Chapter 599 - 488: I Don’t Like Sister Yue Shi Anymore! And I Don’t Like Mother Anymore Either

「Early morning.」

As the first rays of sunlight quietly fell upon the windowsill, the young girl lying in bed slowly stirred awake.

The first thing she did upon waking was to head for the bamboo forest at the foot of Shallow Study Peak to check on Xiao Mo.

Although Tushan Jing Ci kept comforting herself, telling herself over and over, ’Xiao Mo will definitely come out of seclusion without a hitch,’ and ’Nothing bad will happen to Xiao Mo.’

But deep in her heart, the worry and concern refused to fade.

So, as soon as the sky began to brighten, Tushan Jing Ci quietly changed her clothes, planning to sneak out to Xiao Mo’s courtyard.

The outcome was predictable.

Yue Shi caught Tushan Jing Ci red-handed.

"Sister Yue Shi, please just let me go..."

"Sister Yue Shi..."

"Nothing will happen if I go."

"Besides, Xiao Mo is already in seclusion..."

"I know Mother is worried about unpleasant rumors starting about me and Xiao Mo."

"But Xiao Mo is in seclusion! He’s just like a rock right now, sitting there completely still. What kind of nasty rumors could possibly start from that...?"

As Tushan Jing Ci spoke, she gently shook Yue Shi’s arm, wheedling just as she always did.

The young girl’s voice was soft and sweet, with a hint of ingratiation.

"..."

Being stared at by her young miss with such pleading eyes and hearing her repeated entreaties, Yue Shi’s heart began to soften bit by bit.

Yue Shi thought to herself that her young miss did have a point.

After all, Xiao Mo was currently in seclusion. There would be no contact between them. The miss was only going to take a quick look at him; it really wouldn’t hurt anything.

But then Yue Shi remembered the Madam’s instructions, and a troubled look returned to her face.

"Sister Yue Shi, if you don’t say anything and I don’t say anything, Sister Xiaoyin and the others definitely won’t dare to either. Nothing will happen, really."

Seeing that Sister Yue Shi seemed to be hesitating, Tushan Jing Ci continued to wheedle in a soft voice. As she spoke, growing more emotional, a faint mist began to cloud her beautiful eyes.

Before long, a crystalline teardrop at the corner of the girl’s eye seemed ready to fall, trembling as if it might roll down her cheek at any moment.

"You can’t, Miss."

Finally, Yue Shi took a deep breath, forcing her heart to become firm once more.

"From now on, I will stay by your side at all times. If you go to the Book Hall, I will go with you. In short, I cannot let you go see Xiao Mo."

If this had been in the past, Yue Shi wouldn’t have thought it was a big deal.

But the miss was gradually growing up now. How could it be right for her to spend all day thinking about a house servant?

It was completely unacceptable.

"Hmph! I’m never talking to Sister Yue Shi again!"

Seeing that Sister Yue Shi refused to yield, Tushan Jing Ci huffed angrily, turned around, ran back to her room, and slammed the door shut behind her.

"Sigh..."

Gazing at the tightly shut door, Yue Shi sighed, a hint of helplessness in her eyes.

Inside the room, Tushan Jing Ci was sprawled across her desk. Her small hands were stretched out straight, her chin resting on the cool surface. She was completely listless, like a fox nipped by the first frost.

Even the fluffy fox tail behind her drooped limply, its tip hanging over the edge of the chair, completely still.

’I wonder how Xiao Mo is doing right now?’

’He should have started his seclusion by now...’

’Something couldn’t have happened to Xiao Mo, could it?’

The more Tushan Jing Ci thought about it, the more uneasy she felt, and the urge to see Xiao Mo grew ever stronger.

In the past, Sister Yue Shi had also prevented her from seeing Xiao Mo.

But back then, at least when she went to the Book Hall for her lessons, Xiao Mo could still accompany her.

But now? Now, Xiao Mo couldn’t even go with her to the Book Hall. Didn’t that mean she wouldn’t see him for days and days...?

"No!"

Tushan Jing Ci shot upright, her small face set with determination.

’I have to make my own opportunities! If Sister Yue Shi won’t let me go, then I just have to go secretly!’

No sooner said than done.

An hour later, Tushan Jing Ci figured Sister Yue Shi must have let her guard down. She quietly activated her Lifebound Divine Abilities, completely concealing her presence and aura.

Tushan Jing Ci was quite confident in her Techniques.

’After all, we of the Tushan clan are best at Illusion Techniques and those related to the Divine Soul and spirit.’

She gingerly opened the door and tiptoed out of the room.

However, the girl had only taken a few steps into the courtyard when a soft cough sounded from behind her—

"Ahem... And where might the miss be going?"

Tushan Jing Ci froze. She slowly turned around to see Sister Yue Shi standing behind her, a Jade Pendant in her hand, watching her with a calm expression.

"Sister Yue Shi... I..."

Tushan Jing Ci’s eyes darted back and forth as her mind raced, trying to come up with an excuse to fool Sister Yue Shi.

"Don’t trouble yourself, Miss." Yue Shi sighed softly, her tone gentle but firm. "This Jade Pendant was given to me by the Madam herself. It is an excellent detection-type Magical Treasure, specifically to prevent you from sneaking out."

She paused, looking at her young miss’s crestfallen face. Although she felt a pang of sympathy, she continued,

"You should rest, Miss. You should be paying more attention to your own cultivation, not a house servant."

"Hmph!"

Knowing her escape was hopeless, Tushan Jing Ci, like a feisty little hen, stomped angrily back into her room, the door slamming shut heavily behind her once more.

"I don’t like Sister Yue Shi anymore! And I don’t like Mother either!"

The young girl’s resentful voice echoed from within the room.

After being caught, Tushan Jing Ci seemed to have learned her lesson. She stayed obediently in her room for the entire morning, seemingly having given up on the idea of sneaking out.

However, in the afternoon, she stubbornly tried to sneak out again.

But as soon as she opened the door, there was Yue Shi, standing at the entrance and watching her with a calm expression.

That evening, after bathing and changing, Tushan Jing Ci waited until the dead of night when all was quiet. She once again activated a Technique, transforming into a small, pure-white fox, and slipped nimbly out the window.

This time, she finally managed to slip out of the courtyard.

The white fox scampered briskly along the path, moonlight glinting on her fluffy tail. She covered her muzzle with a forepaw, gloating inwardly, certain that she would succeed this time.

However, when she had run less than a third of a mile down the path, she looked up.

And there, standing quietly a short distance ahead, as if she had been waiting for a long time, was Yue Shi. *Again*.