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Chapter 174: Dai Yue’s Jealousy

Translator: Minotauruz

The Heavenly Crane Mountain was an incredibly scenic place. Apart from being used a site for hosting grand events, this place was also well-renown among mortals and cultivators alike as one of the best locations for sight-seeing. Consequently, the Heavenly Crane Mountain was well equipped for such crowds with its fair share of large inns, teahouses and restaurants.

As they walked along a small street with a breathtaking view, Jun Xiaomo and Rong Ruihan finally found themselves arriving before a small, exquisite-looking inn.

“Let’s settle for this place, shall we?” Jun Xiaomo turned around and suggested to Rong Ruihan.

If they had walked down the street just a little bit more, they would find themselves entering an adjoining street which was lined with restaurants, teahouses and eateries. This adjoining street was far busier and bustling with activity. However, Jun Xiaomo had decided to settle on a quieter place.

This little inn was located slightly off the main street, and the traffic here was sparse. Furthermore, this little inn had several elegant looking booths available for their guests to have a private little discussion over their meals, and it looked particularly attractive for their purposes.

“Alright.” Rong Ruihan responded affirmatively. If anyone else were around, they might have found Rong Ruihan to be rather cold.

But this was not the case. He was simply not used to beating about the bush and lacing his words with formalities and pleasantries. He much preferred getting straight to the point when it mattered. In any event, the softness in his eyes also completely negated the curtness of his speech.

Jun Xiaomo smiled at him. She knew Rong Ruihan’s personality, and she found herself increasingly able to glean more from Rong Ruihan’s curt and simple responses. Perhaps this might be attributable to the tacit understanding developed through their experiences together.

Thus, Jun Xiaomo and Rong Ruihan entered the inn and took their seats in a little booth adjoining a window. All they had to do was to tilt their heads a little and they would be able to take in the full view of the beautiful scenery on the Heavenly Crane Mountain, as well as see the road from which they had come from.

They ordered a pot of tea and some small dishes for sharing. Within moments, their booth was filled with the sweet-smelling aroma from the tea.

The atmosphere was silent and still. The two bosom friends who hadn’t seen each other for such a long time found themselves at a complete loss for words as they continued to gently sip the tea from their respective teacups.

Finally, it was Rong Ruihan who broke the silence.

“Xiaomo, you’ve changed a lot.” Rong Ruihan calmly stated as he cast his gaze directly on Jun Xiaomo.

“Is that right? I’ve been hearing that quite a lot. Is brother Rong going to say that I’ve become more beautiful as well?” A mischievous smile crept up the corner of Jun Xiaomo’s lips and she raised her eyebrows slightly as she replied. It was as though she was completely ignorant to the fact that she was praising herself.

“Cough...” Rong Ruihan had not expected such a response from Jun Xiaomo, and he nearly choked on his tea.

He set his teacup down and coughed lightly for a bit, before he resumed, “Seeing that you’re still able to joke these days sets my heart at ease.”

When he first saw Jun Xiaomo earlier, her sullen-looking appearance was like a pin that had pricked straight through his heart.

It had only been a short span of time apart, but in these short moments, Jun Xiaomo had grown that much closer to the Jun Xiaomo in his dreams. Both clothed themselves in a striking red colour, and both presented themselves with a stirring sense of melancholy in the depths of their eyes.

Even now, when Jun Xiaomo was joking around with Rong Ruihan, he could hardly feel a trace of joy within the depths of Jun Xiaomo’s heart.

Ever since Rong Ruihan departed, he had exchanged correspondences with Jun Xiaomo on a few occasions and learnt about Ye Xiuwen’s tragedy through these letters. Rong Ruihan had even inquired this of old man Chi, only to be told that the odds of Ye Xiuwen’s survival were slim to none if he had indeed fallen to the depths of the Death’s Gorge.

Rong Ruihan didn’t know what else to say to console Jun Xiaomo, so he simply decided to conceal old man Chi’s words from Jun Xiaomo. Rong Ruihan believed that as long as there was even a trace of hope, then Jun Xiaomo would not fall into or languish in a state of despair.

But he had underestimated Ye Xiuwen’s importance in Jun Xiaomo’s heart. It was evident that Ye Xiuwen’s disappearance had dealt a severe blow to Jun Xiaomo. In fact, this blow was so great that it had completely washed away the bubbly and impish side to her.

The present Jun Xiaomo was almost akin to an exact replica of that lady in red of Rong Ruihan’s dreams – she seemed always to be afflicted with an air of sorrow around her.

Seeing Jun Xiaomo like that made his heart ache immensely. Yet he also felt incredibly helpless.

Rong Ruihan dreaded the prospects of Jun Xiaomo becoming like the lady in his dreams. He would very much prefer if Jun Xiaomo could remain as she had been when he had first encountered her – witty and sly as she interacted with people with a bright glimmer in her eyes.

All of a sudden, Rong Ruihan found himself considering whether Jun Xiaomo would have changed just as much if the person who had disappeared was instead himself.

Perhaps...not...?

He knew deep within his heart that he was of a different standing in Jun Xiaomo’s heart. Thus, he derided himself for even entertaining such a possibility, and he fervently shrugged off these thoughts.

“Brother Rong, what are you thinking about?” Jun Xiaomo discovered that Rong Ruihan was simply staring at her, and she even heard Rong Ruihan chuckle to himself sardonically.

“Nothing much.” Rong Ruihan picked up his teacup again and lifted it to conceal the slight grimace on his face.

Jun Xiaomo puffed up her cheeks in exasperation. Then, she squinted her eyes and smiled faintly as she quipped, “Shall I take a guess what you were thinking about?”

Rong Ruihan looked back at Jun Xiaomo, and his eyes quivered slightly.

Without waiting for his response, Jun Xiaomo’s smile grew, she closed her eyes and ran her finger along the rims of her teacup as she guessed, “Brother Rong must still be extremely worried for me, right? You must be worried that I’m still trapped within the painful mires of losing martial brother Ye.”

Jun Xiaomo sighed listlessly and paused her finger.

“I’ll admit that. Martial brother’s fall into the Death’s Gorge had dealt me a heavy blow.” Jun Xiaomo lifted her head once more and looked straight into Rong Ruihan’s eyes with her obsidian-black pupils, “He disappeared because he was protecting me. In my grief, I couldn’t help but blame myself as well. I couldn’t stop thinking about whether these would have happened had I not willfully left the Sect and gone looking for him in the first place. However...”

Jun Xiaomo chuckled bitterly, “However, there’s no going back. No matter how much pain and agony I go through; no matter how much I berate myself, nothing will change the present reality. That one instance of willfulness is more than enough. I cannot bear to lose more family and friends as a result of my own willfulness anymore.”

Having heard Jun Xiaomo’s spiel, Rong Ruihan finally understood that there was no need to concern himself with Ye Xiuwen’s position in Jun Xiaomo’s heart.

He had finally realized that whether it was lover, family or friends, every single one occupied the same space in Jun Xiaomo’s heart. No matter who it was that had fallen off the precipice, that person would leave a scar on Jun Xiaomo’s heart as long as he was someone that she cared about.

It would leave an indelible, ineffaceable scar.

Rong Ruihan had once overheard the conversation among a pair of lovebirds. The lady had asked the man, “If your mother and I both fell into the water at the same time, who would you rescue first?”

If Jun Xiaomo had been caught in this situation, she would not be able to abandon either of the two, no matter who they might be. She might not even bother to consider the question – she would undoubtedly do all she could to save both people who mattered equally much to her.

“I understand.” Rong Ruihan stretched out his arm and tousled Jun Xiaomo’s hair, “Xiaomo has grown up.”

“Pfft! You say it as though I’m a little kid.” Jun Xiaomo burst out in laughter as well.

If we included the age of her previous life as well, then she was far from a little kid! When she had first returned to the past, her mentality did regain a little bit of her youthful vigor back then. But right now, she had done nothing more than shed that youthful vigor and return to the prudence and unflappable personality in her previous life.

“In my eyes, you’re still a little kid.” Rong Ruihan solemnly stated.

That’s right. Seventeen years of age was an extremely young existence given the immense lifespan of cultivators. Therefore, Rong Ruihan did not want to see Jun Xiaomo shoulder all of her burdens herself.

He was willing to extend a hand to help Jun Xiaomo protect all that she wanted to protect so that Jun Xiaomo would no longer experience the grief and pain accompanying the loss of a loved one.

And Rong Ruihan never expected any reciprocity on Jun Xiaomo’s part either. After all, he knew that relationships and emotions were things that could not be forced. All that mattered to him was that he followed the desires and intentions of his heart.

“You can let me know if there’s anything on your heart next time. Don’t bottle it up. You’re still young, and you shouldn’t be bearing such heavy burdens all on your own.” Rong Ruihan assuaged Jun Xiaomo.

He could tell that there were still numerous things weighing on Jun Xiaomo’s heart, and he thought that such burdens were far too heavy for a seventeen years-old young lady to bear.

“Brother Rong, I understand. Thank you.” Jun Xiaomo smiled. Her heart was moved by Rong Ruihan’s sincerity.

“Dear guests, your food has arrived.” The waiter walked into the booth and began to set down various dishes before adding, “Please enjoy.”

“Alright, thanks.” Jun Xiaomo politely responded.

After the waiter left, Rong Ruihan picked up some vegetables with his chopsticks and placed them into Jun Xiaomo’s bowl as he remarked, “The cold dishes here are pretty good. Have a taste.”

“Oh? Has brother Rong been here before?” Jun Xiaomo asked in astonishment.

“I’ve been to the Heavenly Crane Mountain five times, and I’ve picked this inn every time I came because it’s much quieter than the rest.”

“Then it seems that brother Rong seems to be tied to this little inn by fate.” Jun Xiaomo mused, “With this, it would be the sixth time that you’re here then.”

“That’s right. I’d never thought that Xiaomo would pick this inn as well.”

Just like that, this little coincidence served to alleviate the earlier heaviness in the room between the two. After some lighthearted conversations, Jun Xiaomo suddenly recalled how Rong Ruihan was travelling with the Eternal Summit Sect and decided to broach the topic.

“Oh yes, brother Rong, if you don’t mind me asking, are you and Dai Yue from the Eternal Summit Sect...very close to each other?” Jun Xiaomo hesitated as she asked.

If Rong Ruihan were indeed close to Dai Yue, then her bet with Dai Yue was going to become a lot more troublesome. After all, she did not want to trap Rong Ruihan between the two of them and make things difficult for him.

Rong Ruihan was slightly stunned by her question, but he quickly collected himself and dispassionately responded, “We’re not too close. I’ve only saved her life once.”

“Saved her life?” Jun Xiaomo had never expected such an answer. After all, she had never seen Rong Ruihan as a person with overflowing compassion.

Rong Ruihan looked straight at Jun Xiaomo, and a swathe of complicated emotions could be seen in the depths of his eyes.

“Back then, she was dressed in striking red, and I mistook her for you.” Rong Ruihan spoke sullenly as Jun Xiaomo was momentarily rendered speechless.

Rong Ruihan had not expected much of a response from Jun Xiaomo either. He continued to describe to Jun Xiaomo the circumstances under which he had come to rescue Dai Yue, and how he had thus followed her back to the Eternal Summit Sect.

“So does the Eternal Summit Sect bear any special significance to brother Rong?”

Jun Xiaomo was not the same as the infatuated Dai Yue, and she had keenly picked up on the essence of Rong Ruihan’s account – Rong Ruihan’s change of heart only occurred when he was prompted by Dai Yue’s mention of the “Eternal Summit Sect”.

Rong Ruihan’s eyes darkened. Moments later, he looked at Jun Xiaomo as he slowly uttered, “My mother’s death might be closely linked to the Eternal Summit Sect.”

This time, it was Jun Xiaomo’s turn to be stunned. She lowered her eyes and sighed, “No wonder...”

“The only reason I’d decided to follow Dai Yue back to the Eternal Summit Sect was so that I could personally verify a few things. If they turned out to be unrelated to my mother’s death, then I would have left peacefully. But if they were inextricably tied to my mother’s death...” Rong Ruihan’s gaze grew cold and frigid, “Then I’ll never let them off!”

“Would things be dangerous if you remain there?” Jun Xiaomo furrowed her brows. She was concerned about the fact that Rong Ruihan had infiltrated the Eternal Summit Sect all on his own.

Rong Ruihan’s gaze softened as he responded, “Don’t worry, my master has provided me with some life-saving treasures.”

His “master” naturally referred to old man Chi.

“Brother Rong, the consequences would be dire if they learnt that you’re a demonic cultivator.” Jun Xiaomo continued to knit her brows as she pressed the issue.

Rong Ruihan chuckled lightheartedly as he stretched his hand out once more and tousled Jun Xiaomo’s head, “Don’t worry. Nobody’s realized it yet, right?”

“But...”

“Also, it’s not going to be long now.” Rong Ruihan cut off Jun Xiaomo’s words.

“What’s not too long?” Jun Xiaomo grew slightly bewildered.

“It’s not going to be too long before I find out the truth.” A frosty gaze crept up the depths of his pupils, before he quickly turned back to Jun Xiaomo with a smile on his face, “I hope that Xiaomo will be willing to take me in when that time comes.”

“Haa--?!” Jun Xiaomo’s eyes widened.

It was now that Rong Ruihan finally began to experience the exuberance of a seventeen years-old girl form Jun Xiaomo. He smiled faintly as he explained, “Once I find out the truth and depart from the Eternal Summit Sect, won’t I have nowhere else to go? Therefore, I hope that Xiaomo will be able to take me in when that time comes. After what we’ve been through together, you wouldn’t be unwilling to do so, would you?”

Jun Xiaomo: ......

Jun Xiaomo had never expected such a sudden development. But, why doesn’t brother Rong just return to the Chi Clan’s residence?

Just then, a lady dressed entirely in red stood behind a tall tree located not too far away from the inn as she glared at Jun Xiaomo and Rong Ruihan with fire burning in her eyes. Gnashing her teeth, her veins bulged as she articulated one word at a time –

“Jun. Xiao. Mo! Why do you have to steal everything?! Brother Rong is mine!!!”

“This time, I’m going to kill you on the arena!”