Thus, Mo Tiange discovered that the matter she had entrusted to Dao Lord Jinghe remained unresolved. Not only had her Junior Brother Bai failed to behave properly, but his advances had escalated even further.
Every day after cultivation, a Message Talisman would inevitably arrive, carrying content roughly along the lines of: "Senior Sister, today's weather is fine; let us meet." As soon as she stepped outside, that Junior Brother Bai would instantly appear before her. Eventually, even Ye Zhenji was affected by the situation; he claimed that Senior Uncle Buqi had been bowing and scraping to him in every way possible, frightening him until he fled in disarray.
Mo Tiange felt infuriated. She rushed to Dao Lord Jinghe's great hall and shouted loudly, "Master!"
Dao Lord Jinghe was startled by her sudden arrival, dropping two grapes from his hand before snapping back to reality and glaring at her: "What is the matter? Shouting and screaming like this—what kind of appearance is that!"
Mo Tiange already knew exactly what sort of character her master possessed, so she was not intimidated at all. Instead of rebuking him, she complained, "How did you handle this? That Junior Brother Bai is clinging to me even tighter now; he is driving me mad!"
Dao Lord Jinghe was taken aback: "What exactly has he done?"
"He sends a Message Talisman every day and goes over to Zhenji to show off his attentions. He's scared poor Zhenji half to death!"
"Oh..." Dao Lord Jinghe swallowed a grape, nodding thoughtfully. "This boy isn't entirely stupid after all; he actually knows how to curry favor with the people around you."
"Master!" Seeing this reaction only made Mo Tiange more angry. "On whose side are you talking?"
Dao Lord Jinghe quickly changed his tune: "I said he was too stupid, harassing the people around you and now having you so furious that there's nothing left to discuss!"
"That's not the point, is it?" Mo Tiange rubbed her forehead. Who exactly is master and who is disciple here? Why does this master of hers always drain half her life force with his unorthodox behavior?
"Then what is the main point?" Dao Lord Jinghe asked, genuinely confused.
"The point is... exactly how did you handle it?"
When it came to this, Dao Lord Jinghe had a response: "Listen here, you little girl. For your sake, I fought that old man Zhenyang. You don't feel even a shred of gratitude, and yet you speak to me like this?"
"Fought?" Mo Tiange was at a loss for words. "Master, why did you fight Senior Uncle Zhenyang?"
"Because that old Taoist looked down on you!" Dao Lord Jinghe stated with straight-backed confidence. "You are my disciple; if he looks down on you, he is looking down on me. If I don't fight him, who should I fight?"
"..." Mo Tiange felt there was no need to say anything else. She should have known sooner or later that handing matters over to this master would inevitably result in a fight! Now that the fight has been fought and face has been lost, it is no wonder people simply ignored his words!
"What kind of look are you giving me?" Dao Lord Jinghe became displeased under Mo Tiange's gaze that felt like it could kill. "How can you not understand respect for one's teacher and the Way?"
Mo Tiange ignored this remark, placed a hand over her chest to swallow her rising anger, and said calmly, "Very well, Master. Continue eating your grapes and playing the part of the superior master. I... will handle it myself!"
Turning on her heel and walking out of the great hall, she heard Dao Lord Jinghe's noisy voice trailing behind: "You child, how can you speak to your master like that? What do you mean by 'playing a part'? Don't go yet..."
Mo Tiange walked out of Shangqing Palace and sent out a Message Talisman.
She didn't want to handle it herself because she wished to remain low-key and avoid trouble. However, looking at the current situation, there was no one else to rely on but herself. Besides, offending Junior Brother Bai—what of it? At most, she would offend Senior Uncle Zhenyang. After all, her master had already turned his face against him.
Outside Shangqing Palace, she didn't have to wait long before hearing a cheerful voice: "Senior Sister Mo!"
Mo Tiange glanced over and saw that Junior Brother Bai had indeed arrived quickly.
"Junior Brother Bai," she managed a faint smile.
Bai Yanfei's eyes held the warmth of spring, his face beaming with joy. Having decided to pursue Senior Sister Mo, he had consulted several senior brothers who possessed dual cultivation partners and asked various sisters for advice. However, everyone spoke in their own way, unable to convince one another. In the end, there was only one point on which no one disagreed: a virtuous woman fears persistence (a persistent suitor). Bai Yanfei thought it over; if he wanted to try other methods, he truly wasn't very skilled at them. But this method was simple enough; he would just stick to her directly.
Thus, every day came a Message Talisman, and daily inquiries into her whereabouts. Finally, someone suggested he make a move on Senior Sister Mo's young nephew. He thought that since Senior Sister Mo had only this one blood relative, she must value him highly, so winning his favor would surely be the right approach. Sure enough, Senior Sister Mo immediately replied to his Message Talisman, agreeing to meet!
"Senior Sister Mo," Bai Yanfei's joy was evident on his face, "I have been waiting for a long time; finally, you have some free moments."
Mo Tiange looked around left and right, her expression flat: "Junior Brother Bai, I have something I wish to say to you. Please follow me."
Bai Yanfei nodded eagerly. There were many people around here; if others heard this, it would be quite awkward!
It was indeed awkward for others to hear. Although Mo Tiange had prepared herself to offend someone, she did not intend to make them lose all face, as that would only create unnecessary enemies for her.
Circling in the sky a few times, she finally spotted a mountain peak completely devoid of people and stepped down first.
"Senior Sister Mo, this is...?"
Bai Yanfei had originally thought they would find a scenic location to discuss matters seriously. He did not expect them to be on such a bare mountaintop with not even a place to sit. However, his eyes darted around; there was no one else here. Was she perhaps thinking...
Before he could finish thinking, he heard Mo Tiange's voice: "Junior Brother Bai, I think it is best for us to speak openly about this."
Snapping out of his reverie, Bai Yanfei touched his nose and obediently replied, "Senior Sister, you speak."
Mo Tiange glanced at him once, then her gaze drifted to the distance, her voice cold and indifferent: "I am well aware of your deep affection for me. However, since I embarked on the Immortal Path, I have been dedicated solely to the Way. I do not intend to entangle myself in matters of love and affection. Therefore, I can only fail you. With Junior Brother's talent, your future is undoubtedly bright; when the Great Dao is achieved, there will naturally be a beauty to pledge herself to you. Why settle for an ordinary woman like me? I ask that from now on, you do not disturb me any further. Compared to your extraordinary talent, I am mediocre. If my heart toward the Dao wavers, I fear I will accomplish nothing in life."
After finishing these words, Mo Tiange glanced at him again but saw Bai Yanfei looking utterly confused. She couldn't help but frown: "Junior Brother Bai?"
"Ah?" Bai Yanfei woke up from his daze.
"Did you hear what I just said, Junior Brother?"
Bai Yanfei scratched his head, seemingly still not understanding the implication.
"I have finished speaking; I am leaving now!"
Just as she was about to turn around and slip away, Bai Yanfei suddenly shouted from behind: "Senior Sister Mo!"
Mo Tiange sighed helplessly, stopping her steps and turning back: "Is there anything else Junior Brother Bai wishes to say?"
Bai Yanfei froze for a moment before saying, "So Senior Sister is rejecting me?"
Of course, Mo Tiange would not be so direct. She smiled and said, "It is simply that I am not worthy of Junior Brother Bai."
"But I don't mind at all!" Bai Yanfei called out. "I know Senior Sister Mo is not a peerless beauty. Her talent is average, but I think we would be quite suitable. So I won't pick and choose."
"..." Could he not hear the polite rejection in her words?
"But I mind," she thought to herself. Rejecting someone who did not like them, only for them to blithely say in a tone of granting a favor that they didn't mind being unworthy of them—Mo Tiange flared up. Her voice turned cold: "I mind it very much!"
Bai Yanfei still did not understand why she was angry, looking completely innocent: "I don't even disdain you; what else could there be to mind?"
"I..." Mo Tiange held back her anger for a moment, but eventually lost her temper. "Junior Brother Bai, even if your cultivation were the best in the world and your appearance unmatched, there would still be people who dislike you."
"I didn't ask everyone to like me..."
"So I am one of those who dislikes you." Mo Tiange interrupted him, stating her position directly. Some people give him face but still cannot understand; in that case, it is better to speak the truth.
"Ah?" With such a direct expression, Bai Yanfei finally fell silent.
Mo Tiange saw his face turning green and then pale again. Thinking it best not to cause a scene, she spoke more tactfully: "Junior Brother Bai, I am dedicated solely to the Way and truly do not wish to entangle myself in such matters of love and affection. You are very good; there will naturally be fine young ladies who like you. But I have no such thoughts. Therefore... let this matter end here."
Turning around as if to leave, another voice came from behind: "Senior Sister Mo!"
Mo Tiange felt powerless: "Does Junior Brother still have something to say?"
Bai Yanfei moved his lips slightly before finally speaking: "Is it because of Qin Shoujing? You are rejecting me because of Qin Shoujing, right?"
Mo Tiange's expression remained blank: "Who said that?"
"Dao Lord Jinghe said it! He claimed that Qin Shoujing brought you back specifically to claim you as his own!"
Mo Tiange said nothing, but her face clearly revealed her mood. "Did you misunderstand the situation?"
"Who said that?" Mo Tiange's face remained expressionless.
"Uncle Master Jinghe said that since Qin Shoujing brought you back, he intends to take you in!"
Mo Tiange did not speak, but her expression clearly revealed her mood. "Did you misunderstand those words?"
"I didn't misunderstand! It was Uncle Master Jinghe who said it," Bai Yanfei sneered coldly. "What's so good about Qin Shoujing? In what way am I inferior to him? Whether by aptitude or status, how can he compare to me? He is merely over a hundred years older than I. Give me another hundred years, and I will surely trample him underfoot!"
Mo Tiange also let out a cold laugh. "Senior Brother Bai, do you know where you are standing right now? It's fine if you act like an arrogant young master at Chaoyang Peak, but this is Qingquan Peak—it is not a place for you to throw a tantrum!"
Hearing such unkind words, Bai Yanfei froze. "Senior Sister Mo..."
Mo Tiange continued her cold laugh. "On Qingquan Peak, in front of me, speaking ill of my senior brother sharing the same room with me? Senior Brother Bai, did Uncle Master Zhenyang not teach you what politeness is?"
Bai Yanfei's face turned green with anger.
Mo Tiange stepped forward. "If you cannot understand polite words, I will speak plainly. Senior Brother Bai, do you think there is anything remarkable about you? Without Uncle Master Zhenyang, who would you be? A single spiritual root? Yes, your aptitude is excellent. But if we only judged by aptitude, why cultivate at all? We could simply rank everyone based on their talent. True, Senior Brother Shoujing is over a hundred years older than you, but even if I gave you another hundred years, would you be able to match him? Let me speak plainly again: after a hundred years, are you even certain you can form your Core?"
"I certainly can!" Bai Yanfei shouted, his face flushing red from either anger or shame. "I have a single spiritual root; even without a master, I can do it! You actually compare me to Qin Shoujing—"
"It was you who chose to compare yourself to Senior Brother Shoujing," Mo Tiange said, curling the corner of her mouth as she gazed at him. "You don't have to compare with him; then why not compare with me? I am not a 'genius with a single spiritual root,' yet I am twenty-nine and already in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. What about you? Genius Senior Brother Bai, you are only a few years younger than me, so why did you just recently form your Core?"
"That's because you had opportunities!" Bai Yanfei screamed, trembling with rage. "Do you think I don't know? You formed your Core and immediately encountered an opportunity, allowing you to advance directly to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment!"
"Yes, but opportunities are also a form of strength," Mo Tiange continued smiling. "Even if we compare the journey from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, what of it? Senior Brother Bai, you formed your Core at twenty-two, but Senior Brother Shoujing did so at twenty. Even Senior Brother Lingxi from Ling'an Peak formed his Core at seventeen! You haven't beaten them either. Moreover, let's talk about me: I formed my Core at twenty-three, and back then, I was considered a waste with five spiritual roots. At best, I was only one year slower than you. Have you truly surpassed all of us?"
Bai Yanfei had nothing to say. He saw Mo Tiange looking at him with the gaze one might give an ignorant child. "Cultivate well," she said. "If your mind is always focused on dual cultivation, then after a hundred years, you will truly deserve the title 'genius with a single spiritual root' in all the wrong ways."
"Senior Sister Mo!" Bai Yanfei chased after her again, unsure whether it was out of resentment or anger.
But this time, Mo Tiange did not stop. She swept her sleeve, and a surging wave of spiritual energy blocked his path. Bai Yanfei could only watch helplessly as she walked away in white silk slippers.
Standing there, Bai Yanfei felt both fury and humiliation. He had never imagined that Senior Sister Mo would look down on him. Yet, with a single effortless move, she had halted his progress, proving to him that he was truly inferior.
No, of course not! In a fit of rage, he unleashed a spell, blasting a large crater into the ground. He was a genius with a single spiritual root, the favorite disciple of Dao Lord Zhenyang; how could he be inferior to others? They were just lucky!
Suddenly, the bare cliff face slid open, startling Bai Yanfei back to his senses.
He turned and saw someone standing at the opened stone door, watching him with a cold gaze. "Senior Brother Bai, you are our guest at Qingquan Peak; why have you smashed a hole in my dwelling?"
Bai Yanfei stared blankly at the person before him, momentarily dazed. But once he recognized who it was, he leaped up in fury. "Qin Shoujing! It's all your doing! I'll kill you!"
Without thinking rationally, he pulled out the artifact bestowed by his master and charged forward blindly, never considering that with his cultivation level, he could not possibly defeat the other.
Qin Xi merely raised a hand, and an immediate pressure of spiritual energy enveloped him.
Bai Yanfei's breath stalled; every step became difficult. Refusing to accept defeat, he desperately mobilized his spiritual energy to resist, but this pressure was too strong. He gagged, spitting out a mouthful of blood before collapsing to the ground.
Qin Xi retracted his spiritual energy and spoke indifferently. "Senior Brother Bai, since you show such disregard for elders, do not blame me for disciplining you on behalf of Uncle Master Zhenyang!"
"You... you..." Bai Yanfei lay on the ground, unable to speak, unsure if it was from being struck or from anger. Thinking it over, sorrow welled up within him, and he began to weep loudly. Why was his fate so bitter? Just moments ago, he had been rejected, and now he was being lectured by his rival while in such a humiliating position! His face was completely lost!
His crying caught Qin Xi off guard. Even someone like him, who rarely showed emotion, could not help but feel a mix of amusement and pity. This Senior Brother Bai; he had only seen him years ago. Now the man has grown, yet his nature remains that of a child.
Who knew how long he cried before wiping his face and rising with a sobbing breath. Tears mixed with snot, along with the blood he had just spat, smeared his entire face. Gone was the elegance of a handsome young master; now he looked like a painted cat.
Just as he was about to stand up, smooth out his clothes, and fix his hair to return in glory, he saw Qin Xi again standing there. Anger flared once more. "Why are you still here?"
Qin Xi's face remained expressionless. "This is my dwelling; of course, I am here."
"You..." Thinking of the mockery he had just endured, Bai Yanfei felt shame and anger boiling to the point of death. He glared viciously at Qin Xi.
But Qin Xi ignored his glare, speaking calmly and coldly once more. "Senior Brother Bai, if there is nothing else, please return to Chaoyang Peak promptly. I will not keep you any longer."
"I..." Who would want to stay!
But before he could speak, Qin Xi turned and entered the dwelling. As the stone door closed and the illusionary array activated, the place transformed back into an ordinary, unremarkable mountain peak.
Leaving him standing alone, dazed, as the wind blew across his smeared face, the scene felt profoundly desolate.
Mo Tiange angrily broke through the barrier of Mingxin Manor. Inside, Ye Zhenji was playing with his companion Hua Ling and their pet Fire Beast, Xiaohuo. The two children saw her enter with a cold expression and immediately stood up.
"Auntie!"
"Uncle Master!"
Seeing their frightened expressions, Mo Tiange quickly forced a smile. "Oh, it's Hua Ling. What are you two playing?"
"No, no," Ye Zhenji said hurriedly. "Auntie, we aren't playing with Xiaohuo; we are playing *with* Xiaohuo!"
Hearing this, Mo Tiange truly smiled. Xiaohuo was currently a Spirit Beast equivalent to the early stage of Foundation Establishment and had a gentle temperament, making him the target of these two children's antics. They always made Xiaohuo do this or that, assuming she didn't know. Actually, how could she not know? They were behaving reasonably well, so she let them be. With Xiaohuo nearby, there was no fear of any accidents.
"All right, go play," she said, patting Ye Zhenji's head before letting the children play on their own while she entered the cultivation room.
Within the Xuantian Realm, the cool breeze still blew gently, and the daylight water remained pure.
Mo Tiange sat in the small house for a moment, trying to calm her turbulent mood. She picked up a stack of books but stared blankly at them for a while before suddenly throwing all of them aside.
The books, made of various materials, fell onto the bamboo and wooden boards with a chaotic clatter.
She breathed heavily, slumped down in defeat, and buried her face in her arms.
"Uncle Master Jinghe said that since Qin Shoujing brought you back, he intends to take you in!"
"Uncle Master Jinghe said that since Qin Shoujing brought you back, he intends to take you in!"
Bai Yanfei's words echoed in her heart, refusing to cease.
Although she had dismissed those words with such certainty and nonchalance at the time, she could not control the anger rising within her heart.
Actually, she knew these words must have been spoken by Dao Lord Jinghe. No matter what Bai Yanfei did, he would not fabricate stories like that. However, she did not know the original phrasing or the true meaning behind them. She couldn't help but speculate: Did they truly have such plans?
With the Xuantian Realm, she feared no one plotting against her... yet... she simply could not bear for that person to harbor malicious intentions.