Chapter 4: Ascending the Mountain

"Big Bull" Mo Ran let out a low reprimand, halting the imminent outburst of Big Bull. He walked in front of the young man and calmly said: "I apologize, I wasn't paying attention just now"

"Alright, stop crying. Let's go, we should head up the mountain quickly," he gently reassured, pulling Yaya along as they continued their ascent.

The winding mountain path resembles a giant python lying in wait within the mountains. The further one ascends, the steeper it becomes, with lush pine trees standing tall on either side of the path. The trail is difficult to traverse, especially after rain, when it becomes muddy and slippery. Mo Ran supports the box behind him with one hand while holding the little girl Ya Ya with the other, as the three of them struggle to climb upward. Before long, fine beads of sweat begin to form on their foreheads.

"Apologize? Who are you? You are not worthy to speak to me. You blocked my way; it is you who should apologize." Seeing the farmers' attire of Mo Ran and the others, the young man disdainfully curled his lips.

Daniu, whose real name is Liu Jinyang, is the son of the village hunter, Uncle Liu. He is two years older than Moran, and the "Yaya" that Moran refers to is Daniu's younger sister. The three have been close friends since childhood. Due to Moran's nurturing with the Green Jade Elixir from a young age, combined with training from Elder Fang, Moran's physical agility and resilience far exceed that of ordinary people. As a result, Daniu regards Moran as a figure akin to a martial artist and holds him in great admiration. Therefore, the slightly older Daniu has always referred to Moran as "Boss."

Ah... drink... Mo Ran steadied his horse stance, grounded himself, gathered his energy, and with a sudden punch aimed at the trunk of the large tree in the courtyard.

Hearing the rude shout from behind, Mo Ran slightly frowned.

After walking for a while, the three of them saw in the distance the tall buildings and clusters of books shrouded in mist atop the mountains, while the muddy ground beneath their feet had transformed into neat bluestone steps

"Did you think I wanted to wake up this early? It was my father. This morning, the small bridge behind the village broke, and I heard it even injured someone. So, the village chief took my father and a few capable uncles to the back of the village. My mother had clothes made for the Mo family on the mountain, but no one went to deliver them, so she had to ask me to do it. My mother was still worried, so she asked me to find you and come with me up the mountain," Daniu said, scratching his head awkwardly and chuckling.

At this moment, Daniu also noticed that the other person's attire was identical to the clothes recently sewn by his mother. He realized that the other party was from the Mo family. However, Daniu was not frightened; he still spoke in an indignant tone, saying: "Apologize quickly"

Turning his head to look at Daniu, he sighed and said, "Daniu, could you please not be so impulsive? This is the Mo family; do you think just the three of us can afford to offend them?"

Fortunately, Mo Ran was quick-witted and agile, not bothering to check who had rushed past. He first wrapped his arms around Ya Ya, who was leaning backward, and then gently placed her on the bluestone steps in front of him

As they approached the finish line, Daniu and Yaya couldn't help but feel excited, and their pace quickened significantly

Without disturbing the two individuals' viewing, Mo Ran glanced around and saw the gatekeeper. He quickly walked up and said, "Two brothers, I am from the village at the foot of the mountain, here to deliver clothes to you." As he spoke, Mo Ran set down the box from his back and opened it in front of the gatekeeper.

In fact, Mo Ran did not wish to spend all his time with children of his own age. In his own words, he had long surpassed the primary stage of farting, urinating, and playing in the mud. Of course, that was only in terms of his mental age. However, there was nothing he could do, as his actual age was still under ten years. To avoid drawing attention from the villagers, he could only occasionally play with Da Niu and other children.

"Hey, what are you doing? Do you know you almost hit someone?" Seeing his younger sister nearly knocked down by an oncoming person, Daniu shouted angrily. If it weren't for Moran just now, Yaya might have fallen off the mountain.

The next day, Mo Ran ascended the mountain early, chopped firewood, and after tidying up every room in the house, he came to the courtyard, ready to test the power of the internal energy he had cultivated.

"Boss. He was the one who hit us, why should we apologize to him?" Daniu asked angrily, perplexed by the situation.

The Mo family? As soon as Mo Ran saw this pattern, he immediately recognized the identity of the visitor

Be careful, it rained last night, and the road is a bit slippery. It is still early, so we need not rush. After walking a little further, we will reach the stone-paved road, which is easier to walk on.

Oh no... before Mo Ran could turn around, Ya Ya beside her let out a painful cry and suddenly leaned backward.

Indeed. Neither Ya Ya nor I have ever been to the Mo family residence. She insisted on seeing what the homes of the wealthy look like. So, my mother couldn't refuse her and came along.

Yes. It was Uncle Liu who asked us to come up. Uncle Liu had to go out for some matters and could not personally bring us up. I hope you will not take offense, Uncle.

"Wait a moment." After carefully inspecting the box, the gatekeeper walked through the main gate. Shortly thereafter, a middle-aged man emerged alongside the gatekeeper, and upon seeing Mo Ran, he inquired, "Are you from the village at the foot of the mountain?"

Another punch, yet it still had little effect

It is done. Let's go quickly. Don't ask around indiscriminately.

The other party is a young man dressed in a white long robe, with a somewhat youthful appearance. Although he is not particularly handsome, the demeanor he exudes conveys a sense of noble identity. The cuffs of his robe are embroidered with a lotus pattern

Seeing that the middle-aged man was already impatient, Mo Ran said a word of farewell, and then hurriedly pulled the two who were still in a dazed state, Da Niu, and quickly walked down the mountain

Although the other party was apologizing, the young man did not sense any genuine remorse; on the contrary, there was a subtle chill in the words of the other party.

Listening to Mo Ran's explanation, Da Niu lowered his head unnaturally, but from his flushed face, it was evident that his anger had not yet subsided

The big cow stood there in a daze, while Ya Ya exclaimed, "So beautiful!" The two completely forgot about the dangerous incident that had just occurred on the mountainside, their minds filled with shock. Mo Ran was relatively calm, having been there once before, unlike the two who were so astonished.

The boss was lost in thought when a somewhat immature voice came from outside the courtyard

"With a punch, I struck the trunk, yet the trunk remained intact. "Hmm? It seems to have no effect at all."

After approximately another half hour, the three of them finally arrived at the gate of the Mo family. The scene before them was extremely striking, with grand buildings standing all around, and pavilions and towers displaying resplendent gold and jade.

Following the direction from which the sound came, a slightly plump boy entered the courtyard with a little girl.

Ah, thank you, Uncle Dahe from the bookstore. As he put away the silver coins, Mo Ran was just about to leave when he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye

After tidying up briefly in the house, Moran followed the two out of the village

Without immediately responding to the expert, Mo Ran fixed his gaze tightly on the direction in which the young man had departed, his eyes releasing an unreserved fury that burned like fire, which gradually subsided after a moment.

"Oh? Isn't that the young man who just went up the mountain?" I thought to myself. Suddenly, Mo Ran pointed at the young man and asked the middle-aged man, "Uncle, who is that young fellow?"

Hearing the roar of the bull, steadying Yaya, Moran then turned to look at the reckless figure that had just charged over.

Hmph! Be more careful in the future. Such vulgar things. After a sarcastic remark, the young man no longer paid any attention to Mo Ran and the others, swiftly making his way up the mountain

"Brother Moran, Yaya really wants to go." Yaya blinked her big, watery eyes and said to Moran with a playful pout.

Mo Ran had accompanied Uncle Liu on a trip two years ago, so he is relatively familiar with this mountain path.

The village where Mo Ran resides is the only one at the foot of Xiao Dang Mountain. Since the villagers are all honest farmers and hunters, the Mo family takes great care of the village. Every autumn during the harvest season, the Mo family sends people to buy the surplus grain from the villagers at high prices. This way, the villagers do not have to travel far to Ziyun City to sell their goods. Over time, the relationship between the Mo family and the villagers has improved significantly. The Mo family also entrusts some tasks such as tailoring and firewood chopping to the villagers, providing them with some coins as compensation, which adds an extra source of income for the villagers. In the eyes of the villagers, the Mo family is like their benefactor.

Oh. Is Yaya going too? Moran nodded slightly and turned to the little girl

Oh, it's nothing

The middle-aged man followed Mo Ran's指 and couldn't help but show a proud expression as he replied: "He is the great-grandson of our family head. Although he is still young, only thirteen years old, he is already a ninth-level martial artist. What an excellent talent for cultivation."

"Damn it, does this count as internal energy?" Mo Ran thought to himself

Ignoring the big shot, Mo Ran turned around and looked affectionately at Ya Ya: "Ya Ya, are you alright?"

Daniu's mother provided him with two boxes, which were neatly stacked with clothes that had been hurriedly made for the Mo family overnight. Although Daniu was tall and stout, the weight of the boxes was more than he could bear alone. Mo Ran and Daniu each carried one box and then headed up the mountain

With a helpless shake of his head, he said quietly, "Alright. Wait for me a moment."

Oh. It's nothing, I just feel that he has a strong presence. I made up a reason casually and let it pass.

At that moment, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded behind me. Before I could turn around, I heard a low shout from behind: "You in front, quickly make way"

Hmm? Why are you asking this? Suddenly reminded that the questioner is just a little brat around ten years old, the middle-aged man couldn't help but frown

You ... ... '' Hearing the other party's almost unreasonable tone, Daniu became even angrier, just about to curse, when a slightly muscular arm crossed in front of him

Although the other party was relatively young, he spoke quite appropriately. The middle-aged man nodded in appreciation and said, "You can leave the items here. This is your payment. Take it back to your family and don't lose it." As he spoke, the middle-aged man took a few silver coins from his pocket and placed them in Mo Ran's hand.

Big Cow? Why did you get up so early today? Ya Ya is here too