In the blink of an eye, twenty years had passed.
In the twenty years since coming to Demon-Suppressing City, Xiao Mo had already become a Jade Simplicity realm cultivator.
During these twenty years, Xiao Mo could no longer remember exactly how many demons he had killed.
Xiao Mo only knew that the black ice in the amber hanging at his waist had already melted by half.
Similarly, during these twenty years, waves of students had come and gone from Xiao Mo's classes.
Two of Xiao Mo's three most accomplished disciples, Li Man and Zeng Songshi, had temporarily left Demon-Suppressing City to travel and train in the Ten Thousand Laws Realm.
Xiao Mo was happy they could make such a choice. One must not only read ten thousand books but also travel ten thousand miles, and furthermore interact more with different Confucian scholars.
He wrote them a letter, telling them that with this letter they could go to White Deer Academy.
However, Xu Yuerou did not leave Xiao Mo.
Not only did Xu Yuerou not leave, she even became Xiao Mo's assistant.Xiao Mo didn't think much of it. Having someone to help was quite good, because when Xiao Mo was too busy writing to spare time, he could have Yuerou help him teach the children.
He only needed to pay Yuerou a salary.
Over time, Xu Yuerou also came to be called "Teacher Xu" by the people of Demon-Suppressing City.
After her older sister married and moved away, Xu Yuerou even bought a courtyard next to Xiao Mo's to live in, taking care of the teacher's daily needs so he could focus more on writing his book.
Xiao Mo had refused several times, saying it wasn't quite appropriate but Xu Yuerou was very insistent, and Xiao Mo had no choice.
The "Unity of Knowledge and Action" that Xiao Mo was writing had also reached its final stage, which was also the most difficult part.
Often, Xiao Mo would sit in the courtyard lost in thought for several days at a time.
On this day, when Xiao Mo was painting in the courtyard, Xu Yuerou walked in carrying a box of pastries.
"Teacher, please have some pastries. I just made them, and I added some osmanthus moon spirit flowers to help relax your mind."
Xu Yuerou placed the pastries beside Xiao Mo and poured him tea.
"Thank you, Yuerou." Xiao Mo nodded without being polite, picked up a flower cake and took a bite.
Xu Yuerou looked at a painting on the easel nearby and said in surprise, "Did you paint this, Teacher?"
"Yes." Xiao Mo smiled, "I really don't know how to start writing the final part of 'Unity of Knowledge and Action,' so I simply set it aside for a few days. With nothing else to do these past few days, I tried painting some things. However, I haven't painted in too long, my technique has become rusty. If my senior sister saw this, she would probably scold me."
"She wouldn't." Xu Yuerou shook her head, "Teacher, this painting is very beautiful!"
Xu Yuerou looked at the woman in the painting.
This was an ink painting depicting a woman in a long dress with rolled-up sleeves, hanging clothes to dry in a courtyard.
Although the teacher had only painted the woman's profile, Xu Yuerou could still imagine the complete, devastatingly beautiful appearance of the woman in the painting.
In the woman's alluring peach blossom eyes, there was a hint of innocence.
Although she was hanging clothes, Xu Yuerou could sense that the woman's eyes were full of the person she loved.
"Teacher, who did you paint?" Xu Yuerou asked curiously.
"This is my wife." Xiao Mo said with a smile.
"Eh?" Xu Yuerou was startled, "Teacher, you have a wife?"
"Yes." Xiao Mo nodded with a smile, looking at her in the painting, "She's waiting for me to return, but I can't go back yet."
"Your wife must be a very gentle person, right, Teacher?" Xu Yuerou asked.
"Yes, she's very gentle. It's just that in front of me, she's always like a little girl, silly and sweet, as if she never grows up."
"That must be because she loves you very much, Teacher." Xu Yuerou said.
"Why do you say that?"
"Teacher, when a woman wholeheartedly likes someone, no matter how intelligent she is, she won't want to grow up." Xu Yuerou explained.
"Hehe, you've never even liked anyone, yet you understand these things?" Xiao Mo teased.
"Teacher, I am also a woman," Xu Yuerou complained.
"Haha, alright." Xiao Mo put down his brush, "Speaking of which, the City Lord has introduced you to quite a few young men, and I think some of them are pretty good. Haven't you taken a liking to any of them?"
"No." Xu Yuerou poured Xiao Mo a cup of tea, "None of them are to my liking."
"Then what kind do you like?" Xiao Mo asked curiously.
"I like..." Just as Xu Yuerou was about to speak, she blinked her eyes, "Someone as scholarly, as handsome, and as learned as you, Teacher."
"That would be quite difficult to find." Xiao Mo said, praising himself.
Xu Yuerou's eyes curved into crescents, "Preferably someone like Teacher, sometimes thin-skinned, sometimes thick-skinned."
"Cough, cough, cough." Xiao Mo coughed a few times and knocked her on the head, "You dare to tease your teacher. Go, go, go to the City Lord's mansion."
"What for?" Xu Yuerou asked in confusion.
Xiao Mo shook his head, "The City Lord said she lacks a clerk to handle official business. I recommended you."
"But Teacher, if I leave, who will take care of your daily needs?" Xu Yuerou worried.
"It's not needed." Xiao Mo smiled, "After you leave, I'll also go into seclusion. I've been writing the Unity of Knowledge and Action for so many years, I should finish it."
…
"Seclusion."
At the Demon-Suppressing City Lord's mansion, He Yeye couldn't help but smile upon hearing Xu Yuerou's words.
"This guy doesn't go into seclusion early or late, but picks exactly this time."
"What do you mean, City Lord?" Xu Yuerou didn't understand.
He Yeye sat on the desk and tossed an urgent report to Xu Yuerou, "Take a look."
Xu Yuerou took the letter, opened it, and her eyes trembled.
He Yeye jumped down from the desk and walked to the window, gazing toward the direction of the Great Wall.
"In the twenty years since the human-demon war began, although the demon race has been charging every day, they haven't completely thrown caution to the wind. This is because they were worried that some demon kings and demon emperors in the Demon Realm would take advantage of the chaos to cause trouble.
But now, the Demon Realm has sorted everything out.
According to intelligence from our spies planted in the Demon Realm, in at most half a year, they will launch a general assault from the Great Wall, Dragon Emperor Island, and Sword Pavilion.
Whether we can hold out depends on this battle."
"I, I'll go notify Teacher." Xu Yuerou said anxiously.
"Do you want to destroy his Dao?"
He Yeye gave Xu Yuerou a look.
"Since he chose to go into seclusion, he chose to stake everything on finishing that book in one breath. If you disturb him now and this momentum is broken, he might never be able to write that book.
And he must write it..."
He Yeye's eyes narrowed.
"If he can't find a way forward on this path, he might have to be buried along with this Demon-Suppressing City and with this lady."