Elder Su quickly looked around him.
Mo Hua then said, "Elder, rest assured, there’s no one around, even Shuisheng isn’t here..."
Only then did Elder Su breathe a sigh of relief. He looked at Mo Hua, wanting to say something but hesitating. He couldn’t understand how Mo Hua knew about Shuixian’s affair.
Mo Hua didn’t mention Qinglan but vaguely said:
"I heard it by chance at the Hundred Flower Tower."
Elder Su was startled and then nodded helplessly. Afterward, he seemed somewhat lost in thought.
The name Shuixian, like a thorn piercing Elder Su’s heart, rid him of his usual easygoing demeanor. He stared blankly, as if immersed in the past, overwhelmed with emotion, unable to extricate himself.
"Elder Su?"
Mo Hua called out to him.
"Elder Su!"
Mo Hua raised his voice a notch, and Elder Su finally came back to his senses, his face showing apologetic, "Sorry, I was lost in the past just now, somewhat entranced."
Mo Hua hesitated for a moment, then asked tentatively:
"Could you tell me about those past events?"
Elder Su looked at Mo Hua with puzzlement, "Why do you... want to hear about this?"
Mo Hua replied, "I’m curious."
Elder Su immediately shook his head.
How could he share his love life, especially one that is so painful to look back on, with a child...
Mo Hua then said, "It has a use for me."
"What use?"
"I can’t say just yet."
Elder Su also gave a perfunctory response, "They are all trivial matters of the past, it’s not convenient for me to speak of them."
Mo Hua thought for a while, then said:
"How about this, if you tell me, consider it a favor owed to you."
Elder Su chuckled, "What use is a child’s promise of a favor for me... it couldn’t be..."
Elder Su stopped mid-sentence, suddenly freezing.
This favor could be of great use!
A favor personally promised by a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old First Grade Formation Master!
Moreover, Mo Hua was serious, there was no sign of jest.
Although everyone was a First Grade Formation Master and Mo Hua was still in the Qi Refinement stage, while he himself had already achieved Foundation Establishment.
But precisely because he was in the Qi Refinement stage, this favor was even more precious.
Qi Refinement First Grade, after a decade or two, who’s to say he wouldn’t be Second Grade?
Second Rank Formation Masters are rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns in a Second-Grade Prefecture Border.
Even in a Third-Grade State Boundary, they wouldn’t be considered insignificant.
Elder Su pondered for a moment, somewhat hesitant.
Mo Hua then said, "It really is a favor, I mean what I say!"
Elder Su was tempted and, after feigning indifference for a while, finally nodded and said:
"Alright."
Although it was a regrettable part of his past, and perhaps even a tale of amorous exploits, it wasn’t an unspeakable secret.
Elder Su took a sip of tea, then began to speak slowly, telling Mo Hua everything about Shuixian. Stay updated via empire
He included how he met Shuixian, how they fell in love, how he wanted to redeem her from the brothel, and how Shuixian eventually died, leaving behind a child whom he took by his side and named "Shuisheng"...
Of course, he omitted some content not suitable for children.
After finishing his story, Elder Su felt thirsty and took another sip of tea.
Mo Hua, upon hearing this, said in surprise:
"Were you and the Lu Family Head visiting brothels together?"
"Shush!" Elder Su looked around again before whispering:
"Yes, but that’s an old story. Now he’s the Family Head, and you mustn’t talk recklessly about this matter, lest it ruins his reputation."
"Oh," Mo Hua nodded, thinking to himself:
No wonder Elder Su and the Lu Family Head have such a good relationship.
It turns out they used to visit the Brothel together when they were young.
After a pause, Mo Hua then asked with some sympathy:
"How did Sister Shuixian die?"
Elder Su’s expression turned melancholic, and he shook his head:
"Beauty is often ill-fated, I suppose. Her health was never good, and after suffering at the Hundred Flower Tower, she developed a chronic illness. Later, when she was with me, I had a Pill Master treat her, but it was merely symptomatic treatment..."
"During that time, it was also because of me..."
"I would say that I wanted to redeem her, but I was also hesitant."
"I... after all, am an Elder of the South Yue Sect and a Formation Master. Although not boasting of a lofty status, I am indeed a person of some influence in South Yue City."
"In South Yue City, even clans and sects from other state boundaries have proposed marriage alliances."
"Those who sought my hand for their daughters were all talented and well-bred, with respectable origins and excellent Spiritual Roots, ensuring that our offspring would be gifted."
"Compared to them, Shuixian was just..."
Elder Su bittered a smile, "Perhaps Shuixian guessed what was on my mind and purposefully distanced herself from me, seemingly reluctant to trouble me."
"But in her heart, she must have resented me. Whether she hated me, I do not know..."
Elder Su sighed deeply.
"Under the weight of her grievances, her old ailments resurfaced, and then she was gone..."
"Back then, I was angry, convinced that Shuixian had been victimized, so I investigated for a long time but ended up finding nothing."
After a pause, he added, "Later I realized that Shuixian... actually died at my own hands."
"I was afraid of my own guilt, of regretting and feeling remorseful, so I shifted the blame."
"I hoped someone had killed Shuixian; then I could hate someone else, avenge her, and alleviate some of my guilt..."
"But no one had..."
"Her life was like a duckweed, hoping for solace from me."
"But I broke faith, and so, she drifted away with the wind..."
Elder Su’s face bore a thick bitterness.
Mo Hua felt saddened as well and asked:
"Throughout these years, haven’t you taken a Dao companion?"
Every time he visited this cave dwelling, aside from one or two maids boiling water and making tea, he hadn’t seen any other female cultivators.
Elder Su shook his head, saying with resignation: