Chapter 22: Internal Conflict and Spine
"Do you think your father would throw you to the side if you were incapable of cultivation?"
The little girl's eyes widened for a second, she seemed confused at the Monk's confident and relaxed tone, she likely still remembered her timid brother from before.
Even if he had now changed physically, no one could truly know how much he had changed mentally as well.
As an older brother, Mo Yangling had developed a rather big inferiority complex for both of his younger siblings, making the relationship between them very strained.
It was quite pathetic, but the monk was not about to start insulting the deceased.
"W-well, Father wouldn't throw me away, I think... I mean, weren't you also..." The little girl spoke in a rather unsure tone, as her young mind immediately went towards her older brother's situation.
The Monk couldn't help but sigh, concealing his disgust at Mo Weisheng when noticing that his only daughter couldn't even confidently say she wouldn't be abandoned.
Still, as a responsible adult, he decided to offer her some reassurance. God only knew how much trauma a child felt if they realized their parent's love was only measured by their talent in one thing...
"I was banished by the clan elders, not by Father.
I'd say it's true enough, Father would likely still love you even without cultivation... So why use it as a measuring stick for family members?"
The monk slowly got on one knee as he spoke, getting a bit closer to the little girl's height as he patted her head with a comforting smile.
"R-right... Sorry about that big brother..." The little girl bit her upper lip as she looked at the ground in embarrassment, something that made the monk smile even further.
'No matter how rotten people are, young generations always fill my heart with hope.'
The little girl didn't hang around much longer, the Monk had given her plenty of stuff to think about regardless, so she just slowly slapped her brother hand's off of her head and turned around to run.
"Bye then, see you around! You're a lot cooler now by the way..."
The monk strained to catch the last part, which only made him chuckle even more.
Mo Yangling then entered the clan's main building, walking right by the main room with that fancy carpet and going straight towards his father's office.
He entered it without bothering to knock, to his surprise his father was there with another woman that he barely recognized...
They seemed to be just finished with some rather important business, as the woman quickly put her clothes back on fully, covering her shoulders.
She was also wearing a rather revealing dress, with a thigh-high skirt and rather deep neckline. It was mostly red, but it had some gold and black highlights on it.
The sigil of the Mo Clan, the golden sun nestled within the larger half-moon, was also present near her chest and on a necklace that she wore.
Both Mo Weisheng and that woman seemed to be quite embarrassed, but also mad.
"How dare you enter the clan head's office without so much as knocking?!?" The Woman immediately walked up to Mo Yangling, her aura surging at a similar level to the Guards at the gate of the compound.
'A blonde martial master that Mo Weisheng was hooking up with... Amitabha, seems I have some gaps in my memories too...'
Still, the monk was getting a bit irritated by the woman's attitude.
"Knocking? Why? I was not worried about finding him jerking off or something, this isn't a private room, it's his goddamn working place."
The monk scowled, he had expected his 'loving father' to at the very least be expecting him to drop by his office.
After receiving such a piss-poor performance from him during his arrival earlier, the monk thought that the old man was preparing mentally for a discussion, not getting his rocks off.
"This is the Clan Head's Office! He can do whatever the hell he wants in here, especially with the First Lady of the Clan! Some reject like you have no right to say anything regarding this!"
The monk could feel a vein bulging on his forehead, he then looked at his father, who seemed to be sinking a bit into his seat.
He didn't seem too keen on admitting his faults, he especially seemed to be quite weak in front of his new wife, unwilling to upset her by defending his oldest 'useless' son.
Even though, in the current situation, he truly should not have gotten intimate with someone in his office.
It was a busy period, and if any emergency were to happen anyone could've just walked in... After all the Clan Head needed to always be ready for any situation. It was just a stupid choice on his end.
'Hmph, so he instantly got married to one of the concubines he kept... I think this woman was... Mo Liqin, I can't remember anything about her at all, aside from the fact that she's Little Xia's mother...'
The Monk contemplated slapping the both of them through a window, but the pacifist within him told him to have patience.
"Clan head, are you going to keep sitting there and doing nothing?" Mo Yangling ignored the new Lady of the Clan and turned to his father.
Only when being personally called out did the father have to cough into his own fist and start speaking up.
"... It is true that you should have knocked before coming in. But I admit that I should be more focused on my duties."
The Monk sighed as he finally got a good look at his 'father'.
He was a dark-haired, handsome man with stubble and moustache. His red eyes were imposing and his cold demeanor clearly showcased that he had a good handle on his emotions.
As the Clan head, he represented the Mo Family at all times. He wore a deep crimson long-sleeved robe, looking like a well-read scholar.
He wore a white gold crown, with a jewel that looked like the sun itself, caught within a crescent moon made of what seemed to be black gold.
"However, my son... You've been acting too arrogant ever since returning. You even tried to anger the Grand Elder! What's in your head!?"
The Father immediately changed the subject and started scolding the Monk, who just shook his head in disapproval.
'What, we're just going to ignore your mistakes now? He's moved on to acting all fierce and trying to put up a tough front...'
"Haah~ Look Clan Head, you really need to get your shit together. The Grand Elder was totally leading that meeting, did he suddenly become the Clan Head while I was away?"
Mo Weisheng's brows furrowed, his fist clenched as he trembled slightly.
But he didn't even get to speak up, as his wife immediately jumped in.
"What do you even know?! The Clan's situation is the way it is because of you and your foolish mother!
The Grand Elder exploited your father's grief to seize more power, and now most of the elders support him!
Things are only going to get worse now that you've come back, you worthless waste of space!"
Mo Yangling raised an eyebrow at the blonde woman's angry outburst. But she didn't stop there.
"Why... Why are you even here?!?" The woman asked as she did her best to apply more pressure on the Monk.
But Mo Yangling wasn't bothered by that pressure, she looked more like a harmless puppy to him.
Yet, when hearing that last question, he looked at Mo Weisheng, who was still silently staring at him.
"Amitabha, through all the bullshit you've spouted, you also asked a good question... Why am I even here?" The monk asked before shrugging and turning around, leaving the room without even looking backwards.
'Om, may the Healing Buddha aid you in growing a spine, Mo Weisheng!
It was my mistake to try and get to know you... I should just focus on learning more about this world for now.'
As the monk left the main house of the Mo Clan, someone else was finally waking up...
'W-What happened?'
The Grand Elder, Mo Ling shakily stood up. He smelt and felt dirty, his pristine robes and beard were smeared by both saliva and vomit.
He felt unwell, a headache rippling through his skull as he finally stood up to look at his surroundings.
'Wasn't... Wasn't I confronting that child, Mo Yangling? Did I seriously pass out in front of him?
Wait, did I even get to him? I need to visit the clinic, this isn't normal!'
He had no recollection of what had happened. His eyes were still a bit cloudy even.
A Golden Core cultivator was normally a lot more resilient than even a hundred Grandmasters, so how could he have gotten sick so easily?
But those were questions that he was going to have to find the answer to by himself.
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