Chapter 244: Turn Back

The one-eyed cultivator's face showed disbelief.

If Zhao Hu were not severely wounded or dead, his storage bag could not have fallen into someone else's hands.

Originally, he had planned to wait until Zhao Hu killed that Ji boy, then return to help and slaughter all these cultivators.

Now Zhao Hu not only failed to kill anyone, but might himself have been killed.

The one-eyed criminal cultivator spat and cursed.

With the current situation, he had no time to wonder who had brought Zhao Hu down.

If they delayed any longer, the beast hunters would arrive, and they would be the ones to die.

After weighing his options, the one-eyed criminal cultivator could only grit his teeth and say, "Withdraw!"

The other criminal cultivators were reluctant, but they all knew the situation was beyond their control; they glared with hatred and prepared to retreat.

Mo Hua saw they were trying to withdraw, his eyes flickered, and suddenly said:

"You short one, your name is Diao Laosan?"

The short, hidden cultivator halted, his gaze cold.

In the cultivation world for a hundred years, when had he ever been shouted at like this by a brat?

Mo Hua feigned advice: "Your concealment technique is terrible—I saw through it at a glance. Next time you see me, just avoid me. Otherwise, I'll expose you again and you'll only embarrass yourself."

Diao Laosan's anger surged.

Mo Hua sneered again: "Why not change your name? Don't call yourself Diao Laosan anymore—call yourself Diao Wei. When you see me, just drag your tail and run."

Diao Laosan was so furious he nearly bit his teeth to shards; a rush of blood surged to his throat, almost spitting out.

The one-eyed criminal cultivator said coldly: "Don't fall for his provocation—we'll settle accounts with him later!"

Diao Laosan glared at Mo Hua with hatred, as if etching Mo Hua's face into his memory.

Then the criminal cultivators fell silent, slowly retreating until their figures vanished into the deep forest.

Ji Qingbai and the other two let out long sighs of relief.

But Mo Hua felt regret—he hadn't managed to keep Diao Laosan, the hidden cultivator.

In his spiritual sense, he had already sensed the presence of the beast hunters; they would arrive soon.

Ji Shuji and the other two were wounded; they couldn't rashly pursue, and Mo Hua alone couldn't hold back those criminal cultivators.

But at least everyone was unharmed; Mo Hua was finally at ease.

Mo Hua distributed the pills refined by Mr. Feng to the three of them.

The two beast hunters thanked him, swallowed the pills, and began meditating to heal their wounds.

Ji Qingbai, however, looked deeply troubled, gazing at Mo Hua, opening his mouth but holding back.

Mo Hua said: "Ji Brother is indeed still alive, but his injuries are severe. Hurry and heal yourself—you can visit him sooner."

Ji Qingbai nodded quickly, swallowed the pill whole, and began cultivating to heal.

Soon after, beast hunters arrived.

Earlier, when the thick fog suddenly rose and obscured direction, some beast hunters had become scattered.

Now the fog had cleared, and those who saw the smoke signals could rush over to provide support.

Meanwhile, the one-eyed criminal cultivator and Diao Laosan and others followed the rugged mountain path to a patch of forest.

As the one-eyed cultivator walked, he suddenly looked up and saw someone ahead; he ordered his men to scatter and hide among the bushes on both sides.

After a while, over a dozen cultivators approached, all dressed in black, their appearances anything but benevolent.

Seeing them, the one-eyed cultivator sighed in relief, stepped forward, and bowed: "Big Brother!"

The criminal cultivator called Big Brother was bald, at Qi Refinement ninth layer, of average height, with hawk-like eyes, sharp earlobes, and frowned:

"How did the mission go?"

The one-eyed cultivator's eyes filled with shame. "We failed."

"How did you fail? Where's Zhao Hu?"

The one-eyed criminal cultivator couldn't speak.

How had they failed?

Could he say he'd been toyed with by a brat using superior movement techniques, wasting time and thus failing to kill Ji Qingbai,

while Zhao Hu was missing, alive or dead?

In front of so many people, he couldn't bear the humiliation.

The one-eyed criminal cultivator could only force himself to say:

"The beast hunters arrived too quickly. Zhao Hu's fate is unknown."

The bald cultivator called Big Brother's gaze turned icy.

Diao Laosan sized up the number of criminal cultivators, then shifted his gaze and bowed:

"Big Brother, we now have more numbers—why not turn back and catch them off guard?"

Diao Laosan's voice carried hidden hatred.

He wanted to kill that little cultivator who used fireball technique!

He had suffered great losses at that brat's hands multiple times.

As they left, that brat had even mocked him, ridiculing him endlessly. The words still filled him with fury and humiliation.

When had he ever endured such disgrace?

Most crucially, his concealment technique and all his skills were completely countered by that brat.

If he didn't eliminate that brat, he would surely fall into his hands again someday!

Unless he truly did as the brat said—henceforth live like a dog dragging its tail, fleeing every time he saw that brat.

But if he truly did that, his face would be utterly lost; he would never again have any dignity to walk in Heishan Prefecture.

This is worse than killing him!

Diao Laosan added, "They can't be far yet. If we turn back now, that Ji man is dead for sure—and we can kill the other hunter-killers too!"

Especially that damned little cultivator—unless we grind that brat's bones to dust and scatter his ashes, my fury won't subside.

The one-eyed criminal cultivator's eyes lit up at this.

"Big Brother, this plan works. We're numerous now—we can strike fast and finish them off."

The bald cultivator fell silent for a moment, then said slowly:

"Kill Ji, and the Kong family will pay the rest of the spirit stones. Let's go together—move fast, kill, and retreat!"

The criminal cultivators all shouted "Yes!" and their figures flickered as they surged toward the small hill.

On the small hill, Mo Hua was still there, and more hunter-killers kept arriving, their numbers growing steadily.

This surprised Mo Hua.

The Inner Mountain is so vast—how could so many hunter-killers have come just from a few fire signals?

After learning the reason, Mo Hua was stunned.

Earlier, due to the fog, many hunter-killers had become separated.

Normally, in thick fog, staying put is safest—but this is the Inner Mountain, a dangerous place where accidents always happen.

Whether encountering beast-beasts, poison marshes, or attacks by cultivators, hunter-killers were forced to keep searching through the fog—and inevitably got lost.

Only after the fog lifted did they begin to regroup in small groups.

Those who saw the fire signals rushed to assist, passing word among themselves.

A few hunter-killers who had seen Mo Hua said, "Someone's injured—and Mo Hua is there."

That rumor spread: one told ten, ten told a hundred—until it became, "Mo Hua is injured."

Hearing this, the hunter-killers erupted in fury.

Mo Hua injured? That was unacceptable!

Every hunter-killer who heard the news, no matter how far away, rushed toward this hill.

Some were still chasing wounded beast-beasts; others were skinning and bone-clearing beasts; some had already packed their storage bags and were preparing to descend—yet upon hearing the news, they all stopped what they were doing, drew their blades, and sprinted over immediately.

Thus, the number of hunter-killers gathered on the small hill kept growing—nearly a hundred now…

After learning the truth, Mo Hua was moved, yet also couldn't help but laugh and cry at once.

After a while, Yu Chengyi arrived too.

He had been hunting beast-beasts on the other side, far away, and arrived panting. Seeing Mo Hua, he asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

Mo Hua had already said "I'm fine" dozens of times.

Yu Chengyi finally exhaled in relief, "Good, you're fine."

Then he frowned, "But I heard someone say you were injured?"

Mo Hua sighed, "Someone was injured—but not me."

"That's good," Yu Chengyi nodded, then grew angry and ordered,

"Tell everyone—Mo Hua is unharmed. Stop spreading false rumors."

If this keeps going, my father, Elder Yu, will probably come up the mountain himself.

Yu Chengyi looked around, then asked, "What happened?"

Mo Hua briefly explained how Ji Li was being hunted, and how Ji Qingbai and two hunter-killers were surrounded.

Yu Chengyi roared in rage, "These Wang Ba—leaving them in the mountain is a future disaster. We'll kill them all eventually!"

Mo Hua also felt a pang of regret.

If the Inner Mountain weren't so vast—if the hunter-killers had arrived sooner—or if those criminal cultivators, angered by me, had delayed longer—we could've trapped them all.

Mo Hua extended his spiritual sense, scanning the area once more, and felt a twinge of disappointment.

"That short guy who uses concealment technique really has patience—I insulted him like this, and he still doesn't want to come back and bother me?"

Is he like Qian Hong—both born as turtles?

Mo Hua thought silently.

After a while, Ji Qingbai finished healing and hurried to check on Ji Li's condition; everyone prepared to descend.

Suddenly, Mo Hua's spiritual sense stirred, his eyes brightening—he cried out, "Wait!"

The hunter-killers halted, looking at him in confusion.

Mo Hua held his breath, pushed his spiritual sense to its limit, then opened his eyes and smiled, saying:

"The big fish has come back."

Thank you to Mo Ying Zhi Kong for the gift~