The list of herbs remained on the table long after dinner had ended.
No one spoke.
The flickering candlelight danced across the neatly written names, casting long shadows over the paper.
Mo Kang read through them once more.
Then again.
With every pass, his expression grew increasingly solemn. He had engraved Rune Plates for over twenty years. He knew the value of spiritual herbs better than most people in the clan.
Some of the ingredients listed before him were not merely expensive. They were treasures that cultivators might never encounter in an entire lifetime.
Yet...
When he looked at his son, he saw none of the greed that usually accompanied such requests.
Only hesitation.
Almost guilt.
That alone told him everything he needed to know. Mo Kang remained silent. He did not ask where the prescription had come from. Nor why such precious herbs appeared together in a single formula.
Every cultivator possessed secrets. Even a child. If Mo Xuan wished to tell him one day...
He would. If not... He would wait. After a long silence, he nodded. "Then I'll gather them."
Mo Xuan immediately shook his head. "No."
"I don't want Father spending everything because of me."
Mo Kang smiled. "What is wealth for if not to support the family?"
He leaned forward. "If Spirit Stones can't help my son..."
"...then they're nothing more than cold pieces of rock."
Mo Xuan's throat tightened. For several moments... He could not speak.
The following morning, Mo Kang left before sunrise. Instead of heading toward his workshop, he travelled directly to the Commercial Hall located near the centre of the Mo Clan estate.
The hall bustled with activity. Merchants entered carrying storage pouches filled with spiritual herbs and beast materials. Rune Masters delivered newly completed Rune Plates. Clan stewards carefully recorded every transaction.
As Mo Kang entered, an elderly steward greeted him. "Master Mo."
"You've arrived early."
"I need information."
The steward smiled. "On what?"
Mo Kang unfolded the list. The steward's smile gradually disappeared. By the time he reached the final herb...
He looked up in astonishment. "Where did you obtain this prescription?"
Mo Kang just smiled.
The steward understood immediately. Prying into a man's affairs was poor business etiquette. He asked no further questions. Instead, he slowly nodded. "I'll check the inventory."
Nearly half an hour passed. When the steward finally returned, his expression carried both relief and disappointment. "We have four."
He placed several wooden boxes upon the counter.
"Nine-Yang Spirit Ginseng."
"Azure Spirit Vine."
"Earth Pulse Root."
"And Dragon Vein Moss."
Mo Kang examined each carefully. Every herb was genuine. His heart relaxed slightly. "How much?"
The steward hesitated. "You'll receive the clan discount."
"Even so…"
The steward quietly named the price.
Mo Kang's fingers tightened. It was almost equal to three months of his income. For only four herbs, and there were still eight remaining.
Without another word...
He removed a small storage pouch from his sleeve and handed it to the steward.
The steward probed it with his spiritual sense, then looked back up. "I'll prepare them immediately."
Meanwhile...
Mo Xuan remained completely unaware. As always, he spent the morning inside the Rune Archive. Yet today...
His attention wandered repeatedly. The words of the Revolution Connecting Mantra echoed endlessly inside his mind.
Strengthen the body, and the mind shall feed upon it.
The sentence seemed simple. Yet the more he contemplated it...
The deeper it became.
Body.
Mind.
Soul.
Ordinary cultivators strengthened their souls first. This inheritance... Began with the body. Why?
He searched every cultivation manual in the Archive. None described such a path. Every recorded technique relied upon absorbing spiritual essence through the Sea of Consciousness. Only this theory completely ignored it. It was unlike anything ever documented within the Mo Clan's records.
Late that afternoon, as Mo Xuan prepared to leave, a familiar voice called from behind.
"You look more alive."
He turned.
Mo Ming stood with her arms folded, leaning casually against one of the towering bookshelves.
She studied him for several moments before speaking again. "You've looked different these past few days."
Mo Xuan smiled.
"I've been sleeping better."
"Hmm," she murmured. She stepped closer and circled him, examining his condition.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
She looked at him for a long moment before speaking more softly. "Not bad. You look a bit like I remember, not like a soulless person." With that, she turned and left.
The next few weeks passed quietly. Life within the Mo Clan estate appeared unchanged.
The younger disciples continued their daily cultivation. The training grounds remained filled with the sounds of discussion and excited cheers whenever someone achieved a breakthrough.
The Rune Archive welcomed the same handful of scholars each morning. Merchants entered and departed through the Commercial Hall. Everything continued as it always had.
Only one family was slowly exhausting everything they possessed.
Every few days, Mo Kang returned from Azure Pine City carrying another small wooden box.
Sometimes it contained only a single herb. Each journey ended the same way. He carefully compared the herb against the list before crossing another name away.
Nine remained.
Then eight.
Then seven.
Each missing ingredient demanded an increasingly greater price. The merchants had begun recognising him. "Master Mo."
"You've come for spiritual herbs again?"
Mo Kang smiled wearily. Without complaint, he paid.
Every Spirit Stone he had spent years earning through Rune Plates gradually disappeared. He never hesitated. Not once.
One afternoon, as Mo Xuan returned from the Rune Archive, he noticed unfamiliar voices coming from his father's workshop. The door remained slightly open.
Inside sat three travelling merchants examining several completed Rune Plates. One after another, they nodded in admiration. "Master Mo's craftsmanship truly deserves its reputation."
"The formations are flawless."
"But..." The eldest merchant looked up.
"You're asking far below market value."
Mo Kang smiled calmly. "I need Spirit Stones quickly."
The merchants exchanged puzzled glances.
None argued.
They accepted immediately.
After they departed, Mo Xuan remained standing outside the doorway. He knew those Rune Plates. His father had spent nearly two months engraving them.
Under normal circumstances...
They would have sold for almost twice today's price. He quietly turned away before his father noticed him. His chest felt unusually heavy.
Nearly two months after discovering the prescription, the final herb finally arrived. It came sealed inside an ordinary wooden box scarcely larger than both hands.
The merchant who delivered it bowed respectfully before leaving without unnecessary conversation. Mo Kang carefully carried it into the house.
Mo Kang placed twelve wooden boxes upon the table.
Slowly...
He opened them one by one.
Golden roots.
Scarlet grass.
Ice-blue lotus petals.
Ancient moss glowing faintly with spiritual essence.
The room immediately filled with an astonishing medicinal fragrance.
Mo Xuan's eyes widened. "...Father."
His voice barely emerged. "You..."
Mo Kang smiled.
"It took longer than expected, but everything on the list is here. It should be enough for the medicinal bath."
Mo Xuan remained completely still. He recognised every herb immediately. Each one matched the prescription exactly.
Not one was missing. Not one had been replaced.
His vision gradually blurred.
He had spent more than a year believing he was walking alone.
Yet his father had carried the heaviest part of the journey without ever knowing the whole truth.
He slowly bowed with the deepest gratitude his heart could offer.
"...Thank you."
No one spoke because no words were necessary.
Tomorrow, Mo Xuan would begin cultivating the Revolution Connecting Mantra in earnest.
The medicinal bath awaited.