Chapter 158: Formally Taking a Master After Returning

Chapter 158: Chapter 158: Formally Taking a Master After Returning

When their master’s voice reached their ears, the three, who had yet to leave the kitchen, exchanged a look. After confirming they weren’t just hearing things, they walked directly toward another bamboo grove.

Inside the Bamboo Garden, Mo Xuan and Bai Qiulan were sitting opposite each other in a pavilion. Beside Bai Qiulan’s hand lay a thick Secret Manual.

"Isn’t this a bit excessive?"

Mo Xuan glanced at the Secret Manual. It detailed every spell his wife, Bai Qiulan, was familiar with—familiar with, not mastered. There were at least thirty of them.

If Liu Chen could master them all, he might never need to learn another spell in his life. As long as his Realm advanced, this collection of Magic would be more than enough.

"Who’s going to teach him Magic after we leave?"

Bai Qiulan glanced at Mo Xuan. While she agreed Liu Chen needed to be tested, she felt the Mo Family’s trial rules were far too cruel. She worried their best disciple might never return to the Mo Family, or worse, that he might die on the journey.

"It can’t be helped. I’m counting on him to help me run the Mo Family one day."

Mo Xuan looked away. ’The trial is indeed a hassle,’ he thought. ’If I hadn’t stumbled upon Purple Cloud Valley’s recruitment drive back then, I probably wouldn’t have found a stable environment for my own cultivation either.’

"Since the Mo Family’s trial has neither a Guardian nor a Protective Spiritual Artifact, I can only do my best to give Liu Chen more ways to protect himself."

Bai Qiulan shook her head. ’Liu Chen’s talent for Magic is immense,’ she thought. ’If he can learn all the spells recorded here, he’ll have a great chance of cultivating all the way to the Bright Aperture Realm. At that point, he can return to the Mo Family directly.’

"I’ve already sent a message to the Mo Family. We have to leave next month."

Mo Xuan quickly changed the subject. This month, they had to handle his two disciples’ family matters and also take care of the handover of Purple Bamboo Peak. Next month, as soon as the Mo Family’s Flying Ship arrived, they would have to leave immediately.

"They’re here. And you need to be clear about this: if anything happens to Liu Chen, it will affect Suyao and Linglong. We’ve raised those two like our own daughters."

Bai Qiulan shook her head, then looked toward the entrance of the Bamboo Garden.

Liu Chen slowly entered the Bamboo Garden with his two junior sisters. After bowing to his master and his master’s wife, he stood respectfully in place.

"Suyao, Linglong, next month I will take you back to the Mo Family. From that day forward, you will be Mo Family Disciples. Before we go, I will have your senior brother visit your parents and families to sign a Spirit Contract. Of course, if you’re unwilling to come, I will find you a proper master here on Purple Bamboo Peak."

Mo Xuan stood, his hands clasped behind his back as he looked down at the three of them. ’If these two aren’t willing to return to the Mo Family, all my preparations will have been a joke.’

Bai Qiulan saw the fists Mo Xuan had clenched behind his back, and her gaze fell upon Ye Linglong and Ji Suyao, whose expressions had changed.

To Bai Qiulan and Mo Xuan’s consternation, the two girls showed little hesitation. Instead, they both looked toward Liu Chen, their eyes filled with confusion.

"Liu Chen, I intend for you to participate directly in the Mo Family’s trial. Once you pass it, you may return to the Mo Family."

Sensing things were going awry, Mo Xuan quickly added his last statement. ’If all three of my disciples stay behind in Purple Cloud Valley because of Liu Chen, the Old Man’s ’care’ for me when I get back will be even more brutal.’

’The last time that girl Jinyu came, she must have learned about the situation on the back mountain, even if she didn’t make her presence known. There’s no way the Old Man doesn’t know about my three disciples.’

’If only the two of us go back, my wife will certainly be put on a pedestal, while I’ll probably be facing a whole new trial myself.’

"The decision is yours, Master."

Liu Chen didn’t have any strong feelings about it. After all, aside from following his master, he didn’t seem to have anywhere else to go.

"Whatever..."

Ji Suyao and Ye Linglong exchanged a look and quickly started to speak. They felt more at ease with their senior brother than with their two masters, with whom they didn’t interact as much on a daily basis.

Aside from their one-month expedition to Fire Dragon Valley, the three of them were otherwise inseparable.

Witnessing all this, Bai Qiulan smiled faintly. The fists behind Mo Xuan’s back finally relaxed. Putting aside what would happen after returning to the Mo Family, for now, he finally felt that his efforts had not been in vain.

"Alright, that’s settled. When the Great Xia Dynasty’s festival begins, you will all go and settle your worldly affairs. Upon your return, you will formally be inducted as my disciples."

Mo Xuan slowly sat down. ’Finally, that’s over with,’ he thought with relief. Though he didn’t spend much time with them on a daily basis, he had felt a knot of tension when the two girls hesitated.

"This is the reward you earned from the trial in Fire Dragon Valley. As for this Secret Manual, study it well. It might allow you to get through the trial safely."

Mo Xuan put the Magic Secret Manual from the table into a Storage Ring and handed it to Liu Chen. ’It’s not a lie,’ he thought. ’If he can master these spells, they’ll be more than enough for basic survival. With his innate talent for cultivation, advancing to the Bright Aperture Realm shouldn’t be a problem.’

’This is just the first part,’ he mused. ’When it’s time for us to leave, I’ll have to prepare a few more things for him.’

"Thank you, Master."

Liu Chen accepted the Storage Ring. Glancing inside, he found it was similar to the five he already wore, with enough space to store roughly two hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

What surprised Liu Chen even more was that, inside, besides the Magic Secret Manual, there was the sealed corpse of a Flood Dragon. There were also a few tattered secret manuals of unknown purpose.

"You may go. Tomorrow afternoon, I will help you refine the Spirit Ghost."

Mo Xuan nodded, his heart a tangle of complicated emotions. ’Liu Chen hasn’t objected for now,’ he thought, ’but things might change once he learns the actual details of the trial.’

’When I first learned the details of the trial myself, I resolutely used a Teleportation Talisman to escape the designated area and ended up here in the Great Xia Dynasty. Since I was born into the Mo Family, I was unhappy with the trial, but I eventually came to understand the deeper meaning behind our ancestral teachings.’

’But Liu Chen won’t even be going to the Mo Family first. The Sect Leader was right—how Liu Chen will react when the time comes is completely beyond my control.’

Liu Chen slowly left the Bamboo Garden with his two junior sisters. He truly didn’t understand why a simple trial was being made into such a serious affair. ’Usually when he teaches me Magic, it’s just a single sheet of paper. Now he’s giving me an entire Secret Manual. Just how terrifying is this trial going to be?’

"Have you thought this through? If Liu Chen ultimately fails to return to the Mo Family, or if an accident befalls him on the way, the two girls we treat as daughters will hate us for the rest of their lives."

After the three had left, Bai Qiulan broke the silence. "Based on what I know of the Mo Family, not everyone is required to take the trial. Liu Chen could return to the Mo Family without taking it. Even if he couldn’t be involved in managing the family, he would never want for resources."

"The Mo Family is powerful, yes, but ultimately, it must rely on the Wuji Immortal Sect. Yet the Mo Family has no True Disciples within the sect. With Liu Chen’s Talent, the Mo Family is merely a stepping stone for him. One way or another, his final destination is the Wuji Immortal Sect."