Mo Yuanjiao and Mo Que began to show General Mo around the sect, offering him a tour of their new home.
Meanwhile, in Xiushui Village, apart from Li Zhanying, there was another person who witnessed the strange phenomenon at the Tomb Mountain earlier—He Siyou, an outsider who had recently moved into the village.
He Siyou had come to Xiushui Village to finish some final touches on his new home. Since he was eager to move in before the New Year, he had spent a significant amount of money hiring workers to build the house quickly. Although the construction was completed just in time, the interior still needed extensive work.
His wife and daughter had gone back to her parents' house for lunch and wouldn't return until evening, so He Siyou decided to start moving in and setting up by himself. His family's traditions didn't require him to perform ancestral rites on this day, giving him some time to get things done.
His priority was to move in the fire basin and bed—everything else could wait.
Of course, when he said he was moving in by himself, it meant he had come to Xiushui Village ahead of time, while the actual moving process, including transporting their belongings, was being handled by his steward. The valuable items had already been secured, and the trusted steward was overseeing everything, so He Siyou was in no rush. In fact, he was leisurely crouching in his empty courtyard, observing a caterpillar.
The location of He's new house was quite elevated, giving the courtyard a magnificent view of the surrounding mountains, water, and fields.
As he grew bored of watching the caterpillar, He Siyou looked up, intending to stand, when he noticed something peculiar—a faint white light enveloping Tomb Mountain in the distance.
At first, he thought it was just a layer of mist and was surprised by it, considering it wasn't a foggy day. But as he continued to watch, he saw the mist transform into a giant hand, then into a cloud that drifted towards the village and scattered throughout it.
Realizing what he was witnessing, He Siyou was astonished by the phenomenon.
Xiushui Village truly was different—living at the foot of a mountain blessed by immortals had its unique benefits.
He turned to look at his new house and felt a surge of excitement. Starting today, his family would become part of this village under the protection of the immortals. The thought filled him with joy.
If his only daughter could one day be accepted into the immortal sect, it would be even more perfect. She could cultivate while still being close enough to visit him and her mother occasionally.
He Siyou dreamed of a future where he could occasionally queue at Lingxian Dining Hall, savoring its renowned dishes, and living a contented life. He even started contemplating ways to contribute to the development of Xiushui Village, thinking it might become more prosperous with time. Since his household was now officially registered in the village, it was only right to help improve his new home.
By the time the village's sacrificial activities were concluding, it was already afternoon. The day was overcast, and the winter chill couldn't penetrate the new winter clothing that nearly every villager was wearing.
This year, most villagers had replaced their old, worn-out winter clothes with new ones.
As the villagers descended from Tomb Mountain, they noticed several carriages laden with goods entering the village and turning into He Siyou's new residence.
The villagers were somewhat surprised.
They knew He Siyou was planning to move into Xiushui Village soon since he often chatted with them at the village's big tree. But they didn't expect him to move in on New Year's Eve.
Even while managing the unloading of his belongings, He Siyou took the time to greet the villagers warmly.
When he saw Lin Xiao, Jiang Youfu, and their families, he found them unfamiliar, thinking they must be from a family that preferred to keep to themselves.
However, when the Sun family passed by with the crowd, He Siyou immediately straightened his clothes and respectfully bowed deeply to Sun Yigao, who was walking among them.
Because the members of Lingxian Sect rarely descended from the mountain, and usually only at night, He Siyou had not seen the other sect members. But he recognized Sun Yigao—his daughter's teacher, a 15-year-old scholar who had topped the county exams, and now a teacher at the immortal school. Moreover, he had heard that Sun Yigao had joined the sect at the beginning of the year.
Sun Yigao acknowledged the gesture, returning the bow, and then continued on his way with his family.
—
When Lin Xiao returned to the mountain, he saw Liao Pantou waiting under the peach blossom tree. Seeing Lin Xiao approach, Liao Pantou retrieved several storage rings and bags from his robe and said,
"I haven't had the chance to give these to you yet—these were what I found on that Nascent Soul cultivator. Do you have time now? Let's open them and take a look."
Seeing that Liao Pantou had something important to discuss with Lin Xiao, the Lin family members excused themselves and headed to the training room to cultivate. After all, they had missed their morning training session and needed to make up for it—how else could they hope to farm as easily as Lin Xiao?
Meanwhile, Lin Xiao glanced at the items in Liao Pantou's hands, nodded, and followed him to the sect's main hall. Before leaving, he instructed the sleepy Xiao Luan in the straw hut,
"If you see Liu Yun return, tell him to come to the main hall."
Xiao Luan, still half-asleep, raised one wing and summoned a spirit rope, throwing it across the mountain path, then went back to sleep.
Normally not very diligent in practicing spells, Xiao Luan had developed this rope technique after becoming a sort of watch-bird. Whenever the rope was triggered by a familiar presence, it would wake him up, allowing him to sleep without worry.
Seeing this, Lin Xiao felt reassured and left with Liao Pantou.
Although he wasn't particularly interested in the Nascent Soul cultivator's belongings, Lin Xiao knew that as the sect leader, it was his responsibility to manage the sect's resources. While he might not care for the wealth, the sect's storeroom certainly did. Aside from the corner occupied by the Cold Jade, the sect's storage was still quite empty.
Just as Mo Yuanjiao finished giving General Mo a tour of the Lingxian Sect, he guessed that Lin Xiao and the others had likely finished their ancestral rites and returned. He was about to go wait for them at the mountain path when he saw the two heading into the main hall.
It seemed that his sect leader wasn't available right now.
Mo Yuanjiao sighed but quickly became excited again, deciding to show his father the array hall and demonstrate his own array skills!