A face appeared in his mind.
An oval face, delicate features, skin smooth as jade, with a touch of melancholy between the brows, seeming both introverted and somewhat aloof.
Senior Sister Ye?!
A few days ago, he had seen Senior Sister Ye, dressed in vibrant colors, with a beauty that surpassed the flowers. And just within days, she suddenly died?
Mo Hua frowned.
"Could it be Iâve guessed wrong... It wasnât that Senior Sister Ye?"
In Hundred Flower Valley, there might be more than one âYeâ Senior Sister; the one who committed suicide could be someone else.
But even so, Mo Hua had a bad premonition in his heart.
...
Mo Hua couldnât let this matter go.
A few days later, he sought confirmation from Senior Sister Murong.
Murong Caiyun looked shocked, "Who did you hear this from?"
"A friend I met by chance, who has some association with Hundred Flower Valley said it."
Mo Hua didnât mention Hao Seâs name.
Murong Caiyunâs expression turned somewhat melancholy, she sighed softly, "Yes, itâs Sister Jin..."
"Jin Er?"
"The one you mentioned as Senior Sister Ye, her surname is Ye, and her given name is âJinâ. So sheâs..." Murong Caiyunâs expression became pained, "The female disciple who committed suicide in Hundred Flower Valley..."
"Was it really suicide?" Mo Hua frowned.
Murong Caiyun nodded slightly, "Hundred Flower Valley investigated, it should be suicide. As for the reason, itâs hard to say..."
"Thereâs talk of her family forcing her to marry, others say the pressure of cultivation was too great, and yet others say she was heartbroken and couldnât cope, so she ended her life."
"But these are all rumors, whether theyâre true or not is hard to determine."
Mo Hua was a bit puzzled, "Her family forced her to marry? Sheâs supposed to marry this early?"
"Yes," Murong Caiyun replied, "The Ye family is a third-grade family, elsewhere they might be considered a great family, but in Qianxue Territory, theyâre only a medium-sized family at best."
"Such families live in the crevices between great families, moving forward is difficult, but stepping back is easy, and once you step back, you may never climb up again."
"Therefore, families like the Ye family have a strong sense of crisis, specializing in flattering and clinging wherever they can."
"Girls within the clan, beautiful in appearance, outstanding in talent, able to be accepted into a Great Sect, are eyed for marriage early."
"Marriage might not happen, but the engagement must be arranged, and the sooner the better, that way they can..."
Murong Caiyun hesitated to continue.
Mo Hua then said, "...sell for a good price, right?"
Murong Caiyun blinked slightly and sighed deeply, nodding:
"Yes."
Marriages within the clan, whether in great families or small ones, most are a form of âtransactionâ.
Mo Hua couldnât help but recall listening to An Xiaofu discussing family âeight trigramsâ back in Tongxian City.
And possibly Uncle Zhang Lan who fled to Little Immortal City to avoid marriage, making his heart feel melancholic.
It seems there are many helpless situations within clans.
Mo Hua subtly probed further, trying to gather more news about Senior Sister Yeâs suicide from Hundred Flower Valley, but Murong Caiyun didnât know much, most of the information matched what Hao Se said.
The only new clue was the Ye family.
"The Ye family..."
Mo Hua softly muttered the name, strangely feeling the surname "Ye" was familiar.
But ever since entering Qianxue State Boundary, he had been exposed to many families and cultivators, numerous great families and small clans, even with the same surname, having ancestry traced back to the same origin, complicated and intricate.
Mo Hua, originally a Loose Cultivator, felt a bit confused dealing with these complex family names.
For a moment, he couldnât recall if he had contacted any cultivators or clans with the surname "Ye".
"By the way, Senior Sister Murong," Mo Hua finally asked, "Where is this Ye family located? It shouldnât be within Qianxue State Boundary, right?"
"Yes, the Ye family is a third-grade family, not qualified to establish itself in Qianxue State Boundary. As for where..."
Murong Caiyun frowned slightly, "Wait a moment, Iâll check."
She took out a map from a golden phoenix-patterned storage bag, looked through it for a while, and pointed with her slender, fair finger to a spot:
"Here... Mistwater City."
Mo Huaâs pupils suddenly trembled.
"Mistwater... City?"
"Yes." Murong Caiyun nodded, "Mistwater City is a third-grade Immortal City, located beside Mistwater River. The river flows through the city, hence the name âMistwater Cityâ."
"The Ye family is among the top-ranking families in Mistwater City..."
Murong Caiyun finished speaking and noticed Mo Huaâs unusual expression, so she asked:
"Is there something wrong?"
"Nothing..."
Mo Hua pondered for a moment, shaking his head.
He silently memorized the words "Mistwater City", then thanked Murong Caiyun, exchanged a few more courtesies, and took his leave.
Back to the Discipleâs Residence, Mo Hua sat at the desk, furrowing his brow even tighter.
Mistwater City...
The Ye family, Senior Sister Ye, Hundred Flower Valley.
Suicide...
He sensed there were significant issues within.
But there were too few clues, somewhat difficult to piece together.
Mo Hua sighed lightly.
He had only met âSenior Sister Yeâ once, barely exchanged words, never intended to meddle, and this was an internal affair of Hundred Flower Valley.
Yet now, with âMistwater Riverâ involved, it seemed different...
He needed to figure out what truly transpired...
"But, how to investigate?"
Hundred Flower Valley was definitely out of reach, unable to investigate there.
The only viable path was through the Ye family in Mistwater City.
"Iâll make time to visit Mistwater City soon..."
Mo Hua murmured internally.
A few days later, the holidays fully concluded, Taixu Gate âopened schoolâ again.
A new academic year began.
This marked Mo Huaâs fifth year at Taixu Gate.
At the start of school, there were numerous tasks, the elders began teaching, disciples had to focus, along with various miscellaneous errands.
Mo Hua spent seven or eight days handling chores, and life at the sect fell into routine.
Soon, it was the first ten-day break.
Mo Hua decided to set off for Mistwater City.
But before heading there, he wanted to take a detour, going a bit further to visit the broken temple on Kushan Mountain and check on Lord Yellow Mountain.
After all, it had been a long time, he didnât know how Lord Yellow Mountain was faring.
Whether there was incense offering, whether the temple was in disrepair, and so forth.
Of course, he also intended to inquire about certain things, like the path of deities, and...
Divine Thought into Sword.