Outside Houtu City, within a carriage speeding like the wind along the winding, serpentine array highway toward the Great Spiritual Field Realm.
As the little senior brother, Mo Hua was patiently explaining formations to his little junior brother, Zhu Muchen.
When it came to cultivation, Mo Hua could not offer much guidance.
After all, in terms of spiritual power and blood essence foundation, as the little senior brother, he was actually far inferior to Zhu Muchen.
Among the entire cohort of Taixu Sect, he was the one with the poorest aptitude.
Mo Hua's own cultivation of the Heavenly Derivation Art was even more unorthodox than the traditional method of proving the Dao through divine sense, so he simply could not teach others.
But formations were different. With Mo Hua's current level of formation mastery, unless one had achieved Feather Transformation, he could offer guidance to anyone.
Let alone his little junior brother, Zhu Muchen.
In Mo Hua's eyes, Zhu Muchen's formation skill was actually quite poor, and it had obviously become much rusty.
Formations were inherently difficult to learn, and consuming divine sense was painful. Presumably, since leaving Taixu Sect, without supervision, Zhu Muchen had not put much effort in, thus his progress was negligible.
But Mo Hua did not criticize him. He still did his best, fulfilling his duty as the little senior brother, teaching Zhu Muchen formations.
At the same time, he pointed out the flaws in his foundation and laid out a gradual path for his future development in formations.
Zhu Muchen listened very attentively, committing every word of his little senior brother's teachings firmly to heart.
For some reason, no matter what formation, when taught by his little senior brother, it was always so easy to understand and thoroughly insightful.
In fact, after graduating from Taixu Sect and returning to his clan, Zhu Muchen had not stopped studying formations.
The Zhu family was a great clan. There were some senior formation elders in the clan who, at the clan leader's order, instructed Zhu Muchen.
But when those elders explained formations, they either put on airs of profundity with obscure and difficult language, or they were vague and unclear.
Some even guarded their knowledge selfishly, revealing only a third while hiding two-thirds.
Zhu Muchen, after studying, became too lazy to continue.
Now, compared to his little senior brother, the difference was like mud and clouds.
Zhu Muchen sighed silently: "Indeed, my little senior brother is the best."
"In the path of formations, I doubt anyone is stronger than little senior brother."
Zhu Muchen had almost blind worship for Mo Hua's formation skills.
Seeing Zhu Muchen nodding off, his mind wandering, Mo Hua reminded him: "Don't get distracted."
"Mm, mm." Zhu Muchen nodded repeatedly, focusing, not daring to be distracted again.
Mo Hua taught for most of the day and, seeing that Zhu Muchen was studying seriously and grasping things quickly, nodded with satisfaction. After thinking for a moment, he advised: "Formations are the foremost of all professions. If you truly have no talent, then so be it; there's no need to waste time forcing yourself. But you do have talent; it's just that you haven't found the proper path and have become a bit lax. From now on, if you can pick up formations again, you should. Learning more formations, whether to broaden your cultivation knowledge or to seek the Dao and comprehend principles in the future, will be of great benefit."
Zhu Muchen was quite moved by these words and nodded, thinking to himself that his little senior brother was truly worthy of being his little senior brother.
No matter what he said, it always made sense, and he understood it as soon as he heard it.
Unlike his parents and elders, who just nagged and blamed him for not working hard without clearly explaining the reasons.
Zhu Muchen said: "Little senior brother, I've remembered everything."
Mo Hua smiled warmly: "Good."
For the rest of the journey, Mo Hua spent most of his time teaching Zhu Muchen formations.
When he got tired and took a break, Zhu Muchen would eagerly present dozens of kinds of wine and snacks he had carefully prepared, offering them to his little senior brother to taste.
Thus, although the journey was not short, it was not boring either.
And so, two and a half days passed in the blink of an eye.
Sitting in the carriage, Mo Hua's eyes flickered. Sensing a change in the heavenly energy and the strengthening of the Dao's restrictive force, he vaguely guessed that they had left the fifth-rank Houtu City territory and entered the Great Spiritual Field Realm.
Mo Hua turned to look out the window.
The scenery outside instantly became fresh and new.
Gone were the city walls and tall buildings, the pavilions and towers, the rows of markets and streets.
In their place was an endless stretch of emerald-like spiritual fields extending for countless li.
The sky was ocean blue, the land emerald green, like two enormous carpets spreading in all directions, meeting at the horizon.
The fresh air, the warm moisture of the soil, mixed with the sweet scents of various spiritual plants, rushed toward him.
Mo Hua felt as if he had arrived in a world enveloped by dense vitality.
The earth is great and vast, bearing all things with deep virtue, nurturing all things with vigorous life.
Perhaps this was the true face of the land of "Kun Prefecture."
It was the Dao's blessing of the earth upon all things.
Gazing at the scene before him, immersed in the sea-like vitality, Mo Hua was momentarily lost in thought.
Zhu Muchen didn't understand why, but seeing his little senior brother's expression, he too seemed influenced and fell into a daze.
Thus, the two senior and junior brothers stared out the carriage window.
The carriage continued to cut through the wind and waves, traveling through spiritual fields like a green ocean, heading toward the broader land ahead.
After about half a day more, the carriage began to slow down and gradually came to a stop.
Mo Hua looked out and saw the Zhu family carriage parked in front of a large posting station.
Inside the station, a group of cultivators were waiting respectfully.
Seeing that they had finally arrived, Zhu Muchen relaxed a bit and said: "Little senior brother, we're here. Let's go down together."
"Mm." Mo Hua nodded.
Zhu Muchen gathered a few things, and a servant came up to open the door, bowing to lead the way.
After getting off, the group below quickly surrounded them, cupping their hands and flattering:
"Master Chen, we've been eagerly awaiting your arrival."
"Your presence brings radiance to our humble abode."
"Master Chen is truly outstanding. Meeting you today confirms you are a dragon among men, with boundless immortal prospects."
Flattered in front of Mo Hua, Zhu Muchen felt a bit uncomfortable. He coughed and asked: "Where is Elder Lu?"
Elder Lu was the Xuan-clad elder previously accompanying Zhu Muchen, whose full name was Zhu Shoulu. He was a senior elder of the Zhu family with extensive connections.
It was Elder Lu who facilitated Zhu Muchen's exposure to the family's businesses and arranged visits to various clans and trades.
At that moment, a man who looked like a steward stepped forward with a smile: "Replying to Young Master Chen, Elder Lu was delayed by some urgent matter and couldn't get away. He will arrive later at Yunyi Villa to visit you."
Zhu Muchen nodded.
The steward then asked: "Young Master, is there any place you'd like to go now?"
Zhu Muchen thought for a while, then glanced at Mo Hua, worrying that his little senior brother might be tired from the bumpy ride. He said to the steward: "Not now. Let's go to the villa first and rest a bit. Find a comfortable carriage."
The steward quickly responded: "Yes, yes, as Young Master Chen commands."
Soon, the steward summoned a carriage.
Since they were in a third-rank area and not as prosperous as Houtu City, the carriage's exterior was not very refined, but inside it was fully equipped with screens, incense burners, woolen rugs, and soft couches, making it very comfortable.
Zhu Muchen took Mo Hua to switch to this more comfortable carriage, and they headed toward the steward's so-called Yunyi Villa.
Inside the carriage, the window was wide open, and the ride was not fast.
The view along the way was good, showing the endless spiritual fields. The wind from the fields blew across their faces, refreshing and pleasant.
Mo Hua couldn't help asking Zhu Muchen: "Does your Zhu family own a lot of farmland?"
Zhu Muchen nodded: "Quite a lot, I think. Our Zhu family has some farmland in most areas of the Great Spiritual Field Realm.
Since I was a child, during festivals, I would go to the various estates and villas to eat melons and fruits, and spend the summer.
But I never paid much attention to the family business, so I don't know the exact amount of farmland. I've always focused on cultivation and rarely asked about these things."
Mo Hua slowly nodded, then asked: "And what about other clans?"
Zhu Muchen said: "All the clans in Kun Prefecture own land. Although they all have their own businesses now, land is still the foundation."
"Does the Earth Sect own a lot of land too?" Mo Hua asked.
Zhu Muchen said: "Of course. The Earth Sect controls the most land, by far the most."
"How much?" Mo Hua was curious. "Half of the Great Spiritual Field Realm?"
Zhu Muchen quickly shook his head: "Not that much."
"Less than half?" Mo Hua mused.
It seemed that even the all-knowing little senior brother didn't know everything...
Zhu Muchen thought, then perked up and explained to Mo Hua: "Little senior brother, you don't know. The Great Spiritual Field Realm is a continuous stretch of several dozen prefectural realms, too vast and huge. The Earth Sect simply cannot swallow it all.
According to rough statistics from the Dao Court Department, there are billions of spiritual farmers making a living from this vast land.
No matter how big the Earth Sect is, it's only one sect. Even if it occupies a lot, it's still limited. Its land holdings in the Great Spiritual Field Realm might be less than one-tenth...
Besides that, there are the great clans of Kun Prefecture, medium clans, small clans, minor landlords, wealthy farmers, poor households with only one or two mu...
As well as official land from the Dao Court Department, land bought by various cultivation forces, land covertly transferred by large and small merchant guilds, land allocated to different types of sects, land used by a few high-realm cultivators for building caves and villas to cultivate spiritual plants... and so on and so forth.
There are also some hidden forces that don't show their faces, occupying quite a bit of land...
All these ownerships are very complicated. Together, they form the main ownership of the Great Spiritual Field Realm.
The Earth Sect occupying one-tenth is already quite impressive..."
Zhu Muchen explained to Mo Hua one by one.
Mo Hua suddenly understood. He looked at Zhu Muchen and nodded in praise: "Muchen, you really know a lot."
Zhu Muchen was overjoyed inside, but on the surface he remained modest: "Little senior brother flatters me. I only know this much..."
He didn't actually understand the specifics.
It was just that, regarding the general division of the situation, as the young master of the Zhu family, he had heard his father chatting with others for years and had absorbed it.
Mo Hua, however, gradually fell into deep thought.
He hadn't expected that the Earth Sect's land holdings in the Great Spiritual Field Realm were less than one-tenth.
Was it really less than one-tenth, or was it just on the surface less than one-tenth?
And the ownership of land in the Great Spiritual Field Realm was so complicated— it was quite unexpected.
While Mo Hua was pondering, the carriage traveled several more li. The road ahead suddenly opened up, leading straight to a large estate.
The estate covered a large area, with a gate bearing the four characters "Yunyi Villa."
It was surrounded by walls with formations etched into them. Inside the walls, the buildings, though not tall, were neat and exquisite, with carved beams and painted rafters, and roof ridges shaped like auspicious beasts—clearly the residence of a great clan.
Entering Yunyi Villa, there were small bridges and flowing water, delicate and elegant courtyards, as well as orchards, medicinal gardens, and fish ponds.
The fragrance of flowers, fruits, and herbs filled the air. Fish swam in the water, adding a touch of leisure.
Mo Hua was momentarily taken aback.
Zhu Muchen asked Mo Hua: "Little senior brother, what do you think?"
Mo Hua sighed inwardly, nodding: "It truly is a good place."
Zhu Muchen beamed with joy.
He had long wanted to invite his little senior brother to play at one of the Zhu family's villas, to experience the unique leisure of an estate.
Houtu City was too bustling, with fancy gates and tall buildings everywhere, but sometimes it felt oppressive and heavy, far less relaxing and pleasant than this countryside villa.
The steward beside them also chimed in with a smile: "Knowing that Young Master Chen was coming, we made preparations in advance. Today's welcome banquet will surely satisfy you."
Zhu Muchen nodded.
If he were coming alone, the quality of the hospitality wouldn't matter, but now that his little senior brother was here, it had to be good to make his little senior brother happy.
This was an opportunity he had dreamed of back in Taixu Sect.
After that, Zhu Muchen took Mo Hua around the villa, looked at the small bridge and flowing water, picked some fruits, and fished for a while.
In the evening, the villa lit up lanterns, their light blending into the night, creating a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.
In the main hall of the villa, some girls were dancing.
However, these girls were dressed very modestly, and the dance, though graceful, was proper.
Zhu Muchen was the young master of the Zhu family, still young and unmarried. At this time, no one dared to use explicit female allure to influence his mind and pollute his ears and eyes.
If discovered, they would be severely punished by the clan without mercy.
After the banquet had been going on for a while, the atmosphere became more congenial.
The various stewards of the villa, the managers of the orchards and medicinal gardens, and the village heads from nearby all came to pay their respects to Zhu Muchen one by one.
For them, this was a rare opportunity to show their faces before the young master of the clan, so they naturally grasped it tightly.
These stewards and village heads also presented many local specialties from the spiritual fields, as well as rare game.
Zhu Muchen was very happy and rewarded them with many spirit stones.
These stewards and village heads were, of course, overjoyed, thanking him profusely and saying good things like Young Master Chen is kind and generous, with boundless prospects.
Mo Hua tasted the fruits and specialties sent by the village heads, as well as the freshly roasted game. He found that the wild flavors were indeed delicious and fresh, something one couldn't get in Houtu City.
He ate this meal with peace of mind.
After the banquet, Mo Hua was lodged in the highest-spec guest room, with Zhu Muchen next door.
It was getting late, so Zhu Muchen said: "Little senior brother, have a good rest. Tomorrow we can go out and explore."
Mo Hua nodded and said gently: "You get some rest too."
Zhu Muchen smiled: "Mm, good night, little senior brother."
Then each returned to their rooms.
Mo Hua lay on the bed, the moonlight crystal clear, the night thick. He couldn't help but immerse himself in the quiet and peaceful atmosphere of the countryside.
This was Mo Hua's first day in the Great Spiritual Field Realm.
For a moment, he found the life in the fields very comfortable and pleasant. The sweetness of various freshly picked fruits and the rich taste of game still lingered in his mouth, so much so that he almost forgot why he had come to the Great Spiritual Field Realm in the first place.
Mo Hua's brow furrowed slightly: "Is life in the Great Spiritual Field Realm like this?"
"Is this place I've come to really the Great Spiritual Field Realm?"
In this doubt, Mo Hua unconsciously grew drowsy.
After days of travel by carriage, a stomach full of fruits and game, the mildly intoxicating fruit wine, and the soft and comfortable bed made him feel sleepy, and his eyelids began to droop.
Mo Hua closed his eyes, intending to rest his mind for a bit, but before he knew it, he fell asleep.
After an unknown amount of time, a chill seemed to strike him. Mo Hua felt cold and opened his eyes.
Vaguely, he heard something speaking: "Found it yet..."
"No..."
"Became a lonely ghost, got separated on the road of darkness, or was..."
"Soul is gone... what do we do?"
"Find a substitute? Take it back to report?"
"In this place, where would we find a substitute..."
As they were speaking, Mo Hua had already opened his eyes. Squinting, he noticed that the center of the room was traversed by a dead road condensed from yin qi.
And on that road, four "people" were walking and talking.
These "people" were dressed like messengers, tall and seemingly human, but their heads were malformed, as if pieced together from animal heads.
When Mo Hua looked at these "people,"
They suddenly paused and turned to look at him. One of the malformed heads narrowed its eyes and said: "Boss, did this kid just see us?"