Chapter 11: The Unknown Realm

◎ Not in the Sect, Whereabouts Unknown ◎

In the corner, You Xiaowu sat upright and stiff, visibly uneasy.

The senior sister had folded a paper figure to help her grind ink and waved at him to go entertain himself, while she continued handling official matters with an air of indifference. The accumulated letters were stacked like a mountain—it looked like she’d be at it all night.

The Nascent Soul elder leaned lazily against the railing, drinking and enjoying himself. The girl who had been fanning the senior sister had now gone over to pour wine for the elder.

You Xiaowu watched him with a worried expression. If the elder got drunk and started making a scene in front of them, what were they supposed to do? With just his and the senior sister’s cultivation levels, they probably couldn’t stop him, let alone escape. And afterward… would the elder, enraged and humiliated, take it out on them?

You Xiaowu’s anxiety was written all over his face.

“Little monk, come here.”

Mo Changge curled his lips into a smile and beckoned at him, as if calling a dog.

You Xiaowu’s anxiety instantly turned to fear. He clamped his mouth shut, terrified that the elder would force him to drink.

“Why do I feel like the way you’re looking at me is like I’m some kind of pervert?”

You Xiaowu hugged himself tighter, shaking his head like a rattle drum. But then the elder crooked his finger, and You Xiaowu’s body moved against his will, settling beside the elder.

Damn. Curse this gap in cultivation.

Mo Changge draped an arm over You Xiaowu’s shoulders. You Xiaowu visibly trembled, like a quail thrown into boiling water, making its final futile struggle.

“I’m not going to eat you. What are you shaking for?”

You Xiaowu muttered, “You never know…”

Mo Changge chuckled a few times without responding, waved off the girl pouring wine, and poured a cup for You Xiaowu himself. After some hesitation, You Xiaowu drank it. Mo Changge poured another. One drink after another, and soon enough, You Xiaowu passed out.

The wind was clear, the moon bright, and the long night endless.

You Xiaowu, head resting against the railing, gradually fell asleep. He was abruptly awakened from a dream by a bag of spirit stones hitting him in the face.

“Go book a few more nights at the brothel. We’re staying here. And get a wine-pouring girl while you’re at it.”

Still half-asleep, he responded vaguely, rubbing his eyes. He saw the senior sister lying on a lounge chair, her head resting on the wine girl’s lap, eyes closed with a blissful expression as she rested.

Mo Changge drank alone. Remembering what had happened earlier, he couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

The girl truly lived up to her reputation as someone from the reputable Red Sleeves House. Her skills were excellent—He Guang (He Guang) even hummed in comfort.

Mo Changge glanced at her. His gaze was open and unrestrained. He Guang instantly opened her eyes. Their eyes met. He raised his glass to her. “Sharp senses.” Then calmly looked away.

He transmitted a message to her: “Have you found the person?”

He Guang’s voice was cold. “Not in the sect. Whereabouts unknown.”

“So you’re staying in a brothel now?”

“What else?” She lifted her eyelids and gave him a sideways glance.

Mo Changge let out a light laugh, airy as a breeze. But in the next instant, the wind stilled, the room fell silent, and his oppressive aura surged.

The two brothel girls couldn’t bear the pressure and started trembling. He waved them off, dismissing them.

Now, the large room was left with just the two of them.

He Guang reclined on the lounge chair and said coolly, “If a word could’ve done the job, why bother using pressure, Elder?”

Mo Changge walked over to her and looked down from above. His voice was hoarse with intoxication, and calm. “I’ve noticed you’re not afraid of me anymore. At first you were, but not now.”

He Guang squinted at him and replied as if it were a matter of fact, “I cultivate the Zen of Wrath. I fear no one. If I did, my path would collapse.”

Mo Changge frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied with her answer. He waited for her to change her words, but she simply looked at him, unmoved.

He sighed inwardly, a bit helpless. “Fine. I used the wrong word. Back then, you at least had some respect for me. Now, there’s none?”

“You care about that sort of thing?”

“Powerful cultivators enjoy the reverence of the weak. Even I’m not immune to it.”

“So, should I call myself your junior?”

“Would you?”

He Guang lowered her eyes and considered it. “Fine. I don’t really care. It’s just a title.”

He took a step closer, completely blocking out the night. In He Guang’s eyes, only his silhouette remained.

“Wanna come to my place?”

He threw out the question out of nowhere.

He Guang was stunned and blurted out, “I don’t cultivate Joyful Zen. Not interested in hookups.”

Mo Changge burst out laughing and downed a glass of wine. “I meant, do you want to stay at my place? Living in a brothel every day must be expensive.”

He Guang’s heart lit up—he was right, it was expensive, and she was using her private savings.

Just as she was about to thank him, she heard him add, “You’ll still have to pay.”

He Guang: He earns piles of spirit stones every day and he’s still this stingy?

The sky lightened, and the morning dew grew heavy.

Mo Changge stretched lazily, reeking of alcohol, and took his leave.

“Back to work.”

Jingming Ward, Fan Tower

Jiǔqu City had as many restaurants as there were stars in the sky, but the most famous was Fan Tower. The Disciplinary Hall of the Dayan Sect were regulars there; every time they held a meeting, they gathered at Fan Tower. Many cultivators even waited around the hall every day just for a chance to see the head of the Disciplinary Hall.

Fan Tower had five buildings facing each other, each three stories tall.

He Guang sat in the outermost tower, leaning on the railing. From here, she could see the entire interior of the building as well as the bustling street outside.

You Xiaowu held a nautilus-shaped cup and gently ran his fingers along it.

The Wanfo Sect emphasized simplicity, and even the city at its gates followed that ethos. He’d never seen such a beautiful cup before.

White base, yellow markings, gold rim. The spiraled tip curled and turned crimson like a parrot’s beak. Inside the shell were more than thirty separate chambers, each connected by a tiny half-inch hole.

He drank several times and still hadn’t finished. He sighed, “This cup must cost a fortune.”

He Guang took a sip and chuckled lightly. “This one’s hand-carved, without any formation. Someday I’ll take you to Shengjing to see the real thing—nautilus cups engraved with formations, worth their weight in gold. The wine inside? Brewed by merfolk from the Cangming Sea. Unforgettable.”

You Xiaowu licked his lips. “Senior Sister, you’re the best!”

Taking him to Shengjing—wasn’t that the same as bringing him to the recruitment conference?

You Xiaowu opened the window. Down below was Jingming Street, the most prosperous street in Jiǔqu City. It was packed every day, shoulder to shoulder with people. Street vendors shouted and performed tricks to attract business.

“Senior Sister, are we here to wait for Liu Youyou? But from upstairs, we might not even see her.”

He Guang opened the menu. Her back teeth ached at the prices. Damn. Even more expensive than Red Sleeves House.

“I’m testing you. Question one: Why is Jingming Ward the most prosperous street in Jiǔqu City?”

You Xiaowu replied, “Because the end of Jingming Ward leads straight to the Dayan Sect’s mountain gate. If you want to enter the sect, you have to pass through Jingming Ward.”

He Guang swiped her finger across the menu’s water screen and ordered two roast chickens.

“You still didn’t answer the question. Why is it the most prosperous?”

You Xiaowu mentally unfolded a map of Jiǔqu City, thinking hard. Then his eyes lit up. “The teleportation array is separated from the Dayan Sect by Jingming Ward. The sect is the foundation of this city. Everyone who comes here is heading to the sect. After stepping out of the teleportation array, the shortest path to it is through Jingming Ward, so—”

He Guang threw a cup at his forehead. “You’re a future political cultivator, not a geographer or city planner. Think from a political angle.”

“The answer is: Jingming Ward is owned by the Dayan Sect. If they want it to be the most prosperous, then it is the most prosperous.”

You Xiaowu rubbed his sore forehead and protested, “But the objective fact is that it’s the shortest path, that’s why it’s thriving!”

“Respecting objective facts is fine, but you need to exercise subjective initiative. People can change their environment. Formation arrays etched on the ground aren’t immovable. You can dig them up and relocate them. Even if they’re damaged, just get a formation master to redraw them.”

“The Dayan Sect’s mountain gate is called the Eight-Curve Chalice—it has eight gates. They can open whichever one they like. So why make this one the biggest? Because the land Jingming Ward sits on belongs to them. If someone snatches that land, they’ll just open another gate. There’s also Tianming Ward and Diming Ward. The key is: the biggest share of Jiǔqu City’s interests must always remain in their hands.”

Just as He Guang was lecturing You Xiaowu, a sharp, nasty male voice rang out from the center of Fan Tower:

“What kind of garbage storyteller are you? You think you can smear Youyou’s name? Look at yourself!”

Note: Mo Ai Laozi is not the male lead