"Xiao Xun'er, right? May I call you Xun'er?" Xiao Yue asked softly, looking at the little girl in the purple dress before her.
"Mm..."
Xiao Xun'er lowered her head and let out a soft acknowledgment.
"I've already prepared your room. It's getting late, so get some rest and go to sleep. Tomorrow I'll show you around the Xiao Clan estate..." Xiao Yue said calmly, sensing the girl's restraint.
Though she wasn't usually very good with children, she was quite willing to take care of this cute little girl who seemed a bit shy.
After all, for such a young child to come here all alone without any friends nearby, she must be feeling quite lonely inside. Xiao Yue understood that kind of feeling.
"Thank you for the trouble, Sister Yue'er," Xiao Xun'er said in a soft, sweet voice that gave one the impulse to protect her forever.
"You're welcome. Good night."
With that,
Xiao Yue turned and left the room with clean, decisive movements.
"Mm, good night," Xiao Xun'er whispered, already developing a bit of fondness for this silver-haired, red-eyed pretty older sister.
Watching Xiao Yue's retreating figure, Xiao Xun'er gently turned off the light. Facing the empty, quiet room, she sat on the bed, hugging her knees, her gaze somewhat lost. After all, she was only a child of a few years old, and arriving in an unfamiliar environment inevitably brought some discomfort.
The next day,
Early morning,
Xiao Yue woke up early. After washing up and eating breakfast, she changed into a clean practice outfit.
The morning glow was brilliant, and facing the vibrant morning vital energy, Xiao Yue began a new round of cultivation as usual.
Today she practiced Tai Chi, and her cultivation was slightly different from usual. She closed her eyes slightly, a faint light glowing between her eyebrows, and the [White Tiger Visualization Diagram] from yesterday slowly emerged in her mind.
It was still the same diagram, but this time a small line of text had appeared on it.
"Contemplate the White Tiger, graph its spirit, condense the Martial Soul!"
Xiao Yue murmured inwardly.
These few characters were easy to understand; anyone could grasp their meaning.
Yet a sudden question arose in her mind: between a martial artist's physical body and their soul, which was truly heavier, and which was lighter?
"Dual cultivation of nature and life..."
Xiao Yue thought thoughtfully as she slowly practiced her Tai Chi.
She recalled the phrase "dual cultivation of nature and life" from the terminology of Tai Chi classics, as well as the martial arts principle of "the mutual integration of yin and yang." In her past life she had no choice, but in this world she seemed capable of cultivating both her physical body and her soul simultaneously.
Having attained this realization of the true meaning of martial arts, Xiao Yue's understanding of Tai Chi rose to a higher level.
When finishing her form, she glanced toward a shadowed corner of the courtyard. Although the person liked to hide in the dark, they had always been well-behaved, making no moves to invade her privacy and knowing what should be looked at and what should not.
She could only pretend she knew nothing.
Of course, the most important thing was that she couldn't beat them; otherwise, she would definitely have to teach that person some manners.
Back in her room,
Xiao Yue found that Xiao Xun'er was already awake, sitting at the dining table and staring blankly at the food.
"Morning."
Xiao Yue walked up and greeted her calmly.
"Morning, Sister Yue'er." Xiao Xun'er raised her head and offered Xiao Yue a quiet, gentle smile.
Looking at Xiao Xun'er's sleepy-eyed appearance, Xiao Yue knew the girl hadn't slept well last night, causing Xiao Yue to furrow her brow slightly.
After breakfast,
Xiao Yue took Xiao Xun'er to familiarize herself with the clan estate. The servants passing by didn't dare to be negligent when they saw them, bowing respectfully one after another.
Xiao Yue nodded in return to each of them. Though she usually seemed somewhat aloof, she was entirely free of arrogance. Thus, she took Xiao Xun'er for a tour around the Xiao Clan estate.
At noon,
After finishing her lunch, Xiao Yue took her little follower behind her to the Library Pavilion—this was her main daily routine since coming to this world.
She was someone who loved to read and learn.
Moreover, having arrived in this world only a few years ago, she lacked much understanding of this magical realm and inevitably felt curious about it.
As the saying goes: books contain jade-like beauties, and books contain houses of gold.
Books were precisely her fastest way to understand this world.
The Library Pavilion contained many biographies and unofficial histories.
It was precisely in this Library Pavilion that Xiao Yue had gained a general understanding of what kind of situation this world was in over the course of just a few years.
Although the Xiao Clan was a family of cultivators, there were still plenty of ordinary books, mainly used for elementary education. Unlike the pavilion containing cultivation methods related to Dou Qi, which had strict entry requirements, this ordinary Library Pavilion could be entered by any family member.
The Library Pavilion held all sorts of adventure novels, such as "Biography of XXX." Before she started reading them, she had always taken those biographies as mere novels.
After all, those "Biographies of XXX" always began with lines like: *This seat began cultivating Dou Zhi Qi at age five, became a Dou Zhe at ten, unmatched in one's generation; a Dou Wang at twenty, peak Dou Huang at thirty; before forty already a mighty Dou Zong, touching the boundary of Dou Zun at sixty, making no further progress thereafter, yet throughout life never yielding to anyone*—such arrogant descriptions made it hard to believe their authenticity.
Still, Xiao Yue found enjoyment in it. Though most of the books smacked of wish fulfillment, they truly provided her with all sorts of bizarre knowledge.
And so,
Xiao Yue sat for an entire afternoon by the window in the corner of the second floor of the Library Pavilion. A gentle breeze brushed past the curtains, and the lingering rays of the sunset cast a soft light and shadow upon her. Her silver-white hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, accentuating her calm and poised temperament.
Nearby, Xiao Xun'er was completely entranced.
From her youthful perspective, bathed in the twilight glow at this moment, that cascade of silver hair looked like the most tranquil lake. The very instant a breeze swept across, it only revealed an even more graceful and serene posture, as if time itself had stood still.
"Sister is so pretty..."
Xiao Xun'er thought to herself, a ripple stirring deep within her tender young heart. Unawares, the relationship between the two had grown much closer.
As the sun was about to set,
Xiao Yue lazily lifted her gaze, leaning peacefully against the other side. A corner of the curtain was lifted by the wind, and her delicate hand tucked a strand of cascading snow-white hair behind her ear. Her fair profile looked breathtakingly beautiful in the halo of light, her temperament exceptionally tranquil.
As her eyelashes blinked gently, they scattered the light and shadow in her eyes, brilliant like blooming flowers.
Only then did Xiao Xun'er look up with a hint of curiosity and ask, "Sister Yue'er, are those books really that interesting?"
"Books contain houses of gold, and books contain jade-like beauties..." Xiao Yue closed the book. Sitting in her chair and leaning slightly against the wall, her gaze looked lazily out the window as she enjoyed this rare moment of leisure.
The autumn wind outside the window fluttered her snow-white hair, and a few strands of white hair partially veiled those crimson-red pupils that were enjoying the stillness.
In truth, compared to the identity of a martial artist, Xiao Yue preferred to think of herself as a scholar. She felt that the most interesting thing in this world was the acquisition of new knowledge through exploration, and right now she was on the path of exploring martial arts knowledge, seeking the truth of the Dao.
These things
would be the testament to her future understanding of this world.
With this thought, she led Xiao Xun'er—who was still lingering over the meaning of her previous words—out of the Library Pavilion. There was still one place they hadn't visited today...