Chapter 343: Choices
Master Luo finished speaking and then stood up to take his leave.
“Young Master Mo, I’ll take my leave first. You can think over this matter carefully; there’s no need to rush your decision.”
After saying that, he sighed, “The path I’ve offered you is one I consider good, but it may not be the best. You have many choices—just pick the one that seems right to you.”
Indeed, Master Luo was considering Mo Hua’s best interests.
In the following days, Mo Hua came to understand what Master Luo meant by “many choices.”
The major and minor sects and families of nearby prefectures all sent invitations to Mo Hua.
Some invited him to serve as a Formation Instructor; some promised him an Elder position directly; some, with impassioned words, invited him to “discuss grand undertakings and plan innovations together”;
and a few families wanted him to marry into them, even attaching portraits of young female cultivators—some pure, some charming—along with the invitations…
Mo Hua said nothing, but Liu Ruhua was particularly angry.
She threw all the portraits into the stove and said to Mo Hua:
“Families that try to sway you with beautiful girls are not proper families. You mustn’t go!”
“If you’re looking for a Dao partner, find someone upright and pure.”
Mo Hua said helplessly, “Mother, it’s still too early…”
“Prevention is better than cure!” Liu Ruhua said sternly.
“All right…”
A few days later, Zhang Lan came to see Mo Hua.
“There are a few things I need to tell you.”
Zhang Lan sat in the usual spot at the tavern, ordered a pot of wine and a few plates of meat, and spoke to Mo Hua while drinking.
“You’re not trying to win me over too, are you?” Mo Hua asked, suspicious.
Zhang Lan choked slightly on his wine and then nodded, “If I were subtle, I’d call it ‘forming good relations.’ To be blunt, yes, it is an attempt to win you over.”
“Zhang family?”
Zhang Lan sighed, “Not just them.”
He then pulled out a document. “This is personally written by the elder steward. You can enter a sect directly subordinate to the Dao Court.”
“Directly subordinate to the Dao Court?”
“Exactly. These sects are directly under the Dao Court, training talent for them. You must have internal connections to enter. Even the steward of a city has only a few recommended slots, and they’re rare…”
“That must be quite valuable.”
“Of course,” Zhang Lan nodded. “This is also a small token of the steward’s goodwill. If he faces difficulties later, you mustn’t stand by idly.”
“Don’t worry, I’m close to the steward; I’ll definitely help him!” Mo Hua promised.
Zhang Lan nodded in satisfaction.
“After completing your studies in the sect, can you enter the Dao Court Office?” Mo Hua asked.
“Not necessarily.”
Mo Hua was slightly taken aback.
Zhang Lan explained, “It depends. Generally, as long as you cultivate earnestly, your character isn’t terrible, and your conduct isn’t extreme, you can enter the Dao Court Office after completing your training.”
“And it doesn’t depend on status,” Zhang Lan said, looking at Mo Hua. “From outside, as a freelance cultivator, entering the Dao Court Office is difficult, but coming through these sects makes it much easier.”
“There are many ‘backdoors’…” Mo Hua muttered.
“Of course,” Zhang Lan said, drinking his wine. His gaze darkened slightly. “Those who set the rules always leave some backdoors to benefit themselves. Lower-level cultivators don’t know the rules and crash headfirst into obstacles, bleeding from their mistakes.”
“High-level cultivators know the rules. Crossing those thresholds is easy for them.”
“Thus, even if a lower cultivator has talent, without information, they may not succeed. Well-informed family cultivators do better.”
Mo Hua nodded.
If Zhang Lan hadn’t told him, he would have known none of this.
“What about unusual cases?” Mo Hua asked.
“There are two types,” Zhang Lan answered. “One is those with extremely poor aptitude, learning so badly they’re hopeless. Such people rely entirely on connections; otherwise, they can’t get a post in the Dao Court Office.”
“The other type is those with exceptional talent. Such cultivators might enter the Dao Court directly.”
Mo Hua was surprised. “The Dao Court itself, not the Dao Court Office?”
“Yes,” Zhang Lan nodded. “Central Dao Court, not local offices.”
Then Zhang Lan sighed. “But you shouldn’t think about that.”
“Is my spiritual root too weak?”
“Yes,” Zhang Lan said regretfully. “Your talent in formations is excellent—so good I don’t even know how to praise it…”
In his heart, Zhang Lan thought silently, then continued:
“But your spiritual root and body are… lacking.”
Zhang Lan spoke tactfully, but Mo Hua could tell from his expression that “lacking” really meant “significantly lacking.”
Mo Hua didn’t blame him; he knew his spiritual root and body were indeed weak points.
Zhang Lan changed tone:
“This is an invitation from the Dao Court Office. Whether to go is up to you. Below, I’ve presented the Zhang family’s offer…”
Zhang Lan bluntly listed the conditions: what status the Zhang family would grant, what future prospects, and what formation teachings would be passed down.
“As for marriage, if you stay with the Zhang family, marriage is probably inevitable.”
“Normally, a Dao partner would be chosen from a branch, and children would take your surname.”
“But if you marry in, you could take a direct disciple of the family as your partner. You and your future children would adopt the family surname, but in return, the family treats you as one of their own—you truly become a Zhang family member…”
…
Zhang Lan explained every detail about joining the family.
Then he shifted his tone: “That was my duty as a Zhang family disciple, what I had to say.”
“Now, I’ll speak personally to you.”
Zhang Lan looked at Mo Hua solemnly:
“Do not marry in, and unless absolutely necessary, do not rely on a family!”
“Marrying in means giving up your surname and self for personal gain… Unless there’s a compelling reason, it’s best not to do it.”
“Without marrying in, with your own abilities, the world is vast and free; marry in, join a family, and you step into a bottomless stagnant pond.”
“Better to be a wandering crane than a fish trapped in dead water.”
“Besides, in my eyes, no family is worthy of you marrying in—even my Zhang family!”
Mo Hua was astonished. He hadn’t expected Zhang Lan to value him so highly and felt grateful for the concern.
As Mo Hua gradually resolved never to marry into a family, Zhang Lan added:
“Of course, if you really must marry in, at least make it the Zhang family…”
Mo Hua’s expression became complicated.
Zhang Lan sighed: “Better the fat water stays in the field of the owner…”
“Isn’t that… inappropriate?” Mo Hua said speechlessly.
Zhang Lan waved it off, “It’s trivial. The meaning matters, not the details.”
“If that doesn’t work, second best… or third, you could consider the Yang family…”
Zhang Lan showed a hint of disdain.
Mo Hua asked, “The Zhang and Yang families don’t get along?”
“They get along fine; it’s just me who doesn’t get along with Yang Jiyong.”
Zhang Lan said seriously, “Yang family disciples are brave and battle-hardened, admirable…”
“Except for that Yang Jiyong…”
“You’re skilled in formations. On the battlefield, you’d have great achievements. Join the Yang family, with their backing, and you could do well in the Dao Soldiers Office too.”
“Just that campaigns with the Dao Soldiers would be harder and far more dangerous.”
“Think carefully about all this yourself…”
Zhang Lan left it to Mo Hua to decide and didn’t pressure him. After quickly finishing his meal, he took his leave.
As the chief of the Dao Court Office, he could normally take it easy, but with Feng Xi’s return and the city migration, he had more pressing matters.
Zhang Lan said goodbye to Mo Hua, but as he left, he glanced back at the tavern, feeling somewhat heavy-hearted.
He had grown used to eating and drinking here.
After the migration, he would leave too.
Being a family disciple, he couldn’t follow the freelance cultivators of Tongxian City. Most likely, he’d return to the family or take another promising position.
After leaving, he might never again experience this simple yet lively atmosphere.
He might never taste this food again, and perhaps never again joke and chat with a junior cultivator like Mo Hua…