The young man and woman saw that the old man was really angry, hurriedly said: Tang's tang Feng Lin, Tang's tang Feng Wu, have many insults, please forgive the old man.
Mo Wenjie was too lazy to argue with them, and thought, "I'm not that petty yet."
Tang Shaowu was overjoyed and led the way in front, Mo Wenjie followed behind, Tang Fenglin and Tang Feng Wu followed closely behind. Although they hated Mo Wenjie to death, they dared not speak out.
The two followed behind in secret, planning how to deal with Mo Wenjie when they got to the Tang family.
As they arrived at a bamboo grove, Tang Shaowu waved his hand, and the bamboo poles moved by themselves. In a moment, the bamboo grove naturally formed a door.
Tang Shaowu stepped in first, followed by Mo Wenjie and the Tang family siblings. The bamboo grove returned to normal.
Mo Wenjie smiled and said: Mr. Tang is actually from the hidden sect? It's a pleasure to meet you!
Tang Shaowu quickly waved his hand, saying, "Please, Elder, you're too polite. It won't be long before we're on my Tang family's territory."
Upon hearing this, Mo Wenjie was also surprised. He didn't know that there were other families in the hidden sect. Wouldn't they be the people foreign martial artists are looking for?
Tang Shaowu said: "Elder, this is the territory of our Tang family. There are over a hundred people in the Tang family, hiding here for hundreds of years. Please come in, Elder."
Mo Wenjie followed Tang Shaowu to the main hall of the hall.
Tang Shaowu took the lead and stepped into the hall, where he addressed the old man sitting in the center of the hall: "Master, I met a senior person outside while I was cultivating, and I specially invited him to our Tang family for tea. Please allow me."
The head of the Tang family, Tang Shaotian, had met the elder before.
Mo Wenjie bowed and said, "Mo Wenjie greets Master Tang of the Tang family."
Tang Shaotian said: "Elder Mo, please take a seat. Our people will serve you tea!"
The servant brought over fragrant hot tea.
Mo Wenjie sniffed and said, "This tea is truly an exquisite delicacy. The tea soup is clear and bright, with a fragrant aroma like orchids, rich and mellow in taste, smooth as poetry. It truly is a top-grade tea."
Tang Shaotian smiled and nodded, "Elder, you are also an expert in tea art! Respectful respect!"
Mo Wenjie shook his head and said, "Master Tang overpraised me. I'm just a hill dweller, following the fashion of the literati."
Tang Shaowu observed that Mo Wenjie spoke with elegance and surprising insights. He knew he had made the right choice; this person was certainly extraordinary. "Elder Mo," he asked, "may I inquire about your cultivation level?"
Mo Wenjie said indifferently: "Early stage of Greater Vehicle cultivation!"
Upon hearing this, everyone in the Tang family was astounded. Early stage of the Greater Vehicle, which means they would need to break through three more times to achieve transcendence and ascension? He's so young! Have we all ended up as mere dogs in our cultivation? With others being early Greater Vehicle cultivators in their twenties, and us only reaching the middle stage of Golden Pill in our seventies and eighties, how can we still live? It's mortifying to even think about it.
Tang Shaotian was further shocked. At such a young age to be at the early stage of the Greater Vehicle, it's embarrassing for us to even claim to be from a hidden sect. What a blow to our faces, Tang Shaowu! Did you bring this demon here to shame us? Don't you even have the Tang surname? Or is your cultivation level higher than ours? You're only making a fool of yourself. What face does our Tang family have left to call ourselves a hidden sect!
Tang Shaowu's face broke into a wide smile, "Elder Mo, from the moment I saw you, I knew that you are a virtuous person. It seems that my judgement was correct. Please allow me to be your disciple."
Mo Wenjie smiled and shook his head, "I have no intention of taking a disciple. However, I've noticed there's a problem with your cultivation technique. The more you advance, the more difficult it becomes to concentrate your qi within your body, and you feel it leaking out as well. This makes every breakthrough incredibly challenging."
Tang Shaotian hurriedly bowed upon hearing this, "Elder Mo, you are absolutely correct. We don't know where the problem lies. Since you can see the crux of the issue, I'm sure you must have a way to resolve it?"
Mo Wenjie said, "The problem with your cultivation technique is indeed there, but it's not too difficult to fix. Give me a few days, and I can help you make the necessary modifications."
Tang Shaotian quickly knelt and bowed his head in gratitude, thanking Elder Mo for his salvation.
Mo Wenjie waved his hand, "Master Tang of the Tang family, you needn't be so polite. I've come here, so helping you is only natural. There's also something I'd like to ask you, Master Tang."
Tang Shaotian replied, "Elder Mo, whatever you want to know, I will give you all the information without reservation."
Mo Wenjie asked, "Master Tang, how long have you been hiding here and what is the reason for your seclusion? Have you heard of the numerous foreign martial artists outside?"
Tang Shaotian pondered for a moment before answering, "According to the family genealogy, our ancestors have been in seclusion here for over a thousand years. Our Tang, Sun, Song, and Xue families were once personal guards to the Marquis Jinghui. After the Shendong political upheaval, the five non-baronial princes of that time were all demoted and exiled. None of them survived, and they were tortured to death. The Marquis Jinghui also met his end here. Our ancestors buried Marquis Jinghui here, and the four of them guarded the marquis's tomb."
Jinghui was 20 years old when he passed the imperial examinations and entered the government in the year 698 of the Tang Dynasty, during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian as Sanlüzhong. In 698 of the Tang Dynasty, he served as the magistrate of Yizhou (now Jiwei County, Henan Province).
When Jinghui took office in Yizhou, it was the time of autumn harvest. However, the government had mobilized laborers to build fortifications to prepare for the Tu regime. Jinghui opposed this immediately, addressing the officials and laborers involved in building the city walls and saying, "Gold-plated walls are not sufficient to protect them without grain, how can we abandon our harvests to repair our city walls?" Following this reasoning, he dismissed all laborers working on the fortifications. This decision won him widespread praise from both local officials and ordinary citizens.
After his term as a imperial official in Yizhou, Jinghui served as the Summer Palace Under Secretary, and was appointed as the Administrator of Taizhou with that title. In 701 of the Tang Dynasty, he was transferred to be the Vice Governor of Luo State. Luo State was the capital of Eastern China's capital Luoyang during the Tang Dynasty, and it was where Empress Wu Zetian resided at that time. Not long after, Empress Wu visited Chang'an, ordering Jinghui to serve as the Integrating Administrator for Eastern China (in fact responsible for overall work). Jinghui was renowned for his clear governance and integrity during his tenure. For this reason, Empress Wu specially issued an imperial letter to express her appreciation and granted him one hundred pieces of cloth. In 703 of the Tang Dynasty, Jinghui was promoted to be the Under Secretary of Middle Hall (Middle Hall being one of the three major halls in court), with additional titles including Silver Qing Grand Preceptor.
In her later years, Wu Zetian favored Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi, which led to new conflicts and contradictions within the ruling class. The issues with the "Two Zhangs" became the focus of political struggles at the end of Wu Zetian's reign. The two opposing factions were unwilling to compromise, and finally, the anti-"Two Zhangs" camp formed a political group. Jing Hui was one of the main members of this group.
According to our ancestors' records, the tomb of Marquis Jinghui was enriched with treasures. Among them were the golden seal script written by the emperor, the invaluable Dinghai Treasure, and the immortal blood coral. These treasures were meant to be known only by our four families. Last year, our family patriarch went abroad and unintentionally discovered an injured foreigner. He felt compassion for him and brought him back, where he was treated and healed. Unfortunately, we discovered that he had discovered spiritual fluctuations in Marquis Jinghui's tomb. He tried to steal the treasures within the tomb but was caught. We initially wanted to kill him. However, following the principle of benevolence from heaven, we blindfolded him and sent him away a hundred miles away.
Now there are many foreign martial artists within a hundred-mile radius, and we suspect it was the foreigner that we rescued who spread the message. The saying goes, "People of different races have different hearts." The head of the Xue family is deeply regretful, but it is too late for damage control. Therefore, the four heads of our families have made a decision: no matter which family member goes out or enters the secret realm, they must first observe their surroundings to ensure they are not detected before opening the entrance to the secret realm.
Upon hearing Tang Shaotian's explanation, Mo Wenjie understood the situation. The reason for the arrival of these foreign martial artists was indeed to obtain the treasures in Marquis Jinghui's tomb. These scoundrels were truly audacious, and they seemed to forget that the treasures of Long Kingdom are not something they can covet. They don't know their limits!
Tang Shaotian saw that Mo Wenjie had been silent for a while, so he asked, "Elder Mo, when will you be able to help us revise our family's cultivation technique? This is crucial for the future of our entire Tang family. Please revise it as soon as possible."
Mo Wenjie smiled and said, "Now, please demonstrate your Tang family's cultivation technique for me to observe carefully. Then I can make modifications based on the actual situation!"
Tang Shaotian and Mo Wenjie arrived at the Tang family's martial arts training ground.
Tang family's men and women of all ages heard that someone was going to help them modify their cultivation techniques and came to watch. When they saw Mo Wenjie, who was so young, everyone maintained a skeptical attitude. Could he do it? How much stronger was he in martial arts compared to them? Particularly the young ones were not convinced. How did he gain the favor of the family patriarch at such a young age? Was it just by flattering him with his mouth?
How could this be possible? The family patriarch is not someone to be deceived at will. This young man must be extraordinary, as he has earned the approval of the patriarch. He is undoubtedly special.
Tang Shaotian and Tang Shaowu stood at the center of the martial arts training ground.
Mo Wenjie nodded, "Let's begin!"
Tang Shaotian and Tang Shaowu performed their family's cultivation technique in front of Elder Mo Wenjie. They wanted him to see and understand their current level of skill. "Elder Mo, have you seen clearly what we did?" they asked, hoping to get his feedback and guidance.
At this moment, the heads of other families also brought their clan's strongmen and young talents to the scene. They had heard that the Tang family members had gone to the martial arts training ground, thinking that a martial arts competition was taking place, so they came to watch. When they arrived, they saw Tang Shaotian and Tang Shaowu demonstrating their family's cultivation technique and then seeking advice from a young man. This sight greatly surprised them. Who was this young man with such virtue and ability that he merited the respect of Tang Shaotian and Tang Shaowu?
Mo Wenjie walked to the center of the martial arts training ground and said to Tang Shaotian and Tang Shaowu, "You two watch closely. I'll demonstrate it for you, and you can learn as much as you can from it. It's up to you."
After Mo Wenjie finished speaking, he demonstrated the Tang family's cultivation technique, executing it flawlessly from start to finish. The movements he performed were as smooth as flowing clouds and waves, and the subtle transformations within them were truly remarkable, leaving everyone in awe. As Mo Wenjie concluded his demonstration and paused his movements, a thunderous round of applause erupted from the audience below. The sound lingered in the air for what felt like an eternity.
Tang Shaotian and Tang Shaowu were stunned. They had no idea that their family's cultivation technique was so powerful. "All these years, we've been practicing in vain. This is what the Tang family's cultivation technique is really like! We have truly dishonored our ancestors. To practice such a powerful technique to this extent is a disgrace."
Mo Wenjie looked at them and asked, "How much can you two learn from this?"
Tang Shaotian and Tang Shaowu hurriedly replied, "Elder Mo, my brother and I are dull-witted. From your demonstration, we could only grasp six-tenths of the techniques. We are truly ashamed."
Mo Wenjie smiled as he looked at the two of them, "Your aptitude is still good; being able to grasp six-tenths of it is quite impressive. With time, you will surely achieve great things."
Tang Shaotian and Tang Shaowu bowed to Mo Wenjie in unison, expressing their gratitude for his guidance.
Suddenly, a voice echoed: "Young man, you're quite arrogant!"
