Speculation

Seeing this, Mo Que asked,

“Young master, are you trying to confirm whether he’s from Shangyang Sect, and if so, take revenge?”

But to his surprise, Mo Yuanjiao shook his head and said,

“How could that be? Regardless, I did find the Lingxian Sect thanks to his divination. I wouldn’t go so far as to seek revenge—am I really that petty?”

Seeing Mo Que’s expression that clearly said, “Then why on earth are you investigating him?” Mo Yuanjiao looked a little smug and continued,

“If that fortune-teller is from Shangyang Sect, then he must have known long ago that I never went there. But I also never returned to the capital. So, if he knows about our Lingxian Sect, wouldn’t he be able to guess that I went there and stayed to cultivate?”

Hearing this, Mo Que nodded thoughtfully.

“What you say is very true, young master.”

Mo Yuanjiao then went on,

“But when we met earlier, his expression didn’t look like someone in the know. Instead, he seemed genuinely shocked by my sudden appearance.”

At that point, Mo Que suddenly realized,

“So, if that fortune-teller is indeed from Shangyang Sect, that means they probably still don’t know about the Lingxian Sect’s existence?”

Seeing that Mo Que had caught on, Mo Yuanjiao winked at him.

“Smart.”

“That fortune-teller’s cultivation is no small matter. He didn’t deliberately suppress his aura earlier. I could feel that his aura is even stronger than Mr. Liu’s—he’s likely at least at the late Foundation Establishment stage or even the Golden Core stage. For someone of that level to have stayed in the capital for months means he’s probably the Shangyang Sect’s overseer stationed here. If even someone at this level doesn’t know about our sect, then the court likely hasn’t revealed anything about us to the three major sects.”

After hearing his explanation, Mo Que’s face lit up with pride.

His young master, indeed.

Though he often seemed scatterbrained, when he put his mind to it, his thinking was effortless.

Mo Yuanjiao, however, paid no attention to Mo Que’s expression. He was deep in thought about the next direction he should take to probe for more information.

He couldn’t just return for this little bit, after all.

He didn’t plan to send a report back to the sect right away. Instead, he intended to wait until Baojian finished his investigation and he was sure of the court’s intentions before writing back.

But he didn’t have much time to think.

Soon, his older brothers and sisters heard that their youngest brother had returned and rushed back from outside, cramming into the small hall of his courtyard.

Shortly after, his grandmother sent a pile of tonics.

His mother followed suit, sending several sets of well-fitted clothes.

Most of these outfits had originally been made for his older brothers. Since there were no clothes fitting Mo Yuanjiao in the house, he had to borrow his brothers’ for now.

The servants were also quick on the uptake. The kitchen manager promptly went out to purchase the finest ingredients and prepare a grand feast for the evening.

While the Mo household buzzed with activity, Song Jusheng sent yet another letter to Shangyang Sect—one of many unanswered dispatches in recent days.

Previously, the disciple sent to the sect for regular contact had returned in a flurry, reporting that the mountain gate had been blocked by a very powerful Nascent Soul cultivator, and no one inside could come out.

Fearing the Nascent Soul cultivator’s wrath, the disciple hadn’t dared to linger and had scurried back to the capital.

Later, the sect had sent a terse letter about a change of sect leader, and nothing else.

Thinking about Mo Yuanjiao, whom he had seen today—a person presumed missing, now appearing hale and hearty—

Though aside from having grown taller, nothing seemed different.

But Song Jusheng couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

That, combined with reports from below that one of the emperor’s personal guards had been absent from the capital for days, made him uneasy.

So, after days of hesitation, Song Jusheng finally decided: if no response came to this letter within three days, he would personally return to the sect to see what on earth had happened!

Meanwhile, in the capital, word that Mo Yuanjiao—the youngest son of the Mo family—had returned after a half-year absence reached many aristocratic households shortly after he arrived home.

But whatever was happening in the capital, thousands of miles away, did not affect the thriving Xiushui Village.

After a busy and lively autumn harvest, the villagers of Xiushui, as if tireless, began planting winter wheat.

The autumn wind was cool.

It swept across the vast fields of fertile land, brushing away the sweat of the hardworking farmers.

Carrying the spirit of post-harvest diligence, it blew into the private school at the foot of North Mountain.

Some students, who had been slightly distracted in their studies, were jolted back to focus by the refreshing breeze and continued listening attentively to the teacher at the front.

Today, Sun Yigao was lecturing on one of their sect’s foundational techniques.

Though he called it a sect technique, the teaching materials had been heavily modified by him.

He had removed the cultivation parts and kept only what he considered suitable for education—the core philosophical ideas.

Suddenly, he sensed a stranger lingering outside the school. He immediately extended his divine sense outward.

Yes.

Sun Yigao was now at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

Way back when Jiang Youfu had conceived the “Origin Heart Sutra: Volume of Immortal Cuisine” and achieved Foundation Establishment on the spot, Sun Yigao had soon after broken through to Foundation Establishment himself.

He was the third member of the Lingxian Sect, after Liao Pantu and Liu Chun, to reach that level.

Though he had a tight schedule because of his teaching duties, he studied diligently, squeezing out time for cultivation every day.

As a result, his cultivation hadn’t fallen behind due to teaching; on the contrary, it advanced rapidly.

His example spurred the entire Lingxian Sect’s cultivation enthusiasm.

Everyone began to emulate him, no longer limiting themselves to morning group practice.

Of course, everyone had different reasons for cultivating.

Some aimed for higher cultivation so they could cast more spells and make farming easier.

Others wanted faster travel or the ability to use more flashy spells.

And one person wanted to maintain the stable ability—to spank his son without him dodging.

Back to the main point.

When Sun Yigao’s divine sense swept outward, he saw a man in plain, unremarkable clothes, with an utterly forgettable face, standing outside the school gate, occasionally peeking inside.

Seeing nothing of note, the man lingered for a moment and then left the gate.

He then strolled about with his hands behind his back, pretending to be just another sightseer, and meandered toward the Path of Inquiring Hearts.

There were always plenty of tourists coming and going. It wasn’t unusual for someone to glance curiously at the school.