He wasn't qualified until he could protect the people he wanted to protect. So, as he had agreed with his master, he obediently returned to Xizhou when he realized how weak he was.
He decided to wait until he had cultivated to a higher level before confessing his feelings to Qin Moyu, and firmly believed that once he became more powerful, she would definitely like him.
But fate played a cruel trick on him; before he could even reach the Eastern Continent, he unexpectedly saw Qin Moyu again in the Western Continent.
When they met again, Qin Moyu was clearly different from before. Although his appearance had not changed, there was an inescapable gloom between his brows, and the starry sky was now covered by dark clouds, with no more stars in sight.
Mo Jin didn't know what Qin Moyu had encountered during this time, and he didn't dare to ask, afraid of stirring up painful memories for Qin Moyu. However, he didn't want to upset Qin Moyu, so he racked his brains trying to break the silence. But since he had been engrossed in cultivation, all he could do in the end was ask awkwardly:
Have you heard that story?
"Hmm?" Qin Moyu's wandering thoughts were pulled back, and she subconsciously asked, "What story?"
Mo Jin coughed and told Qin Moyu the myth he had heard as a child: "A long, long time ago, a powerful being came here and dropped a seed. The seed absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and grew bigger and bigger. In the end, it became a flower, and the flower evolved into our world. The secret realms we go to are just another small world. There are many more worlds outside of us, which is why so many people want to ascend."
Despite Mo Jin's best efforts to polish the bedtime story, her talent was limited. Not only was the story told in a dry and monotonous manner, but her tone was also flat and uninspiring. It was a pipe dream to not only make people happy, but also to arouse their interest.
Qin Moyu thought of the original book's plot, which had gone completely off-topic, and couldn't help but chuckle to himself: "One flower, one world; one leaf, one Bodhi [Note 1]. Who knows if the world we live in is a story written by someone else?"
—Oh no, I feel even more unhappy now.
Mo Jin felt a pang in his heart, realizing that calmly coaxing someone to be happy was even more difficult than sending a thousand troops to take the enemy's head.
Perhaps even the heavens couldn't bear to see the awkward atmosphere any longer. Mo Jin looked at the familiar scenery before him and exclaimed with a bright light, as if he had seen his savior, "Look! We're almost at the Cape of Hope!"
Mo Jin had previously told Qin Moyu that the way to Chenmen would inevitably pass through a place called "Wangjiao" (Looking Cape). Once at Wangjiao, no one was allowed to fly on a sword; otherwise, it would be considered a provocation against Chenmen. After passing Wangjiao, it would take another day to reach Chenmen.
Qin Moyu also looked over. The so-called "corner of sight" was actually a canyon. The unique terrain made it narrow at the outside and wide at the inside. There was a sentry post set up at fixed intervals on both sides of the canyon, with two people guarding each post. Not to mention, there could be many more traps set up in the canyon, making it a good place that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.
"Let's go down." Even as a disciple of the Chenmen Sect, Mo Jin could not trespass into the Cape of Hope without permission. He controlled the heavy sword and went down, landing steadily before sheathing the heavy sword.
The disciple guarding the gorge was dressed in the same style of clothing as Mo Jin and looked to be quite young. Upon seeing the two from afar, he shouted warily, "Who is it!"
"It's me." Mo Jin waved and walked towards him.
When Mo Jin walked in, the disciple smiled after seeing his face clearly: "Senior Brother Mo!"
"You've worked hard." Mo Jin patted his shoulder, but the disciple pulled him aside without warning.
"Senior brother," the disciple called out to him in a secretive whisper.
"What?" Mo Jin found him inexplicable.
"Is that the Daoist partner you've been longing for since you went to the Eastern Continent?!" The disciple secretly glanced back at Qin Moyu, his eyes brighter than the sun in the sky, and his forehead was practically covered in gossip.
Mo Jin said warily, "So what if it is? Hey, what are you looking at? Go find it yourself if you want to see."
As he spoke, he pressed his disciple's head down to prevent him from turning around, fearing that his boasting in the sect about finding a Daoist partner would be discovered, even though he hadn't actually won her over at all.
"Eastern Continent is so wonderful." The disciple pouted, his eyes filled with envy. "I also want such a beautiful Daoist partner."
"You can do it too," Mo Jin said dismissively, forcibly steer the conversation away from gossip and onto business. "By the way, has something happened inside the gate again? Why is the security so tight again? I remember it wasn't like this when I came out before."
"Isn't this the Southern Continent's army pressing in?" The disciple sighed. "The entire sect is mobilized. Even if you don't come back today, you'll probably be summoned back soon. Just now, some formidable fellow arrived. I'm afraid the sect leader will have a headache if word gets back."
"Who is it? So powerful?" Mo Jin was somewhat skeptical.
The disciple lowered his voice even further, as if he were uttering a curse rather than a name: "It's Mo Yuan... he's right ahead..."
Mo Jin looked up and found Mo Yuan, dressed in black, standing at the entrance of the canyon, his eyes fixed on her.
Is he looking at me?
Mo Jin became suspicious, but soon realized something was wrong.
No! That's not my direction, it's—
Mo Jin turned around abruptly, and in his direction, besides himself, there was only Qin Moyu.
Qin Moyu stood there, never expecting that her meeting with Mo Yuan would come so quickly and so suddenly.
He met Mo Yuan's gaze calmly, neither flinching nor resisting.
Mo Yuan's gaze was filled with undisguised shock and panic, as if Qin Moyu could not possibly be here in his mind.
Is that you?
Qin Moyu silently recited in his heart, his gaze deep and thoughtful.
Mo Yuan abruptly turned his head away after making eye contact with Qin Moyu for two seconds. This seemingly obvious act of trying to hide something caused a ripple in Qin Moyu's heart.
—He remembers me.
Qin Moyu looked up and murmured to herself, "But why?"
Why does she remember me so clearly, and why is she so flustered, even though we only met once?
What are you so afraid of? Mo Yuan.
Countless speculations lingered in my mind, a jumble of thoughts that left me bewildered.
If you can't figure it out, explore it through action.
"Let's go." Qin Moyu walked to Mo Jin's side and smiled slightly.
But the smile didn't reach his eyes; only endless gloom remained.
—It's okay, I'll know.