As the carriage entered the territory of Yunmeng Prefecture and headed towards the Moran Manor, Mo Bai was also leading his men out to inquire about them. It just so happened that a manor disciple who had met Feng Zuojun years ago saw him sitting in the carriage and immediately waved and called out, “Young Master Feng! Young Master Feng!”
Feng Zuojun turned his head upon hearing the voice, “See, see? I told you I’m quite famous in Yunmeng Prefecture.”
Xie Yuling pulled the reins, bringing the carriage to a halt.
The Moran Manor disciple immediately came forward, “I am Mo Zhixing. Young Master Feng stayed at the manor for a few days before going to the academy. I served as your guard at that time.”
“I remember you, Mo Zhixing. Your swordsmanship is quite good,” Feng Zuojun nodded. “Lead us to Moran Manor. We are here to see Senior Brother Mo Bai.”
Mo Zhixing immediately jumped onto the carriage and took the reins from Xie Yuling’s hands, “I have already received the news and came out specifically to welcome you, young masters.”
“Oh? Could it be that Senior Sister and Su Baiyi have already arrived?” Feng Zuojun asked.
“Yes. Two young ladies and a young gentleman arrived this morning.” Mo Zhixing turned to the other manor disciples beside him, “I’ll take these young masters back to the manor. You go ahead and inform the Manor Lord.”
“Yes!” the other disciples responded.
“Two young ladies? How come there’s an extra one?” Xie Yuling asked in confusion.
“Well, the more ladies, the merrier,” Dongfang Xiaoyue’s eyebrows fluttered slightly.
“That’s true,” Feng Zuojun agreed.
After about half an hour, the carriage finally arrived at the lakeside Moran Manor. Mo Bai, having received the news, had been waiting there with a group of manor disciples. Seeing the carriage approaching, he immediately stepped forward to greet them, “Junior Brothers, Junior Brothers! Mo Bai has been waiting here for a long time!”
“Senior Brother Mo Bai!” Feng Zuojun had always liked this senior brother and was very excited to see him again, “We meet again!”
“Junior Brother Feng, Junior Brother Feng, long time no see. You’re still as spirited as ever. And this must be Junior Brother Xie, right?” Mo Bai hugged Feng Zuojun and then opened his arms towards Xie Yuling.
Xie Yuling stepped down from the carriage and nodded politely, “Senior Brother Mo.”
Mo Bai awkwardly withdrew his hand, still smiling, “Also a fine young man, a fine young man. Eh? There’s another friend in the carriage.”
Dongfang Xiaoyue leaned back, casually tossing a wild fruit in his hand, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, but he didn’t respond.
Xie Yuling frowned slightly; it seemed that Mo Bai indeed did not recognize Dongfang Xiaoyue.
Feng Zuojun laughed loudly, “Hahahahaha, Brother Dongfang, looks like you’ve finally blown your cover. You said you and Senior Brother Mo were old acquaintances, but Senior Brother Mo doesn’t even recognize you.”
“This young master… is acquainted with me?” Mo Bai carefully examined Dongfang Xiaoyue, his expression suddenly turning slightly serious.
Dongfang Xiaoyue caught the falling wild fruit and turned his head, “Mo Bai, don’t you recognize me anymore?”
Mo Bai stared at the young and handsome face before him. He was certain he had never seen this face before, yet the familiar tone, the familiar feeling… Mo Bai felt his whole body stiffen. He opened his mouth, but not a single word came out. Spring goes and autumn comes, time flows on, flowers will bloom again one day, but he never thought a person could become young again.
“You really don’t recognize me?” Dongfang Xiaoyue smiled slightly.
“Alright, alright. We knew you were just bragging anyway. We won’t laugh at you,” Feng Zuojun quickly smoothed things over.
Mo Bai’s legs gave way and he knelt down. The Moran Manor disciples behind him were all shocked, “Manor Lord!”
Mo Bai raised his head, looking at the young man in white, tears suddenly streaming down his face. His lips trembled, and even uttering a single word seemed incredibly difficult, “Academy… disciple, Mo… Mo… Mo Bai, greets… greets… greets Teacher!”
“I only have one disciple named Mo Bai, but none named Mo Mo Mo Mo Mo Bai,” Dongfang Xiaoyue still smiled slightly.
“What!” Feng Zuojun exclaimed in shock, turning around abruptly, “You, you, you, you, you, you, you are!”
“Confucian Sage”, Xie Yuling gasped.
“I told you from the beginning, but you didn’t believe me.” Dongfang Xiaoyue stepped down from the carriage and placed the wild fruit in Mo Bai’s hand.
“Confucian Sage, you’re even a generation older than my father, how… how are you not an old man?” Feng Zuojun still couldn’t believe it.
“I have a technique to maintain my youthful appearance,” Dongfang Xiaoyue said confidently, with his hands clasped behind his back.
Xie Yuling stared fixedly at Dongfang Xiaoyue, not saying a word.
“Why are you staring at me like that? Before you knew my identity, you called me brother. Now that you know who I am, shouldn’t you…” Dongfang Xiaoyue raised an eyebrow, “Perform a disciple’s bow?”
Feng Zuojun and Xie Yuling exchanged a glance, then immediately knelt down and cupped their fists, saying loudly, “Disciples Feng Zuojun and Xie Yuling, pay their respects to you, sir!”
In the backyard of Moran Manor, Su Baiyi heard the commotion coming from outside the manor and tucked the fragmented manual into his bosom, “Could it be that the two Senior Brothers have arrived?”
Jimo Huaxue’s face gradually darkened. She reached out and grasped Su Baiyi’s Junyu sword.
“Second Sister-in-law, what’s wrong?” Su Baiyi asked in confusion.
“Why is he here,” Jimo Huaxue murmured.
“Who? Someone from Shanglin Heavenly Palace?” Su Baiyi guessed, looking at Jimo Huaxue’s somewhat hostile expression.
Jimo Huaxue didn’t answer but instead leaped into the air, flying towards the outside of the manor.
Dongfang Xiaoyue waved his sleeves, “Alright, alright, everyone get up.”
The three of them felt a surge of true energy rising from the ground, lifting them up forcefully. Mo Bai wiped away his tears, his voice still choked with emotion, “Teacher, you actually came to see me! Mo Bai, I’m so excited.”
“I… was actually just passing by,” Dongfang Xiaoyue smiled awkwardly.
“It’s Mo Bai’s honor that you thought of me while passing by!” Mo Bai was still very excited.
“You are my disciple, of course I remember you.” Dongfang Xiaoyue stepped forward and patted Mo Bai’s shoulder, “Come on, let me see this Moran Manor of yours. You could have stayed at the academy, but you chose to return here. There must be something special about this place…” Dongfang Xiaoyue suddenly stopped and slowly raised his head.
At that moment, a woman stood atop the main gate of Moran Manor.
Dressed in red, breathtakingly beautiful, holding a long sword, she appeared like a sword immortal descended to the mortal realm.
Dongfang Xiaoyue locked eyes with her, his white robe billowing in the scattered sword wind. The disciples of Moran Manor had already been blown away, and even Mo Bai, Feng Zuojun, and Xie Yuling could barely stand, their inner energies churning turbulently.
“Greetings, young lady. My name is Dongfang Xiaoyue, a traveler wandering the world,” Dongfang Xiaoyue suddenly smiled.
Jimo Huaxue, however, remained expressionless. “Dongfang Wenlin.”