why do you also call me 'Father'?" Ye Cheng asked curiously.
"Because you were the one who gave me a new life," the Blue Silver Emperor replied with an innocent, radiant smile. "If it weren't for you, I might have ended up as nothing more than a vessel for my past self's resurrection, completely taken over by her."
"Besides, most of my understanding of the world comes from you… calling you 'Father' makes sense, doesn't it?"
"Or would you prefer that I call you 'Master' instead?" She tilted her head slightly, her clear, bright eyes gazing at him with pure curiosity. That innocent look gave Ye Cheng an inexplicable sense of guilt.
"…"
Ye Cheng observed the flawless young woman before him. Even though she had inherited parts of his memories, memories alone were not enough experiencing something firsthand was entirely different.
In many ways, this Blue Silver Emperor was no different from a newborn. She needed time, interactions, and experiences to fully process and internalize those memories, growing into her own person.
"In front of others, just call me 'City Lord.' As for when we're alone…" Ye Cheng hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Call me 'Father' or 'Master,' whichever you prefer."
The current Blue Silver Emperor was extremely naïve, trusting, and easy to deceive not to mention, she easily grew attached to people. Because of this, Ye Cheng decided to keep her by his side and carefully guide her.
After all, he had sacrificed his own energy to help her grow stronger. He couldn't just let her wander around freely and risk being taken advantage of!
If he allowed her to roam as she pleased, she might end up like her past self falling for some scumbag who would deceive her, take her body and emotions, and leave her broken and betrayed.
If that happened, Ye Cheng would have suffered a major loss!
After all, once the contract was complete, he had shared a portion of his own divine power with the Blue Silver Emperor, forcefully elevating her from 100,000 years to 990,000 years an enormous increase.
Right now, he still felt somewhat drained because of it.
Originally, he had only planned to give her enough power to reach 200,000 years.
But along the way, he reconsidered.
"200,000 years still feels too weak… Even if I don't boost her straight to godhood, I should at least bring her close to a million years. That way, when the time comes, it will be much easier for her to ascend on her own."
After all, recovering from his own energy loss was much easier than letting her slowly cultivate for hundreds or thousands of years to reach the same level.
In the end, he chose the shortcut and pushed her all the way to 990,000 years, just a step away from becoming a Divine Beast.
Despite the power he lost, Ye Cheng was still able to handle it. His One Ring God level remained intact, and his foundation had not been shaken. At most, he had simply dropped from Level 101 to Level 100 still solidly within the divine realm.
"Then… when we're alone, I'll call you 'Master,'" the Blue Silver Emperor now a fully reborn being blinked her sapphire eyes and made her decision based on his earlier reactions.
"Suit yourself."
Ye Cheng didn't particularly care about titles. He was about to take her back to White Cloud City when she suddenly stopped him.
"Wait, Master! You still haven't given me a name!"
Since she had been reborn, she had no human name yet. She yearned for Ye Cheng the one who gave her new life to name her, marking a complete break from her past self.
From this moment on, she would be her own person. No longer the old Blue Silver Emperor, and certainly not A Yin, who had once loved a human and given birth to Tang San.
"A name, huh…"
Hearing this, Ye Cheng realized that she was right. He had initially considered just calling her 'A Yin', but since she seemed to reject that past, it was better to give her a new identity.
"Hmm… since your body is made of Blue Silver Grass, how about just 'Lan'? And for your surname… you'll take mine. Ye Lan? Or maybe A Lan?"
Ye Cheng tested the name a few times and found it pleasant to the ear.
"Ye Lan…"
Hearing her new name, the Blue Silver Emperor now Ye Lan smiled brightly. It was as if, in this moment, she had truly freed herself from the shadow of her past.
"Yes! From now on, I am Ye Lan! You can also call me A Lan," she declared happily.
White Cloud City
Using spatial movement, Ye Cheng returned to the City Lord's Mansion with Ye Lan.
The moment they arrived, they ran into Sanjiu, one of the five sisters, who was patrolling the mansion. She paused in surprise when she saw the unfamiliar woman standing beside Ye Cheng.
Though Sanjiu had always been confident in her own beauty, the moment she saw Ye Lan, she felt a deep sense of inadequacy.
More than just appearance, Ye Lan possessed an innate aura a noble, gentle yet commanding presence, like a queen destined to rule the world.
Standing beside Ye Cheng, she seemed perfectly matched with him a pairing too natural to ignore.
"Master, who is this?"
Though she remained calm on the surface, Sanjiu felt an unexplainable sting of jealousy in her heart.
But she knew her place.
She was merely a maid, not someone who had the right to be jealous.
"This is A Lan. From now on, she will be staying in the mansion," Ye Cheng stated plainly. He didn't explain their relationship in detail, simply adding, "Sanjiu, from now on, A Lan has free access to the mansion aside from a few restricted areas."
Sanjiu hesitated briefly before asking,
"Master… does that mean Miss A Lan is our mistress?"
If she were just a guest, there was no need to grant her such special privileges. The only logical explanation was that she held a special place in Ye Cheng's life.
Normally, a servant would never dare ask such a question.
After all, for a mere maid to question her master's personal affairs was a grave overstep a severe act of disrespect.
But the five sisters were not ordinary maids.
Moreover, Ye Cheng had never treated them as mere servants.
In White Cloud City, there was no slavery every attendant and guard was there on a voluntary employment basis, free to leave at any time.
As a modern man, Ye Cheng had always despised the barbaric practices of this world.
Because of this, even though the five sisters always addressed him as 'Master', their actual relationship was that of equals an employer and employees who respected each other.
That was why Sanjiu dared to ask directly, knowing she wouldn't be punished for overstepping.
"Mistress?"
Seeing her hesitant yet curious expression, Ye Cheng smirked and messed up her neatly combed hair, playfully ruffling her head.
"You little brat! Instead of standing here overthinking things, hurry up and take care of what I told you to do!"
After getting his fill of teasing, Ye Cheng walked away without answering.
Ye Lan quickly followed after him, leaving behind an exasperated Sanjiu with her hair in complete disarray.
She pouted, arms crossed, and muttered,
"So in the end… he still didn't answer whether she's the mistress or not!"
(End of Chapter)
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