Chapter 625: Chapter 509: But, He Also Said One More Thing

An hour later.

The array in the courtyard quietly dissolved.

Xiao Mo walked Daoist Yun Xi out of the bamboo courtyard.

Seeing her master emerge, Gui Junmeng walked over and stood quietly by her side.

She held a docile calico cat in her arms. The cat’s eyes were narrowed, its tail resting lightly in the crook of her arm, looking lazy and content.

"There’s no need to see us out further, Fellow Daoist Xiao. You can stop here," Daoist Yun Xi said gently, turning to Xiao Mo.

"Take care, Daoist Yun Xi and Miss Gui." Xiao Mo bowed, then paused, his voice tinged with apology. "I’m sorry to have made you come all this way for nothing."

"Even if Jun Meng doesn’t say it, she has always wanted to meet the husband from her marriage contract." Daoist Yun Xi smiled faintly, her gaze kind. "The two of you meeting today means it wasn’t a completely wasted trip."

She took a jade pendant from her robes and offered it to Xiao Mo. "If you ever change your mind, Xiao Mo, or if you have any questions about Daoist Skills, you can use this jade pendant to visit me at the Seeking Immortal Temple at any time."

Xiao Mo looked at the jade pendant in Daoist Yun Xi’s palm. He hesitated for a moment before finally reaching out, taking it, and tucking it into his robes. "Thank you, Daoist Yun Xi."

"You’re welcome." Daoist Yun Xi nodded slightly and returned his bow. "Farewell."

"Take care, you two."

Xiao Mo watched as Daoist Yun Xi and Gui Junmeng walked toward the edge of the bamboo forest.

Under the moonlight, the figures of the master and disciple receded into the distance, their sleeves fluttering gently in the night breeze.

Another breeze rustled through the bamboo, the leaves whispering. By the time Xiao Mo looked up again, the two had vanished into the depths of the forest, as if they had never been there at all.

Returning to the courtyard, Xiao Mo slowly sat down on the steps.

His gaze fell upon the stone table, where the character for "one" had been split in two.

The tea on the table had long since dried, leaving behind only two faint water stains.

"A thousand years... twin souls..."

Xiao Mo murmured to himself.

He just sat there on the steps, completely still, as if he had passed into meditative stillness.

The moonlight shone down on him quietly, and the shadows of the bamboo swayed gently by his side.

No one knew what he was thinking.

...

After leaving Cold Mountain Academy, Yun Xi and Gui Junmeng walked on the crests of the wind, striding step by step into the distance.

The calico cat in the young woman’s arms clung tightly to her arm, its round eyes wide with what looked like a mortal fear of falling.

"What was your impression of Xiao Mo?" Yun Xi asked her disciple, her tone casual, as if making small talk.

Gui Junmeng thought for a moment, then answered deliberately, "He’s very handsome."

"He is very handsome. And?"

"He’s very tall," Gui Junmeng continued, her voice still just as calm.

"Anything else?"

"No..." Gui Junmeng shook her head, but after thinking a little more, she added slowly, "He seems more like a scholar than a Daoist."

"That’s true." Yun Xi nodded, a hint of approval in her eyes. "It is indeed rare for someone who practices Daoist Skills to give off the air of a scholar."

She turned her head to look at her disciple’s stunning profile. Reaching out, she gently stroked her hair with a tender, loving touch. "What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to ask me what his final answer was?"

"There’s no need to ask." Gui Junmeng’s eyes were as calm as still water, devoid of joy or sorrow, as if she had already foreseen everything. "Since Xiao Mo didn’t leave with you, Master, it means he refused."

"He did refuse."

Yun Xi’s gaze was distant as she looked at a small village at the foot of the mountain ahead.

"He said that matters of the heart should not be bound by a mere marriage contract, nor should they be constrained by the Great Dao. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a partnership between Daoist companions, but a transaction."

"Is that so..." Gui Junmeng lowered her head, her eyes blinking gently. Her long eyelashes cast faint shadows in the moonlight.

"But, he said one more thing..."

Daoist Yun Xi began to walk toward the small village, her voice drifting back to float clearly into Gui Junmeng’s ears, word by word.

"Whether it’s Jing Ci or Miss Gui—I will not let either of them die."

Hearing this, Gui Junmeng couldn’t help but stop in her tracks. She stood frozen to the spot, as if his words had rooted her there.

For a long, long time.

Gui Junmeng slowly turned her head and gazed back in the direction of the bamboo forest.

Moonlight, like water, spilled over her shoulders and through her hair.

Reflected in her clear, calm eyes, which were like still water, was the vast, starry river of the heavens.

...

「Liu Family Village.」

Night deepened. Most of the families in the village had already closed their doors and windows, resting in deep slumber.

Even the stray dogs were mostly dozing in front of doorways, their ears twitching from time to time, alert to any nighttime disturbances.

The occasional bark echoed from a distance, only to quickly fade into the tranquil night.

Sensing someone passing by, a few of the strays lazily lifted their heads, glanced at the two women walking past, then slowly closed their eyes and went back to sleep.

Meanwhile, in a private courtyard in Liu Family Village, Liu Shui’s mother sat on a wooden stool, sighing from time to time. She couldn’t help but keep looking toward her daughter’s room, her eyes filled with worry.

Earlier today, she and her daughter, Liu Shui, had just returned to Liu Family Village. After they had tidied up the house, Liu Shui’s mother watched her daughter leave, cheerful and full of anticipation, heading in the direction of Cold Mountain Academy.

Liu Shui’s mother knew in her heart.

Her daughter was going to see that Tushan family servant named Xiao Mo.

She was, of course, happy to see that her daughter had found someone she liked.

After all, even a Cultivator needs a companion by their side.

But in the evening, her daughter had run back into the courtyard with red-rimmed eyes, immediately shutting herself in her room. She refused to come out, not even taking a single bite of dinner.

Liu Shui’s mother knew then that something must have happened between her daughter and that young man, Xiao Mo.

She had tried to ask her daughter what was wrong, but she wouldn’t say anything, just stayed sullenly in her room without a word.

As a mother, all she could do was worry uselessly in the courtyard, her heart feeling as if it were being squeezed by something, unable to find any peace.

’No, I have to go talk to that girl.’

Liu Shui’s mother stood up, about to walk over to her daughter’s room to try and comfort her again.

But just then, a knock came from the courtyard gate.

’Who could it be this late?’ Liu Shui’s mother wondered, pausing. A possibility suddenly occurred to her. ’Could it be that Xiao Mo person? Did he make my daughter cry, regret it, and now he’s come looking for her?’

At this thought, she grabbed a nearby rolling pin and strode over to open the gate.

However, to her surprise—

Standing outside the gate was not the young man she had imagined, but two women as beautiful as celestial fairies.

The young woman holding a calico cat, in particular, was so exceptionally beautiful she seemed even more lovely than a fairy, making it impossible to look away.

"Please forgive us for visiting so late at night, madam."

Daoist Yun Xi bowed, her tone gentle and polite.

"You two Fairies are..." Liu Shui’s mother came to her senses, her hand holding the rolling pin involuntarily lowering as she asked, a little stunned.

"We’re looking for Miss Liu Shui."

Daoist Yun Xi smiled faintly, her voice as soft as the wind.

"Might Miss Liu Shui be at home?"

...

...

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