Chapter 342: Choice

After finishing his words, Master Luo rose and took his leave.

"Young Master Mo, I'll take my leave first; you may think this over carefully—no need to decide hastily."

He sighed again: "The path I offer is one I consider decent, but not necessarily the best. You have many choices—just pick the wisest one."

Master Luo truly had Mo Hua's interests at heart.

In the days that followed, Mo Hua understood what Master Luo meant by "many choices."

Major and minor sects and clans from nearby provinces all sent invitations to Mo Hua.

Some invited him to serve as a formation instructor; others directly promised him the position of elder; some factions spoke with fiery passion, urging him to "join them in grand endeavors and forge bold new paths";

And some clans wished for him to become a son-in-law, attaching to their invitations portraits of several young female cultivators from their family—some pure and innocent, others alluring and graceful…

Mo Hua said nothing, but Liu Ruhua was especially angry.

She threw all the portraits into the stove and said to Mo Hua:

"But his spiritual roots, lacking a physical body, are indeed… somewhat lacking…"

Yet Mo Hua himself is to blame—I know myself clearly; I know my spiritual roots and physical body are indeed weaknesses.

"But if he's willing to become a son-in-law, he cannot marry into the main lineage; he and his future children must change their surname, but in return, the family will treat him as one of their own—he will truly become a member of the Zhang family…"

Yet as he took his leave, he glanced back at the eatery, his heart feeling unexpectedly light.

Before leaving, I may no longer feel that complex, quiet atmosphere again.

After speaking, Zhang Lan also told Mo Hua to consider it carefully, not to rush his decision, then finished his wine and meat and rose to take his leave.

"But if it's an unusual marriage, the spouse must be found among the branch lines; the children will take his surname."

That wine and meat—I may never taste again, and perhaps never again meet a great cultivator like Mo Hua who chats and jokes with me…

"Besides Yang Jiyong, that eldest son…"

"Not necessarily."

Zhang Lan sighed: "Not just that."

"He excels in formations; on the battlefield, he can indeed make a significant impact. Joining the Yang family, with their backing, he can thrive in the Dao Ting Si."

"Thus, among the wandering cultivators below, information is scarce—even if one has talent, one may still fare worse than family cultivators with mediocre talent but good connections."

Mo Hua looked at him with a simple expression.

Before relocating the city, I must leave as well.

"A sect directly subordinate to the Dao Ting, training talent for the Dao Ting, requires internal Dao Ting connections to enter; even a city's Zhou Zhangsi has only a few recommendation slots, but still many…"

"If you seek a spouse, find a proper, virtuous Miss."

Zhang Lan explained: "That also depends on circumstances. Generally speaking, as long as one cultivates earnestly, has decent character, and isn't utterly corrupt, one can enter the Zheng Zheng Si after completing training."

Mo Hua was slightly startled.

Mo Hua said helplessly: "Mother, it's still too early…"

"Correct." Zhang Lan nodded. "Not the central Dao Ting, but the local Dao Ting Si."

"Isn't that extremely valuable?"

"Those who set the rules never fail to leave loopholes for personal gain. The cultivators above know the rules but cannot bypass the threshold—they can only smash their heads against it until they bleed."

Zhang Lan greeted Mo Hua and took his leave.

"The Zhang family?"

I am the Gu Diansi of the Dao Ting Si; normally I can slack off, but now that the Feng Xi has appeared and cultivators are relocating, my duties have lessened.

Zhang Lan's expression showed a hint of disdain.

Zhang Lan told Mo Hua, in full detail, about joining a family.

Zhang Lan looked at Mo Hua and said solemnly:

"The Zhang and Yang families have good relations, but you and Yang Jiyong, that eldest son, are at odds."

"Alright…"

Mo Hua exclaimed: "The Dao Ting? Not the Zheng Zheng Si?"

After saying this, Zhang Lan changed his tone:

Zhang Lan waved his hand. "These are all major matters—just understand the gist; don't dwell on details."

Zhang Lan sat in his usual spot at the eatery, ordered a pot of wine and several dishes of meat, drank as he spoke to Mo Hua.

"Can't one enter the Dao Ting Si after completing training at a sect?" Mo Hua asked.

"And it's not restricted by status," Zhang Lan said, looking at Mo Hua. "Within the Dao Ting Si, as a wandering cultivator, it's hard for you to enter—but if you enter through one of the Dao Ting's directly subordinate sects, there are far more opportunities."

"Such people enter the Dao Ting's directly subordinate sects entirely through connections; unless you have connections, you won't land any post in the Dao Ting Si."

Zhang Lan, caught off guard, choked on his wine, thought for a moment, then nodded. "Say it gently—it's cultivating goodwill; say it plainly—it's indeed recruiting."

Mo Hua was stunned—he hadn't expected Zhang Lan to value him so highly, and inwardly he felt grateful for Zhang Lan's kindness.

He first pulled out a document: "This is the personal handwriting of the former Zhou Zhangsi—he can join a sect directly under the Zheng Zheng Si."

"Prevent trouble before it arises!" Liu Ruhua said solemnly.

"If all else fails, consider the next best option… and if that fails, you may consider the Yang family…"

Then Zhang Lan sighed: "But even that, you must forget."

"This is an invitation from the Dao Ting Si—not to see yourself, but because I'm recruiting you on behalf of the Zhang family…"

"Don't become a son-in-law; unless absolutely necessary, don't cling to a family!"

"Of course," Zhang Lan nodded. "That's also a bit of the Zhou Zhangsi's goodwill—if I ever face hardship in the future, don't you dare stand idly by."

Zhang Lan spoke more subtly, but Mo Hua saw his expression and knew that when he said "somewhat lacking," he really meant "far too lacking."

Zhang Lan said solemnly: "The Yang family's disciples are brave and fierce, battle-hardened—truly admirable…"

"Families that scheme with such tricks, luring with beauty, are not proper families—never go near them!"

"I'd rather be a wandering immortal crane than a fish or dragon trapped in dead water."

"That's a terrible sales pitch…" Mo Hua couldn't help muttering.

Zhang Lan didn't stand on ceremony either, and got straight to laying out some conditions: what status the Zhang family would give him, what future prospects, what array-method inheritances would be passed down, and so on.

"What he said wasn't quite appropriate…" Mo Hua said, at a loss for words.

"So good that you don't even know how to praise it…"

Zhang Lan said silently to himself, then continued:

While Mo Hua was gradually wavering over his lifelong resolve to neither join a noble house nor marry into one, who would have thought Zhang Lan would shift the topic once again:

Mo Hua asked, puzzled, "The Zhang family and the Yang family—are they at odds?"

"There's also the matter of marriage alliances. If you stay with the Zhang family, you'll probably inevitably be caught up in one."

"Then what counts as an unusual situation?" Mo Hua asked again.

A few days later, Zhang Lan came to find Mo Hua as well.

"It's just that following the Dao soldiers on campaign will be more grueling, and far more dangerous."

Zhang Lan nodded in satisfaction.

"There are a few things I want to tell you."

"Naturally so." Zhang Lan took a sip of wine, his gaze faintly hardening as he said:

He had already made it a habit to come to this little eatery for food and drink.

These things—if Zhang Lan hadn't told him, he wouldn't have known them at all.

"You aren't going to try to win me over too, are you?" Mo Hua asked, puzzled.

"If you don't marry in, you'll rely on your own ability. The cultivation world is vast and the skies are high—you can go anywhere; if you marry in and join a noble house, you'll have stepped into a pool of dead water with no bottom in sight."

……

"Zheng Zheng Zhili?"

Mo Hua nodded.

"Consider those carefully on your own…"

"Yes." Zhang Lan sounded a little regretful. "Your talent in array methods is actually outstanding…"

"Of course, if you really do want to marry into a family, then you should still marry into my Zhang family…"

"The other kind is that their talent is too good, and they learn too well. Such cultivators have a chance of entering the Dao Court directly."

"Marrying in means casting away your surname, losing your self, in exchange for your own rise to greatness…unless you truly have some compelling reason, it's best not to do it."

"Then it falls into two cases." Zhang Lan replied. "One is that their talent is too poor, they learn too badly—bad to the point of being useless mud that can't be propped up against a wall."

"Don't worry, I'm on good terms with Zhou Zhangsi, so he'll definitely help me!" Mo Hua assured him.

"What I said above is just me speaking to you personally."

He was a scion of a noble house; he couldn't possibly migrate away with the loose cultivators of Xiancheng. Most likely he would return to his clan, or find some other post with better prospects.

Zhang Lan said helplessly, "Fertile water doesn't flow into outsiders' fields, after all…"

After saying that, Zhang Lan shifted his tone. "Those are the things I ought to do and the words I ought to say as a disciple of the Zhang family…"

"For cultivators above, those doors are familiar—stepping over those thresholds is easy."

"Besides, in my eyes, there isn't a single family in this world worthy of your marrying in—even my Zhang family!"

"Is my spiritual root really that bad?"