Chapter 573: Have You Ever Truly Liked Me?

Xiao Mo's and Tushan Jingci's bodies pressed tightly together.

The short sword had pierced through both their chests at once, blood trickling slowly down along its blade, staining both their garments crimson, spreading gradually through the fabric, like blossoms of deep red, blooming silently in the night.

Xiao Mo could feel his own life essence slipping away, bit by bit, like sand slipping through his fingers, impossible to hold onto no matter what he did and yet Tushan Jingci still held Xiao Mo tightly, her arms wound so close around him, as though she feared that on their journey together to the underworld, Xiao Mo might lose his way and become separated from her.

The consciousness of both of them grew gradually hazy, like candle flames slowly snuffed out by the wind.

Tushan Jingci was the first to sink into slumber, the corners of her mouth curving upward faintly into a soft smile.

That smile was peaceful and content, like a little girl who had finally obtained the most precious treasure she had ever wanted in this life.

Xiao Mo lowered his head, gazing at her face, pale as paper, his eyes holding no resentment, no anger, only an indescribable complexity of feeling. He reached out and gently stroked her hair, his voice low and soft, as though afraid of disturbing the sleeping woman in his arms:

"Foolish girl..."

As his words faded, the River of Yin and Yang flowed slowly out from beside Xiao Mo, clarity and darkness intertwining, gently enveloping the two of them.

"Jingci!"

Tushan Meng, who was rushing at full speed toward Seeking Immortals Temple, felt her heart give a sudden, violent tremor, an ominous premonition rising sharply within her.

She hurriedly drew a burning candle from her storage ring.

The candlelight flickered unsteadily, now bright, now dim.

Tushan Jingci's life flame was hanging by the thinnest thread.

"So it seems you truly are worried about this disciple of yours."

At that very moment, a woman's voice suddenly sounded within Tushan Meng's mind, her tone carrying a note of playful amusement.

"Though, come to think of it, don't you also feel that everything happening today was only to be expected? After all, you should have foreseen long ago what would happen today, and yet you did nothing at all to stop it."

Tushan Meng did not answer, not a single word.

The next instant, she gritted her teeth and, without the slightest hesitation, began burning her own essence blood, trading it for greater speed, rushing toward Seeking Immortals Temple.

Within Seeking Immortals Temple, everyone waited anxiously, the atmosphere heavy enough to feel almost solid.

The great majority of those who had come to attend this wedding had believed it would be an entirely smooth and joyous occasion, full of anticipation to witness the happy union of the newlywed couple but no one could have imagined that something like this would happen.

The turn of events had come so suddenly, catching everyone entirely off guard.

Some cultivators could not help glancing at Gui Junmeng, standing at the front, and saw that her gaze was fixed tightly on that "Realm Wood," her small hands gripping her sleeves so hard her knuckles had turned white, her expression filled with an anxiety she could not suppress.

"Hmm..."

"..."

"Hmm..."

Suddenly, the Realm Wood gave off a faint tremor, ripples of spiritual energy shuddering outward from it in all directions. The invisible barrier that had surrounded the Realm Wood was also gradually weakening, until at last it disappeared entirely.

Just as everyone's hearts filled with confusion, uncertain what change had come over the Realm Wood, two streaks of red light suddenly shot out from within it.

Everyone fixed their eyes on the sight, and saw the two figures, still dressed in their groom's attire and wedding garment, locked tightly in each other's arms yet at the place where their hearts lay, a near-immortal weapon had pierced clean through!

"Xiao Mo..." Gui Junmeng's voice trembled faintly as she watched the scene before her.

Gui Junmeng's long legs, beneath her skirt, broke into a run toward Xiao Mo but at that very moment, another vast, overwhelming demonic aura suddenly spread through the air above.

"The fox clan? Nine-Tailed!" a cultivator cried out in shock.

Everyone looked up, and saw a Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox descending through the sky.

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox transformed into a streak of light and landed steadily beside Xiao Mo and Tushan Jingci.

Tushan Meng looked at Tushan Jingci, drenched in blood, locked tightly in Xiao Mo's arms, and froze for a moment, but she quickly composed herself.

With a flick of her finger, Tushan Meng drew out, from a distance, the near-immortal weapon that had pierced through both their hearts, and caught it in her palm.

Without a moment's delay, Tushan Meng carefully gathered Tushan Jingci up into her arms, transformed once more into her true form, and rode the clouds and wind, flying swiftly away into the distance.

Tushan Meng's movements were extraordinarily fast, and combined with the fact that the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox clan's wind-riding speed already rivaled that of a true dragon, not to mention that she herself was an Ascension realm cultivator.

Before anyone present could react in any way at all, Tushan Meng had already vanished with Tushan Jingci beyond the horizon of Seeking Immortals Temple.

On a solitary peak, ten thousand li away, Tushan Meng hurriedly set Tushan Jingci down, coughed up her own demon core from her mouth, and used her own life-bound demon core to barely preserve the last thread of Tushan Jingci's life, before continuing on without pause toward the Tushan clan.

Three days later, Tushan Meng finally brought Tushan Jingci back to the Tushan clan.

She rushed immediately to Moon Spirit Mountain, gently laying Tushan Jingci down beneath the Moon Spirit Tree.

As the Tushan Holy Woman, Tushan Jingci had long since been recognized by the Moon Spirit Tree, and shared a natural connection with this divine tree.

When the Moon Spirit Tree sensed that her life flame was gradually dimming, the entire tree stirred of its own accord without any wind, its branches swaying gently, radiating a holy light.

Leaf after verdant leaf drifted down silently from the Moon Spirit Tree, settling over Tushan Jingci one after another, working to heal her wounds but before long, Tushan Meng's brow furrowed tightly.

Jingci's life essence was still steadily ebbing away, only slightly slower than before.

At this rate, Jingci would still die in the end, it was merely a matter of time...

"The Moon Spirit Tree alone likely cannot save her, and besides, after all these years, the Moon Spirit Tree is no longer what it once was in its prime."

The being residing within Tushan Meng spoke slowly, its tone indifferent.

Tushan Meng did not answer, only continuing to channel her spiritual energy, doing everything in her power to help the Moon Spirit Tree treat Tushan Jingci.

"You fox clan really are sentimental creatures, surviving from the ancient era all the way to now, quite the fortunate, long-lived lot."

The woman's voice carried a note of mockery.

"You know full well, in your heart, that this precious disciple of yours would surely go to the Tushan clan, to attend his wedding."

"You also know full well that, given her temperament, she would surely do something reckless."

"In your heart, you were secretly hoping she would fly into a rage and kill Xiao Mo outright, so that this precious disciple of yours could sever this karmic tie completely, free of all attachments from then on, with no more weakness left for others to exploit."

"But no matter how carefully you calculated, the one thing you failed to account for was that this precious disciple of yours would become obsessed to such an extreme degree."

Tushan Meng still did not refute this.

Her silence was itself an admission of it all.

Tushan Meng had, indeed, truly thought this way.

"Ah..."

The woman let out a soft sigh, her tone carrying a note of helplessness, and continued.

"I know that although you struck this bargain with me, deep down, you have never truly trusted me."

"But Tushan Meng, you have no other choice left now. At this moment, only I can save her. If you don't believe me, you're welcome to go find some other healer cultivator to try instead."

She paused, and her voice seemed to carry the faintest trace of amusement.

"Of course, the precondition being, that she must hold on long enough for you to find a healer cultivator capable of saving her."

"But right now, if you delay even a few more days, this precious disciple of yours will truly be gone. Her innate talent is truly outstanding, and to have walked this far attaining the Dao through love, could you really bear to let her die?"

"To you, isn't she the future of your entire Tushan clan?"

As the woman's voice gradually faded from Tushan Meng's mind, Tushan Meng stood alone where she was, her brow furrowed tightly, her gaze heavy as she stared at Jingci beneath the Moon Spirit Tree, as though weighing the gains and losses over and over in her heart.

After roughly half an incense stick's time, she finally spoke slowly, her voice low and weary, “Tell me, then. What do you want this time?"

"Save her life first, and then I'll tell you." The woman seemed to have long anticipated that she would yield, her tone light and casual. "Don't worry, what I want isn't excessive, and besides, I believe you'll agree to it when the time comes."

Before she had even finished speaking, a wisp of soul drifted leisurely out from within Tushan Meng's body, slowly taking solid form.

The woman wore a plain white dress, only the hem was extremely short, barely covering the base of her thighs, a pair of long, fair, jade-like legs left entirely bare, smooth and lustrous as jade.

She walked with unhurried steps, one after another, toward Tushan Jingci, her bearing composed and at ease.

The woman came to stand beside Tushan Jingci, slowly crouching down, reaching out to gently stroke the top of Tushan Jingci's head.

"You may go now." she said, without turning her head. "For the next two months, do not let anyone disturb me."

Tushan Meng looked at the woman's back, her brow furrowing slightly, hesitating for a moment before finally speaking, “From when I first met you until now, I still don't know your name."

"A name, is it..."

The woman raised her head, her gaze passing over the branches of the Moon Spirit Tree, looking toward the distant horizon, and within those eyes, always so indifferent, there quietly flickered a soft light of remembrance.

This was the first time Tushan Meng had ever seen such an expression in her eyes, the first time she felt this woman held even a trace of human warmth.

"I have many names to the outside world. All the myriad races have given me many names as well."

She paused briefly, her voice growing softer.

"But the one I like best is still the one my sister gave me."

"...I am called Yuan."

"Yuan..." Tushan Meng murmured this name softly, trying to search her memory for anything connected to it, but finding nothing at all.

"Go on, then." Yuan said no more, giving a gentle wave of her hand.

Tushan Meng cast one last, deep look at Tushan Jingci, hesitated a moment longer, and finally, no longer dwelling on it, turned and left.

Beneath the Moon Spirit Tree, only Yuan and Tushan Jingci remained.

Yuan raised her head, gazing quietly at this Moon Spirit Tree that had endured countless ages, her eyes like those regarding an old friend reunited after a long parting.

"Sister Moon Spirit, we meet again." The corners of Yuan's mouth curved upward faintly, that smile holding within it an unspeakable depth of feeling.

"Back then, you chose, just as my sister did, to help the myriad races, and yet in the end, you came to this. Her voice was so soft it seemed almost a murmur, "Was it worth it?"

"Do you still love the myriad races of this world, even now?"

"Are those things truly worth your love?"

In the blink of an eye, three full months had passed since that wedding ceremony at Seeking Immortals Temple.

Within a courtyard halfway up a mountainside, Xiao Mo gradually regained consciousness from a hazy stupor but right on its heels came a sharp, repeated throbbing pain in his head.

He tried hard to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt as heavy as though something had glued them shut, refusing to open no matter what.

"Master... Xiao Mo moved... Master..."

The moment Xiao Mo so much as stirred, Junmeng's voice reached his ears.

Before long, Xiao Mo felt a warm, gentle spiritual energy flowing slowly into his body.

As the pounding in his head gradually eased, the moment Xiao Mo opened his eyes, he saw Junmeng gazing at him anxiously.

Her lovely fox eyes were faintly red, clearly having wept for a long while, faint traces of tears still clinging to her lashes.

"Good thing you've woken up."

Gui Ning stood off to the side, letting out a breath of relief.

"Xiao Mo, you really do have quite the tenacious life in you, boy!"

"If it weren't for the fact that the Great Dream of the Yellow Millet you cultivate could still operate on its own even at the brink of death, protecting your life essence."

"If it weren't for the fact that Seeking Immortals Temple happened to have a Myriad Revolutions Pill in stock."

"And if it weren't for the fact that Junmeng has cultivated dual practice with you, your great paths connected to one another, and she's been continuously channeling spiritual energy into you all this while,"

"If even one of these three conditions had been missing, boy, the grass on your grave would already be growing tall!"

"My thanks for your trouble, Senior." Xiao Mo said weakly.

"All right, all right, no need for such formalities, I didn't really do all that much." Gui Ning waved a hand and rose to his feet. "Now that you're awake, this old man ought to be on his way. Junmeng, take good care of Xiao Mo."

"Yes... Grandfather..." Gui Junmeng nodded gently, her eyes still red.

Gui Ning gave Gui Junmeng a few final instructions on how to care for Xiao Mo, then rose to take his leave of Seeking Immortals Temple, with Daoist Master Yun Xi rising to see him off.

Within the room, only Xiao Mo and Gui Junmeng remained, the silence so complete one could hear the faint rustle of wind through the bamboo leaves outside the window.

She carefully helped Xiao Mo to sit up, her movements extremely light and slow, afraid of jostling the wound at his chest then Gui Junmeng picked up the bowl of medicine, feeding it to him slowly, spoonful by spoonful, occasionally testing the temperature gently with her lips, afraid it might scald him.

"Junmeng..." Xiao Mo hesitated a moment, then spoke slowly, as though wanting to ask something.

"Don't worry, Jingci is fine." Gui Junmeng's lashes fluttered gently, her voice soft, for even without Xiao Mo saying anything, she had already guessed. "Mother says Jingci is out of danger now, and should wake up before too long."

"I'm sorry..." Xiao Mo let out a quiet sigh.

Gui Junmeng shook her head gently, looking into Xiao Mo's eyes, her gaze clear and calm. "Xiao Mo, there's no need to say sorry to me... it's only that I have two questions... will you answer them for me?"

"..." Xiao Mo gave a nod.

"Xiao Mo..." Gui Junmeng bit her lip lightly, her calm eyes holding a purity like a spring lake, "on the day of our wedding... you never intended to walk out of that day alive, did you?"

Xiao Mo's mouth parted slightly, wanting to answer but the woman's second question had already followed close behind, settling gently down like a flower petal drifting onto the surface of a lake, sending out fine, rippling waves.

"Xiao Mo... have you..."

"Ever truly liked me?"