"Zūnshàng's reminder is right, that girl's definitely strange. After I accepted the task from my aunt, I watched Du Yanran for quite some time. Her fortune's bizarre, she always stumbles onto opportunities others can't see and ends up walking away with them."
Hua Lei was a meticulous cultivator. Once he noticed this peculiarity, he and Hua Xi became even more cautious when intercepting Du Yanran's opportunities, making sure never to reveal themselves lightly.
"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered you two to keep an eye on her."
Jian Dan smiled, pleased that he'd taken her warning to heart. She nodded with satisfaction, then turned toward Hua Man. "Du Yunfei may only be in the Qi Refining stage right now, but she's someone who's been reborn through possession. With her past cultivation experience, she won't face any bottlenecks before the Nascent Soul stage. As long as her spiritual energy is enough, she'll naturally advance. That means you'll need to work even harder."
"Yes, I'll definitely cultivate diligently, not fail the clan's nurturing, and complete the task entrusted by Zūnshàng."
Hua Man gave a solemn bow, his tone earnest as he answered Jian Dan. Hua Lei let him declare his determination, then finally excused himself. Their mission this time had been completed perfectly.
Jian Dan didn't stop them. She simply asked Chun Yu to escort them out before returning to the peach blossom tree to sip her tea and admire the flowers.
"How's your junior doing lately?"
With her eyes closed, Jian Dan spoke through voice transmission to Liu Chuan.
"Not bad at all. Hua Shisan's been taking good care of his plant pet and doesn't hesitate to use valuable resources on Liu Sheng. Xiao Sheng's roots are strong and thriving."
Liu Chuan's tone carried satisfaction.
Earlier, Liu Sheng had quietly greeted his ancestor, and Liu Chuan was quite pleased at how well-mannered the boy was.
Meanwhile, Hua Man returned with Hua Lei to the Hua Clan's estate in Tianmo City. They reported to Patriarch, Hua Kun, carefully recounting their meeting with Mo Yue Zūnshàng and the planting of the flower seal.
"Good, I understand. You've both worked hard on this matter."
A hint of satisfaction flashed across Hua Kun's upright face. He then turned to Hua Man with instructions."Hua Man, remember what Mo Yue Zūnshàng told you. The flower seal is unique to our Hua Clan, but if the target's cultivation is two realms higher than ours, they'll be able to detect it. Don't let your cultivation fall behind."
"Yes, Patriarch. I'll remember and work hard."
Since both Mo Yue Zūnshàng and the Patriarch stressed the same warning, Hua Man took it seriously and immediately agreed. He and Hua Lei then withdrew from the hall.
"Big Brother, sending Hua Man this time was just a way to test if Mo Yue Zūnshàng still expects our Hua Clan to fulfill the original agreement, wasn't it?"
Once they left, Hua Qian appeared in the hall, speaking to Hua Kun at the head seat.
"Exactly. We received all those heavenly treasures, and in return we tracked Du Yanran for a hundred years. I once promised her three favors, yet she hasn't asked for even one."
Hua Kun sighed, taking a sip of spirit tea.
"Big Brother, you're worried Mo Yue will ask for something we can't handle, or even something that might damage the Hua Clan's foundation?"
Hua Qian knew her brother well. Back then, for Hua Ancestor's sake, he'd been anxious enough to make that promise. Now that the Ancestor had recovered and stabilized in the Mahayana stage, the clan was flourishing.
But Mo Yue had vanished for fifty years. They'd all assumed she'd fallen, only for her to return at the Unity stage. News of her survival had spread across the world and stunned everyone.
"Yes, that's exactly my worry. But the report Hua Lei and Hua Man brought back today eased my heart a little."
Hua Qian had overheard everything earlier when the two juniors gave their report.
"Mo Yue even remembered Hua Shisan. She treated the juniors kindly when they delivered their report, and she herself declared the Du Yanran pursuit complete. That alone eased much of my concern."
Hua Qian chuckled, then adjusted the red blossom in her hair with a smile. "As a fellow female cultivator, I can tell Mo Yue Zūnshàng's not the type to act without restraint. Besides, with the entire Heavenly Demon Palace backing her, does she even need our Hua Clan for anything? If she truly asks us to honor our promise, then we honor it. If we can't, we'll just be honest instead of puffing ourselves up."
Hua Kun laughed. "Funny enough, you sound just like the Ancestor. He told me the same thing."
"Then what are you still worried about?" Hua Qian shot her brother a glare, then her expression turned serious.
"Big Brother, it's about time you passed down the Patriarch position. Just look at Mo Yue, she left once and came back already at late Unity stage. Back then, her cultivation was on par with ours. We've fallen way too far behind. It'll be hard to even associate with her on equal footing, let alone negotiate. Don't tell me we'll have to rely on the Ancestor to handle it every time?"
"I know. I'll pass the Patriarch seat to Hua Lei and have Hua Man assist him. With the recent rise in spiritual energy across the continent, this really is the best time to go into seclusion."
The Hua Clan raised plants as companions, and plants were most sensitive to the world's spiritual energy. They'd already noticed the changes, and several elders had entered closed-door cultivation.
"Exactly. Even my red blossom barely stays in my dantian anymore, it's always outside."
As Hua Qian spoke, the red flower in her hair trembled faintly, showing its presence.
After discussing, the two sisters of the twin lotus line agreed. Not long after, the Patriarch position was officially passed down. Hua Lei became the new head of the Hua Clan, overseeing the estate, while Hua Man assisted him in clan affairs. Hua Xi succeeded Hua Qian as guardian, retreating into the shadows to protect the family.
When Jian Dan heard the Hua Clan had changed leadership, she even asked for details. Upon learning Hua Lei was the new Patriarch instead of Hua Man, she was a little disappointed.
But after thinking it over, she understood. Her interference had prevented Hua Po's schemes from splitting the clan. The Ancestor had recovered faster than expected. With Hua Lei and Hua Xi nurtured as the new twin lotus successors, the Hua Clan had grown steadily.
Thanks to Liu Sheng, Hua Man also rose into the direct bloodline. He wasn't a twin lotus, but as Hua Lei's capable assistant, if a insect war broke out, there was a strong chance he'd step up as acting Patriarch.
When Jian Dan thought about it like that, she felt her investment hadn't been wasted.
Inside her bamboo space, the box holding the twin lotus of agarwood still sat quietly on the shelf, waiting for the day it would serve its purpose.
Jian Dan was satisfied with the Hua Clan's actions. She deemed them worth maintaining ties with and sent Gong Yi to deliver another name card. With it, the Hua Clan could go straight to Mo Yan Peak if they needed her. Having settled that, she set it aside.
Next came strengthening the Heaven Division. After testing the strength of the three squads that day, Jian Dan went full throttle. Every day she went to the Black-Robed Guard station to drill them harder.
At first, it was squad against squad. Then Gong Squad fought Mo Squad, Mo Squad fought Tian Squad. Round after round of battles followed, and anyone who couldn't last a single incense stick on the stage got thoroughly "greeted" by Jian Dan's fists. She drilled the thick-skinned demon cultivators so hard that just seeing Mo Yue Zūnshàng made their scalps tingle.
Inter-squad matches were tolerable. What they dreaded most was when their whole squad had to face Mo Yue Zūnshàng herself.