PID Chapter 29.3

After lunch, they continued their journey. Chu Jinglan and Xiao Mo took turns driving the carriage. For the children inside, it might have been exciting at first, but over time they realized that sitting in a long-distance carriage wasn’t comfortable at all—it left their bones sore from all the jolting. Soon enough, any lofty ambitions about diligent studying were shaken out of them.

 

At their request, Chu Jinglan taught them how to drive the carriage. The two horses were gentle and easy to handle, so the children occasionally took turns driving for fresh air, though they weren’t responsible for most of it.

 

When evening approached, they stopped for the night. The carriage couldn’t accommodate five people lying flat to sleep, so they had to set up camp.

 

While the others pitched tents, Xiao Mo flicked his fingers to release black mist around the campsite as a perimeter alarm. If anything stirred nearby, he’d know immediately. He also conjured floating spiritual light orbs for illumination—better than firelight and ideal for reading without straining one’s eyes.

 

The children watched enviously, further solidifying their determination to cultivate.

 

After dinner, under the light of the spiritual orbs, Chu Jinglan meditated. Though his dantian was ruined, he couldn’t let his meridians get used to being dry; thus, he persisted in breathing exercises and regulating his energy flow. Meanwhile, Mo Zhi lay on the ground practicing writing characters like “人之初、性本善” (“At birth, humans are inherently good”), crookedly scrawling them out.

 

Xiao Mo took out his flute. The setting seemed perfect for playing a tune. But just as he raised the flute to his lips, he noticed Yan Chun holding a book and occasionally glancing toward him and Chu Jinglan with hesitation in his eyes.

 

Xiao Mo raised an eyebrow, lowered his flute, and called out directly: “Do you have something you want to ask?”

 

Yan Chun hadn’t expected his sneaky glances to be caught and flinched slightly before pursing his lips and gathering courage. He brought Chu Xia along as they walked over.

 

“Young Master, we don’t understand this introductory heart method.”

 

Xiao Mo asked: “What part don’t you understand?”

 

Yan Chun hesitated, feeling a bit embarrassed: “We can’t understand it from the very beginning.”

 

The first section naturally covered “drawing spiritual energy into the body,” which was part of the foundational basics.

 

Ah, so it was this. Although Xiao the Inner Demon had started out at the Golden Core peak stage and had never experienced “drawing spiritual energy into the body,” he had gone from being an ordinary person to a cultivator—a stark contrast. He figured he could explain this much.

 

“I’ll explain it to you. Oh, and don’t call me ‘Young Master.’ I’m not used to it. Since we’re all cultivators and I’m older than you, just call me ‘Shixiong’. That won’t be wrong.”

 

While cultivators often addressed each other as “Daoist friends” or “Senior Brother/Sister” when meeting people from other sects, a sect with no master and only Senior Brothers, Junior Brothers, and Junior Sisters was truly one of a kind.

 

Chu Jinglan, who was meditating, twitched his eyelashes slightly.

 

Xiao Mo had already begun explaining in a calm and steady tone.

 

“Drawing spiritual energy into the body is nothing more than communicating with the heavens and earth, bringing the intangible energy into your body.”

 

Yan Chun and Chu Xia listened attentively to his voice.

 

Xiao Mo reached out and grasped at the air: “Feel the air touching your skin, let the spiritual energy flow into your meridians, close your eyes, sense the difference between the energies, and then grab hold of the spiritual energy.”

 

Yan Chun and Chu Xia nodded eagerly, waiting for Xiao Mo to continue.

 

Xiao Mo: “That’s it.”

 

And then he stopped, looking perfectly composed as if he had finished explaining everything.

 

…

 

Huh?

 

That’s it? What does “that’s it” even mean?

 

Yan Chun and Chu Xia stared at him with wide eyes, completely bewildered. They looked dumbfounded as they stared at Xiao Mo. He even added: “Close your eyes and try it.”

 

…But they felt like they hadn’t learned anything!

 

The two children were utterly confused but obediently closed their eyes. A moment later, they opened them again, looking just as puzzled as before.

 

Xiao Mo: “So? Did you get it?”

 

Yan Chun hesitated, moving his lips without speaking. Chu Xia honestly shook her head: “No… Shixiong.”

 

Xiao Mo frowned slightly in confusion: “Hmm? Did I not explain it clearly?”

 

He wasn’t being sarcastic or impatient; he was genuinely puzzled about what part they didn’t understand.

 

But Yan Chun and Chu Xia felt like they didn’t understand anything. They were worried that admitting this might make their Senior Brother or Master think they were stupid and not want them anymore.

 

The two fidgeted nervously, wringing their fingers in silence. At this moment, Chu Jinglan opened his eyes and spoke in an even tone: “Drawing energy is like breathing. Imagine turning air into flowing water and guiding it into your meridians. Try that.”

 

Try… try what? Breathing?

 

Yan Chun and Chu Xia exchanged glances before taking big gulps of air. After hurriedly inhaling several times, they almost choked but still understood nothing.

 

And yet Chu Jinglan was still watching them, waiting for their answer.

 

Yan Chun and Chu Xia now looked like two kids waiting for their parents to check their homework—the worst part being that they hadn’t done any of it!

 

Chu Jinglan frowned slightly: “Still don’t understand?”

 

Xiao Mo added: “I thought I explained it pretty well?

 

”

 

Here it was—the classic teaching method of a genius student: first do this, then do that; now you have the answer. Got it?

 

What? You don’t understand? It was explained in great detail—why don’t you get it?

 

At this moment, the system couldn’t hold back anymore and jumped into Xiao Mo’s mind, loudly exclaiming: “I told you!! Host, you and Chu Jinglan are completely unsuitable to be teachers. Your explanations are incomprehensible to normal people!”

 

Thanks to Yan Chun and Chu Xia, the system’s theory was validated. It wasn’t the system’s fault; clearly, the problem lay with Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan.

 

There really is a mental barrier between geniuses and ordinary people!

 

Yan Chun and Chu Xia were a bit flustered. At this moment, Mo Zhi casually sat cross-legged on the ground, fiddling with the brush in his hand: “Hmm, grabbing air? I think I kind of understand.”

 

Suddenly, all eyes turned to him.

 

Mo Zhi mimicked Xiao Mo’s movements, reaching out and grabbing at the air uncertainly: “Is it like a whooshing feeling?”

 

Yan Chun and Chu Xia had been holding onto some hope but froze again when they heard this.

 

Huh?

 

Xiao Mo twirled his flute: “Who would understand that? It’s like mist gathering and dispersing.”

 

Chu Jinglan added: “It’s like water converging and flowing.”

 

Mo Zhi frowned, tapping his head as if he had grasped something critical but was missing the final piece. He grew visibly frustrated. The campfire crackled with a sharp “pop,” and Mo Zhi widened his eyes, slapping his forehead: “I get it—it’s fire!”

 

Yan Chun/Chu Xia: “…”

 

From air to mist to water to fire—great. They were now completely confused. What they might have understood was now utterly incomprehensible, like listening to an ancient text.

 

The system sighed pitifully. Clearly, in this household, only the siblings—and itself—were normal beings. As the sane ones in this group, they had to bear too much.

 

Listen to them—are these even human words? No wonder the children were bewildered!

 

As expected, in just a few days, illiterate Mo Zhi was the first to successfully draw spiritual energy into his body and officially step into the path of cultivation. He was overjoyed, while Yan Chun and Chu Xia—though anxious about their own progress—were genuinely happy for him.

 

Now Yan Chun and Chu Xia could teach Mo Zhi how to read, while Mo Zhi could guide them in cultivation—in theory. Whether he could explain things clearly was another matter entirely.

 

Thus, the carriage swayed along for ten days with four humans and one Inner Demon aboard. On the twelfth night of camping, they estimated they were about two days away from Lin’an Academy.

 

On their way to Lin’an Academy lay a city they had to pass through—the city of Lin’an.

 

That night, Yan Chun woke up groggily in the middle of the night needing to relieve himself. Just as he reached for the tent flap, he overheard Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan talking outside.

 

“Renting a small courtyard in Lin’an City?” Xiao Mo’s voice said. “Then we’ll need to figure out how to make some money first.”

 

Chu Jinglan replied: “If we stay briefly in Lin’an City, with your Nascent Soul cultivation level, we should be able to find a quick way to earn money.”

 

Yan Chun woke up fully at this point. He hurriedly ran outside. Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan both turned their heads toward him as he rushed out with urgency written all over his face: “Master! Shixiong! I—I can help with chores to earn money! I can be useful too!”

 

Xiao Mo blinked lightly as Yan Chun’s little face flushed red while he clutched his clothes tightly: “My sister and I can help too—we’re really useful.”

 

Ah… Xiao Mo’s gaze swept across Yan Chun’s aggrieved yet determined expression and immediately understood where this sudden self-recommendation came from.

 

It stemmed from unease.

 

Mo Zhi was already considered a cultivator, while Yan Chun and Chu Xia seemed to have no use. They were afraid of being abandoned.

 

Xiao Mo had seen this expression before—on the faces of children in the orphanage and, in his younger years, on his own face in the mirror.

 

“Don’t worry,” Xiao Mo said softly. “There will be times when you’re needed. But some things can only be done by us. For now, just focus on what we’ve taught you.”

 

He added, “We won’t leave you behind.”

 

As soon as he said this, Yan Chun’s eyes reddened. The days spent together had made him feel that he had met good masters and come to a good place. But seeing no progress in his cultivation and fearing he might be discarded, he had been restless and unable to eat or sleep, though he dared not show it in front of his sister.

 

Because Chu Xia was clearly worried too, and he couldn’t let her feel even more unsettled.

 

With Xiao Mo’s simple reassurance, Yan Chun finally felt at ease and relaxed. He nervously clutched his clothes and said: “Mm, mm, thank you, Shixiong. Thank you, Master.”

 

Since he stubbornly held back his tears, Xiao Mo pretended not to notice that he was about to cry and simply said: “Off for the night? Go ahead, but don’t wander too far.”

 

Yan Chun quickly ran off, rubbing his eyes as he turned away.

 

The campfire had already gone out, and the brightness of the floating spiritual light orbs around them had been dimmed by Xiao Mo. They floated gently up and down. In the shifting shadows of light and darkness, Chu Jinglan asked: “You’re very good at dealing with children?”

 

“Not really,” Xiao Mo replied. “It’s just human nature—once you understand it, you know what words and actions are most appropriate.”

 

Chu Jinglan seemed to have asked casually and didn’t press further.

 

Yan Chun had hurriedly tried to prove his usefulness earlier, but if Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan were to earn money quickly using their cultivation levels, the methods would likely be far from gentle. For now, there wasn’t anything Yan Chun could help with.

 

As for the specific methods they’d use—that would depend on the circumstances once they entered Lin’an City.

 

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1 Kofi = 1 Extra Chapter