Mo Zhenzhen was extremely reluctant, but she couldn't overcome her mother's overwhelming resentment. Finally, she was dragged away by her mother.
Mo Qi's ears were calloused from hearing similar complaints and veiled insults; he was long accustomed to them.
However, he disagreed with her statement about "eating theirs and using theirs." To be factual, he had only eaten their food, but hadn't really used their things. What he used and wore was basically earned by himself through ferrying people.
Alas, it was as the scholar said, "Hate not the sun for its bias, when branches lack leaves."
At this moment, Mo Yun slowly emerged from the house, his face etched with embarrassment and a hint of vexation.
Mo Qi bowed respectfully, "Uncle Ten!"
Mo Yun waved his hand, "Come, let's chat in your room." With that, he led the way towards Mo Qi's room on the other side, Mo Qi following closely behind.
Mo Qi's room was extremely simple, with only a bed, a table, and a few stools. The two sat facing each other by the table.
Mo Yun stared at Mo Qi for a long time, as if a thousand words were tangled in his mind, unsure where to begin. After a long pause, he called out, "Qi'er," but his voice choked up.
Fearing he would be drawn into tears again, Mo Qi immediately smiled and said nonchalantly, "Uncle Ten, you don't need to worry. Just as you said, I'm only going out for some experience, and I'll be back soon."
Mo Yun held back his tears, coughed twice, and adjusted his voice, "Child, I know you mature faster than other children, but you've never traveled far from home. Tianxiang Mountain has always been a place of legend. Not only have you never been, but I haven't either. I doubt anyone in our entire village has."
"At your young age, you have no understanding of the ways of the world outside, nor do you know the dangers of the outside... Moreover, my third brother has only you, his child. If anything were to happen to you..." Mo Yun choked up again.
"Furthermore, the matter of cultivating immortality always seems so ethereal and impractical to us farmers. I always feel you might have been deceived. In my opinion, it's quite good for you to stay home and ferry people."
Mo Qi suddenly realized that he had indeed been too impulsive, not having carefully considered many things.
At the same time, he was astonished to discover how firm his resolve to cultivate immortality was. Even if he reconsidered it once, ten times, or a hundred times... his determination remained unshaken.
Because he felt that the dragon and Daoist Lingxu he met in the afternoon had not only broadened his horizons but also opened another vast door for him. Beyond that door lay a world of vibrant colors and abundant life. What reason did he have not to explore it?
Mo Qi thought for a long time and then slowly said, "Uncle Ten, I leave early and return late every day, and it's not really tiring. It's just that I've gradually discovered that the boat I rely on for survival and the river have become ropes that bind me. I don't want to be restricted in my freedom. Cultivating immortality is just an opportunity; I want to go out and see the world, to forge my own path."
These words carried a sense of heroic ambition and irrefutable strength.
Mo Yun looked at Mo Qi intently. He was suddenly amazed to realize that this child had truly grown up. "What must go, must go; no amount of pleading can keep it."
Then, he suddenly stood up and looked out the window to ensure no one was around. He walked back to the table, his hand emerging from his sleeve, holding a large bundle of silver fragments, which he placed on the table. "Take this with you for your travel expenses."
Mo Qi looked at him in astonishment. Under his aunt's forceful oppression and layers of exploitation, how could he still manage to scrounge up so much?
Mo Qi also took off his money pouch from his waist and laid out several dazzling large gold ingots on the table. Mo Yun's eyes widened, and his tongue seemed to stiffen. "You, you..."
Mo Qi smiled calmly and said, "This is a sponsorship from Steward Lu. He hopes I can bring his daughter back." He pushed the ingots towards Mo Yun. "This money is for you, my filial respect. I'm afraid I won't be by your side often... I've also saved quite a bit of money over the years. I'll use that for my travel expenses."
Mo Yun suddenly stood up, collected the money he had brought out, and said with a solemn expression, "In that case, I'll take back mine, and you take back yours."
Mo Qi smiled, knowing that his uncle was once again at a loss for how to deal with him.
That night, Mo Yun cooked several dishes. The uncle and nephew talked at length under the moonlight, drinking together. Mo Yun became thoroughly drunk and fell unconscious.
Mo Qi, however, had been cautious. He knew he couldn't get drunk, so he employed some tricks, either substituting water for wine or secretly pouring the wine away. This made Mo Yun appear as if Mo Qi had drunk as much as he had, when in reality, Mo Qi had barely touched the alcohol.
After Mo Yun was drunk, Mo Qi helped him to bed, secretly tucked a gold ingot into his sleeve, then packed his belongings, took all his silver fragments and gold ingots, and set off under the cover of night.
Reaching the riverbank, Mo Qi skillfully untied the ropes, discarded the pole, and directly used the oars to propel the small boat downstream.
His father had once told him that to go far, one must first follow the river to the prefectural capital. The prefectural capital was a hub with well-connected official roads, making travel anywhere easy. Moreover, in the prefectural capital, there were many people, knowledgeable and experienced, who could guide him to Tianxiang Mountain.
The moonlight was clear that night, and the riverbanks and the shadows of the trees on the banks were clearly visible.
Since he was not in a hurry, he leisurely rowed the oars, moving forward slowly.
He had planned to stop at the next market dock to find an inn and rest. However, the dark, long riverbank seemed endless, extending stubbornly forward, yet the dock remained nowhere in sight.
As he rowed, Mo Qi's eyelids grew heavy, and his head bobbed rhythmically.
Suddenly, a cold wind blew, making Mo Qi shiver violently. He snapped his eyes open, his soul nearly fleeing his body. A dark silhouette stood at the stern of the boat.
What was that? How did it get on the boat?
With a thud, Mo Qi's mind went blank, as if all thought had been drained: "A... a ghost..."
"Not a ghost. Just keep rowing. I won't bother you," the dark silhouette said slowly, its voice that of a middle-aged man.
Mo Qi let out a sigh of relief, patting the area over his heart. It seemed that as long as it could speak, it wasn't as terrifying.
He hadn't docked anywhere, yet this person had boarded the boat so silently. He must be someone like Lingxu, whom he definitely couldn't afford to offend. He might as well just row obediently.
Mo Qi continued to row steadily, and indeed, the person did not disturb him, remaining standing at the bow of the boat without a word.
Mo Qi pretended to look around, occasionally stealing glances at the middle-aged man. In the moonlight, he saw the man dressed in a black robe, his face pale, with a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, as if he had just been injured.
Unconsciously, his eyelids began to droop again. Mo Qi hummed softly, "Sir, please talk to me. I'm so sleepy, it's easy for me to fall asleep if I don't talk."
After a moment of silence, the man gritted out two words, "You speak."
"Where are you going, sir? Perhaps we are not heading in the same direction?" Mo Qi asked cautiously.
"I am going to the desolate lands," the dark silhouette said faintly.
"Then we are not going the same way," Mo Qi said with a dry laugh. He didn't know where the desolate lands were, but he assumed they were very far away.
"We are definitely going the same way," the middle-aged man's face revealed a chilling smile in the night. "Don't believe me? Look down."
What was there to see? It was all water.
Mo Qi glanced down casually and was so terrified that every hair on his body stood on end.
Beneath the boat, there was nothing but emptiness. Occasionally, dark clouds drifted by, and the cold wind whistled past his ears. Looking around, there were no riverbanks, trees, or houses. Only a vast expanse.
The boat was clearly flying in the air! He was so scared he froze, and the boat immediately began to descend rapidly...
"If you don't want to be smashed to death, keep rowing," the middle-aged man said coldly.
Mo Qi quickly resumed rowing, and miraculously, the boat stopped falling and began to travel forward at high speed.
Mo Qi now seemed to understand that the middle-aged man intended to take him to the desolate lands. His heart ached. He was going to cultivate immortality; why go to the desolate lands?
However, facing the imposing aura emanating from the middle-aged man, he didn't even have the courage to say no.
It was then that he finally realized how correct Mo Yun's words about "the road ahead being uncertain and perilous" were. But it was too late to regret it now; he could only take it one step at a time.
"The fare to the desolate lands is very expensive," Mo Qi said softly, looking at the middle-aged man, testing the waters.
The man's eyes showed a piercing gaze. He snorted coldly and said nothing.
It was quite clear that he just wanted a ride and didn't want to pay.
Mo Qi could only curse inwardly, but his actions with his hands did not falter.
After a while, a wave of drowsiness washed over him, and Mo Qi's eyes began to droop again.
In one moment of closing his eyes, another figure appeared on the boat. This person was dressed in a white robe, exuding an ethereal grace. He looked younger and more handsome than the man in black.
The appearance of this person was far less shocking than the first. It was as if he had become accustomed to such things. He even vaguely felt that the boat wasn't lively enough and could accommodate a few more people.
However, he immediately discovered the significant change brought about by this person's arrival. No matter how hard he paddled, the boat remained motionless. He was also afraid of the boat falling, so he continued to row.
"Why don't you pay for the boat?" Mo Qi said to the man in white.
When it came to earning money, Mo Qi never gave up hope. Even at this moment, facing two people who could extinguish his life with a mere gesture, he did not flinch.
The two guests clearly had a standoff, with no time to pay attention to him.
The man in white formed a hand seal, and the sky immediately changed, dark clouds churning to form a massive vortex. Within the dark clouds, lightning rumbled, forming a giant spiderweb in the air, tearing and deforming, like a white demon revealing its ferocious face.
The man in white pointed at the center of the man in black's forehead. A faint white mark immediately appeared there.
The man in black showed fear. The opponent's divine ability was truly troublesome for him. He had been injured by this technique just now.
No matter how powerful ordinary lightning techniques were, he could always deal with them to some extent with his full effort. However, this fellow, in addition to comprehensive bombardment, also had pinpoint targeting. The place where the white mark appeared was precisely where the lightning would strike.
No matter how he dodged, this point was unavoidable. No matter what divine abilities or techniques he used to block it, that point could always break through unreasonably and deliver a heavy blow.
"How can you let me go?" the man in black asked loudly, but his tone clearly carried a hint of pleading.
"It's very simple. Just hand over that Earth Arrow," the man in white said indifferently, ceasing his divine ability. It was as if the more you pleaded, the more I would have you.
It was better not to mention the Earth Arrow. The moment the words "Earth Arrow" were spoken, the man in black became furious. He had just snatched this treasure from someone else and hadn't even had time to warm it in his hands before the man in white caught up.
He had tried it left and right, unsure how to use it, so he couldn't unleash its power. Wasn't this thing said to be world-destroying? Why was it so weak in his hands?
"Take it if you want it," the man in black said angrily, raising his hand. A beam of white light shot towards the man in white's face.
The man in white turned pale with shock. Although the man in black, in his desperation, threw the Earth Arrow like a dart, it was still a heavenly treasure, and its appearance in the world was bound to be accompanied by the might of thunder.
The man in white immediately felt that besides the spiritual energy from the arrowhead, the surrounding area for several yards was accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder, as if a destructive force was charging towards him.
The man in white felt he couldn't resist it head-on. He immediately formed a hand seal and used a teleportation technique to escape.
The Earth Arrow whistled past and struck Mo Qi, embedding itself in his body.
Needless to say, Mo Qi immediately met a gruesome end. The man in black shook his head, seemingly regretting the accidental injury to another, sighed, and flew away.
Mo Qi's body, like a kite with a broken string, drifted down from the sky.
The man in white also shook his head. He knew Mo Qi was beyond saving. He was considering whether to leave him a complete corpse. If he let him fall like this, he would undoubtedly be smashed into a pulp.
Suddenly, he felt something was wrong. How did the Earth Arrow disappear into his body? Normally, shouldn't it have passed through his body?
Moreover, even if he didn't shatter into pieces, he wouldn't have a complete corpse. Shouldn't he have exploded to death?
Most incredibly, the fellow was still screaming his lungs out in mid-air. His wails, along with his falling figure, pierced the night sky, their mournful cries covering tens of thousands of miles, striking fear into the hearts of all under heaven. But shouldn't he have been thoroughly dead?
With these questions, the man in white used his movement technique, and in a flash, he was in front of Mo Qi. He extended his hand, grabbed his robe, and like picking up a chick, lifted him into the air. After slowly landing, he placed him on the ground.
Then, he simply waited, waiting for him to die completely, so he could figure out how to retrieve the Earth Arrow.
However, Mo Qi continued to wail and writhe on the ground, but he showed no signs of dying.
The man in white frowned. Should he lend him a hand and send him on his way?
But what was going on? Perhaps if he could force the treasure out of his body, he might survive. Even if he died, he wouldn't suffer so much.
With this thought, the man in white stepped forward, grabbed one of Mo Qi's shoulders, immobilizing him, causing him to tremble uncontrollably. With his other hand, he touched Mo Qi's forehead and injected his divine sense...
His divine sense searched Mo Qi's body in circles, but he couldn't find any trace of the Earth Arrow.
Had it been digested? Was it that hungry?
What could it not eat, but even ate a magical artifact?
But then he thought, could this be his good fortune?
Never mind. He would help him complete this good fortune. Perhaps, by injecting his spiritual energy, he could suppress the remaining spiritual energy of the magical artifact within him, and he might survive.
Thus, in the next moment, amidst swirling mist and flowing light, the spiritual energy output by the man in white poured continuously into Mo Qi's body. The originally rampaging and merciless force within his body gradually subsided.
Without the physical pain, Mo Qi gradually fell into a coma.
In a daze, he smelled a faint fragrance and felt a hand, as soft as boneless yet filled with power, resting on his chest. A warm current flowed into his body, merging with his bones and soul.
In a trance, he seemed to see the man in white's chest, which was higher than that of ordinary people, giving him an illusion... as if all of this were a dream.
The gentle morning breeze brushed against his face, carrying a hint of coolness. Mo Qi shivered and suddenly opened his eyes, only to find himself lying inside the boat, having fallen asleep at some point.
Last night, he had a long and strange dream. The boat had flown into the air, there was a man in white and a man in black, and he had been injured by something.
The heart-wrenching, bone-scraping pain felt as real as if it had happened. He still felt a lingering fear, thankful that none of it was real.
It must have been because he was too tired that he had such a ridiculous dream.
At this moment, a familiar voice sounded, "Brother Mo, why are you by the river? Didn't you say you'd come to my house to call me? Don't you want to take me with you?"
As the voice approached, Jin Dan, with his luggage and bundle, ran to the riverbank.
He was fortunate that he hadn't waited at home and had proactively gone to Mo Qi's house early in the morning. He found that Mo Qi had already left, so he had rushed to the riverbank to catch up.
Mo Qi looked around and was surprised to find that the boat was now drifting with the current, and it had coincidentally drifted back to his usual ferry point.
He had rowed for most of the night, yet he had only gone in circles. This was impossible; the river wasn't circular.
He felt somewhat dazed, as if everything that had happened last night wasn't just a dream.
Without time to ponder the intricacies, Mo Qi coughed dryly, "How could I not want to take you? If I didn't want to take you, I would have left last night and wouldn't have waited until now. I just momentarily forgot where we were supposed to meet. I remember saying I'd wait for you on the boat."
Fortunately, the boat had just drifted to the shore, otherwise, no matter how he tried to explain, he wouldn't have been able to cover it up.
Jin Dan actually believed this series of impromptu lies and corrected him earnestly, "No, you said you'd come to my house to find me."