The Quest for Immortality

”How have Little Shunzi and Little Shuizi been progressing with their cultivation recently?” Mo Hua asked Old Yu.

On hearing this, Old Yu looked gratified, ”These two kids have been quite diligent in their cultivation, and their advancement isn’t slow, which has saved me a lot of worry. To speak honestly, it’s all thanks to you, my benefactor. If it weren’t for your help, these two might not have fared so well, let alone be full of life as they are now...”

At this, Old Yu sighed deeply and his expression turned reflective.

Mo Hua replied modestly, ”I didn’t do much.”

He then turned his head, gazed deeply at the two children in the courtyard, and spoke slowly, ”Have they shown any abnormalities recently?”

”Abnormalities?” Old Yu was puzzled.

Mo Hua said, ”I mean, is there anything wrong with their cultivation? After they were captured the last time, are there any lingering aftereffects?”

Concerning his two grandsons, Old Yu’s expression grew serious.

He thought hard, furrowed his brow, but finally shook his head, ”Nothing abnormal.”

Then his expression grew a bit tense, ”Did something happen, my benefactor?”

”No,” Mo Hua also relaxed, ”I was just being cautious, so I asked. It’s good that there’s nothing unusual.”

Only then did Old Yu feel at ease.

He personally poured Mo Hua another cup of tea, saying, ”Have some tea, please.”

Mo Hua did not say anything further.

Thus, they passed the time until noon, and as the sun began to set, Mo Hua got up to take his leave.

”My benefactor, won’t you stay a bit longer? Tonight, I can prepare some fresh food as a treat...”

Old Yu insisted warmly.

But Mo Hua felt obliged to respond, ”I still have matters at the Sect that I cannot delay.”

Understanding that a cultivator prioritizes Tao cultivation, Old Yu couldn’t insist further.

The two children, Little Shunzi and Little Shuizi, had woken up. Seeing Mo Hua about to leave again, they looked a bit dismayed, reluctantly escorting Mo Hua to the village outskirts.

Mo Hua patted their small heads, smiled, and gave them a few words of advice before turning and leaving.

Afterwards, Old Yu’s family resumed their busy lives for their livelihood.

Old Yu repaired the nets for a while and tidied up the fishing equipment before, with his back bent and hands behind, leading his two grandchildren out of the small fishing village to the banks of Mistwater River.

They set some fish traps along the riverbank.

The grandfather and his two grandsons then started checking the traps along the riverbank to see if they had caught any greedy, clumsy fish or shrimp.

After collecting along the way for a while, they reached the ferry.

A boat was docked at the ferry.

On the boat was Old Yu’s son, Yu Dachuan, who had gone out to the river early and caught quite a lot of fish. After that, the four members of the family started sorting through the fish on the boat.

The energetic and well-shaped big fish were kept for sale.

The ones with average appearance or minor defects were not worth much selling, so they kept them for themselves.

Some of the smaller fish were released back into the river.

The family worked hard but found joy in the labor despite the toil.

Once done, Little Shunzi and Little Shuizi spoke up:

”Grandpa, we want to go fish poaching.” .

Old Yu knew his two grandsons were tired and wanted to have some fun, so he waved them off, ”Go, go...”

But he sternly warned, ”Stay by the riverbank, no diving into deep waters, or the Water Demon will drag you under and gobble you whole.”

Both grandsons nodded, ”Yes, Grandpa. Don’t worry.”

”Go on then.”

The two children cheerfully ran off.

They followed the river downstream to the shallows where they began their fishing.

The water at the riverbank was shallow, populated with small fish not worthy of catching but also devoid of Water Demons, making it an ideal playground for children to practice swimming and fish poaching.

Little Shunzi and Little Shuizi played in the shallow water for a while before starting to fish.

They were catching a type of very small fish, like grass seedlings, with plump bodies and no spines.

The two children practiced the ”White Wave Skill” granted by Mo Hua, along with its same-origin White Wave movement technique and the Water Avoiding and Demon Repelling techniques, and so had developed great water skills.

Moreover, once offered as sacrifices to the River God, their Divine Souls had been assimilated, touching somewhat upon the River God’s aura. This made them adept in water, whether playing or catching fish.

Their auras harmonized with the river water, and with sharp eyes and quick hands, a quick scoop would net them a small fish.

After a while, the slightly taller Little Shunzi said:

”I caught ten! How about you?”

Little Shuizi counted and replied, ”Nine.”

Little Shunzi nodded, ”Then I’ll catch ten more, and you catch eleven more, just the same, and we can head back. These little fish can be kept alive with some clean water so that when Brother Mo visits next, we can offer him some grilled fish.”

Little Shuizi eagerly replied, ”Okay!”

They remembered Mo Hua fondly, also recalling the Spiritual Meat he treated them to today, so they wished to treat him to some delicious grilled fish as well.

Mo Hua stood by, slightly stunned, his expression somewhat complex.

He had observed everything quietly.

When he left the village earlier, instead of returning to the Sect, he had concealed his presence and followed Old Yu’s family.

With his now nineteen-pattern Divine Sense and his mastery of the Minor Five Elements Stealth Skill, in the entire small fishing village, no cultivator could possibly pierce through his concealment.

He hadn’t expected Little Shunzi and Little Shuizi to hold him in such high regard.

Mo Hua felt touched for a moment.

The purer the goodwill, the more precious it often becomes.

The two children continued fishing.

Little Shunzi, being slightly older and more clever, was quicker and soon caught ten more small fish.

Then he stopped and waited for his younger sibling, Little Shuizi, to catch up with eleven fish, until both had twenty fish. Only then did he say: