Chapter 28 The Contract So, will we meet again in the summer?

Qiao Xi looked at Morax, tilted her head and asked, "Do you want to tell me why touching your tail makes you angry?"

Morax was taken aback. He frowned slightly, thinking to himself, "This girl has already forgotten what I just told her?"

He asked her, "What did I just tell you?"

Qiao Xi replied seriously, "You said you had something to tell me."

"......"

"The previous sentence."

Qiao Xi thought for a moment: "Tell me what you promised me."

Morax sighed, looking at Qiao Xi's face, feeling a mixture of helplessness and a desire to laugh.

He paused for a moment. Although he really didn't want to say those two words, he was afraid that Qiao Xi wouldn't understand. He held back and said, "It's about not mentioning the tail again."

Qiao Xi wanted to ask why it couldn't be mentioned? What exactly made him angry?

But she was still perceptive enough that since Morax didn't like it, she decided not to ask. After all, it wasn't a knowledge point that had to be memorized for the college entrance exam, so there was no need to dig deeper.

She nodded obediently, smiling, her bright eyes and white teeth like sunlight streaming through the window: "I understand."

After a long period of snowfall, the sun has finally come out.

Morax nodded and continued, "I promised you beforehand that if I were to leave, I would let you know in advance."

This statement came so suddenly that Qiao Xi was stunned and didn't react for a moment.

"What did you say?"

“I will leave here in a few days, and Fushe and the others will come with me.”

Morax's expression was calm, so calm that there was no ripple of emotion about the farewell, as if he had become accustomed to parting and felt no sorrow.

Qiao Xi's smile gradually turned into confusion and finally returned to calm. She nodded and smiled, "I understand."

Morax said, "Don't forget to practice. When you come back next time, I will teach you swordsmanship."

His words were like a carrot dangling in front of a non-existent donkey, or a transparent candy promised to a non-existent child.

All Qiao Xi could do was nod vigorously.

The snowy day after it cleared up was even colder than the day it was snowing. The winter sun shone on the white earth, reflecting a cold light. Physics textbooks say that the temperature drops after the snow stops because melting or sublimation takes away heat.

For the next three days, Morax continued to supervise her training as usual, prepared some food for her, and even made a schedule for her to refer to and study.

She always ate breakfast with Morax, and for lunch and dinner, she would go to the cave to eat with her masters, just like always.

But she rarely encountered Morax at the cave's dining table.

Most of the time, it was Morax who came to see her.

When he doesn't go to her, she has no way to contact him.

It must be said that Morax's food is really delicious, and he also has a lot of experience in tasting food.

On the first day, Morax told Qiao Xi that there was a hundred-year-old locust tree on the east side of Tianheng Mountain, which would bloom with pure white flowers in the spring, and the flowers were fresh and delicious.

The next day, Morax told Qiao Xi that various wild vegetables sprout in the grasslands of Tianheng Mountain in spring. Pick their tender shoots and blanch them in clear soup. Toona sinensis can be mixed with tofu and tastes delicious.

On the third day, most of the snow in the bamboo garden had melted away, and only half of the snowman Morax had built remained, covered in dirt.

The exposed ground was softened by snowmelt, making it sticky to walk on.

If snowfall is a beautiful dream, then the muddy ground after the snow melts, the trouser legs that have to be rolled up, and the footprints all over the house are the mess after waking up.

From that day onward, Morax never appeared again, just like before.

Instead, Yi Xiao and Liu Yun continued to teach Qiao Xi, changing their teaching methods according to Morax's plan.

These past few days, Qiao Xi hasn't dared to ask Morax when he's leaving.

She thought he hadn't told her when he was leaving because he wasn't sure himself. Otherwise, why would he tell her several days in advance to keep his promise? He was probably afraid that his sudden departure would turn this into a farewell without saying goodbye.

Morax values ​​contracts highly.

Qiao Xi sat at the table, resting her chin on her hand, holding a book. Her trouser legs were rolled up so high she could practically dab at them, and there were mud stains on her calves. She stared blankly out the window and sighed to herself.

Actually, Morax hadn't been back for very long, but the intense time they spent together over the past few days made her feel like they'd been together for ages. To be honest, this sudden departure left her feeling quite empty.

Qiao Xi has some separation anxiety. She first discovered this problem when classes were divided. It took her much longer than others to get over the sadness of parting from her classmates.

However, the question now is, compared to her disappointment, what's wrong with Jinlan?

Since Morax left, Jinlan has been listless. Before, she could do a set of radio calisthenics on the spot after patrolling the mountain, but now she just collapses at the entrance of Qiaoxi's yard after patrolling the mountain, which has frightened Qiaoxi several times. She thought Jinlan had become a ghost.

Just then, another loud "thump" sounded from the other side of the courtyard.

Qiao Xi's forehead twitched. She knew who it was without even thinking. She didn't understand why Jin Lan had such a strong withdrawal reaction after Morax left. She often saw tears in her eyes, a strange feeling of seeing someone and thinking of them, which made her feel uneasy.

Jinlan had been lying outside the door for a while, and seeing that Qiao Xi still hadn't come to pick him up, he got up by himself, pushed open the door, and came in.

He walked to Qiao Xi's window, rested his face on his arms on the windowsill, and looked at Qiao Xi with a deep and complicated expression.

Qiao Xi stared at Jin Lan with a blank expression.

A moment later, Jinlan pouted, looking like she was about to cry again.

Qiao Xi clenched her fists, held back her anger, and looked at Jin Lan with a forced smile: "What's wrong with you these past few days? You seem so absent-minded."

Jinlan shook his head and asked, "Do you miss the Emperor?"

This was the only normal thing he had said in the past few days. Although it sounded strange, Qiao Xi was still genuinely relieved.

She suddenly understood why Jinlan was sad. Jinlan was a member of the Thousand Rock Army and greatly admired, respected, and loved Morax.

It's normal to have withdrawal symptoms when your idol suddenly passes away. Ask her if she misses Morax; it's just that her emotions are too full and she wants to confide in someone.

Qiao Xi clenched her fists silently. She blamed herself for understanding Jin Lan too late and scolded him many times.

She vowed to give Jinlan plenty of emotional value this time.

She nodded: "He was with me for so long and then suddenly left. I really miss him."

Qiao Xi was speaking from the heart, but she wouldn't have said "I want to" directly if she wasn't trying to comfort Jin Lan.

More than thinking about it, I feel "unaccustomed" to it.

I'm not used to Morax's departure.

But Qiao Xi wondered if it was just her imagination, because she noticed that Jin Lan came back to life after she said those words.

Even the colors on the clothes became more vibrant.

Qiao Xi frowned, still thinking she had made the right judgment, and pressed her advantage, comforting Jin Lan: "Morax told me before that he would leave, and I think he will be back soon."

Jinlan's eyes widened suddenly: "Did the Emperor specifically tell you this before he left?"

Qiao Xi nodded seriously.

Jinlan finally felt relieved after holding his breath for several days. Even though the Emperor and Qiao Xi were separated now, this little bit of sweetness was enough for him to enjoy.

He took a candy cookie out of his pocket and handed it to Qiao Xi: "Thank you."

Qiao Xi felt she had a talent for comforting people, and with a touch of pride, she took the pancake, tore off half and put it in her mouth, and gave the other half to Jin Lan.

She ate her pancake and mumbled, "Come in, aren't you cold standing outside?"

Jinlan put the pancake in her pocket and said, "My feet are too muddy, I'll make the floor dirty for you later."

Qiao Xi was a little embarrassed: "Um, why don't you take a look first and then decide?"

Jinlan peeked out and saw that Qiaoxi's floor was covered with muddy footprints, one on top of another. Even if he went in and stomped on them a couple of times, it would count as cleaning.

"You got into a fight with a wild boar?" Jin Lan climbed in through the window next to him, walked to Qiao Xi's desk, frowned at the floor, and couldn't help but click his tongue, saying, "Have you missed the Emperor so much that you don't even have the energy to clean?"

Qiao Xi frowned: "It's all soft mud from the mountain to the foot of the mountain and into the yard. When you step on it, it mixes with the melted snow and turns into mud. There's nothing I can do about it."

Jinlan looked down at her trouser legs, which were wide enough to be used for planting rice seedlings: "Let me show you a thing or two."

After saying that, he grabbed a bamboo basket from the side and went outside. Not long after, he returned carrying a basket full of pebbles.

Qiao Xi didn't expect Jin Lan to go to pick up stones. She ran out of the house and helped Jin Lan unload the basket.

The moment the bamboo basket full of stones was placed in the yard, mud splashed up. Jinlan looked at Qiaoxi with a smile: "How come you're so strong?"

Qiao Xi rolled up her sleeves, squatted down, took stones out of the basket and spread them on the ground, saying, "I've practiced kung fu for a long time. I told you I'd kick you flying once I've mastered it."

"Hey, you still hold a grudge?" Jinlan gestured with her fists at Qiaoxi from a distance before squatting down to help her pave the way.

Three simple stone paths were laid out: one leading to the gate, one to the bathroom, and one to the pool.

The cobblestone pavement is beautiful.

Qiao Xi asked Jin Lan, "Where did you find these stones?"

Jinlan went inside first and poured himself a cup of hot tea. He said, "There was a bunch of them by the river. I've been watching them for a long time and no one wants them, so I brought them here."

Jinlan finished his tea and left. Not long after he left, Yixiao Daotian Zhenjun stormed into the Bamboo Garden.

At that moment, Qiao Xi was mopping the floor and felt a little scared when she saw Yi Xiao from afar.

Yi Xiao came over and said, "I collected a lot of pebbles to pave your road, but some rascal stole them."

Qiao Xi immediately understood where Jin Lan got those unwanted pebbles.

She pursed her lips and looked at Yi Xiao: "Master, guess what kind of road you walked on when you came here?"

Yi Xiao turned around and suddenly realized, "You took it?"

Qiao Xi nodded: "I took it."

Yi Xiao patted Qiao Xi's head: "It's quite heavy, you must have had a hard time."

Qiao Xi turned her head away, frowning, "Master, you didn't wash your hands."

Yi Xiao paused slightly, then quickly burst into hearty laughter.

*

Yi Xiao taught Qiao Xi to read. Qiao Xi sat in a chair, nestled beside Yi Xiao.

Yi Xiao is now telling the story of how sea monsters roam freely in the two sea areas southeast of Tianheng Mountain.

Qiao Xi thought about the location and suddenly sat up straight: "I was there at first too."

Yi Xiao nodded: "Yes, the area has been quite turbulent in recent years. The Emperor has gone there to suppress it several times, but it is more time-consuming and laborious because it is not as easy to suppress as it is on land."

Qiao Xi listened and asked, "Master, is Morax going to the same place again this time?"

Yi Xiao nodded.

Qiao Xi thought about how Morax had taken five months last time, and wondered if he would have to take another five months this time.

Well, we'll meet again in the summer.

Morax can no longer enjoy the wild buds and locust blossoms of spring.

Yi Xiao continued to tell Qiao Xi some things, occasionally veerging to other topics.

Qiao Xi learned that Morax could transform into many different forms.

For example, the old man that day.

So, was the dragon's body that day also a transformation?

Qiao Xi didn't know.

That night, Qiao Xi had a dream in which she was looking at old-fashioned comics.

It was vaguely written above that something about the nature of dragons... and that dragons have two...

Qiao Xi couldn't see clearly, but the dream made her quite uncomfortable, so she woke up at four o'clock in the morning.

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Author's note: Early update, see you tomorrow!

Any settings that differ from the original work are personal interpretations.