Mo Yuzhu

After the five wives left one after another, the study fell abruptly silent, with only the occasional crackle of candle flames.

Mo Juren sat alone in the grand armchair, gazing at the empty doorway, a self-mocking smile tugging at his lips.

"Whenever I came home before, I always had to fret over whose room to spend the night in." His withered fingers tapped the desk, the sound particularly clear in the silent study.

"Today, not a single one asked me to stay."

A bronze mirror stood at one corner of the desk. Mo Juren reached out and turned it toward himself.

The mirror reflected a face covered in black markings. They writhed beneath his skin like living things, spreading from his neck all the way to his forehead.

His once-handsome features now lay sunken in bluish-black skin, with an ominous purplish-black tint around his eye sockets.

"Hardly surprising..." he murmured. "With a face like this, even I feel sick looking at myself."

Soft footsteps sounded outside the window as the second wife Yan's personal maid hurried through the corridor.

Mo Juren's hearing was exceptional. He could even make out the maid's excited whisper, which she could barely contain: "Madam, is it true? Can we really..."

The voice faded into the distance, and the muscles in Mo Juren's face twitched.

He recalled how his five wives used to compete to please him whenever he returned home-the first wife Jin always prepared his favorite Dragon Well tea;

the second wife Yan would pull out all the stops to display the new zither pieces she had learned;

even the most timid of them, the third wife Li, would summon her courage and sidle up to him.

Now, they had eyes only for that copy of the Burning Blood Art.

"Immortals..." A sound somewhere between a laugh and something else escaped Mo Juren's throat.

"Who could hear that they might become an immortal and not be excited?"

He slowly rose and walked to the window. Beneath the moonlight, lamps shone in each of his wives' courtyards.

Figures moved indistinctly in the first wife's courtyard, seemingly practicing some movements;

stifled cries of pain came from the second wife's room;

the third wife's courtyard was the quietest;

the fourth wife...

On the official road through the western outskirts of Jia Yuan City, more than a dozen fine horses galloped past, startling birds from the roadside trees.

Leading them was a snow-white horse, with a woman in fiery-red hunting clothes astride its back.

Her purple cloak snapped in the wind like a battle flag.

More than a dozen lavishly dressed young gentlemen followed, carrying hawks and driving hounds, yet always remaining half a horse's length behind her.

"Yuzhu, the city gate is just ahead. Shall we slow down?" A young man in white, with swordlike brows and bright eyes, urged his horse alongside hers, an ingratiating smile on his face.

Without looking back, Mo Yuzhu merely tightened the reins slightly, slowing her mount. "If you're tired, Young Master Wu, feel free to return home and rest."

Her voice was clear as an oriole's song, yet carried an unquestionable chill.

Young Master Wu's smile stiffened before he redoubled his attentiveness. "Not at all, not at all. It's my honor to hunt with you, Yuzhu.

"It's just that the city streets are crowded, and I'm afraid we might disturb the common folk..."

Mo Yuzhu finally turned her head, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful profile beneath her cloak. Her lips curved slightly, but there was not a trace of amusement in her eyes. "How thoughtful of you to care so deeply for the people, Young Master Wu."

It sounded like praise, but concealed a barb.

Young Master Wu failed to notice entirely. Instead, that single glance sent his heart fluttering.

Her snowy skin and red lips glowed in the sunlight, while the heroic spirit between her brows lent her a distinctive charm.

"That shot of yours today, bringing down two eagles with one arrow, was truly admirable." Young Master Wu edged closer, almost pressing alongside Mo Yuzhu's horse.

"I wonder if tomorrow we might..."

"I'll be practicing my sword tomorrow, not hunting." Mo Yuzhu cut him off cleanly and squeezed her horse's flanks. The white horse immediately accelerated, leaving Young Master Wu behind.

The young gentlemen following her sighed in disappointment. Someone muttered, "This eldest Miss Mo is far too proud..."

"Shh!" another immediately warned. "She's the cherished jewel of the Startling Flood Dragon Society's leader, and a skilled martial artist herself. She has every right to be proud."

Mo Yuzhu's hearing was excellent, and every word reached her ears.

A cold smile touched her lips. She had long since grown tired of these spoiled young dandies' flattery.

Had her mother not insisted that she maintain good relations with the sons of the Startling Flood Dragon Society's various factions, she would never have bothered dealing with them.

Seeing the eldest young lady of the Mo Residence returning, the gate guards hurriedly cleared the way.

Mo Yuzhu charged into the city at the head of the group, her horse's iron shoes ringing sharply against the stone paving.

Pedestrians on both sides hurried out of the way. Vendors who knew her greeted her warmly. "How was today's hunt, Miss Mo?"

Mo Yuzhu merely nodded slightly without stopping.

Her heart had already flown home like an arrow. All she wanted was to return, bathe, and change, leaving both the dust covering her and those irritating suitors behind.

After she turned down several streets, the towering gateway of the Mo Residence came into view.

Several guards in fitted martial attire stood outside. Seeing the eldest young lady return, a burly man with a pockmarked face immediately came forward.

"You're back, eldest young lady. How was today's hunt?" Tang Er asked respectfully, not daring to look directly at Mo Yuzhu's face.

"Not bad." Mo Yuzhu swung lightly down from her horse and removed her cloak, revealing a face of breathtaking beauty.

She casually handed Tang Er her longbow and game. "Have this game dressed, and take the horse for a thorough wash and grooming."

"Yes, miss!" Tang Er took the reins and hurried toward the side entrance with his head lowered.

Young Master Wu arrived outside the residence just then. He hastily dismounted and followed her. "Yuzhu, if you aren't hunting tomorrow, would you be free the day after?

"I know a fine hunting ground thirty li outside the city..."

"Young Master Wu," Mo Yuzhu said, turning with a perfunctory smile, "I'll be learning needlework from my mother these next few days. I'm afraid I won't have time to go hunting."

Without waiting for his reply, she strode into the residence, her red hunting clothes fluttering in the wind like a leaping flame.

Mo Yuzhu passed through courtyard after courtyard and went straight to the first wife's quarters.

Along the way, maids and serving women bowed to her, but she hurried past without acknowledging them.

"Mother! I'm back!" Mo Yuzhu pushed open the carved wooden door of the main room, her voice still full of excitement from the hunt.

The first wife Jin was cultivating on a meditation cushion. Hearing her, she turned around. "Yuzhu, why have you come in without knocking again..."

Before she could finish, Mo Yuzhu rushed up and wrapped her arms around her neck as she had as a child. "Mother, that Wu fellow is so annoying!

"He kept getting handsy during the hunt today."

Jin shook her head helplessly, but unlike usual, she did not immediately reprimand her daughter.

Mo Yuzhu keenly noticed that her mother looked particularly radiant today. The fine lines at the corners of her eyes seemed to have faded considerably, and her skin had grown smoother.

"Mother, have you been using some new face powder?" Mo Yuzhu leaned closer to inspect her curiously. "You look ten years younger!"

An unusual gleam flashed through Jin's eyes, and she gently pushed her daughter away. "What nonsense. And you've been riding and shooting again. Is that any way for a well-bred young lady to behave?"

Mo Yuzhu pursed her lips and plopped onto the embroidered stool nearby. "I don't want to be some well-bred young lady!

"Mother, can't I stop pretending to be friendly with Young Master Wu? The way he looks at me makes me sick!"

Whenever she made such a request in the past, Jin would sternly scold her, saying things like "the family's interests come first" and "the relationships within the Startling Flood Dragon Society are complicated."

Mo Yuzhu had braced herself for another lecture, but her mother pondered for a moment before suddenly asking:

"Yuzhu, do you believe immortals exist in this world?"

Mo Yuzhu froze. "Immortals? Do you mean those tricks wandering charlatans perform?"

Jin shook her head, her eyes shining with a fervor Mo Yuzhu had never seen before. "True immortals, who can ride clouds and command the mists, move mountains and fill seas, and live forever without aging."

"Why are you suddenly bringing this up, Mother?" Mo Yuzhu asked in bewilderment.

Rather than answer directly, Jin rose and entered the inner chamber, retrieving a yellowed book from a hidden compartment in her bed.

The large cinnabar characters of "Burning Blood Art" on its cover were vivid as blood, seeming to flow with a life of their own in the sunlight.

"If you can master the basics of this cultivation art," Jin said, her voice low and mysterious,

"then you won't have to bother with Young Master Wu anymore."

Mo Yuzhu's eyes widened. "A cultivation art? What cultivation art?"

She took the book and casually opened it to the first page.

It was densely covered in obscure, difficult formulas, accompanied by a diagram of the human meridians.

Mo Yuzhu had practiced martial arts since childhood and was familiar with meridians and acupoints, but these circulation routes were entirely different from anything she had learned.

"Is this... a secret martial arts manual?" she asked, looking up with sparks of excitement already kindling in her eyes.

Jin's lips curved slightly. "It's millions of times more powerful than martial arts. This is an immortal cultivation art. Master it, and you can become an immortal."

Mo Yuzhu burst out laughing. "Mother, surely some wandering swindler hasn't fooled you? There's no such thing as..."

Before she could finish, Jin suddenly extended her right hand, palm upward.

Her fingertips trembled slightly, and a wisp of pale-red energy slowly appeared, gathering into a tiny vortex three inches above her palm.

Mo Yuzhu's mocking smile froze. Her eyes widened, unable to believe what she was seeing.

"Th-this is..."

"Spiritual qi." Jin withdrew the vortex, unable to conceal her pride. "I've cultivated for only seven days, and I can already sense spiritual qi.

"Yuzhu, you're more gifted than I am. You'll surely master the basics even faster."

Mo Yuzhu's breathing quickened, and her fingers unconsciously tightened around the book.

Though bold and straightforward by nature, she was certainly no fool.

What her mother had just shown her was no trick, but genuine supernatural power.

"Mother, where did this cultivation art come from?" Her voice trembled with both excitement and unease.

Jin's expression turned solemn. "Your father brought it back. This must never be revealed to outsiders, or the entire Mo household could be slaughtered."

Mo Yuzhu nodded firmly, her eyes already burning with fervor. "I understand! Mother, can I start cultivating right now?"

Seeing her daughter's impatience, Jin felt both gratified and conflicted.

She motioned for Mo Yuzhu to sit on the bed, then brought over a chair and sat opposite her.

"You must exercise the utmost caution when cultivating this art," Jin said gravely. "The slightest mistake could destroy all your meridians-or kill you on the spot."

Mo Yuzhu waved dismissively. "Mother, I've practiced martial arts for years. I know all about circulating energy through the meridians. Hurry and tell me how to begin."

Jin sighed. Knowing her daughter's impatient nature, she offered no further warnings.

She opened the Burning Blood Art to its first page and pointed at the formulas. "First, memorize this passage of the mental method, then circulate your energy along the meridian routes shown in the diagram."

Mo Yuzhu listened intently, nodding from time to time.

Her memory was excellent. In less than an hour, she knew the entire passage backward and forward.

"Next comes the most critical step," Jin said, her voice growing lower still. "You must take three drops of blood from your fingertip, drip them into a bowl of clear water, and drink it."

"Blood?" Mo Yuzhu frowned. "Why must I drink blood?"

"This is necessary to draw spiritual energy into the body," Jin explained. "Blood essence is the essence of the human body. It can help you sense the spiritual qi of heaven and earth."

Though Mo Yuzhu found it strange, her yearning for immortal cultivation overwhelmed every doubt.

Without hesitation, she drew the dagger she carried and made a light cut on her left index finger.

Bright-red beads of blood immediately welled up and fell into the clear water Jin had already prepared.

One drop, two drops, three drops.

The blood spread through the water, tinting the entire bowl pale red.

Mo Yuzhu lifted the bowl and drained it.

Unexpectedly, the bloody water had no metallic taste. Instead, it carried a strange hint of sweetness.

"Now sit cross-legged and circulate your energy according to the mental method," Jin instructed.

Mo Yuzhu obeyed and soon entered a meditative state.

At first, she merely felt the energy inside her flowing more smoothly than during her usual martial practice.

Gradually, a strange sensation began to gather in her dantian-as though a warm flame were burning there.

"Mother, I can feel... it's as though there's something..." Her eyes remained closed, and her voice trembled with excitement.

Overjoyed, Jin grasped her daughter's hand. "That's spiritual qi! Yuzhu, you truly are exceptionally gifted!"

Mo Yuzhu dared not let herself become distracted. She continued guiding that warm current through her meridians according to the mental method.

As she completed the circulation, she was astonished to discover that her senses had become extraordinarily keen-she could hear the maids whispering outside the courtyard, smell the flowers in a bed several zhang away, and even sense the subtle shifts in airflow as her mother breathed.

"This is incredible..." She opened her eyes, an unusual brilliance shining within them. "Mother, I feel... different."

Jin nodded in satisfaction. "This is only the beginning.

"As your cultivation deepens, the changes will become even greater."

Something suddenly occurred to Mo Yuzhu, and she asked eagerly, "Does Father know you've taught me this cultivation art? What about my other stepmothers and younger sisters..."

"Don't tell anyone for now," Jin interrupted, her expression grave. "Not even your father. He'll find out when the time is right."

Though puzzled, Mo Yuzhu nodded in agreement.

Her mind was now filled with thoughts of cultivation, and she wished she could return to her room immediately to keep practicing.

"Remember," Jin warned her one last time, "you must never pass this cultivation art on to outsiders. If I discover that you've secretly taught someone else..."

"I swear!" Mo Yuzhu raised her right hand. "If I break this oath, may heaven strike me down with lightning!"

Only then did Jin smile, gently stroking her daughter's cheek. "Go on. Rest well tonight, and continue cultivating tomorrow."

Reluctantly, Mo Yuzhu set down the Burning Blood Art and rose to take her leave.

At the door, she suddenly turned around. "Mother, will cultivating this art... come with some sort of... price?"

Jin's expression shifted subtly before returning to calm. "How could the path of immortal cultivation be easy? A little discomfort is normal.

"What, are you afraid?"

"Of course not!" Mo Yuzhu lifted her head, her eyes filled with resolve. "As long as I can become an immortal, I'm willing to pay any price!"

With that, she strode out, her red hunting clothes blazing like flames in the setting sun.

Jin watched her daughter leave, the smile slowly disappearing from her face.

She lowered her gaze to her palm. A wisp of pale-red energy curled around her fingertips, more substantial than before.

"Yuzhu, don't blame your mother..." she murmured, her voice barely audible. "You and I will walk this road together..."

Outside the window, a crow suddenly took flight in alarm, letting out a piercing cry.

As dusk deepened, lanterns lit up one by one throughout the Mo Residence, illuminating the courtyards as brightly as day.

Meanwhile, atop the Star-Gazing Tower, the tallest building in the residence, a dark figure stood silently, watching the first wife's courtyard.

It was Mo Juren.

The black markings on his face looked even more hideous beneath the moonlight, yet a satisfied smile hung on his lips.

"It's begun..." he whispered, his voice dispersing into the night with the wind.