Xiao Yun set down his pen, looked up at her, and smiled. "Mm. I looked over your records before and summarized what I learned about you. I know you're not someone who sows discord or betrays others. Besides, I agreed to let you cultivate with us, but the final results will still depend on you. Letting you cultivate with me is only a transaction. Whether you can stay, and how far you can cultivate, will ultimately depend on yourself. As for the rest, just ask Yan'er."
After saying that, he lowered his head and continued writing.
When Dugu Yan led her out of the Study Room, Ye Lingling's footsteps were slower than when she had arrived, as though she were still processing that brief exchange.
Dugu Yan did not look back. She merely said, "Please come with me. You'll be staying in the Start of Winter Courtyard. It's over here in the Winter Garden."
The gate of the Start of Winter Courtyard was smaller than that of the Main Courtyard. Beyond it lay a narrow yard paved with blue bricks, with a side room on either side and the door to the main house facing an old tree with bare branches in the center.
Dugu Yan led her inside, opening several doors in turn and introducing the purpose of each room. At last, she stopped before a heavy wooden door at the end of the corridor.
As soon as the door opened, Soul Power even denser than that in the courtyard rushed toward them. The density of Soul Power in the air seemed to have been gathered by some force, with no sign of it dispersing outward.
She stood at the entrance without stepping inside immediately. Only after sensing that aura, so utterly different from the outside world, did she