Chapter 624 - 508: Fellow Daoist Xiao, Are You Willing to Come with Me?
Chapter 624: Chapter 508: Fellow Daoist Xiao, Are You Willing to Come with Me?
The evening breeze swept through the bamboo forest, rustling the tips of the stalks before gently drifting into the courtyard.
Outside the bamboo courtyard’s fence, Gui Junmeng and the calico cat stared at each other for a long time.
The young woman gently brushed her skirt, crouched down, and took a piece of pastry from her robes, holding it in her palm.
As if understanding her intent, the calico cat padded forward with light steps, its supple body swaying as it slowly approached her feet and lowered its head to eat the pastry.
After finishing, the calico cat affectionately rubbed against her calf.
Gui Junmeng reached out and stroked its fur, one gentle and meticulous motion at a time, from its head to its neck, and then all the way down its fluffy tail.
The little stray cat narrowed its eyes, its expression one of pure bliss as a soft purr rumbled in its throat.
Meanwhile, inside the courtyard, Xiao Mo was lost in deep thought, mulling over what Daoist Yun Xi had just said.
Seeing Xiao Mo’s furrowed brow, Daoist Yun Xi continued, "If they cannot step into the Ascension Realm within a thousand years, they will not live past a millennium. But thankfully, heaven never bars all paths..."
Her gaze fell upon Xiao Mo, her tone growing a few degrees more solemn than before. "And you, Xiao Mo, are the variable in their fate."
"I hope Daoist Yun Xi will enlighten me."
Xiao Mo looked up, his gaze steady and his tone carrying an unprecedented seriousness.
"Your talent for Daoist Skills is high. Very, very high. And most importantly, in all these years, you are the first man capable of practicing the *Great Dream of Yellow Millet*."
Daoist Yun Xi folded her hands in her lap and tilted her head up slightly. Her gaze seemed to pierce through the deepening night and past the boundless stars, as if trying to see through the very fabric of the night sky.
"The origin of the *Great Dream of Yellow Millet* is not as simple as you think. Even Senior Gui and I only have a partial understanding of this Cultivation Technique."
"However..."
Daoist Yun Xi raised a hand, her movements composed and graceful as she tucked a strand of hair the evening breeze had tousled behind her ear.
"In the latter part of the *Great Dream of Yellow Millet*, a Dual Cultivation Technique is recorded. If you can dual cultivate with Jun Meng, you can complete her Great Dao for her and help her step into the Immortal Realm."
"At that point, Jun Meng will truly become an independent person, no longer influenced by her ’sister’."
"Furthermore..." Daoist Yun Xi looked at Xiao Mo. "Jun Meng’s Innate Dao Seed Body can also nourish you in return, aiding your own cultivation."
"Therefore, becoming husband-and-wife Daoist partners with Jun Meng is by no means a loss for you. From then on, the two of you can ascend the Great Dao together. Whether in the Demon Race’s World or the World of Ten Thousand Laws, you can go anywhere you please, and no one will be able to stop you."
Xiao Mo lowered his head, sinking into contemplation without answering immediately.
After a moment, he raised his head and looked at Daoist Yun Xi seriously, his gaze holding both gravity and inquiry. "Then may I ask Daoist Yun Xi, if I dual cultivate with Jun Meng and her Great Dao is completed, what will happen to Jing Ci?"
Hearing Xiao Mo’s question, Daoist Yun Xi shook her head, a flicker of sorrow quietly passing through her eyes.
But she did not hide anything and continued to speak the truth:
"Jing Ci possesses the bloodline of a Nine-tailed Celestial Fox, and the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox clan attains the Dao through ’love’. This path of ’love’... how difficult it is, and how illusory and ephemeral."
"It is not difficult for a Nine-tailed Celestial Fox to enter the Immortal Realm, but to enter the Ascension Realm? How many in this world have ever succeeded?"
"If you dual cultivate with Jun Meng, then Jun Meng can live."
"But if you continue to stay by Jing Ci’s side, and if the time comes when Jing Ci cannot attain the Dao through ’love’..." Her voice paused for a moment. "Then they... will both die."
The night wind rustled through the bamboo tips, SHUSHING softly, as if sighing on someone’s behalf.
"In other words, Daoist Yun Xi wants me to choose Jun Meng and leave Jing Ci to her fate?" Xiao Mo understood Daoist Yun Xi’s meaning.
Daoist Yun Xi closed her eyes. After a long moment, she slowly opened them, turned to look at Xiao Mo, and said calmly, "Yes."
"Fellow Daoist Xiao, you saved Tushan Jing Ci once when you were a child. Tushan Xinhua gave you the *Great Dream of Yellow Millet* so that you could make this choice."
"No matter what choice you make, no one will blame you."
"But if you marry Jun Meng, the two of you will surely become a blessed Immortal couple and ascend the Great Dao together!"
Daoist Yun Xi watched Xiao Mo quietly, her gaze gentle and serene. Her tone held no trace of pressure, only a placid sense of waiting:
"I have said all that needs to be said."
"So, Fellow Daoist Xiao, are you willing to come with me?"
...
In the courtyard halfway up the mountain, moonlight flowed like water, quietly spilling over the eaves and stone steps.
Tushan Jing Ci lay on her bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
As she tossed and turned, the silken quilt became finely wrinkled, but her heart refused to calm down.
’I wonder how Xiao Mo is doing right now...’
She murmured to herself, her voice as soft as a whisper.
’Should I... go find him again?’
The moment the thought surfaced, she abruptly buried her face in her pillow. Only her beautiful, shimmering fox-like eyes were visible as her cheeks burned with embarrassment.
’But I just said all those things to him not long ago. It feels so embarrassing...’
She rubbed her burning cheeks against the pillow, trying to hide them again and again, but her heart simply wouldn’t settle down.
’Forget it!’ Tushan Jing Ci suddenly sat up and took a deep breath, as if steeling her courage. ’I’ve already said it, so who cares if it’s embarrassing? I just want to see him!’
She deftly swung her legs out of bed, threw on an outer robe, pushed open the door, and walked out.
However, the moment the young woman stepped into the courtyard, her steps halted abruptly. Her eyes narrowed, and her entire body froze as if she had been petrified.
"Mo... Mother..."
Looking at the familiar figure seated on the stone bench in the courtyard, Tushan Jing Ci cried out in surprise, recognizing her instantly.
"Mm," Tushan Xinhua nodded with a smile and turned sideways, her gentle gaze falling upon her daughter. "Jing Ci, it’s been three years..."
"Mother, why are you here?" Tushan Jing Ci hurried forward, her heart filled with surprise.
She wasn’t particularly bothered by the fact that she hadn’t seen her mother in three years.
After all, to a Cultivator, three years was like three months to a mortal—a mere blink of an eye.
But...
Every time her mother came to visit, she would always send a message via flying letter to inform her beforehand.
An unannounced, sudden visit like today’s was a first.
Tushan Xinhua didn’t answer right away. She simply folded her hands before her and quietly gazed at the small path that snaked down from the mountainside to the foot of the mountain.
Moonlight spilled onto her profile, her expression serene and distant, as if she were waiting for something.
"Daughter," she began, her voice as soft as the evening wind brushing against a flower’s tip, "Mother came tonight to wait for a result."