Chapter 798: Suicide

This message is from Mo Hua, obtained mainly from Hao Xuan's cousin, Hao Se.

Hao Xuan's end-of-year assessment was very poor, especially in sword technique. Ever since he became addicted to using the stick, he rarely used his sword. After a long time, his sword technique became rusty. In a sect full of geniuses, if sword technique doesn't advance, it retreats. Therefore, Hao Xuan only got a "C" in sword technique. Although he is actually a bit stronger than Mo Hua, in terms of rating, he was indeed similar to Mo Hua.

But Mo Hua's excellence covers a hundred shortcomings. In array technique, he is unmatched, and for other aspects where his aptitude is limited, no one blames him. Furthermore, he has no family, his parents are not by his side, and his cultivation relies entirely on his own initiative, with no one urging him. To put it another way, even if his parents were by his side, and he achieved a result of "first class six C" in the Qian Xue state boundary, within a sect like Tai Xu Gate filled with geniuses, they would only be proud of him. After all, his starting point was too low; achieving any result was not easy.

Hao Xuan is different. He has a family, and the competition within the clan is fierce, with strict requirements. His parents also place great value on his academic results. For cultivators of his age, the sect's "academic results" often represent the entire "meaning" of their existence. Therefore, when Hao Xuan got a "C," it felt like the sky had fallen. His parents, including the elders of the same lineage, all gave him a cold shoulder. Hao Xuan spent this year trembling with fear. He increasingly didn't want to stay with his family, so he settled for the next best thing and ran to Tai Xu Gate to "avoid disaster."

His excuse to his parents was: He didn't assess well and felt very ashamed. He wanted to work hard, strive for improvement, so he would stay in the sect, cultivate diligently, catch up on his studies, and not return for the New Year. This excuse was something he specifically consulted "little senior brother" Mo Hua to learn. And Hao Xuan's parents did not object. Not only did they not object, they even felt that Hao Xuan was "knowing shame and becoming brave." Although he assessed poorly this time, knowing to make an effort now was not too late. His parents were very pleased.

Just like this, Hao Xuan stayed at Tai Xu Gate and spent the New Year with Mo Hua. He indeed cultivated regularly, either learning sword technique, practicing stick technique, or consulting Mo Hua on array technique. He was never slack, so it didn't count as lying to his parents. And as the year-end approached, his parents, after all, still cared about their "hard-working" son, so they sent his cousin Hao Se to the sect specifically to bring him some good food.

At this time, Hao Xuan was in the disciple residence, learning array technique with Mo Hua. Hao Se placed seven or eight large and small food boxes inlaid with red edges on the table and said, "Hao Xuan, I've brought you food." After speaking, he bowed to Mo Hua again, "Little senior brother, Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year..." Mo Hua also bowed in return, but his expression was a bit bewildered. He wasn't very familiar with Hao Se, only remembering that there seemed to be such a disciple in the same batch at Tai Xu Gate, but his impression was not deep. Normally, whether it was sect rewards or going to Refine Demon Mountain to hunt demons, there seemed to be no intersection. He hadn't even thought of the name.

Hao Xuan then said, "This is my cousin, surname Hao, given name Se. He's one year older than me, but he started cultivating Dao at the same time as me. We are similar in age and cultivation, so we also entered Tai Xu Gate together."

"Oh," Mo Hua nodded. "Hao Se..." This name, no matter how he heard it, felt a bit strange.

Hao Se was naturally lively and somewhat overly familiar. Mo Hua didn't know him well, but he knew Mo Hua. After all, among the thousand-plus disciples in one batch at Tai Xu Gate, there was only this one "little senior brother."

Spending the New Year with a worldly family meant too many people, too much noise, and too many complicated rituals. Hao Se rarely got out and temporarily didn't want to go back, so he and Hao Xuan and Mo Hua ate spirit meals, drank spirit wine, and chatted in the disciple residence.

While chatting, Hao Se suddenly looked desolate, sighed, and said, "In Hundred Flowers Valley, a senior sister died." This sentence came very suddenly. Mo Hua was happily eating a chicken leg, and his mind went blank for a moment. "What?"

Hao Se repeated again, "In Hundred Flowers Valley, a senior sister died..."

Mo Hua was stunned for a few moments, looking at Hao Se, his heart full of questions, not knowing where to start. How could a senior sister die in Hundred Flowers Valley? And you are not a disciple of Hundred Flowers Valley... how would you know about this kind of matter? Furthermore, a senior sister dying in Hundred Flowers Valley, what does that have to do with you?

Hao Xuan sighed, somewhat reluctant to speak, but there were no outsiders in the disciple residence, so he said, "My cousin... his lifelong wish is to become a disciple of Hundred Flowers Valley..."

Mo Hua was a bit stunned. "Does Hundred Flowers Valley accept male disciples?"

Hao Se shook his head and said disappointedly, "No, they don't."

Mo Hua said curiously, "Then how can you become a disciple of Hundred Flowers Valley?"

Hao Se said solemnly, "Precisely because Hundred Flowers Valley doesn't accept male disciples, my lifelong ambition is to promote reform in Hundred Flowers Valley and let them also accept male disciples. Failing that, accepting male cultivators as elders would also be fine. This way, after I graduate from Tai Xu Gate, even if I can't be a disciple, I can still make 'becoming a Hundred Flowers Valley elder' my lifelong aspiration..."

Mo Hua opened his mouth, not knowing what to say for a while. In this vast world, there really are all kinds of people...

"But this reform doesn't seem feasible. No matter how you think about it, it's unlikely that Hundred Flowers Valley would recruit male cultivators as guest elders," Mo Hua said again.

"Yes, the future is bleak..." Hao Se looked desolate, finally gritting his teeth, "If it really doesn't work, I heard that He Huan Sect has a kind of cultivation method that reverses yin and yang. I..."

Hao Xuan immediately covered his mouth. "Stop, cousin! Don't say anymore! If Uncle or Aunt hears this, they'll break your leg."

Mo Hua also looked shocked, feeling a sense of admiration in his heart. In some sense, this guy is also a ruthless person. But he was also very puzzled and asked, "Why do you want to go to Hundred Flowers Valley so much?"

Hao Se said seriously, "There's no special reason, just an ordinary 'life ideal'. Since it's a life ideal, what reason do you still need?"

Mo Hua was actually speechless.

Hao Xuan on the side sighed, "My cousin's aptitude is actually very good, but he's just... a bit abnormal..."

Hao Se looked displeased, but didn't retort.

Hao Xuan continued, "...Logically, if he made a little effort and the family also put in some effort, it wouldn't be impossible for him to enter one of the four great sects. But because he always 'speaks shocking words,' the clan was afraid he would cause trouble and could only send him to Tai Xu Gate to keep me company. I grew up with him and know his nature, so I can keep an eye on him..."

So that's how it is... Mo Hua nodded.

Hao Se still "persisted in his opinion" and said, "What are the four great sects? If I can enter Hundred Flowers Valley, who cares about going to the four great sects?"

Hao Xuan broke off a chicken leg and handed it to Mo Hua. "Little senior brother, eat the chicken leg, don't mind him."

"Oh..." Mo Hua took the chicken leg and gnawed on it. Suddenly, he asked curiously again, "Hao Se..." Because he was gnawing on the chicken leg, his pronunciation wasn't clear, and the words "Hao Se" in Mo Hua's mouth became "lewd"...

Hao Se quickly corrected him once, "It's Hao Se, not lewd!"

"Uh-huh," Mo Hua nodded and continued to ask, "Hao Se, you said a senior sister in Hundred Flowers Valley committed suicide. What exactly happened?"

Hao Se's expression became sad. He was at Tai Xu Gate but his heart was in Hundred Flowers Valley, so he always paid close attention to matters in Hundred Flowers Valley. "I often wander around Hundred Flowers Valley, so I've also made friends with several senior sisters there..."

"How did you make friends?"

"Got beaten a few times, then got to know them..."

Mo Hua: "..."

Hao Xuan felt very embarrassed, but still explained, "My cousin... because he has free time, he just wanders around Hundred Flowers Valley. The disciples there discovered him and thought he had ulterior motives, so they beat him a few times. After the misunderstanding was cleared up, they got to know each other..."

This is truly, no fight no acquaintance...

Hao Se waved his hand and said, "These are all small matters. Who in life doesn't have a few small setbacks? Next is the main matter..." Hao Se drank a mouthful of wine and frowned, "At the end of the year, I sent holiday gifts to several senior sisters in Hundred Flowers Valley and saw that their expressions weren't right, so I asked if something had happened. They were reluctant to say, but after I repeatedly guaranteed not to leak it, they told me..." Speaking of this, Hao Se again said to Mo Hua and Hao Xuan, "You must also guarantee not to leak it, then I can tell you..."

Hao Xuan and Mo Hua silently nodded.

Hao Se was very satisfied and continued, "The senior sisters said that during the festival, most of the sisters went back to their families for the New Year. There were also some disciples who lived far away, or who wanted to retake exams, or who were delayed by other matters, who stayed in Hundred Flowers Valley for the New Year."

"On the day of the festival, everything was originally fine, but a fire started in a disciple residence. It suddenly caught fire."

"The fire wasn't big, and the elders who stayed quickly extinguished the flames. The fire didn't spread and didn't cause major losses."

"At first, the elders were a bit angry, thinking it was some disciple's carelessness, who didn't close the pill furnace properly before leaving, causing the pill furnace to catch fire and leading to a fire disaster."

"But when this elder entered that disciple residence to look, their expression changed greatly."

"Inside the disciple residence lay a charred corpse. A female disciple was burned to death like this during the New Year..."

Mo Hua's gaze froze. "Was this suicide?"

Hao Se shook his head. "I don't know, but Hundred Flowers Valley on that side checked, and there were no traces of other people's hands. From beginning to end, only this senior sister was in the room."

"This matter even alarmed the Sect Master."

"But the Sect Master of Hundred Flowers Valley, together with the crowd of elders, did not find any other clues, and finally unanimously determined that this was a suicide..."

Hao Se said everything he had heard.

Mo Hua frowned. He always felt that this matter was a bit fishy. However, this was a matter of Hundred Flowers Valley. Mo Hua was very busy, wanting to cultivate, attend classes, learn array technique, and also investigate the matter of Water Yama. Naturally, he had no time to inquire about this kind of matter. Moreover, Hundred Flowers Valley not only did not accept male disciples but also prohibited any male cultivators from entering. Even if he wanted to inquire, he couldn't. As for this senior sister who was in the prime of her life and died by self-immolation, he could only sigh and express regret in his heart.

Hao Se also looked sad.

Hao Xuan saw the atmosphere was a bit depressed, so he said, "Let's not talk about this. Hundred Flowers Valley will naturally have an explanation for this matter. Let's chat about other things."

Hao Se also nodded. He was originally sad and wanted to find someone to talk to. Now that he had said it out, his heart felt a bit better. Moreover, disciples committing suicide or dying in a sect was not unprecedented in the Qian Xue state boundary. There were even instances of male and female disciples, dissatisfied with the marriages arranged by their families since childhood, agreeing to die together and ending their lives together... With so many people, anything can happen.

Hao Xuan found another topic and moved past this matter. The three people ate meat, drank wine, and chatted for a while. Hao Se wanted to go back to his clan. Before leaving, Mo Hua was suddenly startled, as if possessed, and asked a question, "Hao Se, do you know who that senior sister who committed suicide was?"

Hao Se thought for a moment, shook his head, and said, "I don't know. I've never seen her, I only know that this senior sister seems to have the surname 'Ye'..."

Surname Ye... Mo Hua's pupils constricted. A face floated in his mind. An oval face, exquisite features, skin like condensed fat, eyebrows and eyes with some sadness, looking introverted and somewhat cold. Senior Sister Ye?! A few days ago, he had just seen this Senior Sister Ye, her clothes like embroidered flowers, her person more gorgeous than the flowers, yet after only a few days, she died so suddenly?

Mo Hua frowned. "Maybe I guessed wrong... not that Senior Sister Ye?" There weren't necessarily only this one Senior Sister with the surname "Ye" in Hundred Flowers Valley. It was also uncertain that the person who committed suicide was her. But even though he said that, Mo Hua's heart always had a bad premonition.

Mo Hua didn't let go of this matter in the end. A few days later, he verified it with Senior Sister Murong. Murong Cai Yun looked surprised. "Who did you hear that from?"

"A friend I casually made, who has some connection with Hundred Flowers Valley," Mo Hua didn't mention Hao Se's name.

Murong Cai Yun's expression became somewhat melancholic. She gently sighed. "That's right, it's Younger Sister Jin'er..."

"Jin'er?"

"It's the Senior Sister Ye you mentioned. Her surname is Ye, and her given name is 'Jin'. She is also..." Murong Cai Yun's expression was somewhat pained. "...the female disciple who committed suicide in Hundred Flowers Valley..."

"Did she really commit suicide?" Mo Hua frowned.

Murong Cai Yun nodded slightly. "Hundred Flowers Valley on that side checked, it should be suicide. As for the reason, it's hard to say..."

"Some say her family forced her to marry, some say the cultivation pressure was too great, and some say she was hurt by love and couldn't think straight, so she ended her life."

"But these are all rumors, and it's hard to judge their truth."

Mo Hua was still a bit puzzled. "Her family forced her to marry? Did she want to marry so early?"

"Yes," Murong Cai Yun said. "The Ye family is a third-grade family. In other places, perhaps they would be considered a large family, but in the Qian Xue land boundary, they can only be considered a medium-lower small family."

"This kind of family lives in the cracks of large worldly families. It's difficult to advance, but very easy to retreat. Moreover, once they retreat, it's very possible they won't be able to climb up again."

"Therefore, families like the Ye family have a strong sense of crisis, are more skilled at fawning, and also have to attach themselves everywhere."

"Females within the clan who are beautiful, have outstanding aptitude, and can also enter a large sect, are selected for marriage matters early on."

"Marriages may not be tied, but betrothals must be set, and the earlier the better, so that they can..." Murong Cai Yun couldn't quite say it.

Mo Hua then said, "...Can sell for a good price?"

Murong Cai Yun's eyes were slightly startled. She deeply sighed and nodded. "Yes."

Marriages within families, whether large worldly families or small families, are mostly a "trade." Mo Hua couldn't help but think of the "gossip" about worldly families he had heard An Xiao Fu chat about in Tong Xian City a long time ago. He also thought of Uncle Zhang Lan, who probably ran to a small immortal city to "avoid marriage," and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Looking within families, there are also many things beyond one's control.

Mo Hua again beat around the bush, inquiring about the news of Senior Sister Ye's suicide in Hundred Flowers Valley, but Murong Cai Yun didn't know much. Most of the news was similar to what Hao Se had said. The only new clue was the Ye family.

"Ye family..." Mo Hua murmured lightly. He inexplicably felt that the surname "Ye" was very familiar. But ever since he entered the Qian Xue state boundary, he had come into contact with too many families and cultivators. Many large worldly families and small families even used the same surname. Their ancestors were still from the same source, their branches and leaves prosperous, and their origins complex. Mo Hua was of scattered cultivator origin, and involving himself with these complicated family surnames made his thoughts involuntarily a bit confused. For a while, he couldn't think of whether he had come into contact with any cultivators or families surnamed "Ye."

"Right, Senior Sister Murong," Mo Hua finally asked, "Where is this Ye family located? They shouldn't be within the Qian Xue state boundary."

"Uh, the Ye family is a third-grade family, they don't have the qualifications to stand in the Qian Xue state boundary. As for where..." Murong Cai Yun frowned a bit. "Wait, I'll check."

From a storage bag with gold thread phoenix patterns, she took out a map, flipped through it for a while, and pointed a slender white finger at a place, saying, "Here... Yan Shui City."

Mo Hua's pupils suddenly constricted. "Yan Shui... City?"

"Yes," Murong Cai Yun nodded. "Yan Shui City is a third-grade immortal city, located on the bank of the Yan Shui River. The Yan Shui River flows through the city, hence the name 'Yan Shui City'."

"The Ye family is also a leading family within Yan Shui City..." Murong Cai Yun finished speaking and saw that Mo Hua's expression was different, so she asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing..." Mo Hua thought for a moment and shook his head. He silently wrote down the three words "Yan Shui City," then thanked Murong Cai Yun, exchanged a few more greetings, and then took his leave.

Back in the disciple residence, Mo Hua sat at his desk, his brows furrowed tighter. Yan Shui City... The Ye family, Senior Sister Ye, Hundred Flowers Valley. Suicide... He felt that there was definitely a big problem inside. But the clues were too few, and it was somewhat unclear.

Mo Hua gently sighed. He had only met "Senior Sister Ye" once, and they hadn't even exchanged many words. He originally didn't want to interfere, especially since this was an internal matter of Hundred Flowers Valley. But now, it involved the three words "Yan Shui River," which made it a bit different... He wanted to find a way to figure out exactly what happened...

"But, how to investigate?" He definitely couldn't enter Hundred Flowers Valley, nor could he investigate there. The only way was to start from the "Ye family" in Yan Shui City. "I'll find time to go to Yan Shui City and take a look..." Mo Hua said silently in his heart.

A few days later, the festival ended completely, and Tai Xu Gate "started school" again. The new school year began again. This was also Mo Hua's fifth year at Tai Xu Gate. At the beginning of the school year, there were relatively many matters. Elders needed to start teaching, and disciples also needed to refocus. There were also some miscellaneous odd and ends. Mo Hua spent seven or eight days handling trivial matters, and then his sect life became regular. Soon, it was the first ten-day break. Mo Hua then decided to set out for Yan Shui City.

However, before going to Yan Shui City, he thought he would first make a detour, go a bit far, and visit the broken temple in Ku Mountain to see Huang Shan Jun. After all, it had been a long time since they last met, and he didn't know how Huang Shan Jun was living now, whether he had incense offerings, if the broken temple was dilapidated, etc. Of course, he also wanted to conveniently ask some things, such as the divine way, and also... turning divine sense into a sword.