Chapter 215

"The Dao Prison does not allow cultivators to enter at will; ordinary cultivators should never go in—it's not a good place."

Mo Hua nodded, feeling Zhang Lan's words made sense.

He wanted to be a good cultivator who followed the rules; as for the Dao Prison, better not enter if possible.

There were many arrays both inside and outside the Dao Ting Si.

These arrays were subtle and of high rank; some Mo Hua could recognize, others he could not distinguish.

Mo Hua did not dare examine them too closely.

After all, this was the Dao Ting Si—if he saw arrays he wasn't meant to see, trouble would follow.

Zhang Lan brought Mo Hua before Zhou Zhangsi and bowed respectfully.

Mo Hua followed suit, then secretly lifted his head to glance at Zhou Zhangsi.

Zhou Zhangsi was very old, his hair white, his posture slightly hunched, his face gentle, yet his gaze still carried the authority of one in command.

Zhou Zhangsi looked at Mo Hua and nodded, unable to resist praising him a few times.

Mo Hua reciprocated with a few compliments of his own, all phrases Zhang Lan had told him—now put to immediate use: "peaceful governance," "diligent and meritorious," "outstanding achievements," and the like.

Zhou Zhangsi's smile deepened.

He glanced at Zhang Lan and said, "This child is indeed exceptionally intelligent."

Zhang Lan smiled, his emotions complicated:

"Of course he's intelligent—all those flatteries were things I told him, and now he's using them all outright…"

Zhou Zhangsi asked about the arrays.

Mo Hua answered truthfully.

But Zhou Zhangsi himself was not skilled in arrays; his questions, though seemingly profound, were in fact quite basic. Mo Hua answered without effort.

Zhou Zhangsi was even more satisfied, his gaze toward Mo Hua filled with appreciation.

The conversation was sufficient now—it had merely been casual small talk, with nothing deeper to discuss.

Zhou Zhangsi oversaw the Dao Ting Si of Xiancheng, with heavy duties; Mo Hua and Zhang Lan bowed and took their leave.

Before leaving, Zhou Zhangsi called out to Mo Hua:

"I've already spoken to the Qian family—you needn't worry about them. Just focus on learning arrays."

Mo Hua paused slightly, then smiled: "Thank you, my lord!"

Zhou Zhangsi stroked his long beard and nodded with satisfaction.

What he wanted to hear was that "thank you."

The Qian family.

In the cave dwelling of the Qian family's Laozu, Qian Hong wore an expression of disbelief.

The Laozu had just told him to be cautious with his words and not to harass the young array master named Mo Hua anymore.

Qian Hong quickly said, "Laozu, Mo Hua is still young, yet he's already a Rank-One Array Master. If we leave him unchecked, in time our Qian family may lose all standing in Xiancheng."

The Qian family Laozu's cultivation was at Foundation Establishment mid-stage, but he was ancient, his vital energy fading, his cultivation declining; unless something major occurred, he no longer involved himself in family affairs.

His cloudy eyes fixed on Qian Hong as he slowly said, "You should have acted sooner—yourself, along with several Foundation Establishment elders, struck swiftly and without warning, and killed that boy. Now, it's too late…"

The Qian family Laozu's breath was weak, his voice hoarse, his speech halting.

Qian Hong bowed respectfully: "Sun Er wished to act cautiously, not to be reckless and leave traces."

The Qian family Laozu regarded him with a careful gaze, saying nothing.

Qian Hong felt immense pressure and could only say, "The elders within the clan all have selfish motives—they won't follow my orders."

The Qian family Laozu's gaze turned disappointed: "You are the family head—if they won't follow you, who else can you blame?"

These words were harsh, implying Qian Hong was incompetent and unable to command respect.

Qian Hong dared not rebut, lowering his head respectfully: "Laozu's reprimand is just."

"You…" The Qian family Laozu coughed once, "are cruel, yet not cruel enough; selfish, yet not selfish enough; patient, yet not patient enough to the end."

The Qian family Laozu sighed, "You have all these traits, yet fall short in each."

Qian Hong immediately knelt down and bowed his head: "Please, Laozu, give Sun Er one more chance—I will cut through the chaos with a swift blade and kill that young array master!"

"You can't kill him now…"

The Qian family Laozu said slowly, "Even if you killed him, it wouldn't be any better than leaving him alive."

Qian Hong didn't understand: "Please, Laozu, enlighten me."

"Go back and count for yourself—how many people you'd offend if you killed that young array master."

The Qian family Laozu's cloudy eyes slowly closed. "Go. Think carefully."

Qian Hong bowed his head and withdrew respectfully.

In the vast, empty cave dwelling, only the Qian family Laozu remained.

He looked down at his own withered, stick-like hands, the brown age spots on his skin, the occasional peeling decay, his eyes dull.

"Am I about to die…?"

The Qian family Laozu murmured, his voice utterly hoarse.

He began to cough, violently, as if tearing out his heart and lungs.

The Qian family Laozu hastily pulled a jade vial from his robe, trembled as he poured out a pill, cherished and valued it as he placed it in his mouth, then closed his eyes to absorb its power.

The pill's power took effect, easing his cough.

The Qian family Laozu slowly opened his eyes, faint blood-red hues lingering within.

"But… I don't want to die yet…"

Qian Hong left the Laozu's cave dwelling and immediately sent someone to find out: who had spoken to the Laozu?

At nightfall, someone reported to him:

"It was the old Chief of Dao Ting Si who personally visited the Ancestor, apparently urging the Qian family not to trouble that young array master."

Qian Hong frowned. "They have no kinship or connection—why would the old Chief speak up for that young array master?"

He recalled the Ancestor's words: "If you kill that young array master, just how many people will you offend..."

Qian Hong reviewed the people Mo Hua knew, sent men to investigate, and received a sheet of paper.

Qian Hong glanced at it, then slumped into his chair.

How could this be?

The sheer number of names on the paper made Qian Hong's head throb:

The old Chief of Dao Ting Si was protecting Mo Hua; the Diansi of Dao Ting Si, Zhang Lan, was acquainted with Mo Hua, and behind Zhang Diansi stood the Zhang family.

Among the demon hunters, Elder Yu was notoriously protective—no surprise there.

Nearly half of the other demon hunters, regardless of their realm, had received favors from that boy and willingly stood by him.

Among the free cultivators, many armorers and pill masters also knew Mo Hua.

Especially Feng Lao Mr., whose reputation spanned the land and whose students were scattered far and wide, had watched Mo Hua grow up.

The young master of the An family was friends with Mo Hua; Old Master An had always been at odds with our Qian family and would naturally side with Mo Hua. Moreover, Mo Hua is a First-Rank Array Master—Old Master An had even less reason not to help.

Among the array masters of Tong Xiancheng, the First-Rank Array Master Master Luo had publicly declared that no array master in the city should trouble Mo Hua.

Even within the Qian family, Master Qian refused to oppose Mo Hua.

The three members of the distant great clan Bai who were traveling here, especially the brother and sister pair, also seemed to be on good terms with Mo Hua. Some had seen them walking together during the Demon Hunting Festival...

Qian Hong counted these connections one by one, and his scalp prickled.

Mo Hua was merely a boy of ten or so—how had he come to know so many cultivators?

If he truly killed Mo Hua, wouldn't he instantly create a catastrophe beyond measure?

Qian Hong was filled with shock and dread.

As the saying goes, a powerful dragon does not suppress the local snake.

Logically, our Qian family was the true local snake of Tong Xiancheng.

But now it seemed that if the Qian family was the local snake, then this boy Mo Hua was the true "local dragon."

Under these circumstances, how could he act? How could he dare to act?

How had things come to this?

Qian Hong's head pounded; after a long while, he exhaled slowly, rubbed his forehead, and, though filled with resentment, could only say helplessly:

"At this point, we must bide our time—just endure for now..."

He did not want to let Mo Hua go, but now he had no choice but to endure.

Endure, just endure—there will always be an opportunity...