Chapter 592 - 483: Mother, I Don’t Want to Marry Those People

"Brother Xiao..."

"Brother Xiao, are you there?"

"Brother Xiao..."

The next morning, a woman’s voice called out from outside the bamboo courtyard.

Xiao Mo walked out of his room and saw Liu Shui standing outside the courtyard, holding a basket.

"Sister Liu Shui, what brings you here?" Xiao Mo asked with a smile. He walked over and opened the wicker fence. "Please, come in, Sister Liu Shui."

"Okay."

Liu Shui entered the courtyard, her curious eyes taking in her surroundings.

"I originally went to deliver some pastries to Miss Tushan today, but you weren’t there, Sir. Sister Yue Shi told me you moved to the bamboo courtyard at the foot of the mountain."

"Even though Sister Yue Shi gave me the directions, it took me a long time to find this place."

Liu Shui looked around, her eyes sparkling with delight.

"I never expected to find a courtyard like this hidden in a bamboo forest."

"And it’s so beautiful! Did you decorate it yourself, Sir?"

"Not at all," Xiao Mo said with a smile as he poured Liu Shui a cup of tea. "The courtyard was already like this when I moved in. I just did a bit of cleaning. Here, Sister Liu Shui, have some tea."

"Thank you, Sir." Liu Shui curtsied and accepted the teacup. "But is it really okay for you to live here all alone with no one to look after you?"

"Hahaha... It’s quite all right." Xiao Mo chuckled. "Living alone, though there’s no one around, gives me some peace and quiet. It’s perfect for focusing on my cultivation."

"That won’t do..." Liu Shui shook her head and said to Xiao Mo, "Even if you’re cultivating alone, Sir, you should still have someone to do your laundry, cook your meals, and clean the courtyard."

As she spoke, Liu Shui lifted her head and looked earnestly into Xiao Mo’s eyes. "Sir, how about this? If you don’t mind, I can come here every day to clean the courtyard for you."

"That would be too much trouble for you, Sister Liu Shui," Xiao Mo said, shaking his head. "Besides, I’ve already reached the stage of Fasting and don’t need to eat."

"That’s not acceptable," Liu Shui insisted. "Even if you are Fasting, Sir, you still need to eat the meat of Spirit Beasts or Magical Beasts every day to replenish your Spiritual Power and vitality."

"Then it’s settled. I’ll come every day to cook and clean for you, Sir." Liu Shui gave a slight bow and said gracefully, "I have some other things to attend to, so I’ll be leaving now. I’ll be back at noon."

As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Shui turned and left immediately, as if afraid Xiao Mo would refuse.

"Sister Liu Shui..."

Xiao Mo called out after her, but Liu Shui had already vanished into the bamboo forest.

’Oh, well... Let it be, then...’

Xiao Mo shook his head.

’I do need to eat the meat of Spirit Beasts or Magical Beasts to replenish my Spiritual Power.’

’Sister Liu Shui is a good cook; she could be a great help.’

’Of course, I won’t let her work for free.’

’I’ll naturally compensate her, and I’ll cover the cost of all the ingredients.’

’I’ll also have her eat the Spiritual Power-rich ingredients with me. That should help her cultivation as well.’

Having made up his mind, Xiao Mo sat cross-legged in the courtyard and resumed his cultivation.

Before he knew it, noon arrived.

After making lunch for her mother, Liu Shui arrived right on time to cook for Xiao Mo.

With an extra person around, the courtyard felt a little livelier.

However...

...deep in Xiao Mo’s heart, a sense of emptiness lingered.

’In the past, Jing Ci would always be noisily dragging me out to play.’

’Or else she would be chirping in my ear like a little bird.’

’Now that Jing Ci isn’t by my side, I’m still not quite used to it.’

After lunch, since Liu Shui had nothing else to do, she simply stayed in Xiao Mo’s courtyard.

Xiao Mo, of course, had no objection.

The bamboo forest was rich with Spiritual Power, so even just breathing the air was beneficial for Liu Shui.

In the afternoon sun, Xiao Mo alternated between reading the *Great Dream of Yellow Millet* and other Daoist classics.

Because Xiao Mo had discovered something.

’After reaching the middle section in his cultivation of the *Great Dream of Yellow Millet*, other Daoist classics had also become beneficial to him.’

The deeper his understanding of Daoist Skills, the smoother his cultivation of the *Great Dream of Yellow Millet* became.

It was a case of one thing leading to another.

While Xiao Mo was engrossed in his book, Liu Shui, who was cleaning the courtyard nearby, would glance at him from time to time, her eyes filled with tenderness.

"Sir, have a cup of tea..."

Liu Shui poured a cup of tea and handed it to Xiao Mo.

"Thank you, Sister Liu Shui." Xiao Mo nodded and reached out to take it.

But by accident, her fingers brushed against his.

As if struck by lightning, Liu Shui quickly pulled her hand back, clutching it to her chest as her eyes darted about.

But Xiao Mo was so absorbed in his book that he didn’t notice her reaction.

In the evening, after making dinner for Xiao Mo, Liu Shui left the bamboo courtyard and returned to the village to cook for her mother.

"Mother, I’m home." Arriving at her house, Liu Shui called out a greeting and was about to head to the kitchen. "Ma, I’ll go make dinner."

"No rush, no rush." Seeing her daughter, Liu Shui’s mother smiled, took her little hand, and patted the back of it gently. "Shui, my dear, I have some good news I want to tell you about."

"Ma..." Liu Shui felt a little exasperated. ’It’s not about marriage again, is it?’

"What do you mean, ’about marriage again’?"

Her mother was not pleased.

"You’re a grown woman in your early twenties. Other girls in the village your age already have children old enough to run errands."

"Shui, listen to me." Her mother sighed. "You’re still young and pretty, and many have come to ask for your hand. The one who proposed this time is Young Master Huang from Cold Mountain City. He’s a good man. Even though his family isn’t terribly wealthy, you’ll never have to worry about food or clothing."

"Ma, I don’t want to marry any of them..."

"Then who do you want to marry? Don’t tell me you’ve taken a liking to one of the scholars from the academy..."

Her mother said offhandedly.

But it was precisely this offhand comment that made Liu Shui’s cheeks instantly flush red.

Seeing her daughter’s reaction, how could her mother not know what was happening?

"Daughter, you don’t really..."

Her mother stared blankly at her daughter.

"My child, those scholars from the academy are all from prominent, powerful families! We’re not in their league!"

"That’s not it, Mother. It’s not what you think."

Liu Shui bit her lip lightly.

"I’m not talking about this with you anymore, Mother. I’m going to make dinner."

With that, Liu Shui hurried into the kitchen.

...

「Well past ten o’clock.」

The night grew deeper.

Xiao Mo felt he had cultivated enough for the day and returned to his room, intending to get a good rest.

Lying on his bed, Xiao Mo listened to the chirping of insects outside his window and felt the gentle spring night’s breeze.

Moonlight, as clear as water, spilled over the windowsill.

Soon, Xiao Mo fell asleep.

But in the dead of night, when all was still...

...a figure dressed in black, holding a longsword and concealing their aura with a Technique, silently slipped into Xiao Mo’s courtyard.