Chapter 585 - 477: But Why Can’t I See It?

But merchants were a cunning lot, and Tushan Jing Ci worried that Xiao Mo might be cheated by unscrupulous adults. So, she asked Sister Yue Shi to go with him.

They arrived at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.

After selling the items, Xiao Mo received a total of five hundred top-grade spirit stones.

Spirit Stones were categorized by quality into three grades: low, middle, and top.

The term "piece" was a standard unit of size established by the Cultivation Realm.

The size could fluctuate slightly, with a small margin of error permitted, but not by too much.

The exchange rate between each grade was one to one hundred.

For example, one top-grade spirit stone could be exchanged for one hundred middle-grade spirit stones, or ten thousand low-grade spirit stones.

An ordinary teacher at Cold Mountain Academy, someone like Mr. Xian for instance, earned a monthly stipend of twenty top-grade spirit stones.

Of course, this was only the basic stipend.

Any additional income Mr. Xian earned from undertaking missions for the academy or finding his own fortuitous opportunities was calculated separately.

In any case, five hundred top-grade spirit stones was considered a considerable fortune.

On the way back to Cold Mountain Academy, Xiao Mo found himself wondering, ’Should I give this huge sum to Liu Shui?’

’After all, if an ordinary woman like her possessed such a fortune, she would surely be killed for it if anyone found out.’

In the afternoon, Xiao Mo and Tushan Jing Ci returned to their courtyard.

At the courtyard’s wicker gate, they saw a young woman holding a basket, peering inside.

Seeing Xiao Mo return, Liu Shui’s eyes lit up. She hurried forward and curtsied. "My name is Liu Shui. I’ve come to pay my respects to Miss Tushan and Young Master Xiao. Thank you both for your help the other day."

"You don’t have to thank me, Sister Liu," Tushan Jing Ci said with a gentle smile. "Xiao Mo was the one who saved you. It really had little to do with me."

"That may be so, but if you hadn’t arrived in time, Miss Tushan, I shudder to think what might have happened. Both you and Young Master Xiao are my saviors."

Liu Shui said, her voice filled with immense gratitude.

Even now, the memory of that day left Liu Shui with a lingering fear.

"It’s really all right, Sister Liu Shui," Tushan Jing Ci said, stepping forward to help the young woman—who was five years her senior—to her feet. "Besides, it was all Chen Jue and his friends’ fault."

Liu Shui gazed at the exquisite, doll-like girl before her and gently wiped the tears from her eyes. She then lifted the cloth covering her basket.

"I wanted to come visit you and Young Master Xiao sooner, Miss Tushan, but it took me a long time asking around to find out who you were and where you lived."

"Inside are some date cakes my mother and I made. They aren’t anything valuable."

"And this pouch... it’s a small token of our family’s gratitude."

As she spoke, a faint blush crept onto Liu Shui’s cheeks.

She wasn’t just being polite; she truly felt her gifts weren’t presentable.

’Even though the scented pouch contained more than half her family’s savings, it was nothing to a young lady from a prestigious family... But besides this, her family had nothing else to give.’

Tushan Jing Ci and Xiao Mo exchanged a look. Xiao Mo nodded, and only then did Tushan Jing Ci accept the basket.

But Tushan Jing Ci handed the scented pouch back, saying sweetly, "Sister Liu Shui, I love date cakes, so I’ll happily accept them. But please, take the silver taels in this pouch back."

"But... Miss Tushan..."

"There, now it’s settled. I’m going to take a nap. Xiao Mo, you be a good host to Sister Liu for me, okay?"

Liu Shui wanted to say more, but Tushan Jing Ci had already scampered into the courtyard, her little legs carrying her away.

Watching the little girl’s slender figure disappear, Liu Shui couldn’t help but smile faintly and remark from the heart:

"Miss Tushan... she’s truly different..."

"Our young miss certainly is different," Xiao Mo said with a small laugh, pulling a pouch from his robes. "This is for you, Sister Liu."

"Young Master Xiao, what is this?" Liu Shui asked, puzzled.

"This is the compensation from the masters of those Scholar’s Attendants. I’ve exchanged it for five hundred top-grade spirit stones," Xiao Mo explained honestly. "Since you were the victim, Sister Liu, these Spirit Stones should belong to you."

"Huh? F-Five hundred?"

Liu Shui froze, then stumbled back in alarm, waving her hands in refusal.

"Young Master Xiao, I can’t! If you hadn’t saved me, my fate would have been sealed. How could I possibly accept so many Spirit Stones? Absolutely not."

"The reasons behind it all are complicated, and not easy to explain," Xiao Mo said. "But you were an innocent victim that day, Sister. It’s safe to say you were only in danger because of me."

"You should hide this pouch of Spirit Stones well, Sister, and don’t tell anyone about it. If you’re ever truly in need of money, you can take out a single top-grade spirit stone and exchange it for low-grade ones at a Treasure Pavilion. That shouldn’t cause too much trouble."

Liu Shui stared at the pouch in Xiao Mo’s hand and continued to shake her head in refusal. "I... I may not understand the reasons or your meaning, Young Master, but it is a fact that you saved my life. I truly cannot accept this."

"Even so, you still deserve a share of the compensation," Xiao Mo insisted.

He smiled and deliberately exaggerated the consequences.

"If you refuse to accept anything, Sister Liu, I’ll feel quite guilty. It will create a knot in my heart that could affect my Cultivation."

"This..."

Liu Shui wrung her hands, her expression troubled.

But then, an idea seemed to strike her, and her eyes suddenly brightened. "Young Master Xiao... I still can’t accept the Spirit Stones. But how about this? Could you give me a cultivation Technique instead?"

"A cultivation Technique?" Xiao Mo blinked, surprised.

"Yes," Liu Shui said seriously.

"I don’t know if I’m even capable of Cultivation, but... I want to try. If I can learn, maybe I’ll be able to escape if I’m bullied in the future. I could protect my mother, too. After all, I can’t always count on being lucky enough to meet a kind person like you, Young Master Xiao."

Hearing her reasoning, Xiao Mo thought for a moment before agreeing. "That’s a good idea. How about this, Sister Liu Shui? Come here again tomorrow evening, and I will test your Spirit Root for you. What do you say?"

"Yes, of course!" Liu Shui curtsied happily. "Thank you, Young Master Xiao! I won’t disturb you any longer, then."

"Take care, Sister Liu." Xiao Mo returned the bow with clasped hands.

After watching Liu Shui leave, Xiao Mo went back into the courtyard.

Tushan Jing Ci bounded out of her room happily, patting Xiao Mo on the shoulder. "Xiao Mo, has Sister Liu left?"

"Yes, she’s gone," Xiao Mo nodded. "She didn’t accept the Spirit Stones. Instead, she said she wants to try cultivating, so I plan to go to town tomorrow to buy her a Spirit Testing Stone and a few Technique manuals."

"Okay! I’ll go with you," Tushan Jing Ci said happily. "And Xiao Mo, you can tell Sister Liu to come visit us often. Sister Yue Shi can teach her how to cultivate, and then she can hang out with us!"

Seeing the girl’s cheerful expression, Xiao Mo smiled and nodded. "Alright, I’ll tell Sister Liu tomorrow."

’Of course, Xiao Mo knew.’ He understood that when Jing Ci suggested having Liu Shui visit often, it wasn’t just because she wanted a playmate or for Yue Shi to guide her Cultivation. It was also a way of protecting her.

’This way, at least, others would see that she had a good relationship with the Tushan family.’ ’And no one would dare to cause trouble for her.’

’Jing Ci might seem innocent and naive on the surface, but she was actually incredibly thoughtful.’

"Jing Ci, thank you. You’re a really good person," Xiao Mo said with heartfelt emotion, gazing at Tushan Jing Ci’s bright, innocent face.

"I’m not a good person, Xiao Mo," Tushan Jing Ci pouted, raising her little hands and making playful claws. She looked adorably fierce. "I’m actually very mean!"

"Is that so?" Xiao Mo chuckled. "I can’t see it at all."

"You silly goose, Xiao Mo."

Beneath the setting sun, Tushan Jing Ci stood on her tiptoes, leaned in, and flicked Xiao Mo’s forehead with her little hand. Her eyes curved into smiling crescents.

"That’s because I’m not like that with you."