61: Chapter 61 Yan Jiuku's Cave

The next day, near noon, two Cultivators dressed in exotic attire landed in a barren mountain range.

It had just snowed heavily in the mountains, and both the forests and scattered rocks were covered with snow, with not a single shadow of a person to be seen anywhere.

Senior Brother took out a wooden box from his bosom.

As soon as the box lid was opened, the small black insect inside grew restless and kept crawling forward.

"Junior Martial Uncle is right nearby."

Senior Brother put away the wooden box and led Junior Brother as they walked into the mountains.

Mo Xiaochuan followed several miles behind the two, using the rocks and trees to conceal his figure.

From yesterday until now, they had already chased seven to eight hundred miles toward the northeast.

The child insect in the wooden box changed direction several times along the way, and the speed of the two was sometimes fast and sometimes slow.

If not for Mo Xiaochuan's Cultivation being far above theirs, it would not have been easy to follow all the way here.

The three walked into the mountains for another small half an hour.

The terrain ahead grew increasingly steep, and the foot of the mountain was piled with stones of all sizes.

The two Heishui Valley Cultivators stopped in front of a stone cliff.

Senior Brother opened the wooden box once more.

The small insect in the box was even more restless than before, its head pointing steadily toward the mid-mountain slope.

Senior Brother looked in the direction it guided, and soon discovered a patch of withered vines weighed down by thick snow.

He raised his hand and struck out with a beam of spiritual power.

The withered vines and snow were tossed aside, revealing a hidden cave entrance behind them.

A few damaged Restrictions still remained outside the cave entrance, but too many years had passed, and they no longer had any effect.

The two entered the Immortal Cave one after another.

Mo Xiaochuan waited for a while before coming near the cave entrance.

He did not go in directly; instead, he hid behind a boulder and probed a wisp of Divine Sense into the cave.

The Immortal Cave was not large, divided inside into several stone rooms.

The things in the stone rooms had long since been moved away, leaving only a stone table and a few stone stools, with thick dust falling in the corners.

A Cultivator was sitting right beside the stone table.

The two Heishui Valley Cultivators walked up to him and saluted simultaneously.

"Greetings, Junior Martial Uncle."

That person glanced at the two of them.

"You've finally caught up."

Senior Brother said:

"The child insect changed direction several times halfway, and we chased all the way until noon before finding this place."

Junior Brother looked around.

"Junior Martial Uncle, what place is this?"

"The Immortal Cave where Yan Jiuku used to live."

Mo Xiaochuan, hiding outside, heard this name and immediately looked at the Cultivator beside the stone table.

Qingli had once told him that the former owner of the broken jade was Yan Jiuku.

Senior Brother asked:

"Who is Yan Jiuku?"

That Junior Martial Uncle said:

"When I was inquiring about the residual jade at the market town ahead, I ran into a Loose Cultivator who knew Yan Jiuku."

"That person had done business with Yan Jiuku a few times and had also been to this Immortal Cave."

"He witnessed with his own eyes that Yan Jiuku had half a piece of residual jade. A Dragon was engraved on the broken jade."

Senior Brother said:

"That should be the thing we are looking for?"

That Junior Martial Uncle nodded.

"That Loose Cultivator also said that eleven years ago, the Baihe Sect had inquired about Yan Jiuku's whereabouts in several nearby market towns."

"After Yan Jiuku left this Immortal Cave, he never returned. I have already searched this place once, and nothing useful was left behind."

Junior Brother asked:

"Where did he go later?"

"After Yan Jiuku left here, he once appeared at a market town in the north."

"This is the last clue that can be found at present."

Senior Brother said:

"Then shall we go over right now?"

"No rush."

That Junior Martial Uncle looked at the two of them.

"Recover your spiritual power first, and set off after half an hour."

Junior Brother sat down on a stone stool.

"Eleven years have passed, Yan Jiuku might have died long ago."

That Junior Martial Uncle said:

"Even if a person dies, things will not vanish into thin air."

"As long as we continue to investigate along this line, we will always find some things."

The two Cultivators dressed in exotic attire said no more and each found a place to meditate.

Mo Xiaochuan withdrew his Divine Sense and still hid outside the Immortal Cave.

What these people were searching for was indeed the broken jade in his hands.

They had only tracked down Yan Jiuku for now, and did not yet know that Yan Jiuku had died at Baitou Mountain, let alone that the half-piece of broken jade had fallen into his hands.

However, as long as they continued to investigate along Yan Jiuku, sooner or later they would find the vicinity of Baitou Mountain.

Mo Xiaochuan did not leave.

He prepared to wait until these people recovered their spiritual power and continue following them up.

At the same time, the snow in Mo Family Village had become much lighter.

Mo Shoutian came out of the room where Spirit Stones and medicinal herbs were stored.

The Spirit Stones had been packed into wooden boxes, and the selected medicinal herbs, beast meat, and beast bones had also been properly arranged. Beside them were placed the Mo family's account books and the records of tributes handed over in recent years.

Everything that could be prepared had already been prepared last night.

Mo Shoutian stood at the doorway and watched for a while, just about to go check the account books again, when Liu Chunmei walked out of the kitchen.

"Dinner is almost ready, stop looking."

Mo Shoutian nodded and followed her back to the front courtyard.

Chengyue was leading several younger brothers playing in the snow. Seeing him come out, Chengyue pestered him again, asking if they could go to the foot of the mountain to recognize beast footprints after the snow melted.

Mo Shoutian had no other way with his questioning and could only agree.

Not long after, Liu Chunmei stood at the doorway and shouted:

"Dinner is ready, stop playing everyone, hurry and get inside the house."

Only then did the several children put down the things in their hands, pat the snow off their bodies, and run into the main hall.

On the table were braised meat, roasted chicken, and several hot dishes, alongside a pot of bone soup and a basket of freshly steamed white flour steamed buns.

The family sat around the table.

Chengfeng and Chenglie squeezed in beside Mo Shoutian on the left and right.

The two of them were still young; sitting on the stools, their heads were just barely higher than the table edge.

Liu Chunmei first ladled a bowl of soup for Mo Shoutian.

"You didn't close your eyes all of last night, drink something hot first."

Mo Shoutian took it and took a sip.

"You guys eat too, don't mind me."

"Who wants to mind you."

Liu Chunmei said so with her mouth, but still pushed the plate of braised meat closer to him.

The children had been hungry for a long time and quickly started eating.

Chengfeng used his chopsticks to pick up meat several times, but failed to pick it up, and finally could only push his bowl in front of Mo Shoutian.

"Grandpa, pick some."

Mo Shoutian picked a piece of tenderly stewed meat from the meat basin, placed it into his bowl, and casually picked a piece for Chenglie beside him as well.

Chengfeng lowered his head and looked at the meat in his bowl, but did not eat it immediately.

After a while, he held the chopsticks with both hands, managed with great difficulty to pick up the meat, and tremblingly placed it into Mo Shoutian's bowl.

"Grandpa, eat."

Mo Shoutian looked at the meat in his bowl.

"Weren't you in a rush to have it just a moment ago?"

Chengfeng said:

"Grandma said Grandpa didn't sleep all night."

Upon hearing this, Liu Chunmei looked over at Mo Shoutian.

"Look, even a three-year-old child knows."

Mo Shoutian divided that piece of meat into two halves, keeping half in his own bowl and putting the other half back into Chengfeng's bowl.

"Then each of us gets half."

Only then did Chengfeng lower his head and eat earnestly.

Chen Xiuyun sat beside the several children, helped Cheng'an wipe the soup stains from the corner of his mouth, and broke half a steamed bun for Chengye.

After eating a few bites, she said:

"I wonder when Xiaochuan will be able to come back."

Mo Shoutian put down his soup bowl.

"Qingshi has already seen that he is fine."

"When he finishes handling the matters outside, he will naturally come back."

Hearing them mention Mo Xiaochuan, Chengyue immediately said:

"Mom, Grandpa promised me."

"Promise you what?"

"When the snow melts, he'll take me into the mountains to recognize beast footprints."

Chen Xiuyun looked toward Mo Shoutian.

"He thinks about entering the mountains every day, and you actually agreed?"

"Just taking a look at the foot of the mountain, not taking him into the back mountain."

Chengyue straightened his back.

"When I recognize all the beast footprints, I will lead the beast-hunting team in the future."

Mo Shoutian said:

"Learn all the characters in the schoolhouse first before talking about that."

Chengyue lowered his head and took a bite of the steamed bun.

"I already recognize a lot."

"Can you write those characters left by the teacher yesterday?"

Chengyue instantly stopped talking.

The adults around the table all laughed.

Liu Chunmei tapped his bowl with her chopsticks.

"Eat first. You haven't even recognized all the characters yet, but you're already thinking about leading the beast-hunting team."

The snow outside was still falling, but the main hall was heated warmly.

The children talked endlessly around the table, and the meal lasted for nearly half an hour before dispersing.

After the meal, Nannan and Chen Xiuyun stayed behind to clean up the bowls and chopsticks, and Xiao Niuzi also hugged a few empty bowls to send to the kitchen.

When Mo Shoutian passed by Nannan, he instructed in a low voice:

"Don't go to the Cultivation room these two days, and do not use spiritual power either."

Nannan nodded.

"I have already told Xiao Niuzi."