MOF Chapter 79
by VolareXie Yiling felt a chill run down his spine. Hearing those familiar words, a sudden coldness invaded his heart. He quickly flipped over and sat up.
Looking down, he saw A Si’s face was flushed purple from the cold. He reached out to touch it and asked as he stood, “Why is it so cold? Not enough clothes?”
A Si cupped his face and rubbed it. “It’s so cold outside because of the wind and rain. The rain’s too heavy; I couldn’t even go to the dining hall to eat.”
“I’ll go take a look.” Xie Yiling pushed open the door and saw the almost identical rainstorm scene from his dream. His heart tightened, and the hand he rested on the doorframe clenched with hidden force.
Fortunately, this rain seemed quite normal.
Xie Yiling frowned, raising his eyes to gaze into the distance. The sky was the usual gloomy color of a rainy day. Compared to the dream, at least he could tell it was daytime. The ground was covered in puddles that submerged the tops of his boots, each raindrop creating a splash as it landed.
Just as he was about to shift his gaze, he noticed something strange about the ripples in the water. The spreading waves weren’t the usual circles, big and small, but distorted, shapeless, peculiar patterns.
Xie Yiling had the intuition that these things weren’t appearing by chance. He raised his hand, using his spiritual power to clear away the water on the ground, revealing a pattern of characters that the rain avoided.
Having experienced the heavenly phenomenon before, he quickly scanned them. Just as he finished memorizing the characters, the ground returned to normal, without a trace of anything unusual.
The rain gradually subsided. After Xie Yiling sent A Si to the dining hall, he headed towards the Book collection Pavilion. On the way, he ran into Nangong Yue, respectfully bowed, and was about to leave when the other stopped him.
Xie Yiling turned back and said, “Is there anything else, Young Master Yue?”
Nangong Yue gazed at him. After a long moment, he finally opened his mouth and asked, “What books have you been reading recently?”
“Books related to medicine,” Xie Yiling answered truthfully.
Nangong Yue’s expression changed, the coldness in his eyes diminishing slightly. “Very well, go on.”
Xie Yiling lowered his head and quickly entered the Book collection Pavilion.
Today, he didn’t plan to continue reading books on medicine. Instead, he went to the third floor, which he had never visited before.
As soon as he reached the top of the stairs, Xie Yiling clearly felt that the air on this floor smelled heavier than the two below. Perhaps because it housed books on astronomical phenomena and rare armors that disciples rarely consulted, the dust on the bookshelves and cabinets was noticeably thicker.
He found an ancient book that recorded astronomical phenomena, chose a well-lit spot, and began to read. Halfway through, feeling somewhat distracted, he put the book aside, leaned back against the wall, and exhaled a long breath.
No wonder no one reads this stuff. It’s practically gibberish.
Even so, he rubbed his aching temples and continued his struggle.
The string of characters was deeply engraved in Xie Yiling’s mind. Therefore, when he saw similar characters in the book, he immediately recognized them.
He compared the characters one by one, translating their meanings, and finally obtained a method to interpret the heavenly phenomenon.
It turned out that long ago, people had tried to predict future events by observing astronomical phenomena, hoping to avert natural disasters in advance, but all had failed.
The appearance of the four stars aligning mostly brought with it great floods a year later. The method of resolving disaster that was recorded in the books, required someone whose cultivation reached the ascension realm and who could not ascend, sacrificing themselves to stop the disaster.
In short, a scapegoat.
Reaching ascension? Putting aside whether this method was truly effective, within Southern Return Heavenly Pavilion, those who could reach ascension were likely only the Sect Leader and a few older elders.
Nangong Yue and Nangong Ci were not far from ascension, but they had not yet reached that stage.
But the Ascension Platform was easy to ascend, difficult to descend. No elder had been heard of wanting to go up in recent years.
After all, a slight carelessness meant failure, with all previous efforts being undone. At worst, their souls would scatter. No one could guarantee that such a thing wouldn’t happen to them. Therefore, unless it was the final moment of cultivation, probably no one would step onto it.
Xie Yiling calculated the gap between himself and ascension. Although the hope was slim, it wasn’t entirely impossible.
If he reached the ascension realm within a year, would he be able to stop this disaster?
But…
Xie Yiling’s fingers, gripping the book, turned slightly white. If he hadn’t seen the heavenly phenomenon, wouldn’t this matter have fallen on someone else’s head?
Why did it have to be him? Confronting the Heavenly Dao only led to death.
That was death.
Everyone had to die eventually. He naturally couldn’t escape it, but he hadn’t expected to face it so soon.
At this thought, a wave of fear and retreat surged in Xie Yiling’s heart. The sense of weightlessness, as if the sky were collapsing and the earth were sinking, made his head feel heavy and his steps falter.
*
After winter solstice, besides the ancient azure maple tree, there wasn’t a single trace of green in Water-Ink Immortal Estate. Thick or thin white snow covered the mountains, blowing from the mountains down to the world.
Mo Nanyi closed his umbrella and entered the corridor. He shook off the snowflakes that had accidentally landed on his robe and said to the disciple waiting at the door, “Give me the medicine, you can rest now.”
The disciple acknowledged, handed over the medicine, and left.
A coughing sound came from the room. Mo Linyuan’s weak voice drifted out.
“Don’t want to drink, take it away.”
Mo Nanyi knocked on the door and said, “Ah Yuan, it’s me.”
The room was silent for a moment. Then, the voice, sounding even weaker than before, replied, “Even so, I don’t want to drink it.”
Mo Nanyi had no choice but to push open the door without permission. In one hand, he steadily held the medicine bowl in front of him. In the other, he hid something in his sleeve.
“Drink the medicine, and Big Brother has something for you.”
Mo Linyuan had been bedridden for a long time, his skin as pale as snow. The doors and windows in the room were closed, the light dim, but anyone who entered would still notice him at first glance.
“What?” Mo Linyuan barely managed to lift his eyelids. “Let me see.”
Mo Nanyi held the bowl out to him and said, “Drink first.”
Mo Linyuan frowned and turned his head away. “Just smelling it makes me want to vomit.”
Mo Nanyi waited quietly for a moment, seeing him reluctantly turn back, pursing his bloodless lips, and drink it all in one gulp.
The moment his tongue touched the medicine, Mo Linyuan’s face twisted into a grimace. He opened his mouth to speak, but Mo Nanyi quickly stuffed a piece of candied fruit into his mouth.
Mo Linyuan’s cheeks puffed out with the fruit, forming a smooth curve. He moved his teeth, and the moment he crushed it, the sweetness instantly suppressed the bitterness in his mouth, and his complexion finally improved somewhat.
“Do you like it?” Mo Nanyi took out the rest and placed them by his bedside. “I heard you haven’t been willing to drink your medicine these past few days. Wuchou specifically went to buy them for you.”
“After the prescription was changed, I really can’t drink it,” Mo Linyuan said weakly. “I don’t know what they added, but it’s much bitter than before.”
Mo Nanyi said, “The prescription was changed because your illness is improving. Just persevere for a while. Maybe it won’t be long before you’re completely healed.”
Mo Linyuan said softly, “With a naturally weak body, there’s no such thing as a complete cure. I’m just clinging to life with medicine.”
“Don’t let your mind wander,” Mo Nanyi tucked the blanket around him. “I’m going to the Book collection Pavilion to take a look today.”
Mo Linyuan looked up and asked him, “Look at what?”
“Your illness, and some sweets. You said the medicine is too bitter, didn’t you? Sweets can alleviate the bitterness, but some sweets clash with medicine, so I have to be careful.”
“The Book collection Pavilion actually has books like that?” Mo Linyuan was truly surprised. “I thought it was all serious stuff.”
Mo Nanyi couldn’t help but smile. “When you get better, go take a look there. I’ll go now, I’ll come see you tomorrow.”
“Okay. Big Brother, take care.” Mo Linyuan watched Mo Nanyi leave. The moment the door opened, the snow light briefly shone in. A trace of longing flashed in his eyes.
So it was snowing outside. No wonder Big Brother carried a refreshing aura when he leaned close.
Mo Linyuan had been weak since birth. In the most serious times, he couldn’t be left alone for a moment, or he might stop breathing with a slight turn.
Having grown up in Water-Ink Immortal Estate for fourteen years, the farthest Mo Linyuan had ever gone was under the giant ancient maple tree. And because of that one trip, he was covered in cold sweat that night and nearly died.
Afterward, Mo Zhinian strictly forbade him from leaving the house without permission.
Mo Wuchou and Mo Linyuan were twins, but the two didn’t look alike. If anything, Mo Nanyi and Mo Linyuan looked more similar.
Because they were twins, Mo Wuchou had spent a long time feeling guilty, thinking that “he and his younger brother were competing for nutrients, causing his brother to fall ill.” Whenever he visited Mo Linyuan, he always stood outside the door and talked to him, rarely entering the room.
Mo Nanyi noticed something was wrong and, after repeated questioning, finally heard him confess. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but he took the matter to heart. After his earnest guidance, Mo Wuchou finally stopped having such thoughts.
Recalling the past, Mo Nanyi smiled faintly as he walked. He arrived at the Book collection Pavilion, and the disciple at the door immediately came forward and said, “Young Master Mo, the Sect Leader is also inside.”
“Alright, I know.” Mo Nanyi acknowledged and quickly went inside.
He saw Mo Zhinian on the second floor, with his back to him, seemingly examining the wall.
Mo Nanyi said, “Father.”
Mo Zhinian heard the sound and turned around, the serious expression on his face still lingering.
“What is it?” Mo Nanyi asked cautiously, observing his expression. His gaze swept over the wall, but he didn’t see anything unusual. The wall was smooth, without even a scratch.
Mo Zhinian stared at him and asked, “Recently, who has been going in and out of the Book collection Pavilion?”
“This,” Mo Nanyi thought for a moment, “Besides me, there are also elders taking books, and disciples occasionally come and go, a few each day. That’s about it.”
Mo Zhinian was silent, then asked again, “Really nothing else?”
Mo Nanyi nodded. “Yes, what’s wrong? Was something damaged?”
Mo Zhinian shook his head. “It’s nothing serious. You can stay here in peace. I have something to attend to, so I’ll leave first.”
Mo Nanyi watched his back as he went downstairs. Although doubts remained in his heart, he didn’t know how to ask. He had no choice but to focus on finding books.
*
After the winter solstice, the Southern Return Heavenly Pavilion’s continuous snow never stopped. Plum blossoms were weighed down by snow, filling the mountains with their fragrance. Xie Yiling, passing by, broke off a branch of red plum.
He brought this branch of plum blossom back to Fufeng Pavilion and placed it in front of the half-open window.
Nangong Ci sat at his desk, practicing calligraphy. Smelling the plum fragrance, he asked, “Have the plum blossoms in Southern Return Heavenly Pavilion bloomed?”
Xie Yiling said, “They just bloomed this morning. How does it smell? Is it fragrant?” After speaking, he placed his hand, which had touched the plum blossoms, in front of Nangong Ci’s nose.
A faint, delicate fragrance, along with Xie Yiling’s fingertips, drifted over. Nangong Ci curved his lips slightly, grasped his cold fingertips, and covered them with his palm as he took them down.