Her skin was like lustrous white jade, flawless and fair, her delicate figure perfect. A halo of sacred light emanated from her, making her impossibly beautiful.
An illusion, it must be an illusion!
Ji Mo quickly closed his eyes, feeling a warmth in his nose, a hint of a nosebleed threatening to erupt.
Taking a deep breath, when he opened his eyes again, the scene he had just witnessed was gone.
"Ah, I knew it. How could there be such a beautiful young lady in the world."
Ji Mo muttered, but a secret sense of loss filled him. He regretted not looking a moment longer.
It felt like he had missed out on a fortune!
"Hmm, are you complimenting my beauty?"
A gentle, soft voice sounded in Ji Mo's ear, accompanied by a waft of delicate fragrance.
Turning his head, Ji Mo froze.
A peerlessly beautiful maiden stood beside him.
She was clad in pure white, with a delicate nose and captivating eyes, like an ethereal spirit untouched by the mortal world.
Her hair held a faint pink hue, and her pupils shimmered with a hint of green. She exuded an aura of nature, vastly different from ordinary human girls.
As the breeze stirred, her dark tresses danced, her skirt fluttered, appearing ethereal and dreamlike, a beauty almost unreal.
This maiden was the same one Ji Mo had seen earlier, and in the blink of an eye, she had donned her clothes.
"Are you human or ghost?"
Seeing the maiden standing less than half a foot away, Ji Mo's body trembled uncontrollably.
Not from excitement, but from fear.
In a dilapidated ancient temple, living such an impossibly beautiful girl made Ji Mo's scalp tingle. His mind immediately conjured images of Lan Ruo Temple from "A Chinese Ghost Story."
Could he have truly encountered a female ghost?
"Guess!"
The maiden playfully took half a step forward, her body almost pressing against Ji Mo's shoulder. As she spoke, her breath tickled Ji Mo's ear.
Ji Mo shivered, but his fear began to dissipate.
Her breath was warm.
Seeing the few houses not far away, Ji Mo thought this maiden must be the owner of this place, perhaps having just emerged from her dwelling.
As for the scene he had witnessed earlier, his eyes must have been dazzled by the lightning, causing him to hallucinate.
"I am Ji Mo. I stumbled upon this place while seeking shelter from the rain. I hope I haven't offended you, miss. May I know your name?"
Ji Mo calmed himself and spoke softly.
"Ji Mo!"
The maiden repeated the name, as if to engrave it in her heart. Then, tilting her head, she pondered, "Qinglian, my name is Qinglian!"
The name was indeed from the "Ode to the Lotus Flower" Ji Mo had recited earlier: "emerging from the clear ripples, yet unstained by the mud."
"A beautiful name! Miss Qinglian, you truly live up to your name, like a lotus emerging from water, clear and pure."
Gazing at the maiden's face, untouched by the dust of the mortal world, Ji Mo praised her sincerely.
Perhaps only in these deep mountains and old forests, far from the mundane world, could such a woman, endowed with the essence of heaven and earth, exist!
"Miss, are you living here alone?"
Ji Mo asked curiously, as it was hard to imagine a young maiden surviving in this dangerous forest.
"No, I have Grandma. But Grandma is so nagging and boring. Otherwise, why don't you stay here and keep me company, Brother Mo Mo?"
The maiden Qinglian felt a strong liking for Ji Mo, showing no reservation. She even hugged half of Ji Mo's arm affectionately.
Moreover, her address was incredibly intimate and endearing; she called Ji Mo "Brother Mo Mo."
Grandma?
Ji Mo's heart skipped a beat. He quickly withdrew his arm, swallowed, and tentatively asked, "Your Grandma, is her name Hei Shan?"
"No."
Qinglian shook her head, then again entwined her arm with Ji Mo's, lifting her small head. "Grandma's surname is Nie, and her name is Nie Qian."
Ji Mo had secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Grandma wasn't named Hei Shan, but upon hearing Nie Qian, his heart leaped into his throat again.
Then, the terrible thing indeed happened.
Ji Mo felt a chill run down his spine, sensing a powerful resentment fall upon him.
"Killing intent!"
Ji Mo was about to turn when a dark shadow flashed towards him, appearing behind him. Several sharp glints of cold light lunged towards his neck.
Several sharp fingernails, less than half an inch from Ji Mo's carotid artery, could advance no further.
It turned out that at the critical moment, Ji Mo had parried with his cleaver, holding it against the attacker's chest, pinning her in place.
"Trying to ambush me? You're still too green."
Ji Mo poked with the cleaver and felt an astonishing elasticity, making him turn around curiously.
The moment he looked, he was so startled that he quickly withdrew his hand and leaped back several steps.
He had discovered the attacker was a woman, and the cleaver had landed in a rather awkward position.
"Grandma, you mustn't bully my Brother Mo Mo."
Qinglian spoke, her tone reproachful, blaming the woman who had appeared for attacking Ji Mo.
"What, Grandma?"
Ji Mo stared at the woman before him, his mind full of questions.
The woman before him wore a black dress, her skin fair and tender, her waist slender, her hips full and rounded. Even more exaggerated were her prominent curves, breathtakingly so.
If someone said she was Qinglian's elder sister, no one would doubt it, but calling her Grandma was truly hard to believe.
"Don't mind Grandma's youthful appearance; she's actually very old, an ancient demon."
Seeing Ji Mo's look of disbelief, Qinglian explained very seriously.
Hearing this, Ji Mo's face darkened.
This unfortunate child, how could he say such things in front of an elder, calling his Grandma an ancient demon? Wasn't that asking for trouble?
As expected, Nie Qian's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot, but not out of displeasure at being called an ancient demon. It was because Qinglian was so intimate with a stranger.
After all her hardships, she couldn't compare to someone she had just met?
Nie Qian narrowed her eyes, a sharp glint flashing in the depths of her pupils.
"Grandma, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you. My apologies."
Ji Mo quickly put away his cleaver, his face slightly flushed.
It was truly an unintentional mistake. Who would have thought that a casual poke would land there.
"It...doesn't...matter!"
Nie Qian said, almost through gritted teeth, her fists clenched tightly. If she hadn't been unsure of her ability to take down Ji Mo, she would have erupted on the spot.
Her full-force ambush had been so easily blocked. Nie Qian was now wary of Ji Mo, and with Qinglian present, she couldn't afford to fall out with him.
Ji Mo felt a bit guilty, offering a sheepish smile, unsure how to resolve the awkwardness.
"Sir, the guest room is over there. Please make yourself at home."
Nie Qian pointed to the side room not far away, ushering Ji Mo away.
"Thank you!"
Ji Mo cupped his hands in salute and quickly walked towards the guest room, too embarrassed to linger.
Qinglian, like a shadow, followed him, calling out, "Brother Mo Mo, wait for me! Let's sleep together tonight."