Chapter 50: Siblings
Chapter 50: Siblings
From then on, the trio would visit Mr. Zhuang every morning, bowing from a distance outside his door and waiting for half a tea session. If the door remained shut, they would then descend the mountain.
Mo Hua actually wanted to tell them that Mr. Zhuang slept in every morning, only rising in the afternoon. Their visits were ill-timed.
However, upon second thought, it seemed that, at least for the time being, Mr. Zhuang had no intention of meeting them.
Whether they came early and missed him or came later to the same result, it made no difference when they visited since they wouldn't be seeing him either way.
At least they got to see the mountain bathed in the morning glow, which was a sight to behold.
Mo Hua occasionally ran into them on his way up the mountain. Sometimes they would exchange greetings, and if time permitted, they would chat casually.
Although the siblings appeared proud and haughty, being from a prestigious family, they were surprisingly easy to talk to.
Through these casual conversations, Mo Hua learned that their surname was Bai. They were both older than Mo Hua: the handsome young man was named Bai Zisheng, and the delicate, porcelain-doll-like girl was named Bai Zixi.
They were siblings who had traveled far, ordered by their elders to seek out Mr. Zhuang as their master to study array formations.
Bai Zisheng was talkative, while Bai Zixi was more reserved.
The siblings bore some resemblance to each other, but Bai Zixi was undeniably more attractive.
In fact, she was unbelievably stunning...
From a distance, Mo Hua only thought she was pretty and dainty, but up close, he realized that despite her young age, her porcelain-like skin was flawless, and her beauty was exceptional.
Could this be a real person's face? Mo Hua was astonished.
There's a saying that Nuwa created mankind out of clay, and it was clear that some people were indeed made of clay. But it seemed evident that some, like Bai Zixi, were not.
When Nuwa crafted her, she likely used the snow, moon, flowers, and frost, shaping her icy skin and delicate bones.
Mo Hua stole another glance at Bai Zixi and thought to himself:
"They say a beauty is a disaster, but what Nuwa is doing is not creating a person; she's creating a calamity..."
The veiled woman accompanying the Bai siblings was called Xue'er, and she was probably sent by the family to protect them.
Mo Hua wasn't sure about Xue'er's realm, but her cultivation was definitely not low. She exuded a subtle oppressive aura that Mo Hua had never felt from other cultivators.
The highest-realm cultivator Mo Hua had encountered before was the old sect master of Tongxian Sect, who had been at the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment. However, due to the old master's kind nature and declining spiritual power due to old age, the oppressive feeling was not as strong as what he felt from Xue'er.
"She must be at least at the Foundation Establishment stage..."
Mo Hua secretly speculated.
And to have a Foundation Establishment cultivator as an escort, this sibling's identity was surely extraordinary. The Bai family was likely a prominent and influential clan outside the state. Mo Hua wisely refrained from asking any further questions about their background.
The affairs of noble clans were far removed from his life as a solitary cultivator.
For a solitary cultivator like Mo Hua, breaking through to become a Foundation Establishment cultivator was extremely difficult. And a Foundation Establishment cultivator held a very prestigious status in the small Tongxian City.
His cultivation in this lifetime might not even surpass that of others' escorts.
Mo Hua kept his initial aspiration in mind, focusing on studying array formations and becoming a first-rate array master. Only then would he have a chance to make a name for himself in the cultivation world.
Despite the Bai siblings' daily morning visits, Mr. Zhuang didn't say anything, seemingly tacitly accepting this arrangement. However, he still showed no intention of meeting them.
Mr. Zhuang seemed to have put his mind at ease, and his daily routine returned to normal.
He continued to sleep until the afternoon, then sat in the courtyard, drinking liquor with beef as a side dish or having snacks with tea while admiring the mountain scenery and lost in thought.
Mo Hua continued to study array formations, draw them, meditate, draw some more, and then consult Mr. Zhuang whenever he had doubts.
On this day, Mr. Zhuang suddenly asked Mo Hua to draw an array called the "Three Talents Array."
This array consisted of six array patterns, which Mo Hua couldn't possibly complete with his current spiritual sense. Moreover, the structure looked unique, and the array patterns differed from the Five Elements Arrays he had encountered before.
The next day, in front of Mr. Zhuang, he managed to draw the array with great difficulty and interruptions. However, due to his insufficient spiritual sense, several strokes of the array patterns were ineffective.
Mr. Zhuang didn't say anything. Seeing Mo Hua's tired expression and slightly pale face, he knew that this was the result of overexerting his spiritual sense. So, he lit an incense stick, and a light white-colored smoke rose, carrying a crisp fragrance that was refreshing.
"This is a calming incense that can nourish your spiritual sense," Mr. Zhuang said. "Meditate here, and when the incense burns out, go back and rest for the day. Don't draw any more arrays today."
"Thank you, Master," Mo Hua said gratefully.
After expressing his thanks, Mo Hua meditated, and indeed, he felt his spiritual sense recovering faster. In about two hours, the calming incense burned out, and Mo Hua bid farewell.
After Mo Hua left, Mr. Zhuang looked at the Three Talents Array that Mo Hua had drawn and frowned in thought, remaining silent for a long time.
Gui Lao entered and asked, "Did he not do a good job?"
Mr. Zhuang shook his head. "It's not a matter of good or bad... With insufficient spiritual sense and such haste, it's impossible to master this array perfectly. There will inevitably be mistakes, but..."
Mr. Zhuang furrowed his brows further. "Mo Hua is learning too quickly."
"What's wrong with learning fast?" Gui Lao inquired.
"It's not just fast, it's too fast," Mr. Zhuang emphasized.
He unfolded the Three Talents Array and explained, "This array uses a completely different array pivot from the Five Elements Array, and the array patterns are also distinct. I only gave him the diagram yesterday, and in just one day, he has managed to grasp most of it. If not for his limited spiritual sense, he might have even stumbled his way through drawing this entire array..."
Mr. Zhuang's gaze sharpened. "The strangest part is that with Mo Hua's spiritual sense, he could practice this array at most three or four times in a day. However, judging from the fluency of the brushstrokes in this Three Talents Array, it seems he has practiced it at least ten times."
Gui Lao's expression remained unchanged, but his tone turned solemn. "Are you saying that Mo Hua is hiding something from you?"
Mr. Zhuang shook his head again. "I never asked him, so there's no question of him hiding anything. It just seems that Mo Hua must have had some special opportunity."
Gui Lao lifted an eyebrow. "Every cultivator has their own opportunities. What about your own opportunities? Every living being in the heavens and the earth is born with a tremendous opportunity. They are blessed just to be alive."
Mr. Zhuang fell silent, pondering Gui Lao's words.
"If you truly care, just ask him," Gui Lao suggested.
Mr. Zhuang was taken aback for a moment. "Ask him?"
Gui Lao's impatience showed. "You're the type of person who thinks you understand others, but in reality, you just have too many suspicions. You assume everyone is like you, keeping secrets and being unable to disclose everything. I quite like Mo Hua. He's not like you, with eighteen hidden schemes, always acting in a roundabout manner."
Reclining in his chair, Mr. Zhuang maintained a calm tone. "If I truly had too many suspicions, I wouldn't have ended up in my current situation."
"Birds of a feather flock together," Gui Lao said. "You think you're clever, so you associate with others who have many suspicions as well. But since your heart isn't as dark as theirs, you end up being schemed against. You brought this upon yourself, so don't blame others."
Mr. Zhuang gave a bitter smile. "Yes, so now I can only stay with someone like you, who has no heart, to find some peace."
Gui Lao's face remained expressionless, and he fell silent.
(End of Chapter)
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