Chapter 617 - 501: What Were You Up To Earlier?
In the bamboo courtyard, Xiao Mo was meditating to stabilize his newfound Golden Core Realm.
Truthfully, even Xiao Mo himself had never expected this period of seclusion to culminate in a breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm.
He took a deep breath and continued to meticulously sense every change within himself, as well as the rhythm of the heaven and earth outside.
The *Great Dream of Yellow Millet* now felt as if it had completely merged into his very blood, becoming an inseparable part of him.
Over the past three years, both Xiao Mo’s Spiritual Power and Divine Soul had been tremendously tempered and enhanced.
What he found even more wondrous was how his mind seemed to have opened, achieving a new level of clarity.
Recalling the Daoist Sect classics he had read in the past, he now found himself grasping insights that had previously eluded him.
Furthermore, thanks to the profundity of the *Great Dream of Yellow Millet*, Xiao Mo could faintly perceive the network of Dao-rhythms flowing around him, each subtle strand registering clearly in his mind.
"Young Master."
Just as Xiao Mo was still basking in the afterglow of the *Great Dream of Yellow Millet*, a soft, familiar female voice called out from outside the courtyard.
Xiao Mo looked up, a pleasant surprise coloring his expression. "Sister Liu Shui, you’re back."
He quickly got to his feet, went to open the courtyard gate, then turned to pour a cup of tea and offered it to Liu Shui.
"Sister Liu Shui, please, come in."
"Thank you, Young Master."
Liu Shui accepted the teacup but didn’t drink it right away. Instead, her gaze fixed on Xiao Mo, her eyes filled with a joy that spoke of a long separation.
"You’ve gotten even more handsome after your seclusion, Young Master. Plus, I heard from Mr. Xian that you’ve broken through to the Golden Core Realm! That’s truly incredible."
"Haha, it was just a stroke of luck." Xiao Mo chuckled and invited Liu Shui to sit, his gaze sweeping over her as well. "Judging by your aura, you must have reached Mid-stage Foundation Establishment yourself, Sister Liu Shui. If you continue to cultivate so diligently, I imagine breaking through to the Golden Core Realm won’t be a difficult feat for you in the future."
Xiao Mo wasn’t just making polite conversation.
While Liu Shui’s aptitude wasn’t on par with a cultivation prodigy, it was by no means poor.
With enough resources to support her, Liu Shui should have no major issues reaching the Golden Core Realm in the future.
However, aspiring to the Nascent Soul Realm would likely be far more difficult.
"Of course I have to be diligent. Even with all your talent, you still cultivate so hard, Young Master. How could someone with my limited aptitude dare to slack off?" Liu Shui offered a gentle smile; being praised by Xiao Mo sent a ripple of joy through her heart.
"It’s good that you don’t slack off. The path to immortality is long, and there are countless challenges to face. Only by remaining true to your heart and never growing complacent can you walk further."
Xiao Mo nodded, took a sip of tea, and looked at Liu Shui with a smile.
"I heard from Jing Ci that you left this time because Aunt Liu took you to meet potential suitors. Did you happen to meet anyone you fancy?"
"Young Master Xiao, please don’t tease me."
A blush crept up Liu Shui’s cheeks. Her slender, pale fingers clutched the hem of her skirt so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
"My mother was truly thinking of my best interests, and those men were all fine... but I simply had no such feelings for them. Thankfully, I’ve told my mother about my commitment to cultivation, so she won’t make me meet any more suitors in the future."
"And most importantly..." Liu Shui lifted her gaze to meet Xiao Mo’s, her eyes holding a seriousness and resolve he had never seen before. "The truth is, I already have someone I like in my heart."
"Oh?" Xiao Mo paused, taken aback. He then smiled and said, "I had no idea you already had someone in mind, Sister Liu Shui. I wonder which young master is fortunate enough to have earned your affection?"
"It’s not about earning my affection..."
Liu Shui’s eyes grew moist, glistening like a clear spring. Her voice was soft, yet exceptionally clear.
"The person I like... is right in front of me..."
...
In a courtyard halfway up the mountain, a peach tree was in full bloom, its pink petals fluttering through the air.
Tushan Jing Ci stared at the peach tree in the courtyard, lost in a daze, her gaze vacant as her mind wandered.
’Miss Tushan... do you think... Xiao Mo would like a woman like me?’
The words Liu Shui had spoken to her echoed over and over in Tushan Jing Ci’s mind. She felt her heart was a tangled mess she couldn’t begin to unravel.
’Sister Liu Shui should have seen Xiao Mo by now, right?’
She muttered to herself, unconsciously twisting the fabric of her sleeve.
’What would Sister Liu Shui and Xiao Mo be talking about?’
’Sister Liu Shui must have... confessed her feelings to Xiao Mo by now, right?’
’And Xiao Mo... did he accept her or not?’
The further her thoughts spiraled, the more impossibly complex Tushan Jing Ci’s feelings became, like a dense knot of thread tightening in her chest that she could never hope to unravel.
The delicate fabric of her skirt was now a mass of wrinkles from her grip, the creases so deep they seemed impossible to smooth out.
’What if Xiao Mo accepts Sister Liu Shui...?’
Her voice grew softer and softer, until it was almost a whisper she herself could barely hear.
’What if the two of them... really become cultivation partners?’
’Sister Liu Shui is so beautiful, and she can take perfect care of Xiao Mo with all the housework and everything... Logically speaking, Xiao Mo should like a woman like her, right?’
She shot to her feet and began pacing back and forth across the courtyard. Her skirt swayed with her movements, and her slender shadow stretched long and then short with each step.
After a long moment, Tushan Jing Ci finally stopped, clasping her hands before her. She spoke to herself in a chiding tone:
’Sigh... Tushan Jing Ci, oh, Tushan Jing Ci! You like Xiao Mo, and Sister Liu Shui likes him too. What’s so complicated about that?’
’So what? You didn’t have the courage to confess to Xiao Mo yourself, and now that Sister Liu Shui has, you’re feeling upset about it?’
’What were you even doing all this time...?’
By the end, her voice was tinged with grievance and regret. The more she thought about it, the more pathetic she felt.
She sank back down onto the stone bench in the courtyard. Her gaze fell upon the tree of lush, blooming peach blossoms, but her eyes saw nothing.
Tushan Jing Ci blinked her lovely eyes. As her gaze shifted, no one could have possibly known what she was thinking.
The wind blew past, and a few petals drifted gently onto her shoulder, but she didn’t notice.
Suddenly.
Tushan Jing Ci shot to her feet.
She pursed her lips tightly. Her eyes, usually so gentle, now held an unprecedented look of determination.
Gathering her skirt, she ran down the mountain without a backward glance.
...
...
[Hey guys, I was supposed to have another Chapter or two out today, but something ridiculous happened.]
[I bought a new bed, but the seller sent the wrong frame and a bunch of other parts. Nothing fits, so the bed can’t be assembled at all.]
[Then the seller and the manufacturer started pointing fingers at each other, saying the assembly guy didn’t know what he was doing. The guy came twice and still couldn’t get the bed assembled. I also traded in my old bed for this new one, so now I have literally no bed to sleep on. I’ve been arguing with the seller since this afternoon, and they just keep telling me to wait for news, saying they need the manufacturer’s confirmation to send a replacement. I’m completely drained.]
[I’ve already filed a complaint with the consumer protection hotline. My head is spinning.]
[Here’s the problem: That was the only bed in my place. So where am I supposed to sleep tonight?]
[Sigh...]
[P.S. I kept this rant short so it won’t cost you guys extra to read.]