Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
—
The mountain woods were covered in green maple leaves. Several young adults with earphones on were taking a morning run on the quiet paths.
Higher on the mountain stood a pavilion with a view of Fanxue City. Two middle-aged men were playing chess inside it, each with a pot of tea on their side. People who walked by would give them a quick glance. Even the squirrels on the branches were eating nuts and watching the match in silence.
“Brother, you always went easy on me when we played chess back in the old days. Why did you checkmate me so quickly?” Mu Zhuoyun asked helplessly.
“Why don’t you say my skills have improved over the years?” Mo Jiaxin laughed and poured tea into Mu Zhuoyun’s cup.
Mu Zhuoyun immediately stopped him and said, “I can do it myself.”
“It’s fine,” Mo Jiaxin insisted on pouring half a cup of tea for Mu Zhuoyun. He added, “Forgive my son for his immature acts. Either way, you have taken good care of me over the years.”
The two had known one another for almost thirty years. They enjoyed each other’s congenial company.
“To be honest, I’ve wasted so many years pursuing fame and power. I should really learn from you by enjoying my life and fulfilling my responsibilities as a father,” Mu Zhuoyun murmured.
“I’m just a good-for-nothing. How can I compare myself to you? Speaking of which, how come you called me here to play chess today? Oh, I remember now,” Mo Jiaxin took a sip of his tea. He drank the tea without noticing the tiny branch that had fallen into the cup.
“I’m really grateful for what you did. Otherwise, I would have been late back then. Your driving skills are unmatched,” Mu Zhuoyun recalled.
“It all happened when we were still young. I must say, Mu Ningxue always reminds me of her whenever I see her. She was really like a phoenix in our little city back then. Every man our age was fond of her. You had a lot of competitors too,” Mu Jiaxin recalled the past. It somehow added some extra taste to the bitter tea he was drinking.
“Speaking of which, you were the final winner in the end. Your son has taken my daughter,” Mu Zhuoyun said.
“HAHAHA, so the father is unwilling to let go of his daughter?”
“I used to think it was good to have a daughter. She’s just as gorgeous as her mother. I treated her like a pearl in the palm, but now that I think about it, having a son seems better,” Mu Zhuoyun remarked.
“We are already family. Why are you saying that now? If Mo Fan dares to be disrespectful to you, just beat the crap out of him. He won’t dare to fight back,” Mo Jiaxin said.
“By the way, brother, didn’t you always want to go around the world when you were young? You should do it before the sea monsters show up. Who knows what the world will become in the next two or three years? I remember you were collecting stamps from different countries. Perhaps the cities on the stamps might be gone by then,” Mu Zhuoyun mentioned.
“That was a long time ago. Do you think I still have the mood to go traveling?” Mo Jiaxin shook his head.
“Think of it as fulfilling your dream. I will be visiting a few countries soon, to find buyers for the Golden Reefs. You can come with me, but I won’t have much time to accompany you. Perhaps I can ask my nephew to bring you around?” Mu Zhuoyun inquired.
“Well…” Mo Jiaxin was a little hesitant. He had not gone to many places in China, let alone going overseas!
“I’ll help you with the visas,” Mu Zhuoyun smiled.
“Fine, I’ll go, but there’s no need to ask your nephew to accompany me. I can go around myself. If I can’t speak their language, I’ll just use hand gestures. If it’s not enough, I’ll just download a translation app with my phone!” Mo Jiaxin nodded.
“It’s decided then. Let us play one more match. I don’t believe I can’t win a single match today!”
—
—
Mo Fan was deeper in the mountains.
Yu Shishi was still living like a woman in a hidden land of peace and prosperity. She spent her days drying red beans and living a peaceful life that was nothing like the lifestyle of a city.
“Have some red bean soup.” Yu Shishi handed Mo Fan a bowl of soup and asked him, “How is Ningxue doing?”
“She needs more time to rest. She was consuming her life span when she overdrew the power of her soul. Perhaps she thinks she isn’t aging quickly enough!” Mo Fan grumbled.
Mu Ningxue’s Ice Crystal Bow had several Seals on it. She only had control over a small portion of the Seals. She could barely control the Ice Crystal Bow’s full power.
She was already forcing it when she fired the arrow that had forced Mu Yinfeng to use the Ice Phoenix’s Reincarnation. She could only fire two of the same arrows at most.
As for Blood Release, she was firing the arrow at the cost of her own lifespan. She might have crippled Mu Feiluan, but she had paid a huge price for it.
It was difficult to heal damage inflicted on a person’s soul. Mo Fan was worried that her body might deteriorate greatly after she reached thirty.
“I still have a tiny petal of the Tianshan Sacred Lotus. I’ll mix it with some herbs for her. She’ll be fine,” Yu Shishi said.
“That’s great. Hang on, why do you still have the Tianshan Sacred Lotus? Didn’t you use it to refine my Heaven Seed? Did you take some of it as your commission?” Mo Fan inquired bluntly.
“Do you still want me to heal Ningxue?”
“I’ll only believe half of your words from now on!” Mo Fan sniffed.
“Your Lesser Heaven Earth Seed is almost ready. You should really thank Ningxue, she has been using Fanxue Mountain’s resources to find the ingredients for you. She even went out to the sea to look for some of them. You know how dangerous the sea monsters are now…” Yu Shishi sniffed.
The words filled Mo Fan’s heart with warmth. He had finally conquered Mu Ningxue’s body and heart after so many years. She was acting more like his wife now!
“You should hurry up and improve your Earth Element. A Heaven Seed is powerful, but without the support of your cultivation, it’s no different from a rock on the side of the road!” Yu Shishi went on.
“Do you think it’s easy? Try looking after so many Elements on your own! I’m already a genius, being able to improve four of my Elements to the Super Level! What else do you want me to do? How many Universe Veins will I need?” Mo Fan grumbled.
“How uneducated are you? Even a woman who barely goes outside knows a Mage can only use a Universe Vein once. Its effects are only a tenth as strong when you use a second one!” Yu Shishi told him.
“Huh?” Mo Fan was lost for words. A Mage can only use one Universe Vein?
Did that mean he had to look for another way to improve the rest of his Elements to the Super Level?
Mo Fan’s head started to spin. How am I supposed to improve the Summoning Element to the Super Level now?
His Earth Element and Chaos Element were still lacking some maturity, too!
“By the way, did you know the little cub went home with her mother?” Yu Shishi continued.
“I was wondering where she was. I only saw the little moth playing on her own.”
“Mm, the ice on Tianshan Mountain has melted, so the mountain is accessible again. One night, I heard a howl in the distance.. Not long after, the little cub came up and licked me to say goodbye,” Yu Shishi told him.
