Chapter 210: Ambush

The minor array master among the demon hunters was that first-rank array master.

Following this lead, Qian Hong ordered Qian Shunzhi to investigate further; after several days, he found some clues.

Qian Shunzhi uncovered Mo Hua's name, address, parents' details, and a portrait of Mo Hua.

Now the portrait lay before Qian Hong.

The portrait showed an eleven- or twelve-year-old boy, his face delicate and handsome, his gaze clear as water, his smile like morning mist.

Qian Hong stared, both astonished and afraid.

He was astonished that such a child already possessed first-rank array master power, and terrified that if this boy grew up and further refined his array skills, the Qian family might lose all standing.

Among all Daoist arts, array techniques are the most widely applied and have the greatest impact.

Even now, with Mo Hua able to draw only first-rank arrays, the Qian family struggles to cope; if he advances to second-rank, he need not lift a finger—just speak, and the Qian family will be ruined.

Qian Hong resolved to kill him.

Master Qian still wished to negotiate first, urging Qian Hong not to act hastily.

A first-rank array master at only ten or so years old—if he died, it would be a terrible waste.

Master Qian understood the hardship of studying arrays to become an array master, so he did not advise Qian Hong to go too far.

Qian Hong thought for a moment and said, "Master Qian speaks wisely. I will consider it carefully."

Master Qian nodded, exhaling in relief.

After seeing Master Qian off, Qian Hong immediately ordered Qian Shunzhi: "Find several Qian family disciples at Qi Condensation Ninth Layer—find a way to kill this little array master!"

Qian Shunzhi was startled. "What about Master Qian…?"

"Master Qian is obsessed with arrays—he doesn't understand these matters."

Qian Hong's gaze turned cold. "Mo Hua is a lone cultivator; his father is a demon hunter, and all his relatives and friends are lone cultivators. He is also deeply favored by Yu Changlin—he will never ally with our Qian family!"

Qian Shunzhi bowed his head in assent, then added, "But if Dao Ting Si finds out…"

"If Dao Ting Si investigates, I will do my best to protect you. If I can't, trading a few lives for the life of a first-rank array master is worth it."

Qian Hong stared at Qian Shunzhi. "Try not to act yourself—let others do it. Let them bear the blame. I value you, so don't bring fire upon yourself—keep your hands clean."

Qian Shunzhi's heart froze.

He finally understood why Qian Hong became family head.

This cold, unyielding heart and ruthless methods—these were worth learning!

Qian Shunzhi respectfully accepted the order, then followed Qian Hong's instructions: he found several unfamiliar Qian family disciples at Qi Condensation Ninth Layer, claiming the family head had ordered them to kill someone, promising each a direct-line heir position upon success.

Should they die, the family head would grant their children generous compensation.

Wealth and honor demand risk—none of the disciples refused.

They disguised themselves as passing merchants, sitting in a teahouse on Nandajie, listening to stories and drinking tea while waiting for Mo Hua.

This was the path that had to be taken on Mo Hua's way home.

They were thoroughly prepared, carrying expensive jade talismans, ready to strike once and eliminate all threats.

Qian Shunzhi sat farther away, pretending to drink tea, his peripheral vision scanning the intersection, searching the crowd for Mo Hua's figure based on the portrait.

Soon, he spotted a small cultivator with red lips and white teeth, carrying a storage bag, appearing at the intersection.

It was Mo Hua.

Qian Shunzhi coughed as a signal.

The Qian disciples maintained calm expressions—eating, drinking, listening to stories—but their hands moved subtly.

Some gripped knives, others clutched swords, still others reached into their robes, preparing to activate talismans.

Their disguises were flawless, silent and unremarkable—they planned to strike swiftly as Mo Hua approached, then vanish immediately.

But as Mo Hua walked, he suddenly stopped, glancing at the teahouse with faint suspicion, spotting Qian Shunzhi and the others.

"They want to kill me?" Mo Hua paused.

His spiritual sense detected their qi already in motion—clear signs of imminent attack.

Since his appearance, their spiritual senses had subtly probed him, radiating clear malice.

They were all Qi Condensation Ninth Layer—far weaker in spiritual sense than Mo Hua—and thought themselves hidden, but to Mo Hua, their intent was as obvious as daylight.

"What should I do?"

Mo Hua reached into his storage bag, touched several arrays, secretly pulled them out, and slipped them into his sleeves.

He prepared the arrays first.

If he could escape, he would flee; if not, he would find an opening to set up an array and blow them apart.

A first-rank Earth Fire Array—even if it didn't kill them—could at least delay them.

After that, with his Flowing Water Step, he could surely escape.

He was only Qi Condensation Sixth Layer; fighting these Qi Condensation Ninth Layer body cultivators directly would be unwise—just escaping was enough.

Mo Hua made his decision, turned, and prepared to leave.

Qian Shunzhi and the others sensed something was wrong—their intent had somehow been discovered.

No time to waste—they rose abruptly, ready to strike by force.

Suddenly, a pair of large hands pressed down on Qian Shunzhi's shoulders, forcing him back into his seat.

Qian Shunzhi looked up—it was an unfamiliar demon hunter, Qi Condensation Ninth Layer, with thick, powerful aura.

He glanced around—his companions were all restrained, surrounded by several more demon hunters.

"You stole my things," the demon hunter said.

Qian Shunzhi's eyelid twitched. "I didn't steal anything."

"No—you did."

Qian Shunzhi sneered. "What did I steal from you?"

"Oh, I must have remembered wrong," the Hunter of Demons said. "You're trying to steal my things!"

"You let—"

Before Qian Shun could finish speaking, the Hunter of Demons punched him in the stomach.

A sharp pain surged through him; Qian Shun knew his scheme was exposed. He gritted his teeth, drew his blade, and slashed at the Hunter of Demons.

The other Qian family cultivators also moved to attack.

The Hunter of Demons and the Qian family cultivators clashed, blood qi surging, spiritual energy churning.

The scene grew chaotic. After more than twenty exchanges, the Hunter of Demons, outnumbering them, knocked all of Qian Shun's group to the ground and bound them with ropes.

Mo Hua blinked, then understood.

This was Nandajie—the Hunter of Demons' territory, effectively his own domain.

The entire street was filled with Hunters of Demons he knew.

Mo Hua suddenly felt his spine straighten.

If the Qian family came looking for trouble, the Hunter of Demons' uncles and aunts would deal with them.

He didn't even need to run, let alone waste a formation.

Seeing them all bound, Mo Hua stepped closer, glanced at them, and asked, "Uncle Zhao, what should we do with these people?"

The leader of the Hunters of Demons was Old Zhao.

He had previously been hunted by the Qian family, hanging half-dead from a tree branch on a cliff, until Mo Hua found him—only then could they rescue him.

Old Zhao had suffered severe injuries and spent time recovering; now his wounds were nearly healed.

Old Zhao smiled at Mo Hua. "Beat them first, then send them to Dao Ting Si. Accuse them of attempted murder."

Mo Hua nodded. "They were trying to kill me. Thank you, Uncle Zhao."

"What's there to thank for?" Old Zhao chuckled. "I should be thanking you—if not for you, I'd probably be dead."

Mo Hua laughed. "It was nothing. No need to thank me."

Old Zhao rummaged through the Qian family cultivators' storage pouches, pulled out several jade talismans, and tossed them to Mo Hua. "Take these talismans. Play with them."