Having obtained Daoist Kumu's approval, Mo Tiange smiled and cupped her hands. "Thank you very much."
She knew clearly that Daoist Kumu and Tong Tianyun might be doing this for Qin Xi's sake. However, she also had confidence in herself. Even if she couldn't help them, she wouldn't drag them down.
Moreover, who could compare to her in terms of escape strategy?
Even the noisy Lei Dongqing and Madam Feng were speechless after this competition. Seeing Daoist Kumu put away the Heaven-Covering Cup and start talking again, the two of them said their goodbyes and left, looking very bored.
Tong Tianyun looked at the two of them then turned around and said to Mo Tiange with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Qingwei, please don't mind them. They've always been like this."
Mo Tiange smiled back, but before she could say anything, Qin Xi already said, "Fellow Daoist Kumu, Fellow Daoist Tong, my junior martial sister and I came from afar and haven't settled down yet, so we should take our leave first."
Since he said so, the two of them couldn't stay any longer, so they made an inviting gesture and saw them off.
Mo Tiange followed Qin Xi. As soon as he went down the restaurant, someone immediately came to greet them and took them to a secluded courtyard.
Qin Xi entered the courtyard, casually laid a defensive formation and took the lead into the small hall.
This courtyard was very elegant. It was spring now, so there were many peach trees planted in the courtyard. The trees were full of peach blossoms, and the fragrance of peach blossoms assailed their nostrils.
Inside the small hall, there were exquisite wooden tables, chairs, and stools. Peach blossoms were in full bloom in a blue enamel vase, making the place even more elegant.
All the objects were placed in the most suitable places. They were clean and spotless, and even the tea was warm.
Mo Tiange looked around and saw that Qin Xi had casually chosen a seat and sat down. He poured two cups of tea and held one for himself.
She hesitated for a moment then sat down on the other side and slowly picked up the other cup.
Steam rose up and blurred their vision. Neither of them said anything.
After a while, Mo Tiange heard his voice. "Daoist Kumu and Tong Tianyun are both individual cultivators in Kunzhong City. Although they don't belong to any cultivation group, their skills are extraordinary.
They each have their own secret techniques, and they're the best among Core Formation cultivators in the whole of Kunwu. "
Mo Tiange paused for a moment before answering softly.
Qin Xi continued on: "As for Lei Dongqing and Madam Feng, you mustn't underestimate them. Lei Dongqing is actually a cultivator from Tiandao Sect, but because he offended someone in the sect, he was sent to a remote place. Although his cultivation level is only in the middle stage of the Core Formation realm, his divine power is extraordinary.
As for Madam Feng, her tricks are very strange, and it's very difficult for ordinary people to guard against her. She doesn't like you now, so you must be very careful when you face her alone. "
"…" After a moment of silence, Mo Tiange asked, "Why doesn't she like me?"
Qin Xi raised the corners of his lips, revealing a faint smile. "Don't be fooled by Madam Feng's flirtatious ways. In fact, she's the most arrogant one. She usually looks down on female cultivators who don't make progress, especially female cultivators from big cultivation groups. Their cultivation conditions are obviously excellent, but very few of them make progress.
Now that she has seen you for the first time, she only knows your identity, so naturally she doesn't like you. "
Upon seeing the smile on his face, Mo Tiange blurted out, "Senior Martial Brother, do you like people like Madam Feng?"
As soon as she asked, she realized she went a bit too far, so she immediately said, "I was being rude. Senior Martial Brother, please don't blame me."
Qin Xi was stunned for a moment before he said, "She … I usually don't like women, especially those female cultivators who obviously have good aptitudes but only know how to fight for a man's favor. They're really wasteful. Although Madam Feng's temperament isn't compatible with mine, I like her on this point, so I'm also willing to be friends with her."
"… I see," Mo Tiange murmured.
She then changed the topic and asked, "Senior Martial Brother Shoujing, Fellow Daoist Tong said more than eighty years ago, if it weren't for Daoist Kumu's Sky-Covering Cup, all of you would've died on Demonic Mountain. What's going on?"
"This …" Qin Xi muttered to himself for a moment then said, "I won't hide it from you. I met those people when I went out on a trip after I formed my Gold Core. Later, we agreed to go to Demonic Mountain, and it was on this trip that I met your father …"
Mo Tiange suddenly looked up and stared at him.
Under her gaze, Qin Xi slowly said, "In the beginning, there were quite a lot of people who went with us. Later, many people died unexpectedly, and only seven or eight people were left. Later, your father and I were separated from them. They retreated in time, so we managed to keep our lives. However, your father and I were trapped inside and couldn't escape."
This was the first time Mo Tiange heard the person in question mention her father. Her gaze flickered, and she slowly asked, "Senior Martial Brother Shoujing, my father … How did he die?"
Qin Xi turned his face away. It was a bit difficult for him to meet her gaze, so he tried his best to suppress his tone. "Your father and I were trapped on Demonic Mountain for nearly ten years. We encountered countless dangers, and we were also injured.
Later, your father was heavily injured and couldn't drag on any longer, while I was stuck in my cultivation realm and couldn't escape.
In the end … your father really couldn't drag on any longer, so he said he would do his best to help me escape. If I really escaped with my life, I would promise him a few things … "
He originally didn't care too much about this part of the past. Demonic Mountain wasn't the only danger he'd experienced in his life, but now, it had a different meaning to him.
If he hadn't met Ye Hai on Demonic Mountain back then, if he hadn't been trapped together with Ye Hai, if he hadn't promised Ye Hai's requests … they probably wouldn't have been involved in this life.
"…" After hesitating for a moment, he finally said, "Tiange, about your father's matter, I … I did it for myself, or …"
Mo Tiange's gaze flickered, but she soon shook her head. "Senior Martial Brother, you don't have to do this. Even without you, my father would've been trapped on Demonic Mountain in the end. Besides, you also promised him a lot of things, so we're even."
Qin Xi was silent.
At first, he didn't think what he did was wrong. Based on the personality of cultivators, it wouldn't be a big crime for him to forcibly seize Ye Hai's cultivation when Ye Hai was heavily injured. However, he wasn't the kind of person who didn't care about his state of mind, so he made a fair deal with Ye Hai. That way, he would have a clear conscience and could also save himself from Inner Demons.
However, this matter was related to her past, so he couldn't help but feel a trace of guilt.
The two of them sat for a while. Qin Xi couldn't stand the silence anymore, so he took the initiative to speak. "I remember the place where your father died very clearly. At that time, I didn't bring his remains out, so I don't know if they're still intact after so many years.
Let's go to Demonic Mountain and take a look there. "
Mo Tiange forced a smile but didn't answer.
She shouldn't care so much about the remains. Just like back then, when she couldn't find Tianqiao's ashes, Qin Xi told her this: Cultivators shouldn't be bound by external things. People were already dead, and burial was only to comfort the living, so she should follow her heart.
However, her father's death had been a knot in her heart for so many years. She still hoped to finish what she started and bring her father's remains back to be buried with her mother.
Seeing that she still didn't speak, Qin Xi pondered for a while then said, "Aside from the four of them, there's another cultivator from Gujian Sect who hasn't arrived yet. When that person also arrives, we can set off."
"En," Mo Tiange answered softly.
In any case, he had his own ideas about these things, so she couldn't interfere.
The two of them really had nothing to say, so they sat for a while. Then Mo Tiange asked, "Senior Martial Brother Shoujing, how long are we going to stay here?"
"Probably in three to five days. Gujian Sect isn't far from here. That person already sent a message, so they should set off in one or two days."
"…"
In the end, Qin Xi couldn't stand the silence anymore. He wanted to take the initiative to speak, but Mo Tiange stood up first. "Senior Martial Brother, I'm going to adjust my breath for a while. Where will I stay?"
Qin Xi's eyes flashed with disappointment. He pointed to the side and said, "You can pick any room you want. It doesn't matter."
"Alright." Mo Tiange didn't say anything else and left without saying anything else.
Qin Xi sat alone for a while. Looking at the two cups of tea on the table, he suddenly did a very ridiculous thing.
He reached out to take the teacup she didn't drink from, drank it up, and put the cup in his pocket.
After Lei Dongqing, Madam Feng, Qin Xi, and Mo Tiange left, Daoist Kumu and Tong Tianyun sat in the side room for a while without saying anything. Daoist Kumu raised his hand, and a Soundproof Barrier appeared around the two of them.
"Fellow Daoist Tong, what do you think?"
Tong Tianyun pondered for a while then picked up a black chess piece and put it on the empty chessboard. "We'll have to wait and see."
Daoist Kumu stroked his beard and smiled. "Fellow Daoist Tong, it seems you have a very high opinion of this Master Daoist Qingwei."
A smile appeared on Tong Tianyun's dry, almost fleshless face. "It's not easy for a cultivator who's just formed her Gold Core to be able to do this. She's worthy of being an outstanding disciple of a famous cultivation group!"
Daoist Kumu nodded. "I couldn't sense the fight between the two of you. This shows that this Master Daoist Qingwei's divine sense is also extraordinary.
An early stage Core Formation cultivator's realm might still be stable, but she's actually able to do this. It's really not easy. "At this point, the meaning of his words changed." But isn't this too hasty?
Whether it's Lei Dongqing, Madam Feng, or Fellow Daoist Jing, they're all famous Core Formation cultivators in Kunwu. Even if Qin Shoujing's cultivation level surpasses all of ours, leading a newbie who's just formed her Gold Core seems a bit … "
"Brother Kumu, why are you worried?"
Tong Tianyun grinned. His face was dry and small, so when he smiled, he looked really scary. "Why don't you think about it this way? It's said that this Master Daoist Qingwei's aptitude is extremely high, far surpassing her peers. She formed her Gold Core at such a young age and is known as Xuanqing School's most talented genius cultivator.
This kind of person has a boundless future, so why are they willing to let her go to Demonic Mountain and take risks?
Among us, you and I don't have much time left in our lifespans, and we're individual cultivators, so we have no choice but to risk our lives. Madam Feng, Lei Dongqing, and Fellow Daoist Jing all have their own difficulties. Even Qin Shoujing — although he's still young and his cultivation level is also the highest, he's failed to form his Nascent Soul three times.
Everyone has their own reasons, so they have no choice but to take risks.
What about Fellow Daoist Qingwei?
Let's not talk about her own reasons, but why does Xuanqing School want to let her go?
Maybe they believe Qin Shoujing can protect her, but if she's really an idiot, she's not worthy of Qin Shoujing's protection, right? "
"… That's true."
Daoist Kumu picked up the white chess piece and put it opposite the black one. "However, with this kind of divine sense, this Fellow Daoist Qingwei definitely isn't an idiot. I just don't know whether she's worthy of being called a genius or not."