Chapter 133: The Pavilion

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Beneath the Yihua Sect, at the foot of Dui Feng Mountain, Wu Luohua drove the carriage along in utter boredom. Though he missed Ganyu terribly, he knew that these days must be the time of her initiation ceremony. He did not wish to climb the mountain casually and disturb what was, for her, one of the most important moments of her life.

“Mo, the area beneath the Yihua Sect is nowhere near as prosperous as the Cloudsky Sect,” Wu Luohua said as he urged the horses onward. “Look—we’ve been traveling for half a day without seeing a soul.”

“Exactly,” the Little Devil immediately cut in before Mo Bai could answer. “I’m getting thirsty, and we’re almost out of food. If only we had bought more provisions in yesterday’s town.”

Mo Bai chuckled and climbed out of the carriage. Gazing into the distance, he said, “Oh? There seems to be a pavilion over there. We can rest there for a while.”

Following the direction of his finger, the others saw that there truly was an ancient, elegant pavilion at the foot of the mountain. It was probably built by the Yihua Sect as a resting place for passing travelers.

Little Hua drifted down from the carriage and stretched lazily. “Xin’er, you should come out and stretch your limbs too. You’re a girl—you can’t sit all the time. You must always maintain a perfect figure. You should know that the Yihua Sect is full of beauties.”

Nalan Xin’er climbed down from the carriage, pouting defiantly. “Brother Little Hua, you’ve never even been to the Yihua Sect. How do you know there are so many beauties? Besides, could any of them possibly be prettier than me? Hmph!”

The group proceeded slowly toward the pavilion.

“That goes without saying,” Little Hua replied. “Just look at the young disciples the Yihua Sect sent to the Lingjue Arena: the Red Forest Maiden, Yufu, Xiao Xue, Huang Wan’er, and that other one—what was her name? Lan Ruoting. Every one of them is beautiful, and each has her own style. They’re truly captivating.”

“Hmph! Are they really so beautiful? They’re all women, aren’t they? Why make such a fuss about different types?” the Little Devil said indignantly.

“What do you mean? Why is she the only one you call a woman? Aren’t I one too?” Nalan Xin’er demanded, thrusting out her ample chest.

Little Hua gave her a long, thoughtful look. “Your figure is quite similar, but your charm is still far behind.”

“You!” Nalan Xin’er was rendered speechless. Her pretty face flushed as she seemed to understand exactly what Wu Luohua meant. But she had never been one to admit defeat, and she immediately countered, “I may not be as mature as the Red Forest Maiden, but compared with the others, I still have plenty of advantages.”

Little Hua took a deep breath. “Yufu is cold and aloof. Xiao Xue is pure and elegant as frost and snow. Huang Wan’er is serene and graceful. As for Lan Ruoting, she has youthful liveliness.”

When he reached Xin’er, he looked her up and down for a long while without saying a word.

The Little Devil grew anxious and kept displaying her figure, afraid that she might possess no advantages at all. At last, after studying her for some time, Little Hua nodded.

“Well, your figure is much better than theirs.”

Nalan Xin’er lifted her chin, her adorable face filled with triumph.

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Mo Bai found their bickering highly amusing. He gazed toward Dui Feng Mountain, barely visible in the distance through the winding clouds and mist. He had never expected to meet the people of the Yihua Sect again so soon.

Before they knew it, the three had reached the pavilion. It was not empty. Three people were drinking tea inside: two elderly people and a young woman.

The two old people were clearly husband and wife. Sitting opposite them was a Daoist nun of about thirty. She was dressed in a quiet, refined manner, and her features were ordinary. Yet every movement she made revealed her to be a woman of deep cultivation and composure.

The old man said, “Yuzhi, how many times has this been since you left the mountain? I imagine this is the longest journey yet. We haven’t seen you in three years.”

The Daoist nun called Yuzhi smiled softly. “How fortunate I am that the two of you are always thinking of me. This is my ninth journey away from the mountain, and the longest one.”

The old woman sighed. “Indeed. I still remember when Yuzhi first left the mountain. She was only eight years old. An eight-year-old child gone for an entire month—her master truly had a heart of stone.”

“Hmph. That girl Gu Meng wasn’t confident in her disciple; she was simply ruthless. If we had been in her place, we never could have borne it,” the old man grumbled.

Although he seemed to be insulting Gu Meng, anyone could tell that he was merely venting.

Mo Bai and the others were stunned by what they had overheard. From those few simple remarks, they could already tell that this Daoist nun named Yuzhi was also a disciple of Grandmaster Gu Meng of the Yihua Sect. They did not know which disciple she was, but judging from her age and manner of speech—and considering that they had already met the eldest disciple, the Red Forest Maiden, and the fourth disciple, Yufu—she was probably either the second or the third disciple.

The elderly couple were clearly no ordinary people either. They had actually referred to Grandmaster Gu Meng as “that girl,” which suggested that they must be old acquaintances.

Yuzhi smiled. “You two are joking. My master only wanted what was best for me, hoping I would mature sooner. As she took on more disciples, the Yihua Sect gradually grew in reputation. That also gave me the freedom to descend the mountain and visit famous peaks and rivers, pursuing the mysteries of the path of spiritual cultivation.”

The old man said, “Little Yuzhi, you’re a girl. As long as your spiritual cultivation is strong enough to protect yourself, that should be sufficient. Why insist on chasing some so-called ultimate limit?”

Yuzhi shook her head. “Grandfather Green Bamboo, that is not right. Since I am a spiritual cultivator and a disciple of the Yihua Sect, I should do what must be done. The path of spiritual cultivation is difficult, but I have been fortunate enough to improve by traveling throughout the famous mountains and rivers. Such a method of cultivation is a tremendous blessing to me.”

The old woman spat lightly. “Little Yuzhi, don’t listen to that old fool. He’s always afraid that women might surpass men, so he keeps urging you not to work so hard. Hmph! Who doesn’t know what he’s really thinking?”

Grandfather Green Bamboo protested, “Old Woman Silver Flower, what’s wrong with making such plans for Little Yuzhi? Do you want her future husband to be bullied by her for the rest of his life? Hmph! I know perfectly well what my own life has been like. Haven’t I suffered enough from your temper?”

“What? Are you tired of living? Shall we have another contest? Haven’t you recently developed a new spiritual technique? Why don’t we test it against each other?” Old Woman Silver Flower immediately lost her temper.

The moment Grandfather Green Bamboo saw that she was truly angry, he wilted.

Yuzhi could not help laughing. “At your age, how can you still enjoy making jokes like this? As a Daoist nun, I am destined never to marry. How could there be any question of bullying a husband?”

At those words, the two old people immediately grew sorrowful.

Grandfather Green Bamboo muttered, “Yuzhi, think it over carefully. The Yihua Sect allows its nuns to return to secular life. Being a Daoist nun truly does not suit you. Do you know what a woman becomes if she never marries? Just look at your master—she has such a terrible temper.”

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For some reason, when Grandfather Green Bamboo mentioned marriage, the Little Devil unconsciously glanced at Mo Bai, and her heart gave a sudden, pounding beat.

This time, Old Woman Silver Flower surprisingly did not contradict him. Instead, she nodded in agreement.

Realizing that she was about to fall into the old couple’s familiar trap, Yuzhi immediately changed the subject. “Grandfather Green Bamboo, don’t you want to hear what interesting things I encountered during these three years away from the mountain? Or what unusual people I met?”

Grandfather Green Bamboo instantly became interested. “Little Yuzhi, tell me quickly. You know how much I love hearing strange tales and unusual stories. Alas, I once promised that I would never leave the boundaries of Dui Feng Mountain again, so I can no longer experience the wonders of the Exquisite Continent for myself.”

His face filled with melancholy.

Old Woman Silver Flower immediately mocked him. “What? You want to leave Dui Feng Mountain?”

Grandfather Green Bamboo looked as though he had suffered a great injustice. “I wouldn’t dare. I wouldn’t dare.”

“Is it that you don’t dare, or that you don’t want to? You’d better make yourself clear,” Old Woman Silver Flower pressed.

“Oh—it’s that I don’t want to. I don’t want to,” Grandfather Green Bamboo replied timidly.

“Haha, Mo, this is quite entertaining,” Wu Luohua exclaimed. He could no longer hold back and burst out laughing.

Yuzhi turned around and saw the three of them. She slowly rose and greeted them with clasped hands.

“Would the three of you care to join us for tea and rest?”

Mo Bai was taken aback. He had not expected this Daoist nun called Yuzhi to possess such exceptional grace. Little Hua had clearly been rude just now, yet she had not taken offense at all. Instead, she had invited them to share tea. There truly were people in this world capable of such magnanimity—and what was more, she was still so young.

Mo Bai immediately returned the greeting. “Thank you, miss. If it is convenient, we are indeed rather tired.”

“Please,” Yuzhi replied.

Mo Bai had only taken one step forward when he suddenly felt an invisible barrier of spiritual energy sealing the path before them.

Grandfather Green Bamboo’s voice sounded from inside the pavilion. “The fine tea Little Yuzhi brought me from Jade Brook Mountain is not something anyone can simply drink whenever they please.”

Only then did Mo Bai realize that the old man was still holding a grudge over Little Hua’s laughter.

He said nothing. Instead, he quietly moved ahead of Wu Luohua and Nalan Xin’er, then gave a seemingly casual wave of his hand.

“This junior, Mo Bai, pays his respects to the two elders.”

With effortless composure, he walked into the pavilion.

Little Hua and the Little Devil had no idea what had happened and followed him inside. They did not know how profound the spiritual power Mo Bai had released just moments earlier had been. He had not only crossed the spiritual barrier Grandfather Green Bamboo had laid down, but had also used a special technique to disperse the remaining spiritual energy, allowing Wu Luohua and Nalan Xin’er to enter safely as well.

Grandfather Green Bamboo raised an eyebrow. Old Woman Silver Flower gave a soft cry of surprise.

Yuzhi, however, simply said, “The tea has been poured. Please, take your seats.”