Beauties in Simulation Cross over into Reality

In the bamboo courtyard.

The rhythmic Dao aura surrounding Xiao Mo dissipated layer by layer, like a gentle breeze rippling across the water, and gradually settled into stillness.

He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, his gaze sweeping around before he looked down at himself.

The bamboo courtyard hadn’t changed in the slightest; it looked just as it had before he entered seclusion. Every blade of grass and every tree exuded a familiar warmth.

But he, on the other hand, had grown quite a bit taller.

Moreover, his hair was a mess, his nails had grown long, and his body was covered in filth. He was so disheveled from head to toe that even he could barely stand it.

"Awake?"

Xian Xichun strode into the courtyard. He looked Xiao Mo up and down, a gratified smile gracing his lips.

"Not bad, not bad at all. Three years of seclusion, and you’ve broken through directly from the Dragon Gate Realm to the Golden Core Realm. Truly remarkable. It seems the Cultivation Technique you practice is indeed a perfect match for you."

"You give me too much credit, Mr. Xian. I was just lucky." Xiao Mo bowed respectfully, then asked, "But, Mr. Xian, how long was I in seclusion?"

"Three years." Xian Xichun smiled and held up three fingers.

Hearing this, Xiao Mo couldn’t help but freeze for a moment.

He had thought it was only a year or so. He never imagined he had actually sat still in this bamboo courtyard for three whole years.

"Thank you for standing guard for me these past three years, Mr. Xian." Xiao Mo bowed again, his tone sincere and solemn.

"I didn’t really do much." Xian Xichun smiled and waved his hand dismissively, a profound look in his eyes. "Compared to me, there was someone else who came to see you whenever she had a free moment."

Before Xian Xichun could finish, he seemed to sense something, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "Speak of the devil, here she comes now."

"Alright, I won’t disturb you two. My duty of guarding you has been fulfilled perfectly. It’s time for me to go back and get some proper sleep. I haven’t even touched my own bed in three years."

Xian Xichun yawned, turned, and leisurely departed.

And just as Xian Xichun was walking away—

A young woman came jogging toward the courtyard from a distance.

Xiao Mo looked up. As he watched the figure outside the courtyard draw nearer, he of course recognized who it was right away.

But a look of surprise couldn’t help but appear in his eyes.

Compared to three years ago, the young woman before him had fully blossomed.

Both her figure and her face were much more mature than they had been. She had shed her former immaturity, gaining a certain charm that made it hard to look away.

Furthermore, if the girl she used to be only knew how to play and fool around, with a naive and carefree nature, unconcerned with the world...

...then the her of this moment seemed much more graceful and poised, more elegant and quiet. This subtle, settled-in temperament added another layer to her allure.

However, between her brows was a faint trace of worry that only comes with maturity, as if she were hiding the kind of secrets any ordinary young woman might have.

"Miss." Xiao Mo bowed respectfully.

Tushan Jing Ci didn’t answer. She just walked forward, step by step, slowly approaching Xiao Mo.

When she finally stood before him, her beautiful eyes trembled slightly and she swallowed, but she only stared at him blankly, unable to say a word.

Xiao Mo also gazed into the young woman’s bewitching, fox-like eyes.

He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but Xiao Mo felt that the way she looked at him had changed somehow. It wasn’t like before.

"Look how filthy you are." After a long moment, Tushan Jing Ci pursed her thin lips, her voice laced with an indescribable emotion. "Go take a bath. I’ll get you a change of clothes. Wait for me, and I’ll trim your long hair afterward."

"Thank you for your kindness, Miss, but I can do it myself," Xiao Mo subconsciously declined.

’After all, how could I let Jing Ci wait on me?’

"What’s the big deal?"

Tushan Jing Ci pouted.

"When you first started your seclusion, I was the one who cut your hair, trimmed your nails, and washed your face. It was only when you were halfway through that your body became shrouded in that Dao rhythm, and I couldn’t get near you anymore."

"This..." Xiao Mo still felt it was improper and, for a moment, didn’t know how to respond.

"Alright, alright, go on, go on! You’re filthy! You stink to high heaven."

Tushan Jing Ci’s words were full of disgust, but her small, soft white hand didn’t hesitate to grab Xiao Mo’s wrist and lead him out of the courtyard.

Arriving at a spring deep in the bamboo forest, Tushan Jing Ci told Xiao Mo to bathe in the pool, then turned and left to fetch him a set of clean clothes.

She used her Spiritual Power to carry the clothes, delivering them to the edge of the pool from a distance and setting them down gently.

After bathing, Xiao Mo changed into the clothes.

To his surprise, the clothes were a perfect fit.

They didn’t seem like ready-made garments bought casually at the market, but rather like something custom-tailored just for him. Every part of it fit just right.

After returning to the bamboo courtyard, Tushan Jing Ci offered to trim Xiao Mo’s nails, but he refused no matter what.

At Xiao Mo’s insistence, he ended up trimming his nails himself.

However, when it came to the haircut, he couldn’t win against Tushan Jing Ci. He sat down on the stone bench in the courtyard and let Jing Ci tend to his long, untrimmed hair.

Strands of hair drifted down from Xiao Mo’s head, scattering on the ground.

The young woman’s small, bonelessly soft hands moved slowly through his hair. The scissors crossing with the black strands made a crisp, soft SNIP SNIP sound.

But Xiao Mo gradually felt that Jing Ci was getting a little too close.

Her hair would occasionally brush against his cheek, carrying a faint, fresh scent.

What flustered him even more was that he could sometimes feel her cotton-soft Zishan Snow Sea, separated only by a thin layer of her dress, brushing against his shoulder and back, there and not there.

Xiao Mo straightened up slightly, trying to create a little distance, but the young woman immediately pressed his head back down.

"Don’t move. I’ll mess up your hair, and it’ll look awful," she said, pouting, her tone tinged with a playful reproach.

"..."

’Miss, you’re too close,’ Xiao Mo wanted to say.

But seeing that Jing Ci herself seemed completely unaware, he realized that mentioning it would only make things more awkward. So, he could only pretend he didn’t notice anything and sit there obediently.

In reality, how could Tushan Jing Ci, who was cutting Xiao Mo’s hair, not have noticed his head occasionally brushing against her chest?

A shy blush had already crept onto the young woman’s cheeks, but she forced herself to stay quiet.

Perhaps Tushan Jing Ci also started to feel the subtle shift in the atmosphere, so she took the initiative to speak, telling Xiao Mo, one by one, about the things she had experienced over the past three years.

It was then that Xiao Mo learned that Sister Liu Shui had left Cold Mountain Academy three years ago, but was now on her way back.

He also heard Jing Ci talk about her friend, Xu Bei’er.

What surprised him even more was that Jing Ci had actually passed the examination to become one of Cold Mountain Academy’s Virtuous People.

Although the Virtuous People of Cold Mountain Academy didn’t carry the same weight as those in the World of Ten Thousand Laws...

...it was still an incredible achievement, no matter how you looked at it.

The wisp of Literary Dao Fortune about her was undeniable.

Besides that, Tushan Jing Ci also chattered on about many other trivial matters.

In the bamboo courtyard, sunlight fell quietly, and only the young woman’s soft, clear voice echoed gently on the spring breeze.

She spoke.

He listened.

Although the two hadn’t seen each other in three years, there wasn’t the slightest hint of distance between them. It was as if time had never passed at all.

But as she spoke, Tushan Jing Ci gradually lowered her head, her gaze falling on him as her voice grew softer.

"Xiao Mo..."

She gripped the scissors in her hand, her fingertips tightening slightly.

"I have something... I want to tell you."

"What is it? Please, tell me, Miss," Xiao Mo replied.

"I..."

The young woman unconsciously pursed her lips. Her heart began to beat faster and faster, and the blush on her fair cheeks deepened, becoming as vibrant as the most delicate peach blossom in spring.

"I think... I’m in love with someone..."