The next day, Lin Mo heard from Gu Zi that Yuan Li had started getting closer to Ye Kai.
“Senior Brother, it seems that the disciples of Qingzhu Peak are all siding with Senior Brother Ye now. Some have even started spreading rumors that you are ruthless towards your fellow disciples, lacking even the slightest bit of compassion.”
Gu Zi spoke these words with clear indignation on Lin Mo’s behalf.
Lin Mo replied calmly, “You don’t need to worry about these things. Let them do as they please.”
“But I think they don’t understand you at all, Senior Brother Lin. And they certainly shouldn’t be smearing your name with such malice.”
Lin Mo was not surprised by any of this.
In the past, Qingzhu Peak had been entirely under the original owner’s control—no disciple dared to disobey him.
Now, with Ye Kai having intervened on Yuan Li’s behalf and preventing his punishment, he had established a second source of authority on Qingzhu Peak.
Compared to Lin Mo, who was seen as cold, ruthless, and overly strict, the disciples would naturally prefer the ‘kind’ and approachable Ye Kai.
“Enough, Gu Zi. I will be going into seclusion for a while. Announce that I won’t be seeing anyone during this period.”
“Understood, Senior Brother!”
Lin Mo had no intention of continuing to manage the affairs of Qingzhu Peak. His time was his own now, and his priority was strengthening his cultivation.
Besides, hadn’t his master, Yuehua Zhenren, always said so?
A cultivator should focus primarily on their cultivation.
And if anything went wrong on Qingzhu Peak, wasn’t Ye Kai still there to handle it?
As for Yuan Li’s matter, Lin Mo could already imagine how pleased Ye Kai must be with himself.
To this, Lin Mo could only respond with a cold smile.
The original owner had been too much of a pushover, and Lin Mo had his reasons for saying so.
Take Yuan Li, for example. The original owner had always known his character—no matter how many times he was forgiven, he would still be obsessed with his cultivation and neglect his duties of tending to the spiritual fields and plants.
Because of this, the original owner had to frequently take time out of his schedule to personally manage them.
After all, the spiritual fields and plants were essential to the daily operations of Qingzhu Peak, and the original owner didn’t want any issues to arise there.
But Lin Mo was not the original owner. He had no intention of cleaning up Yuan Li’s mess.
In fact, he was curious to see how much the production of the spiritual fields and plants would decline without his intervention.
Now that he had gone into seclusion and no longer concerned himself with Qingzhu Peak’s matters, Lin Mo found himself with a great deal of free time.
In just half a month, he had not only consolidated his cultivation realm but had also advanced the “Three Thousand Sword Arts” to the fifth level.
It was a small but meaningful improvement in his strength.
Meanwhile, outside, without Lin Mo’s supervision, Shen Ke’er had also begun slacking off in her training.
Previously, she had always been under Lin Mo’s strict watch. Now that he no longer cared, she would often find excuses to leave the sect with Ye Kai, behaving just like a couple in their honeymoon phase.
On this particular day, the Qingling Sect was holding its disciple recruitment event, and it was also the time when last year’s new disciples would go on their first training expedition.
In the main hall of Qingzhu Peak, Yuehua Zhenren gathered all the inner disciples under her command.
In the Qingling Sect, each of the twelve peaks was required to send one disciple to lead the new recruits on their training expedition.
Yuehua Zhenren swept her gaze over the disciples and said indifferently, “Who is willing to lead the team this time?”
Everyone avoided eye contact.
This was a grueling task. Many of the new disciples came from prestigious families and carried an overwhelming sense of arrogance, making them difficult to manage.
If anything went wrong, the leader would be held responsible and face punishment.
None of them were willing to take on such a thankless job.
At this moment, Ye Kai stepped forward and said, “Master, the selection of the team leader represents the reputation of Qingzhu Peak. It should be someone with a steady temperament and extensive experience.”
With these words, all the disciples turned their gazes toward Lin Mo.
Shen Ke’er quickly chimed in, “In previous years, it was always Senior Brother Lin who led the team. Among all of us, he is the only one with experience in leading, and his cultivation is the highest. If he takes on the role, there will certainly be no issues.”
Her thoughts were simple—these past days, Lin Mo had been in seclusion, leaving her and Ye Kai free to enjoy themselves without supervision.
No training, no restrictions—they could do whatever they pleased.
Now, as long as Lin Mo took on the responsibility of leading the team, she could continue enjoying this carefree life.
However, she seemed to have forgotten what Lin Mo had said before.
Even if he hadn’t been in seclusion, Lin Mo wouldn’t have bothered to manage her anymore.
“Yes, we all think Senior Brother Lin is the best choice,” the other disciples echoed.
Yuehua Zhenren turned to Lin Mo, who had remained silent. “Mo’er, what do you think?”
Lin Mo showed no expression. “I will follow Master’s decision.”
This was something he couldn’t avoid.
At present, none of the disciples on Qingzhu Peak had the ability to lead the team.
He might as well take this as an opportunity to step out for some fresh air—he was feeling a bit stifled staying on Qingzhu Peak all the time.
With that, the matter was settled. In three days, Lin Mo would depart with the new disciples for their training expedition.
The next morning, while Lin Mo was practicing his swordsmanship, a commotion arose outside his residence.
Gu Zi was blocking Ye Kai and Shen Ke’er at the door. “Senior Brother Ye, Senior Sister Shen, Senior Brother Lin is practicing his swordsmanship and is not seeing anyone at the moment.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Ke’er flared up. “I have something to discuss with Senior Brother! How dare you, an outer disciple, stop me?”
Gu Zi stood firm. “I’m just following Senior Brother Lin’s instructions!”
Ye Kai, standing beside Shen Ke’er, spoke calmly, “So, Senior Brother Lin’s words count, but ours don’t?”
Gu Zi wasn’t good with words, but he repeated firmly, “I’m simply carrying out Senior Brother Lin’s orders. If you wish to see him, you’ll have to wait outside.”
“Fine, fine, fine!” Shen Ke’er was livid. Since when did she need to wait to see Lin Mo? “If you don’t step aside, don’t blame me for being rude!”
Gu Zi remained steadfast, making no move to step aside.
Seeing this, Shen Ke’er stopped arguing and instead raised her palm, channeling her spiritual energy before striking toward Gu Zi.
Though she held back somewhat, the attack was still powerful enough to leave Gu Zi seriously injured.
This was meant as a lesson for this foolish outer disciple.
Facing this strike, Gu Zi was utterly terrified.
As a mere Qi Refining cultivator, how could he possibly evade it?
He squeezed his eyes shut, thinking this was the end for him.
Just as he braced for impact, a shadow appeared in front of him.
Lin Mo had stepped in, gripping Shen Ke’er’s wrist tightly. His voice was as cold as ice. “What are you doing?”
Shen Ke’er withdrew her hand and pointed at Gu Zi. “Senior Brother Lin, this outer disciple is blind. I had something important to discuss with you, yet he blocked my way and wouldn’t let me in!”
Lin Mo’s voice remained frosty. “I was the one who told him to stand guard. Is there a problem with that?”
Shen Ke’er replied matter-of-factly, “But he stopped me.”
Lin Mo stared straight into her eyes, his gaze piercingly cold. “And what of it?”
Shen Ke’er was at a loss for words, unable to come up with a rebuttal.
