Previously, when Lin Xiao boarded the ship, he estimated that the number of passengers was far fewer than what he saw now boarding at Jinshan City. And from the looks of it, the spiritual ship was still letting people board, with the line steadily moving forward.
Seeing this, Lin Xiao recalled the complaints of the cultivators in Yuanling City, who had mentioned that fewer people had been allowed to board this time. It seemed they weren't just making baseless accusations out of frustration for missing the ship.
Lin Xiao shared his observations with Jiang Youfu. The two exchanged glances and fell into a brief silence, losing interest in watching the queue outside.
Jiang Youfu lowered his head, rummaging through his storage bag to see what ingredients he had left, already thinking about what to make for dinner. Meanwhile, Lin Xiao closed his eyes and browsed the system shop in his mind—not planning to buy anything, just looking around.
——
Back in the capital of Puqi Kingdom.
Since this was Lingxian Sect's official debut with the court, there were many details to discuss. After Liu Yunan and Qin Jianghe had their initial meeting with the emperor to establish the main framework, the rest of the negotiations were handled solely by Liu Yunan.
Qin Jianghe, accompanied by Mo Yuanjiao, spent his days wandering the capital in disguise, with the help of the Taoye Pendant and their concealment techniques. Thanks to these precautions, no one detected their presence.
Besides, with the major sects preoccupied with preparations to unite against Huan You Kingdom, attention had shifted away from the capital. The two spent their days roaming from one end of the city to the other, exploring every corner.
After thoroughly touring the capital with Qin Jianghe, Mo Yuanjiao began making preparations to return to Xiushui Village. This time, however, he wasn't returning alone—he was taking his mother and grandmother with him.
Mo Yuanjiao had already reported this to his cousin, Emperor Li Zhouxuan, who had given his approval. His father and older brothers were to remain in the capital to continue their duties. His sisters were already married and living with their husbands, so taking them along wasn't an option.
Mo General's plan was to reunite with his family in Xiushui Village during holidays or after retirement, rather than joining them in cultivation. Having lived through many battles and reached his age, Mo General had made peace with life and death, no longer particularly chasing the dream of immortality.
For Mo Yuanjiao's family, fulfilling his desire to bring the family together was more about honoring the wishes of the youngest son, who had shown such excitement and enthusiasm.
Thanks to Mo Yuanjiao's constant urging, Mo Lady swiftly made all necessary arrangements for the family's departure.
At the break of dawn, just as the city gates opened, several carriages bearing the Mo family insignia rolled out of the capital. After traveling several li beyond the city, the convoy stopped at a desolate, remote area.
Everyone disembarked from the carriages. From the lead carriage, Mo General helped Mo Lady and Mo Old Madam down. Behind them came Mo Yuanjiao and his two brothers, while the rear carriages carried Mo Que and other guards, along with the Mo family's servants.
With only trusted family members and servants present, Mo Yuanjiao wasted no time. He pulled out the spiritual boat Lin Xiao had given him, injected his spiritual energy into it, and placed it on the ground.
Everyone watched in amazement as the small, palm-sized boat grew visibly larger until it expanded enough to accommodate more than ten people.
Although they had been mentally prepared, Mo Lady and the others who had never seen such a thing before were still stunned. Only Mo General, who had taken this same boat on his way back, remained composed as he helped Mo Old Madam board the vessel.
Mo Old Madam, full of wonder, carefully climbed aboard with Mo General's assistance, gazing around in awe. After Mo Lady also boarded, Mo Yuanjiao waved to the others.
"Bao Jian, bring them over," he called out.
Bao Jian, along with a group of trusted guards and Mo family servants, hurriedly scrambled aboard. They needed servants to attend to the elderly Mo Old Madam along the way, and Mo General had arranged for these loyal family servants to settle in Cuifeng Town, where they could help take care of Mo Lady and Mo Old Madam in Xiushui Village.
As for Bao Jian, he was Mo Yuanjiao's personal guard, and Mo General left him to his son's discretion.
Mo Que, however, was temporarily left behind in the capital. With Liu Yunan and Qin Jianghe preoccupied with their responsibilities, Mo Que was tasked with staying in the capital to assist them in handling various matters before returning home later.
Mo General wasn't worried about Mo Yuanjiao's safety anymore, given that his son's cultivation level had surpassed Mo Que's. The family had always been practical, and though the moment of parting had arrived, there was no sentimentality.
Mo Yuanjiao's eldest brother smiled and said, "Take good care of Grandmother and Mother, and take care of yourself too, little brother."
His second brother, Mo Erge, simply nodded seriously, indicating he felt the same.
Mo Yuanjiao thumped his chest confidently. "Don't worry! With me around, they'll be better taken care of than you could manage!"
At that, Mo Dage's smile vanished, and he turned sharply on his heel. "Good. Now go. I don't want to see you anymore."
Mo General, having bid a simple farewell to Mo Lady and Mo Old Madam, moved a dozen meters away from the boat and called back, "Set off."
Mo Yuanjiao, now in charge, took out the spiritual stones he had accumulated from his allowance. While he could have used his own spiritual energy to power the boat, given the long journey ahead and the condition of his grandmother, it was more practical to rely on the spiritual stones.
Thankfully, his enthusiasm for studying formation arrays had earned him a good stockpile of over a thousand spiritual stones during the past few months.