CHAPTER 363: CHAPTER 317

During breakfast, Lan Tian saw Wu Hongfei and his disciples, startled slightly but remained composed, her gaze briefly passing by Mr. Mo as she greeted the two.

"Good morning, Grandpa. Good morning, Master’s Senior Brother." She walked over and sat down below the two of them.

Mo Junhua nodded slightly, indicating for her to sit next to him.

Being here for so long, seeing Wu Hongfei and his disciples only during family reunions, welcoming banquets, and dinners was rare; the other times were difficult because they were indeed very busy. Being renowned doctors, naturally, they had many patients seeking them, and they were more occupied than ordinary people, not finishing surgeries until midnight. Lan Tian was also busy, out early and back late, even when not attending school and staying at home, she hardly left the house, making it hard for Wu Hongfei and his disciples to see her.

This was the first time Wu Hongfei and the others came over to have breakfast together with them. Her eyes discreetly glanced over the group, silently eating breakfast. No one would visit without a reason; they must have something to discuss, probably related to last night’s incident, but it was uncertain whether Mr. Mo had asked them to come over or if they came on their own. If it was of their own accord, how did they get the news? It’s not unwarranted for Lan Tian to think ill of others, given the reality.

Bai Qingqing’s glance swept over Lan Tian, hiding a touch of resentment. Simply because she was Mr. Mo’s granddaughter, she was allowed to attend such an important banquet, while Bai Qingqing, who exceeded in every aspect, was not permitted to attend. Her eyes moved over Mo Junhua’s tall and upright figure, his resolute visage, thinking Lan Tian was truly flirty and ungrateful; having such a good man yet still seducing her senior brother. Thinking of her senior brother, Bai Qingqing looked towards Wu Zongyu and indeed, his eyes were on Lan Tian.

Bai Qingqing lowered her gaze, wishing Lan Tian had never appeared. Then, she would still be the exceptionally talented disciple in her Master’s eyes, the doted granddaughter in Mr. Mo’s eyes, the obedient junior sister in her senior brother’s eyes, the envy of other parents, the goddess in school to be admired...

"We’re all here now. Today, I called you over because there is something important to tell you." Once Lan Tian and Mo Junhua were seated, Mr. Mo cleared his throat, "There is a very important dinner tonight, inviting the old man and the young couple. Our Hua Zi has no experience attending gatherings, so you help them out. Don’t let them embarrass our Old Mo Family." Many influential figures in Beijing would be present; Mr. Mo did not want his granddaughter to feel intimidated and looked down upon, hence he specifically called them to help.

"Master, what kind of banquet is it that you value it so much?" Wu Hongfei was seeing Mr. Mo take a banquet this seriously for the first time; previously, the old man usually found them tedious, too noisy and crowded with people.

"A very important dinner. Those old guys will be there; I can’t afford to not take it seriously." Now that he had a granddaughter of his own, he couldn’t just casually get by.

Wu Qingqing’s hopeful heart immediately sank; she thought Mr. Mo summoned them to bring them along, but it turned out he wanted them to teach others their experience. She gripped the bowl tightly, her knuckles turning white.

Casting a sidelong glance at Lan Tian and Mo Junhua next to her, Wu Zongyu smiled ruefully. As long as she was happy, what did it matter if they were together or not? It’s time he let go.

In a past life, Ji Feng had taken Lan Tian to several banquets, and Mo Junhua didn’t need to mention it; he too had been to many important events. Both did not mention this and accepted Mr. Mo’s arrangement.

The group "hurriedly" went to pick out formal wear, and halfway there, a girl in the dressing room recognized Wu Qingqing and seemed to know Wu Zongyu and the others. After greeting each other, she smiled and asked to borrow Wu Qingqing for a while, promising to return her later.

Bai Qingqing looked at Wu Zongyu uncomfortably, then turned to Lan Tian. Lan Tian glanced at Bai Qingqing; without saying anything, Bai Qingqing was pushed away by the girl, half-heartedly accepting the situation, and never came back after being borrowed.

...

As the lanterns began to glow, an unassuming car slowly drove out from the Mo Mansion, its passengers consisting of three generations—the venerable Mr. Mo dressed in an iron-grey Zhongshan suit, Mo Junhua clad in a military uniform, and Lan Tian wearing a sky-blue cheongsam.

Half an hour passed, and they arrived at a three-way junction. One road led to Taian Hall, another towards Suhe Road. Lan Tian, who had been resting with her eyes closed, opened her eyes and glanced towards Taian Hall before setting her gaze on Suhe Road. Her profound eyes remained utterly still, without a ripple.

"There’s no need to be nervous; there’s nothing to be tense about. It’s just a regular gathering, full of old-timers just like your grandpa, bringing their grandsons and granddaughters. It’s no different from the village. When the weather gets hot, the village elders and old ladies bring their grandchildren to gather under the village’s Silver Tree to chat about daily life. Frankly speaking, it’s like a matchmaking gathering," suddenly said Mr. Mo, his head tilting slightly towards Lan Tian.

Lan Tian twitched her mouth—a matchmaking gathering of such caliber was surely too high-level, filled with heads of state. Where on earth did the old man get the idea that she was nervous?

"Great-Grandpa, I’m not nervous."

As the car turned into Suhe Road, a shiver ran through Lan Tian’s eyes and an uneasy feeling washed over her. Her hairs stood on end, and a creeping horror set in. An intense sense of foreboding amplified within her, screaming through every pore that danger lurked ahead—a very grave danger. Lan Tian’s scalp tingled, and she felt an almost overwhelming urge to turn and flee.

That strong premonition told her that every step they took brought them one step closer to death.

"Girl, what’s wrong? Your face is so pale," Mo Junhua, seated at the front, suddenly turned his head, his hand already on Lan Tian’s face. "You’re sweating too. Do you feel alright?"

His concern prompted Mr. Mo to glance over, and indeed, Lan Tian appeared terrifyingly pale. "Girl."

"Great-Grandpa, I’m fine. Just a bit carsick; I’ll rest a bit and I’ll be good," Lan Tian said, glancing at the two of them. Seeing that they both looked normal, she felt reassured. That unsettling sensation was something only she could feel—it was clearly targeted at cultivators.

A flicker passed through the depths of Mo Junhua’s eyes. He clearly didn’t believe Lan Tian’s words. He wasn’t new to knowing Lan Tian—having traveled for several days by car from the village to Shanghai with no sign of motion sickness from her. The little girl was obviously hiding something.

As Lan Tian finished speaking, a strong divine sense swept over them. Lan Tian shuddered and instinctively wanted to activate her cultivation technique to defend, but then thought better of it and gave up, maintaining a calm demeanor as she allowed the divine sense to scan her.

As expected, her identity as a cultivator was undetected. Lan Tian felt relief surge through her once more for practicing the Chaos Technique. Otherwise, the moment she set foot on Suhe Road, the entity behind the scenes would have instantly known of her presence.

A protective array designed to target cultivators must have been set up here. In the face of danger, cultivators would subconsciously operate their Spiritual Energy to defend, which would immediately reveal their identity.

Lan Tian intuited that she had narrowly evaded an initial crisis. Once the hair-raising sensation subsided, she promptly began practicing the Cleansing Heart Technique. The uncomfortable feeling eased significantly, and her complexion returned to a less ghostly shade, convincing Mr. Mo that she was telling the truth.