13: Chapter 13 Sealing the Little Girl [

"Open it and take a look."

Xiao Nannan curiously opened the box, inside was an exquisite mask.

The mask was silvery-white, outlining soft lines, with cutouts at the eyes, and the edges were inlaid with tiny sapphires, shimmering with a dreamlike luster under the light.

"So beautiful..." Xiao Nannan whispered softly.

"Put it on and try it." Chu Tianjiao smiled.

Xiao Nannan put the mask on her face; the size was just right.

The mask covered most of her face, revealing only her delicate chin and lips. The sense of stunning beauty diminished significantly, replaced instead by a touch of mystery and playfulness.

"Wear it whenever you go out from now on," Chu Tianjiao said. "This will save you a lot of trouble."

"Thank you, Teacher!" Xiao Nannan loved this gift very much, touching the mask and unable to put it down.

From then on, Xiao Nannan, wearing the mask, indeed faced much less harassment. The private school returned to its former peace, and the children could study with focus again.

At the end of the year, Xiao Shitou returned again.

This time, Xiao Shitou was already seventeen years old.

He had shed his final traces of callowness, growing into a handsome and strapping young man. With sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, a high-bridged nose, and distinct features, coupled with the masculine temperament unique to the Sacred Physique, he could attract the attention of young maidens just by walking down the street.

His cultivation had reached the Peak of the Four Poles Secret Realm. In fact, he could have attempted to break through to the Dragon Transformation Realm three years ago, but he followed his teacher's advice and kept refining himself within the Four Poles Secret Realm, wanting to polish this Realm to the limit.

"Teacher, I have returned." Xiao Shitou bowed respectfully, his temperament as steady as a mountain.

Chu Tianjiao looked him over and nodded with satisfaction: "The Foundation is solid, the Qi and blood are like a Dragon, not bad."

Xiao Shitou stayed at home for a month, keeping his sister company, helping his teacher, and occasionally guiding the children in the private school who had talent for Cultivation.

During this month, Chu Tianjiao had a private talk with Xiao Shitou.

The master and disciple talked in the backyard for a long time; the specific content was known to no one.

It was only known that after the conversation ended, Xiao Shitou was visibly relieved. The look in his eyes as he gazed at his sister held a bit more reluctance, but also a bit more determination.

The day of departure arrived.

Xiao Shitou stood at the gate of the private school, looking closely at his sister, silent for a long time.

Sixteen-year-old Xiao Nannan wore the silver mask, revealing only her clear eyes and sweet smile.

She had grown accustomed to seeing her brother off at this time every year, so she did not feel too much sadness.

"I am leaving, Nannan."

"Mm, Brother, go early and return early!" Xiao Nannan waved happily as always.

Xiao Shitou patted his sister's head one last time, turned around, and walked away with long strides.

The sunlight stretched his shadow very long, very long.

Xiao Nannan did not know that this farewell meant she would not see her brother again until a thousand years later.

When Xiao Shitou's figure completely disappeared, Chu Tianjiao took Xiao Nannan's hand: "Let's go back."

"Mm." Xiao Nannan nodded obediently.

In the days that followed, everything was as usual.

Chu Tianjiao continued to teach the children in the private school while accelerating the creation of that Mind-Cultivation Technique suitable for Mortals.

Over these years, he had collected data on the Physique of thousands of Mortals and deduced it countless times; that Mind-Cultivation Technique had already begun to take shape.

Xiao Nannan still followed Chu Tianjiao to study every day, taking notes, and occasionally helping to teach the younger children to read. She wore the silver mask, her voice gentle and patient, and she was very well-liked by the children.

Days passed, and soon it was the end of the year again.

Xiao Nannan began to look forward to her brother's return. She prepared the snacks her brother loved in advance, cleaned his room until it was spotless, and placed a pot of freshly bloomed wintersweet on the windowsill.

However, a day passed, and her brother did not return.

Two days passed, and her brother did not return.

Three days, five days, ten days...

The smile on Xiao Nannan's face gradually faded, replaced by loss and unease.

She stood at the gate of the private school every day, gazing out from dawn till dusk, but that familiar figure never appeared on that familiar mountain road.

This was the first time in four years that her brother had not returned home on time.

That evening, Chu Tianjiao called Xiao Nannan to his room.

The candlelight flickered, and the room was simple and tidy. A wooden bed, a desk, two bookshelves, and nothing else besides.

"Teacher." Xiao Nannan walked in, wearing a white long dress.

At sixteen, she had fully blossomed; even with the mask on, it was hard to hide her peerless grace. The hem of her dress swayed gently with her steps, like a Fairy under the moon.

"Sit." Chu Tianjiao pointed to the chair beside the desk.

Xiao Nannan sat down obediently, placing her hands on her lap, head slightly lowered.

"There are some things I need to tell you," Chu Tianjiao's voice was gentle. "Your brother might not return for the next several years."

Xiao Nannan's body trembled, and she looked up abruptly: "Why? Did something happen to Brother?"

Her voice trembled, and her eyes beneath the mask turned red instantly.

"Don't worry, your brother is fine," Chu Tianjiao said calmly. "But the path of Cultivation is cruel, and your brother has his own path to walk. And you are his only concern; this is not a good thing for him."

Xiao Nannan was stunned.

"To let your brother Cultivate with peace of mind, I told him he does not need to return every year from now on," Chu Tianjiao looked at Xiao Nannan. "And you, I need to Seal you."

"Seal?" Xiao Nannan was confused.

"You are a Mortal, with a lifespan of less than a hundred years," Chu Tianjiao said slowly. "A hundred years is very short for a practitioner; a single session of closed-door Cultivation can last for decades. Your brother does not wish to return and see that you have grown old, or even... are no longer here."

Xiao Nannan fell silent.

She lowered her head, her hands clutching her dress tightly, her knuckles turning white.

After a long while, she spoke softly: "Is that so... Nannan understands Teacher's meaning. I am just a Mortal, and Brother is a Cultivator; our time is not the same."

Her voice was very light, yet carried a maturity beyond her age: "I will follow Teacher's arrangement."

Chu Tianjiao looked at this girl he had taught for six years, a flash of complexity in his eyes.

"Rest assured, just sleep and it will be fine," he said softly. "When your brother achieves success in his Cultivation and returns, he can take you to Cultivate together. By then, you will also be as long-lived as your brother."

"Mm." Xiao Nannan lifted her head, her eyes beneath the mask curving into crescent moons, revealing a smile.

But in that smile, there was too much reluctance.

"Lie down on the bed," Chu Tianjiao said.

Xiao Nannan obediently took off her shoes, revealing a pair of feet as fair as jade.

She walked to the bedside, lying on her teacher's bed for the first time, and a blush could not help but rise to her face.

A sixteen-year-old girl already understood the distinction between men and women. But this was the teacher's request, and she could only comply.

"Close your eyes, and relax." Chu Tianjiao's voice seemed to have magic, making one feel at peace.

Xiao Nannan obediently closed her eyes, trying hard to relax herself.

She felt a gentle force envelop her entire body; her consciousness gradually blurred, and before long, she fell into a deep sleep.

Watching the sleeping Xiao Nannan, Chu Tianjiao gently removed the mask from her face and placed it by the pillow.

The girl's sleeping face was quiet and beautiful, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows on her eyelids, her lips slightly pursed, as if she were having a dream she did not wish to wake from.