At this moment, Shui Linbo finally opened her eyes.
Her first glance was at Ye Zhenji, and she said softly, "Why are you here again? Shouldn't you be cultivating?" There was a hint of reproach in her tone, reminding Mo Tiange of how she herself used to often urge Ye Zhenji to cultivate, causing the corner of her mouth to lift in a smile.
Ye Zhenji stepped forward, sat down beside her, and said gently, "Linbo, my aunt and master have finally returned safely. Come, you should meet them too."
Shui Linbo seemed to only then notice there were others in the room.
Even though Mo Tiange and Qin Xi had restrained their auras, they were still a Core Formation cultivator and a Nascent Soul cultivator. The fact that she hadn't sensed them at all indicated her divine sense must have also suffered severe injuries, leaving her this dull.
She looked up curiously, first sweeping a glance over Qin Xi, then her gaze settled firmly on Mo Tiange's face and didn't move.
This actually amused Mo Tiange. Usually, any woman, whether mortal or cultivator, upon seeing the two of them, would inevitably have their gaze linger on Qin Xi's face. She hadn't expected this person to merely glance at him and instead fix her eyes on her own face. She speculated inwardly: either this woman possessed an extremely tranquil state of mind, where distinctions of beauty and ugliness no longer mattered in her eyes, or she was profoundly cunning to behave this way.
But the next moment, Shui Linbo's reaction overturned her speculation.
A faint blush rose on her withered, bloodless face. Shui Linbo's expression gradually grew agitated. She even forgot propriety and called out to Mo Tiange, "Immortal, are you an immortal?"
These words left not only Mo Tiange and Qin Xi stunned, but even Ye Zhenji was taken aback. He asked her strangely, "What immortal? What are you saying, Linbo?"
Shui Linbo looked at Mo Tiange with hopeful eyes and said, "Fifty-eight years ago, on the shores of the East Sea, the little girl from the Shui family. Does the immortal still remember?"
Mo Tiange was startled. Gradually, the image of that sallow, thin little girl with hopeful eyes surfaced in her mind. Fifty-eight years ago, on the shores of the East Sea, she had given an ordinary cultivation manual to a little girl, setting her on the path of immortality.
"It's actually you—"
"You really are the immortal!" Shui Linbo wept for joy, then struggled to sit up and kneel. "Shui Linbo thanks the immortal for the kindness of bestowing the manual that year. If not for the immortal, there would be no Shui Linbo today."
"Please rise first." Mo Tiange lightly raised her hand, and an invisible wave of spiritual qi pushed Shui Linbo back onto the bed.
Ye Zhenji finally reacted, looking incredulously at Shui Linbo, then at Mo Tiange. "Linbo, my aunt is the immortal who gave you the cultivation manual?!"
Shui Linbo nodded, overjoyed. "So the immortal is your aunt? No wonder I always felt the attire of the Xuanqing Sect looked very similar to what the immortal wore..." Back then, she had only been eight years old. Many things were remembered vaguely. She only roughly remembered Mo Tiange's appearance. If Mo Tiange's appearance hadn't remained unchanged all these years, and her clothing and style were still the same as back then, she probably wouldn't have recognized her.
Mo Tiange had originally considered that this female cultivator came from the East Sea and might have some connection to her, but she hadn't expected the connection to be this deep. She also felt a sense of wonder. Back then, it was just a casual act. Who would have known it would create this Foundation Establishment female cultivator today, who also had a deep relationship with Zhenji? It truly showed that sometimes reality was stranger than fiction.
This minor incident from back then, she had never mentioned it, and Qin Xi didn't know about it either. Seeing their expressions, he asked Mo Tiange, "What? An old acquaintance of yours?"
Mo Tiange nodded with a smile. "I didn't expect such a coincidence either. Back then, I was traveling on my master's orders and reached the shores of the East Sea. This child possessed spiritual roots. Her parents begged me, so I casually gave her a cultivation manual. I truly didn't expect her to cultivate to this level today."
"So that's how it is," Qin Xi nodded.
Seeing Shui Linbo's gaze fall on Qin Xi, unsure how to address him, Ye Zhenji introduced from the side, "Linbo, this is my master, Perfected One Shoujing—oh, no. Master has already advanced to the Nascent Soul stage. He is now Dao Lord Shoujing."
Shui Linbo was startled and immediately grew nervous. She had long known Ye Zhenji's status was extraordinary, that his aunt and master were both Core Formation cultivators and elders of a major sect like the Xuanqing Sect. But she hadn't expected Qin Xi to advance to Nascent Soul so quickly.
She had originally been just an ordinary loose cultivator, rarely even seeing Core Formation cultivators. It was only after returning with Ye Zhenji that she had seen Nascent Soul cultivators. Now, hearing that the person standing before her was a Nascent Soul cultivator, she was momentarily so nervous she didn't even know how to perform the proper greeting.
Finally, Qin Xi smiled and said, "There's no need to be nervous. Since you are Zhenji's..." He paused. Some things Zhenji hadn't explicitly said, so it wasn't appropriate to state clearly. He glossed over it. "Since the Patriarch has already permitted you to stay, you are a disciple of our Qingquan Peak. According to propriety, you may address me as such."
"Yes," Shui Linbo finally calmed down, performed a bow, and said respectfully, "Greetings, Patriarch Shoujing."
After the greetings, Mo Tiange glanced at Qin Xi.
Having spent ten years together in the Void Heaven Realm, the two of them had long been in sync on many matters. Qin Xi understood her meaning and said with a smile, "You decide."
Mo Tiange also smiled, took out a jade bottle from her robe, and handed it to Ye Zhenji. "Zhenji, we will find a way to treat Linbo's injuries. Until then, give her one pill from this bottle every three days. After she takes it, use your spiritual qi to assist her healing for two hours."
"Yes, Aunt."
Mo Tiange smiled slightly and said to them, "Your master and I have just returned and have other matters to arrange. We'll take our leave now. You continue with the healing and cultivation as usual."
"Yes," Ye Zhenji said hurriedly. "Aunt, let me see you out."
Mo Tiange raised her hand to stop him. "No need. Just look after Linbo." She nodded to Shui Linbo with a smile, then left hand in hand with Qin Xi.
Once outside Shangqing Palace, each lost in their own thoughts, they simultaneously started walking—one east, one south. After about ten steps, they realized the other wasn't walking with them. They stopped and turned, surprised. "Why are you going that way?"
After asking the same question simultaneously, they were both taken aback again before remembering their Cave Abodes were not in the same place.
They looked at each other and laughed helplessly, sighing as they walked back together.
"What should we do?" Qin Xi asked. "Go to yours first or mine?"
Mo Tiange said, "Let's each return to our own Cave Abodes. It's been a long time since we've been back. We should deal with matters first. We can contact each other after we're done."
Qin Xi thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright. Remember to send a Message Talisman."
Mo Tiange agreed. Only then did they part ways and return to their respective Cave Abodes.
Since they were now married, they would naturally live together in the future. They had discussed this matter. Qin Xi said his Cave Abode, though unassuming in appearance, was actually located on a relatively large spiritual eye of Qingquan Peak's spiritual vein. He had also devised many methods to enhance the spiritual qi, so now it was completely comparable to Shangqing Palace. And most importantly, it was very secluded, with few idle people around, suiting their preference for quiet. As for Mo Tiange's current Cave Abode, it was certainly large with good spiritual qi, but precisely because it was too large, it required many people to manage it. Since the two of them probably wouldn't take in many disciples, it would be better to let others have it, making the best use of resources.
Mo Tiange thought for a long time and agreed. Her current Cave Abode was the one used by Dao Lord Xuanyin before he formed his Nascent Soul. She had only lived there for two years and didn't have many belongings, so moving would be convenient.
But no matter how convenient, she couldn't move immediately. She still had to go back and handle some miscellaneous affairs.
Fortunately, the Xuanqing Sect's Deacon Hall was very capable. Even though she had been gone for ten years, her Cave Abode was still in good order. All necessary tasks had been taken care of, and the spirit stones spent had already been deducted from her stipend. Having not collected her stipend for ten years, she received a huge sum all at once.
Just after finishing her business and instructing the Deacon Hall that she wanted to change Cave Abodes, Qin Xi's Message Talisman arrived.
Hearing she was moving to Qin Xi's Cave Abode, the Deacon Hall attendant was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped. Now, seeing Mo Tiange receive the Message Talisman with a smile, his imagination immediately ran wild.
Just as Mo Tiange was about to reply with a Message Talisman, she sensed a Nascent Soul cultivator approaching. Then, Qin Xi descended on his flying cloud and walked in.
She was surprised. "Why are you here already?" She had just received the Message Talisman!
Qin Xi smiled. "I happened to remember going to the Spirit Beast Pavilion to retrieve the spirit beast I had boarded there, so I came out."
"Oh." After responding, Mo Tiange remembered the Deacon Hall attendant was still there. She said to him, "Alright, I've explained everything to you. Go handle it."
"Yes." The man's eyes darted between her and Qin Xi. He bowed to Qin Xi, then was about to leave when he suddenly remembered Qin Xi was no longer a Core Formation cultivator. He hurriedly performed a grand bow before leaving to attend to the matter.
Mo Tiange watched the attendant's retreating back and sighed. "I bet he's thinking: This Senior Uncle Qingwei seems so proper and well-behaved. Who would have thought she actually hooked up with Patriarch Shoujing? Truly, a true master doesn't reveal himself!"
She imitated someone else's tone for the last part, making it sound quite comical, which made Qin Xi chuckle involuntarily.
Seeing him laugh, Mo Tiange couldn't help but smile too. She asked, "Have you finished all your business?"
Qin Xi sat down beside her, habitually wrapping an arm around her waist before answering. "What business could my small Cave Abode have? Just asking a few questions was enough."
Mo Tiange nodded. "That's true. A small Cave Abode has its advantages." After a pause, she asked, "About Master's matter, what are your thoughts?"
This question made Qin Xi's smile fade slightly. "This matter can't be rushed for the moment. In a couple of days, we still need to go see Master. How about this: We can't easily reveal matters about the Void Heaven Realm, but we can first show Master a few types of pills and tell him we found many spiritual herbs in Tianmo Mountain. That way, Master will believe we have the ability to help him, and then he'll tell us if there are any pills that can cure his injuries."
"Mm," Mo Tiange agreed. "And what about Shui Linbo?"
This question stumped Qin Xi. "To be honest, I've never seen anyone with injuries this severe. I don't know what to do either. Our sect also has several medical cultivators who might have a better understanding of injuries. Why don't we seek them out and ask?"
"Oh, right!" Reminded by him, Mo Tiange remembered that Senior Brother Kuangzhu from Lingyin Peak and his family. They could find time to ask them.
"Both these matters can't be rushed. Right now, there is something else we need to discuss."
"Hmm?"
Qin Xi looked at her, somewhat helpless. "My Nascent Soul Formation holds special significance for the sect, so Senior Uncle Zhenyang sent word that a Nascent Soul Formation Grand Ceremony should be held. Also, although we have already sworn a blood oath and become husband and wife, we should still hold a Dual Cultivation Ceremony..."
"No..." Mo Tiange refused immediately. Seeing his puzzled look, she lowered her head and explained. "You decide about the Nascent Soul Formation Grand Ceremony. Can we skip the Dual Cultivation Ceremony? I really don't like that sort of thing..."
Qin Xi thought for a moment, then nodded. "I understand what you mean. I don't like that atmosphere either. How about this: We'll tell Senior Uncle Zhenyang and just make an announcement during the Nascent Soul Formation Grand Ceremony."
Mo Tiange could accept this idea, so she didn't say anything more.