How come the celestial technique I stole is so powerful?!-Chapter 156: Songs in the Dead of Night

"Can I go inside and take a look?"

Little Hu poked his head forward and tucked his feet back, his mouth splitting into a grin, sending a clear "try to come in, I dare you" signal.

Lin Xiaosu glared at him: "Your owner doesn’t guard against me, why are you so defensive?"

The door behind him creaked open, and a voice came: "What are you two doing?"

"I was saying I’d go in and ask if your Mother was hungry, but your little tiger here won’t let me in. I’ve been doing a whole half-day’s worth of ideological and political work with it, this little guy has some strong principles..." His voice suddenly came to an abrupt halt.

Because he saw an incredibly enticing sight. freewebnoveℓ.com

Yixiang had just come out of her bath, with drops of water still on her hair. Her cheeks, red and white were distinctly separated, the extreme of both colors. White as a freshly peeled egg, red as the blazing sunrise.

Such grace, simply didn’t seem of this world.

Yixiang chuckled: "My Mother is still in recovery, she can’t eat at this time, at the earliest she won’t truly wake up until tomorrow... Little Hu, this is my brother, no need to guard against him!"

Lin Xiaosu stretched out his hands to Little Hu: "See, I told you, I’m a good person! Come on, give me a hug!"

The cat turned away, presenting his butt to him.

Lin Xiaosu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Yixiang laughed as well: "Big brother, go upstairs and rest, I’ll cook for you."

Lin Xiaosu went up to her bamboo house, and Yixiang was washing clothes below, including his and her own.

It was nearing noon, and his clothes wouldn’t dry very quickly after being washed right now, does that mean he has to stay here another night?

Is she not afraid her Mother will really lose her temper?

Oh right, she’s taking advantage of her Mother being in a recuperative state right now, she won’t truly wake up until tomorrow...

If she doesn’t care, why should I, a grown man, care?

Leisurely enjoying the scenery.

The scenery of the Miao Village is truly natural.

Big mountains, plains, ancient villages.

Oxen, pigs, sheep, the smell of life.

Little bridges over flowing streams, ancient trees, and beneath those ancient trees, several village girls were washing clothes, with the splashing water like scattering pearls and jade. Their laughter was so pure and flawless.

Oh, right, there’s also a beauty washing clothes in the yard.

She might even be the most beautiful one in the whole Miao Village.

Lin Xiaosu’s gaze dropped down to the corner of the yard where Yixiang was washing his clothes. From his angle above her, Lin Xiaosu’s heartbeat sped up - Yixiang’s ample bosom was very visible from this perspective, too tempting; he might not be able to stay here...

Lin Xiaosu quickly averted his eyes.

Yixiang below had actually not considered this.

After her bath, she just wanted to wear her prettiest clothes, overlooking the fact that the neckline of the dress was a bit low.

She felt confused.

She used to live quietly in the mountains, gathering herbs to heal people, washing clothes, cooking; her mind was calm.

But this man who appeared out of nowhere stirred up ripples in her tranquil pond.

This man was handsome.

This man was fun.

This man was also amazing.

Her father’s death was unraveled thanks to him.

Her mother, also came back thanks to him.

These things are irreplaceably heavy, but what’s most deeply imprinted in her memory isn’t this; it’s the warmth in his embrace as he carried her across mountains and valleys, every degree of warmth turning into a myriad of soft affections in her heart.

Each rise and fall, was like wine that intoxicated her years.

Every time she remembered the thrill, it made her feel as if the thousand-year-old Miao Village has returned to its lush spring once more.

As the daughter of the Yi family, as the sister’s sister, she shouldn’t be like this.

Because of her sister, who took this path one shouldn’t take and died far away on the Huangpu River.

She shouldn’t follow the same mistakes.

But suddenly, she somewhat agrees with what her sister said the night before she left the mountain...

Her sister, with tears gazing up at the sky, murmured as if speaking to herself: "I actually also thought about whether it would last with him, but at that moment, I still gave it all up, maybe this is something inherent to us Miao girls, simple, passionate..."

Her sister wasn’t a fool.

Neither was she!

But there’s always something, something that bursts forth from the marrow so directly, totally engulfing one’s reason, distilling every bit of emotion from the marrow...

Time flows gently through the courtyard like water.

The evening dims, blurring the outline of the Miao Village once again.

In the bamboo house, with a cup of tea, Lin Xiaosu finally asked the question he’d been wanting to ask...

"Where did Little Hu and little Wu come from?"

As the night deepened, Yixiang seemed to become more bashful, and this topic effectively diluted her bashfulness. She told him a lot...

Little Hu and little Wu were both found in Kongque valley.

Yes, not brought from some cat’s nest in the village, not bred by some unique poisonous insect technique, not even trained, just found!

Little Wu was the first to be discovered.

Yixiang saw him under the Golden Acacia Tree.

At that time, it was very small, like a little flower ball that fell from the tree. Yixiang, out of curiosity, prodded it with her finger - lo and behold, inside was a little kitten.

Girls naturally have an interest in little furry animals, so she fed it some of the dry food she carried, and the little guy started to cling to her, following her all the way home. Most amusingly, it even found a little companion in the valley – the little turtle.

That day, Little Hu rode on the little turtle’s back, crawling in front of her all the way home.

She found it quite amusing.

So, she continued on this journey until today, which makes it five or six years now.

Lin Xiaosu lifted her teacup: "Don’t you think there’s something odd about them?"

Yixiang chuckled: "Of course they’re odd! Little Hu is especially lively and can help me find all sorts of herbs. You wouldn’t believe it, but it can even tie and untie knots, smarter than most kids. Little Wu is my best assistant in healing; it can absorb various poisons and convert them into life force. The villagers say I’ve saved thousands, and at least eight hundred of those were thanks to it. The elders say they are rare species of the mountains, divine gifts bestowed upon me by the mountain god in appreciation of our Witch God lineage’s deeds of healing and saving lives."

Lin Xiaosu’s mouth gaped open several times, but she ultimately chose silence...

The topic shifted...

Yixiang also posed a question: "Brother, you’ve completed your business, does that mean... you’ll be leaving soon?"

Lin Xiaosu nodded gently: "Tomorrow! I have to leave tomorrow!"

Indeed, he had two missions when he entered the Miao Village. The first mission was assigned by the Blue Demon on behalf of Qianlong to find the Qianlong traitor Chu Tiankuo and the master of the Gu Technique associated with him. This mission was fully accomplished after the daytime skirmish in the tomb.

Chu Tiankuo was dead, and so was Gushan who was in cahoots with him.

Whether it was the case of the Qianlong traitor or the murder of the Dong Brothers, both have been turned into Qianlong case files.

The second mission was not related to Qianlong.

It was a personal doubt of Lin Xiaosu’s.

When his brother was injured and he came to the Southern Border, he stumbled upon Yellow Ginseng from Kongque valley that possessed an unusual energy.

He wanted to investigate thoroughly.

He had been to Kongque valley and felt that all plants in the mountains carried this kind of life force to some extent.

He vaguely guessed that somewhere in Kongque valley might be a passage to the Ancient World, but he couldn’t find this pathway.

At least, not at this stage.

That meant he could only leave...

After he nodded, Yixiang appeared lost in thought for a very long time...

Finally, her gaze gently shifted: "Then... will you come back?"

"How so? Will you miss me?" Lin Xiaosu blurted out the words, which was a line he commonly used in the presence of beautiful women, usually breaking the ice with ease. The beauties would give him a deadpan stare and playfully retort, livening up the atmosphere.

But today, as soon as he spoke, he felt he spoke too hastily...

Because Yixiang’s face blushed, and on this night, atop this bamboo house, she blossomed like the most beautiful flower.

"Brother, let me sing you a song."

"Sure!"

Yixiang sat in front of the bamboo house’s window and sang him this song...

"In the thousand-year-old Miao Village, I waited for a thousand years, dreaming of the brother who has now arrived by my side, the bamboo house remembers our meeting today, the starlight sweeps away yesterday’s sorrow, will tomorrow’s brother still remember, the fragrance of flowers in the courtyard..."

Her singing was soft, not unsettling the Miao Village deep in the night.

The melody was melodious, like fireflies on a summer night.

A beautiful tune, paired with an even lovelier voice and the starlight in her eyes, "yesterday’s sorrow" that was sent away in the song seemed to have returned to her gaze...

She didn’t answer Lin Xiaosu’s question about whether she could bear to part with him but instead sang him a song, which was her answer.

No one knew that downstairs, in the bedroom,

A pair of eyes slowly opened.

These eyes quietly gazed at the bamboo house.

With starlight reflected like water, the shadows of two figures were cast upon the window by the bamboo house.

The gentle song travelled through the night, seeping into these eyes...

These eyes had pain, conflict, but also endless empathy...

Yes, Mother had woken up.

But she did not get out of bed.

She quietly watched the bamboo house outside the window, quietly listening to her daughter’s singing.

The next day, Lin Xiaosu was awakened by the sounds downstairs.

As he woke up, his expression subtly changed, because Yixiang was still there. Neither of them had slept in a bed, but on the floor.

Why?

For two reasons, the first one being it was inappropriate to share the bed.

If Yixiang slept in the bed and he on the floor, it would not be proper for a host.

If he slept in the bed and Yixiang on the floor, it wouldn’t be fitting for a man.

And both of them in the bed, would not be... proper decorum.

Therefore, they both chose the floor.

That was one reason, but there was another – the uniqueness of the bamboo house. The floor of the bamboo house was also made of bamboo, and at this time of the year, sleeping on the floor was no different from sleeping on a cool mat.

So, they tacitly chose the floor.

If Yixiang hadn’t gone downstairs, then who could be clanking around in the kitchen?

Yixiang also opened her eyes, and hearing the sounds from below, she suddenly sprang up, her cheeks flushing like the morning glow: "Mother’s up!"

This was an oversight.

According to her estimations, Mother wouldn’t have been truly alert and out of bed until at least noon today. For an elderly woman who had been sealed inside a tree hollow for an entire cycle of seasons, recovering this quickly was already miraculous.

However, Mother had surpassed her expectations, waking up early in the morning.

And she was cooking in the kitchen; that was the difference between a real and fake Mother. A fake one wouldn’t cook; she would cook for Mother, but today, her real Mother returned, resuming the familiar rhythm of life from over a year ago.

But there was also a serious problem.

Mother caught her off guard.

She and a man were still upstairs in the bamboo house, this...

She wondered whether, after being unwell for so long, Mother could still wield a carrying pole...

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