Exiting the Shangqing Palace, Mo Tiange and Qin Xi exchanged a glance, both unable to suppress a smile.
Things had gone smoothly. When they presented those items, the two Dao Lords had not doubted them at all, and had confirmed they would be useful for Dao Lord Jinghe's injuries. Furthermore, Dao Lord Zhenyang had told them about several types of elixirs that might potentially cure Dao Lord Jinghe's wounds.
Mo Tiange remembered that the main ingredients for those elixirs existed within the Void Heaven Realm. She could prepare some.
For now, with those elixirs, their master's situation could be temporarily set aside. After all, one couldn't eat elixirs like rice; those elixirs and the Flowerless Golden Fruits would be enough for Dao Lord Jinghe to use for several years.
"What now? Go back?"
Mo Tiange thought for a moment. "Let's go see Shui Linbo while we're here."
Qin Xi had no objections, so the two turned back towards the Shangqing Palace.
After meeting Shui Linbo that day, Ye Zhenji had later reported to them in detail about Shui Linbo's origins and the events they had experienced. This child was indeed deeply in love with Shui Linbo. Having experienced the taste of love herself, Mo Tiange felt pity for him after hearing his story and promised to do her utmost to save Shui Linbo.
The two made their familiar way to Mingxin Abode. Mo Tiange skillfully opened the restriction and entered the small courtyard, proceeding directly to the resting room.
"Linbo?" Mo Tiange called out.
Shui Linbo's spiritual sense was indeed sluggish. It took a good while before she became alert, hurriedly getting off the bed to open the door. "Ancestor-Master Shoujing, Uncle-Master Qingwei."
Mo Tiange smiled, pressing her back onto the bed. She and Qin Xi pulled over two chairs and sat down before her. "No need to be nervous. We're just here to visit."
"Oh," Shui Linbo responded, then hesitated. "Zhenji... went to collect his disciple's stipend. He'll be back in a little while."
"Mm." Mo Tiange nodded with a smile. "We came to see you."
"Ah?" Hearing this, Shui Linbo grew tense. "This... this is too much trouble..."
"It's fine." Faced with the two of them, her nervousness made Mo Tiange feel somewhat helpless. She glanced at Qin Xi. "Senior Brother, why don't you go check on Master first? I'll talk with Linbo."
They had just come from Dao Lord Jinghe's place, so her words were clearly asking Qin Xi to leave first. Qin Xi also understood that Shui Linbo's nervousness was likely due to his presence as a Nascent Soul cultivator, so he went along with her suggestion. "Alright, I'll wait for you at Master's place."
"Mm, go ahead."
Qin Xi smiled, rose, and left.
The moment the door closed, Shui Linbo indeed let out a sigh of relief.
Mo Tiange then asked, "Are you afraid of him?"
Shui Linbo was taken aback for a moment before replying softly, "Please forgive me, Uncle-Master Qingwei. Ancestor-Master Shoujing's cultivation is so high, I get nervous seeing him... And, ever since that incident, I've been very afraid of seeing men..."
"Oh, I see." Mo Tiange nodded in understanding, feeling a pang of pity for Shui Linbo in her heart. She herself had once disguised herself as a man to escape the fate of being a cultivation cauldron, not daring to reveal her true identity...
Pulling her thoughts back, Mo Tiange asked again, "You're not afraid of Zhenji?"
Shui Linbo's gaze flickered, her eyes lowering. "That day, it was I who implicated him, yet he didn't hold it against me and even suffered so much for me... How could I be afraid of him..."
Mo Tiange saw that although she tried to remain composed, her hands were trembling slightly. Mo Tiange smiled faintly and asked directly, "Do you like Zhenji?"
Shui Linbo trembled, lifting her head. Surprise and doubt flashed in her eyes before slowly calming down. "Yes."
Her straightforward answer made Mo Tiange feel another wave of fondness for her. She continued, "Then do you want to be with him?"
This question, however, made Shui Linbo fall silent. After a while, she said, "Uncle-Master Qingwei, I know my aptitude is poor, and I'm severely injured. I'm truly not a suitable match for Zhenji. Before my injuries are healed, I don't want to consider this question too much."
Hearing her words, Mo Tiange was momentarily stunned, involuntarily recalling that she herself had once harbored such self-deprecating thoughts. However, she was also different from Shui Linbo. Back then, she felt that given Qin Xi's status, her hopes were slim, but she never felt she was unworthy of him.
Of course, Shui Linbo's experiences were not the same as hers. Even if there were similarities, their thoughts couldn't possibly be identical.
Seeing Mo Tiange fall silent, Shui Linbo grew uneasy. After enduring for a moment, she spoke again. "Uncle-Master, I understand. Zhenji is your nephew and the disciple of a Nascent Soul cultivator. I'm not worthy of reaching so high, I..."
"That's not what I meant," Mo Tiange interrupted her with a smile. "I won't interfere much in matters between you and Zhenji. Whom Zhenji chooses is his freedom. I believe he doesn't need a Dao Companion with good aptitude to aid his cultivation."
Hearing this, Shui Linbo's eyes widened. The meaning of these words was...
Mo Tiange continued, "Today, I came to find you for two reasons. First, to check on your injuries. Second, to hear about your experiences. After all, Zhenji likes you, so I also want to understand more about you." She smiled. "Are you willing to tell me?"
Shui Linbo was dazed for quite a while before reacting. "Oh, of course, of course..."
She composed herself and slowly began to speak. "Back then, Uncle-Master Qingwei passed by our Linhai and bestowed upon me a cultivation manual. That's how I embarked on the immortal path... My aptitude was poor, and my cultivation progressed very slowly. Fortunately, the manual you gave me was excellent, and I smoothly entered the first level of Qi Refining. Female cultivators in our Linhai, if they attained cultivation, could enter the Bixuan Pavilion. So as soon as I reached Qi Refining first level, I wanted to find the Bixuan Pavilion's reception auntie." At this point, she smiled. "What happened then, Uncle-Master Qingwei probably knows. Linhai fell into great chaos, the Bixuan Pavilion was almost annihilated, and loose cultivators went into hiding. I was only in my teens then, still foolish. Going to the Bixuan Pavilion was practically walking into a trap. Luckily, someone saved me, allowing me to escape the wolf's den."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange nodded. "You were quite fortunate."
"Yes," Shui Linbo said with a smile. "Although I often encountered misfortunes, I always managed to meet noble people who helped me turn danger into safety. The one who saved me was also a senior sister from the Bixuan Pavilion. After saving me, she took pity on my naivety and took me with her."
"Fortunately, those events didn't affect mortals. My family lived in a remote area where cultivators usually never went. That senior sister and I returned to the seaside and found an island in the East Sea to hide on." At this point, she laughed. "Actually, that was the happiest period of my life, I think. Near that island hid many cultivators like us. We shared the same hardships and helped each other. If I had any questions about cultivation, they would do their best to answer them. Although resources were scarce and there was no spiritual vein, making cultivation very slow, I still felt very happy."
Remembering the past, Shui Linbo fell silent for a moment before continuing. "There, I learned many things. That senior sister taught me a lot. Unfortunately, later, that senior sister was accidentally injured by a demon beast. We had no elixirs at all and could only watch helplessly as the senior sister perished..."
She took a breath and went on. "Uncle-Master, you also know my family's situation wasn't good. My father worked hard fishing every day but couldn't earn much. After all, I was a cultivator now, so I used immortal techniques to catch some rare fish to take back for my father to sell. Although my cultivation was low, I could manage this sort of thing. This way, the family's situation improved a lot, and Little Bao could also go to school... If only it could have stayed like that forever."
Mo Tiange asked, "Then how did you get to Kunwu? Isn't the teleportation array from Linhai to Kunwu inside the Bixuan Pavilion?"
Shui Linbo shook her head with a bitter smile. "I didn't come out through the teleportation array." She paused, then continued. "Occasionally, demon beasts would appear near the island we lived on. Once, when I went to catch fish, I accidentally encountered a demon beast. While fleeing for my life, I fell into a whirlpool. When I woke up, I found myself in Yan Country."
"So that's how it was..." Mo Tiange was slightly surprised. Linhai was not close to Yan Country. It seemed this whirlpool was likely not simple, actually able to transport someone so far.
Shui Linbo smiled. "Every time I'm in mortal danger, my luck is always good. After arriving in Yan Country, I found I couldn't go back. Helpless, I had to adapt on my own. Back in Linhai, I'd heard that Kunwu was the sacred land of cultivation. Since I was out, of course I wanted to go to Kunwu... Later, after a long journey, I reached Kunwu, only to find that with my aptitude, no cultivation sect would accept me. So I worked in those marketplaces, earning some Spirit Stones to support my own cultivation."
This kind of life was not unfamiliar to Mo Tiange; she and her second uncle had lived like that back in the day. However, she found it strange. "With your aptitude, without a large number of Spirit Stones, it would be fundamentally impossible to reach Foundation Establishment. Even reaching above the fifth level of Qi Refining would be quite difficult. How did you manage?"
Shui Linbo said, "Once, while working for an herb shop, I went to the southern forest to gather herbs and accidentally picked several hundred-year-old Purple Jade Lingzhi mushrooms. I hid them. Later, at a trade fair, I sold them off in batches... It was this sum of Spirit Stones that allowed me to cultivate to the tenth level of Qi Refining and buy a Foundation Establishment Pill."
"You succeeded in Foundation Establishment on your first attempt?"
Shui Linbo nodded. "Mm, even I couldn't believe it. Actually, after buying the Foundation Establishment Pill, I hardly had any Spirit Stones left. If I failed to establish my foundation, I probably would never have another chance in my lifetime. Who knew Heaven would favor me, actually letting me succeed on the first try?" At this point, she smiled.
Mo Tiange nodded silently. For someone with five spiritual roots, succeeding in Foundation Establishment on the first attempt wasn't impossible, but that was truly hitting the jackpot.
Thinking of this, she subtly extended her spiritual sense to envelop Shui Linbo. Finding her emotions calm and that she likely wasn't lying, Mo Tiange revealed a smile. "That really is luck. Among the people I know, almost no one with five spiritual roots succeeded in Foundation Establishment on their first try."
Back then, before she met Zhong Muling, when she was just a waste five-element spiritual root, she also attempted Foundation Establishment twice. Moreover, the second time, she had to take three Foundation Establishment Pills in a row to succeed. Compared to that, Shui Linbo's luck was more than just good.
"Mm, I myself find it incredible," Shui Linbo said with a faint smile. "Although I've wandered all these years and suffered quite a bit, Heaven has always favored me, repeatedly letting me escape death and even letting me succeed in Foundation Establishment on the first try. Every time I think of this, I tell myself I must live well."
Looking at her calm, smiling, confident appearance, Mo Tiange sighed inwardly. If this child wasn't lying, with her steadiness and perseverance, being able to be with her would also be Zhenji's good fortune.