Chapter 1519: The Eldest Senior Sister

Chapter 1519: The Eldest Senior Sister

The Earth Sect's… Eldest Senior Sister?

Mo Hua's gaze shifted slightly as he opened the invitation. His eyes swept over the elegant, dignified gold-embossed seal script, then stopped at the very bottom, where a name was noted:

Earth Sect, Jiang Yingluo.

"Jiang Yingluo…" Mo Hua murmured the name, then looked at Bai Zixi. "This is the Earth Sect's Eldest Senior Sister?"

"Mm." Bai Zixi nodded.

Mo Hua asked, "Wasn't she called Zhao Zhao?"

Bai Zixi said, "Zhao Zhao is her childhood name."

Mo Hua was taken aback, and said in surprise, "Senior Sister, you even know her childhood name?"

Bai Zixi nodded. "My mother once cultivated in Kun Province for a time and had connections with some of the Earth Sect's elders. I also met Zhao Zhao when I was young. When I occasionally visited the Earth Sect before, I would drink tea and read books together with Zhao Zhao."

"Oh…" Mo Hua nodded, but somehow felt that something was a bit odd.

"Then this Zhao Zhao…" Mo Hua just started to ask.

But Bai Zixi gently tugged at Mo Hua's sleeve and said, "Don't call Zhao Zhao by her childhood name. If she hears it, she'll get angry. And don't spread it around either."

"Oh…" Mo Hua nodded again.

Then he pondered for a moment and continued asking, "Then this… Jiang Yingluo, her surname is Jiang?"

Bai Zixi nodded. "Mm."

"…" Mo Hua was somewhat puzzled, and mused, "This seems to be… a great clan surname from the Central Dao Province?"

During his journey through the Great Wilderness, especially when contending for the opportunity at the Dragon Pool, he had come into contact with various great clans from the Dao Province. He had even seen members of the Jiang Clan.

And among the several True-Persons who had entered the depths of the Great Wilderness together with True Person Zhuge, preparing to suppress the Martial Uncle, there was one True-Person Jiang.

"The Jiang surname should be a major clan of the Dao Province?"

Bai Zixi nodded and explained to Mo Hua: "The great clans of the Dao Province have long histories, and many have more than one lineage. The Jiang Clan is the same, they have branched out and established clan settlements throughout the Nine Provinces."

"Among all the Jiang Clan branches, the two largest are one in the Central Dao Province. The other is in the Earth Sect of Kun Province."

"In fact, the ancestral origin of the Jiang Clan is also in Kun Province."

"It's just that because the Central Dao Court and the Earth Sect are at odds, and there have been no small number of frictions throughout history, the Jiang Clan of Kun Province and the Jiang Clan of the Dao Province still have a very obvious rift between them. They are not as close as other branches of the same clan."

Mo Hua slowly nodded, then asked, "For the Jiang Clan to split into two branches and still both become great clans, does that mean they hold a very special status?"

"Mm," Bai Zixi gave a slight nod, her gaze somewhat complicated. "The Jiang Clan has, throughout the generations… produced many Dao Prince's Consorts and Dao Consorts."

Mo Hua was startled. He looked at Bai Zixi, his gaze flickering slightly. "Dao Prince's Consort…"

Bai Zixi lowered her eyes slightly, her lips parting gently as she spoke with a complicated tone: "Qian and Kun form the Dao. Qian is the sovereign, Kun is the empress."

"Kun possesses the virtue of Houtu, the Earth Sovereign. Therefore, throughout the generations, the Dao Prince's Consort has first been chosen from among the families of Kun Province."

"The Jiang Clan is a great clan of Kun Province, upholding the virtue of Kun. Thus, among the women of the Jiang Clan, those with outstanding virtue and talent are mostly selected to enter the Dao Court, to compete for the position of Dao Prince's Consort, and become the Dao Companion of the Dao Prince."

"The Dao Prince…" Mo Hua asked slowly, "is the offspring of the Dao Lord?"

Bai Zixi lowered her gaze and nodded. Then, with a shift of thought, she raised her head again, her ice-cold, breathtakingly beautiful eyes looking at Mo Hua as she spoke: "The Dao Prince is the offspring of the Dao Lord… The Dao Prince's Dao Companion is the Dao Prince's Consort…"

"If the Dao Prince ascends the throne and becomes the Dao Lord, the Dao Prince's Consort becomes the Dao Consort."

"Throughout the generations of Dao Lords, those with outstanding achievements may, by upholding the Heavenly Dao, be conferred the title of 'Emperor.' Throughout the generations of Dao Consorts, those whose virtue and grace are renowned throughout the world may, by upholding Houtu, be conferred the title of 'Empress.'"

"This is the pinnacle of authority and the supreme status of the Central Dao Court in the Nine Provinces…"

Mo Hua, gazed upon by Bai Zixi's stunning eyes, felt a faint ripple stir in his heart.

Bai Zixi also looked openly at Mo Hua, though there was some complexity in her eyes.

The two looked at each other, each lost in their own thoughts, falling into a long silence.

It was not until a crisp voice broke the silence between them: "What are you two staring at each other for?"

Xiao Ju looked at Mo Hua and Bai Zixi with a strange expression.

Mo Hua and Bai Zixi were both slightly startled, only then realizing that Xiao Ju was still here.

Mo Hua sighed inwardly, then peeled off a segment of tangerine and popped it into Xiao Ju's mouth, smiling gently.

"…"

Xiao Ju had her mouth full of tangerine, her brows slightly furrowed. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something indescribably strange about this Mo Hua and her sister Zixi.

But she was still young, simple-minded, and couldn't quite figure out what was strange.

Besides, the tangerine in her mouth was sweet, and as she chewed, it made her forget to think.

Mo Hua, meanwhile, looked up at Bai Zixi and mused, "So… will that Eldest Senior Sister of the Earth Sect marry into the Dao Court and become the Consort of the Dao Prince?"

Bai Zixi shook her head, "That was the case before, but not necessarily now… At present, the relationship between the Earth Sect and the Dao Court is not very good."

Mo Hua thought for a moment and understood, "So the Earth Sect intends to use her for a political marriage?"

The Senior Sister of the Earth Sect, gifted in both talent and beauty, was originally a proud daughter of heaven who might have qualified to become the Dao Prince's Consort.

She held tremendous appeal for any aristocratic family outside the Dao Court, making her the prime candidate for a political marriage.

"So… who will the Senior Sister of the Earth Sect marry?" Mo Hua asked curiously, "Has it been decided?"

"Not yet," Bai Zixi said, "If it had been decided, Zhao Zhao would have told me."

Mo Hua asked curiously, "Does she tell you everything?"

Bai Zixi said, "At the very least, she would tell me about marriage alliances."

Mo Hua frowned, somewhat puzzled: "Then why did this Senior Sister of the Earth Sect… send me an invitation?"

Bai Zixi reached out and took the invitation from Mo Hua's hand, her beautiful eyes sweeping over it briefly. She saw that the invitation was filled with the usual flowery words:

Praising Mo Hua as a "prodigy of heaven," "of refined bearing and elegant bone structure," "of extraordinary talent," "with innate comprehension," "given time, he will surely become an unprecedented genius in the way of formations, with boundless prospects on the path of cultivation"… and so on.

Only at the end did it mention inviting Mo Hua to a flower-viewing gathering, to make friends and discuss the Dao.

As Bai Zixi read, her gaze turned strange, and she asked Mo Hua,"Do you truly not know Zhao Zhao?"

Mo Hua nodded, "In Kun Province, I don't really know many women…"

Bai Zixi: "Oh…"

Mo Hua asked again, "So is this Senior Sister of the Earth Sect a good person or a bad person?"

Bai Zixi thought for a moment, then said honestly, "In my eyes, Zhao Zhao is definitely a good person. But for you, Little Junior Brother, that's hard to say."

People's attitudes toward others are naturally different.

Mo Hua frowned in thought for a moment, then said, "Then Forget it, I'll throw this invitation away."

With that, Mo Hua was about to toss the invitation from Jiang Yingluo, the Senior Sister of the Earth Sect, into the pond to feed the fish, but Bai Zixi stopped him.

Bai Zixi said thoughtfully, "I've thought about it. You should still go."

Mo Hua shook his head: "I don't know her."

Besides, the Earth Sect had just cut off his source of income, and Mo Hua had already noted a grudge against them in his heart.

Bai Zixi then asked, "Zhao Zhao is the Eldest Senior Sister of the Earth Sect, and she's at the top of Kun Province's Ten Great Beauties list. Don't you want to go see her?"

Mo Hua was taken aback, "Senior Sister, how do you also know about… this so-called Ten Great Beauties of Kun Province…"

Bai Zixi said matter-of-factly, "Xiaosheng told me."

This list was compiled by Bai Xiaosheng himself.

When Little Grandaunt Bai Zixi asked, how would Bai Xiaosheng dare not answer?

He had even presented all the paintings of the Ten Great Beauties of Kun Province as tribute to his Little Grandaunt.

"This…" Mo Hua hesitated.

Bai Zixi's gaze flickered with a complex emotion, then she said to Mo Hua, "Little Junior Brother, go take a look. Zhao Zhao… is a good girl."

Mo Hua didn't notice the complexity in his Little Senior Sister's tone, but since she had insisted so many times, he thought it over and nodded: "Alright then, I'll go take a look…"

Anyway, he had nothing else to do right now—no spirit stones to earn, no tombs to rob. Mo Hua had plenty of free time.

He also wanted to see what this Senior Sister of the Earth Sect was really plotting.

First cutting off his source of income, then sending him an invitation, what exactly did the Earth Sect want from him…

Mo Hua asked again, "Senior Sister, do you want to come along?"

Since his Little Senior Sister had known this Senior Sister of the Earth Sect since childhood, going together shouldn't be a problem. True-Person Rong probably wouldn't stop them either.

But Bai Zixi shook her head, her gaze dimming slightly, "You go."

Mo Hua suddenly felt he couldn't quite read his Senior Sister's intentions.

After thinking it over, he nodded. "Alright then, I'll go meet this Eldest Senior Sister of the Earth Sect…"

"Mm." Bai Zixi said softly.

An invitation from the Senior Sister of the Earth Sect was an extremely important matter for any genius cultivator in Kun Province.

This invitation, edged with yellow cong jade and woven from Earth Spirit Threads, with its peony design, was in no way inferior in preciousness to the great peony invitation of the Flower Queen's banquet.

However, Mo Hua held no expectations.

The women in this world often had no good intentions, the more beautiful they were, the more true this held.

Such was Yu Nujiao, the Holy Maiden of the Joyous-Union Sect.

This Eldest Senior Sister of the Earth Sect was probably not much better off either.

Mo Hua continued his cultivation and study of Formations as usual, his heart utterly undisturbed.

Three days later, when the time came, he finally set out.

No sooner had he left the minor blessed land than an Earth Sect carriage came to a stop before the gate.

An Earth Sect disciple was waiting in attendance for Mo Hua.

Mo Hua's gaze turned slightly heavy, but he said nothing and simply boarded the carriage directly.

After nearly half a day's journey, the carriage drove straight into the heart of the Earth Sect.

The Earth Sect's palaces were magnificent, its roads intricate, and its buildings vast as an ocean.

The carriage traveled through the Earth Sect like a needle threading through an endless expanse of imperial halls.

Weaving through jade towers that rose like a forest, the carriage continued for another half hour before finally reaching its destination.

The destination was a garden, with an elegant moon-shaped gate. Above the gate hung a plaque bearing the name "Kunhua Garden."

Entering the garden, it too stretched beyond sight, spirit herbs carpeted the ground, magnificent flowers bloomed, rockeries scattered artfully, and a spirit spring murmuring as it flowed.

This spirit spring was a true spirit spring.

Mo Hua stepped closer for a look and could tell that the spirit spring within this garden was entirely made from liquefied spirit stones, spirit stones melted into water to create the spring.

This spring was, in essence, flowing Spirit stones.

Mo Hua let out a soft sigh and shook his head involuntarily.

Entering Kunhua Court, he had not walked far when another beautiful maidservant came forward to greet him, speaking with a smile: "Young Master Mo, please follow me."

Mo Hua nodded.

The Earth Sect did have a certain bearing, after all. Though they had sanctioned him in matters of wealth, there was nothing to fault in their hospitality.

The beautiful maidservant led Mo Hua through Kunhua Court for another half hour. Passing through pavilions and towers, over spirit springs and jade bridges, past jade flowers and emerald grasses, they arrived at a courtyard brimming with splendor.

Within the courtyard bloomed lavish moonlight flowers, their petals falling like rain.

Though it was broad daylight, these moonlight flowers emitted a soft, blood-like glow, casting the courtyard in a cool and tender radiance.

In this beautiful and luxurious courtyard, quite a few disciples had already taken their seats—men and women alike, clad in the robes of the Earth Sect's direct lineage. The men were elegant as jade trees in the wind, the women lovely as flowers in the moonlight, each seated before jade tables, conversing and admiring the blossoms.

At the very center, on the highest point, stood an elevated pavilion.

Within the pavilion, curtains of pearls hung on all sides and golden silk drapes veiled the view, so nothing could be seen clearly—only a hazy, indistinct figure of a woman seated within.

Even the silhouette of this woman was breathtakingly beautiful, unforgettable at first sight.

Mo Hua guessed that this woman must be the Eldest Senior Sister of the Earth Sect, Jiang Yingluo.

"Young Master Mo, please." The maidservant bowed and gestured to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua nodded and was about to find an empty jade table nearby to sit at, when a dignified and graceful voice came down from the high pavilion: "Mo Hua, come here."

Mo Hua was startled.

All the other direct-lineage disciples of the Earth Sect—handsome men and beautiful women alike—turned to look at Mo Hua, surprise and bewilderment flickering in their eyes.

Of course, there was jealousy and hostility among them as well.

Not only the men were envious—even the women cast jealous glances.

Mo Hua hesitated for a moment, then, bearing the sharp and envious stares of the crowd, he slowly ascended the high pavilion step by step, sighing inwardly.

Though it was said that one who incurs no envy is but a mediocrity, had he not been incurring a bit too much envy these days?

Even a woman he had no connection to whatsoever could drag a heap of hatred onto him and make him the target of so much jealousy…

Mo Hua walked step by step straight to the front of the pavilion, where curtains of moonlight pearls and golden silk drapes veiled the space.

Just as he hesitated, he saw the moonlight pearls brighten, the jade curtains roll back, and the golden silk part like flowing water to either side.

Mo Hua's gaze turned slightly heavy, and he continued into the pavilion.

Once inside, it was a world unto itself.

Amid the interplay of moonlight and golden silk, a serene realm had been carved from celestial ice jade. The floor and walls were covered in engraved Yingluo rune-patterns, resplendent yet elegant—though merely carved, they seemed alive, blooming in scattered points and radiating a lustrous glow.

And at the center of this beautiful scene sat a woman of peerless beauty, clad in a palace gown of agarwood, gold-gilt, and treasure-patterned brocade. She wore no makeup, yet was dignified and commanding, her brows and eyes carrying authority.

It was a rare and unconventional kind of beauty.

Even Mo Hua was momentarily stunned.

The Earth Sect's Little Senior Sister glanced at Mo Hua's true appearance—even more "spiritually refined and elegantly boned" than his portrait—and her gaze also froze for a moment. Then she gave a slight nod and said:

"Sit."

Her voice carried both a woman's clarity and a hint of magnetism, tinged with strength.

Mo Hua hummed in acknowledgment and found himself a jade table to sit at, still several zhang away from the Eldest Senior Sister.

The Earth Sect's Eldest Senior Sister, Jiang Yingluo, cast a slightly imposing glance at Mo Hua and cut straight to the point:

"Mo Hua, do you want a Dao Companion?"

Such a direct approach genuinely caught Mo Hua off guard. "Dao Companion?"

"Hmm," Jiang Yingluo nodded slightly, tapped the table with her jade-like finger, and a jade slip flew over to Mo Hua.

"The girls on this jade slip, pick whichever one you like."

"Whoever you set your eyes on, I can make the decision to have her become your Dao companion. Within a month, you can hold the wedding ceremony and enter the bridal chamber."

"You will then become a member of our Earth Sect. From then on, throughout the entire Houtu City, no one will dare to make things difficult for you."

Jiang Yingluo's tone was calm, yet carried an air of dominance: "You are Zixi's junior brother, which means… you are also my junior brother."

Mo Hua's expression could not help but turn somewhat subtle.

(End of Chapter)