Chapter 600 - 489: Xiao Mo, You Are a Pig

The next morning, it was just as Yue Shi had said.

Tushan Jing Ci went to the Book Hall for class, and Yue Shi followed without leaving her side.

"Your Mr. Xian has some business to attend to, so I will be your substitute teacher for the time being." In the Book Hall of Yunxiao Peak, the new teacher stood at the dais, introducing himself to the students. "My surname is La, and my given name is Guo. It’s quite easy to remember."

Tushan Jing Ci, however, paid him no mind.

Her gaze kept drifting to the window.

Sister Yue Shi was standing there, watching her with a calm expression.

The young lady pouted and pulled her gaze away.

A single question tumbled through her mind: ’How on earth can I ditch Sister Yue Shi?’

But Tushan Jing Ci’s resolve quickly deflated. ’Sister Yue Shi is watching me so closely. There’s no way I can get away...’

Inside the Book Hall, the new Mr. La had already begun his lesson, but Tushan Jing Ci didn’t hear a single word.

When she closed her eyes, her mind was filled with nothing but the image of Xiao Mo.

When she opened her book, his name seemed to be written between every line.

She picked up her brush, and by the time she came to her senses, she had already written two elegant words on the white paper: "Xiao Mo."

For the first time, she realized with such clarity—

That...

...her world was completely filled with him...

Without him around, she couldn’t seem to muster the energy for anything.

After class, Tushan Jing Ci returned to her courtyard in silence, with Yue Shi following quietly behind.

Seeing her lady with her head hung low, looking so utterly lost and dejected, Yue Shi felt a growing sense of guilt and couldn’t bear it.

At lunchtime, Yue Shi noticed that her lady, sitting in the courtyard, had barely taken a few bites of the meal set before her.

「In the afternoon.」

Tushan Jing Ci sat primly on a stone bench in the courtyard, silently watching the leaves drift down from the branches, spiraling onto the flagstones below.

Her gaze was fixed on the distance, lost in thought, unblinking.

She sat perfectly still, like a flawless statue personally sculpted by the Celestial Dao itself.

"Sigh..."

Gazing at her lady’s slender, graceful back, Yue Shi sighed softly to herself and walked slowly to the girl’s side.

"My lady, do you really care for Xiao Mo that much?"

Yue Shi’s voice startled Tushan Jing Ci out of her daze. She flinched slightly before coming back to her senses.

"Sister Yue Shi... I don’t know either..."

Tushan Jing Ci lowered her head, her small hands fiddling together, fingertips tracing idle circles.

"When Xiao Mo first moved out, I felt like a part of me was missing... At first, I just thought I wasn’t used to him being gone since we’d spent so much time together. I thought I’d get over it in a few days..."

"But as time went on... I still couldn’t get used to him not being here."

As she spoke, Tushan Jing Ci stretched out her legs, clasping her hands between her knees. Her heels tapped lightly on the ground, her small, embroidered-shoe-clad feet beginning to swing restlessly.

"I never used to like going to the Book Hall, but things have been different lately."

"Now, I look forward to going every day—because if I go to the Book Hall, at least Xiao Mo will be there."

"But now... Xiao Mo has gone into seclusion... He won’t be at the Book Hall anymore, even if I go..."

Her voice trailed off, laced with an indescribable loneliness.

"It feels like... it feels like there’s suddenly nothing to look forward to in life..."

"I didn’t even feel this way when my own mother left me..."

As she spoke, Tushan Jing Ci couldn’t help but pull her feet up onto the stone bench, wrapping her arms tightly around her knees. She curled into a ball, looking utterly forlorn.

Yue Shi listened quietly to her lady’s words. Her throat bobbed as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she kept her mouth shut.

Finally, she turned away, her back to Tushan Jing Ci. Her voice came softly, "I’m not feeling well today, so I’m going to rest in my room for a while. If you want to go out with the other young ladies from the Noble Families, my lady, I won’t accompany you."

Hearing Sister Yue Shi’s words, Tushan Jing Ci froze for a moment. Then, her lovely eyes began to light up, as if illuminated by a brilliant sun, gradually filling with life and energy.

"You’re the best, Sister Yue Shi!"

Tushan Jing Ci leaped off the stone bench, stood on her tiptoes, and planted a loud SMOOCH on Yue Shi’s cheek. The long legs beneath her skirt were already in motion, carrying her swiftly out of the courtyard.

"Oh, my lady..."

Yue Shi stood rooted to the spot, watching her lady’s back recede into the distance. She pressed her lips together, her small hands clutching the hem of her dress.

’That empty feeling in your heart... it’s because you’ve truly grown up, my lady...’

Her gaze lingered on the joyful figure for a long time, her eyes filled with a mixture of relief and a hint of inexpressible worry.

’But... as for Xiao Mo, can he truly bear the weight of these feelings?’

...

After leaving the courtyard, Tushan Jing Ci didn’t pause for a moment. She quickly made her way to the bamboo forest at the foot of the mountain.

Xian Xichun, who was sitting on a rock outside the bamboo courtyard, slowly opened his eyes. The corners of his lips curled into a slight smile as he chuckled to himself, "I knew she would come."

No sooner had the words left his lips than the soft rustle of a girl treading on bamboo leaves drifted through the forest.

"Huh? Mr. Xian?" Arriving before the bamboo courtyard, Tushan Jing Ci couldn’t hide her surprise at seeing him. "What are you doing here, sir?"

Xian Xichun smiled. "I promised young Xiao Mo that I would stand guard for him during his closed-door cultivation."

"Ah? You’re standing guard, sir?" Tushan Jing Ci was stunned for a moment, then quickly bowed to Xian Xichun. "Thank you, Mr. Xian. The Tushan clan will remember this kindness."

"Hahaha... My standing guard for Xiao Mo has nothing to do with your Tushan clan. I’m simply doing it because I’ve taken a liking to the young man." Xian Xichun hopped off the rock, dusted off his green robes, and pulled a Talisman from his sleeve, holding it out to her.

"Alright, since you’re here, Jing Ci, you can watch over him for a bit. I’m going to Cold Mountain City to fetch some wine. I’ll be back shortly. If anything happens, just stick this Talisman on my sword."

"Of course, sir." Tushan Jing Ci didn’t think anything could possibly happen at Cold Mountain Academy, but seeing Mr. Xian’s caution, she still accepted the Talisman respectfully.

"I’m off." With his hands clasped behind his back, Xian Xichun slowly ambled out of the bamboo forest.

After Xian Xichun left, Tushan Jing Ci was the only one left outside the bamboo courtyard.

The young lady stood by the wicker fence, blinking as she gazed at Xiao Mo inside the courtyard.

Gazing at him, her heart, once filled with worry, suddenly grew calm.

As she watched him, the empty space in her heart seemed to fill, little by little.

"Xiao Mo, you’re a big dummy!"

"Xiao Mo! You’re such a pig!"

"Xiao Mo, you’re so ugly!"

She cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone, "quietly" scolding him.

"Hey— Xiao Mo..."

"Xiao Mo, can you hear me?" A slight smile played on her lips. "I’m secretly bad-mouthing you. You can’t hear me, can you?"

"Hey— Xiao Mo... Let me tell you something..."

Her eyes curved into crescents, as intoxicating as sweet wine in the spring sun.

"Xiao Mo, this young lady here..."

"...has come to see you..."