Ah Yin saw Jiang Yunzhou walk towards the three girls like that, and she hesitated to speak.
At this moment, her heart was in turmoil, a chaotic mess.
Should she ask for her Spirit Bone back? She couldn't bring herself to, and she didn't even think of asking.
She also wanted to explain, but he wouldn't listen.
Tang Hao left just like that. Although it was the right thing to do, and it was what she wanted in her heart.
She felt an emptiness in her heart now.
If it were before, he would have fought desperately for her, wouldn't he?
Was it because he knew Jiang Yunzhou wouldn't do anything to her that he left so decisively?
These thoughts made her restless.
Her revealing her soul body not only made Jiang Yunzhou distant from her but also created a rift between her and Tang Hao. She regretted not continuing to feign death.
So, in the end, was she the one who got hurt?
The three little girls looked at Jiang Yunzhou with adoration. They had witnessed the entire process; their teacher was simply domineering and incredibly handsome.
Ning Rongrong saw Jiang Yunzhou approaching, quickly squeezed out a tear, and flew into his arms:
"Wuwuwu, Teacher, you scared this baby to death! You almost wouldn't see me again!"
Tang Hao's appearance once again confirmed something Jiang Yunzhou had said to Xiao Wu.
This made her admire Jiang Yunzhou even more. She was never a quiet person, so she actively snuggled up to him: "Teacher, this bunny also wants Teacher's comfort."
Jiang Yunzhou couldn't help but laugh, ruffling their hair one by one: "Good girls, it's alright now. It's all my carelessness that made you all frightened."
He looked up at Zhu Qing, who was still standing there somewhat reserved, and teased her with a raised eyebrow: "Little Zhu Qing, do you need Teacher's broad chest to lean on for a bit?"
Zhu Qing's small face flushed, but she no longer hesitated, directly throwing herself into his arms and muttering: "Yes."
Jiang Yunzhou smiled and hugged all three girls: "With Teacher, you can always be yourselves. Whether you're rowdy or acting spoiled, I'll take it."
"Then Teacher, quickly hug this baby!"
"And, and, this bunny also wants a hug!"
The three immediately crowded together, crying and laughing, making a ruckus.
Ah Yin, in the distance, silently watched this scene, feeling both warmth and bitterness in her heart.
The man who once made her so angry her endocrine system went awry now didn't even spare her a glance.
Jiang Yunzhou took the three girls and gradually walked away, never looking back once.
Ah Yin stood rooted to the spot, gazing in the direction they disappeared, motionless for a long time.
Even though she was a soul body, she inexplicably felt a pang in her heart.
She always thought Jiang Yunzhou had another motive for sending her back to the Lan Yin Clan Territory.
But this time, he actually left without even looking back, not even leaving a 'goodbye'.
Ah Yin couldn't help but wonder: What exactly in her Lan Yin Clan Territory was worth him coveting?
The things she left behind were useless to him.
Plotting against the Lan Yin King?
Even more impossible; that guy clearly had better options.
After much thought, everything he had said and done these past two days seemed to be for her consideration.
If there had to be a motive, could it be her herself?
As soon as this thought emerged, she immediately shook her head again.
Of course, she also thought of her Spirit Bone, but she felt that it was all Tang Hao's own doing.
From their conversation, she knew that Tang Hao had always been provoking Jiang Yunzhou.
The reason Jiang Yunzhou stole her was also because of Tang Hao.
She pondered, left and right, and concluded that none of this could be blamed on Jiang Yunzhou!
Now Tang Hao had run away, and Jiang Yunzhou had also left.
She should have been used to the loneliness of being alone, but at this moment, she inexplicably felt it was too quiet.
She wondered when she had gotten used to that guy's boisterousness and the chattering of those little girls.
She also thought of a possibility: was Jiang Yunzhou not saying goodbye because he was afraid she would ask him for that leg back?
She seemed to have never even entertained that thought.
"My Spirit Bone can be considered an apology."
"Perhaps he was right; I really should live for myself for once."
Her heart wavered, and she began to have selfish thoughts.
The Lan Yin Clan Territory indeed contained opportunities that could transform ordinary Lan Yin Grass into an empress, which she had originally saved for Tang San.
But now, a thought quietly emerged in her mind:
These opportunities could also allow her to recover quickly and re-form.
She no longer hesitated. After returning to her main body, she began to absorb the essence power contributed by countless Lan Yin Grass subjects.
Across the entire continent, Lan Yin Grass numbered in the trillions. As an empress, she needed the assistance of her subjects, who spared no effort in contributing their essence.
Her main body grew at a visible speed, now several times taller than the Lan Yin King.
This was the limit that only an empress's bloodline could break through.
One day, two days, three days... Time flowed by unnoticed, like years in the mountains.
And her previously lost essence was being replenished little by little.
After an unknown period, she finally recovered enough cultivation to re-form.
The time was not long, after all, far from reaching her peak. She had probably only recovered about two-thirds of her former self.
Her subjects had already sacrificed too much for her, so she stopped accepting their gifts.
She made this decision after confirming that she could re-form.
One night.
Ah Yin's main body suddenly burst forth with dazzling blue light. Her branches rapidly retracted and intertwined, eventually forming a gigantic blue cocoon.
A new life was being nurtured within the cocoon.
As the essence energy continuously surged in, the new life gradually took shape.
Finally, the main body dissipated, and a brand new Lan Yin Emperor was born.
There would only ever be one Lan Yin Emperor in the world, and Ah Yin had returned as the empress.
This also cut off Tang San's possibility of becoming the Lan Yin Emperor, a huge loss for him.
If Tang San knew that the opportunity he would have received in the future was taken by his mother, he wondered what his thoughts would be.
If Tang San hadn't shattered her hopes when he shattered the flowerpot.
Perhaps Ah Yin would still have chosen to leave this opportunity for him.
Because she had not recovered to her peak state, her appearance after this transformation was different from before.
The Lan Yin Emperor now looked like she was only twenty years old, with flowing, enchanting blue hair swaying in the wind, and eyes like a deep starry sky.
Since she decided to be herself again, she had to sever ties with the past.
After closing her eyes in contemplation, she spoke softly: "From now on, there will be no Ah Yin in this world."
She smiled faintly, a beauty that could enchant the world. Her voice was clear and cold, yet carried the majesty of an empress: "Henceforth, my name shall be—Lan."
"My Empress! You have finally returned!" The Lan Yin King's voice trembled with excitement.
Lan slowly raised her eyes, her gaze falling upon this loyal old minister, her tone calm but with an undeniable authority:
"Lan Yin King, your days are numbered. Do you have any unfulfilled wishes?"
The Lan Yin King replied without hesitation: "Your subject is willing to offer his last strength, to dedicate everything to my Empress."
Lan didn't hesitate, nodding gently and spreading her arms.
As an empress, she should be decisive, not hesitant.
The Lan Yin King's plant body gradually transformed into shimmering blue light, eventually coalescing into a pure energy that surged into her body.
Her first spirit ring was also lit at this moment, first turning from white to yellow, then tinged with light purple, finally settling into a deep purple.
Lan frowned slightly: "Still a bit weak, huh."
However, she wasn't panicking, because this spirit ring could continue to grow.
She closed her eyes and continued to consume her essence to condense spirit rings—the second, the third, the fourth... It wasn't until the fourth spirit ring took shape, and her essence was almost completely depleted, that she finally stopped.
"Essence is exhausted..."
She knew very well that if she was willing to wait a little longer, she could have condensed six spirit rings at once, reaching her adult form.
But for some reason, she suddenly didn't want to wait.
She became increasingly unable to tolerate loneliness, and her inner self grew more obsessive.
She felt as if she had been infected; every day without someone to chat with her, without the chirping sounds, she always felt something was missing.
"Four spirit rings are enough."
She gazed into the distance, murmuring softly: "Jiang Yunzhou, you really misunderstood me."