We Agreed On Experiencing Life, So Why Did You Immortals Become Real? Chapter 576: Once You’ve Thought It Through, Come Find Me
Previously on We Agreed On Experiencing Life, So Why Did You Immortals Become Real?...
Early the next morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten. Strands of morning light slipped through the window and quietly spilled into the room.
Outside the window came the chirping of birds, crisp and cheerful, though somewhat noisy.
On the bed.
Xiao Mo slowly opened his eyes. As his awareness gradually returned, he felt a slight weight on his arm, as though something were resting lightly against it.
He turned his head and saw Gui Junmeng pillowed on his arm.
She was still asleep. Her long, curved lashes trembled softly with her even breathing, and she looked quiet and well-behaved.
Xiao Mo did not wake her. He merely looked inward with divine sense and silently examined his own body.
When he noticed that the bottleneck of his early stage of the Jade Pith Realm had already loosened, faintly showing signs of a breakthrough, he could not help being startled. A few traces of emotion rose in his heart as well.
In Xiao Mo’s view, when he and Gui Junmeng had previously practiced dual cultivation through spiritual power, the speed of his cultivation increase had already been fast enough.
Yet he had never expected that union at the soul level would be even more absurd than spiritual-power dual practice.
Moreover, compared with the dry, monotonous method of ordinary secluded cultivation, dual practice was not only faster in cultivation speed, but also far more pleasurable during the process. The difference was simply heaven and earth.
At the thought of last night’s dual practice, Xiao Mo’s gaze drifted downward of its own accord and gently fell upon Gui Junmeng’s chest.
Although last night had only been dual practice with Junmeng’s Nascent Soul, and not true contact with her physical body, the sensation had in fact been almost no different from touching her physical body itself—delicate and real.
It was also the first time Xiao Mo had truly realized that Junmeng’s figure beneath her Daoist robes was far more astonishing than it appeared when she was dressed as usual.
If, aside from Nascent Soul dual practice, our bodies also...
Before he knew it, such a thought quietly surfaced in Xiao Mo’s mind.
But very soon, he shook his head lightly and dismissed it.
No. What am I letting my mind wander to?
Xiao Mo drew in a deep breath, doing his utmost to calm the faint heat rising within his body.
So-called dual practice had to proceed step by step, in proper order. Moreover, he absolutely could not immerse himself in it completely and lose himself. He had to maintain a certain measure of restraint.
Otherwise, even if it was originally a dual-practice method leading toward the Great Dao, it might very well begin to deviate from the proper path and slide toward a wicked one.
Sects like the Hehuan Sect, for example, had also originally walked an upright and honorable path of dual practice.
But they coveted momentary pleasure, indulged their nature, and sank deeper and deeper. Their road grew more and more crooked, until in the end, not only could they no longer show themselves openly...
They had even derived many cruel methods of harvesting and supplementing, ending up in a state where everyone called for their deaths.
After stabilizing his dao heart, Xiao Mo gently drew his arm out from beneath Gui Junmeng’s head. His movements were extremely light and slow, for fear of disturbing her.
He turned over and got out of bed, quickly put on his clothes, then softened his footsteps and walked to the door, quietly pushing it open and leaving.
After Xiao Mo left, Gui Junmeng, who lay on the bed, slowly opened her eyes.
In truth, Gui Junmeng had already been awake for some time, but she had not dared to move.
For one thing, she was afraid of waking Xiao Mo.
For another, whenever she recalled everything from last night, when her soul had merged with his, Gui Junmeng felt unbearably shy. Her cheeks burned like sunset clouds at the edge of the sky, flushed with an intoxicating red.
He and I... should count as a real married couple who have shared the same bed and pillow now, right?
Lowering her eyes slightly, Gui Junmeng thought this quietly to herself.
Gui Junmeng stretched out a slender hand and gently stroked the pillow Xiao Mo had just slept on. His warmth still lingered there.
Although last night was still only at the soul level, once Xiao Mo steps into the Immortal Realm, then Xiao Mo and I can...
At this thought, Gui Junmeng could not help burying her head deep beneath the quilt, carefully breathing in the faint scent Xiao Mo had left between the pillows. Her heart filled with even greater anticipation.
Before she knew it, the sun had climbed high.
Although Gui Junmeng was still shy at heart and, for a moment, truly did not know how to face Xiao Mo, she felt she could not keep lying in bed forever.
After all, what kind of wife stayed in bed and refused to get up on the second day after her wedding?
Gui Junmeng lightly pressed her thin lips together. At last, she lifted the quilt, and a pair of fair, tender little feet carefully reached down from the bed.
She put on her clothes, suppressed the shyness in her heart, pushed open the door, and walked out of the room.
“You’re up.”
In the courtyard, Xiao Mo, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, heard the door open. He slowly opened his eyes and smiled at her.
“I’m... I’m up...”
The moment she saw Xiao Mo’s familiar face, Gui Junmeng’s mind involuntarily brought up the image of him gently removing her skirt last night.
Her gaze drifted of its own accord to Xiao Mo’s broad hands.
She felt her waist and chest grow scalding hot, as though the lingering warmth of those hands still remained there.
“What’s wrong?” Xiao Mo asked, looking at Gui Junmeng as she stood there in a daze.
“No... nothing...” Gui Junmeng shook her head, her voice barely louder than a whisper. “It’s getting late... I... I’ll go make food for my husband...”
“I’ll help you. Later, we can invite Sister Liu Shui and Senior Sister Lin to come eat with us too. They worked hard helping us yesterday, so we ought to thank them,” Xiao Mo said.
“Mm... I’ll... listen to my husband... I... I’ll go prepare things in the kitchen first...”
Gui Junmeng’s delicate hand lightly brushed the hair by her ear, and she quickly walked toward the kitchen.
Only, the way she walked today seemed somewhat unnatural, as though she had twisted her ankle, her steps slightly unsteady.
But Xiao Mo understood in his heart. Although last night had only been their souls merging, the sensation had been almost no different from real physical contact.
Besides, last night, he... did seem to have been somewhat rough...
“Tsk. It’s broad daylight already, and I’m still thinking about that...”
Xiao Mo scolded himself, pressed down those thoughts once again, and walked into the kitchen.
Before long, the stove fire was lit. Wisps of cooking smoke rose from the chimney and slowly drifted above the courtyard.
Xiao Mo planned to use the flesh and blood of the spirit beasts he had hunted before to make dishes, giving Miss Liu Shui, Senior Sister Lin, and the others a proper treat.
Handling spirit beast flesh required considerable technique and patience.
Both Gui Junmeng and Xiao Mo were quite good at cooking.
But Gui Junmeng did not know what was wrong with herself. She kept feeling that she wanted to get closer to Xiao Mo, to cling beside him and not leave him by so much as a step.
Whenever her gaze fell on Xiao Mo’s lips, she would involuntarily press her own thin lips together, pursing them softly, and the sensations from last night would once again surface in her mind.
Because Gui Junmeng was distracted, most of the dishes in the kitchen could only be made by Xiao Mo alone, while Gui Junmeng merely helped at his side.
At noon, Xiao Mo and Gui Junmeng finally finished preparing the meal.
Miss Liu Shui, Senior Sister Lin, and the others arrived at the courtyard right at mealtime.
“Oh, what delicious food are you making? It smells so good...”
Senior Sister Lin Qiaoqiao happily sat down on a stone stool in the courtyard, took a deep breath of the food’s aroma, and looked utterly satisfied.
“Junmeng, did you make this whole table of food?”
“No. I only helped a little. Most of it was made by my... my husband...” When Gui Junmeng said the word “husband,” her voice grew even softer. She lowered her eyes, carrying the particular shyness and sweetness of a newlywed wife.
“Hehehe... Then, Junmeng, we’ll have to properly taste your husband’s cooking,” Senior Sister Lin said, covering her mouth as she could not resist teasing her.
“That’s enough, Qiaoqiao. Stop making fun of Junmeng. Look at her, you’re teasing her until she’s practically melting.”
Senior Sister Huang reached out and lightly tapped Lin Qiaoqiao on the forehead, then turned to call the other sisters nearby.
“Come eat. The meal they worked so hard to make is about to get cold.”
“Coming, coming...” Hearing the call, the senior and junior sisters all took their seats one after another.
The originally quiet courtyard very quickly became lively.
Everyone ate the food Xiao Mo had made and praised it endlessly.
Senior Sister Lin and the others still could not resist teasing Junmeng, this newly married little wife.
As for the occasional teasing from her senior and junior sisters, Gui Junmeng merely lowered her head with a red face.
However... when Gui Junmeng happened to raise her head, she discovered that Sister Liu Shui seemed to have something on her mind today. She was especially silent, merely sitting quietly to the side and eating in small bites. From time to time, she lifted her eyes to glance at Xiao Mo, then quickly lowered her head again.
After lunch, everyone helped wash the bowls and chopsticks together, then sat and chatted for a while before leaving one after another.
In the spacious courtyard, only Xiao Mo and Gui Junmeng remained.
They sat on the stone stools, each closing their eyes to meditate.
Only Gui Junmeng could not calm her mind at all.
Now and then, she opened her eyes and looked in Xiao Mo’s direction.
Xiao Mo seemed to sense it. He opened his eyes and turned to look at Gui Junmeng.
Their gazes met.
Gui Junmeng seemed to be shocked by lightning. She immediately lowered her head, hurriedly withdrew her gaze, then closed her eyes again, pretending to meditate seriously.
Xiao Mo was not quite sure what was wrong with Junmeng, but he also closed his eyes again and continued cultivating.
But just as Xiao Mo was about to enter meditation, his mind and spirit gradually sinking, he felt someone lightly tug his sleeve.
Xiao Mo opened his eyes and saw that Gui Junmeng had somehow already walked to his side.
“What is it?” Xiao Mo asked with a smile.
“Xiao Mo... I... there are some things I don’t understand about cultivation...” Gui Junmeng lowered her head and said softly.
“What don’t you understand?” Xiao Mo asked patiently.
“I... I’m not too sure either...”
Gui Junmeng slightly raised her lovely face. Her moist eyes were filled with shyness, her cheeks red as peach blossoms in the third month, and her voice grew softer and softer, so soft it almost scattered into the wind.
“Maybe... I’ll... I’ll only know if we dual practice one more time...”
...
Tushan, Moon God Peak, beneath the Moon God Tree.
The radiance of the Moon God Tree poured down without ceasing like flowing water, gently falling upon the woman beneath the tree.
The woman sat cross-legged on the ground. Behind her, eight snow-white long tails swayed softly.
With each breath she took, the Moon God Tree’s spiritual light silently repaired the injuries still remaining in her body.
And although the woman’s injuries had yet to heal, her realm had advanced several degrees compared with before. There was even a sign that she was about to break through into the middle stage of the Immortal Realm.
“Not bad. As expected of the descendant Tushan Meng values. Your talent truly is remarkable. Never mind her—even I want to take you as my disciple.” A woman’s voice drifted leisurely into Tushan Jingci’s ears.
Tushan Jingci slowly opened her eyes and saw a fox-clan woman looking at her with a smile.
Staring at this woman named Yuan, Tushan Jingci furrowed her brows. Her eyes were filled with vigilance.
Tushan Jingci knew very well that this “Yuan” was not one of Tushan’s people at all. Rather, she had seized the body of a fox-clan woman, occupying the nest like a cuckoo.
As for what her true identity was, Tushan Jingci knew nothing.
It was not as though she had not asked her own master.
But her master had merely said blandly, “She is an old friend of mine. You need not concern yourself.”
But how could that possibly make Tushan Jingci unconcerned?
“Holy daughter, every time you look at me, it’s with such a fierce glare. Is that necessary?”
Yuan smiled, her tone carrying a somewhat careless teasing.
“The reason you’re still alive right now is that I saved your life. In other words, I’m your benefactor.”
“Leaving aside what exactly my master promised you,” Tushan Jingci tilted her head and looked at her coldly, her voice not loud, yet each word icy, “did I ask you to save me?”
“Hehehe...”
Yuan could not help laughing.
“You really are rather interesting. But you’re right. You were bent on seeking death to begin with. To you, life and death don’t seem to make much difference.”
“However, that sweetheart of yours isn’t dead. If you die just like this, then your sweetheart will live carefree and happy with your older sister, reveling night after night. Could you close your eyes in peace?”
“RUMBLE!”
Before Yuan had even finished speaking, one of the snow-white long tails behind Tushan Jingci suddenly lashed out and smashed toward her.
Yuan lightly sidestepped and avoided it. The long tail slammed heavily into the ground with a loud crash, instantly smashing out a deep pit.
“Holy daughter, you should save your strength.”
Yuan patted the dust from her sleeve, her tone casual.
“With just you, you can’t kill me. There are plenty of people in this world who want to kill me, but from beginning to end, all those people could do was seal me away.”
Tushan Jingci’s eyes narrowed as she coldly fixed her gaze on Yuan, making no attempt to conceal the killing intent spreading around her.
“All right. Stop glaring at me like that.”
Yuan turned around and walked outside one unhurried step at a time, her voice drifting lazily from behind her.
“A source at Seeking Immortality Temple sent news. Last night, an omen appeared at Seeking Immortality Temple, and the Great Daos merged. Xiao Mo and Gui Junmeng have already entered the bridal chamber. Last night, they were probably lost in pleasure, spending a whole spring night together. This morning, perhaps they couldn’t even bear to get out of bed.”
“Clang!”
Tushan Jingci abruptly drew her sword, and a streak of cold light stabbed toward Yuan.
However, Yuan had already vanished from where she stood. That white long sword merely nailed itself into the cold stone wall, its blade trembling nonstop, letting out a low buzzing hum.
“Hehehe... So young, yet such a temper.”
Above Moon God Mountain, Yuan’s laughter echoed, now far, now near.
“Tushan Jingci, if you don’t want to personally see your man and your older sister surrounded by children and grandchildren a few years from now, I do have a method that can make him follow you wholeheartedly. That would be far better than staying here, raging uselessly and sulking for nothing.”
“Once you’ve thought it through, come find me...”