In the end, Mo Hua still hadn't chosen a cultivation art. When the group parted, his back looked just a little forlorn.
Bai Zixi saw it and suddenly said, "I'll have Aunt Xue bring you some spiritual items."
Mo Hua was slightly startled. He hadn't expected the usually cold and aloof Bai Zixi to actually have such a kind heart. He couldn't help smiling, but he still declined.
"No need. Cultivation is a lifelong matter. I can't rely on others to cultivate for the rest of my life. Besides, no merit, no reward—I can't just casually take other people's things."
Bai Zixi's expression was faint, and it was impossible to tell whether she was pleased or not.
After Mo Hua finished speaking, he added sincerely, "Thank you!"
Toward others' goodwill, Mo Hua had always felt gratitude in his heart.
After they left, Mr. Zhuang, who had been sitting in his recliner sunning himself all the way until he was moonning himself, finally rose at a leisurely pace and went to a remote little study still flecked with dust. He couldn't help muttering, "Old Kui is far too lazy. How long has it been since this study was cleaned?"
Behind him, where there had clearly been no one, Old Kui's figure suddenly appeared.
"Since it isn't used, what difference does cleaning it or not cleaning it make?"
"How many times have I told you? Don't always appear and vanish like a ghost. A perfectly good courtyard, and you make it feel all gloomy and eerie."
Mr. Zhuang grumbled, then walked back and forth through the study, rifling through all sorts of books and jade slips. The already untidy study became even messier.
"What are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for a few volumes of cultivation arts," Mr. Zhuang said absently.
"For