Chapter 131: Farewell

The Spirit Rising Tournament in Guihai City finally came to an end, and for the first time, Master Guyu found a moment of respite. In a secluded tea room, she and Mo Bai sat across from each other. Master Guyu poured the tea herself and asked slowly, "Mo Bai, why did you wish to visit the Yihua Sect?" It was clear that she held this matter in high regard.

Mo Bai did not dare to easily produce the token given to him by Master Kuzhi. However, he felt as though he understood something now, yet a thick fog remained before him, leaving him unsure how to proceed. He replied, "Master Guyu, the situation is this: my brother, Wu Luohua, is a scion of the Wu family, a clan of spirit cultivators. It is a pity that this son of a prestigious family possesses not a shred of spiritual power."

Master Guyu was startled. She had not expected that someone from the Wu family of spirit cultivators would be involved, let alone that they would be a friend of Mo Bai. She felt she had misjudged the situation; although the Wu family was not one of the five major spirit sects, they had held a reputation for centuries and were considered unique on the Linglong Continent. It was truly strange that someone from the Wu family could not practice any spiritual arts and could not gather any spiritual energy.

Seeing the doubt on Master Guyu's face, Mo Bai immediately added, "My brother Xiaohua encountered some events in his childhood. Please forgive me for not being able to say more; I can only tell you that his spiritual gateways appear to be blocked by something."

Master Guyu frowned slightly and said, "For those of us who cultivate spirits, if the spiritual gateways are blocked, it is like trying to cook without fire. This is a grave matter indeed. I never imagined such a strange occurrence could befall the Wu family."

Mo Bai sighed, "Indeed. Ever since I became acquainted with my brother, I have tried many methods—visiting spirit trees and entering various spirit sects—but to no avail. Later, we visited the Yuntian Sect and were fortunate enough to meet Master Kuzhi. It was through his guidance that we headed to the Yihua Sect, hoping to see if there was a way to unblock my brother's spiritual gateways."

Upon hearing the name Master Kuzhi, Master Guyu's expression shifted, though she quickly regained her composure. She said calmly, "The Yihua Sect relies on the stimulation of flowers, utilizing their power to absorb the spiritual energy of the earth to reach a state of cultivation. While this is our mainstream practice, our sect possesses many unique methods within its branches. I simply do not know if they can help Master Wu." It was clear that Master Guyu had agreed to Mo Bai's request; after all, he had left a deep impression on her, and he was the key figure who had helped the Yihua Sect overcome this crisis during the tournament. She felt she could not refuse him.

Mo Bai said, "Then I thank you for your kindness, Master. May I ask when you plan to set out for Duifeng Mountain?"

Master Guyu chuckled, offering a gentle reprimand. Mo Bai blushed and nodded silently.

Master Guyu then said, "Although I am personally quite fond of you, young man, I am bound by the rules of the Yihua Sect. I am afraid it would be inconvenient for you to travel with us. Let us do this: I shall depart first to report the situation in Guihai City to my senior sister, the Sect Leader, and relay your request to visit the mountain."

Mo Bai bowed in gratitude, "In that case, thank you, Master."

"Mo Bai, I will wait for you on Duifeng Mountain. Perhaps the destiny between you and me does not end here." Guyu smiled loftily, her words carrying a hidden meaning. Before Mo Bai could react, she shook her wide Daoist robes and departed from the tea shop.

Mo Bai was stunned for a moment, then smiled faintly. It seemed some things would only be clear once they reached the Yihua Sect. As he was about to leave, he heard a low voice say, "Young Mo, are you not going to bid this old man farewell?"

Mo Bai turned around and saw Master Yunfa standing there. He quickly cupped his hands and asked, "Are you leaving as well, Master?"

Yunfa replied, "The matters here have been settled, and I must return to the Cliff of Repentance to reflect on my mistakes."

Mo Bai only then remembered that Yunfa should have been confined to the Cliff of Repentance by the direct order of Master Kuzhi. That he was here now meant Master Kuzhi must have lifted the restriction—but for what purpose?

Yunfa clearly noticed Mo Bai's expression. He smiled and said, "Young Mo, who knows when we shall meet again after today? Before I leave, I will tell you one thing: the Yuntian Sect's full support for the Yihua Sect was not ordered by Junior Sister Yunling. As for the reason, someone as clever as you should eventually have an epiphany. I shall take my leave now. I hope we have another chance to meet, for every time I see you, a different story unfolds, and these stories are always so interesting."

Mo Bai watched the back of Master Yunfa as he walked away, pondering his words. The fog seemed to have lifted slightly, yet the path ahead remained obscured.

"Brother Mo, so you were here! You were hard to find!" The little demoness Nalan Xin'er came skipping over from a distance, calling out as she ran. Behind her followed Wu Luohua, but Ganyu was nowhere to be seen. She must have departed for Duifeng Mountain ahead of time with Master Guyu.

Thinking that Ganyu was fortunate enough to join the Yihua Sect as the only disciple of Master Guyu, Mo Bai felt happy for her. In time, she would surely achieve great things, and by then, if she and Xiaohua were to become companions, they would at least be able to protect themselves.

Wu Luohua's spirits were clearly low. Although he knew he would see Ganyu again before long, the act of parting with her left him somewhat melancholy.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Nalan Xin'er took Mo Bai's arm, and Mo Bai asked.

"That sounds good." Nalan Xin'er was in a good mood. The tense days in Guihai City were finally over, and since Senior Brother Jiuxi had not taken her back to the Yihua Sect, she could continue to roam the Linglong Continent with Brother Mo. How could she not be happy?

"Why tea? Let us drink wine instead," Wu Luohua said as he approached the tea shop.

"Very well, wine it is. But Xiaohua, how should we drink it?" Mo Bai replied.

"What do you mean, Brother Mo?" Xiaohua asked.

"Well, we could sit here and drink, or we could drink while we travel," Mo Bai laughed.

"Drink while we travel? What does that mean?" Xiaohua was puzzled.

"It means we sit in a carriage and enjoy the scenery while we drink. Who knows? Perhaps we will only have been drinking for a short while before the silhouette of Duifeng Mountain appears before us," Mo Bai said with a meaningful smile.

Wu Luohua immediately jumped up and ran off, shouting, "I'll go hire a carriage right now!"

Nalan Xin'er was so amused by Xiaohua's exaggerated movements that she burst into tears of laughter. She called out, "Brother Xiaohua, make sure you have enough money!"