Embracing the Sword

After a good while, he finally withdrew his gaze, pulled the reins in his hands, and said to Mo Que, Let's go, back to the manor.

When Mo Yuanjiao returned to the entrance of his family's General's Manor, the guards at the gate saw this very familiar tall youth and rubbed their eyes in disbelief.

Seeing that it was indeed their young master, they were immediately overjoyed.

It's the young master! The young master is back!

After earnestly bowing to Mo Yuanjiao, one of them hurriedly ran into the manor to announce his return.

The remaining servants came over to welcome their young master and Guard Mo, taking the reins from their hands to lead the horses.

Amidst the enthusiastic reception of his family's servants, Mo Yuanjiao entered his home.

Just as he stepped through the door, the head steward of the household came over and led him to General Mo's study in the front courtyard.

Inside the study, General Mo was alone, with his back to the door, wiping his precious sword.

After bringing Mo Yuanjiao into the study, the head steward silently retreated outside and gently closed the door.

He then took all the nearby servants out of the courtyard, standing guard at the courtyard gate himself.

Only after everyone had withdrawn did General Mo turn around to look at Mo Yuanjiao.

General Mo had fought on the battlefield in his early years, and it wasn't until he was over thirty that he found the time to return home and have a few children.

Therefore, although Mo Yuanjiao was only thirteen years old now, General Mo had already reached the age of fifty.

However, because he practiced martial arts all year round and his virtuous wife took good care of his health, he looked like he was only in his forties.

He first looked this youngest son, whom he had not seen for half a year, up and down from head to toe.

Mo Yuanjiao had always been relatively well-behaved in front of his father and did not dare to act recklessly, so right now he was standing perfectly straight and obediently letting his old man examine him.

Seeing that in just half a year, the impetuousness in his youngest son had faded a lot and he looked much more steady than before, General Mo nodded in great satisfaction and said:

Not bad. After going out for a trip, you finally look a bit more like a proper man.

Hearing his father speak, Mo Yuanjiao immediately slid over to his father as if his soles were oiled, and said excitedly:

Dad, do you want to cultivate together with me!

General Mo: ...

Shouldn't a father and son who haven't seen each other for half a year first show some familial affection, and then have a good chat about the son's experiences on his journey? But now, what was his son talking about? Why did he seem to understand, yet also not quite understand?

However, Mo Yuanjiao didn't know his father's thoughts and persisted:

Our Sect Master's father has started cultivating!

His grandfather has also started cultivating!

His whole family is cultivating!

Fortunately, General Mo had lived for decades and had seen all kinds of storms. He cleared his throat and asked:

Do you mean that you want me to join that little sect of yours and cultivate together?

Mo Yuanjiao nodded and said:

Yes, Dad. You can't cultivate without joining the sect. It just so happens that I still have some disciple quotas left under my name. How about I take you in as my disciple!

General Mo: ...

After the air was quiet for two breaths, General Mo said to him expressionlessly:

Your mother and grandmother are still waiting for you in the backyard. Hurry up and go see them, and call Mo Que over on your way.

Hearing this, Mo Yuanjiao felt a bit regretful. He replied with an Okay and left the study with great pity.

Once outside the courtyard, he saw the head steward at the gate, told him to call Mo Que over, and then sprinted off toward the backyard.

If he couldn't fool his father, going to fool his mother and grandmother first was the same!

While Mo Yuanjiao went to the backyard and began to act wildly spoiled, brainwash, and fool his mother and grandmother, in the front courtyard's study, General Mo finally learned the detailed experiences of their trip from Mo Que.

After satisfying his mother and grandmother's need to release their maternal love, Mo Yuanjiao returned to his own courtyard. His personal servant, Baojian, came running up crying and shouting, hugging his thigh:

Young Master! How could you abandon your Baojian and leave for half a year without returning! Baojian waited so bitterly for you~~

Mo Yuanjiao, accustomed to this, stood in place waiting for the moment his crying paused, and immediately said:

Get up by the count of three. One, two, th...

Baojian immediately climbed up from the ground with lightning speed. While smoothing out the clothes he had wrinkled on the young master, he smiled flatteringly at him:

This servant is up, I'm up. Young Master, next time you go on a long trip, please take Baojian with you. Baojian truly cannot bear the thought of you eating in the wind and sleeping in the dew all alone outside with no one to handle the trivial matters for you—

Mo Yuanjiao lifted his foot and walked toward the house.

In a while, go inquire about something. Find out the background of Daoist Qingguan, who frequently visits the red-light district in the west of the city.

Seeing that the young master ordered him to do something as soon as he returned, Baojian felt that his status as a personal servant had instantly returned. Suddenly pumped up with energy, he quickly followed behind him and answered loudly:

Yes! Young Master!

Keep a low profile.

Baojian immediately lowered his volume to the minimum:

Okay, Young Master~

Mo Yuanjiao turned his head and looked at him with an indescribable expression:

I meant keep a low profile when you're inquiring.

After Baojian received his orders and withdrew, Mo Que arrived at Mo Yuanjiao's courtyard.

Seeing him, Mo Yuanjiao was quite surprised:

Father is already done asking questions?

Mo Que nodded:

The master said that from now on, I will follow the young master.

Originally, Mo Que was General Mo's personal guard. Previously, because he was worried about Mo Yuanjiao going on a long journey, he had sent Mo Que to accompany him.

He didn't expect that after this trip, his father would actually let Mo Que follow him from now on.

However, this wasn't something difficult to understand either.

Subsequently, Mo Que said:

Does the young master think there's a problem with that fortune-teller?

Obviously, he had heard what Mo Yuanjiao ordered Baojian just now.

Hearing him ask, Mo Yuanjiao said:

Yes. The green crown on his head has the exact same design as the green crown on the disciple sent by the Shangyang Sect whom I encountered when I was rescued in Liaoju Prefecture.

I suspect that this fortune-teller might be someone from the Shangyang Sect, and he schemed to tell my fortune back then just to trick me.

Previously, when he was captured and taken to the spirit stone mine in Liaoju Prefecture, after being rescued by Lin Xiao, he followed the magistrate of Liaoju Prefecture back to the government office. At that time, he had a brief encounter with Immortal Jin from the Shangyang Sect.

Before joining the Lingxian Sect, because he hadn't paid attention to it before, he actually wasn't very clear on where the Shangyang Sect was located.

But after joining the Lingxian Sect, people in the sect chatted with him about the Shangyang Sect recruiting disciples in Hufang Province during the beginning of spring.

Only then did he know that the Shangyang Sect was actually a neighbor of their Lingxian Sect.

Later, he became a hundred thousand times certain that his true destined fortune was indeed the Lingxian Sect.

Wasn't this exactly the unseen will of heaven? If there had been even the slightest deviation back then, he would have ended up running to the Shangyang Sect.

Now that he realized the person who told his fortune back then was very likely from the Shangyang Sect, he noticed it instantly.