Depth of the East China Sea

The wind brushed against the banyan tree at the tail end of summer, and the weather gradually grew less scorching. The Autumn Water Pavilion was no longer bustling with visitors every day.

After all, the Qingyuan Sect was not an inn. Li Mo had bought a residence outside to accommodate the relatives who had come for his engagement banquet, with Li Dalong and Gu Xueqin taking care of them.

The morning light was brilliant, scattering cool flecks of gold through the gaps in the banyan leaves. Early in the morning, Li Mo stood at the gate, waiting for Elder Qian so they could set off together.

"Father, Mother, I’m leaving again. This time, I’m heading to the East Sea—a very distant place."

Li Mo tilted his head at a forty-five-degree angle, his brows carrying the wistfulness and reluctance of an impending journey.

"Mhm, take out the trash by the gate before you go."

Li Dalong, in the middle of his morning exercises in the courtyard, didn’t even turn his head.

"?"

Young Li stiffened for a moment, finally understanding a fraction of Uncle Zhong’s loneliness in the grand hall when no one paid him any attention.

"Son, take these with you."

Gu Xueqin handed him several bundles filled with clothes and daily necessities, making him carry one in each hand and even draping another around his neck.

"Thank you, Mother, for preparing these things for my trip, but..."

Li Mo accepted them, touched, but upon looking down, he noticed some women’s garments mixed in. "Some of these might not be necessary..."

"These are for the residence in the prefecture city."

Gu Xueqin gave him a strange look. "Aren’t you fast on your feet? That cloud-riding technique of yours—whoosh, and you’re there. Your grandparents have a lot of things, so take some along for them."

"Wait a moment, there’s more."

His mother turned back to gather more items.

"??"

Two noisy crows flew across the sky, perfectly mirroring the chaos and helplessness in young Li’s heart.

It seemed he had no choice but to accept a certain truth—in his parents’ eyes, he had grown up. His shoulders could bear the weight of the sky; he was far stronger than them and no longer a childish fool.

This, perhaps, was what one lost in the process of growing up. Damn it.

At that moment, Ying Bing also descended from upstairs, joining the family in packing, feeding item after item into the belly of a large-headed storage puppet.

Her movements were practiced and natural, drawing radiant smiles from his grandparents.

His grandmother, worried that the now Human Ranking-ranked Cold Immortal might tire, urged her to sit and rest, even personally combing Ying Bing’s hair while praising its silky texture.

"Little Bing’er, are you going with Little Mo? Grandma will miss you."

"No, he’ll be back in a couple of days. I’ll stay in Purple Sun Prefecture to keep you company."

"Good, good. Grandma will make something delicious for you today."

Ying Bing sat properly, her eyes narrowed in quiet contentment.

A colorful butterfly, seemingly drawn by the fragrance of blooming orchids, alighted on the edge of her hair. She noticed but didn’t shoo it away, allowing it to add a touch of delicate beauty to her.

Leaning against the doorframe, Li Mo watched her, his lips curling unconsciously.

He had been doted on by his family since childhood, but the ice block had long been deprived of such warmth.

The Lis shared a common trait—his mother, father, grandparents—all were perceptive.

They wanted the ice block to know she had family again.

Hadn’t he said it before?

The ice block was beautiful when she smiled. Maybe he’d get to see her at her best often from now on?

"What are you thinking about?"

Li Mo snapped out of his thoughts to find the person occupying his gaze standing before him, her jade-like face tilted up.

"I’ll be gone for a few days, so there’s something I’m worried about."

"What is it?"

Ying Bing reached out, letting the butterfly perch on her fingertip.

Li Mo adopted a grave expression. "When it gets hot, there are a lot of bugs. Look how big this mosquito is."

Ying Bing glanced at the butterfly on her finger. "This is... a mosquito?"

"So before I leave, I need to seal it away. Only then can I set off for the East Sea with peace of mind."

"People will see."

The ice block glanced back at his grandparents, then seemed to recall something. "Somewhere unseen... and not during the day."

"No problem. I know a place where it’s visible but won’t be noticed—perfect for planting a seal."

Li Mo spoke with utmost seriousness.

Then he took her hand and led her along the stream outside the Autumn Water Pavilion, all the way to his old training spot.

Every man should have his own secret base!

Back then, he had dug out a cave behind the waterfall—the Water Curtain Cave—and it remained unchanged.

"You’ve had this place prepared for a while, haven’t you?"

Ying Bing let him pull her inside. The dim light enveloped them as she murmured,

"I should’ve known your head was always full of such nonsense..."

"But, sister, I haven’t been a childish fool for days now."

"..."

Ying Bing lifted her gaze, then lowered it again.

Ah, right. Young Li was now the pillar of the Li family. No one treated him like a kid anymore, and with so many relatives around lately...

"Fine, just this once... Mm—!"

So there was some truth to the saying "where there’s smoke, there’s fire."

Even the faintest sounds seemed to echo conspicuously.

As everyone knows,

The Water Curtain Cave was separated from the outside by a waterfall, making it stuffy and prone to oxygen deprivation over time. Hence, the heavy breathing that followed.

"No more."

"Such a tiny bit of ice—who’s supposed to eat this?"

Faced with a young Li who had mastered seventy-two transformations and was now verging on a seventy-third—the werewolf—

Ying Bing, gasping for fresh air, quickly covered his approaching mouth to stop him from taking another bite.

Her clothes were already packed. There was no time to change before departure.

As everyone also knows,

Even the hardest mouths water when faced with something delicious.

And as everyone definitely knows,

Light-colored clothes show saliva stains very clearly.

...

The family set off for their new residence in Purple Sun Prefecture, with Qin Yuzhi and Shang Qinqing accompanying them. After all, with Li Mo away, there wouldn’t even be anyone to cook in the Autumn Water Pavilion.

Li Mo returned alone and waited. Elder Qian had only said they’d leave during the day but hadn’t specified when.

With time to spare, he began tallying his wealth—excluding rare treasures, of course.

It wasn’t until afternoon that a rotund figure, nearly as wide as he was tall, appeared at the gate.

Elder Qian wiped his sweat. "There was a lot to prepare and check. The External Affairs Hall kept me busy all morning. Sorry for the wait."

"You’ve worked hard, Elder. You look... er... plump from exhaustion."

Li Mo’s brush continued jotting down figures without pause.

"You’re not too late. I haven’t finished counting either."

"What could possibly take you longer than me to tally?"

"Money."

"??"