Chapter 547
Still marveling at how this kid is a born actor!
“Flattery...”
Li Mo’s expression returned to calm, as if the surprise hadn’t registered with Po Jun.
“By the way, where’s the letter?”
Chapter 621: Er Niu’s Instructions, Li Mo Remembers the Past
Po Jun had left the letter and departed; he had been waiting here just to hand it over.
“It arrived last night. He finished dinner and left without a word. Old ginger is still the spiciest...”
Sitting in the newly built post inn, Li Mo opened the letter under the faint morning light.
The handwriting wasn’t particularly elegant, but it was neat.
“Little Li Ge, by the time you read this letter, I will have already left.”
The cooperation between the Tianzu (Heavenly Clan) and Mo City must continue. The mortals still need to rely on the power of Tian City. You know, in the end, someone has to go. With my position in Mo City, no one can say anything.
If we lose this battle, Tianren City will surely fall into chaos. I’m getting old, and I can only entrust Tianren City to you, so I can rest easy.
You once told me a story about Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly. Later, someone came to me and said that the world I live in now is a fabrication. Beyond our world, there exists a ‘Shangjie’ (Upper Realm). He claimed he could take us to the real world.
I began to wonder, is there an even larger world beyond Shangjie? And beyond that, what is real and what is illusion?
I still remember you said, one must live in the present.
Tianren City is wonderful, and everyone is great. The beautiful memories are not false; to me, they are real.
That person must have approached not just me, but also the Tianzu. I don’t know how many among them would think that guarding Tianren City is no longer meaningful.”
“Crisis and opportunity often go hand in hand.”
The words were no longer muddled or heavy; instead, they carried a sense of relief.
The important matters were wrapped up in the first page of the letter.
The tone shifted in the following lines, no longer resembling Dong Changtian, as he recounted the ordinary events of the past years.
“When you first left, everyone was in such a panic.”
“Sister-in-law said it was fine, you would come back. She was worried you wouldn’t find a place when you returned, so she even changed the name of the town.
“Honestly, I was panicking too. After farming for half my life, suddenly the village became a town with tens of thousands of people. How could I manage that? But every time I thought of you giving me the divine sword, I couldn’t let you down when you returned.
“I started learning to read and write. Luckily, Dong Lian and Dong Yi are doing well. My son and daughter have always loved following you, learning how you speak and act. It seems they’ve learned quite well; our signature as the sword bearers was set by Dong Lian.
“Later, they both passed away, and our Wang Village became Mo City.
“The city has grown, and I’ve grown older too. Instead of being busy, I found myself with too much free time, so I took the wooden stick you gave me to practice swordsmanship. Unexpectedly, I seem to have a knack for it.
“Eventually, I grasped a method of using the sword, where everything within reach could be cut down. It seems you saw my potential long ago, Little Li Ge.
“Unfortunately, as I grew older, my sword techniques became harder to execute. I always wanted to wait for you to return and show you, but you never remembered me.
“Now, being able to leave my strength in a foreign land isn’t such a regret. If I must regret, it’s that I never got to drink your and sister-in-law’s wedding wine.
“Now it’s your turn to wait for me, right?”
Seeing the crooked signature of ‘Er Niu’ at the end, Li Mo couldn’t help but chuckle.
It was the first time he taught Er Niu to write, and it was just his name, written in the fields.
The night’s snow hadn’t stopped the sun from rising.
Li Mo tucked the letter away and stepped into the pure white light of dawn, bustling through the streets of Mo City.
He acted as if he had never seen the letter, going about his usual routine of buying breakfast—steamed dumplings, soup, and he even ordered some spicy peppers and vinegar for Bing Tuozi.
When he returned to the small courtyard, Ying Bing had just woken up. Her disheveled hair had two stubborn tufts sticking up, as if she hadn’t forced herself to wake up because Li Mo had come in.
“Sleeping so soundly, did you know I would come back?”
Little Li seemed to ponder.
If he really intended to leave, would Bing Tuozi obediently wait in bed for her breakfast?
No wonder she hadn’t said much last night; it turned out she was acting.
Just then, a snowy foot peeked out from under the covers. Li Mo looked up and met her serene gaze.
Oh, socks.
Li Mo went to fetch a pair of socks and casually helped her put them on.
Ying Bing: “?”
“What’s wrong?” Li Mo cleared his throat, realizing his actions had been a bit too smooth.
Ying Bing squinted at him: “Did you remember something?”
“Ah? I ordered vinegar and peppers; my memory has always been good,” Li Mo replied, feigning confusion.
As he spoke, he placed the breakfast on the table.
Ying Bing took a spicy dumpling, biting her chopsticks as she asked, “Why are you back? Weren’t you supposed to go with the Tianzu army to the foreign land?”
“I was supposed to go, but that old Dong moved too quickly, and I missed him.”
Li Mo shook his head: “Plus, the Tianzu treated me like an undercover agent, so they sent me back. Oh, and old Dong left me a letter.”
“What did the letter say that made you stay so obediently?”
“It’s a bit long.”
Ying Bing pursed her lips: “Then make it short and sweet.”
Li Mo, with a serious expression, handed her a small dumpling: “He wants to drink our wedding wine.”
“.......”
Ying Bing’s cheeks twitched, feeling that today’s Little Li had changed somehow.
His eyes were still as clear, but he wasn’t as dull as before.
Otherwise, how could he understand the essence and keep it concise?
When he was putting on her socks, his hands seemed to have their own ideas. A true craftsman, even unconsciously, would employ certain techniques...
Something was definitely off.
Ying Bing lowered her eyes, glancing at him casually: “I stood for a long time yesterday and feel a bit tired. Help me massage.”
Her voice was soft, and Little Li, the craftsman, felt as if struck by lightning.
After a moment, he ultimately revealed the truth that had resurfaced from the past.
With her small, snowy foot resting in his embrace, and given that Little Li had always been unable to control his hands...
What kind of official could withstand such a test?
This is what we call a craftsman’s professional quality; this is what it means to love one’s work.
After Li Mo’s exposure, he felt the chill of Ying Bing’s gaze on him, making his scalp tingle. After a moment, he finally said seriously:
“Old Dong bought us a lot of time for Mo City. I need to make good use of this time.”
“Ask me anything you want.”
“I’m still observing the Nine Apertures, and the forms in my small world are increasing, but the inner scenery seems as distant as before. Why is that?”
Chapter 622: Urgent News from the Frontlines
In the small world.
Having not returned for many days, it still looked the same.
The two sat at the stone table in the Yin-Yang dojo, Ying Bing and Li Mo discussing the methods of the Qianxing Jue (Thousand Forms Technique).
“Don’t you know how to draw the Observation Diagram? Why not organize the forms and meanings first?”
“I’ll give it a try.”
Li Mo nodded, took out paper and pen, and as he listened to the sound of Bing Tuozi grinding ink, his thoughts gradually calmed.
Suddenly, he recalled the past, feeling he had gained much, but he still hadn’t fully remembered how to make those gains truly his.
As he put pen to paper, the vivid scenes from both lives sprang to life.
There was Feng Zhi in her floral cotton coat; there was Old Li secretly hiding in the shadows, watching him leave; there was himself farming in the fields, swinging a hammer in the blacksmith shop, and the young Er Niu wielding a wooden stick...
So many memories that his paper was no longer enough.
Eventually, he simply began drawing on the stones of the Yin-Yang dojo, in the dirt.
He even stopped drawing altogether; as the master of this world, he directly manifested them in the white clouds and blue sky.
He didn’t know how long had passed when he opened his eyes, only to see a dense array of images, covering the mountains and fields.
“Bing Tuozi, do I need to use the Qianxing Jue to unify all these forms into one?”
“......”
Ying Bing, momentarily stunned, finally came back to her senses, her tone carrying a hint of hesitation for the first time:
“I’ve never seen anyone with so many forms... Give it a try.”
“Will this even work...?”
Li Mo felt a chill run down his spine.
It was the first time he had seen Bing Tuozi show uncertainty in her training.
This was akin to a century-old doctor frowning while searching ancient texts; who wouldn’t feel uneasy?
But it could also mean... he was walking a path never before tread, one even Bing Tuozi didn’t know where it led.
Li Mo recalled a saying.
There was originally no path in the world; it’s just that many people have walked it...
Bing Tuozi told him to try, which at least indicated this wasn’t a dead end.
With a hook, let’s give it a shot.
He just didn’t know what kind of wonders would emerge on this path leading to the inner scenery?
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