Mo Tiange hesitated for a long time, but in the end, she did not refuse.
On the path of cultivation, she was too lonely. That home—if she could, she wouldn't want to stay there for a single day. So, she had kept it a secret from everyone, silently cultivating, hoping that one day, when she had achieved something in her cultivation, she could leave to find her father.
For these three years, there had been no one she could discuss these matters with. Even Tian Qiao... Tian Qiao's life was completely different from hers. Tian Qiao had both parents, was doted upon, and her future lay in a good marriage and a happy life. Since their paths were different, what use was there in telling her these things?
Therefore, the better Tian Qiao treated her, the more guilty Mo Tiange felt. Because in Tian Qiao's heart, they were sisters, the best of friends. But Mo Tiange knew clearly that Tian Qiao was just a passerby in her life, and one day they would inevitably go their separate ways.
Apart from that dream three years ago, she had only learned about the cultivation world from books. Her heart was filled with curiosity. Now that a cultivator had appeared before her, she couldn't resist the temptation to learn about that world.
Upon learning that Mo Tiange lived nearby, Li Yushan said he would stay in the town for a while and that she could come find him at the inn if she had time.
After they bid farewell and went their separate ways, Mo Tiange had no more interest in wandering around. Distractedly, she accompanied Tian Qiao until the sun began to set in the west. Then Mo Tianjun came looking for them, and the group of seven or eight people returned home together.
Back at the ancestral residence, Tian Qiao excitedly went to play with the things she had bought at the market, while Mo Tiange returned to her small room and pulled out the book she had copied from the ancestral hall's library.
In the book, Layman Qinglian also said that he had accidentally encountered a cultivator in the mortal world and only then learned of the existence of the cultivation world. Loose cultivators in the mortal world rarely encountered other cultivators. If they were fortunate enough to meet one, they would often arrange to discuss the Dao together, hoping to exchange insights that would benefit their own cultivation.
The prospect of being able to discuss the Dao of cultivation with someone else held immense appeal for Mo Tiange. For these three years, she had been groping her way alone. Even though the Old Master could explain the literal meaning of the texts, he couldn't answer the difficulties in cultivation. She had been cultivating by stumbling along.
However, she planned to first learn that Wind-Breath Technique before going to find that Li Yushan. Because both her ancestor and Layman Qinglian had said that the human heart is inscrutable, and one must be especially careful when interacting with other cultivators. By learning the Wind-Breath Technique, she would have something to rely on.
With this thought, she immediately put it into action.
To learn the Wind-Breath Technique, one first needed flexible control over Spiritual Qi. To better use the Liuli Bead, Mo Tiange had been practicing controlling Spiritual Qi for these three years, so this point wasn't a problem.
Thus, she began controlling the Spiritual Qi to circulate as required, over and over again. She practiced this for two whole days. Only after she was sure she could skillfully make the Spiritual Qi circulate within her body as required did Mo Tiange begin practicing the Wind-Breath Technique.
Perhaps due to that ancestor's annotations, these minor spells all had detailed explanations. When first practicing spells, it was best to get accustomed to the Spiritual Qi circulation before trying to release it from the body; otherwise, one could easily injure oneself.
Mo Tiange dared not make any commotion that might alarm others. So, she could only slowly become proficient in the Spiritual Qi circulation first, ensuring there were no more mistakes, before carefully practicing.
At first, she simply couldn't generate any wind. She buried herself in practice for several days, but the hand seals and Oral Formula never quite aligned, only producing a tiny wisp of wind that couldn't even lift a piece of paper—far from the 'formless wind blades that can injure' described in the technique manual.
Mo Tiange was quite disheartened. Her intelligence had always been praised. She could speak by her first birthday, read characters by age three, and once she started school, her studies were always better than others'. Yet, when it came to learning spells, that intelligence seemed to vanish. But there was no shortcut. She had no choice but to bury herself in arduous practice.
After another three days of practice, the coordination between the Oral Formula and hand seals gradually became proficient, allowing for free control. Mo Tiange was overjoyed and persisted in her practice. Gradually, she could finally control the wind into blades. Excitedly, she condensed a wind blade in her palm and swung her hand. The paper in her hand tore with a crisp sound, the clean, even cut showing the clean efficiency of this blade.
A smile appeared on Mo Tiange's face. Although she had been cultivating for several years now, this was the first time she possessed power—power that could injure others, and power that could protect herself.
She swung in the opposite direction. The table remained motionless, but a corner of it rolled off.
Yet, in the next moment, the smile on her face turned into a bitter one. Her hands went slack, and a look of exhaustion appeared on her face.
She hadn't expected this spell to consume Spiritual Qi so heavily. She had only used it twice, and her Spiritual Qi was already depleted. In the Spiritual Qi-sparse mortal world, recovering Spiritual Qi wasn't easy either.
Thinking this, she suddenly remembered that in the cultivation world, there were actually two other methods to quickly recover Spiritual Qi. One was using Spirit Stones. So-called Spirit Stones were said to be stones filled with Spiritual Qi, essentially storage tools for Spiritual Qi. The other was taking pills. However, even in the cultivation world, pills weren't easy to come by, let alone for her now in the mortal world.
Speaking of which, she had never even seen Spirit Stones or pills. The only things she possessed related to the cultivation world were a cultivation method imprinted in her mind and a string of Liuli Beads that could gather Spiritual Qi.
Thinking of this, she became even more interested in meeting that Li Yushan. For this purpose, she practiced for two more days until she could skillfully use the Wind-Breath Technique, then secretly slipped out.
Li Yushan was indeed at the town inn. As soon as she walked in, before she could even ask the waiter, she saw Li Yushan coming down the stairs. Cupping his hands towards her, he said, "Young lady, you've finally come." Then he instructed the waiter, "Bring a few side dishes to my room."
The waiter, though curious, didn't dare ask more and went to do as told.
Mo Tiange was still young, so naturally she wasn't afraid of anything improper. She simply followed him inside. Besides, Feiyun Town was just a small town with mostly farmers, not so many rules.
Once the side dishes were brought up and the waiter had withdrawn, Mo Tiange was about to speak: "Young Master Li..."
Li Yushan interrupted her: "Fellow Daoist Mo, I suppose you haven't interacted with other cultivators before. We cultivators address each other as Fellow Daoist."
Mo Tiange thought it made sense and changed her address: "Fellow Daoist Li."
Li Yushan showed a smile, then began talking about cultivation matters.
Their cultivation levels were similar, so Mo Tiange could understand everything he said. Some things, though Mo Tiange couldn't articulate them, when Li Yushan mentioned them, they matched up. At first, Li Yushan did most of the talking, but gradually Mo Tiange could also contribute a few sentences.
Li Yushan was very enthusiastic towards her, not looking down on her at all because of her young age. Mo Tiange didn't understand why at first, but slowly she grasped his meaning. It seemed her story about her father also being a cultivator had made Li Yushan more eager to please. He thought that for someone so young to have such cultivation, it must be due to guidance from elders. So, he very humbly sought her advice, hoping for some secret.
Mo Tiange had no secrets to begin with, though it was true her cultivation method was detailed. If Li Yushan asked about something she knew, she answered one by one. Some things did indeed resolve his confusions, making him even more enthusiastic towards her.