This Dao Gathering concluded without any Foundation Establishment Cultivators coming to discuss the Dao. Yet, everyone was satisfied.
On the way back, Mo Tiange was still mulling over the content spoken by the Tiandao Sect cultivator. In essence, it boiled down to two points: first, to strive for the utmost purity of Spiritual Qi; second, to maintain a calm state of mind, at the very least achieving easy entry into meditation before attempting Foundation Establishment. Although the Tiandao Sect's summarized experience for Foundation Establishment certainly wasn't limited to just these two points, having something was better than nothing. Collecting more information about Foundation Establishment would boost her own confidence.
Achieving a calm state of mind was relatively straightforward. Mo Tiange's current anxiety stemmed from the excessive time pressure, which was precisely why she had embarked on this journey. Presumably, after some time passed, it would naturally resolve itself.
The first issue, however, gave her some trouble. Due to the peculiar changes currently occurring in the Spiritual Qi within her body, she dared not cultivate and could only wait until she returned to ask her Second Uncle about it.
Lost in thought, she returned to the inn, only to suddenly remember she hadn't inquired about yesterday's matter. Just as she was preparing to go out, she caught sight of figures coming upstairs and hurriedly retreated to her room.
A rather grating male voice, oily and slick, reached her ears, making one uncomfortable: "Finally, a place to stay today, no need to sleep rough."
Someone immediately chimed in: "Senior Brother Jiang, you take this room. It's comfortable."
After seemingly inspecting the room, the oily voice said with satisfaction, "This inn in this little place isn't bad. Alright, hurry up and pick your rooms, then order some good wine and dishes."
Next came the waiter's voice: "Yes, yes. Immortals, please choose at your leisure."
Then, the sound of a door closing. They had probably entered their room. Mo Tiange thought for a moment but didn't release her spiritual sense. The person she had seen, the one addressed as Senior Brother Jiang, seemed to be Jiang Shanghang's cousin, Jiang Chengxian.
To say Jiang Chengxian had a charmed life was an understatement. During the last Foundation Establishment Pill trial, the Zixia Sect wanted him dead, and his fellow Yunwu Sect disciples also sought his life, yet he still managed to escape. Moreover, it was said the current master of the Yunwu Mountain Range had already made preparations for his Foundation Establishment. But it was truly strange. Facing Foundation Establishment, why would Jiang Chengxian run out here?
Quietly opening a crack in the door, she saw the corridor outside was empty. She then cast the Illusion Transformation Art and left the inn.
Entering the small shop from last time, the beautiful mortal woman was still minding the store. Seeing her enter, she greeted her warmly as before: "Esteemed Immortal, what would you like to buy?"
Mo Tiange, transformed into an ordinary-looking young man, lowered her voice and asked, "What do you have here?"
Her tone was rather unfriendly, but the woman didn't comment, still enthusiastically introducing: "Our humble shop has all the common items. The best are our talisman paper and talisman brushes."
"Oh? Let me have a look."
The woman then brought out a pile of talisman paper and various brushes, placing them on the counter: "Please, look at your leisure."
Mo Tiange glanced at her and said impassively, "They don't seem particularly impressive."
The woman still smiled: "Of course, they aren't anything exceptionally good. However, the craftsmanship for making this talisman paper and brushes is my husband's family heirloom. Other shops don't have items of such good quality at such a low price."
"So, the things in your shop are all very cheap?"
The woman said, "Esteemed Immortal, you must be from out of town, right? A small shop like ours truly can't compare to the large stores. We rely on low prices to survive. Otherwise, everyone would go to the big stores where the selection is complete and there are even top-grade goods. A small shop like ours couldn't stay open."
Mo Tiange naturally understood this principle. In the past, she had once helped her uncle run a shop. Small shops couldn't compete with large stores, but they still had many low-level cultivators as customers because those people didn't have much money and couldn't afford the items in large stores. The large stores, in turn, couldn't be bothered to compete with small shops over such small profits, allowing the small shops to survive. Later, the reason they were bullied was because her Second Uncle was, after all, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator with some family assets. They stocked a very complete range of items and even had some top-grade goods for the Qi Refining stage, starting to compete with the large stores for customers.
On the surface, however, she pretended to be half-convinced: "Is that so?"
The woman then said, "Esteemed Immortal, look. This talisman paper is made from Wenxing bamboo mixed with demon beast blood. Wenxing bamboo has a hard texture, and the paper made from it is airtight, not inferior to high-grade talisman paper. And this brush uses hair from the Blood Frost Wolf, each strand carefully selected. My husband hunted these himself through great effort. I guarantee the goods are genuine."
Mo Tiange looked them over but didn't immediately say whether she wanted them or not. Instead, she surveyed the other items in the shop, asking nonchalantly: "You said this is your husband's family heirloom craft. So, he's from a cultivation family too. Why is the shop so shabby?"
The woman's smile stiffened for a moment before she immediately smiled again: "A small family naturally can't afford a large store. Esteemed Immortal, please look around. If you need anything, just call me."
While speaking, Mo Tiange secretly observed her several times. The more she looked, the more similar she seemed.
From this probing, she could tell this couple didn't have any powerful backing. Given that, she didn't consider the other party, a mere Qi Refining Level 5 cultivator, a threat.
"There's something I'd like to ask you, Madam, if I may be so bold." Seeing the other party still smiling, she asked, "Might I inquire about your surname and given name?"
As soon as these words left her mouth, the woman's face instantly showed signs of nervousness. She took a step back, her complexion turning pale and then ashen.
Mo Tiange then smiled: "Madam, don't be afraid. I have no ill intentions."
Although she explained it this way, currently disguised as a man and being a cultivator, suddenly asking for the name of a beautiful woman would naturally make the other party fearful.
Seeing the other party still hesitating, she released a hint of her pressure. The other party, being merely a mortal, couldn't withstand it and retreated several steps until her back hit the wall, finally yielding: "This humble one... my surname is Mo."
Mo Tiange was stunned. After a long moment, thinking of another possibility, she asked urgently: "The 'Mo' as in 'Mo Road'?"
The woman nodded: "Exactly."
Mo Tiange stared at her intently, finally finding traces of the past in her face. So, this wasn't someone from the Ye Family, but from the Mo Family where she had lived for ten years. Her expression shifting uncertainly, she finally ventured tentatively: "Tian Qiao?"
The other party trembled, looking at her with immense surprise, both because of her own name and because of Mo Tiange's suddenly changed voice.
Seeing this reaction, Mo Tiange knew she had guessed correctly. After a long while, calming her emotions, she waved her hand, dispelling the Illusion Transformation Art, then raised her hand again to wipe away the disguise on her face. From the other's shocked expression, she could tell she had noticed the similarity in their appearances.
The woman's face turned pale, then flushed, extremely agitated: "You are... you are Tian Ge?!"
Mo Tiange nodded and sighed: "Tian Qiao, I never thought we would meet again."
Mo Tianqiao covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face. After a long moment, she suddenly threw herself forward: "Tian Ge, is it really you?"
Mo Tiange supported her, speaking gently: "It's really me. Don't cry. We've finally met again after so long; we should be happy."
"Yes, yes." Mo Tianqiao hurriedly wiped the tears from her face and went to close the door. "Wait a moment, I'll close the shop. Let's go to the back to talk."
Mo Tiange nodded, closing her eyes to calm her emotions. Although she wasn't as emotional as Tian Qiao, the moment she got the answer, she was still very happy. Not long after arriving in Kunwu, following her Second Uncle around as they drifted from place to place, she gradually came to understand she couldn't go back. She had to sever all ties with the mortal world. If there was anything from that home she still cherished, it was Tian Qiao. She had also silently grieved, thinking she would never see Tian Qiao again. Yet, she never expected they would meet, and under such circumstances.
Following Tian Qiao to the inner room, Mo Tiange looked around. Behind this room was a small courtyard, neatly arranged, but one could also tell their life wasn't easy.
Mo Tianqiao had already wiped her tears clean and was examining Mo Tiange's appearance with surprise: "Tian Ge, why are you dressed like this?"
Mo Tiange smiled wryly: "No choice. The cultivation world is just like the mortal world; it's more convenient to be a man. First, tell me, how did you come to Kunwu, and... marry a cultivator?" She still remembered. Her eldest aunt had raised Tian Qiao like a proper young lady from a good family, hoping she would marry into wealth and status. She had always thought Tian Qiao would end up that way.
Mo Tianqiao smiled faintly and let out a soft sigh.
It turned out that back when Mo Tiange was taken away by an Immortal, it made Tian Qiao aware of such a world, filling her with curiosity. When she was sixteen, her family had arranged a marriage for her with the young master of a wealthy family in Feiyun Town. Tian Qiao was already very dissatisfied with this marriage because the young master she was to marry was a complete wastrel—he didn't like studying, couldn't do business, and enjoyed philandering. Her resistance proved futile, so she secretly ran away from Mo Village. Who would have thought she would accidentally encounter a cultivator passing through the area?
Due to her awe of Immortals and because Tian Qiao swore she would rather die than agree to that marriage, after this cultivator resolved the conflict of breaking off the engagement, her family ultimately gave them their blessing. Not long after, when this cultivator was about to leave Mo Village, Tian Qiao, who had always yearned for the world of cultivation, left with him.
After hearing all this, Mo Tiange fell silent. Tian Qiao was never a woman who submitted to fate, so her resisting the marriage wasn't strange. What was strange was how Tian Qiao had become like this now?
She couldn't help but ask: "Is he good to you?"
Tian Qiao stared blankly for a moment before saying: "At the beginning, he treated me really well... We wandered in the mortal world for several years before reaching Kunwu. His father was also a cultivator, but he died accidentally during a duel. After arriving in Kunwu, we relied on this family heirloom craft to open this small shop here. Perhaps life became too mundane, perhaps cultivation was too difficult... gradually, things cooled off..."
Even so, Mo Tiange couldn't understand. Could a mundane life have turned Tian Qiao into what she was today? She had never imagined this docile woman could be the playful, laughing Tian Qiao of the past.
Mo Tianqiao forced a smile and said to her: "Don't just talk about me. What about you? Your cultivation must be very strong now, right? You came yesterday. My husband said your cultivation level is much higher than his."
Mo Tiange said: "I've already reached Qi Refining Perfection, but I haven't had a chance for Foundation Establishment. This time, I'm out traveling, hoping to find some opportunity." She wasn't telling the whole truth. It wasn't to hide things from Tian Qiao, but from her husband. Since she hadn't figured that person out yet, it was better to be cautious.
Tian Qiao didn't understand these things very well, so she asked: "Then how have you been all these years?"
"Back when I left Mo Village, that person took me to find my Second Uncle. After that, I kept wandering around with my Second Uncle. A few years ago, we finally settled down in one place, and I joined a sect. Because my father left me some things, I was fortunate enough to cultivate to Qi Refining Perfection..." She gave a general overview of the years since, omitting some things that were difficult to explain.
To be honest, she didn't have a good impression of Tian Qiao's husband, so she kept many things hidden. Tian Qiao originally had such a lively, spirited personality, yet now she was so docile, toiling away minding the small shop, lowering her posture to serve customers... If she hadn't confirmed this was indeed Tian Qiao, she could hardly believe it. But Tian Qiao's demeanor was so calm. Even though she was clearly wronged in her heart, she seemed willing. Mo Tiange didn't understand. Could love truly change a person so much?