With great anticipation, Ji Daoren opened the first page of the book, and when he saw its contents, he was stunned: "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. Nameless, it is the origin of heaven and earth. Named, it is the mother of all things. Therefore, one should always be without desire in order to observe its mystery. One should always have desire in order to observe its manifestations. These two are the same in origin but different in name, and are both called profound. Profound and yet more profound, the gateway to all mysteries."
Ji Daoren spent his entire life seeking the Dao, yet this *Tao Te Ching* begins by stating that if this were truly true, Chen Changsheng's opportunity would be immense, beyond his wildest imagination. When he read, "There is something undifferentiated and complete, which existed before Heaven and Earth. Silent and still, it stands alone and unchanging, ever-present and inexhaustible. It can be regarded as the mother of all things under Heaven. I do not know its name, so I call it the Tao. I give it the name Great. Great means flowing, flowing means far-reaching, far-reaching means returning. Therefore, the Tao is great, Heaven is great, Earth is great, and Man is also great. Within the realm there is greatness, and Man is one of it. Man follows the Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Tao, and the Tao follows Nature," he immediately sat down on the ground. If what the book says is true, this person's background is terrifying. The Tao they pursued their entire lives was directly determined by this person. Even if the person who gave Chen Changsheng this book wasn't the author himself, their relationship must be extremely close.
Startled, Ji Daoren quickly pulled Chen Changsheng and Yu Ren aside and solemnly instructed them, "Don't tell anyone about this book. Right now, only heaven, earth, you, and I know. We absolutely cannot tell a fourth person, understand?"
Although they didn't quite understand why their master had suddenly become so serious, seeing his solemn expression, they knew he wasn't joking, and the two nodded somewhat bewilderedly. After instructing the two, Master Ji let them go off to play, while he solemnly took the book back to his study, protecting it with multiple layers of arrays, and only felt relieved after confirming it was safe.
At this moment, our protagonist Mo Mo was unaware that the Tao Te Ching he had casually tossed aside for thirty yuan on Taobao, containing only the first thirty-seven chapters on the Tao and omitting the last forty-four chapters on virtue, had completely stunned Ji Daoren. He was currently testing his first mount, the wind wolf that had attacked Chen Changsheng and Yu Ren. Although the wolf was just an ordinary demon beast, it was still better than a horse, and he didn't have to search for one everywhere.
Mo Mo casually rode the Wind Wolf for a few laps and was quite satisfied. The wolf ran very smoothly and at a decent speed, much better than walking, and it was many times cooler than riding a horse.
Just then, Mo Mo heard a strange noise not far away. After spreading his divine sense, he found that an old man in his fifties or sixties was carrying an unconscious little girl and running towards him. Behind them were several pursuers dressed in black and wearing masks.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 171 Becoming an Apprentice
The trees were lush and the sun was shining brightly, but at this moment, the warm sunshine brought him no warmth whatsoever. Xu Taizai felt only boundless coldness and powerlessness, especially as the demon pursuers behind him drew closer and closer.
For the sake of humanity, he could face death calmly even if he died in the battle against the demons. He could say that he had no regrets even if he died now. If it weren't for his granddaughter, he would definitely have gone back to fight the pursuing demons to the death. But his granddaughter was so young, and she still had a long and beautiful life ahead of her. However, in this desolate place, he could not see any hope of survival.
Just as he was preparing to fight to the death with the catching demons to see if he could gain a chance of survival, there were strange movements coming from the bushes ahead. Then a giant wolf, taller than a man, flew out of the bushes and blocked his path, shattering his last hope.
Surrounded by enemies on all sides, even if he miraculously killed the pursuers behind him, he couldn't escape the fate of being devoured by wolves. Looking back at the slowly approaching demon pursuers, Xu Taizai couldn't help but smile bitterly. Seeing his granddaughter's face contorted in pain, his bitter smile turned into deep guilt. He then said sadly, "Little Rong'er, your grandfather is useless; I couldn't protect you." He paused, then continued, "In the next life, would you still want to be my granddaughter?"
However, as soon as he finished speaking, he realized something was wrong, because the demons were retreating rapidly. When he turned around, he was almost scared to death, because what came into his view was a huge wolf head, and his face was less than 20 centimeters away from the wolf head.
With a startled cry, Xu Taizai swung his sword directly at the wolf's head in front of him. However, the next second he realized something was wrong. Although his sword struck the giant wolf, it didn't feel like he was cutting into anything. It was as if he had hit thin air. As a result, he lost his balance and fell forward. Only then did he realize that he had just struck only an afterimage.
Xu Taizai felt a chill run down his spine when he realized he had missed. He steadied himself and quickly assumed a defensive stance. However, the expected fatal blow did not come. Instead, he heard tearing sounds and screams coming from the forest, which puzzled him greatly.
Although puzzled, he knew this wasn't the time to investigate. With no one paying attention to them, escaping was the only option. So, Xu Taizai carried Xu Yourong and ran. Meanwhile, Mo Mo was unleashing wolves to commit atrocities—no, to kill enemy soldiers.
Perhaps the fact that Mo Mo had captured him and used him as a mount had greatly displeased the Wind Wolf, the former king of the jungle. So it vented all its anger on the demons. In less than three breaths, the six or seven demons who had chased Xu Taizai to the ends of the earth had been torn to pieces by the Wind Wolf.
After being reprimanded by Mo Mo, Feng Lang reluctantly let go of the demons who had been torn to pieces and were beyond dead, and chased after the direction in which Xu Taizai and his grandson had fled.
As it turns out, two legs can't outrun four. When Mo Mo caught up with Xu Taizai on the back of the Wind Wolf, he had only run less than two hundred meters. Hearing the commotion behind him, Xu Taizai knew he couldn't outrun the Wind Wolf, so he turned around decisively to prepare for battle. But when he turned around, he saw a scene that surprised him, but also made him secretly relieved.
A young man of about twenty years old was sitting upright on the back of the wind wolf. The originally ferocious wind wolf was now like a docile kitten. Xu Taizai seemed to see humiliation in the eyes of the wind wolf, whether it was his imagination or not.
Although Mo Mo looked unusually young, his ability to tame a wind wolf as a mount was enough to prove his extraordinary nature. Therefore, Xu Taizai did not dare to be disrespectful to Mo Mo because of his youth. He bowed respectfully to Mo Mo and said, "Thank you for saving me, my benefactor. I am deeply grateful."
Mo Mo nodded while sitting on the wolf's back and said, "Come on up. There's a Taoist temple not far ahead. Let's go there and treat your injuries first."
Xu Taizai glanced at the wind wolf baring its teeth at him and quickly declined Mo Mo's invitation. He was joking; judging from the wind wolf's expression, if he dared to go up, the wind wolf would definitely find a chance to give him a hard time, and he didn't want to invite trouble.
Without saying a word, Mo Mo gave the baring wind wolf a good beating, making it howl and finally curl up into a ball, losing all its pride as the king of the jungle and looking no different from a little dog that had been kicked.
Looking at the Wind Wolf, who had been thoroughly beaten by Mo Mo and now slumped obediently on the ground, not daring to move, Xu Taizai understood how he had subdued the King of the Jungle. And the truth was pretty much what Xu Taizai had thought.
Mo Mo slowed down as he descended the mountain, returning to the speed of an ordinary person and concealing his aura. Just as he was pondering what to do next, the wind wolf, which had been injured by Ji Daoren, saw Mo Mo. In the wind wolf's eyes, Mo Mo, who had concealed all his aura, looked like a piece of moving braised pork. Naturally, the wind wolf pounced on Mo Mo.
However, ideals are often grand, but reality is harsh. When it actually pounced on it, it discovered that this wasn't a moving piece of braised pork, but rather a fully grown dragon. Under Mo Mo's iron fist, the wind wolf cowered and immediately tucked its tail between its legs and ran away. However, Mo Mo had no intention of letting it go. He had wanted a mount for a long time, and although this wind wolf was somewhat unworthy of his status, it was still acceptable to make do with it.
However, the Wind Wolf didn't think so, so it fought back. Unfortunately, it was all in vain under Mo Mo's fists. The Wind Wolf tried to escape at times, but every time it tried to escape, Mo Mo would chase after it and beat it up without saying a word. If it was not satisfied, he would beat it up again. That's why Xu Taizai saw this scene.
In the end, Xu Taizai carried Xu Yourong on his back and rode on the Wind Wolf. After Xu Taizai was settled, Mo Mo kicked the Wind Wolf, making it run towards the Taoist temple where Chen Changsheng and the others were. They were not far from the Taoist temple, otherwise Ji Daoren would not have appeared in time to save Xu Yourong and her granddaughter in the original story. Now, perhaps because of Mo Mo's Tao Te Ching, Ji Daoren did not appear.
Perhaps out of concern for Xu Yourong, or perhaps out of fear of disturbing Mo Mo and displeasing him, Xu Taizai remained silent after mounting the wind wolf. Seeing this, Mo Mo was too lazy to talk to him either. Thus, the journey to the Taoist temple was unusually quiet, with only the sound of the wind wolf running and the crunching of dry branches underfoot as it passed through the forest.
The location where Mo Mo rescued Xu Yourong and her grandson was not far from Chen Changsheng's Taoist temple. In addition, the wind wolf was fast, so it took less than an incense stick's time for the wind wolf to cross the stream and step onto the open space of Ji Daoren's Taoist temple.
How could Ji Daoren not have noticed the commotion caused by the wind wolf? In fact, Ji Daoren had already noticed it when the wind wolf approached within a hundred meters of the Taoist temple. However, in addition to sensing the wind wolf's aura, he also sensed the auras of two people on the wolf's back. Moreover, Ji Daoren did not feel any threat from these two people and the wolf. Nevertheless, he still pulled Chen Changsheng and Yu Ren to wait in front of the Taoist temple.
However, there are always unexpected things in the world. When the wind wolf flew out, he saw that there were not two people behind the wind wolf, but three. Moreover, he could not sense the presence of the young man sitting in the front at all, as if the man did not exist.
"Master, it's big brother!" Chen Changsheng exclaimed excitedly upon seeing Mo Mo.
"Big brother?" Ji Daoren asked, puzzled.
"Yes, big brother, the big brother who gave me the book." Chen Changsheng answered Ji Daoren's question, but this answer stirred up a storm in Ji Daoren's heart. "No wonder I couldn't sense his presence, so it was him."
"I am Ji Daoren, and these two are my junior disciples. I would like to express my gratitude to you for your kindness to my disciples. May I ask what brings you here?" After learning Mo Mo's identity from Chen Changsheng, Ji Daoren's words carried a hint of respect.
"These two behind me were chased by the demons and were slightly injured. Since this place is sparsely populated, I thought of Changsheng. You should have some medicine here. Please treat them first." As he spoke, Mo Mo kicked the wind wolf to make it lie down, making it easier for Xu Taizai to carry Xu Yourong down.
At this moment, Ji Daoren noticed the injuries on Xu Taizai's body, and Xu Yourong also closed her eyes tightly, and her small eyebrows were already furrowed. After calling out to Chen Changsheng and Yu Ren, Ji Daoren quickly led Mo Mo and the others into the room and asked Xu Taizai to put Xu Yourong on the bed.
Ji Daoren carefully examined Xu Yourong's pulse and exclaimed in amazement, "You child actually possess the bloodline of the Heavenly Phoenix!"
"Little Rong'er is the reincarnation of a celestial phoenix, and she successfully underwent marrow cleansing at a very young age." Xu Taizai's words were filled with pride.
"But his bloodline power awakened too early, and his small body simply couldn't withstand it." Ji Daoren's words directly shattered Xu Taizai's pride.
With a sigh, Xu Taizai said somewhat excitedly, "Three months ago, her bloodline power surged uncontrollably."
Ji Daoren also sighed and said, "She needs to practice the techniques of famous masters to guide the true energy in her body."
"As long as she can live, I will definitely find her a master to cultivate under." From Ji Daoren's words, Xu Taizai saw a glimmer of hope.
"There are many famous doctors in the capital, didn't you find someone to take a look at her?"
Xu Taizai shook his head and sighed, "From the capital to the various prefectures, I have searched for all the divine physicians, but to no avail!" After a pause, he continued, "I never expected that the demons would pursue me all the way, but fortunately, my benefactor saved me." He looked at Mo Mo gratefully, then turned to Ji Daoren excitedly and said, "Daoist Master, if you can save her, I am willing to give everything I have."
Just as Ji Daoren was about to be modest, Chen Changsheng immediately bought him off, saying, "Don't worry, my master is the best doctor on the entire continent, she can definitely cure her."
“Nonsense. How did I teach you all? You must be humble. Besides, there are many hidden masters on the continent. Your master is far from being one of them.” Ji Daoren glanced at Mo Mo beside him and said sincerely.
Seeing that Mo Mo remained unmoved, Ji Daoren continued, "Well then, I'll try to prepare some medicine for her, but all I can say is, do your best and leave the rest to fate." With that, he walked out, leaving only Mo Mo, Chen Changsheng, and the unconscious Xu Yourong in the house.
"Big brother, can you save her?" Chen Changsheng asked with a hopeful look, looking at Mo Mo, who hadn't said a word the whole time.
Mo Mo smiled slightly and did not answer Chen Changsheng. He simply waved his hand at Xu Yourong from a distance, and Xu Yourong slowly opened her eyes.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 172 Return to the Divine Capital
Young Xu Yourong slowly opened her eyes, which had been closed for a long time. The discomfort she expected from opening her eyes after so long did not occur. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was not her beloved grandfather, but a young older brother. His smile was warm and so warm. Looking at that warm smile, she was captivated and imprinted it deeply into her heart.
"You're awake! How are you feeling now? Don't worry, it's safe here. Let me call your grandfather in." Seeing Xu Yourong staring blankly at him, Mo Mo smiled and shook his head.
"Where is this? Big brother, what's your name?"
"My name is Mo Mo, and this is Chen Changsheng's home." He then pointed to Chen Changsheng beside him and said, "This is Chen Changsheng."
"My name is Chen Changsheng. This is my home. It was this older brother who saved you." Chen Changsheng was very happy to see Xu Yourong wake up.
Just then, Ji Daoren and Xu Taizai walked in, arguing all the way. As soon as they entered, they saw Xu Yourong, who had already woken up. Ji Daoren's expression changed instantly. He quickly walked to the bedside, sat down, and pressed his hand on Xu Yourong's pulse. After taking her pulse, he smiled and said, "It's alright. The fever has gone down, and her pulse is normal. Your granddaughter is fine now."
Hearing that his granddaughter was alright, Xu Taizai held Xu Yourong's hand with extraordinary joy, while Ji Daoren's smile vanished as he looked at Chen Changsheng, who in turn looked at Mo Mo. Ji Daoren instantly realized he had guessed wrong; it wasn't Chen Changsheng who had treated Xu Yourong, but Mo Mo. So he stood up and said in a respectful tone, "I never expected that you, fellow Daoist, would not only possess such divine magic, but also such divine medical skills. I am truly ashamed."
Mo Mo shook his head and said, "Don't be too happy yet. Her problem is not completely solved. I have only temporarily suppressed the power of her bloodline. To completely solve her problem, she still needs to work hard to cultivate and guide the power in her body herself."
"I will definitely find her a master to cultivate with when we get back." Xu Taizai looked at Mo Mo with even more respect.
Ji Daoren looked at Mo Mo beside him, hesitant to speak. He really wanted to say to Xu Taizai, "Go back my ass! You have one right here. Why go to all that trouble?" But he hesitated, not knowing if Mo Mo had any taboos, and it wouldn't be good to anger him.
"Big brother, may I become your apprentice?" For some reason, when she saw the smile on Mo Mo's face, these words suddenly came out of her mouth. Her heart told her, "He is the one who deserves to be my, Xu Yourong's, master."
As soon as Xu Yourong said this, the room fell silent. Even Mo Mo was taken aback by Xu Yourong's words and was stunned for a moment before falling into deep thought.
Seeing that Mo Mo remained silent, Xu Taizai assumed that Mo Mo was angry, so he quickly said to Mo Mo, "Benefactor, Xiao Rong'er is still young and doesn't understand. You don't need to take her words to heart."
Mo Mo immediately saw through Ji Daoren and Xu Taizai's concerns, so he reassured them, "You don't need to be nervous. I'm not that petty, and I don't have as many taboos as you imagine." After a pause, Mo Mo said to Xu Yourong, "It's not impossible to take you as a disciple, but I've never taken a formal disciple before, and my teaching methods may be a bit rough, so they might not be suitable for you."
"Rough? How rough?" Ji Daoren blurted out the question, not even having time to cover his mouth. He was relieved when he saw that Mo Mo didn't seem to care.
"How brutal? Perhaps it's due to the influence of some people." Mo Mo paused, his mind involuntarily recalling his miserable life in Shrouding the Heavens, and then continued, "So my teaching methods have gradually become more like theirs. As for how brutal, it's similar to how I taught that wolf outside. Of course, Xiao Rong'er is a girl after all, so there will definitely be some changes."
"Similar to teaching that wolf outside?" Xu Taizai couldn't help but recall the scene he had witnessed in the woods, and silently mourned for three minutes for those who had been taught by this benefactor.
Although Mo Mo promised not to be like the others, Xu Taizai was still very worried. He wanted to say forget it, but he couldn't bring himself to say it because Mo Mo was their benefactor. While he was agonizing over this, he caught a glimpse of Xu Yourong out of the corner of his eye, and his eyes lit up. He sat down next to Xu Yourong and whispered, "Little Rong'er, becoming a disciple is a lifelong matter, and I can't make the whole decision for you. So, in the end, it's up to you to decide whether or not to become a disciple." After a pause, Xu Taizai couldn't help but grit his teeth and whisper, "Our benefactor taught the Wind Wolf with his fists. I saw it with my own eyes in the forest, so Little Rong'er, you should think it over carefully."
Mo Mo: "..."
Although Xu Taizai's voice was very soft, Mo Mo's senses were extremely sharp. Xu Taizai thought his voice was very soft and that no one but him and Xu Yourong could hear it clearly. Little did he know that every word he said had reached Mo Mo's ears, and he heard it even more clearly than Xu Yourong.
Mo Mo couldn't help but think to himself, "Although your voice is very soft, my ears are very sharp. And do you have to be so blunt?" But it was indeed the truth.
However, Xu Taizai did not expect that after he finished speaking, Xu Yourong was shocked and jumped up, ran to Mo Mo's side, grabbed Mo Mo's hand and excitedly asked, "Master, did you really beat a wind wolf into submission with your fists?"
"Well, it's backfired. It seems Xiao Rong'er is determined to stick with this benefactor." Xu Taizai slapped his forehead in annoyance.
Looking at the delighted young Xu Yourong, Mo Mo was speechless. This plot is wrong! Wasn't it supposed to be that little girls dislike violence? Why does little Rong'er seem to yearn for it so much? I must have made a mistake in how I introduced her; I must have misread it.
Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and then open your eyes.
Then, what he saw was still the adorable little girl Xu Yourong with a face full of expectation. Moreover, the young Xu Yourong was staring at Mo Mo with her eyes blinking, which was incredibly cute.
Finally, Mo Mo had to accept the reality and agreed to formally accept Xu Yourong as his disciple. This was also his first formal disciple. Originally, Mo Mo wanted Xu Yourong to serve him a cup of tea and that would be the end of it. However, everyone else felt that becoming a disciple was a big deal and should not be done too hastily.
"Is it hasty?"
"Hasty".
"But I think this is grand enough! At least it's much better than when I became an apprentice."
Others: "!!!"
"Master, could you tell me what it was like when you became my disciple?" Xu Yourong grabbed Mo Mo's hand and shook it.
"It's been too long since I became an apprentice, I've forgotten. Oh right, Rong'er, although there will be an apprenticeship ceremony after we return to the capital, you still have to offer this cup of tea first." Thinking about the situation when he met his cheap master, Mo Mo skipped the topic. He was joking, he didn't want his glorious image to collapse on the first day of becoming an apprentice.
Ji Daoren took out tea leaves and brewed a pot of tea. To show respect, Xu Yourong washed up and tidied her appearance. After all, she and Xu Taizai had been chased by the demons for so long and were in a sorry state. It would be quite disrespectful to offer tea to Mo Mo directly like this.
When she finished washing up, Mo Mo and the others had already prepared everything. All Xu Yourong had to do was offer her a cup of tea and call her "Master," and the matter would be settled.
Things went quite smoothly without any unexpected incidents. Mo Mo took the tea offered by Xu Yourong, took a small sip to acknowledge her as his disciple, then put down the tea, patted Xu Yourong's head, and said softly, "From today onwards, you, Xu Yourong, are my eldest disciple, Wang Chen. Once you join my sect, you must remember that everything your master says is correct. There should be mutual assistance and love among disciples. Act according to your own conscience and do not do evil. When you think that what your master says is wrong, please go back to the first sentence."
"Yes, Rong'er will remember." Xu Yourong nodded seriously.
After thinking for a moment, the little girl Xu Yourong took Mo Mo's hand and asked, "Master, what are our sect rules?"
"Sect rules? Didn't I already tell you?" Mo Mo said, somewhat surprised.
"Really?" Xu Yourong was very puzzled, but she looked to Xu Taizai and Ji Daoren for help.
“You definitely didn’t mention this benefactor.” Seeing his granddaughter’s pleading look, Xu Taizai stepped forward with a stiff upper lip.