Northern Yan Chapter 27: Trouble Arises Again

In the small courtyard by the Clear Water Pool, the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers and the singing of birds. Having practiced the Heavenly Residual Divine Scroll all night, Mo Hao felt not exhaustion, but a surge of excitement. The "Inedia" chapter of the scroll had provided him with a new perspective on cultivation: he realized that cultivation should not merely follow the existing Great Dao, but rather emerge from within it, allowing him to carve out a path of his own.

Breathing in the fresh air of the courtyard, he lounged on a recliner he had moved out from his room. Despite such a beautiful and pleasant setting, his mind was preoccupied with the upcoming sect grand competition. This event was crucial; it would determine whether he could enter the Outer Sect, whether he could become the disciple of a Foundation Establishment master, and whether he could catch the eye of the senior brothers in the Foundation Establishment stage to receive guidance on his path.

Mo Hao had always practiced alone. Even after joining the Void Sword Sect, he had been permitted into the External Affairs division only as a favor to Han Qing. He had to earn everything himself. To improve his strength and protect his hometown, he had to become an Outer Sect disciple, as that would bring his home under the protection of the sect.

However, since being betrayed by Feng Xing, Mo Hao knew the world of immortality was not smooth or open, but rather treacherous. Fortunately, with the help of Liu Yue, his cultivation had advanced, giving him more confidence for the competition.

Suddenly, something tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around, startled, and leaped from the chair. Once he steadied himself, he realized it was Liu Chi, the Foundation Establishment late-stage beast. Liu Chi reminded him that it was time to depart.

Upon meeting Liu Yue, she led Mo Hao to a jade platform engraved with array patterns. Mo Hao stepped onto the platform and took out the Evasion Talisman. Liu Yue nodded, and as Mo Hao channeled his spiritual energy into the talisman, it began to emit a faint glow.

At the moment he was about to vanish, Mo Hao bowed deeply to Liu Yue. Then, the familiar sensation of vertigo overwhelmed him. Though the teleportation lasted only an instant, it felt as though a day had passed.

Upon landing, he struggled to retrieve a Spirit-Awakening Pill from his storage bag and consumed it. He checked his inventory; his supply of pills was dwindling. However, collecting spirit stones on his trips was a nice consolation—they were like worldly wealth, and the more, the better.

Unsure if this place was safe, Mo Hao looked around. He gasped—this was the very path he had taken when leaving his small mountain village. He understood, however, that pursuing the path of immortality meant severing ties with the mortal world, a decision confirmed the moment he was found to have spiritual veins. He returned to his village, but it was desolate, no longer the place where people gathered at the entrance to chat at night.

Mo Hao visited his old home. It remained as it was, save for a few missing ornaments. He knelt and kowtowed three times before his father’s grave. Turning back, he saw a man standing nearby. "Er Gouzi!" he whispered. It was his closest childhood friend. They stood in silence, staring at each other, until Er Gouzi ran toward him like a madman. Mo Hao stood still as his friend embraced him.

"Little Hao, where have you been all this time? Say something, please!"

Mo Hao didn't push him away. Seeing the scattered spirit money at Er Gouzi's feet, he realized it was the festival for ancestral worship, yet Er Gouzi was the only one who had returned. He explained what had happened after he left: the bandits had been captured by the local authorities, and the "master" at their stronghold was merely a charlatan who had been executed along with the gang.

Mo Hao nodded. Er Gouzi said they had searched for him for a long time, and the Qian family had moved to a large city. Er Gouzi offered to take him to the new village, but Mo Hao first needed to visit Xuan Fengzi. Leaving Er Gouzi to wait, he arrived at the old man's dwelling. It remained unchanged, but the kind old man was gone. Mo Hao knew Xuan Fengzi’s soul had dissipated; his guide on the path of immortality had passed on. He bowed deeply toward where Xuan Fengzi used to sit, then followed Er Gouzi to the new village.

Mo Hao didn't enter the village with him. Standing in the distance, he watched his mother, brother, and sister living happily together. He smiled, feeling that this was enough. Sometimes, reunion was not necessarily the best outcome. He wrote a note: "All is well with your son, Mother, please do not worry. Your unfilial son, Mo Hao."

He tucked his remaining Spirit-Awakening Pills into the letter—though they only served to refresh and aid cultivation for those in the Inedia stage, they were immensely beneficial to mortals. His mother, Wu Yue, found the letter upon stepping outside, and as she opened it, tears streamed down her face. She frantically looked around, but Mo Hao did not dare to look back. His eyes blurred with mist. He knew he would make many enemies on his path, and he lacked the strength to protect his family. This only strengthened his resolve to win the sect competition. With a flash of green light, he flew off on his sword toward the Void Sword Sect.

Traveling by sword, he reached the sect in less than ten days. Back at the External Affairs bamboo forest, he saw the two elders lounging as before, which made him sigh—his journey to the Grudge Beast Mountain had been so difficult he had nearly died.

When the two elders saw Mo Hao, they looked as if they had seen a ghost, trembling in his presence. Mo Hao’s expression darkened. While they were usually respectful, they had never been this terrified.

"Speak! What happened?" Mo Hao demanded sternly. The two exchanged glances, the old woman trembling so hard she could barely stand.

"Louder!" Mo Hao commanded, his voice infused with spiritual energy.

"Sir," the old man stammered, "two things happened while you were away. First, Master Feng, who went with you, has passed away, and we assumed you had as well! Second, a master brought by Master Han has taken a fancy to Fairy Tan and is demanding she become his dao companion!"

"What?"

Mo Hao rubbed his chin. "How did you know Master Feng had fallen, and if you knew that, why didn't you know about me?"

"Sir, all Outer Sect disciples have a soul tablet. If a master falls, the tablet shatters, so we were notified."

Mo Hao nodded. Feng Xing had been an Outer Sect disciple, so it made sense they would assume he had perished. "And the second matter?"

"Master Han heard you might be dead and came to ask after your whereabouts. Fairy Tan was picking bamboo shoots in the forest when another master with him saw her beauty and became obsessed. He grabbed her and spoke lewdly. She stabbed him with her sword, and it was only thanks to Master Han that he was led away..."

"From now until the competition, I am seeing no one. Even if Han Qing comes, turn him away!" Mo Hao commanded. The elders looked troubled but agreed.

He headed toward Tan Ya's room, feeling a mix of anger and admiration. He had told her to stay inside until he returned, but he realized this wasn't her fault; in fact, he was glad she had stabbed the man. He just didn't want these distractions before the competition. He knocked on the door.

"Leave me alone! I won't agree to that lecher even if I die!"

"It's me," Mo Hao said.

The door flew open, and Tan Ya rushed out, hugging him tightly. Mo Hao struggled to breathe, coughing until she released him, blushing. She began to sob. "Look at you, all disheveled!"

Tan Ya smoothed her hair and ran back inside, emerging a moment later looking stunning, which made Mo Hao mumble under his breath. She stood before him, head bowed, sobbing softly. "I thought you were dead!"

Mo Hao smiled bitterly. "How could someone as lucky as me die so easily?"

"Why were you gone so long? Even Master Feng lost his life..."

Mo Hao recounted his journey—the betrayal by Feng Xing, the ambush by the Foundation Establishment beast, and the encounter with the Golden Core demon. Tan Ya gasped, covering her mouth in shock.

After comforting her, Mo Hao fell into deep thought. He would not see any guests; if anyone forced their way in, he would not be soft-hearted. Though only at the peak of the Inedia mid-stage, he could hold his own against late-stage cultivators. He needed to consolidate his cultivation and master his sword techniques and spells for the competition.

He had realized during his journey that he wasn't proficient enough in his sword arts, making it hard to achieve the state of "mind and technique as one." Now, he needed to turn in his mission at Grudge Beast Mountain. Though there was no deadline, he had left his remaining pills with his family and needed to replenish his supplies.

Dressing himself, he went to the Outer Sect to turn in his mission. Master Li at the entrance looked stunned but let him through. Mo Hao went to the C-Hall, handed in the mission, and submitted hundreds of Spirit-Awakening herbs in exchange for pills. To his surprise, because Feng Xing had died, the rewards for the mission were awarded entirely to him. This was an unexpected gain.