Chapter 252: Manhunt

The next day, they entered the mountains to capture the Bald Monk, and incidentally to rescue Kong Sheng, whose life or death was unknown.

The Dao Ting Si of Tongxiancheng sent ten Zhisi, led by Diansi Zhang Lan; the Qingxuancheng side was handled by Lu Hui; the Hunter Guild sent only three: Ji Qingbai, Seeing Mo Shan, and Mo Hua.

Seeing Mo Shan had ties with Ji Qingbai and was worried about Mo Hua, so he joined them into Great Heishan.

Lu Hui originally didn't care much about this arrangement, but upon seeing Mo Hua, he still frowned.

"Diansi Zhang, what is this young cultivator for?"

Lu Hui's gaze sharpened as he asked Zhang Lan.

"We need him to guide us into the mountains," Zhang Lan said coolly.

"Guide us? By him?"

Lu Hui's expression betrayed surprise, tinged with disdain.

Zhang Lan glanced at him. "Diansi Lu, what do you have to complain about?"

Lu Hui smiled faintly. "I dare not."

He said nothing more, but sneered inwardly:

"Either the Hunter Guild has no one left, or your Dao Ting Si is incompetent—sending such a brat to guide us?"

The group left the city and entered Great Heishan, passing the outer mountains into the inner mountains.

The terrain turned abruptly treacherous, the forest dark and foreboding, the miasma far thicker.

Everyone took out Bìzhàng Pills and swallowed them, then found a campsite to rest temporarily.

"What are your plans, Diansi Zhang?" Lu Hui asked.

Zhang Lan had no desire to answer, but since they were working together, he had to clarify.

"The inner mountains are guarded by an array; any battle will trigger its detection."

"Elder Yu also instructed us: for these days, Hunter Guild members should avoid hunting in the mountains. So if a battle occurs, aside from beast-vs-beast fights, it's almost certainly the Bald Monk committing murder and robbery…"

Lu Hui's heart tightened. "Such an array exists? Who is the master behind it?"

Mo Hua remained expressionless.

Zhang Lan glanced at him and thought silently: "It was crafted by the 'master' right beside you."

But he said nothing of the sort, only: "You'll find out later."

Lu Hui looked puzzled.

Zhang Lan grew tired of explaining further.

"We split into two teams, each carrying a Sinan Array. If a battle occurs, move to investigate. Even if you encounter the Bald Monk, don't act immediately—wait until we all regroup."

Seeing Mo Shan and Mo Hua each had a Sinan Compass; they divided into separate teams. For the next several days, they patrolled the mountains, searching for clues of the criminal cultivators, meeting back at camp each night.

Several days passed without sight of the Bald Monk—or even a single criminal cultivator. Everyone began to grow quietly suspicious.

But this was no different from hunters tracking prey in the mountains—it required patience.

After days of fruitless searching, Mo Hua rested beside a dense forest.

His team included Zhang Lan, Lu Hui, and several other Dao Ting Si cultivators. Seeing Mo Shan and Ji Qingbai were in the other team.

Mo Hua drank some water and said to Zhang Lan: "Strange—how can't we find them?"

Zhang Lan frowned, thinking. "It is indeed odd."

"Could the Bald Monk have already left Great Heishan?"

Zhang Lan pondered. "It's not impossible."

"If so, Young Master Kong is probably dead," Mo Hua said with a hint of glee.

Lu Hui shot Mo Hua a cold, icy look. "Young brother, watch your tongue."

"Fine," Mo Hua rephrased, sighing. "Young Master Kong is likely beyond salvation."

Lu Hui's eyelids twitched.

Zhang Lan sighed. At this point, Mo Hua still had the nerve to joke.

But then he thought: this matter has nothing to do with Mo Hua—he'd be glad if the Bald Monk killed Kong Sheng.

Zhang Lan himself felt the same, but duty bound him—he couldn't refuse.

After resting awhile, they resumed searching using the Sinan Compass's light dots.

But most dots showed beast battles; a few showed outside Hunter Guild members hunting. No criminal cultivators appeared.

Until afternoon, they encountered a group of five or six Hunter Guild members.

Their attire marked them as Tongxiancheng hunters, but Mo Hua had never seen them before.

Mo Hua asked: "Which city are you from?"

One hunter laughed. "Young brother, we're from Tongxiancheng."

Mo Hua asked directions, then asked if they'd seen any strange cultivators.

The hunters replied: "We haven't seen any other cultivators."

Mo Hua nodded, then parted ways. After walking a few steps, he gave Zhang Lan a glance.

Zhang Lan's gaze sharpened; he nodded slightly and signaled the other Dao Ting Si cultivators. They quietly doubled back and followed the hunters all the way to a valley.

The hunters entered the valley—and vanished.

Mo Hua said: "Their hideout is here."

Lu Hui frowned. "How do you know they aren't real hunters?"

"Because they claimed to be from Tongxiancheng—but I've never seen them before."

Lu Hui said: "Tongxiancheng has nearly a thousand hunters. Do you know them all?"

Mo Hua ignored him and said to Zhang Lan: "Let's move."

Zhang Lan nodded. "I'll summon the others to regroup."

The Dao Ting Si cultivators, following Zhang Lan's instructions, quickly moved into position.

Only Lu Hui's gaze at Mo Hua flickered with a shadow of gloom.

Night fell; faint firelight glowed within the valley, and the murmur of cultivators' voices drifted through the air.

All of Zhang Lan's group gathered outside the valley, using a large Dashan rock and the tall surrounding grass to conceal their forms.

Zhang Lan lowered his voice: "I've been watching here all afternoon—they have over twenty men. The Bald Gandharva and the one-eyed cultivator are both inside."

This is more than anyone expected—either the Bald Gandharva had hidden reinforcements, or these are newly gathered criminal cultivators.

We are not numerically superior; if we strike, we must catch them off guard and take them by surprise.

Ji Qingbai said: "They're likely drinking now—this is a good moment to strike. But the darkness is too thick; some may slip away. Better to act at dawn, when the sky just begins to lighten."

Mo Shan nodded: "Strike at dawn. They'll be drunk and sleepy—perfect timing."

Zhang Lan nodded: "Then we follow Mo Brother's plan."

Afterward, Zhang Lan discussed further details with Mo Shan and Ji Qingbai. Lu Hui remained silent, his gaze occasionally falling on Ji Qingbai, as if plotting something.

When the planning ended, Zhang Lan added: "We must seal off Shankou."

The valley is well-hidden, with only one Shankou—easy to defend, hard to attack. But because there's only one exit, once sealed, these criminal cultivators will be trapped like fish in a jar, with no escape.

Yet the Shankou is neither large nor small; holding it with manpower alone would be difficult.

Zhang Lan looked at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua nodded: "I'll seal the Shankou."

Mo Hua scanned the valley with his spiritual sense, confirmed the criminal cultivators were deep in drink and careless, unlikely to notice him, then quietly approached the valley.

Night concealed him; visibility was blurred. He hid among the grass—the cultivators could not see him. Even if they spotted him, the darkness would obscure his form, and his half-baked concealment technique would suffice.

His concealment technique could not fully hide him during the day, but at night it worked far better.

Moreover, Mo Hua's spiritual sense was powerful; when he deliberately suppressed his aura, even if the criminal cultivators scanned with their spiritual sense, they would not detect him.

With time short, Mo Hua had not prepared a Ground Fire Array in advance, so he had to draw it on the spot.

Mo Hua crouched by the valley, pulled out his array brush, dipped it in ink, and swiftly traced line after line of the Ground Fire Array onto the rocky ground at the Shankou.

Zhang Lan and the others were used to it.

Only Lu Hui was stunned—he never imagined this brat was an array master!

Yesterday was Children's Day—I forgot to wish everyone a happy Children's Day~

Today there will be an extra chapter.