If it really was that woman, of course she wouldn't be reasonable.
Mo Tiange looked up and saw that Dao Lord Jinghe, who had been smiling just moments before, now wore an indifferent expression as he said, "Let her in."
"Ancestral Master..." Weiyu was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered, replying, "Yes."
Logically, Mo Tiange should have excused herself at this point, but she really wanted to watch the show, so she shamelessly ignored Dao Lord Jinghe's gaze and stayed.
He glared at her, but she didn't react, so Dao Lord Jinghe simply stopped paying her any mind.
Shortly after Weiyu left, the woman rushed in through the doorway. Upon seeing Dao Lord Jinghe, her eyes immediately reddened, and she ran toward him with a tearful voice, "Ancestral Master!"
She ran up to Dao Lord Jinghe, dropped to her knees with a thud, grabbed the hem of his robe, and looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, "Ancestral Master, I..."
Mo Tiange saw that Dao Lord Jinghe's expression was initially cold, but as this woman knelt before him, weeping pitifully, his expression gradually softened. Finally, he sighed helplessly and gently helped her up, "Mingzhu, after all these years, have you realized your mistakes?"
The woman wiped her tears while sobbing, "Ancestral Master, I know I was wrong... I missed you so much out there, I regret it so much..."
"It would be good if you truly understood your mistakes," Dao Lord Jinghe said sternly, letting her sit beside him. "Tell me, what exactly did you do wrong?"
"I..." The woman wiped away her tears. "I shouldn't have lost my temper recklessly, I shouldn't have attacked my fellow disciples..."
"And what else?"
She bit her lip. "I shouldn't have prevented others from approaching Senior Brother, and I shouldn't have harbored delusional thoughts... Ancestral Master, I truly know I was wrong. Please don't make me stay alone outside anymore, okay?"
Senior Brother? Mo Tiange raised an eyebrow. Fengxue's account of the incident shouldn't be wrong. Regardless of cultivation level or seniority, shouldn't she be calling him 'Uncle-Master'?
Dao Lord Jinghe's expression softened, and he spoke earnestly, "We who cultivate the Dao should understand the principle that the mind follows intent, and intent maintains clarity and tranquility. It's not that one shouldn't harbor affection, nor that one must abandon thoughts of love, but one must not become obsessed, must not fall into demonic obsession. Do you understand this?"
The woman lowered her head, nodding while tears continued to fall.
Dao Lord Jinghe originally intended to say more, but seeing her like this, he ultimately shook his head and said, "Since disciples are being summoned this time, your return isn't considered leaving without permission. Go back to your Zhili Study for now; it's just as you left it."
Mo Tiange saw the face still streaked with tears suddenly fill with wild joy, though it was somewhat restrained when she looked up. "Ancestral Master, you still treat me so well..."
Dao Lord Jinghe reached out and patted her head, his face showing both nostalgia and sorrow. "You're a child I watched grow up... Alright, go rest. After this matter is settled, return to the Yungang Villa."
The woman was taken aback. "Ancestral Master, I still have to go back..."
Dao Lord Jinghe smiled faintly, his face devoid of any extra expression. "Go rest. You must be tired from traveling such a long distance. We can talk more later."
The woman's expression shifted several times. She opened her mouth as if to speak but ultimately held back, rising to give a bow. "Ancestral Master, I'll take my leave then."
Dao Lord Jinghe nodded and closed his eyes, assuming a meditative posture.
The woman had no choice. Gritting her teeth, she could only leave.
Seeing the other party pass by her, flashing a momentary expression of both disdain and jealousy, Mo Tiange picked up the teacup from the table, her face expressionless as she lowered her head to take a sip.
Only after the footsteps faded away and the hall became quiet once more did Dao Lord Jinghe open his eyes, gazing in the direction the woman had disappeared with a look full of sorrow.
This was the first time Mo Tiange had seen her usually irreverent master show such a sorrowful expression. For a moment, she felt a pang of jealousy toward the departed woman. Although her master never put on airs in front of her and allowed her informality, he had never looked at her with such a gaze—a gaze that looked upon a cherished child.
She knew that no matter how well her master treated her, in his heart, she probably couldn't compare to that woman.
Realizing what she was thinking, Mo Tiange smiled self-deprecatingly. Just a couple of days ago, she felt jealous over Zhenji, and today she was jealous over her master. What was wrong with her? Not to mention she shouldn't be obsessed with such things, what right did she have to expect Zhenji and her master to value her more? Over these past twenty-plus years, she hadn't been the one teaching Zhenji, nor had she been raised by her master since childhood.
"Tiange." Dao Lord Jinghe suddenly spoke.
Mo Tiange was startled for a moment before looking up. "Master."
"Do you know who she is?"
Mo Tiange slightly furrowed her brow. "I think she must be Senior Brother Qingyuan's daughter."
"Correct." Dao Lord Jinghe wasn't at all surprised she had guessed. Leaning back in his dragon throne, his gaze fell into the void. "That was over a hundred years ago. At that time, I had just advanced to the mid-Nascent Soul stage not long before and was single-mindedly determined to progress further on the immortal path, often going out to seek opportunities. Because of this, my disciples often had to set aside their own cultivation to run errands for me. Although Qingyuan was my disciple, his aptitude wasn't particularly good. Back then, I saw that despite his ordinary aptitude, he cultivated diligently, so out of pity, I took him as my disciple. This child was sincere at heart, always believing that his ability to form his Core was due to my care, so he revered me the most and always served me with utmost dedication."
"...Once, Qingyuan went out and accidentally came across a ten-thousand-year-old Iron Pear Tree. Knowing I wanted Iron Pear Fruit, he went to pick it. Who would have thought that an Eighth Rank Demon Beast was guarding that Iron Pear Tree..." At this point, Dao Lord Jinghe closed his eyes. "I saw his Life Lamp extinguish. I searched all the way there only to find that not even his bones remained."
Mo Tiange was stunned. An Eighth Rank Demon Beast was equivalent to the early Nascent Soul stage. This senior brother was only at the Core Formation stage; how could he possibly fight it? No wonder her master was so tolerant of that arrogant grand-disciple. So her father had died for her master.
"Master..." she said softly. "You're telling me this because..."
Dao Lord Jinghe revealed a bitter smile. "What kind of personality Mingzhu has, don't I know? She lost her father from a young age because of me, and I failed to raise her properly. When you think about it, I truly owe her. After taking her in, I spoiled her too much, fostering her arrogant personality. Even though I knew she was wrong, I always couldn't bear to discipline her, until she seriously injured a fellow disciple..."
Mo Tiange had heard about this incident from Luo Fengxue. Wei Jiasi was the one seriously injured by this person, and the reason was simply that Wei Jiasi had been assigned to serve Senior Brother Shoujing.
"The child she injured was Xuanyin's disciple, also my grand-disciple. No matter how much I doted on Mingzhu, I couldn't be too biased. I had no choice but to punish Mingzhu severely and resolve to discipline her strictly. But this child had already been spoiled rotten by me and couldn't be corrected no matter what. She even became worse, completely unaware of repentance... I was deeply disappointed and, in a fit of anger, ordered her to a villa ten thousand miles away, forbidding her to return to the mountain without a summons!"
Mo Tiange listened silently for a while before asking, "Master, do you want me to give way to her?"
Dao Lord Jinghe looked at her and sighed. "You're clever. You must have understood my intention just now. Counting on my fingers, it's been sixty years since I sent her to the villa. That child should have suffered some hardships by now, but from her current appearance, is there any sign of repentance? In sixty years, the gatekeepers, my attendants—all have been replaced with new people. Who would recognize her? Yet when she returned, instead of having someone announce her, she just made a fuss..."
Mo Tiange carefully calculated in her heart. This woman, her nominal grand-disciple, was probably around a hundred and sixty or seventy years old now? Such behavior was indeed too unreasonable. Just now, although her master had treated her gently, his attitude carried a sense of distance. Moreover, her fellow disciple and uncle-master was right there, yet her master hadn't made her pay her respects, clearly not intending to let her return at all.
Thinking of this, Mo Tiange felt her jealousy was quite unfounded.
"I understand. She'll only stay for a while. Even if she does something excessive, I'll simply ignore it."
"Mm." Dao Lord Jinghe felt somewhat relieved. "She was raised by me personally. Even your Senior Brother Shoujing can't compare to her in that regard. Seeing her return like this, how could my heart not ache? I originally thought that after sixty years, if she realized her mistakes, I'd let her come back. But she missed this opportunity herself. Her attitude remains arrogant, her cultivation hasn't improved in the slightest, and she's even learned to deceive me! For her father's sake, I won't shortchange her on pills or magic treasures, but as for Taikang Mountain—she can forget about returning here ever again!"
Seeing the usually smiling, irreverent face of her master now show a cold expression, Mo Tiange knew he was truly angry. That woman was truly foolish. Putting on a tearful act in front of her master, yet not knowing how to conceal the look in her eyes—how could a dignified Nascent Soul cultivator be so easily deceived? Such self-righteous foolishness was even more terrifying than simple stupidity.
"Master, don't be too sad. This matter... truly isn't your fault. She grew up with Senior Brother Shoujing, yet isn't Senior Brother Shoujing perfectly fine? Whether it's the path of immortal cultivation or the path of life, one must walk it oneself. If one doesn't strive to improve, what else can be done?"
Dao Lord Jinghe shook his head. How could he not know this was meant to comfort him? "Teaching according to aptitude—this is something I, as a master, didn't understand about raising a child. I always thought since she was a girl, it was fine to spoil her a little, which led her to make mistake after mistake. Enough, enough. I've given her so many chances, yet she shows not a shred of repentance and has instead learned to play tricks. If that's the case, then let her spend her life in the villa. When she truly reforms, then she can return."
Although he said this, Mo Tiange knew Dao Lord Jinghe had given up on her. Regarding that woman, she didn't know whether to feel jealousy or sympathy. Her master had said so much, hoping she would give way, clearly still caring for her deeply in his heart. Yet the underlying meaning was that he would let her spend the rest of her life in the villa, not even bothering to point out her mistakes anymore.
No matter how beloved a child is, if they repeatedly refuse to repent, the heart that dotes on them will eventually grow cold. He had been heartless enough to send her to the villa to reflect, not seeing her for sixty years, originally hoping she would improve somewhat. Yet the result was still the same—how could he not be disappointed? Mo Tiange asked herself: if it were her, she probably would have long since refused to see the person again, let alone treat her as gently as her master had.
Her master, usually so informal, was so sorrowful because of her, showing how much he had doted on her in the past. Yet she didn't know how to cherish her good fortune. This woman truly wasn't the least bit pitiable.