Chapter 125: Yu Chengyi

Mo Hua walked through the outer mountain with Seeing Mo Shan, then drew the outer mountain's map himself.

A map, in this context, was a hunter's map, marked with mountain contours, streams and rivers, miasma and poisonous swamps, and areas where beast-creatures appeared.

Seeing Mo Shan also had a map, but it was extremely crude—barely showing any mountain paths, nothing else.

For veteran beast-hunters, maps weren't drawn on paper, but memorized in their minds.

You couldn't possibly stop to check a map while a beast-creature chased you behind you…

But Mo Hua wasn't a veteran beast-hunter—he didn't even count as one—so he wanted to draw a more detailed map.

Mo Hua added his own annotations on top of Seeing Mo Shan's old map.

He carefully marked every detail: mountain contours, streams, and all notable points along the way.

After Seeing Mo Shan took him through the outer mountain several more times, Mo Hua gradually filled out the map until the entire terrain of the outer mountain was not only drawn on the map but also etched into his mind.

Seeing Mo Shan casually tested Mo Hua with a few questions.

Like where miasma lurked, where beast-creatures appeared, where the camp was, and where to hide if danger struck.

Mo Hua answered them all fluently—even more clearly than some veteran beast-hunters.

Seeing Mo Shan sighed, then relaxed, and after that, he paid Mo Hua little attention.

So Mo Hua found Brother Da Hu and his two brothers again, and the four of them entered the mountain together.

Brother Da Hu and the others killed beast-creatures, Mo Hua bled them, and then they split the spirit stones together.

The division of labor was clear, simple, and efficient.

"But… Uncle Mo really let you enter the mountain…"

Xiao Hu still found it hard to believe.

"Aren't you guys in the mountain too? I can go in too."

Mo Hua said, as he bled a beast-creature shaped like a wild boar.

"That's not the same…"

"Yeah, when I saw that Maned Fire Dog charge at you, I broke out in cold sweat…"

"Thank goodness your body movement was good, or it would've been terrifying."

Even now, the three of them still felt a lingering chill.

"But Mo Hua, your body movement is incredible!"

Shuang Hu couldn't help but praise.

He'd never seen such body movement—it flowed like water, fluttered like a butterfly, darting left and right, utterly unpredictable.

Even after being torn at for so long by a Maned Fire Dog in a rage, not even a corner of his robe was touched.

Mo Hua said modestly: "Thanks to that kind stranger who passed by… but I've only learned a little."

After stowing the jade vials filled with beast-blood, Mo Hua added:

"I've bled it dry—you guys skin it. This boar's huge—probably worth a lot of spirit stones."

Brother Da Hu and the others perked up and began skinning and boning the beast-creature, preparing to sell the spirit stones.

Mo Hua, with nothing to do, glanced into his storage pouch—inside were already dozens of vials of beast-blood.

But Mo Hua felt it still wasn't enough.

Nine array lines were a major barrier for array masters.

After reaching Qi Condensation Sixth Layer, one needed to break through the bottleneck of the Great Expansion Scripture by deciphering arrays—another major barrier.

Both barriers required drawing many arrays, and spirit ink was always better in greater quantity.

Beast-blood should be stockpiled as much as possible.

But… how could he stockpile more?

Mo Hua frowned.

Brother Da Hu and the other two were only at Qi Condensation Sixth Layer—they could kill one beast-creature a day, and that was already good.

If Mo Hua acted alone, even against a dying beast-creature, he could evade with his body movement, but killing one was difficult—he could only rely on Fireball Technique.

Fireball Technique wasn't powerful; against beast-creatures with thick hides and flesh, especially those with fire-affinity beast-energy, its effectiveness dropped further.

To kill a dying beast-creature, he'd likely need to fire several Fireball Techniques.

Mo Hua practiced Fireball Technique whenever he had time—now it was accurate and fast, even allowing him to strike before the beast-creature could react.

But even if he could kill ten beast-creatures with Fireball Technique, one slip, one moment of vulnerability, and the beast-creature would grab him—he'd be in danger.

For ten vials of beast-blood and a few spirit stones, the risk wasn't worth it.

Mo Hua thought for days but found no good solution.

Until this day, while wandering the outer mountain and updating his map, he encountered Yu Chengyi leading a hunting party.

Yu Chengyi was the eldest son of Elder Yu, at Qi Condensation Ninth Layer—his cultivation was impressive and he held considerable prestige among beast-hunters.

He usually led teams deep in the inner mountain, but a few days ago, word came that a troublesome beast-creature had appeared in the outer mountain—though only mid first-grade, it was hard to handle.

Today, Yu Chengyi happened to be free, so he temporarily gathered some beast-hunters and came to the outer mountain to hunt this beast-creature.

Yu Chengyi was fully alert, searching with his team for traces of the beast-creature, when he heard someone call his name—the voice was childish.

Yu Chengyi froze, looked up, and saw a tiny cultivator waving at him from a distant rock.

He nearly dropped his jaw.

Where did this kid come from?

This was Great Heishan!

How did he get in? How dare he come in?! Didn't he fear being eaten by beast-creatures?!

When Yu Chengyi recognized who it was, his heart leapt again—he cried out: "Mo Hua?!"

He remembered Mo Hua.

Mo Shan's son, young in age, with a sweet face, excels at drawing arrays; his father even told him to look out for others.

Yu Chengyi's heart turned cold, a wave of dread washing over him.

A minor array master among the demon hunters—what a terrible loss if a demon beast devoured him.

Yu Chengyi dodged aside, three steps as one, and arrived instantly beside Mo Hua, lifting him off the cliff and placing him on the ground.

"Uncle Yu, your body technique is amazing!"

Mo Hua said, once on the ground.

"Not bad."

Yu Chengyi demurred, then realized—this wasn't the time to be talking about this…

He glanced at Mo Hua, then scanned the surroundings, unable to help asking: "Where's your father?"

"My father's inside the mountain."

"Wait… your father isn't with you?"

"I can't go inside the mountain," Mo Hua said.

Mo Shan had told him to play in the outer mountain, and repeatedly warned him not to enter the inner mountain. Mo Hua strictly obeyed—he'd rather die than go inside.

Yu Chengyi said: "What I mean is, isn't your father with you?"

"No, he's going inside to hunt demons—he can't stay with me forever."

Yu Chengyi stared, dumbfounded: "You're saying Mo Shan brought you into the mountain, then left you out here?"

Has Mo Shan lost his mind?

"Not exactly," Mo Hua said. "I came with Brother Da Hu and the others. My father only told me to stay in the outer mountain—no going inside."

Yu Chengyi asked slowly, word by word: "You're saying Mo Shan allowed you to enter the outer mountain?"

Mo Hua nodded.

Yu Chengyi was furious.

What joke is this? The outer mountain is still Great Heishan! It's full of poison, miasma, and demon beasts!

Don't underestimate the outer mountain!

For a long time, Yu Chengyi could not calm his emotions.

"Enough about that," Mo Hua said. "Uncle Yu, can you help me with something?"

Yu Chengyi asked a few trivial questions, interrupting Mo Hua's train of thought and nearly making him forget what he'd intended to say.

"Help?" Yu Chengyi blinked. "Send someone to take you back?"

"No," Mo Hua waved his hand. "I just entered the mountain—why go back?"

Mo Hua glanced sidelong at the demon hunters behind Yu Chengyi and whispered:

"Can I borrow a few of your men?"