Mo Hua asked somewhat disheartenedly.
Seeing the reluctance in Mo Hua's eyes, Mr. Zhuang seemed to make up his mind, his tone gentle but firm,
"If it's meant to be..."
…
After Mo Hua left, the shadowy figure of Old Kui materialized, looking at Mr. Zhuang with a frown and said,
"Don't do anything unnecessary."
"What do you mean by unnecessary?"
Old Kui spoke in displeasure, "You know what I mean, do I need to spell it out?"
Mr. Zhuang fell silent, and after a moment, his eyes brightened as he said,
"I'm thinking... of taking Mo Hua as my direct disciple."
Old Kui inwardly thought as much and spoke with increased disapproval,
"You want to meet your own end, but don't drag the child into it. He comes from humble origins and shouldn't be entangled in such consequential matters."
Old Kui frowned.
Mr. Zhuang recalled the scene at Big Black Mountain, then added,
"Born from a Great Formation Dissolution and not dying when the Heavenly Dao Thunder Punishment descended, that is great destiny!"
Old Kui said with derision, "Nonsense about great destiny, the Life-gate was calculated by himself, and the thunder was never meant to kill him. These events have their own causes and effects, unrelated to the illusory notion of destiny."
Destiny was something that might deceive unaware cultivators, but it was a stretch to deceive Old Kui.
Seeing he couldn't sway Old Kui, Mr. Zhuang then said,
"Let's not say he has destiny, but at least he has a Taoist Heart, young in age but vast and resolute."
On this point, Old Kui did not object but just sighed and asked,
"Have you really thought this through?"
Mr. Zhuang nodded slightly.
"You carry no good karma," Old Kui reminded him.
It wasn't that there was no good karma, but rather... all were ominous causes and evil consequences...
Mr. Zhuang felt a bitter sweetness in his heart, sighed softly, and then looked into the distance,
"Therefore, I have to find a way... to keep him untainted by these karmic entanglements."
…
Under the locust tree, Mo Hua was sharing food with Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi from opposite sides.
In front of them were delicately prepared pastries, snacks, various flavors of meat, and fermented beverages.
All these were made by Liu Ruhua, who doted on Mo Hua and had prepared them by hand.
Mo Hua, unable to finish all by himself, gave some to Da'hu and the others; the rest he brought to share with Zisheng and Zixi.
After all, Mr. Zhuang was about to leave, and the three sworn disciples would soon part ways.
Having been together for so long, Mo Hua was somewhat reluctant to let go.
Bai Zisheng was enjoying the food immensely when he suddenly remembered something and asked Mo Hua,
"If you get hurt, will Aunt Liu make delicious food for you?"
Mo Hua nodded, "Of course."
Bai Zisheng appeared envious, and a hint of jealousy flashed in Bai Zixi's eyes.
Mo Hua, puzzled, asked, "Won't your mother make things for you to eat?"
Bai Zisheng sighed, "I've grown so much, but have never even had a cup of water boiled for me by my mother, let alone food…"
Mo Hua, curious, asked, "What's your mother like?"
He had rarely heard Bai Zisheng mention his mother.
"Very beautiful!" answered Bai Zisheng, then muttered, "But she's cold as ice, and very strict with me and Zixi."
Zisheng and Zixi were both very good-looking, so it was natural that their mother was beautiful.
Moreover, with their excellent talents and being born into a noble clan, strict demands seemed understandable…
But why would she be so cold?
Generally, with such children, one would expect parents to cherish them to the point of trepidation, bursting with happiness. How could they be cold?
Mo Hua couldn't understand and asked further, "What about your father?"
This question seemed to touch a sore spot for Bai Zisheng. His expression changed, and he said coldly, "I don't have a father!"
Mo Hua nodded, "No father, then no father."
Bai Zisheng was taken aback and asked, "How can a person not have a father?"