We Agreed On Experiencing Life, So Why Did You Immortals Become Real? Chapter 634: The Man We're Meant to Steal Is Right in There

After wandering through the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.

That day, Xiao Mo did not linger, leaving the Ten Thousand Swords Sect before long.

Only, once Xiao Mo returned to the Zhou Kingdom, he found himself with little heart for attending morning court sessions for some time.

Jiang Qingyi's face kept rising, unbidden, within his mind.

He kept recalling that moment, within the courtyard, and that single sentence she had spoken.

Every time he recalled it, Xiao Mo could not help but let out a sigh.

Every worry Xiao Mo had held had, in the end, become reality.

He had never imagined that everything within the Book of a Hundred Lives was, in fact, entirely real, and this was not even the most serious concern.

If Qingyi's story in this life had proven real then how could the other lives he had experienced possibly be false as well?

Though Xiao Mo no longer retained most of his memories from within the Book of a Hundred Lives, he knew, at least, that whatever he had done within those lives had not all been particularly admirable.

Some of what he had done might well have been even worse than what had happened with Qingyi and now, Qingyi had already come to find him.

Would others not come as well?

That was genuinely hard to say.

As for revealing his own identity to Qingyi.

Xiao Mo felt there was no need for that, for now. He still needed time to consider things carefully.

Otherwise, should Qingyi learn that he retained memories of his past life, there was no telling what she might do and, in truth, Xiao Mo had always, in his own heart, thought of Qingyi simply as his disciple.

"Ah... never mind. I'll just have to take things one step at a time."

Xiao Mo rubbed at his brow, letting out another sigh.

On the seventh day after Xiao Mo returned to the palace, he met once more with Yan Shuang.

Having dissolved the vassal relationship with the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, the Zhou Kingdom formally established an alliance with the Four Seas on equal standing.

Yan Shuang was not surprised by Xiao Mo's decision.

After all, no reasonable person would ever pass up such generous terms.

What Yan Shuang had not expected, however, was that Xiao Mo added one further clause, “What the Four Seas gives shall be treated as a loan, subject to recall at any time, after a century, the Zhou Kingdom shall repay it twofold."

Yan Shuang understood that Xiao Mo wished to maintain a certain distance from the Four Seas, deliberately preserving the Zhou Kingdom's own independence but to Yan Shuang's mind, this was nothing more than the pointless pride of a mortal ruler.

Still, it mattered little. Yan Shuang felt that so long as she completed the task her master had given her, signing the alliance treaty with Xiao Mo, that was enough.

Once the treaty was signed, Yan Shuang soon departed with the Four Seas delegation.

The entire capital settled once more into its usual peace but before long, the Confucian Academy's Vice Dean, Shang Qi, returned once more.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, wonderful news, Your Majesty! Our dean has decided, from this day forward, the Zhou Kingdom may send a hundred scholars each year to study at the Four Great Academies. Beyond this, the Confucian Academy and the Four Great Academies will establish schools of learning throughout every prefecture of Great Zhou, teaching and nurturing scholars for Great Zhou, cultivating promising seeds of learning!"

"And most importantly! Our dean has decided to gift Great Zhou a phoenix tree, personally planted by the ancient Confucian sages themselves, capable of stabilizing the Zhou Kingdom's literary fortune!"

Upon seeing Xiao Mo, Shang Qi's tone carried genuine delight, even a note of excitement, as though these benefits were being given not to the Zhou Kingdom, but to himself.

Xiao Mo did not know what this Confucian Academy phoenix tree truly represented, only assuming it served as a symbolic gesture of goodwill between them, a certain ceremonial significance, and feeling that the people of the Confucian Academy were quite generous indeed, willing to cultivate scholars for the Zhou Kingdom so freely, and so agreed readily.

In truth, Xiao Mo had no idea that when the Confucian Academy's dean, Kong Sheng, had agreed to give away that tree, the academy's chancellors, mountain lords, and noble immortals had all tried ceaselessly to dissuade him.

Though Kong Sheng had overruled every objection, appearing quite generous on the surface, he had barely slept properly for several nights afterward, his heart aching over the loss.

Another half month passed.

As always, Xiao Mo continued practicing his sword upon the Dao Inquiry Platform but just as Xiao Mo grew increasingly absorbed in his practice, a flash of sword-light struck toward him.

Xiao Mo's mind sharpened at once, raising his sword horizontally to block.

In an instant, blades of light crossed one another.

Fierce streaks of sword-qi swept through the plaza once more.

Once the sword-qi had dissipated, Jiang Qingyi's long sword already rested against Xiao Mo's throat, “Your Majesty won against me by a stroke of luck last time, and now believes yourself accomplished? Practicing so lazily, so distracted?"

"I was simply thinking of Sect Master Jiang just now." Xiao Mo said with a smile. "Without Sect Master Jiang around, practicing sword alone does feel rather dull, admittedly."

"Hmph, such a smooth tongue." Jiang Qingyi gave a cold snort, lowering the sword in her hand.

Xiao Mo lowered his gaze, and only then noticed that Jiang Qingyi had changed swords and this particular sword was the very gift he had given her, thousands of years ago.

He had never expected she still kept it.

"What brings Sect Master Jiang back to the Zhou Kingdom for a visit, I wonder?" Xiao Mo settled his own mind, smiling.

"What, can I not come? Am I no longer the Zhou Kingdom's National Preceptor now?" Jiang Qingyi asked, turning her head.

Xiao Mo froze slightly, then answered, “If Sect Master Jiang wishes it, the position of Zhou Kingdom National Preceptor will always remain open to you."

"Well then, that settles it. Again!"

The moment her words fell, Jiang Qingyi swept Xiao Mo's sword aside with a single stroke, charging at him once more.

Ripples of sword-qi mixed with spiritual energy shook through the Dao Inquiry Platform once again.

Half an incense stick's time later, the long sword in Xiao Mo's hand was swept aside by Jiang Qingyi, the icy white tip of her blade once again pointed at his throat.

"I concede." Xiao Mo shook his head. "It seems I still have a great deal left to learn."

"Hmph, good that Your Majesty understands."

Jiang Qingyi lifted her fair chin proudly, as though finally reclaiming the dignity she had lost in their previous defeat.

"Again!"

But Jiang Qingyi seemed to have no intention of letting Xiao Mo off yet, charging at him once more.

At the same time, within the Zhou Kingdom's capital.

A woman dressed in a light blue long gown, leading a small girl in a red skirt by the hand, walked along the capital's main street and because the woman in blue was truly remarkably beautiful, and the small girl she led by the hand was genuinely adorable, passersby coming and going could not help but glance toward the two of them.

"Candied haws! Candied haws for sale!"

Hearing the elderly vendor's call not far off, the small girl in red's bright, luminous eyes lit up at once, and she ran toward the old man.

Standing beneath the candied haws stand, Xue Kui bit her finger, gazing up eagerly.

"Two skewers, please."

The woman in blue caught up, paying for them with a helpless sigh.

"Here you go, miss." The old man pulled two skewers down.

"Eat slowly." The woman in blue handed one skewer to the girl, eating the other herself.

"Om nom!" The small girl in red took a big bite of the candied haw, her eyes narrowing with joy. "Sister Yu, where's the man we're supposed to steal?"

"See that big palace up ahead?"

Yu Yunwei said slowly.

"The man we're meant to steal is right in there."