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At the foot of the mountain path before Zuowang Abode stood three cultivators.

Of the three cultivators, two children stood at the front, with a veiled woman behind them.

The two children, a boy and a girl, looked slightly older than Mo Hua. Their clothes were splendid and luxurious, clearly no ordinary goods; one glance showed that their status was far from ordinary. At this moment, they stood respectfully upon the steps before the gate, bowing toward the mountain.

The boy was handsome, his bright eyes gleaming.

The girl was exceptionally beautiful. With sunlight falling upon her face, her skin appeared several shades fairer and more translucent than ice and snow.

From afar, the two looked like a golden boy and jade maiden attending an immortal.

Behind the two children stood a tall woman wearing a veil, her features impossible to discern. She looked like a Lineage steward or guard. There was little fluctuation of Lingli around her, yet she carried an oppressive aura Mo Hua had never felt before.

"They look like children of an aristocratic clan, here to study under Mr. Zhuang..."

Mo Hua secretly speculated, but such matters were clearly for Mr. Zhuang to decide and had nothing to do with him.

Mo Hua only needed to learn Array Techniques properly from Mr. Zhuang. After all, he was merely a nominal disciple, and he did not know how long Mr. Zhuang would continue teaching him.

Mo Hua made his way up the mountain on his own. Naturally, the three people at the gate saw him as well, but seeing his plain clothes and weak Lingli, they merely gave him a cursory glance and paid him little mind.

That was until Mo Hua walked right past them, climbed the long mountain path, and reached the courtyard hidden among the clouds and mist.

Then, with a push of his little hand, he opened the bamboo gate that they had waited before all night for several hours without being able to open. As though entering his own home, he casually walked inside...

Only then did their expressions turn complicated.

The two children could not help glancing at the woman behind them. She silently shook her head, signaling them to be patient. Only then did the children settle themselves and continue waiting respectfully.

After entering the courtyard, Mo Hua set down the bamboo basket slung over his shoulder. He took out a plate of braised meat and several plates of pastries, arranging them on the little table in the courtyard, so that when Mr. Zhuang woke up, he could drink wine or savor tea while admiring the scenery.

Mo Hua secretly peeked into the inner room. Sure enough, his teacher was still sleeping in.

Mo Hua then brought two boxes of roasted Pine Nuts to Old Kui. Old Kui rose early and was playing Five Elements Chess alone. His face remained utterly calm; no one could tell whether he found it amusing or boring.

Mo Hua set the Pine Nuts aside. Old Kui tasted one, and his expression shifted slightly. "The flavor is different."

"There are two flavors. One was roasted with sweetgrass that has a clean fragrance, while the other used spicy seasonings. My mother said you should try them, for a change of taste."

Old Kui tasted one from each box, then nodded. "Go study Array Techniques first. When you are tired, come play chess with me."

Mo Hua ran to the study and found several Array Manuals he had not finished reading. Then he ran beneath the Big Locust Tree in the courtyard, sat on a small wooden stool, leaned over a little stone table, and studied Array Techniques.

Old Kui had specially made this little table and stool for Mo Hua, then placed them where Mo Hua liked them. The height of both the table and stool was just right as well.

Mr. Zhuang was indolent and did not place excessive demands on Mo Hua, but Mo Hua knew that such an opportunity was rare. In the future, it was unlikely that he would have another chance to receive instruction in Array Techniques from such an expert as Mr. Zhuang.

Thus, Mo Hua studied with great seriousness.

For a Rogue Cultivator like Mo Hua, even becoming a nominal disciple was already an enormous stroke of fortune.

Mo Hua was grateful in his heart and never slackened in the slightest.

Studying Array Manuals and copying Array Techniques both consumed divine sense. Whenever Mo Hua exhausted his divine sense, he used the Meditation Technique to recover it, then continued reading and drawing Array Techniques. Once he exhausted his divine sense again, he continued meditating to recover. When he exhausted it a third time, however, it was no longer suitable to keep meditating.

As Mr. Zhuang put it, going too far was as bad as not going far enough. Though Mo Hua did not feel that anything was wrong, he still strictly followed Mr. Zhuang's teaching.

At such times, with his divine sense exhausted, he could neither read nor draw Array Techniques, so Mo Hua would go find Old Kui to play chess.

Five Elements Chess was simple and easy to understand, and it did not require much mental effort, so playing it was relaxing.

After Mo Hua played several rounds with Old Kui, the sky gradually darkened. Mo Hua then bade Mr. Zhuang farewell and returned home, taking the empty plates and food boxes back with him along the way.

As the sun sank in the west and evening clouds nestled against the mountains, Mo Hua discovered, upon leaving Mr. Zhuang's courtyard, that the three people he had seen that morning were still standing outside the gate. Their posture and expressions remained respectful, but they all showed some weariness.

Even cultivators would feel somewhat uncomfortable after standing all day without food or drink, much less two children not much older than Mo Hua.

Still, Mo Hua had no desire to meddle in others' business.

They had stood outside for an entire day. Mr. Zhuang could not possibly have failed to notice them. Given the situation, Mr. Zhuang clearly did not wish to see them.

Whether to see them or not was Mr. Zhuang's decision. How could it be his place to worry himself senseless over it?

Thus, Mo Hua merely offered the three a simple bow in greeting. Then, without saying a word, he carried his small basket down the mountain.

When Mo Hua went up the mountain the next day, he found that the three were still standing outside the gate.

The mountains were scorching during the day, but night brought chill winds and heavy dew.

The veiled woman was fine after standing there for a day and night. Her cultivation was deep enough to withstand both heat and cold.

The two children, however, looked somewhat haggard. The boy appeared dispirited, clearly gritting his teeth and forcing himself to endure. His eyes were full of stubbornness.

The girl's face had grown a few shades paler. She looked like a pear blossom bearing dew, yet her clear eyes also revealed determination.

Mo Hua secretly glanced at them again and could not help sighing. Beautiful people really do look beautiful no matter when it is.

Yet Mo Hua's heart remained as still as water.

In this world, the more beautiful a woman was, the more likely she had absolutely nothing to do with you.

As on the previous day, Mo Hua ignored them entirely and pushed open the bamboo gate. Under the three people's complicated, somewhat resentful gazes, he carried his little basket into Mr. Zhuang's courtyard.

Mo Hua thought that within three or four days at most, the three should leave. Yet they continued waiting at the gate for seven days. The two children's faces had turned white as paper, but they still showed no intention of retreating. Mo Hua could not help admiring their perseverance.

Especially when he remembered that he had encountered no obstacles when paying respects to Mr. Zhuang, whereas these three had stood without food or drink for seven days and had not even entered the gate, he felt somewhat embarrassed.

The following day, Mo Hua prepared several questions concerning Array Techniques and deliberately went to seek Mr. Zhuang's guidance.

Mr. Zhuang's expression was as usual as he patiently answered them, but from time to time, he would look toward the gate. His gaze was deep, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Mo Hua asked, "Teacher, do you not wish to see the people outside?"

Mr. Zhuang came back to himself. He had originally not intended to say anything, but after looking at Mo Hua, he still said:

"They are descendants of an old acquaintance. Our karmic ties are tangled, and I do not wish to involve myself. Better not to meet them."

Mo Hua said, "Then I'll tell them to go back."

Mr. Zhuang's expression shifted slightly. "They have stood there for seven days. If they could retreat, they would have done so long ago. After coming this far, do you think they would listen to you?"

"How will we know if we don't try?" Mo Hua smiled. "They have stood outside for seven days and disturbed your peace, Teacher. You cannot even sleep properly."

He used to sleep in until the afternoon, but now he was getting up at noon...

Mr. Zhuang said with interest, "Very well. Go and try. Tell them to return and not disturb the tranquility of these mountains."