Siblings

From then on, the three of them came every morning to pay Mr. Zhuang a visit. They would bow from afar outside the door and wait for the time it took half a cup of tea to cool. If the door remained shut, they would head back down the mountain.

Mo Hua actually wanted to tell them that Mr. Zhuang liked to sleep in during the mornings, often not waking until the afternoon. They were coming at the wrong time.

But on second thought, at least for the time being, Mr. Zhuang did not seem inclined to see them.

If they came early, they would not see Mr. Zhuang. If they came late, they still would not see him. Since they would not see him either way, it did not really matter when they came.

Besides, entering the mountain in the early morning let them see the mountain scenery bathed in rosy dawn light, so it was not a complete loss.

Mo Hua occasionally ran into them while heading up the mountain. Sometimes they exchanged greetings, and if they had time, they would chat casually.

Though the two were children of a great clan and appeared somewhat proud, they were both quite easy to talk to.

Through their casual chats, Mo Hua learned that they were surnamed Bai and were both somewhat older than him. The handsome boy was called Bai Zisheng, while the exquisitely delicate girl, like a porcelain doll, was called Bai Zixi.

The two were siblings. They had come from afar on the orders of their family elders to take Mr. Zhuang as their master and study array techniques.

Bai Zisheng talked a lot, while Bai Zixi spoke little.

Their features were somewhat alike, but Bai Zixi was clearly prettier.

And pretty to a rather outrageous degree...

When Mo Hua saw her from afar, he only thought her dainty and charming. Up close, however, he discovered that although Bai Zixi was still young, her fragile-looking face was breathtakingly beautiful, fair and flawless.

Could a human being really grow a face like that...? Mo Hua was utterly stunned.

It was commonly said that Nuwa kneaded earth to create mankind. Clearly, some people in this world were made from earth, but others plainly were not. At the very least, Bai Zixi before him was not.

When Nuwa created her, she had probably kneaded snow, moonlight, wind, and splendor, crafting icy skin and jade-like bones.

Mo Hua secretly stole another glance at Bai Zixi and silently thought:

"It is often said that a beautiful woman brings disaster. Nuwa was not creating a person here—she was plainly creating sin..."

The veiled woman following the Bai siblings was called Aunt Xue. She was likely sent by their lineage to accompany and protect them.

Mo Hua did not know Aunt Xue's realm, but her cultivation was certainly not low. She carried a concealed pressure that Mo Hua had never felt from any other cultivator.

Previously, the cultivator with the highest realm Mo Hua had seen was the old Sect Master of the Immortal Gate, who possessed Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivation. But the old Sect Master had a gentle temperament, and his Lingli had declined with age, so the pressure he gave off was not as strong as Aunt Xue's.

"At the very least, she should have Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation..."

Mo Hua secretly guessed.

And for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to serve as their guard, these siblings' identities were certainly extraordinary. The Bai Family was probably a prominent great clan from beyond Li Prefecture. As for precisely what kind of great clan they were, Mo Hua wisely did not ask.

Great clans and ancestral houses were far too distant from Mo Hua's life.

For cultivators born as Rogue Cultivators, breaking through to become Foundation Establishment cultivators was extremely difficult. Yet in the little Immortal City, a Foundation Establishment cultivator could be considered exceedingly eminent.

The cultivation he achieved in his entire life might not even surpass that of another person's guard.

Mo Hua kept his original resolve firmly in mind. He focused on studying array techniques, determined to become a First-Grade Array Master. Only then would he have a chance to gain a foothold in the world of cultivation.

The Bai siblings visited every morning, and Mr. Zhuang said nothing, seemingly acquiescing to it, yet he still showed no intention of meeting them.

However, Mr. Zhuang also seemed to have put his mind at ease, and his daily routine returned to normal.

He still slept until afternoon every day, then sat in the courtyard, drinking wine with beef or having tea with pastries as he gazed at the mountain scenery and drifted into thought.

Mo Hua continued studying arrays, drawing arrays, meditating, then drawing arrays again. Whenever he had doubts, he went to ask Mr. Zhuang for guidance.

One day, Mr. Zhuang suddenly told Mo Hua to draw an array called the Three Talents Array.

This array contained six Array Patterns. With Mo Hua's current divine sense, he could not finish drawing it, and its structure also seemed quite unusual. Its Array Hub and Array Patterns differed from the Five Elements Array Mo Hua had encountered before.

Mr. Zhuang gave Mo Hua only one day. The next day, he wanted Mo Hua to draw the array for him, however much he could manage.

That day, Mo Hua devoted himself wholeheartedly to studying the Array Diagram of the Three Talents Array. He tried drawing it several times, then returned at night and practiced on the Broken Stele in his Sea of Consciousness all night long.

The next day, before Mr. Zhuang, he drew the array in fits and starts, barely managing to complete it. But because his divine sense was insufficient, several strokes of the Array Patterns he drew were invalid.

Mr. Zhuang said nothing. Seeing Mo Hua's exhausted expression and slightly pale complexion, he knew it was the result of overusing his divine sense. He lit a stick of incense. Pale white smoke slowly curled upward, carrying a crisp, refreshing fragrance that soothed the heart and cleared the mind.

Mr. Zhuang said, "This is Soul-Calming Incense. It can nourish divine sense. Meditate here. Once the incense has burned out, go back early and rest. Do not draw arrays again today."

"Thank you, sir."

Mo Hua thanked him, then sat down to meditate. Sure enough, his divine sense recovered faster. After about the time it took two cups of tea to cool, the Soul-Calming Incense had burned out, and Mo Hua bowed and took his leave.

After Mo Hua left, Mr. Zhuang looked at the Three Talents Array Mo Hua had drawn. He frowned in thought and remained silent for a long time.

Old Kui entered the room and, seeing this, asked, "Was it drawn poorly?"

Mr. Zhuang shook his head. "It is not a matter of whether it was good or bad... His divine sense was insufficient, and the time was too short. It was impossible for him to draw this array well. No matter what, there would be mistakes. It is just that..."

Mr. Zhuang furrowed his brow. "Mo Hua learns far too quickly."

"What is bad about learning quickly?"

"It is not quick. It is too quick..."

Mr. Zhuang spread open the Three Talents Array and said:

"This Three Talents Array uses an Array Hub entirely different from that of the Five Elements Array, and its Array Patterns also differ. I only gave him the Array Diagram yesterday, yet in just one day, he had already learned seventy or eighty percent of it. If not for his insufficient divine sense, he really might have stumbled through and drawn this entire array..."

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Mr. Zhuang's gaze narrowed slightly. "What is most strange is that in one day, with Mo Hua's divine sense, he could have practiced this array three or four times at most. Yet judging from the brushwork of this Three Talents Array, he is already quite proficient. I fear he practiced it more than ten times."

Old Kui's expression did not change, but his tone sank. "You mean... Mo Hua is hiding something from you?"

Mr. Zhuang shook his head. "I never asked, so there is no question of whether he is hiding anything. But from the looks of it, Mo Hua may have some other fortuitous encounter."

Old Kui lifted his eyelids. "Which cultivator does not have a fortuitous encounter? Have you had few fortuitous encounters yourself? Among all the myriad living beings between heaven and earth, anyone who can be born into this world has already inherited an immense fortuitous encounter."

Mr. Zhuang fell into thought upon hearing this.

Old Kui said, "If you truly care about it, just ask him."

Mr. Zhuang was slightly taken aback. "Ask him?"

Old Kui said impatiently, "People like you claim to see through everything, but really, you simply have too many schemes in your heart. You always think everyone else is like you, hiding things away as though they cannot see the light of day. I think Mo Hua is a fine child. He is not like you, with eighteen hidden chambers in his heart, twisting and turning over every little thing."

Lying in his chair, Mr. Zhuang said calmly, "If I truly had so many schemes in my heart, I would not have fallen into my current state."

"Birds of a feather flock together; people sort themselves by kind. You think yourself clever and like dealing with people full of schemes, yet your heart is not as dirty as theirs. Naturally, you end up being plotted against. Every sip and every peck has its cause—you brought it upon yourself, so you cannot blame others."

Mr. Zhuang gave a bitter smile. "Yes. That is why now I can only stay with someone as heartless as you, so things can be a little quieter."

Old Kui's face remained wooden, and he said nothing more.