383: Chapter 383 Shi Yunyu

Starfall Cold Jade Peak stands at the deepest part of the White Rock Holy Land, shrouded in clouds and mist all year round, hidden from the sun.

At the peak, there is a natural Immortal Cave. Its four walls are made of ten-thousand-year cold jade, with a glowing white light seeping from the stone, illuminating the entire space with a cold, frosty radiance.

The furnishings inside the Immortal Cave are extremely simple—a cold jade bed, a prayer mat, and a low table.

On the table sits a pot of clear tea and two jade cups. The curling fragrance of tea is quietly masked by a faint, elusive sweet scent in the air.

That sweet scent is extremely faint and close, like milk yet not quite, warm and soft, seeping into one's bones.

Shi Qingxuan stood at the entrance of the Immortal Cave for a moment, took a deep breath, and then stepped inside.

A figure sat cross-legged on the prayer mat.

A light apricot-yellow short jacket clings to her full figure—full contours, soft, drooping curves, extremely ample!

The crossover collar dips slightly at the collarbone, revealing a small patch of glowing white skin.

A lotus-root-colored patterned silk skirt hangs down like flower petals, covering her legs and outlining the ample curves at her waist and hips.

Her jet-black hair is tied into a low bun at the back of her head, secured by a plain silver hairpin, and she wears a pair of very thin silver hoop earrings on her earlobes.

She has her eyes closed, her face as gentle and warm as a full moon, her expression serene, as if she were merely taking a nap.

But Shi Qingxuan knows that Mother is waiting for her.

"Mother." Shi Qingxuan said softly.

Shi Yunyu opened her eyes, her gaze gentle. She raised her hand and lightly patted the prayer mat beside her: "Xuan'er, come sit."

Shi Qingxuan sat down as instructed, but did not lean in as she usually did. She sat upright, her back straight, as if she were discussing matters in the Sect Master's hall.

Shi Yunyu glanced at her, a flash of understanding in her eyes. She didn't point it out, but simply picked up the teapot and poured her a cup: "Drink, this is freshly picked Snow-Peak Hancui, your favorite when you were a child."

Shi Qingxuan took it. The tea was warm, slightly bitter upon entering the mouth, but with a lingering sweet aftertaste. She held the cup, remained silent for a moment, and said: "Mother, Ji Xuanming... has succeeded in Undergoing Tribulation."

"Mm." Shi Yunyu responded, her tone flat, "I know."

"He is now a Mahayana Supreme."

Shi Qingxuan looked up at Shi Yunyu, "Those people from the Ji Family, today in the hall... they said that abandoning Water Rock City and abandoning the Cangshi Sect was a decision to 'preserve strength,' and that it received the approval of Supreme Elder Mingxuan and you."

After she finished speaking, the Immortal Cave fell into a brief silence. Shi Yunyu did not speak, only picked up her own tea and took a light sip.

Shi Qingxuan's heart sank. She had originally thought this was Ji Wujiu's excuse, a lie fabricated by the Ji Family to shirk responsibility. But Mother's silence gave those words a touch of reality.

"Mother," Shi Qingxuan put down her teacup, trembling, "You taught me since I was young that the foundation of the White Rock Holy Land is to have compassion for all living beings and to protect the weak. Tens of thousands of Cultivators and commoners in Water Rock City, thousands of Disciples in the Cangshi Sect—they sought help from the Holy Land and waited bitterly for seven days... and in the end, they were met by people from the Moonshadow Sect. Do you know how they looked at me, the Sect Leader of the White Rock Holy Land? They asked me: 'Sect Leader Shi, have we been abandoned?'"

Her eyes were slightly red, but she held back her tears. Shi Yunyu watched her quietly, her gaze filled with heartache, complexity, and a trace of something Shi Qingxuan could not understand.

After a long while, Shi Yunyu spoke, her voice as gentle as ever: "Xuan'er, let me tell you a story."

Shi Qingxuan was stunned. Shi Yunyu placed her teacup on the table, folded her hands on her lap, and looked toward the Void Realm.

"A long, long time ago, there was a little Essence Spirit. She was originally a stubborn stone in the mountains, exposed to the sun and rain, unaware of the passage of time. Until one day, a woman passed by, saw that she was clear and translucent, and casually enlightened her, allowing her to gain sentience."

Shi Qingxuan listened quietly.

"That woman treated her extremely well, teaching her cultivation, how to understand people, and the principles of the world. The Essence Spirit treated her as her only family in the world, calling her 'Young Miss.' Wherever the Young Miss traveled, she followed; when the Young Miss went into seclusion, she kept watch; when the Young Miss said she wanted a place to rest, she helped find a mountain and build an estate. Later, that estate grew larger and larger, and more and more people came to rely on it, gradually becoming a Holy Land."

"And then?" Shi Qingxuan asked.

Shi Yunyu's eyes dimmed slightly: "Later, the Young Miss went missing. Before she disappeared, she said to the Essence Spirit: 'If you have the ability, keep watch over this place for me; if not, then let it be; there is no need to force it.'"

She paused, her gaze returning to Shi Qingxuan's face, a faint smile appearing on her lips: "The Essence Spirit kept watch, and she has been watching for ten thousand years. She watched the Holy Land rise and fall, watched generations of people come and go. She kept watch, hoping only that one day, the Young Miss would return and see that this place was still here, and that there would still be a place to rest."

Shi Qingxuan was silent. She had asked about her mother's past before, but Mother had always just smiled and said nothing. She had not expected to learn some things about her mother's past today.

"Xuan'er," Shi Yunyu said softly, "That Essence Spirit has watched for so many years and seen too many life and death partings. It is not that she did not want to save Water Rock City, not that she did not want to protect those innocent people... it is just that she was afraid. She was afraid that if she exhausted her last bit of strength, if the Holy Land was destroyed, when the Young Miss returned..."

She reached out and took Shi Qingxuan's hand: "Mother knows that you blame Mother. Mother blames herself too."

Shi Qingxuan's nose tingled, and she held her mother's hand back: "Mother, I don't blame you. It's just..."

"It's just that you cannot let go of those commoners, right?" Shi Yunyu smiled, a smile gentle and proud, "So many years have passed in a flash, and the little girl who was once babbling has grown up."

"The child taught by Mother is indeed just like Mother."

Shi Qingxuan took a deep breath, trying to calm her emotions, and said: "Mother, the people from the Moonshadow Sect have come. In the battle of Water Rock City, the moment their world-suppressing monument was erected, the erosion qi dissipated; the Disciple of Supreme Moonshadow casually used a few Spirit Stones to repair the city walls. That Moonshadow fleet... that Supreme Moonshadow slew the Demon Ancestor with a single sword..."

She paused, hope igniting in her eyes: "Mother, with the help of the Moonshadow Sect, we will surely be able to defend White Rock Province, surely be able to protect all living beings, and surely be able to... defend the Holy Land."

Shi Yunyu listened quietly, her face wearing a gentle smile, but there was a trace of worry in her eyes.

She remembered the scene she saw several months ago when she escaped from the Ten Thousand Miasma Demon Forest severely injured. Three Mahayana Stage Erosion Beasts were coiled beside the roots of the Fallen Immortal Ancient Banyan, their surrounding erosion qi so thick it had almost condensed into a solid substance; deeper inside, an even more terrifying aura was awakening, and the mere leakage of its pressure had nearly caused her Dao Heart to collapse.

That Supreme Moonshadow... is he really enough? Furthermore, does that Supreme Moonshadow not harbor any covetous intentions towards White Rock Province?

But she did not say it out loud. She only patted Shi Qingxuan's hand and smiled: "Alright, Mother believes you. With the Moonshadow Sect's help, it will surely be possible."

Shi Qingxuan's heart relaxed, and a smile appeared on her face.

Just at this moment, her nostrils twitched slightly, and she suddenly smelled an even richer sweet scent, several times stronger than before, warm, soft, and fragrant, going straight to her heart and spleen.

She subconsciously looked at Shi Yunyu's chest. On the light apricot-yellow short jacket, at the full contours, there were vaguely two dark, damp stains spreading, the fabric clinging to the skin, outlining an even clearer shape.

"Mother, your..."