Xiao Mo looked at the young woman before him, an unmistakable astonishment showing in his expression.
The young woman standing before him was nearly identical to Tushan Jingci in every way, her features, her manner, her figure, without any difference at all.
No two leaves in the world are ever completely alike. Even twins do not look exactly the same and yet, apart from the color of her hair, this young woman before him was indistinguishable from Jingci in every single respect.
Beyond the resemblance, where Jingci carried the liveliness and playful charm of a young girl, this woman was like someone who had set herself apart from all worldly contention, still as standing water, her whole person carrying a cool and transcendent quality.
And the way she was looking at him held a quality that he could not quite name, as though she had heard of him long ago, and for a very, very long time, and was now finally seeing him in the flesh.
"Are you Xiao Mo?"
The young woman looked at him with a composed expression, the horsetail whisk in her right hand resting lightly across the crook of her left arm, her bearing dignified and unhurried.
"Yes, I am Xiao Mo." Xiao Mo gave a bow to the young woman, a note of inquiry in his gaze. "Does the young lady know me?"
"I would say... I do, and also I do not."
"Then what has brought the young lady here to find me?"
Xiao Mo found himself genuinely curious about the woman standing before him.
"To marry you." Gui Junmeng said it slowly, her tone as matter-of-fact as though she were saying something entirely unremarkable.
Xiao Mo heard this and stood rooted to the spot, wondering whether he had misheard.
The young woman seemed to realize herself that her previous statement had been somewhat ambiguous. She lowered her head slightly, thought for a moment, then raised it again and added with a serious expression, "What I said just now may not have been quite right. I should say, I have come to cultivate with you in dual practice."
"..."
Xiao Mo was more confused than ever.
What did it mean that she had come to cultivate with him in dual practice?
Did he even know her?
And beyond that, why would she want to cultivate with him, out of nowhere?
A thousand questions surged through Xiao Mo's mind, and for a moment he did not know where to begin and at that moment, a wind carrying the quality of a Confucian scholar turning the pages of a book drifted slowly through the trees, sending a few bamboo leaves floating gently down.
By the time Xiao Mo and the young woman both looked up, an old man had come to stand between them.
Both Xiao Mo and the young woman gave a respectful bow at the sight of him. "Our respects to the Dean."
"Mm." Cun Caiguang, Dean of the Hanshan Academy, gave a nod and smiled. "No need to be so formal."
With that, his gaze settled on Xiao Mo and he looked him over from head to toe, then reached out and gave his shoulder a gentle pat, his tone carrying a note of feeling. "Very good, very good. The last time I saw you, it was seven years ago."
"You and the little girl Jingci had just come up the mountain to study, and I watched the two of you from a distance."
"And now, without realizing it, those seven years have already passed in the blink of an eye. You have grown so tall, Xiao Mo, and your cultivation has already reached the Golden Core realm. Someone as young as you at the Golden Core realm, one could search all of the Demon Realm and the Ten Thousand Laws Realm and find very few to match."
"The Dean is too generous. I was simply fortunate." Xiao Mo replied with humility.
"Ha ha ha, you are fine in every way, except that you are a little too old before your time." Cun Caiguang shook his head. "Not like a young man with a keen and cutting edge. More like someone who has weathered no end of hardship and drawn all their sharpness in."
"Well, perhaps that too is for the best. At the very least, it means you are likely to live longer."
As he spoke, Cun Caiguang glanced briefly to the side at Gui Junmeng, then drew his gaze back to Xiao Mo.
"This young lady, I know you have many questions about her."
"But that is all right. Her master is at your bamboo courtyard right now, waiting for you. Go there now, the two of you. Her master will explain everything to you, from beginning to end."
He paused, his tone gentle and assured.
"You can trust that they will not harm you. And everything they tell you will be true. You may believe every word of it."
"As for what choice you ultimately make, that is your own matter entirely." Cun Caiguang's tone was warm, and his gaze carried a note of encouragement. "You need only remember this, follow the inclinations of your heart, and let your conscience be your guide."
"Yes, Dean." Xiao Mo gave a deep and solemn bow.
And when he raised his head, Cun Caiguang had already vanished from the spot, as though he had never been there, leaving only the soft evening wind moving through the grove, and the bamboo leaves rustling quietly.
In the moonlight, the young woman before him was still watching him in silence, her clear, water-like gaze resting on him without a word.
"Miss Gui, please." Xiao Mo stepped to the side and made a welcoming gesture.
"Mm." Gui Junmeng gave a soft response, her voice so faint it was nearly dissolved into the night wind.
The two of them walked side by side down toward the foot of the mountain, and all the way down, neither of them spoke a word.
Strange as it was, Xiao Mo felt no awkwardness.
It was as though this young woman's silence was simply the most natural thing in the world.
A short while later, the two of them arrived at the bamboo courtyard.
At the courtyard gate, a composed and beautiful woman who appeared to be around thirty years of age was standing there with a smile, clearly having been waiting for Xiao Mo's return.
Her warm gaze settled on Xiao Mo, a faint smile resting at the corners of her lips. The quality of her presence was still and deep as water, yet its depth was impossible to fathom.
"I am called Yun Xi." She gave Xiao Mo a bow, her manner easy and without any air of superiority. "I arrived here without an invitation, and have even helped myself to your courtyard for a cup or two of tea. I hope you will forgive the presumption."
"Daoist Master Yun Xi is too courteous. Please, let us speak inside."
Xiao Mo stepped aside, and as the host, led the master and her disciple into the courtyard, then personally prepared tea and poured a cup for each of them.
When the steam from the cups was rising softly in the moonlight, Xiao Mo sat down, let his gaze travel lightly between Daoist Master Yun Xi and Gui Junmeng, and asked, "What matter has brought the two of you here to find me?"
"It is a long story."
Daoist Master Yun Xi was quiet for a moment, her gaze resting on the cup in her hands, as though considering how to begin.
"We come from the Seeking Immortals Temple."
"This Daoist temple is not especially well-known. I expect Daoist Friend Xiao Mo has not heard its name."
"And Junmeng is my closing disciple, as well as the granddaughter of Senior Gui."
At the words "Senior Gui," a figure rose involuntarily in Xiao Mo's mind, and a faint jolt ran through his heart. "This Senior Gui, could it be..."
"Yes."
Daoist Master Yun Xi gave a small nod, her tone unhurried but certain.
"He is the grandfather of Tushan Jingci, the very Young Miss of your household."