Chapter 618: Chapter 502: These Thoughts of Mine Are Wrong

Tushan Jing Ci raced down the mountain.

Behind her, the setting sun cast a long, slanted shadow that swayed gently with her running form.

The moment she reached the bamboo courtyard, however, her steps slowed involuntarily.

’I... what did I run all the way here for?’

For a moment, Tushan Jing Ci was in a daze, completely unsure of what she was doing.

She just felt a sense of panic. She wanted to see Xiao Mo, and she didn’t want him to be alone with Sister Liu Shui.

But when she actually arrived at the bamboo courtyard, her heart filled with regret.

Tushan Jing Ci suddenly realized, ’Even if I go in, what can I possibly do?’

’If Xiao Mo and Sister Liu Shui really are together, what could I do about it?’

’Could I really stop them?’

’Could I tear them apart?’

Lost in her chaotic thoughts, she walked forward unconsciously.

Before she knew it, she had arrived outside Xiao Mo’s bamboo courtyard.

Tushan Jing Ci looked up and her eyes immediately fell upon Xiao Mo and Liu Shui in the courtyard. Startled, she quickly ducked behind a few bamboo stalks and used her Lifebound Divine Abilities to conceal her presence.

Her slender hand resting gently on a stalk of emerald bamboo, she hid her body in its shadow. She stared unblinkingly at the two people in the courtyard, her heart POUNDING in her chest, faster and faster with each beat.

Her grip on the bamboo tightened, her fingertips turning pale. She was terrified that Xiao Mo and Liu Shui might do something intimate.

Tushan Jing Ci desperately wanted to hear what they were saying, but there was an Array in the courtyard that blocked Divine Sense. She couldn’t hear a thing, which only made her more anxious, as if a fire were burning within her.

「A little while later.」

Tushan Jing Ci saw Xiao Mo take a step back and give Sister Liu Shui a respectful bow.

Sister Liu Shui, standing before Xiao Mo, looked stunned. She stood frozen in place, her hands clutching her sleeves, as if silently waiting for him to speak.

When Xiao Mo seemed to have finished speaking, Tushan Jing Ci saw it clearly—Sister Liu Shui’s eyes quivered, as if she had been struck in the heart. She seemed lost in a daze for a long time.

Finally, Tushan Jing Ci only saw Sister Liu Shui cover her mouth and run out of the courtyard.

As Liu Shui ran out toward the bamboo forest, she headed directly toward Tushan Jing Ci’s hiding spot.

Liu Shui was startled when she came face-to-face with Tushan Jing Ci, and she stopped in her tracks.

"Sister Liu Shui..."

Tushan Jing Ci gazed at Liu Shui’s trembling eyes. Glistening teardrops clung to their reddened corners, looking as if they might fall at any second. For a moment, Jing Ci was at a loss for words.

She didn’t know what had happened between Sister Liu Shui and Xiao Mo.

’But... it probably wasn’t good...’

"Greetings, Miss Tushan..." Liu Shui curtsied, her trembling voice thick with a sob she couldn’t suppress. "Um... Miss Tushan, I have some other matters to attend to, so... I’ll take my leave."

With that, she gently wiped the tears from her eyes and couldn’t resist one last, reluctant glance back toward the courtyard. Only then did she turn and run off, her figure gradually vanishing deep within the bamboo forest.

After Liu Shui left, Tushan Jing Ci’s gaze fell back on Xiao Mo in the courtyard.

She saw Xiao Mo gazing in the direction Sister Liu Shui had gone, his expression tinged with guilt. His brow was slightly furrowed, as if he’d done something to weigh on his conscience.

After a good while, Xiao Mo finally withdrew his gaze. He turned, saw Tushan Jing Ci standing outside the courtyard, and smiled gently. "Miss Tushan, what brings you here?" he asked in a warm voice.

"I... I..."

Her eyes flickered, her mind racing to come up with an explanation for her presence.

"I just came out of seclusion in Ruffing Forest. Since I had nothing important to do, I thought I’d come see you. I was worried you might be bored all alone."

As she spoke, she casually strolled into the courtyard. She looked around, touching the stone table one moment and a bamboo branch the next, feigning a nonchalant air.

Then, she lifted her beautiful eyes to look directly into Xiao Mo’s. Her throat tightened, and she hesitated, words caught on her tongue. But finally, she spoke.

"So, Xiao Mo, why did Sister Liu Shui run off crying? Did you bully her?"

"That... I wouldn’t call it bullying." Xiao Mo shook his head and sat on the stone stool, his expression unreadably complex.

"Then why did Sister Liu Shui look like she was about to cry?"

Tushan Jing Ci clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward slightly from her slender waist. Her tone was that of someone defending Liu Shui, but deep within her beautiful eyes, an unmistakable tension was hidden.

"It’s really nothing." Xiao Mo gave a refined smile, not wanting to reveal Liu Shui’s private affairs. He stood up, a hint of weariness on his face. "I’m a little tired. I’m going to my room to rest for a bit. I’m afraid I can’t keep you company. Perhaps you should head back for today."

With that, he turned and walked toward his room.

Watching Xiao Mo’s retreating back, Tushan Jing Ci bit her lip. Hesitation and conflict warred in her eyes as her hands unconsciously tightened their grip on her skirt.

Just as Xiao Mo was about to step through the door, Tushan Jing Ci suddenly raised her head and shouted at his back, "Xiao Mo!"

"Hm?" Xiao Mo stopped, turned around, and looked at her with a gentle gaze.

Tushan Jing Ci took a deep breath, as if steeling herself. Her voice came out softer than she intended. "Did Sister Liu Shui... confess her feelings to you?"

Xiao Mo was slightly stunned. "Miss Tushan... how did you..."

He hadn’t expected Jing Ci to guess.

"I... I ran into Sister Liu Shui on her way back when I came out of Ruffing Forest today." Tushan Jing Ci lowered her gaze, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks as her voice grew quieter. "She asked me... she asked if... if you could ever like a woman like her."

She paused for a moment, as if it took a great deal of effort to say the next words.

"So... Sister Liu Shui really did confess to you? And you two... seeing how she looked, did you..."

"It is as you think..."

Though she hadn’t finished her sentence, Xiao Mo already understood her question. He gave a slight nod, not denying it.

"I rejected Sister Liu Shui."

"Why?" Tushan Jing Ci lowered her head, her slender fingers twisting together unconsciously. "Sister Liu Shui is such a wonderful person..."

Her voice dwindled until it was barely a whisper, audible only to herself.

A strange feeling grew in her heart.

’She was obviously sad for Sister Liu Shui, yet deep down, she felt a faint sense of relief.’

’And she knew, with absolute certainty, that having such thoughts was wrong.’

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