Chapter 651: Chapter 527: Can I Only Choose One?

Xiang Niang’s small hands clutched her skirt tightly. Her words tumbled out in a jumbled mess as she poured out everything she knew, desperately trying to convince Xiao Mo to change his mind.

"Young Master, do you know how our Grand Elder managed to step into the Ascension Realm all those years ago?"

"Back then, our Grand Elder also had a lover. The two were deeply in love. But at the time, our Nine-tailed Celestial Fox clan had no Ascension Realm Cultivator to protect us. The highest Realm in the clan was only Immortal Realm Perfection."

"And as you know, Young Master, the territory our Nine-tailed Celestial Fox clan occupies is one of the most spiritually abundant regions in the entire Demon Race’s World. Which Sect wouldn’t covet it?"

"So later, seven Sects and Dynasties joined forces to besiege our Tushan."

"I heard from my great-grandmother that at the critical moment when Tushan was about to be breached, the Grand Elder took up a longsword with her own hands and killed her beloved. Then, she took out his Demon Pill and swallowed it on the spot."

"On that very day, the Grand Elder broke through to the Ascension Realm in one fell swoop. Empowered by the Tushan Array, she single-handedly repelled all seven of the invading Sects and Dynasties."

"And afterward, the Grand Elder slaughtered every last person from those seven Sects and Dynasties—from their Emperors and Sect Leaders down to the common disciples and citizens. Not a single soul was left alive!"

Hearing Xiang Niang recount this story, Xiao Mo felt a pang of surprise. It was the first time he had ever heard of this secret past of the Tushan Grand Elder.

"So you see, Young Master, how could someone like the Grand Elder, who values Tushan’s interests above all else, possibly agree to you and Miss Jing Ci being together in good faith?" Xiang Niang sighed heavily. "I’m afraid that she’s..."

"She wants to kill me with a borrowed knife, right? It would be best if I just died quietly on the battlefield. That way, it would be the best possible outcome for both Jing Ci and Tushan."

Xiao Mo picked up where she left off, finishing her sentence with a smile.

"..." Xiang Niang didn’t respond, merely lowering her head in tacit agreement.

"Xiang Niang, everything you just said... I’m actually well aware of it all," Xiao Mo said, smiling at her.

"Then why are you still running off to a battlefield where you’ll almost certainly die, Young Master?"

Xiang Niang grew even more anxious.

’Why is the Young Master so stubborn?’

"It’s precisely because I understand the Grand Elder’s intentions that I have to do this," Xiao Mo said with a slight smile, his gaze drifting into the distance. "And I must."

"Oh, my dear Young Master! I know Miss Jing Ci is breathtakingly beautiful—so beautiful that I wouldn’t even dream of comparing myself to her. But Young Master, you have to face reality!"

"Your status and Miss Jing Ci’s are simply too far apart. There’s no way Tushan would ever allow a human and a fox to be together."

"I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with you wanting to punch above your weight, but even if you do, you have to be alive to do it, right...?"

"Wouldn’t it be nice to have a litter of little foxes with me instead, Young Master? Really... I’m not ugly, you know..."

Xiao Mo shook his head. "This has nothing to do with looks."

"It’s just that I once promised Jing Ci I would protect her for her entire life. Since I’ve given my word, I must see it through."

Xiao Mo looked at Xiang Niang with a gentle gaze. His tone was light, but it carried an undeniable resolve.

’Even if it’s in a way that Jing Ci wouldn’t like.’

...

「Wangyue Peak. The Summit.」

After Xiao Mo left, Grand Elder Tushan Meng was still holding a watering can, tending to the flowers and plants in her courtyard.

After a moment, Tushan Meng spoke slowly, as if talking to herself. "Xiao Mo has left. He’s agreed to participate in the great battle."

Tushan Xinhua descended lightly from the sky and walked to her master’s side. "Does Xiao Mo... have to die?" she asked in a low voice.

"Hehehe... We’ve already come this far, and you’re still spouting such nonsense?"

Tushan Meng turned, her gaze as calm as still water as she looked at her eldest disciple.

"Have you forgotten how you reached Immortal Realm Perfection? Wasn’t it after your husband died? If your Root Bone hadn’t been damaged back then, with your aptitude, stepping into the Ascension Realm wouldn’t have been impossible."

"In that great battle for Tushan, I was gravely injured. I don’t have many years left. Our Tushan *must* have another Ascension Realm Cultivator to watch over it!"

"This isn’t just for Tushan, it’s for Jing Ci’s sake as well. What? Do you want to wait a thousand years and watch helplessly as your daughter’s life runs out? To have the old bury the young?"

"Tushan Xinhua! Do not forget, Jing Ci’s Great Dao is damaged! She now has a mere thousand years to live!"

By the end, Tushan Meng’s voice grew louder, taking on a tone that was almost a reprimand.

Tushan Xinhua’s hands gripped her skirt tightly, her expression still filled with pained reluctance.

"You... *Sigh*... you’re just too soft-hearted." Seeing her disciple’s expression, Tushan Meng couldn’t help but sigh. She then called out toward the courtyard entrance, "Xiao’er, I have a task for you."

The moment her voice fell, a woman’s figure emerged silently from the shadows, kneeling on one knee before Tushan Meng. "Grand Elder, your orders?" she said respectfully.

"For this battle, I will have the Fifth Elder personally go to the battlefield to take command. Give this letter to her, and make sure she acts precisely according to the contents I have written."

Tushan Meng looked at the woman named Xiao’er and instructed her in a calm voice.

"At the same time, I want you to accompany the army to the battlefield and stay by Xiao Mo’s side. Within ten years, I must hear news of his death. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Grand Elder!" Xiao’er nodded firmly. The next moment, her figure flickered and vanished from the courtyard.

"Xinhua, you can rest assured. Xiao Mo’s death will have nothing to do with you or me."

Tushan Meng patted her disciple’s shoulder and said in a gentle voice.

"I will make Xiao Mo’s death look completely natural. There will be no loose ends. That child, Jing Ci, will never know the truth behind it, and she won’t resent us for it."

"And after Xiao Mo dies, our Tushan clan will have a successor whose cultivation will far surpass my own!"

"Grand Elder," Tushan Xinhua raised her head to look at Tushan Meng and asked softly, "what about Jun Meng? What will happen to her?"

"That child doesn’t need to prove her Dao through love. In the future, she might be able to find a more suitable partner for dual cultivation."

Tushan Meng’s voice turned cold.

"Besides, even if she never finds one, so what?"

"Xinhua, she has the blood of the Human Race flowing through her veins. She has little to do with our Tushan. And between the two of them, you know in your heart that you can only choose one to keep!"

"Enough. I’m tired. I’m going back to my room to rest."

Tushan Meng said no more and turned to walk straight back into the house.

Standing in the courtyard, Tushan Xinhua remained lost in thought for a long, long time.

Finally, she lifted her head, her gaze drifting toward the distant horizon.

’I can only choose one...?’

Her mind couldn’t help but recall the words that young man had once said to her and Yun Xi—

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

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