Chapter 51: The Reason for the Invitation

Ji Yao had not expected that she would meet the illustrious Master Mo Daoyan so soon.

However, their meeting did not take place at the Hall of Enforcement, but rather in a bamboo retreat on the other side of Heavenly Law Peak, which also served as the residence of Mo Daoyan and his two disciples.

Despite being called a bamboo retreat, it was not a single enclosed compound but rather several bamboo cottages scattered throughout a vast bamboo grove, with each occupant claiming a separate space.

This time, Ji Yao still did not see Senior Brother Lu Ming, the one Gu Qiu had mentioned. This was not the same senior brother she had thought of before—Lu Ming and Gu Qiu simply shared the same master. Meanwhile, Mu Baiyun, as the chief senior disciple of the Lingyun Sect, addressed Mo Daoyan as ‘Martial Uncle’ because Mu Baiyun’s father and Mo Daoyan had studied under the same master.

At this moment, the doors of the bamboo house were wide open. Only Mo Daoyan and Ji Yao were present in the reception room; as for Gu Qiu, his master had already sent him off on an errand to stand guard at the Hall of Enforcement.

“Now that we are alone, if there is anything you wish to say, you may speak,” Mo Daoyan said gently. His voice bore no trace of the chilling sword aura he had conjured with a wave of his hand earlier, which had carried such righteous intensity that it seemed to infuse the very air with sword qi.

The difference was tangible: the bamboo forest surrounding them seemed changed, every drifting leaf imbued with the essence of the sword, sharp yet not out of place.

Ji Yao instantly understood—the bamboo grove was an array, the formation itself a manifestation of sword intent. To merge one’s sword will with nature, to make all things a sword, and to fashion the very land into a formation—this spoke of supreme confidence in one’s power.

Vaguely, Ji Yao sensed she had caught hold of something elusive. Specks of light flickered in her mind, slowly coalescing, and her physical senses began to blur.

Mo Daoyan noticed her unusual state at a glance. He promptly guided her to sit down cross-legged, hands resting with palms up, while he seated himself nearby, quietly gathering dew from the bamboo leaves to steep tea, waiting for Ji Yao’s moment of insight.

In little more than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Ji Yao regained her clarity. Opening her eyes, she saw Master Mo Daoyan watching over her.

She hurried to rise and offer her thanks, but Mo Daoyan halted her with a gesture, so she remained sitting. Just as she was about to speak, he preempted her with a reminder.

“Draw your energy back to your core, steady it in your dantian. Speak only once your qi has settled.”

Only then did Ji Yao realize her current state. She closed her eyes again, following his instructions to guide her spiritual energy until it was calm and rooted in her dantian.

She was not entirely certain what had just occurred. It hardly felt like enlightenment—her spiritual power or awareness had not grown perceptibly, only that her whole being was now suffused with qi, as if she possessed boundless reserves.

Had Situ Jing been present, she would surely have said Ji Yao was once again favored by fortune. But with only Mo Daoyan there, such talk held no place; he could only marvel at the girl’s innate talent.

A pity she was a cultivator of the musical path, he mused. If she had chosen the sword, with his guidance and this newfound clarity of heart, she might have broken through the limitations of her spiritual roots and attained a rare opportunity in swordsmanship.

Yet the clarity of heart, the so-called ‘dao heart,’ was something that could not be taught or put into words—it had to be sensed, for every individual’s path was unique, accessible only through intuition, not instruction.

If Ji Yao knew the truth, she might well exclaim, “Heavens, luck is finally smiling on me for once!”

Once her spiritual energy was stabilized, Ji Yao rose and offered her thanks to Mo Daoyan.

“Master, I have come to you to confirm what Senior Brother Gu mentioned about taking me as a disciple.”

Ji Yao had thought long and hard about this. After all, she had yet to receive any formal notice of entering the inner sect, nor had she heard Mo Daoyan personally express his intention to accept her as a disciple.

Thus, coming directly to Mo Daoyan and broaching the subject so bluntly was, in truth, quite discourteous—almost threatening, even.

Fortunately, very few people knew of this matter, which meant there was still room for discussion. After much consideration, Ji Yao decided to come in person.

For Mo Daoyan, he had indeed approved the idea of taking a disciple, but the busy affairs of the Hall of Enforcement had kept him from attending the sect competition in person; instead, he sent Gu Qiu, who was still at his side.

Strictly speaking, this task should have fallen to his senior disciple, Lu Ming. Lu Ming was more suitable in both status and disposition—straightforward and open, unlike Gu Qiu, whose mind ran in endless circles.

But Lu Ming was away with Baiyun, handling matters regarding the Mystic Realm of Enlightenment, and would not return soon.

As expected, with the task falling to Gu Qiu, he handled it as was his wont—not announcing himself at Tianmu Peak in public, but notifying the Sect Affairs Hall in private, and teasing the little girl for his own amusement. Who knew if she would take offense.

It was for this reason that Gu Qiu had just been sent away, to spare Ji Yao any awkwardness.

Mo Daoyan did not keep Ji Yao waiting long; his many thoughts passed in a single breath.

“This matter has my approval. However, rather than merely accepting you as a disciple, I am more inclined to have you join the Hall of Enforcement.”

He paused for a moment and glanced at Ji Yao, who seemed unsurprised. He reasoned that Gu Qiu must have exercised discretion and not mentioned it. It was pointless to overthink, so he let it go.

He would say no more for now, as the place he intended for her was more secretive still.

Ji Yao, for her part, was far less calm than she appeared. Though she had anticipated this, hearing it from Mo Daoyan himself left her inwardly agitated; her hands, hidden in her sleeves, clenched tightly without her realizing.

Was she about to be given a secure, lifelong post? Ji Yao could not quite describe her feelings. Who would have thought she had the makings of a law enforcer?

If she’d known, she might have applied to the police academy in her previous life—perhaps her professional skills could have helped her spot the signs of that fateful accident in time...

But now, she was here, and what was past was past—no use dwelling on it.

Gathering her scattered thoughts, Ji Yao carefully spoke: “I thank you deeply for your favor, Master, but there is one thing I do not understand. I hope you will enlighten me.”

Mo Daoyan was not surprised and nodded slightly.

“May I ask what quality you have seen in me that makes me worthy of joining the Hall of Enforcement?”

Ji Yao knew well that disciples of the Hall of Enforcement were never chosen lightly. Past candidates had always undergone rigorous tests and required the approval of the Hall’s chief before acceptance.

That she should now receive the favor of Master Mo Daoyan, brought in under the guise of being accepted as a disciple, was beyond her imagination. She knew her own abilities—she was far from being counted among the best.

“Haven’t you noticed yourself? You have a knack for gathering information, your thinking is clear and organized, your analysis precise, and you always manage to discern the crucial point.”

Had anyone but Master Mo Daoyan said this to her, Ji Yao might have thought it a veiled jab at her fondness for gossip and idle chatter.

After all, in her previous twenty or thirty years, if she could lay claim to any information-gathering skill, it was only her love of gossip. In hindsight, gossip had always provided her with an ample source of information.

Could it be that the Hall of Enforcement needed paparazzi as well?