Chapter 118: Traps

Those who prepare succeed; those who do not, fail.

If you're going into Great Heishan, you must prepare thoroughly.

Great Heishan's environment is perilous, filled with poisons, shrouded in miasma, and teeming with lurking demonic beasts.

Demonic beasts don't reason—they'll eat anyone they see, and even those who don't eat will still kill, gutting cultivators and walking away.

Mo Hua grew up in Xiancheng; his father was a demon hunter, and from childhood he was steeped in the dangers of Great Heishan.

To enter the mountain recklessly is to risk death—likely with no trace left behind.

Therefore, if you enter, you must consider every detail in advance, have a plan ready, so that when danger strikes, you won't be caught off guard and left hanging by a thread.

"My parents have only me as a son," Mo Hua thought silently.

One day, Liu Ruhua brought some beef and vegetables to Jiang Yun, telling her to take them home for the child.

Jiang Yun declined, saying she couldn't carry so much.

Storage bags for Qi Condensation cultivators are cheap and have little space—they truly can't hold much.

"Jiang Yi, I'll carry them back for you," Mo Hua volunteered.

"How could that be?"

"It's fine—I'm going to see Uncle Chu anyway."

"Really?" Jiang Yun asked, puzzled.

"Mm." Mo Hua nodded.

Jiang Yun no longer refused, carrying the storage bag ahead, while Mo Hua held two large cabbages behind her.

Along the way, Jiang Yi kept turning back to check on Mo Hua, warning him to be careful, asking if he was tired, if he wanted to rest.

After about a cup of tea's walk, they reached Jiang Yun's home.

Jiang Yun's home was humble—two or three rooms, walls peeling, furniture and furnishings old and broken, missing legs or arms.

Fortunately, the kitchen still had a steady fire—at least food and warmth weren't lacking.

Jiang Yun felt embarrassed. "Our home is rather shabby…"

"It's fine, Jiang Yi," Mo Hua smiled.

Most scattered cultivator households in Xiancheng were like this—humble and shabby.

Mo Hua's own family had been slightly better off, but that was because Liu Ruhua managed the household frugally, and Mo Shan was skilled at hunting demons, strong and healthy, with no major misfortunes—so though poor, they managed.

But all that assumed no accidents.

Once a scattered cultivator household suffers misfortune, it collapses immediately—survival becomes hard, let alone cultivating for immortality.

Jiang Yi's husband was severely injured while hunting demons, their savings drained with no income, and they had a baby still nursing—though she wept daily, there was nothing she could do.

Later, she worked at a eatery, earning some spirit stones; after her husband's condition improved, he could help support the household, and things became a little better.

The life of a scattered cultivator is far more fragile than imagined, yet despite this, everyone still strives to live.

Jiang Yi's mother-in-law was soothing the child; seeing Mo Hua, she warmly greeted him.

The child peeked out, dark, round eyes curiously studying Mo Hua.

Mo Hua pulled out a cloth tiger and gave it to him; the child mumbled, "Thank you, big brother~," clutched the tiger tightly, and squealed with delight.

Mo Hua smiled, then went to find Jiang Yi's husband, Chu Guangshan.

Chu Guangshan was surprised to see Mo Hua, but upon hearing he had something to ask, he became delighted.

"Speak up—whatever it is, if I can do it, it's on me!"

"Uncle Chu, I'd like to ask—how do you use traps?" Mo Hua asked.

The little cat demon who once trained Mo Hua in Flowing Water Step was caught by Chu Guangshan using a trap.

Juvenile demonic beasts aren't strong, but they're alert, perceptive, and familiar with their environment—they rarely fall into cultivator traps.

That Chu Guangshan could trap demonic beasts—even alive—was remarkable.

Partly because Mo Hua had drawn a Wood Binding Array on the trap, making it hard for the beast to escape.

But it also showed Chu Guangshan had deep experience and insight in setting traps.

Not every demon hunter has the patience or care to study traps.

Chu Guangshan hesitated.

"If it's inconvenient, forget it," Mo Hua quickly said.

Asking about a livelihood skill like this was indeed Tang Tu.

Chu Guangshan paused, then laughed:

"What's inconvenient about that? I'm glad you asked me—but…"

Chu Guangshan paused again, then said:

"These are trivial tricks—you shouldn't waste too much time on them. Focus on cultivation and arrays—that's where your future lies…"

"I'm practically a cripple—I can't hunt demons anymore, so I can only pour my effort into these small arts, just to earn a little, otherwise your Jiang Yi… would suffer too much…"

Chu Guangshan sighed, his expression self-deprecating.

Mo Hua was moved; after a moment, he said: "Understanding the world is learning; cultivation is vast and profound, embracing all things—the Great Dao is Dao, and the small Dao is Dao too."

Chu Guangshan was slightly startled, then smiled: "Where did you learn that? It makes sense. Since you don't look down on it, I'll teach you everything. But I still say—these are trivial tricks, not worth too much focus."

"Mm, don't worry—I won't neglect cultivation or arrays."

Chu Guangshan finally nodded.

"Traps are simple, but require patience and care."

"To set a trap, observe the terrain and environment, guess where the demonic beast will come from and where it will go, and place the trap along its inevitable path…"

"After setting the trap, erase all traces—the grass, trees, rocks—must remain exactly as they were. You must also erase your scent; if some scent can't be removed, learn to mask it…"

"How do you mask it?" Mo Hua asked.

"Monster beasts love to eat things rank and rotten. You can use monster blood and rotten meat to mask your aura, or use herbs like Blood-Fragrance Grass that naturally carry a rank smell."

"As for making traps, I'll draw a few diagrams for you later. It's very simple—just look them over and add some formations yourself, and the effect should be even better."

……

"Lastly, beware of monster beasts playing dead. Monster beasts are cunning—when they stumble into a trap, they'll sometimes play dead. When you draw close to check, they'll suddenly spring up and ambush you. Nine times out of ten, you won't be able to defend against it."

Chu Guangshan explained everything in meticulous detail.

Mo Hua nodded again and again as he listened.

When Mo Hua was about to take his leave, Chu Guangshan's expression was hesitant, as if he wanted to speak but held back.

"Uncle Chu, is there something else?"

"Nothing, nothing."

Chu Guangshan hurriedly waved his hand, but by his expression, it was clear there was something—yet it was hard for him to bring it up.

Mo Hua said softly, "Jiang Yi treats me very well, and you've taught me how to use traps. If there's something, just say it."

Chu Guangshan's face flushed bright red. He hesitated for a long while before finally speaking:

"I want to wait until Zhou'er is a bit older—could you teach him a little formation art…"

Zhou'er is Chu Guangshan and Jiang Yun's son, the very child Mo Hua had just seen.

Chu Guangshan himself had been injured by a monster beast. Though he didn't die, he could never hunt monsters again for the rest of his life, and even making a living was difficult.

He didn't really want his son to follow his old path—living on the knife's edge, licking blood, worrying and fearing every day, gone with a single misstep. So he wanted his son to learn a little formation art, so that in the future he could earn a living.

Learning formation art required taking a master, and he simply couldn't afford the spirit stones.

So he could only ask Mo Hua, but he couldn't afford to pay Mo Hua either. Opening his mouth like this left him both ashamed and guilty.

But he had no way out. Even though it was hard to speak, for his son's sake, he had no choice but to say it.

Mo Hua paused slightly and thought for a moment.

Chu Guangshan hurriedly added, "Of course, if Zhou'er is dim-witted and has no talent for it, then forget it…"

Though Chu Guangshan said this, hope was still hidden in the depths of his eyes, and he even seemed a little humble.

Mo Hua looked at him and felt a little sad…

He pretended he hadn't seen any of it, and simply said with a smile:

"Sure, but we'll have to wait until Zhou'er is a bit older. Even if his talent isn't great, as long as he can learn a few formations, he can do business with merchant houses, earn some spirit stones. In the future, he won't be rich or noble, but food and clothing should be enough."

The stone in Chu Guangshan's heart dropped to the ground, and he unconsciously let out a long breath of relief.

He looked at Mo Hua, his emotions surging for a moment, his eyes slightly red. Words of gratitude rose to his lips, but they felt too thin—he didn't know how to say them properly.

Mo Hua smiled and bade him farewell.

Chu Guangshan saw Mo Hua out of his house, then walked him to the street. Seeing the signboard of "Liu's Eatery" just ahead, he finally stopped, yet his gaze followed Mo Hua all the way home.