Chapter 799

This news came from Mo Hua—primarily from Hao Xuan's cousin, Hao Se.

Hao Xuan performed poorly on his year-end assessment.

Especially in swordplay.

Ever since he became addicted to ambush strikes, he rarely used his sword; over time, his sword skills grew rusty.

In a sect teeming with geniuses, not advancing in swordplay is falling behind.

Hao Xuan received only a "C" in swordplay; though he was actually slightly stronger than Mo Hua, in the grading system, he was indeed about equal to Mo Hua.

But Mo Hua's brilliance in one area overshadowed all his flaws—he led far ahead in array techniques, and in other areas, his innate talent was limited, so no one criticized him.

Moreover, he had no family, his parents weren't around, he cultivated entirely by self-discipline, and no one supervised him.

Even if his parents had been present, upon learning Mo Hua had achieved a "First Class, Six C's" ranking within the crowded Qianxue Province, among the countless geniuses of Grand Void Gate, they would only be proud of him.

After all, his starting point was far too low; every bit of progress was hard-won.

Hao Xuan was different.

He had a family, fierce competition within it, strict expectations, and his parents placed extreme importance on his academic performance.

For a cultivator his age, a sect's "academic performance" often constituted his entire "meaning" of existence.

Thus, receiving a "C" felt to him like the sky had collapsed.

His parents, along with elders of his lineage, gave him no good face.

Hao Xuan spent the New Year in constant anxiety.

He grew even more unwilling to stay in his family, so he settled for second best and came to Grand Void Gate to "flee."

His excuse to his parents was:

He had performed poorly, felt ashamed, wished to strive harder and rise to the top, so he would remain at the sect, train diligently, catch up on his studies, and not return home for the New Year.

He learned this excuse specifically by consulting "Senior Brother" Mo Hua.

And indeed, his parents did not object.

Not only did they not object—they even believed Hao Xuan had "shamed himself into determination."

Though he had performed poorly this time, knowing to strive was not too late.

His parents were deeply relieved.

Thus, Hao Xuan stayed at Grand Void Gate to spend the New Year with Mo Hua.

He truly did cultivate daily—sometimes studying swordplay, practicing staff techniques, or asking Mo Hua about arrays—and never slacked off, so he wasn't lying to his parents.

As the New Year approached, his parents still cared for their "striving" son, so they sent his cousin Hao Se back to the sect specifically to bring him some delicacies.

At this moment, Hao Xuan was in the disciples' quarters, learning arrays from Mo Hua.

Hao Se placed seven or eight red-edged food boxes of various sizes on the table and said, "Hao Xuan, I've brought you food."

Then he bowed to Mo Hua, "Senior Brother, Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year…"

Mo Hua returned the bow, but his expression was somewhat bewildered.

He didn't know Hao Se well; he only vaguely recalled there was such a disciple in their cohort, but the impression was faint.

In daily life, whether taking sect missions or hunting demons in the Demon Refining Mountains, they seemed to have had no interaction.

He couldn't even recall the name.

Hao Xuan said, "This is my cousin, Hao Se. He's one year older than me, but we began our cultivation training together; we're similar in age and cultivation level, so we entered Grand Void Gate together."

"Oh." Mo Hua nodded.

"Hao Se…"

The name—no matter how he heard it—felt strangely odd.

Hao Se had a lively personality and was unusually forward.

Mo Hua barely knew him, but Hao Se knew Mo Hua well.

After all, among the thousand-plus disciples of Grand Void Gate in their cohort, there was only one "Senior Brother."

Family New Year celebrations were too crowded, too noisy, and burdened with too many formalities.

Hao Se, finding it rare to be out and not wanting to return, stayed with Hao Xuan and Mo Hua at the disciples' quarters to eat spiritual food, drink spiritual wine, and chat.

As they chatted, Hao Se suddenly grew somber and sighed, saying:

"A senior sister died in Hundred Flowers Valley."

This remark came abruptly.

Mo Hua was happily eating a chicken leg; his mind momentarily froze. "What?"

Hao Se repeated it: "A senior sister died in Hundred Flowers Valley…"

Mo Hua stared at Hao Se, his mind swirling with a thousand thoughts, unsure where to begin.

How could a senior sister die in Hundred Flowers Valley?

You're not even a disciple of Hundred Flowers Valley… how do you know about this?

Besides, if a senior sister died in Hundred Flowers Valley, what does it have to do with you?

Hao Xuan sighed, reluctant to speak, but there were no outsiders in the disciples' quarters, so he said:

"My cousin… his lifelong wish is to become a disciple of Hundred Flowers Valley…"

Mo Hua blinked. "Does Hundred Flowers Valley accept male disciples?"

Hao Se shook his head, disappointed. "No."

Mo Hua asked curiously, "Then how will you become a disciple of Hundred Flowers Valley?"

Hao Se said solemnly, "Precisely because Hundred Flowers Valley doesn't accept male disciples, my lifelong ambition is to reform it—to make it admit male disciples, or at the very least, allow male cultivators to become elders. That way, after graduating from Grand Void Gate, even if I can't become a disciple, I can still make 'becoming a Hundred Flowers Valley elder' my lifelong goal…"

Mo Hua opened his mouth, but for a moment, had nothing to say.

The Great Thousand Worlds truly have all kinds of people...

"But such a reform would never work—how could the Hundred Flowers Valley ever accept a male cultivator as a guest elder?" Mo Hua added.

"Yes, the future looks bleak..."

Hao Se's expression turned desolate; finally, he clenched his teeth, "If all else fails, I heard the Joyful Union Sect has a technique to reverse yin and yang—I..."

Hao Xuan immediately clapped a hand over his mouth. "Stop, cousin! Don't say another word! If Uncle or Auntie hear you, they'll break your legs."

Mo Hua's expression was stunned, and he felt a pang of admiration.

In a certain sense, this brother was also a ruthless one.

But he was deeply puzzled and asked, "Why do you want so badly to enter the Hundred Flowers Valley?"

Hao Se replied solemnly:

"There's no special reason—it's just a plain, ordinary 'life aspiration.' Since it's a life aspiration, why need a reason?"

Mo Hua was left speechless.

Beside him, Hao Xuan sighed, "My cousin's talent is actually excellent, but he's... just a bit abnormal..."

Hao Se looked displeased but said nothing in reply.

Hao Xuan continued, "... Technically, if he worked harder and the family exerted some influence, he might have entered the Sida Sect. But because he's always 'shocking people with his words,' the clan feared he'd cause trouble, so they shoved him into the Grand Void Gate to keep me company. I've grown up with him—I know his nature, and I can keep an eye on him..."

So that's how it was...

Mo Hua nodded.

But Hao Se insisted, "What's the Sida Sect? If I can enter the Hundred Flowers Valley, who cares about the Sida Sect?"

Hao Xuan broke off a chicken leg and handed it to Mo Hua. "Senior Brother, eat the chicken leg. Ignore him."

"Oh..." Mo Hua took the chicken leg, took a bite, then curiously asked, "Hao Se..."

Because he was chewing, his pronunciation was muffled—the words "Hao Se" came out as "Hao Se"... meaning "good color"...

Hao Se quickly corrected him:

"It's Hao Se, not 'good color'!"

"Mm-hmm." Mo Hua nodded, then asked, "Hao Se, you said a senior sister from the Hundred Flowers Valley committed suicide—what exactly happened?"

Hao Se's expression grew sorrowful.

He was physically in the Grand Void Gate, but his heart remained in the Hundred Flowers Valley, so he always paid close attention to its affairs.

"I often wandered around the Hundred Flowers Valley, so I got to know a few of their senior sisters..."

"How did you get to know them?"

"Got beaten up a few times, then we became acquainted..."

Mo Hua: "..."

Hao Xuan felt embarrassed but still explained:

"My cousin... he kept wandering around the Hundred Flowers Valley in his free time. The disciples there spotted him, thought he had ill intentions, beat him up a few times, then when the misunderstanding cleared, they just accepted him as an acquaintance..."

It was true—no beating, no acquaintance...

Hao Se waved it off. "These are minor things. Who doesn't face small setbacks in life? Now, the real matter..."

Hao Se took a sip of wine, frowned, and said, "Last year, I delivered festival gifts to several senior sisters from the Hundred Flowers Valley. I noticed their expressions were off, so I asked if something had happened. They refused to say anything—until I swore repeatedly I wouldn't reveal it to anyone, then they finally told me..."

Here, Hao Se turned to Mo Hua and Hao Xuan. "You must also swear not to reveal this to anyone—I can only tell you if you promise."

Hao Xuan and Mo Hua nodded silently.

Hao Se was satisfied and continued:

"The senior sisters said that during the festival, most of the sisters returned to their families for the New Year, but some—those from distant places, those needing retakes, or those delayed by affairs—stayed behind in the Hundred Flowers Valley to celebrate."

"On the festival day, everything was fine—until suddenly, flames erupted from one of the disciples' quarters."

"The fire wasn't large; the elder on duty quickly extinguished it. The flames didn't spread, and no major damage occurred."

"At first, the elder was angry, thinking some disciple had carelessly left a dantian furnace unattended, causing the fire."

"But when the elder entered the quarter to inspect, his expression changed drastically."

"Inside lay a charred corpse—a female disciple, burned alive on the festival day..."

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened. "Was it suicide?"

Hao Se shook his head. "I don't know. But the Hundred Flowers Valley investigated and found no signs of foul play. The room had contained only this senior sister the entire time."

"The incident even reached the Grand Master's attention."

"But the Grand Master and all the elders found no other clues, and ultimately concluded it was suicide..."

Hao Se recounted everything he had heard.

Mo Hua frowned.

He felt something was off about this matter.

But it was the Hundred Flowers Valley's affair.

Mo Hua was busy—training, attending classes, studying arrays, and investigating the Water Yama matter. He had no time to look into this.

Besides, the Hundred Flowers Valley not only refused male disciples—it forbade all male cultivators from entering.

Even if he wanted to inquire, he couldn't.

As for this senior sister, who had died by self-immolation in her prime, all he could do was sigh and silently mourn her.

Hao Se's expression was also sorrowful.

Seeing the mood grow heavy, Hao Xuan said, "Let's drop this. The Hundred Flowers Valley will handle it themselves. Let's talk about something else."

Hao Se nodded.

He had felt sorrow inside and wanted to talk—now that he'd spoken, he felt a little better.

Besides, disciple suicides or deaths weren't unheard of in Qian Xue Province.

Some male and female disciples, dissatisfied with the marriage arrangements made for them since childhood, even made plans to die together and took their own lives...

When there are many people, anything is possible.

Hao Xuan changed the subject and let the matter drop.

The three ate meat, drank wine, chatted for a while, and then Hao Se prepared to return to his clan.

Just before he left, Mo Hua suddenly froze, and out of nowhere asked:

"Hao Se, do you know who that suicide victim among the senior sisters was?"

Hao Se thought for a moment and shook his head. "I don't know. I've never met her, but I heard this senior sister's surname was 'Ye'..."

Surname Ye...

Mo Hua's pupils shrank.

A face surfaced in his mind.

Oval face, delicate features, skin like congealed fat, eyebrows and eyes carrying a trace of sorrow, appearing introverted yet somewhat aloof.

Sister Ye?!

Only a few days ago, he had seen this Sister Ye—her robes like a blooming garden, her beauty surpassing even the flowers—and now, after just a few days, she had suddenly died?

Mo Hua frowned.

"Could I be wrong... maybe it wasn't that Sister Ye?"

There might be other senior sisters with the surname 'Ye' in the Hundred Flowers Valley; it might not have been her.

But despite this, Mo Hua felt a troubling premonition in his heart.

Mo Hua could not let this matter go.

A few days later, he confirmed it with Elder Murong.

Elder Murong Caiyun looked startled. "Who told you?"

"A friend I met by chance, who has some connection with the Hundred Flowers Valley."

Mo Hua did not mention Hao Se's name.

Elder Murong Caiyun's expression grew melancholy; she sighed softly. "Yes, it was Jin'er..."

"Jin'er?"

"The Sister Ye you mentioned—her surname is Ye, her given name is 'Jin'—she's..." Elder Murong Caiyun's expression turned pained. "The female disciple who killed herself in the Hundred Flowers Valley..."

"Was it really suicide?" Mo Hua frowned.

Elder Murong Caiyun nodded slightly. "The Hundred Flowers Valley investigated—it was likely suicide. But the reason... it's hard to say."

"Some say her family forced her into marriage; some say the pressure of cultivation was too great; others say she was heartbroken and couldn't bear it, so she took her own life."

"But all these are rumors; whether true or false, it's hard to judge."

Mo Hua was puzzled. "Forced into marriage? She's so young—already being arranged for marriage?"

"Yes," Elder Murong Caiyun said. "The Ye family is a third-grade clan. Elsewhere, they might be considered a major family, but in Qianxue Territory, they're only a small-to-medium clan, slightly below average."

"Clans like the Ye family live in the cracks between great houses. It's hard to advance, but easy to fall—and once you fall, you may never climb back up."

"So clans like the Ye family feel great urgency. They're skilled at flattery and must constantly seek alliances."

"Daughters in such families who are beautiful and talented, and who have even managed to join a major sect, are targeted for marriage arrangements early."

"They don't necessarily have to marry, but the betrothal must be settled—and as early as possible—so that..."

Elder Murong Caiyun hesitated to finish.

Mo Hua said: "... so they can fetch a higher price?"

Elder Murong Caiyun's eyes widened slightly; she sighed deeply and nodded.

"Yes."

In family marriages, whether among great houses or small clans, most are essentially transactions.

Mo Hua couldn't help but recall, long ago in Tongxian City, listening to Young Master An's gossip about noble families.

He thought of Uncle Zhang Lan, who likely fled to a small Xiancheng to avoid marriage, and felt a pang of sorrow.

It seemed even within families, many were powerless.

Mo Hua probed further, asking about the rumors of Sister Ye's suicide, but Elder Murong Caiyun knew little—most of her information matched what Hao Se had said.

The only new lead was the Ye family.

"The Ye family..."

Mo Hua murmured the name, suddenly feeling the surname 'Ye' was strangely familiar.

But since entering Qianxue Territory, he had encountered too many clans and cultivators—many great and small families shared the same surnames, descended from the same ancestors, with complex, branching lineages.

As a lone cultivator, Mo Hua's thoughts grew tangled when dealing with these intricate family names.

For now, he couldn't recall whether he had ever met any cultivators or families with the surname 'Ye'.

"By the way, Elder Murong," Mo Hua finally asked, "where is the Ye family located? It's not in Qianxue Territory, is it?"

"No," Elder Murong Caiyun said. "The Ye family is a third-grade clan—they have no standing in Qianxue Territory. As for where..."

She frowned. "Wait, let me check."

From a gold-threaded phoenix-pattern storage pouch, she took out a map, flipped through it briefly, then with her long, pale fingers pointed to a spot. "Here... Yan Shui City."

Mo Hua's pupils shrank sharply.

"Yan Shui... City?"

"Yes," Elder Murong Caiyun nodded. "Yan Shui City is a third-grade Xiancheng, situated along the Yan Shui River. The river flows through the city, hence its name."

"The Ye family is among the top-ranked clans in Yan Shui City..."

The Ye family is also among the top-ranked families in Yan Shui City…

Elder Murong finished speaking and noticed Mo Hua's expression was unusual, so she asked:

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing…"

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then shook his head.

He silently memorized the three characters "Yan Shui City," thanked Elder Murong, exchanged a few pleasantries, and took his leave.

Back at the disciples' quarters, Mo Hua sat before his desk, his brow furrowed even tighter.

Yan Shui City…

The Ye family, Sister Ye, Hundred Flowers Valley.

Suicide…

He felt something deeply suspicious lay hidden within.

But the clues were too few, and hard to piece together.

Mo Hua let out a soft sigh.

He had met "Sister Ye" only once, spoken to her barely a few words, and had no intention of meddling—especially in a matter internal to Hundred Flowers Valley.

But now, with the mention of "Yan Shui River," things were different…

He needed to find out what had truly happened…

"But how do I investigate?"

He could never enter Hundred Flowers Valley, let alone investigate there.

The only way was to start with the Ye family of Yan Shui City.

"I should make time to visit Yan Shui City…"

Mo Hua thought to himself.

Several days later, the New Year festivities ended completely, and Grand Void Gate resumed classes.

The new academic year had begun.

This was Mo Hua's fifth year at Grand Void Gate.

At the start of term, matters were numerous: elders began teaching, disciples had to refocus, and countless trivial tasks piled up.

Mo Hua spent seven or eight days handling the miscellaneous matters, and monastic life settled into its rhythm.

Soon, the first ten-day break arrived.

Mo Hua decided to set out for Yan Shui City.

But before going to Yan Shui City, he wanted to detour slightly, take a longer route, and visit the ruined temple on Ku Shan to see Huang Shanjun.

It had been so long since they last met; he didn't even know how Huang Shanjun was faring now.

Whether the temple still received offerings, whether the roof had collapsed, and so on.

Of course, he also intended to ask about certain things—such as the Path of the Divine, and…

Divine Mind Sword.

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