Chapter 609 - 495: A Mountain Full of Peach Blossoms

"Jing Ci..."

"Jing Ci, are you there?"

"Jing Ci..."

「The day after Cold Mountain Academy announced the list of those who passed the Virtuous People examination.」

Outside the courtyard, several young women stood by the fence, calling out her name.

Hearing the calls from outside, Tushan Jing Ci—who had just woken up, washed, and dressed—stepped out of her room. A hint of morning languor still lingered in her expression, and her eyes revealed a touch of surprise.

Seeing that it was her friends, Tushan Jing Ci smiled faintly and walked over. "What brings you all here?" she asked gently. "I’m surprised you had the free time."

These women were all Tushan Jing Ci’s classmates. They had studied together since their time on Shallow Study Peak, and their friendship ran deep.

"We came to congratulate our newest Female Virtuous Person, of course. And while we’re at it, we wanted to invite you, our esteemed Virtuous Person, on a spring outing," said Feng Shan, the daughter of the Haiyue Sect’s Sect Leader, with a smile.

"A spring outing?" Tushan Jing Ci lowered her gaze, a hint of hesitation in her expression.

"Come on, Jing Ci. Let’s go have some fun."

"Jing Ci, you can’t refuse again! Every time we invited you out before, you said you had to ’prepare for your exam.’ You can’t use that as an excuse anymore!"

"That’s right, Jing Ci. You just finished your exam and have nothing urgent to do. Let’s go out together."

"..."

Faced with her friends’ enthusiastic invitations, Tushan Jing Ci lightly bit her lip, feeling undecided.

’My original plan for today was to go to the bamboo courtyard and spend more time with Xiao Mo.’

’But... I really have turned them down so many times already.’

’And as a woman of the Tushan clan, even if I don’t need to be overly close with others, I still have to maintain basic decorum. After all, my interactions with them also involve our respective clans and Sects.’

’Besides, we’ve always gotten along well.’

’If I refuse again now, it would be truly unreasonable.’

"Alright..." Tushan Jing Ci finally nodded in agreement. "But where are we going for this outing?"

"Well, we’re not going far—just to the back mountain of Shallow Study Peak,"

a young woman named Yuan Xing said with a smile.

"The clear springs on the back mountain of Shallow Study Peak are at their most pristine right now, and the feeling of spring is strongest there. Plus, it’s not far from your courtyard, so it’s the perfect spot."

Yuan Xing explained with a smile, her tone thoughtful.

She seemed to know that if they chose a location too far away, Jing Ci would likely decline politely, so she had deliberately picked somewhere nearby.

And she was right.

When Tushan Jing Ci heard they were going to the back mountain of Shallow Study Peak, much of her hesitation vanished.

’At least after the outing, I can still hurry over to the bamboo grove and be with Xiao Mo.’

"Then let’s go," Tushan Jing Ci said, nodding in agreement.

"Let’s go, let’s go!"

The young woman named Shi Yang laughingly linked arms with Tushan Jing Ci. The other young women also gathered around, flanking her as they walked toward the back mountain, talking and laughing all the way.

The group of women, full of laughter and light-footed, soon arrived at a mountain pavilion on the back mountain of Shallow Study Peak.

This pavilion was built atop a massive, jutting rock. The terrain was rather perilous, but it made the location exceptionally serene.

Below the pavilion was a crystal-clear stream, its waters gurgling as they meandered through the rocks.

The stream was about sixty feet below the pavilion. Peering over the edge, one could take in the entire creek valley at a glance.

Not far to the east of the pavilion was a waterfall that seemed to cascade down three thousand feet.

The waterfall poured down from a great height, endlessly scouring the jagged cliff face and crashing heavily into the pool below, sending up bursts of white spray. A misty vapor filled the air, and the sound was immense.

However, the distance between the pavilion and the waterfall was perfect—not so close that the mist would spray your face or the noise would be deafening, yet not so far as to lose its charm.

Sitting in the pavilion, one could hear the crisp, ethereal sound of the distant waterfall striking the cliff walls. Looking up, one could faintly glimpse the magnificent sight of the cascade falling from the sky. The effect was one of serene and distant elegance.

And even though the peach trees surrounding the pavilion had not yet blossomed, the place still exuded a classic, tranquil charm that calmed the soul.

However...

When Tushan Jing Ci arrived at the mountain pavilion, she discovered that their spring outing today involved more than just her group of friends.

Chen Jue, Li Wen, Situ Kong, Wanfeng, You’er, and others were already there, having waited in the pavilion for quite some time.

They were all classmates who had studied with Tushan Jing Ci in the Book Hall on Shallow Study Peak when they were children.

But after leaving Shallow Study Peak, they had all gone to different peaks.

Some had gone to Yunxiao Peak, others to Shangshu Peak, so they rarely had a chance to gather.

"You’ve finally arrived. We’ve been waiting for a long time."

Situ Kong and the others came forward, greeting Tushan Jing Ci and her friends with a smile.

"Hehehe... What’s wrong with waiting a little? Besides, we’re the ones who managed to bring Jing Ci, aren’t we?" Yuan Xing retorted with a laugh, a hint of pride in her voice.

"That’s true." Chen Jue, dressed in a green robe, stepped forward. He gently unfurled a folding fan and fanned himself with a scholarly air, his gaze falling on Tushan Jing Ci. "For you all to have successfully invited Miss Tushan is quite an achievement. Had it been us, we surely would not have been able to."

"Only three among us passed the exam to become Virtuous People, and Jing Ci was the only woman to pass the Virtuous People examination this time. That’s truly incredible!" Lou Huo stepped forward and praised her sincerely.