Upon hearing that Mo Tiange was leaving the fishing village, Xiaobao was very reluctant to see her go. Outsiders rarely came to the fishing village, and besides, Mo Tiange had given him such delicious things—he had never tasted fruit so sweet before.
The Shui family couple, of course, would not indulge their child's whims. They hurriedly tried to soothe him. In the end, Mo Tiange gave Xiaobao a few useless, poorly refined pills as candy, which finally placated him.
"Alright," Mo Tiange said, sweeping her gaze over the four members of the Shui family before her. "Now tell me, which direction do I take to get to Linhai City?"
Hearing her question, Shui San quickly replied, "Immortal, just head straight north. It's about half a day's journey, and you'll reach Linhai City."
Half a day's journey for mortals would only take about the time to drink a cup of tea for a Foundation Establishment cultivator like her. Mo Tiange nodded. "Thank you."
Just as she was about to set off, Shui San hurriedly called out, "Immortal, Immortal, please wait a moment."
Mo Tiange paused and turned slightly. "What is it?"
Although her attitude was mild, she was, after all, a cultivator, and she naturally carried an imposing aura when facing mortals. Shui San unconsciously became timid. Only after his wife, Shui Sansao, nudged him in the back did he muster his courage. "This lowly one has a request. I beg the Immortal to grant it!"
"Oh? What is it? Speak."
Seeing that Mo Tiange did not refuse outright, Shui San was delighted. He turned to look at Anan and said, "Immortal, my daughter Anan also has Spirit Roots. But the Immortals of the Bixuan Pavilion said Anan's Spirit Roots are somewhat poor, so she can only enter the sect when a spot becomes available. Our Shui family was fortunate to have a child with Spirit Roots, and I am anxious. I was thinking if my Anan could..."
His words were long-winded and rambling. Shui Sansao, seeing Mo Tiange frown slightly, nudged her husband again and took over with a smile. "Immortal, my husband isn't clear. This humble woman will speak plainly. My Anan says that if she learns an Immortal Method, she'll be chosen first next time they select disciples. You can buy Immortal Methods in the city, but buying them requires... what are they called... spirit stones. How would our family have such things? We've helped the Immortal with a few things these past few days, and you've given us so much gold. We really shouldn't make an excessive request, but..."
"You want an Immortal Method, is that it?" Mo Tiange interrupted her.
The woman nodded repeatedly and added, "Immortal, we won't take your gold. Just give us an Immortal Method. If that's not enough, Immortal, whatever you fancy, you can take..."
What could these humble mortal fishermen possibly have that she would want?
Seeing Anan staring at her nervously from the side, Mo Tiange raised a hand to stop the woman's lengthy speech. "Enough, I understand."
She retrieved several jade slips from her Qiankun Bag. After a moment's thought, remembering that Anan was still a mortal and couldn't use divine sense yet, she put the jade slips back and took out a book instead.
"Gold is useless to me. Since Anan and I have some fate, I'll give you this cultivation manual."
Anan took the thin book, her face flushed with excitement. The Shui couple even pulled her down to kowtow. "Thank you, Immortal! Thank you, Immortal!"
Mo Tiange waved her hand dismissively and said no more. With a flick of her sleeve, she rose into the air, riding the wind.
Below, the Shui family of four, along with all the villagers of this nameless little fishing village, were captivated by the sight.
Mo Tiange saw the hopeful and envious eyes of Anan, who had looked up.
She gave a slight smile, then transformed into a streak of light and vanished into the horizon.
A basic introductory cultivation manual was merely a trivial effort for her, but for this little girl yearning to tread the Immortal Path, it was an immense difficulty. Mo Tiange didn't mind doing a good deed occasionally. One could even say that, because she herself came from a mortal background, she was kinder to mortals than to cultivators. However, whether she could truly embark on the Immortal Path would depend on the girl herself.
Shaking her head, she pushed these thoughts aside and focused on her journey.
Linhai City was not far. After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Mo Tiange could already see the city walls in the distance.
To her surprise, she had originally thought that in such a remote place, Linhai City would be just a small town. She hadn't expected the city walls to be built so grandly and imposingly, no worse than some medium-sized cities in the Central Lands.
What surprised her even more was that as soon as she approached Linhai City, her Cloud-Treading Boots seemed to lose control slightly, as if... a Flight Restriction had been set up within the city.
After a moment's thought, Mo Tiange landed outside the city and proceeded towards Linhai City on foot.
It was noon. The city gate was sparsely populated, with only a few people coming and going. Even the gate guard was just a single soldier, leaning against the wall by the gate, dozing off and paying no attention to those entering.
Mo Tiange found it strange. Didn't Linhai City have no state? Why was there a soldier?
But stranger things were yet to come. Just as she was about to enter the city, the dozing soldier glanced over blearily and immediately woke up. He rubbed his eyes, ran over, and stopped her. Then, the soldier bowed respectfully to her and said, "Immortal, please hold."
Mo Tiange raised an eyebrow. "How do you know I'm a cultivator?"
Hearing her question, the soldier looked even more surprised and blurted out, "Isn't the Immortal one of our Linhai's Immortals?"
Mo Tiange frowned slightly and didn't answer, her suspicions growing.
Seeing her displeased expression, the soldier hurriedly said, "Immortal, please don't be angry. All our Linhai Immortals know that we can distinguish between mortals and Immortals. This lowly one saw that the Immortal seemed unaware, so I guessed the Immortal isn't from Linhai."
"I see," Mo Tiange nodded. "I am indeed a cultivator from elsewhere who arrived here unintentionally. Why did you stop me? Does Linhai City not allow outsiders to enter?"
Hearing this, the soldier waved his hands repeatedly. "The Immortal misunderstands! Nothing of the sort. Our Linhai City is supported by all the various Immortal Masters and Immortals. How could we possibly forbid the Immortal from entering?"
"Then why—"
The soldier explained, "Loose Cultivators entering our Linhai City need to register their names. So, I must ask the Immortal to leave your name."
"Oh?" Mo Tiange felt somewhat displeased. The rules of Linhai City were truly excessive. She had been to many places, and none dared impose such rules on cultivators. One must know that cultivators disliked restraint the most. Having to leave a name just to enter a city was truly off-putting.
Seeing Mo Tiange's expression, the soldier added an explanation. "Immortal, this rule was set by the Immortals of the Bixuan Pavilion. This lowly one is just a mortal, following orders..."
"So, if I don't leave a name, I can't enter the city?" Mo Tiange swept a cold glance at him.
Though she wasn't tall, the soldier felt himself shrink under the unconscious aura emanating from the cultivator. But he still insisted, "Apologies, Immortal. The rule is just so..."
Mo Tiange was now certain that the Flight Restriction in the sky above Linhai City was also likely set by the Bixuan Pavilion. It seemed the Bixuan Pavilion held extraordinary power in this sea area. Not only did they control a city, but they also imposed such restrictions on nearby Loose Cultivators.
After a moment's thought, Mo Tiange said with a cold expression, "Where do you want it recorded?"
The soldier had been afraid of angering an Immortal. Although he worked for the Bixuan Pavilion, no Immortal was someone a mortal like him could afford to offend. Hearing her words, he was delighted. He retrieved a register from the side and offered it. "Immortal, please record it here."
The thick register was opened. Mo Tiange saw many names recorded inside, with clear notes of when they entered and when they left.
Without pausing, she took the brush the soldier offered and wrote three characters in a blank space: Ye Xiaotian.
Tossing the brush back, she said, "Is this sufficient?"
The soldier nodded repeatedly. "Sufficient, sufficient! Immortal, please enter."
Mo Tiange said no more and stepped into the city.
After she entered, the soldier diligently recorded behind her name: Ye Xiaotian, female, cultivation unknown, entered the city at noon on the twentieth day of the eighth month.
Mo Tiange felt quite displeased. Her impression of the Bixuan Pavilion, already poor due to the three female disciples she encountered in the Ziwei Cave Mansion, had now worsened further. Although this area only had the Bixuan Pavilion as a sect, imposing such restrictions on other cultivators was simply too overbearing!
In Kunwu, let alone a minor sect like the Bixuan Pavilion, even top-tier major sects like the Tiandao Sect or the Xuanqing Sect never demanded name registration from visitors in the towns at their foot. Even in some private towns, at most they would ask about one's origins and issue an identity token. They would never so casually have a mortal record the comings and goings of cultivators.
However, the fact that the Bixuan Pavilion dared to act this way precisely indicated their formidable power. If this were Kunwu, she could simply choose not to enter the city. But here, this was the only major city. Not wanting to clash with the Bixuan Pavilion, she had no choice but to register.
Having made this choice reluctantly, Mo Tiange entered the city. After all, her name was fake. Ye Xiaotian had no reputation to speak of, so it didn't matter if it was known.
However, this incident gave her a thought. If the Bixuan Pavilion was this overbearing, what if she asked them for passage and they cut off her retreat? She was currently alone. No matter how weak the Bixuan Pavilion might be, they surely had a few Core Formation cultivators.
In that case, it would be better to gather some information and ask others about the Bixuan Pavilion's exact situation in the East Sea.
Having decided, Mo Tiange observed the state of Linhai City.
If she hadn't known beforehand, she would never have guessed that Linhai City was located in such a remote place on the shores of the East Sea. The wide streets and dense buildings were completely comparable to those in the Central Lands.
However, the residents here were somewhat different. For instance, most were dressed as fishermen. Even the customers sitting in the taverns on the street wore very plain clothing. Presumably, the local products weren't very abundant, so there was no splendid brocade.
After some thought, Mo Tiange turned into a bustling tavern and walked directly up to the proprietor.
Just as she was about to speak, the proprietor looked up and immediately showed a respectful expression. "This Immortal, please come in, please come in."
Mo Tiange was somewhat puzzled. The gate guard was one thing; since he was assigned to guard the gate, he must know how to distinguish between mortals and cultivators. But why did this ordinary tavern proprietor also recognize her at a glance?
"Proprietor," Mo Tiange didn't move. "How did you recognize I'm a cultivator?"
The tavern proprietor looked surprised. "Isn't the Immortal a local?"
"Hmm?"
The portly proprietor rubbed his hands together and explained with a smile, "Our Linhai Immortals all live among us mortals. Over time, we can tell at a glance. The Immortal carries herself with composure, ethereal and immortal-like. You must undoubtedly be an Immortal!"
"Oh, I see," Mo Tiange nodded. "I am indeed not a local."
"Ah! Immortals from elsewhere are very rare! Today, whatever the Immortal wants to eat or drink, it's all on the house!"
Mo Tiange shook her head gently. "I'm not here to eat or drink. I just wanted to ask the proprietor for some information."