Chapter 506: Looking for You to Marry
Xiao Mo looked at the woman before him, his expression carrying a few traces of unconcealable surprise.
The woman before his eyes was almost identical to Tushan Jingci. Her features, expression, and figure had no difference whatsoever.
There were no two leaves in this world that were completely the same. Even twins could not possibly look exactly alike.
Yet this woman before him, aside from the color of her hair, had not the slightest difference from Jingci.
Beyond that, what Jingci carried more of was a young woman’s liveliness and delicate charm.
This woman before him, however, seemed as though she did not contend with the world. She was tranquil as still water, and her whole body held a cool, otherworldly air.
And the way she looked at him carried an indescribable meaning as well.
It was as if she had long since heard of him, and had heard of him for a very, very long time, and now had finally seen him in person.
“You are Xiao Mo?”
The young woman looked at Xiao Mo with a calm expression. The horsetail whisk held in her right hand rested lightly in the crook of her left arm, her bearing dignified and composed.
“Yes, I am Xiao Mo.” Xiao Mo bowed to the woman before him, his gaze carrying a hint of inquiry. “Do you know me, Miss?”
“It should be said... I suppose I know you, and also do not know you.”
Gui Junmeng blinked softly. Her words carried a meaning that was somewhat difficult to grasp.
“Then, Miss, have you come looking for me for some matter?”
Xiao Mo was indeed somewhat curious about this woman before him.
“To marry you,” Gui Junmeng said slowly. Her tone was flat, as though she were speaking of something perfectly ordinary.
“......”
When Xiao Mo heard this, he froze where he stood, suspecting that he might have misheard.
The young woman seemed to realize that what she had just said was somewhat ambiguous, so she lowered her head slightly, thought for a moment, then slowly raised her head again. With a serious expression, she added,
“What I said just now might not have been quite right—what I should say is that I came to find you for dual practice.”
“......”
Xiao Mo became even more confused.
What did she mean, she had come to find him for dual practice?
Did he know her?
And why would she, out of nowhere, want to dual practice with him?
Countless questions churned up in Xiao Mo’s heart. For a time, he did not even know where to begin asking.
And just then—
A Confucian page-turning wind slowly blew through the forest, carrying a few bamboo leaves drifting down.
When Xiao Mo and the young woman came back to themselves, an old man was already standing between them.
Seeing the old man, Xiao Mo and the young woman both bowed respectfully. “Greetings, Headmaster.”
“Mm.” Cun Caiguang, the headmaster of Cold Mountain Academy, nodded and smiled slightly. “No need to be so courteous.”
After saying this, his gaze fell on Xiao Mo. He looked him up and down, then reached out and gently patted his shoulder, his tone carrying a few traces of emotion.
“Not bad, not bad. The last time I saw you was seven years ago.”
“At that time, you and that little girl Jingci came up the mountain together to study. I glanced at the two of you from afar.”
“In the end, I never expected that these seven years would pass in the blink of an eye. Xiao Mo, you have already grown so tall, and your realm has even reached the Golden Core Realm. Looking across the entire demon-race world and the Ten Thousand Arts world, I’m afraid there are hardly a few Golden Core Realm cultivators as young as you.”
“Thank you for your praise, Headmaster. I was merely fortunate,” Xiao Mo said modestly.
“Heh heh heh... You really are good in every way. There is just one thing—you are far too old before your time.” Cun Caiguang shook his head. “You do not seem like a sharp-edged youth. Instead, you seem like an adult who has endured who knows how many storms and frosts, and has gathered all his edge back in.”
“Forget it, forget it. This is fine too. At least, perhaps it means you can live a little longer...”
As he spoke, Cun Caiguang tilted his head slightly. His gaze paused for an instant on Gui Junmeng behind him, then he withdrew his eyes and continued looking at Xiao Mo.
“As for this young woman, I know you have many doubts about her in your heart.”
“But that does not matter. Her master is currently waiting for you in your bamboo courtyard. You should go over now. Her master will tell you everything, from beginning to end, exactly as it is.”
He paused. His tone was gentle yet certain.
“Rest assured. They will not harm you. And everything they tell you is true. You may believe it all.”
“As for what choice you make in the end, that will be your own matter, Xiao Mo.” Cun Caiguang’s tone was warm, and his eyes carried a trace of encouragement. “You need only remember this—follow your heart, and have no shame before your conscience.”
“Yes, Headmaster.” Xiao Mo bowed solemnly once more.
But when Xiao Mo lifted his head, Cun Caiguang had already vanished from where he stood, as though he had never appeared at all. Only the evening breeze brushed gently through the forest, and the bamboo leaves rustled softly.
Beneath the moonlight, the young woman before him still looked at him quietly, neither speaking nor moving. Her gaze was clear as water.
“Miss Gui, please.” Xiao Mo stepped aside and made an inviting gesture.
“Mm.” Gui Junmeng answered softly, her voice so light and clear it almost melted into the night wind.
The two of them walked down the mountain side by side. Along the way, neither of them spoke.
Yet strangely, Xiao Mo did not feel awkward.
It was as though this young woman not speaking was the most natural thing in the world.
......
A little less than half an hour later, the two of them arrived outside the bamboo courtyard.
At the courtyard gate, a mature, beautiful woman who appeared to be around thirty was already standing there with a smile, clearly waiting for Xiao Mo’s return.
Her gentle gaze fell on Xiao Mo, and a faint smile rested at the corners of her mouth. The rhythm and fortune around her was calm as water, yet impossible to see through.
“My name is Yunxi.” She bowed to Xiao Mo, her tone approachable and without the slightest air of superiority. “I have come uninvited this time, and even borrowed Young Master’s courtyard to drink a cup or two of tea. I hope Young Master will forgive the intrusion.”
“Daoist Yunxi, you are too courteous. Please, let us speak inside.”
Xiao Mo stepped aside. As the host, he led the master and disciple into the courtyard, then personally brewed tea and poured a cup for each of them.
Only after the curling steam from the tea slowly rose beneath the moonlight did Xiao Mo sit down. His gaze turned lightly between Daoist Yunxi and Gui Junmeng, and he asked,
“May I know why the two of you have come to find me?”
“It is a long story.”
Daoist Yunxi fell silent for a moment. Her gaze rested quietly on the teacup in her hands, as though she were considering how to begin.
“We come from Seeking Immortality Temple.”
“That Daoist temple is not especially famous. Presumably, Fellow Daoist Xiao Mo has never heard its name.”
“As for Junmeng, she is my final disciple, and also Senior Gui’s granddaughter.”
Upon hearing the words “Senior Gui,” the figure of an old man surfaced involuntarily in Xiao Mo’s mind, and his heart gave a slight jolt. “This Senior Gui—could he be...”
“Yes.”
Daoist Yunxi nodded softly, her tone calm yet certain.
“He is Tushan Jingci’s grandfather. In other words, the grandfather of your family’s Young Lady.”