After mastering the Quanzhen Religion Sect's Innate Skill, Xu Xiao and his companion immediately headed to the Ancient Tomb Sect.
Because the two places were not far apart, the two arrived in front of the Ancient Tomb Sect in just a few minutes.
Looking at the familiar place, Li Mochou, who hadn't been back for over a decade, felt a sudden surge of nervousness.
"Xu Lang, are we really going?"
"What, are you scared?" Xu Xiao looked at Li Mochou beside him and found it somewhat amusing.
This woman seems like a completely different person ever since she broke free of her guard last night.
Is it true that all strong women become so submissive and dependent once their facade is broken?
"It's not that I'm afraid," Li Mochou shook her head, "It's just..."
"It's nothing, just come in with me and take a look. Consider it bringing me back to see your master."
Xu Xiao interrupted Li Mochou's hesitation and walked straight towards the ancient tomb.
Seeing this, Li Mochou could only follow closely behind.
Since she was in love with Xu Xiao, she naturally listened to him and went wherever he went.
For Li Mochou, it was only natural for her to follow her husband's lead.
A strong woman, once tamed, often becomes more obedient and docile, partly because she was afraid of Xu Xiao.
Just as they reached the entrance of the Ancient Tomb Sect, an old woman came out. She was about to scold Xu Xiao, a man, for coming to the Ancient Tomb Sect, but when she turned around, she saw Li Mochou following closely behind.
Rubbing her eyes in disbelief, Granny Sun blurted out:
"Miss!"
As Lin Chaoying's maid, Granny Sun had served three generations of the Ancient Tomb Sect over the decades, and she had also raised Li Mochou, so she could naturally recognize her at a glance.
Although the other party had been expelled from the Ancient Tomb Sect, Granny Sun still remembered her.
" Granny Sun." Li Mochou took a step forward, a sigh on her face.
Since she was expelled from the Ancient Tomb Sect and began wandering the martial arts world, few people call her that anymore.
At this time, she was not yet the female demon who would later go to the Ancient Tomb Sect to steal the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. In addition, her inner knot had been untied, and she had become much less vicious.
Memories of the past, especially the little things about my childhood life in the Ancient Tomb Sect, all surfaced in my mind.
"Miss, you're back! Have you come back to pay respects to your revered master?"
Granny Sun sighed, and at the same time, she revealed some news.
(This is based on Jin Yong's account. The year Lu Zhanyuan and his wife died, Xiaolongnü's master also passed away. Xiaolongnü was around fourteen years old at the time.)
"What! Master has passed away?" Li Mochou's expression changed drastically, and she immediately stepped forward and grabbed Granny Sun.
When did this happen? Why didn't anyone notify me?
"This... was what your master instructed before he passed away."
Granny Sun was also somewhat helpless. The Ancient Tomb Sect didn't have many people to begin with, and who knew where to contact Li Mochou, who was wandering the world?
Besides, Li Mochou had a terrible reputation in the martial arts world and had long been expelled from her sect. Her master had specifically instructed her not to spread the news of her death before she died.
Otherwise, who knows if her love-crazed eldest disciple might return to seize the Ancient Tomb Sect's secret techniques.
"This..." Li Mochou was also stunned upon hearing this, not expecting that her master hated her so much.
He didn't even want to tell her he was dead; did he truly not consider her his disciple anymore?
Seeing Li Mochou's agitated state of mind, Xu Xiao stepped forward and embraced her, bowing slightly as he spoke:
"I am Mochou's husband. I have come to pay my respects upon hearing of the passing of her master."
"You! Husband?? You're that scoundrel Lu Zhanyuan?" Granny Sun, somewhat puzzled.
She had seen Lu Zhanyuan before; that man looked like a young man more than ten years ago, so how come he still looks like he's in his twenties after all these years? And the two don't even look alike!
Li Mochou, standing to the side, changed her expression slightly and quickly spoke first:
" Granny Sun, please stop talking about that thief. This is my husband, his surname is Xu."
"Oh, oh, oh! I'm quite old, please forgive me, young master!"
Granny Sun realized what was happening and quickly shut up, saying no more.
Xu Xiao could only smile, while simultaneously resolving to eliminate Lu Zhanyuan once he returned.
His woman shouldn't be coveted by any other man; Lu Zhanyuan's existence makes him uncomfortable.
"Since you two have come to pay your respects, the Ancient Tomb Sect will naturally welcome you. Please follow me inside first, and I will then go and invite the sect leader over."
Granny Sun welcomed Xu Xiao and his companion inside and helped them sit down. After making tea, she went to find Xiaolongnü.
Xiaolongnü was Li Mochou's new disciple after Li Mochou was expelled from the sect, and she also became the successor to the position of leader of the Ancient Tomb Sect.
If it were the original storyline, given Li Mochou's extreme personality, she would definitely be filled with resentment upon hearing that her master had died without telling her and had even passed the position of sect leader to a newcomer.
This is also why she repeatedly returned to the Ancient Tomb Sect to cause trouble in the story; she genuinely wanted martial arts skills, but also wanted to prove herself.
If it were the old Li Mochou, she would definitely have gotten stuck in a rut and been unable to extricate herself.
The betrayal of her lover and the indifference of her master were the reasons that gradually drove her to become a demon, but now things are different.
With Xu Xiao Xu Xiao her side, and the fact that he had spoken to her as her husband, she was overjoyed, which even lessened the grief of her master's passing.
As for the martial arts of the Ancient Tomb Sect, the love-struck Li Mochou said that none of them were as important as Xu Xiao. Besides, the Carefree Sect techniques that Xu Xiao taught her were no worse than those of the Ancient Tomb Sect.
It can be said that Li Mochou has undergone a complete transformation in the short period of just over a day since she met Xu Xiao.
Women who are obsessed with love are so easily swayed; all she wants is love.
Xu Xiao sat on the stone table and chairs of the Ancient Tomb Sect, sipping slightly sweet honey tea, and sighed as he spoke:
" Mochou, is this the place where you used to practice martial arts? It's so oppressive."
"Yes, Xu Lang. It was alright before. I was adopted by my master when I was a child and grew up here. But now, after experiencing some trials down the mountain and coming back, I really feel that this place is rather monotonous and oppressive."
Li Mochou nodded in agreement.
There were only two people in the entire Ancient Tomb Sect, and the items were all made of stone, such as stone tables, chairs, and beds. Anyone who lived here for a long time would become detached from worldly desires.
This place is only suitable for reclusive hermits who have seen through the vanities of the world, or for those who have never left the mountains since birth.
It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. In any case, if you asked Li Mochou to come back to the Ancient Tomb and stay there for the rest of her life, she knew she couldn't do it.
"How about this then? After we pay our respects to your master, I'll copy down some of the Ancient Tomb Sect's martial arts techniques that interest me, and then I'll take your fellow disciples with me."
"I was just planning to find you a place to stay around the world, and it would be nice to have a few acquaintances there to keep you company. What do you think?"
Xu Xiao, however, had ulterior motives. He used the excuse of the Ancient Tomb Sect's poverty and ruin to reveal his true intentions.
"This..."
Li Mochou hesitated for a moment, but when she met Xu Xiao's affectionate gaze and heard Xu Xiao say that he would build her a residence in the martial arts world, she nodded in agreement.
"Everything is up to Xu Lang to decide."
"Alright, alright, it's settled then. I'll take your fellow disciples with me, so you won't be bored."
With a smile in his eyes, Xu Xiao picked up the Jade Bee Tea and drank it all in one gulp.