Chapter 595 - 485: I Definitely Don’t Want to Go Back

Xiao Mo shook his head. "Today’s lesson was indeed rather complex. It wasn’t easy to understand, so it’s not your fault, Miss."

"See? See? I thought so too," Tushan Jing Ci agreed, nodding.

"Well then, Miss, shall we head back?" Xiao Mo said.

"Aww... go back...?"

Tushan Jing Ci fidgeted with her sleeves and pursed her lips. Her eyes darted about, showing just how much she didn’t want to go back.

After a long moment, an idea seemed to strike Tushan Jing Ci. Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she looked up at Xiao Mo. "Xiao Mo, come with me to Cold Mountain City, will you?"

"Cold Mountain City? Do you need to buy something, Miss?" Xiao Mo asked in confusion.

"Sort of. Let’s go."

Without waiting for Xiao Mo to refuse, Tushan Jing Ci had already taken flight toward Cold Mountain City.

They arrived at Cold Mountain City.

Xiao Mo and Tushan Jing Ci walked along the bustling streets.

Tushan Jing Ci was so beautiful that every passerby—man or woman, young or old—turned to look at her.

Even the courtesans in the Hehuan Sect’s brothel, calling out to patrons from the second-floor railings, quieted down upon seeing Tushan Jing Ci.

These women, who made a living off their looks, were ordinarily quite confident in their own appearances.

But before Tushan Jing Ci, they seemed like common wildflowers, while she was a flower blooming in proud splendor.

After they had been wandering for two hours, Xiao Mo realized the young lady didn’t actually want to buy anything. She had simply wanted to come to Cold Mountain City for fun.

They had lunch in a restaurant.

They bought tanghulu from a street vendor.

They played with the puppies and kittens in the marketplace.

Tushan Jing Ci flitted through the city like a nimble butterfly.

Five hours passed. Xiao Mo thought the young lady must have had her fill of fun, but then Tushan Jing Ci said she wanted to go to Qingquan Peak to play.

Xiao Mo glanced at the sky. The sun was already setting in the west, about to disappear behind the mountains.

Xiao Mo felt it was getting late and that he should take the young lady home.

Moreover, Xiao Mo had recently entered a new stage in his cultivation of the Great Dream of Yellow Millet.

He felt that no matter how much he slept, it was never enough, and he tired more easily.

So after a day like this, the feeling of fatigue was even more intense for him.

But just as Xiao Mo opened his mouth to speak, he saw Tushan Jing Ci looking at him with her imploring, foxy eyes, like the world’s softest blade piercing his heart.

For a moment, this left Xiao Mo at a loss for what to say...

In the end, Xiao Mo could only agree.

By the time they arrived at Qingquan Peak, the sun had already been completely obscured by the mountains, leaving only a faint halo of light around their edges.

The crimson clouds on the horizon were thick, like undiluted paint smeared on layer by layer, staining more than half the sky.

This red light poured down from the heavens, draping the world in a warm, crimson veil.

The forest stood quietly on the slope, each tree draped in a crimson veil. On the ground between the trees, a thick carpet of fallen leaves, already yellow, looked even warmer and richer under the red light. It was soft underfoot, making a faint, rustling sound.

Homing birds hurried across the sky, their flapping wings seeming to stir wisps of red light. In twos and threes, they dove into the forest, chattering for a moment before settling down.

A waterfall plunged from on high, crashing onto the rocky flats below, its sound both deep and crisp, echoing ceaselessly through the woods.

Beside the clear Spiritual Spring, Tushan Jing Ci rolled up her sleeves, hiked up her skirt, gently slipped off her little shoes and socks, and happily waded into the water.

The water, clear enough to see the bottom, barely covered her ankles. Her slender ankles glowed with a soft luster in the light. With every step, the water gently caressed their delicate curves, creating faint ripples. She paused, letting the spring flow over the tops of her feet. Her dainty toes curled slightly, as if testing the temperature, or perhaps tickled by the smooth stones on the bottom.

Glistening droplets slid slowly down her fair calves, tracing the curve of her ankles and running over the tops of her feet before dripping from her rounded toes back into the spring. The fish that had scattered at her arrival gradually gathered again, swaying leisurely at her feet before suddenly darting away.

"Xiao Mo, come on in and play with me!" the girl standing in the spring called out to him.

Xiao Mo shook his head. "I’ll stay out of the water."

"Come on, come on..."

"Really, Miss, I’d rather not."

"Huh? Sister Yue Shi, what are you doing here?"

Tushan Jing Ci suddenly pointed a finger into the distance.

But just as Xiao Mo turned to look, Tushan Jing Ci’s fluffy, snow-white fox tail shot out from behind her, wrapped around him, and dragged him into the spring with a loud SPLASH.

The spring water soaked Xiao Mo’s clothes.

Just as Xiao Mo tried to stand up, the girl cupped her hands, scooping up water and splashing it in his face.

Xiao Mo wiped his face. The moment his vision cleared, he saw the girl bent over, sticking out her tongue and making a playful face at him. "Silly Xiao Mo! Come and get me~"

"In that case, Miss, you’ll have to forgive my rudeness," Xiao Mo said with a helpless sigh, getting to his feet to return the favor.

"Catch me first!"

"Bleh~"

The girl skipped away with a light laugh, kicking her leg forward. Her fair, rosy-white foot straightened into a graceful arc, and as she lifted it, the top of her foot sent a spray of water splashing onto Xiao Mo’s face.

An hour later, night had completely fallen.

The sky was completely dark, dotted here and there with stars.

Beneath the night sky.

A bonfire now crackled beside the spring. Xiao Mo had caught a few Spirit Fish, skewered them on branches, and was roasting them over the flames.

Once the Spirit Fish were nearly cooked and their fragrant aroma filled the air, Xiao Mo lifted the branch from the fire and handed it to Tushan Jing Ci.

The girl held the branch by both ends, taking small, delicate bites.

Perhaps because the Spirit Fish was quite tasty, the girl’s lovely eyes would occasionally narrow with a soft, gentle expression.

"Miss, after we finish this fish, we really have to go back. Otherwise, Sister Yue Shi is going to be angry for real," Xiao Mo told her.

"I know..." Tushan Jing Ci lowered her gaze, and the fish in her hands suddenly didn’t taste as good anymore.

After eating most of the fish, Tushan Jing Ci looked up and noticed Xiao Mo beside her. His eyelids were half-closed, and his head was nodding from time to time.

’Just like how I doze off during lessons.’

"Xiao Mo, are you okay?" Tushan Jing Ci asked with concern. "Why do you look so exhausted?"

"It’s nothing." Xiao Mo shook his head, becoming a little more alert. "It’s probably my Cultivation Technique. I’ve been getting drowsy ever since I started practicing the middle volume. It’s not a big problem, though. It should pass after a while."

"Oh, I see." The girl’s eyes flickered, as if another ’mischievous’ idea had come to her. "Well then, Xiao Mo, just wait for me to finish this fish, and then we’ll go back."

"Okay," Xiao Mo nodded, his voice a little sluggish. "But, Miss... you don’t seem to want to go back to the manor. Did something happen?"

"Huh? No... Nothing happened," Tushan Jing Ci said, shaking her head guiltily before she went back to eating her fish.

Since Tushan Jing Ci didn’t elaborate, Xiao Mo didn’t ask again.

The drowsiness brought on by the Great Dream of Yellow Millet washed over Xiao Mo once more.

Beside him, Tushan Jing Ci began to eat her fish even more slowly, her eyes stealing glances at Xiao Mo from time to time.

When Xiao Mo’s eyes finally closed and his body slumped forward, Tushan Jing Ci quickly extended her tail, wrapped it around him, and gently pulled him to her side.

Under the moonlight, Tushan Jing Ci watched Xiao Mo, who was now enveloped in her tail. Seeing his steady breathing, she reached out, dabbed her finger in some charcoal ash, and began drawing circles and little turtles on his face.

When she was done, the girl clapped her hands, admiring her masterpiece.

’Why didn’t I want to go back?’

’You silly Xiao Mo.’

The girl reached out a small hand and gently booped his nose, her lips forming a pout.

’You’re not at the manor, so of course I don’t want to go back.’