Chapter 52 Remember that I like you
The next morning, when Liu Yun and Yi Xiao arrived at the Bamboo Garden, they found Qiao Xi already practicing her swordplay with the Emperor.
Qiao Xi saw her two masters, sheathed her sword, and bowed, saying, "Greetings, masters."
After Liu Yun and Yi Xiaochong nodded to Qiao Xi, they said to Morax, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Morax hummed in agreement and said, "Qiao Xi has already informed me about the upcoming examination."
Yi Xiao: "Will Your Majesty personally take action this time?"
Qiao Xi frowned, feeling that the phrase "do it herself" sounded a bit strange.
Morax shook his head: "Qiao Xi instructed that the two of you should conduct the inspection."
As soon as she finished speaking, Qiao Xichong smiled at Yixiao and Liu Yun.
Yi Xiao glared at her for her playful grin, and Qiao Xi glared back at Yi Xiao.
Liu Yun said, "Alright, you two can catch up later. Now, let's check on Xiao Xi's progress in her cultivation."
Yi Xiao and Qiao Xi were both puzzled: "Reminiscing?"
Even Morax, standing to the side, frowned slightly as he pondered Liu Yun's choice of words.
Liu Yun didn't see anything wrong with it. She walked up to Qiao Xi, lightly touched Qiao Xi's forehead with her finger, and a sky-blue light spread from Liu Yun's fingertip to Qiao Xi's body. Soon, Liu Yun removed her hand, her expression gratified: "Xiao Xi has learned very well, and may even have already reached her full potential."
Qiao Xi exclaimed in surprise, "Really? I'm that amazing?"
Yi Xiao laughed: "Xiao Xi, your master has to praise you this time."
Qiao Xi went from being at a loss at first to accepting the fact that she was now very successful. She smiled and looked at Morax, who returned her a gentle smile.
But at that moment, Yi Xiao seemed to have discovered something. He said, "I've noticed that Xiao Xi only makes progress when the Emperor is away. As soon as the Emperor is around, she starts to lose interest in studying."
Liu Yun was also enlightened by these words, and she said, "That's really true."
Qiao Xi was stunned. How did things suddenly turn out like this?
Liu Yun and Yi Xiao suggested to Morax, "Why doesn't Your Majesty go to Mount Aozang or Guili Plain for a while so that Xiao Xi can improve faster?"
Upon hearing that Morax was to leave, Qiao Xi became unhappy, but before she could say anything, Yi Xiao started arguing between his left and right brains: "Liu Yun, that's not right. Didn't we start teaching Xiao Xi in the first place because the Emperor didn't have time to teach her? Now that the Emperor is here, why should we let him leave?"
Liu Yun thought it made sense, but he just couldn't understand why Xiao Xi's studies always improved when the Emperor was away.
Seeing that the two were about to burn out, Morax spoke up. He said to Liu Yun and Yi Xiao, "Qiao Xi's progress is due to her own efforts and has nothing to do with others. I will not be leaving during this period."
After Morax spoke, Liu Yun and Yi Xiao said nothing more.
Yi Xiao walked up to Qiao Xi and said to her again, "I am really happy to see your progress. For your own sake and for the sake of Tianheng Mountain, don't slack off and keep working hard. Liu Yun and I will go first."
Qiao Xi nodded earnestly: "Master, I will."
After Yi Xiao left, Qiao Xi looked at Morax and said, "Why do I feel like Master has something on his mind?"
Morax looked at her; her eyes were clean and pure, like crystals that had never been tainted, yet they were filled with a faint sense of weariness.
He smiled slightly but didn't say anything.
*
As the sun set and the horizon was bathed in golden light by the clouds, Qiao Xi's practice for the day was over.
She stood in the courtyard, taking a deep breath of the summer air filled with the fragrance of fruits and the lively atmosphere, her clothes soaked with a thin layer of sweat.
Morax was still sitting under the eaves drinking tea. He had cooled a cup for her in advance, and when she finished, he waved to her and said, "Come here."
Qiao Xi ran over: "How was it? I think I did pretty well."
“Very good.” Morax praised, handing her the cup of tea. “Stay with me and watch the sunset for a while.”
After accepting the tea, Qiao Xi sat down on the chair next to him. The chair was made of bamboo and was very sturdy.
She took a small sip of the tea in her cup, found it somewhat bitter, and frowned: "It seems to have been steeping for a bit too long."
Morax took it from her hand, smelled it, and nodded: "It was my oversight."
"It's not a big problem." Before Morax could react, Qiao Xi took the cup of tea back, tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp. She wiped her mouth, put the cup back, and frowned. "I drank it all in one go and it still tastes bitter."
Morax felt both helpless and amused by her reaction, finally realizing it was because the child was simply too adorable. He couldn't resist reaching out and ruffling her hair. Qiao Xi smiled at Morax.
The two sat under the eaves, gazing at the distant sunset. The afterglow of the sunset was magnificent, and the sea of clouds surged. It was as if time would stand still at this moment, becoming a moment of tranquility between the two of them.
Qiao Xi couldn't help but exclaim, "What a beautiful day!"
Morax turned to look at her and smiled.
Qiao Xi turned around and looked at Morax: "When are you going back today?"
Morax: "Is this your order to leave?"
Qiao Xi shook her head, a little embarrassed: "Jin Lan invited me because he said he was having barbecue at his camp tonight."
Morax was just joking, but it turns out the girl was actually telling him to get out.
He was still thinking about the distant things Qiao Xi had said to him in the cave yesterday, so he stood up, walked up to Qiao Xi, and looked at her very seriously: "Qiao Xi, I really like you."
This sudden confession left Qiao Xi stunned. She blinked and looked up at Morax.
Morax lowered his head and kissed Qiao Xi on the forehead, saying, "Just remember that."
Then he left.
The kiss on her forehead tickled her. Qiao Xi looked at Morax's back, paused, and then called out to him, "Morax."
Morax turned to look at her: "What's wrong?"
Qiao Xi smiled: "I like you too, just remember that."
Morax laughed and said, "I'll remember that."
That night, at the camp of the Thousand Rock Army.
After finishing the barbecue with Jinlan, Qiaoxi helped him patrol the mountain, which also served as a way to digest their food.
As they walked down the mountain path, Qiao Xi said, "Your skills are getting better and better."
Jinlan yawned: "It's been hot lately, and there are a lot more bugs on the mountain. Be careful."
Qiao Xi's arms and neck were already covered in mosquito bites. She said, "Wait until I get back this time, then I'll get some mosquito repellent. You can apply it all over yourself while you're patrolling the mountains."
Jinlan teased her, "You truly deserve to be called our great inventor from Tianheng Mountain!"
Qiao Xi realized that Jin Lan was joking with her, and she smiled and said, "Of course, I accept your compliment."
The two walked in silence for a while, then Jinlan suddenly asked, "Little Qiao Xi, how are things between you and the Emperor lately?"
The Emperor returned yesterday, but Qiao Xi hadn't mentioned it. Jin Lan sensed something was wrong; would his CP (couple pairing) break up?
Mentioning Morax made Qiao Xi frown, making Jin Lan nervous. He couldn't help but ask, "What? Say something?"
Qiao Xi looked at Jin Lan: "I think I won't think about leaving him anymore."
Upon hearing this, Jinlan exploded: "You had thought about leaving before?!"
Qiao Xi blinked: "This...isn't this normal? Like dating and breaking up..."
"This isn't normal!" Jinlan decisively interrupted Qiao Xi. "Let me tell you, if you're going to talk, then talk properly! If you two really can't make it work, then just get married!"
Qiao Xi didn't know why Jin Lan was so excited all of a sudden, but it was very infectious. Qiao Xi nodded, feeling that if she didn't agree to Jin Lan's request right now, Jin Lan would devour her.
The two arrived at the osmanthus tree at the foot of the mountain. Compared to when it was first planted, the osmanthus tree is now full of leaves. The leaves are hard and glossy. Qiao Xi touched them and seemed to be able to smell the fragrance of osmanthus flowers this autumn.
After returning to the bamboo garden from her patrol, Qiao Xi saw that the light in her room was on. She went over to look and found Morax sitting at her desk, flipping through a book.
He lowered his head, his eyes intently scanning the contents of the book. Qiao Xi walked around to the window, casting a shadow that made Morax look up.
He smiled slightly at the girl outside the window.
Qiao Xi rested her chin on her hand on the windowsill: "Sir, why are you trespassing on my property?"
Morax knew that Qiao Xi was just teasing him, so he went along with her and said, "Oh, because I missed you."
Qiao Xi smiled and said to Morax, "Excuse me."
Morax did as he was told and sat down to the side, while Qiao Xi climbed in through the window.
Looking at her, Morax said, "So that's how you climb through a window."
Qiao Xi smiled: "Is it impressive?"
"Yes, that's impressive."
"Is it more powerful than Morax?"
"Even more powerful than Morax."
Qiao Xi smiled.
Morax said, "Come here, let me kiss you."
Qiao Xi walked over, put her hands on Morax's shoulders, and said, "You trespassed into my house and then tried to kiss the owner of this house. Isn't that a bit too unreasonable?"
Morax didn't speak, but because of Qiao Xi's slightly teasing tone, his breathing carried a hint of pleasure.
He placed his hands on Qiao Xi's waist and pulled her up slightly, causing her feet to lift off the ground. The next second, she straddled Morax's lap, a position that gave her the unspeakable meaning of holding Morax's shoulders.
Qiao Xi looked away awkwardly, but Morax pulled her chin back.
Qiao Xi could only look into Morax's eyes.
At this moment, without saying a word, Morax placed his hand on the back of Qiao Xi's head and pressed down, and Qiao Xi naturally pressed her lips against Morax's.
After a long time apart, the kiss felt a little awkward. Qiao Xi could feel Morax's tongue searching for its old techniques, but unfortunately, Qiao Xi wasn't good at it either. She could only follow Morax's movements and entangle with him.
Suddenly, Morax stopped moving, leaned back slightly, and distanced himself from her.
There were still a few traces of moisture on Qiao Xi's lips.
She stammered, "W-what's wrong?"
Morax frowned: "Open your mouth a little wider."
Qiao Xi was stunned, then blushed.
She stared at Morax for a while, her mouth slightly agape.
Seemingly not quite the size Morax was satisfied with, he inserted his thumb into Qiao Xi's open mouth, pressed down gently, and then used this action to kiss her.
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Author's note: There should be another 20,000 to 30,000 words left to finish, and two more side stories.
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