Yun Qingxue widened her eyes in astonishment, glancing at Mo Changxing before looking up at the ceiling.
She couldn’t fathom what her cheap master was up to this time.
He had gone to such lengths—using a thatched hut as a decoy and setting up intricate formations inside—all to protect this sea of books.
But if these books were the treasures he sought to guard, why had he left such a glaring loophole in the roof?
Was her cheap master simply overconfident?
“Although there are no formations on the roof, it’s not without its own mysteries. Even those of above-average cultivation would find it nearly impossible to enter from above!”
As if sensing her confusion, Mo Changxing smiled and explained, “That old man, our master, isn’t foolish at all! While he didn’t set up formations on the roof, he did lay down a barrier.
That barrier is hidden beneath the outermost layer of thatch, and its defensive power is no less than the formations you passed through to get here.”
Only then did a look of understanding dawn on Yun Qingxue’s face. Having eaten her fill, she set down the half-finished roast chicken, wiped her hands with a handkerchief, and picked up a book filled with celestial script. Moving closer to Mo Changxing, she asked, “Do you recognize these celestial characters?”
Mo Changxing merely glanced at the book in her hands and nodded. “Of course I do.”
Yun Qingxing’s eyes brightened. “Then could you teach me?”
“Junior Sister, you can’t read these characters?” Mo Changxing’s expression turned slightly odd.
Yun Qingxue could only nod honestly. “No, I can’t. These characters are too obscure, and I’ve never studied celestial script. How could I possibly understand them?”
“Did Master not explain it to you?” Mo Changxing frowned.
“He told me to figure it out on my own,” Yun Qingxue replied, also frowning in frustration. “But I’ve never learned it before. How can I just ‘figure out’ celestial script? If that were possible, I’ve been staring at these books and these incomprehensible characters all morning—why haven’t I grasped a single one?”
“Hahaha!” Mo Changxing suddenly burst into laughter, his dazzling eyes curving like crescent moons.
“Junior Sister, you’re truly adorable!”
Yun Qingxue frowned, feeling that both her cheap master and cheap senior brother were a bit odd.
“Let me ask you something,” Mo Changxing said, his laughter fading as his expression turned serious. “When you were reading, did anything unusual happen?”
“No,” Yun Qingxue answered bluntly.
“If nothing happened, it means you weren’t reading carefully enough,” Mo Changxing replied just as bluntly.
“So if I focus hard enough, I’ll suddenly understand these celestial texts?” Yun Qingxue still couldn’t grasp how she was supposed to teach herself.
“Qingxue, what do you think the Heavenly Dao is?” Mo Changxing suddenly asked.
Yun Qingxue thought for a moment before shaking her head. “The Heavenly Dao is formless. I don’t know how to describe it, much less what it truly is.”
Mo Changxing smiled again. “The Heavenly Dao is formless, emotionless, yet also the fairest of all. Though you’ve never studied celestial script, if you truly immerse yourself, these characters can transform into words you recognize! Because the Heavenly Dao is formless, the celestial script derived from it has no fixed shape. As long as you contemplate deeply, it can manifest in a form familiar to you.”
A flicker of understanding crossed Yun Qingxue’s face as she recalled the momentary transformation of the characters she had seen earlier.
Now, hearing Mo Changxing’s words, she began to suspect that the brief change in the text might not have been her imagination after all.
“Every book here is a treasure, Junior Sister. Study well—I’ll come check on you again tonight.” With a deep look at Yun Qingxue, Mo Changxing leaped up and vanished through the roof, leaving the sea of books behind.
“Hey!” Yun Qingxue barely had time to call out before Mo Changxing’s agile figure disappeared without a trace.
“Honestly, I hadn’t even finished asking my questions! How could you just leave like that?” she muttered in annoyance, carefully storing the leftover roast chicken.
She had originally wanted to ask Mo Changxing how to exit the formations, but that guy came and went like a shadow—far too swiftly!
Now, having forgotten the way out and with the roof too high to climb, leaving the way Mo Changxing had was clearly impossible.
Trapped here, if neither Mo Changxing nor her cheap master returned by nightfall, the remaining roast chicken would have to suffice to stave off hunger.
A gentle breeze stirred, scattering petals in a flurry.
Pink cherry blossoms danced on the wind.
Beneath the cherry tree, two equally imposing men sat across from each other at a chessboard.
One was ethereal, like an immortal descended to earth, his white brocade robes fluttering lightly in the breeze. The other exuded a devilish charm, like a demon king of the night, his ink-black hair tousled by the wind, his handsome face shadowed with suppressed thoughts.
Black and white pieces clashed on the board, their movements guided by long, elegant fingers.
Mo Changxing approached from afar and bowed respectfully to the two. “Greetings, Father. Greetings, Master.”
“No need for formalities, Xing’er!” The man playing against Ziqu Shengjun waved dismissively, his expression softening as he placed his piece back into the box, clearly ending the game.
Ziqu Shengjun sighed regretfully at the unfinished battle on the board—a fierce clash that had yet to determine a victor. With Yun Ye’s withdrawal, it would remain an unresolved stalemate.
How many years had it been since he’d enjoyed such a thrilling match? To leave it unfinished was simply unsatisfying. So unsatisfying!
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