Chapter 728 Not a Little Girl

Early in the morning, Song Chunxue got up early to practice her swordsmanship outside.

About half an hour later, she put away her longsword and was about to have breakfast when she suddenly heard a soft cough coming from outside the courtyard wall.

Although it was only one sound, Song Chunxue felt it was extremely familiar. If she wasn't mistaken, that person was Sanwa.

Why is he here?

Should she meet with him at this time and confess her relationship with Lord Xie to Sanwa?

No, absolutely not, she still couldn't bring herself to do it.

Like the second child, it's better to let him discover it himself.

After a quick thought, she took out an invisibility talisman and stuck it on her body. Her body made a decision faster than her mind, and she flew up the mountain on her sword.

Reaching the mountaintop, she chuckled to herself; there was no way around it, she was just that timid.

"Oh my!" Changyun suddenly appeared from the corner, patting his chest. "Master!"

Then, he ran over happily, "Master, you're finally back! I thought you had forgotten about us long ago."

"My senior master and grandmaster are both here, as are two senior masters from the capital. Changfeng originally wanted to go down the mountain to find you."

My senior brother from the capital and Master Han are also here?

"Are they all here? Do they want to discuss something?"

Changyun nodded. "That's right. It's said that a group of demonic and evil cultivators have been stirring up trouble around here recently. Several of my uncles are discussing going down the mountain to defend the righteous path. They want Master to stay and guard the mountain."

Should we let her stay?

But she also wanted to go out and fight... no, to go down the mountain and defend the righteous path.

Song Chunxue walked towards the backyard. "Okay, I'll go ask."

Oh right, Xia Mulan's mother is still on this mountain. "I'll go to the kitchen first and see if you've eaten yet."

"We were just about to eat. I'm planning to gather a few more pieces of firewood. The buns will be ready soon," Changyun said with a smile. "My master's mother-in-law is very capable. She keeps the kitchen very clean, and the cook's skills are also quite good. From now on, Changfeng and I won't have to worry about what to eat."

Song Chunxue patted his shoulder, "That's good. You should make time to cultivate properly from now on. Have you been meditating well these past few months? Have you made any progress?"

Changyun puffed out his chest and said with some pride, "Of course, Changfeng, Wangchen, and I meditate, practice standing meditation, and practice boxing every morning and evening. As for our new clothes, they were all made for us by Wangchen."

Song Chunxue turned her head and looked closely at Changyun's Taoist robe. It was clean and tidy, and the material was good; it was indeed new.

"It seems you've been doing quite well while we were away. Why don't the three of you guard the mountain gate, and I'll join my senior brothers and uncles to watch the fun?"

To be honest, Song Chunxue was more worried about causing trouble for the Taoist temple because of the Worry-Free Sword she carried than going out to watch the excitement.

It's safer to stay with my senior brothers and uncles.

Changyun jogged after her, "No, Master! What if someone takes over the Taoist temple if you're not here?"

Song Chunxue was both amused and exasperated. "Who dares to take it over? This was built by the Zhao family. Anyone who dares to take it over will be punished by the Zhao family."

Even if the sixth young master of the Zhao family were still on the mountain, no one would dare to do that.

As they spoke, they went to the kitchen.

"Mother-in-law, are you busy?" Song Chunxue greeted the person tending the fire on the ground with a smile.

Wearing newly made clothes and a simple silver hairpin in her hair, Xia's mother looked like a completely different person, her complexion much better than before Song Chunxue left.

"Oh, you're back. You came up the mountain so early?" Xia's mother stood up and said with a smile, "But the steamed buns are just cooked, you've come at the perfect time. Go inside and wait, I'll bring them over right away."

"No rush, let me talk to you," Song Chunxue said with a smile. "Mulan said you really enjoy working here. I didn't believe it before, but now that I see it with my own eyes, you look much more energetic than before, and you look great."

With a smile, Xia's mother placed a clean white cloth on the steamer, and the buns were taken out one by one and arranged on a large bamboo mat.

"That's right, I've been having such a relaxing time these days. If I had known life outside was this good, where I could enjoy the scenery and cultivate my mind and body, I would have come sooner."

As she spoke, she put the steamed buns into a clean little bamboo basket, took a vinegar pot, and placed a stack of small bowls on a plate.

"Alright, you all go and eat. I'll get some more soup and bring it over. Don't worry about me," Xia's mother said softly. "The Taoist priests are waiting to talk to you. We can chat when you're free."

Seeing how understanding she was, Song Chunxue accepted the wooden tray without refusing.

"Okay, I'll come back when I'm free."

Upon arriving at the dining hall, Song Chunxue looked at the familiar faces and felt a surge of emotion.

The dining hall was so clean and bright, with spotless tables and chairs. She recognized so many of the people there, and she, dressed in a Taoist robe, walked among them; she was one of them.

On the path of spiritual practice, she was surrounded by like-minded people, and she suddenly felt as if she were dreaming.

"Junior brother is here. You really want to eat our Taoist temple's breakfast?" Lord Zhao greeted him with a smile. "Please sit down. You even brought it yourself."

Song Chunxue smiled broadly, "Knowing you were here, of course I had to come."

She placed her bowl and chopsticks on the table and bowed to her senior uncle, who was sitting at the head of the table, saying, "Good morning, senior uncle."

"Yes, please sit down."

My uncle was a man of few words, and his white beard seemed to shine even brighter, exuding an even more domineering aura from his long association with wild beasts.

The steamed buns were made with radish and pork, with more radish so they weren't too greasy. Song Chunxue ate four in one go. She didn't want to drink the soup, but wanted to brew some tea instead.

After breakfast, Lord Zhao brought up the matter of their upcoming descent from the mountain.

Song Chunxue had just lit the fire in the tea stove, placing a wooden board under it to prevent the table from burning.

“I want to go too. More people means more help. If we leave a few children on the mountain, they won’t be unable to guard the mountain.”

Lord Zhao looked at Taoist Zhang and said, "This journey is dangerous. You still have something they are after. If you happen to run into them, it may be difficult for you to escape."

"Besides, we're acting separately, so we can't take care of you."

Song Chunxue looked at Master Zhang and said, "Senior brother, you're also injured. Why don't you stay here and I'll go down the mountain?"

The Taoist priest slowly took a sip of rice porridge. "I'll go with Lord Zhao. It depends on whether Taoist Priest Han is willing to take you along."

Song Chunxue looked at Master Han and thought that it was hard to say. Master Han might not even need to use his sword. He could restore his original form and travel through the forest, which might save time and effort compared to using his sword.

"I'll do this because you made me this robe, but you must listen to me in everything and never act rashly, or I will send you back."

Master Han ate two steamed buns slowly and deliberately, then picked up the bowl and sipped the soup with a spoon, looking arrogantly at Song Chunxue.

Song Chunxue nodded, "I'm sorry to have troubled you. If I can't beat you, I'll run away. I'll protect myself."

Lord Zhao looked at her with great interest, "Aren't you going to stay with Lord Xie?"

"Let him focus on recovering. I can't just be someone who does nothing but run around him all day. Someone needs to take care of him."

Lord Zhao nodded, "That's right. I thought you'd be clingy for a while after this, which is for the best. I don't want a junior brother who's always clinging to someone else. Being attracted to someone is one thing, but cultivation is another."

Song Chunxue nodded, "I'm not a little girl."