Finally, Mo Qi had to promise everyone that he would bring back another batch of elixirs next time, and in addition to the Longevity Elixir, he would also bring back Healing Elixirs, Immunity Elixirs, and Fatigue-Free Elixirs!
Everyone left satisfied. Mo Yun pulled Mo Qi, "Come, let's go home for a bit."
Mo Zhenzhen climbed onto Mo Qi's back without a word, "Brother, we're going home."
Mo Qi smiled wryly and walked home, carrying Mo Zhenzhen on his back.
"Brother, I want to cultivate with you," Mo Zhenzhen suddenly said.
In fact, before she could even voice it, Mo Qi had been considering this issue on his way back from Lingxiao Sect. He felt that Zhenzhen, being intelligent and quick-witted, would surely achieve something once she entered the cultivation world, with her own efforts combined with the aid of elixirs.
But the problem was that his uncle only had her as his daughter. Would he agree to her leaving? Even if his uncle agreed, his aunt would not.
"Nonsense. Your brother has only been in the sect for a few years and hasn't even established himself yet. Don't go causing trouble," Mo Yun said.
Mo Qi, with a look that suggested everything could be handled, glanced at Mo Yun and said, "This issue isn't too big. The main concern is you, Uncle. Are you truly at ease with Zhenzhen leaving you? Remember when Steward Lu learned that Xiao Yue was going to cultivate? He was heartbroken, as if it were a permanent farewell."
Mo Yun smiled, "If she can cultivate, it is her destiny. Even if we never see each other again in this life, I will know she has achieved her wish and is living the life she desires. I would be overjoyed, not obstructive."
Mo Qi had admired his uncle's character since childhood. Hearing his words now, he felt utterly convinced. Such magnanimity and bearing, how could Steward Lu compare?
"But Auntie might not agree," Mo Qi said.
"Even if she doesn't agree, I will go with you," Mo Zhenzhen said, a little indignantly.
As they entered the courtyard, they saw Li Cuilan washing clothes at the door. Upon seeing Mo Qi, she didn't speak, continuing to wash clothes with her head down.
Mo Qi put Zhenzhen down and respectfully called out, "Auntie."
Li Cuilan nodded, still without speaking, her expression blank.
Before Mo Qi and the others entered the house, someone had already spread the word that Mo Qi had returned and brought back some elixirs with miraculous, immediate effects. The village dog, whose leg had been injured for months and was almost crippled, was cured instantly after taking the elixir. He also had some elixirs that could grant immortality, which he freely distributed by the river, and many people received them.
Li Cuilan felt unbalanced. These unrelated people could receive elixirs, yet she, who had provided him with food and clothing, had no reason not to receive elixirs. But now Mo Qi was an immortal, capable of ending her life with a flick of his finger. She certainly dared not scold him as she used to, nor could she force him.
Thinking this, Li Cuilan felt a pang of anxiety. She heard that Mo Qi would be leaving soon, and if he left, she didn't know if he would ever return.
"Mother, I want to cultivate with Brother," Mo Zhenzhen said directly.
"Absolutely not. Forget about it. I will not agree," Li Cuilan said just as directly.
"Why not?" Mo Zhenzhen's eyes immediately welled up with tears. "From childhood, I've listened to you in everything. But on this matter, I cannot listen to you. I want to listen to myself, plan according to my own thoughts and aspirations, and live my own wonderful life, not be your appendage forever."
Li Cuilan was furious. She immediately sprang up, rushed over, and raised her hand to slap Mo Zhenzhen across the face. "You've gone too far!"
A palm appeared out of nowhere, gently grasping her wrist and stopping her hand from reaching Zhenzhen's face. Li Cuilan tugged her hand, but couldn't break free.
Li Cuilan looked closely and saw it was Mo Qi.
Her stubbornness surged. "What do you think you're doing? Is it because you're an immortal that you can bully us mortals? Help! Come quickly and see, the immortal is hitting people! The immortal is hitting people!"
The neighbors, long accustomed to her unreasonable behavior, remained indifferent to her shouting. Besides, who could save them if an immortal struck?
Mo Qi extended his other hand, offering an elixir. "Auntie, this is for you. A Longevity Elixir. After taking it, you will be immune to all illnesses and live a hundred years."
Li Cuilan blinked. Within moments, she took the elixir and swallowed it. Mo Qi continued, "If Zhenzhen goes to cultivate, she can refine elixirs like this, for longevity, healing, resurrection, beauty... anything she wants. After refining elixirs, she can also bring them back to show her filial piety. Moreover, once she learns divine abilities and magic, even if she is thousands of miles away, she can return with a single spell, and you can see her anytime."
Li Cuilan's eyes darted. "If that's the case, then it's acceptable. I'm not an unreasonable person. As long as it's beneficial for Zhenzhen, I think it's perfectly fine to do."
Mo Qi released his hand, and she returned to washing clothes.
Mo Zhenzhen was so happy she danced with joy and immediately ran into the house to pack her belongings.
Mo Yun and Mo Qi entered the room and recounted the events of the past six years. Not much had happened in the village. Their eldest uncle had passed away. The village simpleton had drowned in the river two years ago. Steward Lu's concubine Chunlan had given birth to another son, named Xiao Ming.
Mo Qi recounted the hardships and dangers he had encountered over the past six years, such as fierce beasts, bandits, and disasters. He had faced various crises along the way and narrowly escaped each time. In Mount Xiuluo, he had been jointly ambushed by assassins sent by the four major sects, his life hanging by a thread several times. Fortunately, he had survived due to his resilience and a fierce, desperate battle.
Mo Yun listened with a pounding heart, almost crying out several times.
"I never imagined the cultivation world would be so dangerous. Perhaps Zhenzhen's matter should be dropped," Mo Yun said hesitantly.
Mo Qi shook his head. "Heavenly tribulations are imminent, and the world will fall into chaos. There will be no peaceful place. Learning a skill to protect oneself might offer a glimmer of hope in these turbulent times. I support Zhenzhen cultivating."
Mo Yun pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement.
Mo Qi stayed in Fengxi Village for a full day before leaving. During his stay, people continued to come to his door asking for elixirs, but he refused them all. The one he gave to Li Cuilan was one he had secretly kept. He felt that although Li Cuilan was not a good person, he had eaten her food and accepted her support, so he had to show some gratitude.
Some also came asking to be taken to cultivate, but Mo Qi refused them, citing a lack of spiritual roots, making it impossible to enter.
Zhenzhen felt incredibly fortunate and, unable to contain herself, kissed Mo Qi on the forehead.
In reality, Mo Qi did believe Mo Zhenzhen possessed spiritual roots. Although her talent might not be as heaven-defying as Lu Xiaoyue's, she would certainly progress faster and achieve more than others, like Jin Dan.
After Mo Qi and Jin Dan left Fengxi Village, they parted ways. Jin Dan returned to Lingxiao Mountain, while Mo Qi took Mo Zhenzhen to the Divine Elixir Sect.
Later, the bridge was named "Qi Dan Bridge," and a monument was erected at its head, commemorating the great deeds of Mo Qi and Jin Dan in building the bridge.
At the Divine Elixir Sect, Mo Qi found Apothecary Lai and asked him to make arrangements. Apothecary Lai was straightforward and directly assigned Mo Zhenzhen to Yaochi Peak. After all, it was an isolated place, conducive to her cultivation and growth. Mo Qi gave Mo Zhenzhen some elixirs, and the rest depended on her destiny.
Mo Zhenzhen entered Yaochi Peak as a mortal and naturally could not withstand the biting cold. Mo Qi gave her an elixir to resist the cold. At the same time, Xue Nu, using her spiritual power, infused a special divine ability into it. This ability was tailor-made for those without a foundation who wished to cultivate ice and snow divine abilities. It would not only help her endure the cold but also aid her in quickly mastering them.
The night passed without incident.
The next day, Mo Qi, Xue Nu, and Wu Siqi were ready to depart.
They discussed the matter and felt that all three tasks were quite difficult. Relatively speaking, finding Hong Cheng seemed simpler. They could first go to Duoshe Cliff to gather information about Hong Cheng's disappearance and then search based on that information. The search and apprehension of the unidentified overseas cultivators could also be investigated at Duoshe Cliff, to understand the characteristics of cultivators from Hongmeng Sea or other continents, and the characteristics of unidentified cultivators, which would then facilitate the search and apprehension. Collecting evidence of the Shenggui Sect's collusion with the Hongmeng Sea cultivation world felt like starting from scratch. If this task absolutely had to be done, they would have to investigate from the periphery, and perhaps trying their luck at Duoshe Cliff first.
Considering all this, they decided to head directly to Duoshe Cliff.
On the road, Wu Siqi felt rather bored and, trying to make conversation, recalled the matter of purchasing magical artifacts that day. He said, "Xue Nu, you seemed particularly angry that day. Why were you upset? It's really unnecessary. There are many poor people like us. There's no need to take it to heart. One should know that comparing oneself to others leads to death, and contentment brings eternal happiness."
Mo Qi also looked at her with an expression that suggested, "If you have money, you should spend it together; there's no need to sulk."
Xue Nu felt utterly speechless. How could she be traveling with such people? Encountering one blockhead was bad enough, but encountering two at once! Besides lamenting the unfairness of fate, all she could do was quicken her pace.
After several hours of flight, they entered the An Nan region. The An Nan region was generally shrouded in mist, and the sky was particularly low. People said that the An Nan realm was the head of the Ancestral Dragon. The part below its eyes was in the Hongmeng Sea, while its head emerged from the sea, with its two dragon horns pointing away from the sea, like two sharp swords piercing the firmament.
The part emerging from the sea was always covered in sea mist, so no matter where they went, it was misty, with water vapor rising everywhere.
After another few hours, the three entered a forest area. According to the jade slip, this forest was called the Sea of Bitterness Forest, inhabited by demonic beasts and possibly merfolk, and rarely visited by ordinary people. Passing through the Sea of Bitterness Forest, they would reach Duoshe Cliff.
This area, described as a forest, looked like seaweed from the surrounding vegetation. The tree trunks were thick but always curved, and the leaves were long and slender, curled up.
Water vapor constantly rose between the trees, and occasionally scaled creatures swam past them, making it feel as if they were underwater. However, when they looked up, the blue sky was deep, white clouds drifted, and the sun hung in the sky. It was clearly as if they were on land.
Various small animals and schools of "fish" swam past them, each on their way, not disturbing each other, creating a harmonious scene. The three were immersed in this peculiar scenery, completely unaware of the lurking danger around them.
Suddenly, the countless "leaves" of a nearby tree straightened and grew infinitely, forming vines that instantly wrapped around Wu Siqi, binding him tightly. Then, they dragged his body towards the branches. The leaves above the trunk parted, revealing a hole, dark and deep, like an abyss, from which a cold, bloody aura flowed. Wu Siqi's body was dragged towards that hole. His limbs were tightly bound, rendering him unable to move. He struggled desperately, but it was in vain; instead, the vines tightened their grip.
Simultaneously, several other trees extended vines towards Mo Qi and Xue Nu. Mo Qi summoned the Bone-Eroding Mirror, emitting a brilliant radiance. As it spun, it shattered the vines, instantly turning them into dust. The branches immediately emitted a "squeaking" sound, as if in pain, and quickly retracted the remaining unbroken vines, eventually coiling into a ball, forming a cauliflower-like shape.
Seeing Wu Siqi about to be swallowed into the hole in the tree trunk, Mo Qi quickly turned the Bone-Eroding Mirror in another direction. Radiance shot out, shattering the vines inch by inch. Wu Siqi's body continued to slide forward for a distance before slowly coming to a halt, still bound by the vines and unable to move. However, without the connection to its source, the vines had no spiritual power. Wu Siqi exerted a slight surge of spiritual power, and the vines instantly detached and shattered.