Mo Hua gladly thanked him.
As it was getting late, Mo Hua bid farewell to Elder Master Xun with due respect, but as he completed his greetings, he encountered a deep and complex gaze from Elder Master Xun, momentarily feeling dazed.
"Old Master, is there something wrong?" Mo Hua asked, puzzled.
Elder Master Xun deeply looked at Mo Hua.
That look made Mo Hua feel like Elder Master Xun was speculating on something but dared not verbalize it due to certain causal relations.
Elder Master Xun was troubled, wanting to ask something, but seeing how Mo Hua had unconsciously grown taller, looking more like a teenager, he suddenly felt nostalgic.
He had grown up quite a bit...
His gaze was gentle and clear, deep yet calm, his face still carrying some childishness but his demeanor had become more composed.
He was already able to shoulder some things on his own.
Or perhaps, from a young age, he had always been "bearing" things on his own...
Elder Master Xun sighed lightly, "It's nothing..."
He looked at Mo Hua, patting his shoulder, gently saying, "It's New Year, have fun."
Mo Hua nodded and smiled, "Old Master, happy New Year, I'm heading back now."
"Alright, good."
Mo Hua performed a respectful bow, then bid farewell.
After Mo Hua left, Elder Master Xun continued to read the Jade Slip.
Inside the Jade Slip, it said "Taixu Gate Forbidden Technique Directory."
Elder Master Xun stared at the directory of forbidden techniques, lost in thought...
...
Qingzhou City, Gu Family.
The back courtyard, brilliantly illuminated and decorated with lanterns.
Mo Hua was releasing lanterns with Yu Er.
Yu Er's small face was blushing crimson, looking up eagerly at the red fish-dragon lantern Mo Hua had made for him.
But when he turned to glance at Mo Hua, Yu Er suddenly grew despondent, drooping his eyelids silently and pitifully.
Mo Hua noticed something was off with his mood and gently asked, "What's wrong?"
Yu Er was silent for a moment, then quietly asked, "Brother Mo, are you leaving?"
Mo Hua was taken aback, "Who told you that?"
Yu Er shook his head, then looked up at Mo Hua, "Big guy and the others said that after graduation, they will leave Taixu Gate, leave Qian State, will you leave, Brother Mo?"
The "big guy" Yu Er referred to was Cheng Mo.
Mo Hua looked at Yu Er.
Yu Er's eyes, reflecting the lantern lights in the sky, were sparkling, brimming with deep reluctance.
Mo Hua didn't want to deceive him, so he replied softly, "It's possible."
Yu Er became even more downcast.
Mo Hua gently rubbed his hair, "There are joys and sorrows, partings and reunions, it's a very normal part of life. Eventually, Yu Er you will grow up too, learning to rely on yourself, strengthen your resolve, and grow stronger..."
Mo Hua's warm voice slowly seeped into Yu Er's heart.
Yu Er started feeling braver inside, nodding earnestly, then with a bit of longing, he asked:
"Then, can I still see Brother Mo in the future?"
Mo Hua nodded with a smile, "Yes, when I have time, I'll come to see you. Or someday, when Yu Er, your cultivation is strong enough, you can travel the Nine State, then we will definitely meet again."
"When I'm strong... we can meet again..." Yu Er's eyes suddenly revealed a sense of longing, then nodded repeatedly, "Brother Mo, I will definitely cultivate well, someday I'll come to find you!"
Mo Hua smiled warmly, "Good!"
Yu Er also smiled, the lantern light reflecting on his face made him appear innocent and charming.
Mo Hua felt gratified, but in the next instant, his Divine Soul quivered, Dragon Soul resonated, and his vision turned blood-red.
The lantern lights in the sky reflecting on Yu Er's face suddenly looked bright red as blood.
And this blood-red color vaguely formed a dragon shadow.
This scarlet dragon shadow, underlaying the red firelight, swam across Yu Er's face and then staggered and twisted, converging into Yu Er's glabella, merging into his Divine Soul.
Mo Hua felt a shiver deep inside.
"...Dragon?"
"The blood flowing in Yu Er's veins is... Blood of Karmic Dragon?"