Chapter 463: Water Birth

Elder Su looked around hastily.

Mo Xi then said, "Elder, please rest assured, there's no one around, and Shui Sheng isn't here either..."

Only then did Elder Su exhale. He looked at Mo Xi, wanting to speak but hesitating. He couldn't understand how Mo Xi knew about the Shui Xian matter.

Mo Xi didn't mention Qing Lan, but vaguely said:

"I overheard it unintentionally at the Hundred Flowers Building."

Elder Su was startled, and only then nodded helplessly. Afterwards, he became somewhat lost in thought again.

The name Shui Xian seemed to stab Elder Su's heart. He no longer had his previous easygoing expression, lost in thought, as if immersed in past events, his heart filled with emotion, unable to extricate himself.

"Elder Su?"

Mo Xi called him once.

Elder Su didn't react.

"Elder Su!"

Mo Xi's voice was a little louder, and only then did Elder Su come back to his senses, an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry, I was thinking of past events, a bit lost."

Mo Xi hesitated for a moment, weighed it, and asked:

"Could you tell me a bit about those past events of yours?"

Elder Su looked at Mo Xi doubtfully. "Why do you... want to listen to this?"

Mo Xi said: "Curious."

Elder Su immediately shook his head.

How could he tell a child about his love life, and a sad love life that he couldn't bear to recall at that!

Mo Xi then said: "It will be useful."

"What use?"

"I can't say yet."

Elder Su then perfunctorily said: "They're all old stories, and it's not convenient for me to talk about them."

Mo Xi thought for a moment, and said:

"How about this, you tell me, and I'll owe you a favor."

Elder Su chuckled. "What use is a child's favor to me..."

Elder Su didn't finish speaking when he was suddenly stunned.

This favor, it could be very useful!

A thirteen or fourteen-year-old first-rank array master, personally promising a favor!

And Mo Xi's expression was serious, with no hint of joking.

Although everyone was a first-rank array master, Mo Xi was still only in the Qi Refinement stage, while he was already in the Foundation Establishment stage.

But precisely because he was in the Qi Refinement stage, this favor was even more precious.

A first-rank at the Qi Refinement stage, what if in one or two decades, they became a second-rank?

A second-rank array master! In the second-rank realm, they were truly as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Even reaching the third-rank realm, they would still be considered a notable figure.

Elder Su pondered for a moment, somewhat hesitant.

Mo Xi then said: "It's truly a favor, I mean what I say!"

Elder Su's heart stirred, and he pretended to be reserved for a moment longer, then nodded:

"Alright."

Although he said they were past events he couldn't bear to recall, they were still romantic affairs, and not considered unspeakable secrets.

Elder Su took a sip of tea, and then slowly began to speak, telling Mo Xi everything about Shui Xian.

Including how he met Shui Xian, how they fell in love, how he wanted to buy her freedom, how Shui Xian eventually died, leaving behind a child, whom he took in and named "Shui Sheng"...

Of course, he omitted some content that was not suitable for children.

Elder Su finished speaking, feeling a bit thirsty, and took another sip of tea.

After listening, Mo Xi said in surprise:

"You went to a brothel with the Land Family Head?"

"Shush!" Elder Su looked around again, lowering his voice:

"Yes, but that's an old story. Now he's the family head. Don't talk about this randomly, otherwise it will damage his reputation."

"Oh." Mo Xi nodded, and silently criticized in his heart:

No wonder Elder Su and the Land Family Head had such a good relationship.

It turned out they went to brothels together when they were young.

Mo Xi paused for a moment, then asked somewhat sympathetically:

"How did Sister Shui Xian die?"

Elder Su's expression became desolate, and he shook his head:

"Beauty has a cruel fate. Her health was originally not good, and she suffered hardship in the Hundred Flowers Building, leaving behind a root cause of illness. Later, she followed me. I invited alchemists to regulate her body, but they only treated the symptoms, not the root cause..."

"During that period, I was also to blame..."

"I said I wanted to buy her freedom, but I was somewhat hesitant."

"I... after all, I am an elder of the South Yue Sect, and also an array master. My status isn't very high, but in this South Yue City, I am considered a person of some standing."

"In this South Yue City, even families from other states, or sects, also proposed marriage to me."

"The marriage proposals were all from talented and beautiful women, of proper origins, with superior spiritual roots, and their future children would also have good talent."

"Compared to that, Shui Xian was just..."

Elder Su smiled bitterly, "Shui Xian probably also guessed my thoughts, and then deliberately distanced herself from me, as if she didn't want to drag me down."

"But in her heart, she definitely resented me. Whether she hated me or not, I don't know..."

Elder Su sighed.

"Under resentment, the old illness relapsed, and she just passed away..."

"That year I was very angry, feeling that Shui Xian must have been plotted against by someone, so I investigated for a long time, but in the end I didn't find anything."

"Later I realized, Shui Xian... actually died by my hand."

"I was afraid of self-reproach, afraid of regretting, afraid of guilt, so I shifted the responsibility."

"I hoped that someone had killed Shui Xian. That way, I could hate others, avenge Shui Xian, and not feel so guilty..."

"But no..."

"Her life was like duckweed, wanting to attach itself to me."

"But I was heartless, and so, she just drifted away with the wind..."

There was deep bitterness on Elder Su's face.

Mo Xi listened, also somewhat saddened, and asked again:

"These years, you haven't married a Dao companion?"

He had been to this cave mansion several times, and inside this cave mansion, other than one or two maids who boiled water and made tea, there were no other female cultivators.

Elder Su shook his head, and said helplessly:

"These years, I also wanted to marry a Dao companion and forget Shui Xian."

"But people are just cheap..."

"I can't forget her no matter what..."

"It's better not to think of a Dao companion. As soon as I think of a Dao companion, all I see in my heart is Shui Xian's shadow."

"Later I realized, that's just how it is. My heart has been given to her this lifetime, considering it what I owed her. She died, and this heart also went with her..."

Mo Xi didn't expect that the once brothel-frequenting Elder Su actually had such a sad and melancholy past.

Even more so, he didn't expect that this Elder Su was actually a devoted person.

Truly... you can't judge a book by its cover.

Mo Xi patted Elder Su's shoulder, but didn't speak, giving a silent comfort.

Elder Su shivered slightly when Mo Xi patted his shoulder.

Something was wrong!

How did he say everything?

Although he wanted to tell Mo Xi about his past, he didn't intend to reveal all these sorrowful feelings.

These thoughts, he planned to keep buried in his heart.

Elder Su looked at Mo Xi again, feeling a chill in his heart.

This child was too deceptive.

An innocent and guileless face, kind and lovable, made people involuntarily want to tell the truth.

Unknowingly, he had poured out his heart...

But since he had said it, what could he do?

Elder Su could only pretend that nothing had happened.

Mo Xi saw that Elder Su's mood had eased, and asked again:

"So Shui Sheng is the child of you and Shui Xian?"

Elder Su was startled, and nodded helplessly: "He is."

"After Shui Xian died, I brought this child with me as my personal disciple, thinking that with me watching over him, he could be safe and sound, learn some array techniques, and in the future when he achieved something, his mother's spirit in heaven would also be gratified..."

"When I first held him, his mother was looking forward to it, saying she wanted him to be like me, an array master, and make a name for himself..."

Elder Su said up to here, and felt a bit angry again.

"But this child, except that he looks a bit like me, is not like her in any other way. His talent for arrays isn't good, he's not willing to work hard, he's clumsy in everything he does, and his temper isn't as gentle as his mother's..."

Elder Su listed a bunch of faults, then suddenly fell silent, and after a long time said sadly:

"But his eyebrows and expression are... very much like his mother's..."

Mo Xi also sighed after hearing this.

People often realize how to cherish things only after they've lost them.

Especially feelings.

For a moment, both Elder Su and Mo Xi had somewhat desolate expressions.

Elder Su sighed because of past events.

Mo Xi, at his young age, had no love life, but was purely indulging in self-pity...

Shui Sheng walked in, saw the somewhat stifling atmosphere, and suddenly didn't know what to say.

After a moment, he softly said: "Master, the Land Family Head is here."

"The Land Family Head?"

Elder Su was startled, and hastily looked at Mo Xi, whispering:

"What I just told you, you absolutely must not say it."

Mo Xi was startled, "What did you just say?"

"Just..."

Elder Su gestured to himself a bit, then pointed outside, gesturing to the Land Family Head a bit.

Mo Xi understood, it was the matter of the two of them going to a brothel together.

"Don't worry, I won't say it!" Mo Xi promised.

Only then did Elder Su relax.

Not long after, Land Cheng Yun entered the door, bowed to Elder Su, and then warmly and elegantly greeted Mo Xi.

Mo Xi was not surprised by Land Cheng Yun's arrival.

When Elder Su invited him to drink tea, Land Cheng Yun would occasionally visit as well.

They had seen each other several times and were not strangers.

The few of them drank tea together, chatted about some array techniques, and then chatted about the affairs of the South Yue Sect and the Land Family.

Drinking tea was fine, chatting about array techniques was also fine.

But these internal affairs of the sect and family were not convenient for Mo Xi to listen to.

Although he really wanted to listen, perhaps there were clues about the traitor of the Small Spirit Hidden Sect inside.

But some basic etiquette still needed to be observed.

Mo Xi then stood up:

"Land Family Head, Elder Su, you continue chatting, I'll go for a stroll in the garden."

Elder Su said: "Little Mister, make yourself at home."

Mo Xi came here often and was already very familiar, so he wasn't polite either.

But Mo Xi wasn't strolling for fun.

Seeing that Elder Su and the Land Family Head were absorbed in their conversation, he quietly found Elder Su and Shui Xian's illegitimate child, that is, his disciple named "Shui Sheng".

Shui Sheng was reading a book at a small table by the bridge in the garden.

Shui Sheng was a few years older than Mo Xi and also taller.

Mo Xi quietly walked up to him and asked:

"What are you looking at?"

Shui Sheng was startled, hastily put the book away, and was about to get angry, but seeing that it was Mo Xi, he respectfully bowed:

"Little Mister."

Although Mo Xi was young, he was Elder Su's honored guest and interacted with Elder Su as equals.

Shui Sheng naturally did not dare to offend him.

Mo Xi sat down beside him, and also patted his stool, saying:

"Sit."

Shui Sheng did not dare to sit.

Mo Xi looked at him.

Shui Sheng then awkwardly sat down.

When he sat down, Mo Xi glanced over and saw the book in his hand.

It was a book explaining the basic array patterns of the Five Elements.

Mo Xi was a little surprised. According to Elder Su's words, this disciple of his should not be very diligent, and his array skills were also not good.

But now it seemed a little different.

Mo Xi asked: "Is there anything in this book that you don't understand?"

Shui Sheng was slightly startled, and stuttered a few times:

"I'm not very good at drawing..."

He spread the book open, pointing at several metal elemental array patterns within.

Mo Xi glanced at them, they were very basic array patterns.

So he began to explain to him how to draw these array patterns, how to use the brush, how to use the ink, how to arrange the layout, how to mobilize spiritual sense, and how to proceed if spiritual sense was not enough...

As Shui Sheng listened, he involuntarily opened his mouth wide, and looked at Mo Xi with eyes full of admiration.

These problems had troubled him for a long time, and he couldn't figure them out no matter what, but he didn't expect Mo Xi to explain them so thoroughly in just a few sentences, making him suddenly understand.

However, Mo Xi's heart had no fluctuation.

These were already the basic Five Elements array styles.

They were considered very, very simple arrays.

Mo Xi was a little doubtful, "These things, you..."

Mo Xi originally wanted to say "your dad", but the words came to his mouth, and he changed them:

"...Master, didn't he tell you?"

Shui Sheng shook his head, "Master didn't say, he felt these were all too simple, something one should know. When I went to ask him, he just looked at me with great disappointment, as if I had let down his expectations..."

"After a long time, I stopped going to ask him, I just looked at it myself, learned it myself. I learned as much as I could, and if I couldn't, I just gave up..."

Mo Xi shook his head.

How could you learn arrays like this?

Elder Su should have had too high expectations for his only son.

Once his expectations weren't met, he would be disappointed in his heart.

But people were different.

Everyone learned arrays under different conditions, and everyone needed to proceed step by step. One couldn't blame others because of one's excessive expectations or disappointment.

Arrays were originally difficult, and Elder Su's eagerness to love his son and his excessive expectations would instead make Shui Sheng at a loss.

Mo Xi sighed, thinking that since he had drunk Elder Su's tea, it counted as a favor, so he taught Shui Sheng for a while longer.

After a while, Shui Sheng was filled with admiration and gratitude towards Mo Xi.

He was young, had high array attainment, was sincere in his dealings, had no airs, and was still willing to teach him.

Compared to his Master, he was so much better...

Shui Sheng silently complained in his heart.

The two of them then became more familiar.

Mo Xi thought for a moment, and suddenly asked:

"Shui Sheng, do you know your mother?"

Shui Sheng was startled, lowered his head, and nodded.

"Then do you know your dad?"

Shui Sheng looked at Mo Xi with some surprise, and then slowly nodded as well.

Mo Xi's heart stirred slightly.

It seemed that Shui Sheng knew everything...

(End of this chapter)