In the afternoon, Mo Tianjun returned from school and excitedly called for them to gather their things and set out.
Mo Tiange had little to pack, merely tucking the hundred or so large coins into her robe. Xiaoshan'er, Mo Tianqiao's little maidservant, however, gathered a whole pile of items, ending up carrying a large basket. Curious, Mo Tiange lifted the lid to peek inside. It held a comb, a mirror, a fan, a water pouch, snacks, and even a folding stool!
She was astonished and asked Xiaoshan'er what all these were for. Xiaoshan'er pointed to each item one by one: the comb and mirror were for when the young lady's hair bun came loose, the fan for when she felt hot, the water pouch for when she was thirsty, the snacks for when she was hungry, and the stool for when she grew tired from walking.
Mo Tiange then asked, what if it rained? Upon hearing this, Xiaoshan'er immediately went to fetch an umbrella. Mo Tiange was left speechless.
Whether she was a young lady from a great family or not, this little maid certainly had the airs down. Tian Qiao's outing truly resembled a young lady's procession.
The three of them finally got ready and followed Tianjun out the door. Of course, Tianjun wasn't going alone; several other boys joined them on the road.
The nearest town to Mo Family Village was Flying Cloud Town, which wasn't too far—they arrived in less than half an hour.
By the time they reached the town, Tianqiao, who hadn't walked much lately, was panting heavily and indeed made use of that little stool. Xiaoshan'er was doing alright, though she was also sweating from carrying the large basket. Only Mo Tiange looked completely unfazed.
As soon as they entered the town, the boys couldn't contain themselves and ran off to play, leaving just the three girls. They waited for Tianqiao to rest enough before starting to browse the market.
Mo Tiange had been to Flying Cloud Town with Uncle Ah-Wang when she was little, but she hadn't been out since moving to the ancestral home.
Flying Cloud Town wasn't large; one could walk from east to west and back in half an hour. Today was market day, and people from villages all around would come to trade, bringing their local produce to sell and exchanging it for daily necessities.
Watching Tianqiao sit there wiping her sweat while Xiaoshan'er fanned her and offered water, looking quite busy, Mo Tiange shook her head. Seeing a stall selling meat noodles not far away, she said, "Shall we go rest over there? Let's have a bowl of meat noodles to fill our stomachs first."
Tianqiao had been excited all morning and hadn't eaten much at noon. Hearing this, she quickly nodded.
The three of them went to the little stall and ordered three bowls of meat noodles. Xiaoshan'er also got a bowl. When she learned she could sit down and eat with them, she was so happy her eyes welled up with tears.
Seeing this, Mo Tiange couldn't help but sigh. If her family hadn't left behind some modest property, she probably would have ended up much like Xiaoshan'er after her mother passed away. She had heard when her aunt was buying servants that Xiaoshan'er had originally been sold to a wealthy household in the city but was resold after committing some minor mistake. It seemed her life with her former master had been quite harsh, so she was extremely grateful for Tianqiao's kinder treatment.
The meat noodles were a local snack from the Liancheng area. Because Liancheng was full of waterways and abundant in fish, this dish had developed. Fish meat was finely minced into a paste, mixed with flour to form a dough, and then rolled into noodles. The broth was made from bone stock, with a generous amount of vinegar added, along with scallions and ginger. In this meat noodle dish, the scallions and ginger removed the fishy smell, while the vinegar added a tangy flavor that stimulated the appetite. The noodles were chewy yet smooth and fresh, a favorite among children.
Tianqiao rarely got to eat such snacks. The Mo family were, after all, farmers, and their meals weren't that refined. Aunt Lin only knew how to make ordinary dishes.
After each finishing a bowl, all three felt they could have eaten more. Tianqiao wanted to order another, but Tiange said there were many delicious things at the market, and if they filled up now, they wouldn't be able to try them. Tianqiao then refrained from ordering more.
Hearing Tiange's words, Xiaoshan'er realized that bringing so many snacks to the market was rather foolish. She had originally been a little maid in a wealthy household; such families only ever brought their own food when going out and would never eat unidentified items from roadside stalls.
Motivated by the prospect of more delicious food, Tianqiao found her energy, and the three began to slowly stroll through the market.
"Young Lady, look at this!" Xiaoshan'er pointed at the lifelike sugar figurines and exclaimed.
Mo Tianqiao hurried over and indeed saw a stall selling sugar figurines, along with various animals like cats and dogs. Tianqiao was immediately captivated. Occasionally, artisans carrying their loads would pass through the village, but that was rare, and they hadn't seen them many times.
So the three of them chattered away, discussing which ones were pretty and which ones to buy.
Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Mo Tiange sharply turned her head. Not far away, a person was looking at her. Seeing her turn, the person smiled slightly, nodded, but didn't avert their gaze, as if waiting for her to approach.
After hesitating for a moment, Mo Tiange tugged on Tianqiao's sleeve and said, "Tianqiao, I'm going to step away for a bit. I'll be right back."
"Huh? Where are you going?"
"It's nothing. You keep looking here slowly. Wait for me a moment."
"Oh..." Tianqiao watched her walk away, bewildered.
Seeing her approach, the person turned and walked ahead at a leisurely pace, not stopping until they passed an intersection and entered an alley.
The person turned around. It was a young man with ordinary features, who now gave her a friendly smile, raised his hands in a cupped fist salute, and said, "I am Li Yushan. May I ask the esteemed young Fellow Daoist's honorable name?"
Mo Tiange quickly bowed slightly in a curtsy, using the etiquette for meeting outsiders, and replied, "This humble girl's surname is Mo."
So, when she had turned her head earlier, she saw this person standing there, and he actually had Spiritual Qi emanating from him, clearly also a cultivator. Ever since obtaining the cultivation manual, for various reasons, she hadn't told anyone, especially after her mother passed away. In this unfamiliar home, cultivating successfully to find her father was her deepest secret. For these three years, she had cultivated silently alone. Suddenly seeing someone else who also had Spiritual Qi, she couldn't help but follow.
This young man named Li Yushan didn't look down on her because of her age. He said, "So it's Fellow Daoist Mo. In this mortal world, for us to meet is also fate. I am a Loose Cultivator. May I ask where your esteemed master is from? Why are you also lingering in the secular world?"
"I... what is a Loose Cultivator?" She seemed to have heard this term before.
Li Yushan was taken aback, finding it unbelievable. "Fellow Daoist, do you mean you have no sect or senior?"
Hearing his question, Mo Tiange thought of the common knowledge about the cultivation world. Both her ancestor and the Azure Lotus Recluse had said human hearts were hard to fathom, so she didn't deny it. "Sir, you may not know, but my father is also a cultivator. He left home to seek Opportunities when I was very young, only occasionally sending letters. He has never returned home, so I've been cultivating alone."
"Oh?" Hearing this, Li Yushan believed her. In the secular world, cultivators often had incomplete manuals and found pills hard to come by, so many roamed about seeking Opportunities, like himself.
"So that's how it is. A Loose Cultivator is a cultivator without a sect or family. Since Fellow Daoist Mo has her father's guidance, that's much better than someone like me, struggling alone to seek Immortal Fate. I see Fellow Daoist is so young yet already at the Qi Refining Stage Level 2. In the future, you might even be able to enter a cultivation sect. Truly enviable."
The expression on Li Yushan's face was indeed one of envy. He himself only had cultivation at the Qi Refining Stage Level 3. He had unintentionally obtained Immortal Fate as a child and had struggled to cultivate for over ten years to reach his current level. Someone like him was considered lucky. Today, suddenly encountering a little girl who was already at Level 2, how could he not be envious?
How could he know that the reason Mo Tiange had her current cultivation was because she possessed a superior cultivation manual and also had a Spirit Pearl that gathered spiritual energy on her person? With these two advantages, she was indeed somewhat better off than Loose Cultivators like him who were fumbling in the dark, but only somewhat. Due to the limitations of her Spirit Root, reaching the mid-stage of Qi Refining would also be very difficult for her to advance further.
Then, Li Yushan spoke again, "In the secular world, it's rare for us to meet fellow practitioners. Fellow Daoist Mo, since we are fated to meet, why don't we arrange a time to exchange insights on the Dao of cultivation?"