Chapter 565: Today, I Give the Same Answer as Always

Seeking Immortals Mountain.

Xiao Mo followed behind Gui Junmeng, climbing the winding stone steps step by step, until at last they arrived before an ancient, unadorned Daoist temple at the summit.

He raised his head and saw the three large characters written above the gate: Seeking Immortals Temple.

From these three simple characters alone, Xiao Mo could already sense a rich Dao resonance.

Crossing the threshold and entering the temple, Xiao Mo saw the temple's disciples coming and going.

Some were practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard, others bent over stone tables, drawing talismans.

Villagers from the nearby settlements also came often to the temple to burn incense and seek fortune readings, and the Daoists of Seeking Immortals Temple patiently interpreted the signs and answered their questions.

The whole temple felt much like Four Void Temple, peaceful and serene.

When the Daoists of Seeking Immortals Temple saw Xiao Mo, they all looked at him with curiosity.

They were curious how a shaved-head monk had come to their Daoist temple.

They were even more curious that the always cool and reserved Senior Sister, Gui Junmeng, was walking so closely with a man.

The two of them even brushed arms lightly from time to time.

To them, this was entirely unprecedented.

Since Daoist Master Yun Xi was away on business and had not yet returned, the affairs of the temple had been temporarily entrusted to a fellow master's junior and so, Gui Junmeng first brought Xiao Mo to pay his respects to this junior master.

This junior master went by the Daoist name Yunmeng, appearing to be in her early forties, though her actual age was no lower than Daoist Master Yun Xi's, her cultivation level at the Immortal realm.

Upon meeting Xiao Mo, Daoist Master Yunmeng did not ask him much, only looking him over lightly.

After going through a simple procedure, Xiao Mo formally became a disciple of Seeking Immortals Temple.

As though aware of the relationship between Xiao Mo and Gui Junmeng, the newly initiated Xiao Mo was not housed with the other male Daoists, but was instead arranged by Yunmeng to stay in the courtyard next to Gui Junmeng's.

The two courtyards were separated only by a low wall, and one could see the other's eaves simply by opening a window.

Near midday, when Xiao Mo followed Gui Junmeng to their quarters, a woman in a Daoist robe was already waiting there early.

Seeing Xiao Mo approach, the woman's eyes flashed with an undisguisable joy, and she quickly stepped forward, giving a respectful bow. "Liu Shui of Seeking Immortals Temple pays her respects to you, sir."

"My respects to the young lady." Xiao Mo returned the bow, his expression calm, as though he knew nothing of the matter but privately, Xiao Mo felt a genuine wave of feeling.

Decades without seeing her, and he had not expected that Elder Sister Liu Shui had already reached the peak of the Golden Core realm.

This alone showed that Elder Sister Liu Shui must have received considerable fortune over the years.

Otherwise, even direct disciples of some of the great sects might not have achieved such an astonishing cultivation speed but it was unfortunate that Elder Sister Liu Shui's natural talent was ultimately limited.

If she were to attempt reaching the Nascent Soul realm afterward, it would likely not be so simple.

"Xiao Mo, this Elder Sister Liu Shui lives right next to us." Gui Junmeng turned and introduced her to Xiao Mo. "If you need anything going forward, you may come to me, and you are welcome to find Elder Sister Liu Shui at any time as well."

Xiao Mo gave a nod, gave Liu Shui a bow, and said with courtesy, "Since that is so, I will trouble Miss Liu going forward."

"Sir, why be so formal?"

Liu Shui's eyes, as she looked at Xiao Mo, held an undisguisable warmth and joy.

"Decades ago, if sir had not saved me, I would likely have already died at the hands of the demons. How could I have lived to this day? How could I have ever set foot on this path of cultivation?"

Xiao Mo shook his head with a faint smile, his tone even yet carrying a deliberate note of distance. "What the young lady speaks of should be a matter of my previous lifetime. That lifetime has already ended. In this life, the young lady and I are simply ordinary fellow disciples. What claim could there be to any kindness from before?"

"Perhaps that is so for sir, but for me, sir's kindness has always remained with me!" Liu Shui stepped forward involuntarily, her tone full of stubborn sincerity.

"These decades, Liu Shui has never once forgotten sir's kindness. Today, with sir coming to Seeking Immortals Temple, being able to meet sir again must be the will of heaven. If sir does not mind, I would be willing to serve as sir's attendant, waiting on sir day and night, to repay the debt of my life saved back then."

The moment Liu Shui finished speaking, Gui Junmeng beside them blinked, looking first at Xiao Mo, then at Liu Shui.

Something unreadable stirred in those bewitching, clear eyes of hers.

"There is no need for that, young lady." Xiao Mo declined gently. "This humble monk has only just joined the temple. By rights, Elder Sister Liu Shui, you ought to be my senior. How could I possibly let a senior serve me on the basis of some so-called debt from a past life?"

Hearing Xiao Mo's refusal, Liu Shui could not help lowering her head slightly, a flicker of disappointment passing through her eyes.

"I understand." After a moment, Liu Shui raised her head, looking at Xiao Mo, forcing a smile. "But regardless, I will always keep sir's kindness in my heart. If sir ever needs anything going forward, please do not stand on ceremony with me."

"Very well." Xiao Mo gave a nod with a smile.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Liu Shui, she, as an administrator at Seeking Immortals Temple, took her leave to attend to the temple's affairs.

Xiao Mo walked into his own room.

The furnishings inside had already been arranged neatly, the table wiped clean and spotless, gleaming like a mirror.

The bedding was folded in perfect order, carrying a clean, fresh air.

"Elder Sister Liu Shui has been cleaning this room meticulously every single day since she learned I was bringing you back." Gui Junmeng said, looking at Xiao Mo. "Every object in this room, every corner of it, was arranged by Elder Sister Liu Shui's own hands. You can see clearly that Elder Sister Liu Shui truly likes you."

"What Elder Sister Liu likes is only that person from my previous life." Xiao Mo shook his head.

"But no matter how many times a person is reincarnated, no matter how many times their physical body is remade, their soul never changes."

Gui Junmeng walked toward Xiao Mo, close enough that he could almost feel the gentle rise and fall of her chest, as though she might touch him in the next instant.

Her gaze was clear and certain. "Whether it is me, or Elder Sister Liu Shui, or Jingci, in our eyes, you are you, no matter how many lifetimes have passed. That will never change."

Within the room, the two of them looked into each other's eyes, and for a moment neither spoke, the air filled with an indescribable quiet.

Just as Xiao Mo was about to say something, a light cough suddenly sounded from the courtyard. "Ahem, ahem, ahem. The two of you looking at each other so tenderly, you really ought to close the door first."

Xiao Mo and Gui Junmeng both turned their heads to find a woman in a Daoist robe, carrying the bearing of an immortal, standing outside the door, a faint smile at the corner of her mouth, watching the two of them quietly.

"Master." Gui Junmeng's cheeks flushed faintly, and she quickly gave her master a respectful bow.

"My respects to the temple master." Xiao Mo also gave a bow.

"My respects to you, Master Xiao." Daoist Master Yun Xi gave a small nod and returned the bow, then turned to her disciple and said softly, "Junmeng, there is something I would like to discuss with Master Xiao privately. Would that be all right?"

"Yes, Master." Gui Junmeng straightened and turned to look at Xiao Mo beside her, her voice gentle. "I will come find you again later."

Xiao Mo gave a nod, watching Gui Junmeng turn and leave, her slender figure gradually disappearing around the corner of the courtyard.

"I wonder if Master Xiao is aware of the matter between Junmeng and Jingci?"

In the courtyard, Xiao Mo and Daoist Master Yun Xi sat facing each other, and Yun Xi asked this question.

"Along the way here, Miss Gui told me quite a bit about our previous lives."