Chapter 99: Another old Acquaintance

Mo Tiange naturally didn’t know what Wei Jiasi was shocked about. Well, right now, she really didn’t want to deal with this kind of thing.

Now that she was almost done with her cultivation technique manual, her skills in concocting pills had also gradually reached a point where she could enjoy the process. It was time for her to prepare to build her foundation.

She currently had a Foundation-Building Pill and two Foundation-Refining Pills. If she could concoct a Constitution-Enhancing Pill, her odds of success in building her foundation would be very high, especially under Martial Uncle Xuanyin’s guidance.

Bit by bit, she had bought the materials required for a Constitution-Enhancing Pill. The only item she lacked was a 500-year-old Black Eagle Fern, which she had asked the school’s shops to help her locate.

She didn’t know whether it was because the school’s shops had an abundant supply of goods or because the shop put in extra effort out of consideration for her master, Lord Daoist Jinghe, only after a few days, she received a Sound-Transmitting Talisman telling her that her Black Eagle Fern had arrived.

Mo Tiange hurriedly tidied up her things and made her way towards the market square inside the school.

This market square lay in the main peak. It wasn’t large and consisted of only two streets. However, the school had a lot of disciples, so people were bustling about incessantly and the market square was very lively. Most of the shops there were operated by disciples from the various peaks of the school. If disciples from the peak operating the shop wanted to buy something, they could get a discount. In addition, disciples who wanted to sell things could directly open a small stall on the side of the street. Everything was extremely convenient.

Transactions performed here were protected by the Law Enforcement Hall. If there were any fraudulent transactions or other issues like the use of coercion during a transaction, the perpetrator would be ordered to refund the money after an investigation. In more severe cases, they could even be expelled from the school. Because of these reasons, all disciples of the school liked to shop here as they felt it was safe.

When Mo Tiange arrived in the market square, she didn’t stop anywhere else and went directly to Clear Spring Peak’s apothecary, which had sent the notification to her.

This apothecary wasn’t large, but their business was very good. There were many Aura Refining disciple patrons coming and going, and Foundation Building cultivators also weren’t a rare sight.

Luo Fengxue told her that Xuanqing School had more than 500 Foundation Building disciples and Mo Tiange believed her. On Mount Taikang, no matter where she went, she could easily run into Foundation Building cultivators. There were clearly an abundance of them.

“Senior Martial Brother,” Mo Tiange called the busy shop clerk after she entered the shop. “I came to pick up the Black Eagle Fern.”

The shop clerk was wearing an ordinary disciple’s uniform and was only in the fifth layer of the Aura Refining realm. He turned around when he heard her voice, but once he saw the robe she was wearing, he waved his hands and said, “Senior Martial Sister is too polite. I can’t afford you addressing me as ‘Senior Martial Brother.’ En, Black Eagle Fern? Are you Senior Martial Sister Mo Tiange from Clear Spring Peak?”

Upon seeing his terrified expression, Mo Tiange finally realized that her identity now was different and there was no need for her to be meek and subservient as she was in Yunwu Sect. She was the registered disciple of Grandmaster Jinghe – this was a position that was coveted even by Foundation Building cultivators. It was fine for her to be a bit haughty in Xuanqing School; actually, if her demeanor was too low-key, people might even look down on her.

After she realized this, she calmly straightened up and said to the clerk, “Yes, your shop contacted me and said that my 500-year Black Eagle Fern has arrived. I’ve come to pick it up.”

“Yes, yes, Senior Martial Sister. Please wait here a moment,” the clerk said. He then ran hastily into the back room.

“Senior Martial Sister.” Another shop clerk came to her to serve tea and said, “Please sit here for a moment and drink some tea first.”

Mo Tiange nodded and said to him, “Thank you.”

Right when she picked up the teacup, a man walked into the shop.

The clerk serving tea to her hastily stepped forward and greeted, “Martial Uncle Ye, you came!”

The man who entered the shop was a young-looking Foundation Building cultivator. He casually swept his gaze over the shop and asked, “Is Seven Pistil Quince ¹ in stock?”

The clerk smiled and said, “They’ve just arrived today. Please take a seat first. I’ll go and gather some for you.”

The clerk shouted some things towards the back room then ushered the man to take a seat at the side and served him some tea.

As the man drank the tea, he seemed to sense Mo Tiange’s gaze. He turned towards her, revealed a friendly smile then once again dropped his head to drink.

This persons’ attitude was calm. He obviously didn’t know her but he didn’t reproach her rudeness. Apparently, he had a gentle temperament.

Mo Tiange didn’t act as respectful as ordinary Aura Refining disciples upon seeing a Foundation Building senior. Her eyes revealed doubt as she cautiously said, “Martial Uncle, may I ask…”

The man looked up upon hearing her voice.

After she examined the man’s valiant-looking face then recalled “Martial Uncle Ye’s” words, Mo Tiange was almost 100% certain, but she still needed to make sure so she asked, “Martial Uncle, is your name perhaps Ye Jingwen?”

Once he heard her question, confusion appeared on the man’s face. He said, “Correct. Do I know you?”

It’s really him!

Ye Jingwen’s looks hadn’t changed much. Ten years for Foundation Building cultivators were nothing. He still had the youthful appearance he had before, so Mo Tiange was able to recognize him with one look.

Seeing his familiar face, memories of the past rushed into Mo Tiange’s mind. She said, “… Does Martial Uncle remember… ten years ago, the Mo Family’s Village in Liancheng County of Jin Country?”

After a moment of confusion, Ye Jingwen seemed a bit surprised. He carefully examined her appearance, realized something and said, “You… you’re that little girl!?”

Mo Tiange nodded and smiled. She then stood up and bowed to him. “In the past, I didn’t understand your good intentions and left without saying goodbye. Today, I have to offer you an apology.”

Seeing her saluting him so formally, Ye Jingwen hastily stood up and bowed back. “Please don’t treat me like a stranger. The incident happened because I didn’t give you a clear explanation…”

He wasn’t done talking, but the clerk had already returned to the room while shouting, “Martial Uncle Ye, Senior Martial Sister Mo, your spiritual plants… Ah! The two of you know each other!”

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This clerk had obviously become muddled because of the shock. He even forgot to hand over the spiritual plants. Fortunately, the other clerk was quick-witted and handed over the spiritual plants to them. “Martial Uncle Ye, Senior Martial Sister Mo, please take a look to see whether there are any problems with your items.”

Mo Tiange and Ye Jingwen smiled at each other before inspecting their respective things.

“Not bad. This Black Eagle Fern is old enough… How much does this cost?”

The clerk answered, “The total is 300 spirit stones, but since you’re a disciple from Clear Spring Peak, you can get a 10% discount, so the total is 270 spirit stones.”

Even though Black Eagle Fern wasn’t rare, this price for a 500-year-old spiritual plant was still very cheap. So, Mo Tiange didn’t object and directly handed over the spirit stones.

When Mo Tiange finished storing her spiritual plant, Ye Jingwen had also finished his transaction and walked towards her. “This… Tiange?”

Mo Tiange nodded with a smile.

Ye Jingwen also smiled at her. While they left the shop, Mo Tiange heard him say, “I’ve been in Closed Door Meditation. It was only two days ago when I came out that I heard you came to Xuanqing School, so I haven’t had the chance to say hello to you… You’ve really grown up. I couldn’t recognize you.”

It was no wonder he didn’t seem too shocked – it turned out he had heard about her coming to Xuanqing School.

“Martial Uncle Ye…”

“Hey, don’t call me that.” Once he heard how she addressed him, Ye Jingwen shook his head to stop her. “I know Grandmaster Jinghe has already accepted you as his registered disciple. Even though registered disciples aren’t included in the seniority rank, you’re being taught by Martial Uncle Xuanyin, right? According to the rules, calling me senior martial brother will suffice. Besides, back then, you used to call me Big Brother Ye.”

“This…” Mo Tiange pondered for a moment then bluntly called him, “Big Brother Ye.”

Ye Jingwen couldn’t help but sigh when he heard this. “So many years passed by in the blink of an eye. You’re already a young woman now… Tiange, how have you been all these years?”

For a moment, Mo Tiange was confused on how to answer this question.

If she answered good, she would be neglecting the fact that she endured a lot of hardships; if she answered not good, she would be neglecting the fact that Second Uncle had guarded her life with his own and she indeed felt blessed.

“I’ve been… pretty good, I guess.”

Ye Jingwen could clearly see from her conflicted expression that she had endured a lot of difficulties the past few years. He sighed and said, “It’s my fault for not explaining things clearly. After the two of you disappeared, I didn’t understand what the problem was. It was only after I heard about your news two days ago that I finally realized the reason…”

Actually, Mo Tiange had always felt very guilty about suspecting Ye Jingwen of harboring ill intentions. Now that he brought up the confusion he felt for the last ten years, she couldn’t help but feel remorseful. “Sorry, Big Brother Ye, my uncle was just worried about me. In the end, we caused you to fail to accomplish your task.”

Ye Jingwen said, “You don’t have to be like this. The two of you left of your own accord; Senior Martial Brother Zheng of Mount Dongmeng testified on my behalf. Besides, instead of receiving a punishment, Martial Uncle Shoujing gave me a lot of rewards… If that didn’t happen, how could I have possibly advanced into the middle stage of the Foundation Building realm so quickly?”

“Ah? I see, then I have to congratulate Big Brother Ye.” Mo Tiange knew Ye Jingwen wasn’t very old. Back then, his real age seemed to be about thirty years old, so presumably, he must be around forty years old, right? He could be considered to have reached the middle stage of the Foundation Building realm at a relatively young age.

Ye Jingwen smiled and shook his head. “It was just luck, not because of my own skills. You, on the other hand, were only in the second layer of the Aura Refining realm, but you’re already in the peak of the Aura Refining realm ten years later! Your skills aren’t necessarily inferior to elite disciples from large cultivation groups!”

Mo Tiange merely smiled and said, “It’s just because I took a lot of medicinal pills.”

That was the truth. If Second Uncle hadn’t made her ingest medicinal pills like they were rice, she would only have reached the sixth or seventh layer of the Aura Refining realm at the most. It would’ve been impossible for her to reach the doorstep of the Foundation Building realm at this point!

“Don’t be so modest. If you were in Xuanqing School all these years, I definitely wouldn’t have praised you.”

Mo Tiange couldn’t help but chuckle. That was quite reasonable; other people might not be aware of her natural endowments, but Ye Jingwen was in the know. Her accomplishments were indeed very difficult to achieve for someone with five spiritual roots and no cultivation group to depend on; it wasn’t easy for people like her to reach the doorstep of the Foundation Building realm within ten years.

“By the way, how did you meet Martial Uncle Shoujing? What a coincidence.”

“En?” Mo Tiange doubtfully said, “I didn’t meet Martial Uncle Shoujing; I just met Senior Martial Brother Qin Xi. Second Uncle used the Ten Thousands of Miles Sound-Transmitting Talisman, asking for help from Martial Uncle Shoujing, but Senior Martial Brother Qin happened to be in the vicinity and was ordered to help us.”

“Qin Xi?” Ye Jingwen said, while thinking to himself. This name… He had never heard it before… Although there were many people in Clear Spring Peak, someone who was entrusted with this kind of task by Martial Uncle Shoujing should be an advanced inner disciple at the very least.

“Yes, does that name sound familiar to Big Brother Ye? Senior Martial Brother Qin is Martial Uncle Shoujing’s blood-related junior. I think he should be in the same generation as you.”

Blood-related junior?  Although Ye Jingwen didn’t know what had happened, he intuitively knew there must be something wrong. On second thought, he also didn’t know what Martial Uncle Shoujing’s real name was. Could it be…

With this thought in mind, Ye Jingwen asked another question, “This Senior Martial Brother Qin you’re talking about – is he almost the same height as me, doesn’t like to speak, rarely shows any expression, and is engrossed in cultivating every day?”

“En… He was like that originally. However, it’s not that Senior Martial Brother Qin doesn’t like to speak – he also often smiles when you’re close to him.”

“…”

“Big Brother Ye, what’s wrong?” Mo Tiange felt a bit confused.  Is Senior Martial Brother Qin maybe on bad terms with people? Why does everyone I talk to about him have this kind of expression?

“Nothing.” Ye Jingwen wiped the sweat on his face and changed the topic. “Nowadays, you must be about to build your foundation?”

Mo Tiange nodded and answered, “Almost. It’ll take me some time to finish my preparations, but after that, I’ll enter Closed Door Meditation to build my foundation.”

“En. A bit more preparation is good during foundation-building. There’s no harm in it… Don’t hesitate to tell me if you have anything you need help with.”

Seeing him being so earnest, Mo Tiange smiled and said, “Thank you.”