Earlier that night—
Tianzun had asked his aunt if he could explore the place.
But he was rejected.
And so after the long wait for his aunt he left to explore.
He walked alone in the middle of the night showing himself around since no one wanted to.
Quietly.
Step by step.
Up the long stone stairs.
Tap… tap… tap…
The night was deep and silent, the faint glow of distant lights guiding his small figure upward. The higher he climbed, the more isolated it felt—as if he was stepping into another world entirely.
Finally—
He arrived.
At the top stood a temple.
It was Old, ancient and mysterious.
A faint chill ran down his spine as he looked at it it gave him the creep.
Hubblrr! a sound escaped tianzun's mouth as he rub his arm feeling cold.
He hesitated.
Then slowly approached the window.
Carefully…
He peeked inside.
But—
He froze.
Inside the temple sat a figure.
Cross-legged, sitting still and silent.
Gasp—!
Fear gripped his heart instantly.
Is he dead? Tianzun questioned himself—
When suddenly the monk opened his eyes looking at the eye peeping through the cracks of the windows
His body stiffened seeing the old man accurately sensing his presence
Without thinking, he turned ready to run.
But suddenly
The voice called out to him
"Since you are here…"
An old voice echoed from within.
"…why don't you come in? Let us talk."
Tianzun froze mid-step.
His small body trembled.
Fear lingered.
His senses told him to run but he didn't run after that call as it went against his moral to after all the old man wasn't rude
And to Tianzun—
Respect given…
Is respect gotten back.
He swallowed his fear.
His tiny hand trembled—
Yet he moved.
Slide—
He opened the door .
He stepped inside.
Eyes closed at first—
Then slowly opened.
In the monks thought
Oh! he didn't run—
He must have courage and confidence to keep his stand in front of strangers
He smiled—
He looked at the old man and saw the old man smiling at him adding more horror to it.
Hieeeh! he was scared.
He saw a monk.
Dressed in a plain black robe.
He was calm and composed
The mmonk raised his hand up and used it to gesture for tianzun to sit down
Tianzun obeyed and sat down.
Silence lingered briefly.
Then the monk spoke.
"What is the Dao?"
A simple question.
Yet profound
Tianzun looked at him and said nothing.
He simply stared at the monk quietly intrigued by the question.
The monk frowned slightly.
Confused.
He had expected nonsense.
A child's random answer.
But instead—only silence.
Pure silence.
And he asked whether he had any idea of the question and
Then Tianzun suddenly spoke.
"I decide… what I want to do."
This answer made the monk steered at him with disbelief
Knowingly or unknowingly he had answer the question
But suddenly he heard tianzun continued
I have no knowledge to the question so I decided
It was better to keep quiet
The monk blinked.
"…What?"
"What you portrayed," Tianzun said calmly, "I chose my own response."
Silence permeate the room once again for a whilr
Then—
The monk smiled.
A genuine smile
He muttered Interesting…"
"Are you perhaps lost?" the monk asked.
He poured tea.
And handed it to Tianzun.
The boy accepted it.
He drank it without hesitation without complaining about the taste.
Whether it was sweet or bitter—
Bu tto be truthful
He didn't care cause he had walk all his way here all by himself and is not in full strength to leave.
He was already dehydrated by the cold air so he don't have an idea of how to go about it when wanted to run so he decided to enter and see for himself what was inhabiting it
But saw an old monk that gave him constant chills.
Meanwhile,
The monk observed him closely.
His posture.
His composure.
His behavior.
Everything…
Carried a certain strange elegance that has an unintentional alignment with the Dao.
Yet—Tianzun himself didn't notice anything unusual.
He only felt…Watched.
He checked himself from his hair, his face to his body.
But nothing seemed wrong.
Still—He remained calm.
And continued drinking his tea.
After finishing—
He cleared his throat loudly.
Ahem.
The monk snapped out of his thoughts.
"Ah… forgive me," he said. "I made you uncomfortable."
Then he smiled.
"My name is Mo Yuwen."
"I am the temple master."
Tianzun blinked.
"Mo?"
He tilted his head.
"Are you Mo Li's grandfather?"
The old man chuckled.
"Yes."
Tianzun nodded.
"He's not my friend."
"He's my cousin."
"I just moved in today."
"Oh?" Mo Yuwen raised a brow. "At what time?"
"Midnight."
The old man paused.
"You moved in an hour ago… and you are still not in bed?"
Tianzun nodded.
"My aunt said she would introduce her husband to me…"
He explained everything.
How she told him to wait outside for her that she will be back in a minute.
And How he waited.
And waited.
And she never came back.
"So I decided to explore instead of waiting."
Mo Yuwen's expression changed multiple times.
He was shocked, confused, and more importantly,
He was greatly disappointed.
He rubbed the space between his brows.
"…Young people…"
He sighed.
Then smiled again.
"Let me introduce myself properly."
"I am Mo Yuwen."
"I am seventy-five years old."
Tianzun gasped.
Covering his mouth.
"So old?!"
The old man chuckled.
"Yes."
"You would need to multiply your age fifteen times to reach mine."
Tianzun nodded slowly.
Then said—
"Being old…"
"Doesn't that mean you are one step closer to the grave?"
PFFFT—!
Mo Yuwen spat out his tea instantly.
Cough! Cough!
He wiped his mouth quickly, startled.
He did not expect that.
At all.
But Tianzun continued—
"Do you want to die?"
Silence.
Mo Yuwen looked at him.
Then turned his gaze toward the window.
The night sky.
The stars.
"If there was a way to be immortal…"
"…I would choose eternity."
His voice softened.
"But the Great Dao is cruel."
"There is a time to live…"
"And a time to die."
Tianzun lowered his gaze.
"…Just like my parents."
Mo Yuwen froze.
His eyes widened.
"…Your parents are dead?"
Tianzun nodded.
Tears gathered in his eyes.
But—
He held them back.
He didn't break.
He didn't scream.
He didn't collapse.
He simply endured.
That composure—
From a child—
Sent chills down the old man's spine.
Goosebumps rose on his skin.
Then—
He smiled gently.
"If you want to cry…"
"…cry it all out."
"I am here."
"Hic…!"Hic…!""Uweeeehhh—!!!"
This time—
Tianzun cried.
Loudly.
Freely.
Mo Yuwen pulled him closer, placing him on his lap and pressing the boy's face gently against his chest.
"Your face earlier…
"…was not that of a child."
"This is the real you."
After a while—
The crying stopped.
Tianzun fell asleep.
Peacefully.
Mo Yuwen smiled softly.
Then carried him.
Step by step—
Back to the house.
As he approached—
Voices reached his ears.
They were arguing .
He paused.
Listening.
"…the boy…"
"…the plan…"
His expression darkened.
What…?
He stepped forward.
Entering—
Right in the middle of their argument.
Silence fell instantly.
All eyes turned to him.
To the sleeping boy in his arms.
Their expressions—
Changed.
Did he hear?
Did he know?
Fear flickered.
Mo Yuwen exhaled deeply.
"Hmmm…"
"After I lay him to rest…"
"…we are going to have some serious talk."
They knew.
He had heard everything.
He walked past them.
Anger rising.
Veins bulging slightly on his forehead.
How shameless…
Not even sparing a child.
A boy who had just lost his parents.
Already plotting.
Scheming.
Disgusting he spat out.
Tianzun stirred slightly—
Half-awake—
But quickly fell asleep again.
Mo Yuwen changed into his sleepwear, gently laying the boy to rest.
Then—
He turned.
And headed downstairs.
Things were about to get ugly.
"I am so disappointed at the two of you that I have to say you have let this old man hands down.
His voice was cold.
Heavy.
The argument stretched.
Minute by minute.
Tension rising.
"I am not disappointed in your relationship," he said.
"You are husband and wife."
"But I am angry—"
"…that you showed no respect to that child."
His expression hardened.
"And I believe you know what I mean."
Jin Rouyan nudged her husband.
Mo Beihan stepped forward.
Trying to persuade him.
Explaining their plan.
Its benefits.
But—
Mo Yuwen wasn't listening.
"Look at what you have become."
"Is this what I raised you to be?"
Still—
Mo Beihan insisted.
And then—
PAH—!!!
A slap echoed loudly.
Everyone froze.
"I am ashamed of you!"
"I did not raise you this way!"
"You make me regret everything!"
Mo Beihan laughed.
A cold laugh.
"You won't listen…"
"…because I am your stepson!!!"
Silence exploded.
Even the children woke up.
Jin Rouyan held him back.
"It's okay…"
But Mo Yuwen ignored it.
"I will take care of the child myself."
"He has proven himself more worthy as a successor… than you."
Mo Beihan gritted his teeth.
"Is it because I am not rich?!"
"Is that why you choose him?!"
Mo Yuwen replied calmly—
"No."
"…He proved himself."
Mo Beihan stood there.
Speechless.
Mo Yuwen waved his sleeve.
"That is all."
Then—
Clink…
A faint sound.
A vase.
"Who's there?!"
The children stepped out.
"When were you listening?" Mo beihan asked.
"From when you talked about renovating the temple…"
They answered honestly.
That was—
Exactly when Tianzun arrived .
Tianzun stepped forward.
"…Are you arguing because of me?"
"If it is because of me…"
"I will leave."
"I will go back home"
He clenched his clothes tightly.
"…Even Aunt jin an didn't come to see me all the time I was in the hospital the poor boy unaware of she being in jail be cause of hid aunt."
His eyes trembled.
Tears forming.
Before he could cry—
Mo Yuwen rushed forward.
He handed him a rope necklace with the white side symbol of the taiji diagram it looked ancient
A white Taiji design. He muttered
Tianzun steered at it, the more he looked, the more he felt it resonating with him
It had a uniqueness that gleamed with and had an ancient aura that it gave off capturing tianzun's interest the more he steered the more he fell in love.
He placed it around Tianzun's neck.
Mo Beihan's eyes widened.
He knew what it meant.
His expression twisted.
Tch!
This time—
There was no excuse left.
The couple left angrily.
Tianzun looked at Mo Yuwen.
"Is there a way I can help?"
"I like this place."
Mo Yuwen chuckled.
"You came from a bigger, finer place."
"Why here?"
"I truly like it."
Then—
A snort echoed out it was from mo rongyan.
Mo Rongyan.
"He's lying."
Everyone turned.
"If not—why did he say he would leave?"
"He's hiding his true intentions."
"He wants to go back."
She smiled coldly.
"Though I don't mind him leaving."
Silence.
No one responded.
Her face twitched.
Anger rising.
"Did you hear me?!"
"You can leave!"
"Your presence is causing chaos!"
Suddenly—
Tianzun's vision darkened.
Everything blurred.
His breathing became uneven.
Fear gripped him.
For a moment—
Just five seconds—
Then it disappeared
"Enough!"
Grandpa she retorted
Mo Yuwen reprimanded her.
But she puffed her cheeks.
"You're all playing favorites!"
"Because he's rich!"
"You want to suck up to him!"
"Pleh!"
She stuck out her tongue.
Then ran off to her room.
Bang!
She closed her door
"I'll make my own money!"
"I'll build a bigger temple!"
"To shame you all!"
"That stupid Tianzun can go to hell!"
Silence.
Mo Yuwen sighed.
"I'm sorry for what you've seen."
"This is your home now."
"Make yourself comfortable."
Tianzun nodded.
Later—
Mo Yuwen went to the couple's room.
"Introduce yourself properly later and apologies for your misconduct he told mo beihan.
Mo beihan smiled and replied "Of course."
But behind that smile—
Resentment burned.
Mo Yuwen sneered softly.
"…Hypocrite."
And left.
Inside the room—
Jin Rouyan sighed.
"It's hard…"
Mo Beihan pulled her closer.
"…Only we understand each other."
Their expressions changed.
And soon—
They returned to what they had been doing before.
Far away—
Tianzun lay quietly.
Unaware—
Or perhaps…
Already beginning to understand things are not quiet as they seem to be.