Chapter 533: Live Well

Evening came, and dusk gradually settled over Quicksand City. By the time Xiao Mo arrived at Word Mirror bookshop, Zhao Hongfei and the others had already been waiting for some time.

"Senior Xiao."

The moment they saw Xiao Mo walk in, they called out together and gave him a respectful bow.

"Mm." Xiao Mo gave a nod, his gaze passing steadily over each of them, and spoke slowly. "Let us close the shop for today. There is something I would like to say to all of you."

"Yes, senior." Everyone answered together, a note of seriousness entering their expressions.

Though Zhao Hongfei and the others had no idea what their senior intended to tell them, seeing his serious manner, they all sensed it would not be something trivial.

Before long, Word Mirror had sent its customers away, and its doors gradually closed, shutting out the noise of the street outside.

A few customers who had been about to enter looked displeased, but none complained aloud, and they simply went their own ways.

In the back courtyard, everyone stood with hands lowered, lined up in a row, facing Xiao Mo with solemn expressions.

Xiao Mo looked at them with a calm gaze, his eyes passing over each of their faces in turn, and spoke slowly. "I have called you all here today because of what needs to happen with the bookshop going forward."

The moment Xiao Mo's words settled, Zhao Hongfei and the others exchanged glances, none of them quite understanding what their senior meant.

What did he mean by "what needs to happen with the bookshop"?

Was the shop not running perfectly well as it was?

"In a little while, I will be heading to the hidden realm." Seeing their confusion, Xiao Mo explained at an unhurried pace. "That hidden realm is extremely dangerous, and there is no guarantee I will come back alive."

"If I do not come back, the five of you may simply close down Word Mirror."

"As for the texts in the shop, you may sell them to the Golden Pavilion in the city. The proprietress there is a reasonable person, and I have already spoken with her in advance. When the time comes, they will purchase whatever remains in the shop at seventy percent of the standard market price."

"Once every book has been sold off, the five of you should split the proceeds among yourselves and use the money to acquire natural treasures that would assist your cultivation, to give yourselves a stronger footing for whatever path lies ahead."

"As for what path that should be, that is something only you can decide for yourselves. Whether you join the Human Alliance, become wandering cultivators free of any ties, or travel far to the Ten Thousand Laws Realm and seek a sect to take you in, the choice is entirely your own."

"Senior." The five of them, Zhao Hongfei included, looked at Xiao Mo with deep reluctance, their eyes growing faintly red, their voices choked with emotion. "We all believe you will certainly come back alive."

"That is right, senior!" A man named Jin Zheng quickly took up the thread, his tone urgent and certain. "You are a Nascent Soul cultivator. What hidden realm in this world could possibly stop you?"

"Senior, we will wait right here for you to come back. We are going nowhere!" A young woman named Su Tutu said, her small hands clenched tightly, her gaze fixed steadily on Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo shook his head and smiled faintly, a note of feeling in his tone. "In your eyes, the Nascent Soul realm may seem already exceptionally high, high enough to found a sect of one's own and command an entire territory. But in truth, looking at the whole of this vast world, what does a mere Nascent Soul cultivator really amount to?"

Xiao Mo gathered his sleeves like an old scholar, his expression carrying both anticipation and reluctance.

"Zhao Hongfei, you are careful by nature, and that is a good thing. But you are always too quick to hesitate when it matters, and that is not so good. When something needs doing, you must let go and do it. Do not always shoulder everything yourself."

"Su Tutu, though you are a demon, you carry no distinction in your heart between human and demon, and that is an excellent quality. But you are too naive by nature. If you ever face difficulty in the future, ask Hongfei more often. Do not bury it alone."

"Jin Zheng, you despise wickedness as much as I do, and I have always admired that in you. I know you suffered considerable mistreatment as a child, scraping by in the streets, and you have seen the worst the human heart can offer. But remember, the matters of this world are never as simple as right and wrong. When the blade leaves its sheath, it must strike fast as lightning. But while the blade remains sheathed, you must consider carefully, and think three times before acting."

"Yang Zhu, you are honest and simple by nature, with a pure heart, and that is a rare and good quality. Only you are a little too timid, and you always hesitate to take a step forward when things arise. That is not so good. In truth, your natural gifts are no less than any of the others here. What you lack is the courage to act boldly when it counts."

"Wang Shu, you are the youngest of the group, only at the threshold of your youth. This is precisely the time to build your strength. Going forward, when you face difficulties, listen carefully to what your elder brothers and sisters here have to say. They will not lead you wrong. They will only look after you."

"Have all of you remembered what I have said?"

"Yes, senior. All of us... have remembered it!" Zhao Hongfei and the others bowed deeply, their voices trembling faintly.

Xiao Mo's expression remained as calm as still water, as though nothing in this world could stir a ripple in his heart any longer, his composure that of a person who had long since looked past life and death and was walking toward his fate with full acceptance. "And remember this. Whether demon or human, both kinds have their good and their bad."

"Among the demons there are women as pure and good-hearted as Tutu. Among humans there are also beasts dressed in human clothing, shameless beyond measure."

"Do not condemn every demon with a single stroke, and do not place your unguarded trust in every human either."

Xiao Mo rose slowly to his feet.

"That is everything I had to say. I should be going now."

With Xiao Mo's words settling into the air, everyone present felt a gentle breeze pass lightly by.

When they raised their heads, Xiao Mo had already vanished from before them, and only his words, warm and gentle as a spring breeze, drifted softly into their ears once more.

"If you ever find yourselves with nowhere left to go, go to Tushan and find the Holy Woman, Tushan Jingci. But remember, do not mention me, and never speak of your connection to me. Remember this, remember this above all."

As their senior's words gradually faded, the five of them slowly straightened, exchanging glances with one another, none of them understanding what could possibly be behind that final instruction.

If their senior had said that, should they ever have nowhere to go, they could seek out the Holy Woman Tushan Jingci, that implied their senior must share a deep bond with that Holy Woman.

But if that were so, why exactly could they never mention him?

They could not work it out, nor could they guess at the meaning.

And yet, a thousand years later, when each of them had carved out their own place in the Demon Realm, whether founding their own sects, establishing their own kingdoms, or becoming powers in their own right, they would look back on that first meeting with the Holy Woman, and recall the look in her eyes, sharp as a blade, the very first time they had mentioned their senior, and each of the five would let out a quiet sigh.

It turned out that their senior's final instructions that day had only ever been meant to ensure that all of them, every one of them, would go on to live well.