Mo Hua sized up the cultivator in front of him once more, a middle-aged man who looked cultured and refined, and asked in surprise, "You’re actually from the Shen Family?"
The middle-aged cultivator cupped his hands and said, "I am Shen Xiuyan."
"Shen Xiuyan..."
Mo Hua silently remembered the name and asked again, "Are you an Elder of the Shen Family? Are you in charge of matters in Solitary Mountain City?"
The middle-aged cultivator known as "Shen Xiuyan" shook his head, "I’m not in charge of Solitary Mountain City. I’m an Elder of the Little Spirit Sect."
"Little Spirit Sect?" Mo Hua had never heard of this sect before.
Shen Xiuyan said, "It’s a small sect, one of the Qian Learning Hundred Gates, not very renowned, so it’s normal that Young Master Mo hasn’t heard of it."
"Oh." Mo Hua nodded, slightly surprised, "Isn’t your Shen Family a hereditary family of the Qian Taoist Sect? You didn’t become an Elder in the Qian Taoist Sect?"
Shen Xiuyan smiled wryly, "The Qian Taoist Sect is one of the Four Great Sects, the top sect in the Qianxue state boundary, with very high entry requirements. It’s not easy to get in."
"I lack the background and the capability. I originally wanted to go out and seek opportunities to defy fate... but I didn’t find any."
"Eventually, I had to accept my fate and choose an ordinary sect within the Qian Learning Hundred Gates to be an instructor and pass my days."
"Of course, now that I have reached the Golden Core stage, with the Shen Family name, the Little Spirit Sect couldn’t afford to neglect me, so it naturally elevated me to ’Elder’."
"You’re not an ordinary Elder, are you?" Mo Hua pondered, "I noticed that other members of the Shen Family hold you in high regard."
"Neither the best nor the worst," Shen Xiuyan said, "There are plenty in the Shen Family who do very well, and too many who don’t. As an Elder in the Qian Learning Hundred Gates, I’m not as good as the true direct descendants but better than the average family disciples who have to rely on others."
"I see..." Mo Hua nodded, gaining a slight understanding of the Shen Family’s internal situation.
Great families oppress the Loose Cultivators.
But even within great families, there is internal strife.
Not everyone in great families fares well.
"Young Master Mo," Shen Xiuyan looked at Mo Hua deeply again, and said with some unease, "What... do you seek from me?"
The character "Mo Hua" had completely slipped his mind until now, with no impression at all.
Everything about Mo Hua was shrouded in a veil of mystery, buried in the corners of his memory.
Instinctively, Shen Xiuyan didn’t want to remember, nor dare to recall.
Until today, seeing Mo Hua in person, the wheels of fate turned, revealing long-buried memories. Shen Xiuyan finally recalled the name "Mo Hua" and details associated with him.
At the same time, he remembered another "Mo Hua."
The one rumored in the Qianxue state boundary, the monster "Mo Hua" in various sects.
The Formation Leader of the Qianxue state boundary.
The formation demon of the Taixu Gate.
Gradually, Shen Xiuyan connected the two.
The clever and quirky little kid he encountered during the Nanyue City corpse disaster and the Li State City demon disaster had now become a leader in formations, surpassing countless geniuses in Qianxue. 𝑅ÀƝȰᛒΕs
As time passed, the world changed.
Shen Xiuyan was shocked to his core, overwhelmed with disbelief.
Mo Hua’s identity was mysterious, his origins equally unfathomable.
Thus, Shen Xiuyan felt uneasy about Mo Hua seeking him out, unsure of Mo Hua’s true intentions.
Mo Hua nonchalantly said, "I just want to ask a little about some matters concerning the Shen Family, nothing major."
Of course, Shen Xiuyan could not believe this.
With Mo Hua’s identity, anything involving him could not be trivial.
After a moment of silence, Shen Xiuyan gently reminded, "Young Master... I am of the Shen Family."
As a member of the Shen Family, naturally, he would uphold the family’s interests.
He could not betray his family’s secrets for an outsider.
"I know," Mo Hua said softly, "but are the Shen Family’s interests all your interests? Are all the family members your relatives?"
"Some benefits in the hands of other Shen Family members, how do they concern you?"
"Some are destined to be Elders in the Qian Taoist Sect, while you can only be a Little Spirit Sect instructor..."
These words, like demonic whispers, stirred Shen Xiuyan’s soul.
Even family members are not in the same family.
The larger the family, the more this is true.
Entangled interests, unequal distribution, mutual deception, scheming... these are common.
Mo Hua wasn’t wrong.
But Shen Xiuyan still hesitated.
He didn’t want to be further involved with Mo Hua; such boundless entanglements of great cause were too risky, best to avoid.
Mo Hua looked deeply into his eyes, saying slowly, "Do you remember what happened that night in the ruined temple?"
Shen Xiuyan’s pupils contracted, feeling as though a cold wind blew through, chilling him to his bones.
The scene in the ruined temple gradually resurfaced in his mind.
About ten years ago, he, Old Wen, and Young Master Yun tracked down someone to the outskirts of the demon-infested Li State City. As darkness fell, they sheltered for the night in a ruined temple outside the city.
As night deepened, the three grew drowsy.
For some reason, Old Wen started feeling hunger pangs, chewing on his fingers like "Fasting Pills"; Young Master Yun drew his sword and stabbed his own heart;
And he, too, drew his blade, slashing his throat over and over, blood pouring...
As though ensnared in a horrific nightmare.
Over the years, he sometimes dreamed of this nightmare, repeatedly slicing his throat in the dream, blood everywhere.