My mother is the white moonlight of the cultivation world.

An undying demonic heart...

"Master, what is that thing?" Hua Yue asked instinctively, knowing from its name that it was definitely not a benevolent object.

"You'd better not ask about these things. I'll find them for you." Mo Ze's voice suddenly turned stern, without a trace of a joke. "Disciple, just remember, this has nothing to do with you."

Hua Yue wanted to ask more, but Mo Ze seemed determined not to say another word.

"Master, what about the alchemist? You just said that in the current cultivation world, only Liu Juexiao, the ninth-level Pill Emperor of the Pill Sect, can refine the 'Life and Death Pill.' Such a person... how can we persuade him to do it?"

This is the most crucial issue. Even the rarest divine-grade medicinal herbs can be found, there are always clues. But a legendary ninth-tier alchemist, whose temperament, preferences, and whereabouts are all mysteries, is probably harder to get involved than climbing to heaven.

"Oh, you mean Liu Juexiao?"

On the other end of the communication stone, Mo Ze's tone instantly returned to its usual carefree and nonchalant manner, as if his previous seriousness was just an illusion.

"That's easy."

"Simple?" Hua Yue wondered if she had misheard.

"Yeah, it's simple," Mo Ze replied matter-of-factly.

Hua Yue was filled with doubt: "Master, you...you know this Pill Emperor? Is he your friend?"

"No," Mo Ze denied decisively.

"Then..." Hua Yue was even more confused. How could it be simple if they weren't friends?

A soft laugh came from the other end of the communication stone, carrying a hint of mystery and a smug sense of suspense.

You'll find out then.

After saying this, without waiting for Hua Yue to finish her question, Mo Ze unilaterally cut off the telepathic communication.

"Feed? Master? Master!"

Hua Yue called out a few times to the now-dimmed communication stone, but there was no response.

She reluctantly put away the communication stone, but felt as if she had been scratched by a cat's claws.

This master always speaks only half of what he means.

However, the most important thing right now is to go to the Hua family.

……

Three days later, in Hundred Flowers City.

Hua Yue, Zhou Ye, and Ye Zhen walked side by side at the city gate, and were instantly shocked by the scene before them.

The city seemed to be built in a garden. The buildings lining the streets, whether towering pavilions or ordinary dwellings, were adorned with blooming flowers on their eaves, windowsills, and pillars. The air was filled with a rich, sweet floral fragrance that was truly invigorating.

With the Flower Goddess Festival, which the Hua family holds once every hundred years, approaching, the city is bustling with people and vehicles, creating a vibrant and lively scene.

"Wow! Yue, look! The flowers upstairs are moving!" Zhou Ye, like a child who had just come down from the mountain, pointed to a restaurant not far away, his face full of curiosity. He had finally had the opportunity to leave the sect after hatching his spirit beast.

On the eaves of the restaurant, several huge white flower buds were slowly opening and closing in the breeze, as if they were breathing.

Although Ye Zhen didn't shout like Zhou Ye, she stayed close to Hua Yue, and her usually wary eyes now reflected the city's splendor with a curious light.

Ever since Hua Yue decided to go down the mountain, Ye Zhen had been staying by her side. She had a chick-like dependence on this older sister, who was the first person besides the old lady to truly care for her.

"Let's find a place to stay first, and then split up to explore," Hua Yue suggested.

After finding a quiet and elegant-looking inn to stay in, the three of them couldn't wait to join the bustling streets.

As night falls, the hustle and bustle of Baihua City does not diminish in the slightest; on the contrary, the thousands of lights add a touch of dreamlike charm.

Hua Yue arranged to meet Zhou Ye and Ye Zhen at the Magpie Bridge in the city center later, and then walked alone towards the river.

The riverbank was crowded with people who came to release lanterns and pray for blessings. Hua Yue bought an exquisite lotus lantern and wrote the words "May my mother be safe and sound" on the petals.

Holding the lotus lantern, she was about to find an open space to squat down and put it into the water when she suddenly heard a slight commotion coming from the edge of the crowd not far away.

"Excuse me... Hey, why aren't you moving?"

An impatient grumble followed.

Hua Yue looked in the direction of the sound.

In the halo of moonlight intertwined with the glow of countless lights, a white-clad, white-haired boy stood quietly in the center of the stone bridge.

He tilted his head slightly, his eyes, as bright as molten gold, reflecting the sky full of Kongming lanterns rising into the air. It was as if he was seeing such a magnificent scene for the first time, and his whole being was enveloped in a transparent trance.

The crowd kept pushing and shoving him—drunk men bumped into his shoulders, laughing and playing children tugged at his loose sleeves, and even a vendor's cart nearly ran over the hem of his clothes.

He simply stood there, motionless, like a beautiful jade sculpture forgotten in the hustle and bustle of the world, completely out of place with everything around him.

"Be careful!"

Seeing that a heavy cart loaded with lanterns was about to hit him, Hua Yue rushed over without thinking, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him sharply to her side.

"Splash—"

The cart narrowly missed them, the wind it created causing their clothes to flutter, and several lotus lanterns on the cart tumbled to the ground.

The boy finally reacted; he looked down at his wrist, which was being held.

His skin was as cool as jade that had been soaked in a cold pool, and his fingers were long and well-defined, and at this moment, they were being held tightly by a warm little hand.

"You..." Hua Yue released her grip, slightly out of breath, "Are you alright? There are so many people here, don't just stand in the middle of the road in a daze."

The boy did not answer.

His gaze slowly shifted from his wrist to Hua Yue's face. A subtle light flickered in her golden eyes, as if she were analyzing something.

After a while, he suddenly reached out his hand.

Hua Yue subconsciously wanted to take a step back, but she saw that his fair and slender fingers did not touch her, but gently touched a petal that had fallen into her hair at some unknown time.

His fingertips hovered above the petals, without actually touching them, his voice clear and cold, yet carrying a strange seriousness.

"It likes you very much," he said.

"What?" Hua Yue was taken aback.

"This flower," the boy's finger still hovering there, "want to fall on you."

What kind of answer is that?

Hua Yue was at a loss for words. She thought the boy was handsome, but the way he spoke was so strange that it made her feel a little uneasy.

"Whose young master are you? Have you gotten separated from your family?" She tried to change the subject, sizing him up.

The moon-white robe he wore was made of the finest material, shimmering and shimmering, yet it bore no family crest. A simple white jade ring hung at his waist, obscuring his identity and origins.

The boy tilted his head, a gesture that lessened his inhuman aloofness and instead revealed a childlike innocence and confusion.

"Family?" he repeated the word, as if savoring an unfamiliar taste on his tongue. "I have no family."

He paused, then added, "I came to see 'Wish'."

"Willing?" Hua Yue was even more confused.

"Hmm." The boy raised his hand and pointed to the hundreds and thousands of bright lotus lanterns floating on the river. "Those lights contain many wishes."

"Some are very heavy, some are very light, some are burning, and some... are already dead."

Just as he finished speaking, a night breeze blew by.

On the river, a lotus lantern, whose flame was already faint, swayed twice in the wind and then went out completely with a "poof".