Chapter 88: Hiding

Translator: Cenniwdyl  Editor: Caron_

Instead of going straight down the mountain, Mo Tiange made a turn into a mountain cave once she parted ways with Jiang Shanghang.

After she examined her surroundings and confirmed that no one was around, she simply laid a Concealing Formation then changed her clothes at lightning speed.

Even though she was only a little Aura Refining disciple in the sect, if she went down the mountain so blatantly without any coverup, it’d be very easy for Jiang Clan to track her. Fortunately, Jiang Chengxian hadn’t told anyone about the matter; as long as she changed her clothes, presumably no one would be suspicious about her.

Thus, she changed into women’s clothing and simply tied her hair into a woman’s bun.

After confirming there were no problems with her appearance, she swaggeringly made her way out of Yunwu Sect.

There were lots of Yunwu Sect disciples, and there were always disciples coming and going. As she expected, no one paid attention to her on her way down the mountain and she arrived uneventfully at the market square at the foot of the mountain.

She arrived at the small courtyard after making countless turns and detours, and pushed the door open while calling out, “Second Uncle!”

Ye Jiang, who was still meditating in the corner of the room, was startled by her. “You… Xiaotian? Why are you wearing women’s clothing again?”

Now that she no longer needed to pretend to be calm, she hurriedly said, “Second Uncle, let’s quickly go! I’m in great trouble!”

“What?”

“I… I killed a direct descendant of the sect’s Core Formation grandmaster.”

This gave Ye Jiang a huge shock. He asked, “What happened?”

Any delay would add a bit more danger, so Mo Tiange, who was completely anxious, said, “I’ll tell you on the road. Second Uncle, let’s go!”

Thinking that this child never exaggerated things, Ye Jiang immediately stood up and said, “Okay, first take all the things we need to bring. We’ll go now.”

The two of them moved very quickly. In just a quarter hour, they had already packed up all the things they needed to take with them.

Upon leaving the market square of Mount Yunwu, Ye Jiang took out his horsetail whisk magic tool. The two of them left Mount Yunwu while riding Ye Jiang’s magic tool.

“Second Uncle, can you keep going?” Seeing Second Uncle, who hadn’t traveled afar for a long time, looking very pale as he operated the magic tool, Mo Tiange couldn’t help but feel guilty in her heart. Second Uncle’s time was limited, yet he was implicated by her and was forced to flee. If something went wrong along the way…

Ye Jiang shook his head. With a calm expression, he said, “I’m alright. It’s just that because we have to hurry, I used a lot of spiritual aura. You’d better tell me about what happened first.”

Once Mo Tiange finished recounting everything that had happened today, she asked, “Second Uncle, are we going to be able to escape?”

Ye Jiang, whose expression turned grave as he listened to her story, was silent for a long time. In the end, he only sighed and said, “You… Do you now know what you did wrong?”

Mo Tiange lowered her head. “I was too arrogant and underestimated others too much.”

Ye Jiang said, “It’s good that you understand; only those who learn from their mistakes can become wiser. Don’t repeat your mistake in the future. A few days ago, you told me you met an old friend. Why didn’t you tell me you told her about your secret?”

Mo Tiange said with embarrassment, “I… I forgot.”

Her answer made him frown. “Did you assume that because they were only a small cultivator and a mortal that they couldn’t do anything to you, so you simply didn’t consider them as a possible threat?”

Mo Tiange hesitated for a moment then nodded. “En, Tianqiao… I believed she wouldn’t leak my secret. Besides, she didn’t know about my whereabouts; where would anyone go to look for Ye Xiaotian?”

“Nonsense!” Ye Jiang sternly reprimanded her. “You have to remember that secrets can only be called secrets if they aren’t revealed. The mortals have sayings like ‘the walls have ears’ and ‘accidents happen from many factors’; nothing is certain in this world! Your thoughts aren’t wrong – under normal circumstances, they couldn’t do anything to you even if the two of them had ill intentions towards you. However, you certainly didn’t foresee that this secret would be discovered by someone who knew who Ye Xiaotian was, did you?”

Mo Tiange was silently listening to her uncle’s rebuke. Ye Jiang then proceeded to say, “All these years I’ve always stayed by your side, but I never expected it would cause you to develop this kind of arrogant character! You’re quite smart, but how many people in this cultivation world aren’t? You think that just because you’ve gone through several close fights and can beat most of the cultivators in your realm, you’re extraordinary? If you have these kinds of thought, you’d better go back early and find your death!”

Having finished saying all this, Ye Jiang suddenly felt dizzy. His lifespan was almost exhausted and he was heavily injured, so although he was still a Foundation Building cultivator, his body was a lot weaker.

Mo Tiange, who sensed something wasn’t right, hastily propped him up. “Second Uncle!” she called out.

Ye Jiang swallowed a medicinal pill, waved his hand and said, “There’s more you have to know. Telling other people your secret means you want those people to bear the risk with you. That sister of yours – perhaps she wouldn’t have died if she hadn’t known about you. There are some matters that can harm both ourselves and others if they’re revealed!”

Mo Tiange only bit her lip without refuting. Tianqiao… was indeed brought to her death by her. Perhaps it was precisely because Tianqiao remembered her warning that Jiang Chengxian saw the flaw in Tianqiao’s story which resulted in Tianqiao having to suffer soul-searching, and both husband and wife died together… Mo Tiange was the one who made the mistake, yet the two of them were the ones who had to bear the consequences.

Seeing her expression, Ye Jiang finally stopped reproaching her. He said calmly, “Alright, since it’s already happened, grieving is also useless. We’d better think about how to hide now. I reckon we only have about one or two days before they come chasing after us.”

Mo Tiange was silent for a long time before she finally asked, “Second Uncle, are we really running away?”

Ye Jiang cast a glance at her then said solemnly, “By asking this question, you’ve made another mistake. Remember, no matter what circumstances you’re under, you must never lose your confidence. Sometimes, you only need to have a bit of perseverance to be able to escape.”

Mo Tiange nodded. “I understand, Second Uncle.”

Ye Jiang couldn’t help but let out a faint sigh when he saw her listening obediently. He slowly said, “Xiaotian, perhaps this is the last time. In the future, Second Uncle won’t be able to protect you anymore. You have to grow until you can protect yourself, understand?”

He sounded so helpless that Mo Tiange felt a lump entering into her throat. “Second Uncle…”

Ye Jiang simply patted her head like he used to do when she was a child.

The two of them eventually stopped in a small town at the foot of a mountain in the northern area. They hid their presences and pretended to be a pair of grandfather-granddaughter cultivators whose cultivation levels were only in the third and fourth layer of the Aura Refining realm before entering the local inn.

“If the other side’s Core Formation cultivators take action, we won’t be able to outrun them no matter what we do, so it’d be better for us to hide among the crowd,” Ye Jiang said.

Mo Tiange didn’t have any objections about Second Uncle’s decision. “You cannot catch old birds with chaff,” meaning Second Uncle was more appropriate at handling this matter than her. Besides, Second Uncle’s body was really unsuitable for traveling for a long time.

After being in the small town for two days, Mo Tiange indeed noticed there was an increase of Foundation Building cultivators flying past this place. This town was very close to Mount Yunwu, so they were most likely Yunwu Sect Foundation Building disciples coming to look for her.

She felt incredibly nervous. Second Uncle’s powers were damaged and furthermore, she hadn’t yet built her foundation. If they were found, they practically wouldn’t have any chance of fighting back…

“Xiaotian!”

“Ah?” Mo Tiange turned her head and stared at Second Uncle, who was meditating on the bed.

Ye Jiang stared at her leaning against the window and said faintly, “It’s useless to keep looking. Sit down and cultivate.”

“But…” She really couldn’t calm her heart.

Ye Jiang stared deeply at her but in the end, he only uttered a sigh.

His sigh made her feel ashamed. It was as if she failed very badly to live up to his expectations and made him very disappointed.

After staring at her for a long time, Ye Jiang finally said, “Come here. Second Uncle wants to talk to you about something.”

Mo Tiange obediently walked to him, sat on the small stool beside the bed, and said softly, “Second Uncle, please speak.”

“Xiaotian, do you still remember the matter from ten years ago?”

Mo Tiange nodded. Ten years ago was when she came to Kunwu. She was brought to Kunwu from the secular world by Ye Jingwen, a Xuanqing School Foundation Building disciple, and was given to Second Uncle. From then on, she officially walked on the path of cultivation.

“Then… Do you remember Xuanqing School?”

Despite being puzzled by his question, Mo Tiange still nodded. She asked, “Second Uncle, what are you bringing up Xuanqing School for? Didn’t we go to east Kunwu to avoid them?”

Ye Jiang shook his head and said with a sigh, “Times have changed. In these two days, I’ve been thinking… you… better go to Xuanqing School.”

Mo Tiange was startled. “Second Uncle?”

Ye Jiang smiled faintly. His expression looked very calm. It was as if he had made up his mind. He said, “Xuanqing School is the second greatest cultivation group in the Celestial Pole. In west Kunwu, its strength is formidable. If you enter Xuanqing School, at least you’ll be able to cultivate in peace.”

“Second Uncle!” Mo Tiange anxiously said, “Didn’t you say they harbor ill intentions towards me? We’ve been running from them for ten years, so why…”

Ye Jiang revealed a wry smile and said, “Yes, that year I eavesdropped on Ye Jingwen and Zheng Xuan’s conversation and heard that Master Daoist Shoujing wanted you to enter Xuanqing School. Apparently, he also paid quite a lot of attention to your constitution. It was because I didn’t dare to take any risks that I took you and escaped to Mount Dongmeng. However… over the past few days, I’ve been thinking… Your father said Master Daoist Shoujing pledged a Heart Demon’s Oath to your father and that was why your father handed you over to him. Right now, your life is in danger and Second Uncle’s death is also imminent. No one is more suitable than him to be your backing.”

“I…” After pausing for a long time, Mo Tiange whispered, “Second Uncle, didn’t you tell me that although he pledged a Heart Devil’s Oath, it wouldn’t be considered breaking the oath if he ordered me to perform Dual Cultivation with someone?”

“Technically yes, but everything won’t work if you die, so I think he wouldn’t do anything life-threatening to you. Originally, because I thought I still had a hundred years to live, I didn’t have the heart to see you go there and suffer, but now that you’ve induced this kind of calamity and my lifespan is almost exhausted…”

“Second Uncle!”

Ye Jiang stared at her while continuing to speak. “I’m worried about leaving you alone to face a group of people coming to kill you, so let’s just bet on this!”

Upon seeing Second Uncle’s resolute expression, Mo Tiange knew he had completely made up his mind. However, she was still hesitant. She had accidentally divulged her secret two times and both times brought her a life-threatening calamity. Going to Xuanqing School? How could she possibly feel assured living under the eyes of someone who knew about her secret?

“No, Second Uncle. In the future, I’ll go to west Kunwu. Yunwu Sect isn’t a large cultivation group, so as long as I go to west Kunwu, there will definitely be no problems…”

“Then what will happen if your secret is once again discovered? Are you sure you can escape every time?”

“There won’t be a next time!” She almost shouted those words.

Ye Jiang just resolutely shook his head. He said, “You can’t guarantee it.”

“Second Uncle…”

Ye Jiang displayed a faint smile and stared affectionately at her. He said, “Tiange… this is the first time you put on women’s clothes after following Second Uncle. Over these two days, Second Uncle thought back to how ten years ago, you were such a cute little girl the first time Second Uncle saw you…”

“I… I’m not…”

“Yes, you’re not very eager to be a woman again, but Second Uncle hopes you can have an opportunity to really be a woman one day… Not Ye Xiaotian, but Mo Tiange…” He showed another smile and continued to say, “Besides, do you know? Second Uncle has noticed that in all these years, Xuanqing School has never sent anyone to catch us. This shows… that maybe, Master Daoist Shoujing deserves to be believed.”

Confronted with Second Uncle’s aging face, Mo Tiange was silent. She knew Second Uncle wouldn’t harm her, and she also knew Second Uncle only decided this because there was no other way. If Second Uncle was no longer here and she was left alone, she definitely wouldn’t be able to escape.

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