Chapter 97: Mo Li? Mo Li.

"Vroom, vroom," the sound of cars speeding by came from outside.

"Rustle, rustle," the sound of dry leaves scraping against each other echoed in the Courtyard.

Time passed quickly.

The moment Xu Xi and the Witch reunited was in the chilly early autumn, but two months had slipped by, and the desolate late autumn had arrived silently.

Before long, the harsh, bitter winter would completely replace autumn.

It was a subtle feeling.

Time was like flowing water, slipping through one's fingers; everyone could clearly sense its passing, yet none could truly grasp it.

Only when the "water" in one's palm was nearly gone…

…did one realize how rapidly time had rushed away.

Inside the bedroom, Xu Xi walked over to the tall display cabinet and fell into a long silence as he looked at the sugar jar and Magic Wand inside.

Over the past two months, he hadn't just been Cultivating; he had also put in a lot of effort trying to make his sister manifest in the real world.

But unfortunately…

…she had given no response.

Xu Xi could only judge from minor details that she was still watching him and hadn't truly left.

However, Xu Xi was truly at his wit's end.

During these two months, he had called Xu Moli's name more than once and even communicated with Klisa to return the sugar jar to the primary position.

But no matter what he did, the girl showed no sign of appearing.

Was she still angry about what happened back then?

Was the resentment in her heart still impossible to let go?

"Just what is the reason?"

Unable to communicate face-to-face or understand his sister's true thoughts, Xu Xi could only use his own logic to guess why she refused to appear.

But it was all useless.

Xu Xi was about to start the third simulation.

The girl still showed no intention of appearing.

Xu Xi didn't even know where she was at this moment, or if she was even watching him.

"Whoosh~~~"

The sound of a light breeze drifted into his ears.

Xu Xi opened the display cabinet door, took out the porcelain sugar jar, and placed it on the small wooden table in the bedroom along with the eternal teardrop.

These were the only two items related to his sister after the first simulation ended.

The former was the sugar Xu Xi had given his sister.

The latter was the tear his sister had given Xu Xi.

"Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever eaten the sugar inside," Xu Xi said as he pulled out a chair and sat down, looking at the cylindrical, light green sugar jar with a nostalgic expression.

In the Cultivation World of the first simulation…

…almost all the sugar he bought had been given to Mo Li.

Because Xu Xi felt that these candies weren't particularly tasty, but for some reason, the girl liked them immensely and would be overjoyed whenever she saw them.

"Let's try one."

Xu Xi lifted the lid of the sugar jar and took a white hard candy from the top of the pile.

As the candy entered his mouth, there was a faint aroma of malt and a very thin taste of glutinous rice flour.

The texture was hard, so he could only lick it slowly.

It was sweet.

But it was also mixed with an indiscernible sourness.

Could such candy be considered delicious? Xu Xi felt it was alright, decent as a snack, but far from addictive.

"Could Mo Li have intentionally acted like she liked the candy just to make me happy?"

Xu Xi's movements paused, his face showing hesitation.

He suddenly recalled…

…that in the first simulation, the girl had appeared so intelligent and precocious, sometimes even more stable than a real adult.

Back then, there were no stories of Mo Li liking candy circulating within Senjian Peak.

From beginning to end, she would only accept Xu Xi's candy.

It was just that Xu Xi had never looked into it.

He had unilaterally assumed his sister liked candy, so he bought a lot of it.

"Looking at it this way, I really am an incompetent elder brother…" Xu Xi leaned back slightly, pressing his entire back against the wooden chair, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"The reason that child accepted it every time was simply because she was afraid I would be sad."

"Am I perhaps…"

"…a bit too arbitrary?"

"Not only did I rarely ask for her opinion, but I also defined her life for her, hid the fact that I shaped an External Spiritual Root for her, and even fabricated lies to intentionally cold-shoulder her."

The wooden table by the window was illuminated by sunlight, revealing fine grains.

The porcelain jar full of candy and the blood-red, warm teardrop both gleamed under the light.

Xu Xi was silent.

Xu Xi said nothing.

He felt as if he had found the real reason why his sister refused to appear and reunite in the real world.

Everything he had once done was simply too much pressure and trauma for a young girl to bear.

Especially leaving the Heavenly Sword Sect before his death.

And those words he had specifically said to Mo Li.

Without a doubt, for the Mo Li who admired and relied on Xu Xi at the time, it was a heavy psychological piercing.

"I'm sorry, Mo Li…"

"It's my fault for being a poor elder brother."

The candy released sweetness in his mouth, but his echoing voice was full of bitterness.

After a long silence, Xu Xi's lips parted slightly as he spoke to the empty room, though he didn't know if his sister was watching.

It was just the apology in his heart.

It was just the regret in his heart.

That made Xu Xi involuntarily speak out loud.

"Click—" Xu Xi gently closed the lid, returning the sugar jar to its original state, but at that moment, a crystalline wetness came from the back of his hand.

Was it sweat?

Yanshan City in autumn was exceptionally cold; how could it be hot enough to sweat?

Was it rain?

The weather in the Courtyard outside was clear; how could it be raining?

Then, what was it? What was this sudden wetness?

"Brother, I'm sorry…"

"…I'm sorry… It was me… I was the one who was wrong…"

A heavy feeling came from his shoulders—it was the sobbing of a young girl, a long-lost, willful dependence on her brother.

Arms as fair as lotus roots reached out from behind, crossing to hug Xu Xi's neck.

She was weeping uncontrollably.

Xu Xi was stunned, then his expression gradually softened.

Gently holding the girl's hands, his voice carried the familiarity of the past: "Welcome home, Mo Li."

The girl cried even harder; unlike the Witch's silent tears, this was a release of suppressed emotions, crying loudly and wretchedly.

Xu Moli harbored infinite guilt and self-blame over Xu Xi's death.

But now, she had heard Xu Xi's apology.

This contrast and comparison caused her mental defenses to crumble, revealing her fragile side.

"…"

Outside the door.

The silver-gray haired Witch held a tray with an indifferent expression; on the tray were the hot tea and corresponding sweets she had prepared for Xu Xi.

Normally, Klisa would have chosen to enter the room directly.

But the sound of Xu Moli's crying made Klisa stop.

Just this once.

Limit one time.

The tolerant Witch turned and left, not pushing the door open, choosing to leave the precious time to the "Kind Person"; she would only give this one chance.

In the future, the emotionless Witch would not allow the other party's reckless behavior.