Chapter 576: When You've Decided, Come Find Me

The next morning, as the sky just began to lighten, threads of morning light slipped quietly through the window into the room.

Outside, birds chirped cheerfully, clear and lively, with a touch of noisy bustle.

Upon the bed, Xiao Mo slowly opened his eyes, and as his consciousness gradually cleared, he felt a certain weight upon his arm, as though something were gently pressing down on it.

He turned his head slightly to look, and saw Gui Junmeng resting her head upon his arm.

She was still fast asleep, her long, curved lashes trembling gently with her even breathing, her manner peaceful and demure.

Xiao Mo did not disturb her, only quietly turning his spiritual sense inward to examine his own body.

When he noticed that the bottleneck at the early stage of the Jade Simplicity realm had already loosened, showing faint signs of an impending breakthrough, he could not help but feel a jolt of surprise, along with a certain wave of reflection.

To Xiao Mo's mind, when he and Gui Junmeng had cultivated together at the level of spiritual energy alone, the pace of his cultivation's advancement had already seemed remarkably fast yet it turned out that this soul-level union was even more extraordinary than spiritual energy-level cultivation.

And moreover, compared to the dull, monotonous method of ordinary solitary cultivation in seclusion, dual cultivation was not only faster, but also, in the process, immeasurably more pleasurable, an entirely different world altogether.

The moment he thought of last night's cultivation.

Xiao Mo's gaze could not help but drift downward, settling gently upon Gui Junmeng's chest.

Although last night's dual cultivation had only involved their Nascent Souls, not true contact with their actual bodies, in truth, that sensation had been almost indistinguishable from the real thing, delicate and vivid.

Xiao Mo also realized, for the first time, that Junmeng's figure beneath her Daoist robe was even more striking than it appeared in her everyday clothing.

"If, besides the Nascent Soul union, our bodies were to join as well..."

Without quite realizing it, this thought had quietly risen in Xiao Mo's mind but quickly, he shook his head gently, dispelling that thought.

"No, what am I thinking?"

Xiao Mo took a deep breath, working hard to settle the faint stirring of heat rising within him.

The so-called path of dual cultivation required gradual, step-by-step progress, and one must never become entirely lost in it, losing oneself completely, a certain restraint was absolutely necessary.

Otherwise, even a method of dual cultivation originally meant to lead toward the great Dao could easily drift, bit by bit, away from the proper path, sliding toward a deviant one instead.

Just as the Harmonious Union Sect had, in the beginning, walked a perfectly upright path of dual cultivation as well but they had grown greedy for fleeting pleasure, indulging their desires without restraint, sinking ever deeper, their path growing ever more crooked, until in the end they could no longer show their faces in respectable company.

They had even given rise to all manner of vile harvesting techniques, until they became a target reviled and hunted by all.

Having steadied his resolve.

Xiao Mo gently withdrew his arm from beneath Gui Junmeng's head, his movements extremely light and slow, afraid of waking her.

He rose from the bed, dressed himself quickly, and walked softly to the door, pushing it open gently to step outside.

Once Xiao Mo had left, Gui Junmeng, still upon the bed, slowly opened her eyes.

In truth, Gui Junmeng had already woken some time before, but she had not dared to move.

First, she had been afraid of waking Xiao Mo.

Second, thinking back on everything that had passed between them last night, at the level of soul union, Gui Junmeng could not help feeling overwhelmed with shyness, her cheeks burning hot, flushed like the evening glow on the horizon, an intoxicating shade of red.

"He and I... we ought to count as truly having shared a bed as husband and wife now, shouldn't we?"

Lowering her eyes gently, Gui Junmeng thought to herself quietly.

Gui Junmeng reached out her slender hand, gently stroking the pillow Xiao Mo had just been resting on, still faintly warm with the trace of his body heat.

"Though last night was still only at the level of the soul, once Xiao Mo reaches the Immortal realm, then he and I can..."

At this thought, Gui Junmeng could not help burying her head deep into the blankets, breathing in the faint scent Xiao Mo had left upon the pillow, her heart filling with ever greater anticipation.

Before she knew it, the sun had already risen high in the sky.

Though Gui Junmeng's heart still felt shy, and for a moment she had no idea how to face Xiao Mo.

Still, she felt she could not simply linger in bed forever.

After all, what kind of newlywed wife would still be lying in bed on the second day of her marriage?

Gui Junmeng pressed her lips together gently, and at last threw back the covers, her small, pale feet carefully stepping down from the bed.

She dressed herself, suppressing the shyness in her heart, and pushed open the door to walk out of the room.

"Ah, you're up."

In the courtyard, Xiao Mo, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, heard the sound of the door and slowly opened his eyes, looking at her with a smile.

"I... I'm up..."

The moment she saw Xiao Mo's familiar face, the image of him gently removing her robes the night before rose unbidden in Gui Junmeng's mind.

Her gaze could not help but fall upon Xiao Mo's broad hands.

She felt her waist and chest grow burning hot, as though the lingering warmth of those hands still remained.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Mo asked, seeing Gui Junmeng lost in thought.

"Nothing... nothing at all..." Gui Junmeng shook her head, her voice faint as a mosquito's hum. "It's getting late... I... I'll go make breakfast for my husband..."

"I'll help you. Let's call Sister Liu Shui and Senior Sister Lin to come eat together later as well. They worked hard on our behalf yesterday too, we ought to thank them." Xiao Mo said.

"Mm... whatever my husband says... I... I'll go prepare things in the kitchen first..."

Gui Junmeng tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with her slender hand, then walked briskly toward the kitchen.

Only, the way she walked today seemed somewhat unnatural, as though she had twisted her ankle, faltering slightly with each step yet Xiao Mo understood well enough in his heart that, although last night had only been a union of souls, the sensation had been almost entirely indistinguishable from actual physical contact. And besides, last night he had, perhaps, been somewhat too rough...

"Tch, it's broad daylight already, and still thinking about..."

Xiao Mo scolded himself under his breath, pushing the thought back down once more, and walked into the kitchen.

Before long, the stove fire was lit, smoke curling gently up from the chimney, drifting slowly over the courtyard.

Xiao Mo planned to cook with the flesh of a spirit beast he had hunted earlier, to properly reward Sister Liu Shui and Senior Sister Lin for their trouble.

Preparing spirit beast meat required considerable skill and patience.

Both Gui Junmeng and Xiao Mo were quite accomplished cooks.

But Gui Junmeng did not know what had come over her, she kept feeling an overwhelming urge to stay close to Xiao Mo, to cling to his side, never leaving him for a moment. Whenever her gaze happened to fall upon Xiao Mo's lips, she would find herself pressing her own lips together gently without meaning to, the sensations of the night before rising once more in her mind.

Because Gui Junmeng was so distracted, most of the cooking in the kitchen fell to Xiao Mo alone, with Gui Junmeng only able to assist on the side.

At midday, Xiao Mo and Gui Junmeng finally finished preparing the meal.

Sister Liu Shui, Senior Sister Lin, and the others arrived at the courtyard right on time for the meal.

"Ooh, what delicious thing are you making? It smells so good..."

Senior Sister Lin Qiaoqiao sat happily on a stone bench in the courtyard, breathing in deeply the fragrance of the food, a look of pure satisfaction on her face.

"So, Junmeng, did you make this whole table of food yourself?"

"No, I only helped out a little. Most of it was made by my... my husband..." As Gui Junmeng said the words "my husband," her voice grew softer and softer, her eyes lowering, carrying the particular shy sweetness of a newlywed wife.

"Heh heh heh... well then, Junmeng, we simply must try your husband's cooking properly." Senior Sister Lin said, covering her mouth, unable to resist teasing her.

"All right, Qiaoqiao, stop teasing Junmeng. Look, she's blushing so hard she's practically dripping." Senior Sister Huang reached out and gave Lin Qiaoqiao a light tap on the forehead, then turned to call to the other sisters nearby.

"Come and eat, everyone. The food she worked so hard to make is getting cold."

"Coming, coming..." Hearing the call, the senior sisters all came and took their seats.

The once-quiet courtyard quickly grew lively.

Everyone ate Xiao Mo's cooking, praising it without end.

Senior Sister Lin and the others still could not resist teasing Junmeng, the newlywed young wife.

At her senior and junior sisters' occasional teasing, Gui Junmeng only blushed and lowered her head.

However... when Gui Junmeng happened to raise her head, she noticed that Liu Shui seemed unusually quiet today, as though harboring some hidden concern, sitting silently off to the side, taking small bites of her food, occasionally glancing up at Xiao Mo before quickly lowering her eyes again.

After lunch, everyone helped wash the dishes together, chatted for a while longer, and then gradually dispersed.

Within the spacious courtyard, only Xiao Mo and Gui Junmeng remained.

They sat on the stone bench, each closing their eyes to meditate.

Only, Gui Junmeng found she simply could not settle her mind.

From time to time, she opened her eyes, glancing in Xiao Mo's direction.

Xiao Mo, seeming to sense this, opened his eyes and turned to look at Gui Junmeng.

Their gazes met.

Gui Junmeng, as though struck by a jolt, immediately lowered her head, hastily withdrawing her gaze, closing her eyes again, pretending to meditate earnestly.

Xiao Mo was not quite sure what was troubling Junmeng, but he closed his eyes once more as well, continuing his cultivation but just as Xiao Mo was about to enter a deep meditative trance, his mind gradually settling, he felt his sleeve being gently tugged.

Xiao Mo opened his eyes, and saw that Gui Junmeng had, at some point, come to stand beside him.

"What is it?" Xiao Mo asked with a smile.

"Xiao Mo... I... I have some doubts about my cultivation..." Gui Junmeng said softly, her head lowered.

"What is it you don't understand?" Xiao Mo asked patiently.

"I... I'm not quite sure myself..."

Gui Junmeng raised her head slightly, her moist eyes full of shyness, her cheeks flushed as red as March peach blossoms, her voice growing softer and softer, nearly dissolving into the breeze.

"Perhaps... we need... to cultivate together once more... before I... understand..."

…

At the Tushan clan, Moon Spirit Peak, beneath the Moon Spirit Tree.

The radiance of the Moon Spirit Tree poured down like flowing water, falling gently upon the woman seated beneath it.

The woman sat cross-legged upon the ground, the eight snow-white tails behind her swaying gently.

With every breath the woman took, the divine radiance of the Moon Spirit Tree quietly mended the wounds still lingering within her body.

And although the woman's injuries had not yet fully healed, her cultivation level, compared to before, had advanced considerably further still, even showing signs of an impending breakthrough into the middle stage of the Immortal realm.

"Not bad. Worthy indeed of being the descendant Tushan Meng values so highly. Your talent truly is remarkable. Never mind her, even I find myself wanting to take you on as a disciple."

A woman's voice drifted softly into Tushan Jingci's ears.

Tushan Jingci slowly opened her eyes, and saw a fox-clan woman looking at her with a faint smile.

Staring at this woman named "Yuan," Tushan Jingci's brow furrowed, her eyes filled with wariness.

Tushan Jingci understood well in her heart that this "Yuan" was not truly a member of the fox clan at all, but had seized the body of a fox-clan woman, occupying it like a cuckoo in another bird's nest. As for who this "Yuan" truly was, Tushan Jingci had not the faintest idea.

It was not that she had never asked her own master about it but her master had only said, indifferently, "She is a friend of mine. You need not concern yourself with her."

But how could Tushan Jingci possibly not concern herself with this?

"Holy Woman, must you always look at me with such a fierce glare? Is it really necessary?"

Yuan said with a smile, her tone carrying a note of casual, offhand teasing.

"The reason you're still alive right now is because I saved your life. In other words, I am your life-saving benefactor."

"Let's set aside for now whatever my master promised you." Tushan Jingci tilted her head, gazing at her coldly, her voice not raised, yet every word cold as ice. "Did I ask you to save me?"

"Heh heh heh..."

Yuan could not help laughing.

"You really are quite interesting. Though, what you say is true enough, you were originally set on dying, so life and death probably don't mean much to you either way."

"But that beloved of yours isn't dead, is he? If you had simply died like that, your beloved would go on living happily with your sister, night after night of wedded bliss, could you really rest in peace like that?"

"Crack!"

Before Yuan's words had even fully settled, one of the snow-white tails behind Tushan Jingci lashed out violently, striking toward her.

Yuan sidestepped lightly, avoiding the blow, and the long tail struck the ground with tremendous force, the impact sending up a deep crater with a thunderous crash.

"The Holy Woman would do well to save her strength."

Yuan brushed the dust from her sleeve, her tone light and unconcerned.

"You alone cannot kill me. There are plenty of people in this world who've wanted to kill me. But in the end, all any of them have ever managed to do is seal me away."

Tushan Jingci narrowed her eyes, gazing at her coldly, the killing intent radiating from her entirely undisguised.

"All right, enough glaring at me."

Yuan turned and walked off at an unhurried pace, her voice drifting back over her shoulder.

"Word from our informant at Seeking Immortals Temple says that last night, a strange phenomenon appeared over the temple, the great paths of two people merging as one, Xiao Mo and Gui Junmeng have entered the bridal chamber. Last night was probably quite the drunken, dreamlike night of spring passion, and this morning, I imagine, neither of them can bear to leave the bed."

"Clang!"

Tushan Jingci drew her sword in a sudden flash, a streak of cold light lunging toward Yuan but Yuan had already vanished from where she stood, and that pale, long sword struck only the cold stone wall, its blade trembling ceaselessly, letting out a low, humming drone.

"Heh heh heh... so young, and yet such a temper."

Yuan's laughter echoed through the sky above Moon Spirit Mountain, now near, now distant.

"Tushan Jingci, if you don't wish, a few years from now, to watch with your own eyes as your man and your sister raise a houseful of children and grandchildren together, I do have a way to make him devoted to you, body and soul, entirely yours. Surely that would be far better than raging here helplessly, sulking to no purpose."

"When you've decided, come find me..."