Chapter 141: Treating a Guest

After parting ways, Mo Hua returned home, and the next day he found Elder Yu and told him about it.

Upon hearing "silver-white Dao robe," Elder Yu flew into a rage.

"It's definitely those dog scions of the Qian family!"

Elder Yu stood in the room, hands on his hips, and cursed the entire Qian family—from elders to infants, top to bottom—again and again, using crude language with not a single repetition, leaving Mo Hua utterly awestruck…

Only after venting his fury did Elder Yu notice Mo Hua standing beside him, staring with wide, glossy black eyes.

Elder Yu felt a bit embarrassed, and silently thought to himself:

"I got so angry I forgot Mo Hua was still here—I'll have to be more careful next time, can't corrupt this good kid…"

Elder Yu cleared his throat and said:

"What I just said, pretend you didn't hear it."

"Oh."

Mo Hua nodded, but quietly memorized every curse Elder Yu had uttered, filing them away for reference.

Cursing wasn't good, but if you had to curse, you couldn't lose.

"Elder, has the Qian family done a lot of bad things?" Mo Hua asked again.

Elder Yu was about to answer, but stopped himself and said:

"That's my lord's business—you don't need to worry about it."

Turning away, he muttered under his breath: "... If the top is crooked, the bottom will be too—the Qian family's ancestor is a Wang Ba, and not a single decent soul can be found among his descendants… It's like rats nesting in a sewer…"

As he spoke, Elder Yu unconsciously began cursing again.

Mo Hua couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry.

True, the Qian family all wore silver-white Dao robes, but that didn't mean every person in a silver-white Dao robe was a Qian sect cultivator.

Elder Yu would investigate this matter himself; Mo Hua would no longer interfere.

Two days later, Zhang Lan finished handling the heretic cultivator case and treated Mo Hua to a meal at Ling Shan Lou on Beidajie—Sister Situ was there too.

Ling Shan Lou was owned by the An family; Mo Hua had a bit of a relationship with Young Master An, the little fat boy, having helped him with his array homework. He'd visited before, asking the Shopkeeper about stove designs, but had never eaten there.

After all, the meals at Ling Shan Lou were infused with spiritual energy—and very expensive.

But Zhang Lan had no shortage of spirit stones, and Mo Hua didn't bother being polite with him.

"You worked hard catching that heretic—eat your fill," Zhang Lan said, gesturing to the full table of dishes.

Sister Situ nodded vigorously beside him: "Eat up—if you're still hungry, order more."

Mo Hua's cheeks bulged as he asked: "What about that big brother named Si Tu Xiu?"

"He went back to report."

"Oh." Mo Hua replied, but he didn't really care—he'd just asked out of habit.

Mo Hua wolfed down the food while Zhang Lan sipped wine leisurely, barely touching his chopsticks.

He'd grown tired of these spirit meals since childhood; though rich in spiritual energy, their flavor was bland—he didn't much care for them.

He secretly thought Mo Hua's mother's wild ox demon meat, spicy and fragrant, tasted far better.

Sister Situ, meanwhile, found Mo Hua's puffed-out cheeks as he ate utterly charming and refined, so she simply propped her chin on her hand, watching him eat.

The entire table—chicken, duck, fish, meat of unknown spirit beast species—was eaten only by Mo Hua.

Mo Hua himself thought the food wasn't as good as his mother's cooking, but these meals were so expensive that not eating them felt like a waste.

Yet when Mo Hua was full, plenty of dishes remained on the table.

Zhang Lan said: "I'll have the Shopkeeper pack the rest up for you to take home."

Then he pulled out a storage bag and handed it to Mo Hua:

"There's a hundred spirit stones inside—this is for you."

Mo Hua's eyes lit up; he reached out to take it—then frowned and whispered:

"You're giving me food and money now… you're not bribing me for something, are you?"

"What are you thinking?" Zhang Lan sighed helplessly. "I invited you because you helped immensely. These spirit stones are the reward from Dao Ting Si."

"Ah, I see."

Mo Hua accepted them without guilt.

Zhang Lan added: "I mentioned it to Zhou Zhangsi. Dao Ting Si originally planned to give you other honors, but those are all empty titles—flashy but useless, and likely to bring trouble."

Mo Hua was curious. "What kind of trouble?"

"These heretics aren't always alone—some have accomplices, some have fellow disciples, some even have sects behind them. If Dao Ting Si publicly rewards you, they might come after you for revenge."

Zhang Lan lifted his cup and took a sip. "So, officially, the credit goes to Dao Ting Si—I had them give you extra spirit stones instead. For you, spirit stones are far more practical."

Mo Hua nodded in agreement: "Exactly—quietly getting rich is the best!"

Zhang Lan paused, then said: "There's one more thing—Old Master An wants to meet you."

"Old Master An?"

Mo Hua frowned, then suddenly understood—he whispered to Zhang Lan:

"Did that heretic feed on an An family girl?"

Zhang Lan sucked in a sharp breath. "How did you know?"

"Didn't you slip up the other day and say you couldn't explain it to the An family?"

Zhang Lan cut in: "I didn't say that!"

Mo Hua stared at him meaningfully; Zhang Lan's head throbbed.

This kind of thing couldn't be leaked…

Sister Situ, seeing them whispering, frowned: "What are you two muttering about?"

Zhang Lan immediately said: "Nothing." Then he shot Mo Hua a glance and whispered: "I'll treat you to another meal next time."

Mo Hua also said, "Uncle Zhang didn't say anything."

Sister Situ glanced at Mo Hua, then suspiciously at Zhang Lan.

Zhang Lan, feeling uncomfortable under her gaze, stood up and busied himself packing things for Mo Hua.

Afterwards, the two of them brought Mo Hua to the An family home.

The An family ran a spiritual cuisine business, emphasizing color, aroma, taste, and beauty—making guests feel right at home.

The An family wasn't as overbearing as the Qian family either; the pavilions and towers within the clan focused on elegance and comfort—understated luxury, not so showy.

Along the way, Mo Hua looked around this way and that.

He wasn't interested in the An family's decorations, only in the formations they had laid out.

From the moment he stepped inside, he had been studying the various formations on the walls and the ground.

Some formations were fairly obvious and could be spotted at a glance; others were obscure or complex, and he had to infer them from the array patterns or the characteristics of spiritual power.

Mo Hua watched with great interest, but the An family guards accompanying him were inwardly nervous.

They felt Mo Hua didn't seem like a guest, but more like someone casing the place.

Case the place by day, then rob the house by night.

The key was that although Mo Hua was young, his gaze was clear yet also somewhat deep, as if he could see through the walls, wood, and stone in a single glance and perceive the formations within.

He even muttered softly under his breath—things like "Earth-Stabilizing Formation," "Jin Shi Formation," "Blazing Fire Formation"…

He called out every formation used on their walls, floors, and roofs…

What kind of guest is this?!

The An family guards felt bitter at heart.

But the visitor was a guest, so they couldn't say anything.

Fortunately, after only a while, Mo Hua arrived at the guest hall.

Several guards also breathed a sigh of relief. They bowed to an elder in the guest hall, then respectfully withdrew.

In the exquisite, elegant guest hall, an elder sat upright.

Mo Hua stole a glance and saw that his beard and hair were entirely white, his face glowing with health, his features somewhat dignified, yet his expression very affable. He guessed this must be Old Master An—the actual person in charge of the An family.