MOF Chapter 62

Chapter 62: Nangong Yue Rescues an Orphan to Southern Return; Xie Ci Hears This Person Murmuring…

Xie Ci cried and shouted until the shadow of the last horse of that group disappeared on the horizon, no longer visible. He became an orphan, without father or mother, and without Xie Qing.

A series of footsteps came from behind. Xie Ci turned his head to look, and it was a group of little beggars.

The leader, who looked no more than eleven or twelve years old, raised his chin and looked at Xie Ci, saying, “Hey, kid, those who are caught by the Autumn Water Hall never come back. You’re alone now, right? Want to join us?”

Xie Ci stared blankly at him, not knowing what to say.

“Joining us means you’ll have enough to eat,” he snorted coldly. “Otherwise, you’ll starve to death here!”

Xie Ci asked softly, “If I join, can you tell me what the Autumn Water Hall is?”

“No problem!”

Xie Ci wiped the tears that had not yet dried on his face and nodded. “Okay, I’ll join.” Afterward, he was taken to a large courtyard, which was extremely large and extremely dilapidated.

As soon as their group entered, many children poured out from inside, of all ages, the youngest looking no more than three years old.

“My name is Lin Zhi,” the leading teenager said, turning to introduce to the crowd, “This is our new member, his name is—what’s your name?”

Xie Ci quickly said, “My name is Xie Ci.”

“Okay, everyone heard clearly, his name is Xie Ci, he’s one of us from now on!”

While Xie Ci was looking at the crowd, the others were also looking at him. The undisguised wariness and dislike fell on him, like orders to leave.

Xie Ci lowered his head, thinking, “As long as I find out about the Autumn Water Hall, I’ll go find my sister. I won’t stay here forever.”

Three years passed in a flash.

Xie Ci followed Lin Zhi to kneel on every street in Yuquan Town. He had seen many people from other places, but those from the Autumn Water Hall never came again.

He was busy begging every day, and occasionally, if he was lucky, he would meet generous outsiders and earn some rewards for inquiring about news.

In these three years, he never seemed to have had enough to eat.

There were too many people waiting for food in the dilapidated courtyard, and Xie Ci could never beat them.

Eating the next meal was almost a constant state, and in these days of suffering, Xie Ci was almost unable to spare the energy to think about Xie Qing.

Occasionally, in his spare time, he would suddenly feel that he had forgotten something, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Few people in the courtyard were willing to talk to him. The most he heard was Lin Zhi ordering him every day, “Xie Ci, it’s your turn to kneel!”

Xie Ci would answer, “I’m coming!” At this time, he would always hear some whispers of laughter behind him.

And today, as Xie Ci was holding a bowl and saying to a passerby, “Please, sir, give me a bite to eat,” the person stopped.

Xie Ci lowered his head, and a pair of snow-white boots stood in front of him. He followed the boots and looked up, meeting a face with little expression.

A young man of about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a silver crown tying up his hair, a sharp look between his eyebrows, wearing a snow-white immortal robe, and a golden sword at his waist. He looked down at Xie Ci for a long time, a look of disbelief appearing on his face.

Xie Ci heard this person murmur, “I didn’t expect this child to have some Immortal Fate.”

Then, he asked him coldly, “Little beggar, are you willing to cultivate the Dao?”

Xie Ci looked at him with confusion and caution, asking, “Cultivate the Dao, what is that?”

The person said, “Cultivating the Dao is a method. Those with wisdom and insight can ascend to become immortals.”

Xie Ci looked down at the broken bowl with several chips in his hand, and when he raised his face, his eyes were filled with fragmented light.

“I am willing to cultivate the Dao.”

The teenager was still expressionless, only nodding slightly. “My name is Nangong Yue.”

“My name is Xie Ci!”

Xie Ci didn’t say goodbye to anyone. He followed Nangong Yue straight away, because no one needed him, and no one would care.

Seeing the two walking away, a small beggar on the side of the road said, “Who is that person? Why did he take Xie Ci away?”

Lin Zhi glanced lightly in the direction the two left, and said indifferently, “Who cares who he is? One less person means one less mouth to feed.”

Xie Ci followed Nangong Yue out of Yuquan Town all the way. The rest of the journey was all done by Nangong Yue riding his sword.

Xie Ci’s heart was beating non-stop in his chest. The respect in his eyes had not diminished since he boarded the sword, and he couldn’t help but shout to Nangong Yue, “Immortal Brother, I want to learn this too!”

Nangong Yue replied indifferently, “This is the most basic introductory technique. You will naturally learn it.”

The speed of sword flying was extremely fast. Nangong Yue had tried his best to control the stability of the sword, but Xie Ci behind him would still lose his balance from time to time. He wanted to grab the teenager’s clothes in front of him, but when he looked down, the dirt on his hands had not had time to wash off, and the other party was wearing a white robe, which would definitely get dirty if he touched it.

Xie Ci relied on his own sense of balance to barely stand firm on the sword.

He didn’t know how long he flew, but the sky in front of him was no longer empty, but a mountain range that couldn’t be seen to the top. A warm wind blew against his face, and when he raised his eyes, he was suddenly in a fairyland.

Everywhere he looked, the scenery was enchanting. Many Immortal Pavilion were both well-arranged and isolated into scenery. The Three Palaces and Nine Gardens echoed each other, and the Yaochi Holy Forest leaned against the shape of the mountain.

Surrounded by verdant green, with mountains and rivers intertwined, it was isolated from the world. There were springs and rocks, lush forests and tall bamboos, and exotic flowers and plants, all living in this one place.

The clouds and mist lingered, and spirit birds chirped in surprise. If it was said to be a fairyland, it also had the changing of the four seasons, warm in winter and cool in summer, even more beautiful than a fairyland with its natural beauty.

There were thousands of stone steps in the mountains, starting from the foot of the mountain and going around the mountain. Closer, he saw two small pavilions, one was the Longli Pavilion, and the other was the Jiugui Pavilion.

A stone ladder path about half a zhang wide between the two pavilions wound down the mountain, not seeing its end.

And on the ground below, there was a hall. In the huge open space, a group of white-robed disciples were practicing swords, the sword tips neatly aligned. Looking up along the sword tips, the majestic hall was especially spectacular, and the moon-white glazed tiles reflected a radiant glow in the faint sunlight.

Above the hall, there was a red plaque, on which there seemed to be a few golden characters.

Xie Ci stared at the two pavilions, gradually seeing the tall main gate behind him.

Nangong Yue said at this time, “I have already used the spirit butterfly to transmit the sound. Someone will be there to meet you at the gate. Just follow A Ling.”

Xie Ci responded well, and silently recited the two words A Ling several times in his heart.

When they arrived at the gate, there was indeed a group of white-robed disciples standing below. As soon as they saw them, they shouted, “It’s Young Master Yue! Young Master Yue is back!”

Xie Ci clenched his hands, his eyebrows furrowing unconsciously. His heart was hanging in the air, not knowing how to face this group of pure and immortal people.

The spirit sword stopped suddenly, and Xie Ci was still nervous, not noticing that his feet were already in the air. Immediately, he lost his balance and fell straight forward.

Nangong Yue also realized after landing that the person behind him was just an ordinary child. It was too late when he reached out to grab him.

Seeing that he was about to fall heavily on the ground, Xie Ci was so frightened that his face turned pale. He didn’t expect a hand to grab him and catch him with the force.

It’s over. Xie Ci’s mind was full of these two words. His hands were pressed on the person’s snow-white clothes, leaving a deep stain.

Xie Ci’s face turned red in an instant. He knelt on the ground with a “plop” and said to the person who caught him, “I’m sorry, I dirtied your clothes. I, I can wash clothes, I can help you wash them clean!”

“It’s not a big deal.” The person’s voice was a little childish, and he didn’t care at all. “You should get up first.”

A clean white hand reached out to Xie Ci.

Xie Ci looked up, seeing the person’s face clearly.

His face was fair, his features were handsome, and he looked about the same age as him, but his expression was steady and calm. His face was clearly cold, but his demeanor was gentle and approachable.

Xie Ci timidly stretched out his hand and put it on his.

“My name is Nangong Ci. You are the child that my brother brought back, the one with Immortal Fate?”

Xie Ci nodded blankly, thinking: This person is about the same age as me, how can his words and deeds be so much like an adult?

He heard him report his name again, and quickly said, “My name is Xie Ci.”

Nangong Yue instructed, “A Ling, take him to clean up a bit. I’ll go see the headmaster first. Have the rest of you finished your training? Finish today’s work today. If not, hurry up and train.”

“Okay.” Nangong Ci smiled, his eyes slightly curved. “Brother, you have worked hard all the way.”

Although the disciples watching were curious about Xie Ci, they did not dare not listen to Nangong Yue’s words. They quickly dispersed and went to do their own things.

Nangong Ci looked at Xie Ci, seeing that he lowered his eyes and dared not look at people, his tone was gentle, “Come with me.”

Xie Ci followed the person all the way, passing through corridors and courtyards, before stopping in front of a building.

He looked up and saw three golden characters written on a black plaque above the door.

Nangong Ci turned around and said to him, “This is my brother’s residence, called Huaifeng Pavilion. Come in with me.”

Entering the house, Nangong Ci led him behind a screen and said, “You take a bath here first, and I’ll get you a set of Southern Return disciple’s robe.”

Seeing Xie Ci’s bewildered look, Nangong Ci couldn’t help but soften his voice, patting his thin, bony shoulder: “You don’t have to be nervous, I’ll be back soon.”

Xie Ci watched his figure disappear at the door, then turned back to look at the bathtub where the hot water had been prepared at some point.

Almost as soon as he finished washing, Nangong Ci came back.

Xie Ci washed away the mud and changed his clothes. Nangong Ci stared at him for two seconds, and was a little surprised: “So you are so fair-skinned.”

Xie Ci lowered his head somewhat shyly. He mustered up some courage, wanting to praise back, but after thinking about it, he only squeezed out one sentence: “Not as good as Brother A Ling.”

Nangong Ci was stunned for a moment, then suddenly smiled: “Did my brother ask you to call me that?”

Xie Ci shook his head, thought about it, and nodded again.

Nangong Ci originally wanted to take Xie Ci to the disciples’ residence to choose a room, but his eyes fell on his face with obvious cheekbones, and he didn’t know why he changed his words: “Are you hungry? I’ll take you to get something to eat first.”

On the way to the dining hall, Nangong Ci slowly told Xie Ci about the Southern Return.

Xie Ci listened carefully, his eyes staring at him without blinking.

People in the Immortal Sect paid attention to not speaking while eating and sleeping, but Xie Ci didn’t know this. From the beginning of the meal, he would ask Nangong Ci some questions from time to time.

Xie Ci listened to Nangong Ci while eating. After Nangong Ci finished speaking, he asked another question, and Nangong Ci would answer him in a slow and gentle voice.

After eating, Nangong Ci said, “Let’s go, we should go to see the headmaster.”

When Xie Ci heard this, he immediately became nervous. He followed closely behind Nangong Ci and arrived at the main hall of Southern Return.

However, there was no one in the hall. Seeing this, Nangong Ci said helplessly, “Come with me to the backyard.”

Xie Ci nodded in confusion and quickly followed.