Chapter 061: Secretly Testing
"Yi Han," Mo Huai looked at the young man in front of him and, without any visible trace, concealed the gloom on his face. With a sweep of his finger, the dark room instantly brightened.
"When did you return?" This boy had been brought back by Mo Huai three years ago. Mo Zhun had wandered around looking for Yu Xuezhi, and Yihan was the beggar whom Mo Zhun had accidentally rescued when he was blind. Mo Zhun had always wanted to know why this young man had been so terrified when they first met and what he had meant by those two sentences when he had thrown the banknote in Mo Zhun's face. Unfortunately, due to prolonged hunger, by the time Mo Zhun had managed to catch up, the beggar was already on the brink of death. Although Mo Huai used an elixir to save him, Yihan lost all memory of his past due to the cycle of life and death.
When they first met, Mo Huai had always thought that this thin and frail young man was just an ordinary beggar. He hadn’t expected the young man to have grown so remarkably in the three years since then, standing now at the peak of the Sea of Clouds. And he looked so much like Yu Xuezhi. Every time Mo Huai encountered him, he couldn’t help but feel an indescribable awkwardness. They were so alike, not just in appearance but in temperament—exuding the same commanding and unruly aura Yu Xuezhi once had. If he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, Mo Zhun would find it hard to believe that this was the character of someone who had wandered and begged since childhood.
The cold yet delicate voice of the young man snapped Mo Zhun out of his reverie:
"Why are you asking that?" Mo Huai did not answer directly. After setting down the teacup, he gave a serious and thoughtful instruction: "You’ve made rapid progress this year, but don’t become too obsessed with cultivation. Go out among the common folk and relax."
Mo Huai had his own plan. His intuition told him that the present-day Li Ruxue must be Yu Xuezhi. If Yu Xuezhi found out that Mo Huai had taken in someone resembling him, it might cause unnecessary misunderstandings. Before resolving the current situation, Mo Huai needed to distance the young man from him. He didn’t want anything to go wrong.
The young man, Yihan, had a flash of understanding in his eyes upon hearing this. He then nodded slightly, "Yes, master. I’ll depart tomorrow."
"Good. Go rest now," Mo Zhun waved his hand dismissively, signaling him to leave. To be honest, Mo Zhun wasn’t sure how to interact with this boy. At first, Yihan didn’t say much, and Mo Zhun saw no resemblance to Yu Xuezhi. But with time, as Yihan recuperated, not only did his height and physique catch up with his peers, but his appearance became more striking. By the time Mo Huai realized it, Yihan already bore a 40-50% resemblance to Yu Xuezhi. This growing likeness made Mo Zhun feel increasingly estranged from the boy.
Because of his two lifetimes, Mo Zhun had developed a distorted attachment to relationships. He had once believed Dongfang Xu was an immortal, so much so that he was willing to fall into darkness and kill his master for him. But now that he knew the truth, all he wanted was to find his master and make amends. To him, people who looked similar were still just strangers.
As Yihan turned to leave, the indifference on his face vanished, replaced by a murderous intent he could no longer hide. Disdain and arrogance clouded his youthful yet cold face. He was lying in wait, growing stronger in a world that held no sentiment for him.
The next morning, Yu Xuezhi was dreaming peacefully under the warmth of the sun. It had been a long time since he’d slept so comfortably. Perhaps yesterday’s visit to Tianchi had cleansed his mind and body, leaving him without the usual nightmares. This was the sight that greeted Bei Mingjue as he entered the room.
It was an unseemly scene, and Bei Mingjue suddenly felt at a loss. The last time he had seen someone sleep like this was when he had accidentally witnessed Yu Xuezhi’s sleeping posture at Qiansheng Peak. That scene had been even more embarrassing. Bei Mingjue froze, his hand raised mid-air, about to slap Li Ruxue but pausing instead. He had been overlooking something: why did Li Ruxue look so much like Yu Xuezhi? Not only did they share a striking resemblance, but their mannerisms were becoming eerily similar.
