Chapter 587 - 478: Tell Me First

"???" Question marks seemed to pop up over Xiao Mo’s head.

"Look, look." Tushan Jing Ci held a hand flat over Xiao Mo’s head, then moved it to her own. "See? Am I not taller than you?"

"You are," Xiao Mo nodded.

"See? I’m taller than you, so that means you should call me ’sister’, right?" Tushan Jing Ci said matter-of-factly.

Xiao Mo paused, then smiled. "But Miss, I’m a month older than you."

"So what?"

Tushan Jing Ci planted her hands on her hips and puffed out her cheeks.

"Sisters are always taller than their little brothers. I’m taller than you, so I’m your sister. Age has nothing to do with it. Come on, come on! Call me ’sister’, let me hear it."

Xiao Mo: "..."

"Are you going to say it or not?" Tushan Jing Ci grew a little unhappy at Xiao Mo’s silence.

"No." Xiao Mo shook his head.

"Say it!" Tushan Jing Ci said, feigning anger.

"No." Xiao Mo felt he had to stand his ground.

"Xiao Mo, I’m getting really angry!" Tushan Jing Ci’s pout grew more pronounced.

"Even if you get angry..."

"Xiao Mo... please just call me sister once? Just once..."

In the end, her anger gave way to a full-on charm offensive. Tushan Jing Ci clung to Xiao Mo’s arm, whining nonstop as her eyes began to glisten, making him feel as if he had committed some unforgivable sin.

One could only conclude that the Fox Race truly lived up to its name, especially the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox clan. Even at her young age, every word, every action, was like a soft blade that could strip flesh from bone.

"Alright, fine. Just once," Xiao Mo sighed. He’d caved.

"One time is a deal! Let me hear it first. When you’re taller than me someday, I can just call you ’brother’," Tushan Jing Ci said, her eyes instantly lighting up now that Xiao Mo had relented.

"Sis..." Xiao Mo mumbled, swallowing his embarrassment. "...Sister..."

Hearing Xiao Mo’s voice, Tushan Jing Ci froze for a second, then feigned ignorance. "I couldn’t quite hear you. Say it again, Xiao Mo."

"Sister!" Xiao Mo said, a little louder this time.

"I still didn’t catch that. A little louder, Xiao Mo~" Tushan Jing Ci blinked innocently.

"Miss, you’re taking this too far..." Xiao Mo said, closing his eyes in resignation.

"Heeheehee, my good little brother, my good little brother..."

Having gotten what she wanted, Tushan Jing Ci’s eyes crinkled with delight as she reached out to pat Xiao Mo’s head.

"How about my little brother calls me ’sister’ once every day from now on?" Tushan Jing Ci asked, pushing her luck.

"No." Xiao Mo’s refusal was swift and firm.

"Aww, why not? Just once a day... Just one time... Pleeeease?"

Tushan Jing Ci continued her wheedling, her voice echoing softly through the courtyard.

But the boy pointedly ignored her.

...

「In the blink of an eye, two more years passed.」

The young girl was now in the budding years of her youth.

The once-lanky willow branch had begun to bud.

Tushan Jing Ci had also graduated from Shallow Study Peak and moved on to Yunxiao Peak.

Her teacher was still that same Mr. Xian, Xian Xichun.

However, Mr. Xian was no longer teaching the basics. Instead, he was systematically imparting to them the true meaning of Confucian philosophy.

Xiao Mo also noticed that Mr. Xian often slipped his own personal views into his lectures, subtly guiding the students to reflect on the relationships between Demons, between Demons and Humans, and between the Demon Race’s World and the World of Ten Thousand Laws.

Sometimes, Mr. Xian would also tell folk tales and legends.

There were tales of loyalty and honor, and tales of love.

Some were from the Demon Race’s World, others from the World of Ten Thousand Laws.

"Today, I will tell you a story about the Human Race and the Demon Race."

One day, just before class ended, Mr. Xian smiled at his students.

"The story takes place right here, in our Demon Race’s World."

"Once, a long, long time ago... well, for you long-lived folk, I suppose it wasn’t that long ago. Let’s say about a thousand years past."

"A thousand years ago, there was a young Demon in the Demon Race’s World. Hmm, what should his name be? Let’s call him... Little Wind."

"This young Demon’s talent was decent, and his bloodline was quite good. He was the scion of a great Noble Family, so he wanted for nothing in the way of cultivation resources. You could say that from the moment of his birth, everyone believed he was destined for the Upper Three Realms."

"As the days went by, the little Demon grew up. He always thought himself invincible and went around challenging everyone to duels."

"Eventually, he grew bored of dueling and simply left his family to venture out on his own. He became a Bounty Hunter. People paid him, and he took lives—but he only killed the strong."

"And believe it or not, Little Wind never lost. Not even once."

"Until one day... Little Wind met someone."

Mr. Xian adjusted his sleeves and continued.

"It was a rainy night. Little Wind was walking at the foot of a mountain when he came upon a tavern. He decided to stop for a rest and have a drink to warm himself up."

"Just as Little Wind was getting into his cups, a woman walked into the tavern."

"This woman, a human, had shoulder-length hair and wore a sword-skirt. In her hand, she carried a long black sword."

"But when Little Wind took a closer look, he realized—wasn’t this woman the very person he’d been hired to kill?"

"What Little Wind didn’t know, however, was that there was a bounty on his own head. And this woman had come to collect it."

"And so, they fought."

"But neither could gain the upper hand. They were too evenly matched."

"In the days that followed, they began tracking each other, clashing frequently."

"Eventually, Little Wind made a proposal: since neither could defeat the other, why not team up to take on other bounties? They would travel together, free to attack one another at any time along the way. Who lived and who died would be a matter of skill."

"The woman agreed."

"And so, from that day forward, they traveled together. They killed Demons together, they killed humans together, and they tried to sabotage each other. But gradually, unexpectedly, they began to develop feelings for one another."

"Thirty years passed. A letter came from Little Wind’s family, ordering him to return, marry a woman he did not love, and prepare to inherit the title of clan head."

"But how could Little Wind agree to that? He broke ties with his family, intending to run away with the woman he loved."

"When his father, the clan head, heard that his son had fallen for a human woman, he was utterly enraged and sent his men to hunt them down."

"They evaded one wave of pursuers after another, but in the end, they couldn’t escape the clan’s inescapable dragnet."

"The woman was captured. Little Wind’s father gave him an ultimatum: return to the clan and go through with the marriage, and he would let the woman go."

As he spoke, Xian Xichun trailed off, a flicker of reminiscence in his eyes.

"Mr. Xian, what happened then? Did Little Wind agree?"

"Did Little Wind really marry someone he didn’t love?"

"Of course he did. How could a Demon be with a human?"

"I agree. We of the Demon Race have our pride."

The girls in the Book Hall chattered excitedly, eager to hear the end of the story.

Meanwhile, many of the boys felt that the Demon named Little Wind should never have gotten involved with a human woman in the first place.

But just then, the bell dismissing class rang, its chime echoing through the mountains.

Xian Xichun rolled up his book and smiled faintly. "That’s where the story ends. I never keep you past the bell. Class dismissed."

"Huh?"

"Mr. Xian, finish the story..."

"How can you do this, Mr. Xian..."

Listening to the students’ complaints, Mr. Xian simply smiled. After giving them a parting bow, he gathered his books and walked out of the classroom.

After school, on the way back to their courtyard, Tushan Jing Ci walked with her head down, replaying the story Mr. Xian had told.

"Xiao Mo, what do you think the ending of Mr. Xian’s story is?" Tushan Jing Ci asked, looking up. "Will Little Wind and the woman end up together? Do you think they’ll have a happy ending?"

"Well... they probably won’t..." Xiao Mo began to answer, but he turned and saw the hopeful look in Tushan Jing Ci’s eyes.

"Little Wind and the woman... they’ll be fine," he amended. "He probably didn’t agree to the marriage. I bet Little Wind rescued the woman he loved, and they ran away together." He offered up a happy ending instead.

"Right? Right? I think so too!"

At Xiao Mo’s answer, Tushan Jing Ci’s downcast expression immediately brightened.

"All lovers in the world are meant to be together! If I ever have someone I love, no one will be able to stop me!"

"Then what kind of person will you like, Miss?" Xiao Mo asked with a smile.

"What kind of person I’ll like..." Tushan Jing Ci thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I don’t know what kind of person I’ll end up liking."

"But."

The girl walking ahead suddenly turned, her hands clasped behind her back.

Just then, a mountain breeze swept by, lifting the hem of her skirt before letting it fall. A few strands of hair brushed against her cheek, dyed a faint gold by the setting sun.

"In the future, if I ever find someone I love... I’ll tell you first."

The wind stirred the ends of her hair. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes on him.

"But you have to promise me, too—when you find someone you love, you have to tell me first."

"Okay?"