Chapter 594 - 485: It’s Not Like I Want to Go Back

At dawn, Xiao Mo slowly opened his eyes in his courtyard.

He hadn’t slept all night. He had been using the Great Dream of Yellow Millet to deduce the other party’s identity and motives.

Logically, Xiao Mo felt that by using the Great Dream of Yellow Millet to deduce the lines of karma, even if he couldn’t see the full picture, he should at least be able to find a few clues.

But the karmic threads of the man in black seemed to have been severed by someone, leaving Xiao Mo with no leads to follow.

’Forget it... I’ll just take things one step at a time.’

Xiao Mo exhaled, deciding to set the matter aside for now.

After straightening the hem of his robes, Xiao Mo walked out of the courtyard.

Tushan Jing Ci had class at the Book Hall today, and as her Scholar’s Attendant, Xiao Mo had to accompany her.

About the time it takes an incense stick to burn later, Xiao Mo arrived at Tushan Jing Ci’s courtyard to see her standing at the gate, peering restlessly into the distance.

The moment she saw Xiao Mo, Tushan Jing Ci’s fox-like eyes lit up. She ran happily toward him. "Xiao Mo, you’re finally here! Come on, let’s go to the Book Hall."

"Why is My Lady so eager today?"

Xiao Mo couldn’t help but smile at her eagerness.

’In the past, whether on Shallow Study Peak or Yunxiao Peak, whenever My Lady went to school, she would wear a gloomy expression every morning, head down, reluctantly dragging her long legs toward the schoolhouse.’

’This was the first time My Lady had ever been this proactive.’

"I’ve always loved studying, you know!"

Tushan Jing Ci shoved two Confucian classics for the day’s lesson into Xiao Mo’s arms and flew up into the air.

Against the azure sky, with every step Xiao Mo and Tushan Jing Ci took, a green leaf would materialize beneath their feet.

They walked upon the leaves as if on a common path, making their way step by step toward Yunxiao Peak.

A gust of wind swept by, tugging at the hem of Tushan Jing Ci’s skirt and lifting her hair. It carried a faint, sweet scent, like gardenias in bloom.

"Xiao Mo, you’ve been staying in your own courtyard these past few days. Are you used to it?"

Tushan Jing Ci clasped her pale, slender hands behind her back. Looking at his profile, she asked with a smile.

"It’s been alright," Xiao Mo replied. "My days are spent either cultivating or reading. It’s a rare sort of tranquility."

"Hey! What do you mean, ’a rare sort of tranquility’?" The young lady was instantly displeased, pouting her delicate pink lips. "Are you saying I’m usually a bother?"

Looking into her enchanting, fox-like eyes, Xiao Mo neither nodded nor shook his head, simply offering a smile in return.

"Hmph..."

Tushan Jing Ci grew flustered under his gaze. She turned her head away and quickened her pace, her soft muttering trailing behind her.

"You jerk, Xiao Mo, thinking I’m a bother. I’m not talking to you anymore! Jerk! Jerk!"

Watching her sulking retreat, Xiao Mo smiled, quickened his pace, and followed after her.

Half an hour later, Xiao Mo and Tushan Jing Ci arrived at Yunxiao Peak.

"In two more years, My Lady will be taking the exam for the Virtuous People of Cold Mountain Academy. Two years may seem long for ordinary people, but for us Cultivators, it’s over in the blink of an eye. Please, My Lady, listen carefully in class and don’t slack off."

Xiao Mo exhorted her earnestly before she entered the Book Hall.

"I know, I get it..." Tushan Jing Ci, still sulking, grumbled. "You don’t even live with me anymore, but you still nag me more than my own mother."

With that, Tushan Jing Ci turned and walked toward the Book Hall.

"My Lady..." She hadn’t taken more than a few steps before Xiao Mo called out from behind her.

"What is it!" the young lady snapped, turning around.

"You forgot your books," Xiao Mo said with a sigh.

"Oh!" Tushan Jing Ci ran back to Xiao Mo, snatched the two books from his arms, and stomped huffily toward the Book Hall.

"My Lady..." Xiao Mo called out again, watching her feigned anger.

"What now!" Though Tushan Jing Ci had claimed she was ignoring him, she dutifully turned around each time he called.

"Actually..." Xiao Mo smiled and spoke slowly. "It’s been... strange, not having My Lady around to bother me these past few days."

Hearing his words, Tushan Jing Ci froze for a moment, unconsciously clutching the books in her arms tighter.

"You...! So you don’t want the peace and quiet? Fine! I’ll just have to annoy you to death, then!"

A moment later, Tushan Jing Ci came to her senses, spun around, and ran into the Book Hall.

But beneath her delicate, upturned nose, her soft lips curved slightly upward.

She tried to hide the sweet smile, but it simply wouldn’t be contained.

Before long, all the young masters and ladies of the Yunxiao Peak School had arrived on time.

Outside the Book Hall stood a crowd of Scholar’s Attendants, just like Xiao Mo.

When they were children, these Scholar’s Attendants from the Demon Race would openly show their contempt for Xiao Mo, a member of the Human Race.

But now that they had all grown up, they had learned to bury those feelings and maintain a veneer of civility, even if they still disliked him.

Furthermore, Xiao Mo had reached the Dragon Gate Realm, a higher Realm than any of these Demons had achieved, which earned him a measure of their respect.

They knew that if Xiao Mo continued to cultivate at this pace and reached the Nascent Soul Realm, he would one day become a Tributor of the Tushan Clan.

Class began, and the sound of Mr. Xian’s lecture drifted out of the Book Hall.

Whenever Mr. Xian lectured, he would deliberately raise his voice so that Xiao Mo and the other attendants outside the Book Hall could listen in.

But the other Scholar’s Attendants of the Demon Race didn’t absorb a single word, eagerly awaiting the moment their young masters and ladies were dismissed. Only Xiao Mo listened attentively.

「The morning passed.」

When class in the Book Hall was dismissed, Tushan Jing Ci came out.

"How was class today, My Lady?" Xiao Mo asked with a smile, seeing her dazed and confused expression.

"It was the same as always. I understand every single word the teacher says, but for some reason, I can’t make sense of them when they’re all put together." Tushan Jing Ci sighed, then lifted her head and pouted. "And don’t you dare say anything, Xiao Mo! I was listening very carefully, but I just don’t get it. It’s not like I can help it, can I?"