Chapter 259: The Cave

Cultivators typically have two ways to deal with arrays: one is to break the array, the other is to unravel it.

Breaking the array involves relying on one's cultivation or martial arts to forcibly destroy the array's core, medium, pivot, or pattern lines.

Unraveling the array can only be done by array masters, and even then, only by a select few with extensive experience and high mastery.

Unraveling the array means using the generation and restraint of pattern lines, the opening and closing of pivot structures, or the forward and reverse flow of core spiritual energy to dismantle the array.

Currently, Mo Hua knows only one method of unraveling arrays: using the generation and restraint of pattern lines.

Just now, Mo Hua spent a long time probing with his spiritual sense, through the stone wall, and roughly confirmed the array drawn inside. The wall's interior likely centered on a Five Elements Earth-and-Stone Array, mixed with scattered minor arrays.

For a criminal cultivator, this array is already quite decent.

But in Mo Hua's eyes, it was far from impressive.

Mo Hua took out ink and brush from his storage bag and began drawing pattern lines on the stone wall.

In practice, unraveling arrays via pattern line generation and restraint has two scenarios: unraveling from within, and unraveling from without.

When unraveling from within, one can see the pattern lines, and the lines drawn to unravel them appear on the same side as the array medium.

What Mo Hua practiced daily—drawing and unraveling his own arrays—was essentially unraveling from within.

This method is relatively easier.

When unraveling from without, the array medium blocks the view of the pattern lines.

One must rely on array experience and understanding to guess the array's type, perceive the pattern lines' positions with spiritual sense, then draw restraining pattern lines at the exact same positions to cancel them out and nullify the array.

The current situation is unraveling from without.

Mo Hua had never attempted this method before.

Fortunately, the array drawn on the stone wall was not difficult; with Mo Hua's array experience and spiritual sense strength, he could perceive the exact positions of the pattern lines.

All he needed to do now was draw the restraining pattern lines—that would be simple enough.

In less than two cups of tea's time, Mo Hua had finished drawing the unraveling pattern lines on the stone wall.

These pattern lines resembled the array's structure but used unique brushwork, imbued with the principle of generation and restraint, appearing like the array's mirror reflection—strange and profound.

Zhang Lan stared in awe.

As Mo Hua completed the final stroke, the unraveling was finished.

The pattern lines on the stone wall flashed with light, spiritual energy seeped inward, then earth and stone crumbled with a rustling sound, like dry bark peeling from a tree, the entire wall gradually cracking and turning a dried, gray-brown hue.

Zhang Lan silently gasped: "It actually worked…"

And from Mo Hua's effortless demeanor, it was clear he hadn't guessed—he truly possessed deep unraveling expertise; otherwise, he could never have dismantled the array on the first try.

Zhang Lan sighed, realizing he had underestimated Mo Hua's talent for arrays.

Now it wasn't even about talent anymore—it was genuine array mastery.

Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed a young cultivator of ten or so years had learned to unravel arrays.

Zhang Lan felt deeply moved.

With the array on the stone wall dismantled, its protection was gone.

Someone needed to break through the wall.

Mo Hua glanced at Zhang Lan, who quietly said:

"I'm not a body cultivator."

Mo Hua gave him a look of mild disdain, then called out: "Father."

Seeing Mo Shan heard and came over, "What is it?"

Mo Hua pointed at the stone wall, "Father, break through this."

Mo Shan nodded, channeling spiritual energy into his body, swung one punch—and the stone wall shattered into fragments. When the dust cleared, the interior was revealed.

It was a large cave, dark and dry.

The cave was filled with spiritual stones, assorted spiritual artifacts, and in the corner, numerous bottles and jars—mostly pills, and some fine liquor.

Mo Hua stared, stunned, then felt a pang of unease.

The more cultivation resources here, the more cultivators had been robbed, the more had died at the hands of these criminal cultivators.

Zhang Lan wore a solemn expression and sighed: "No wonder none of the criminal cultivators confessed under interrogation. Now that this cave has been found, even if they hadn't committed capital crimes before, they're certainly doomed now."

A cave full of stolen goods—how many people had they murdered…

"How should we handle these items?" Mo Hua asked.

Zhang Lan paused, then said: "We should sort and catalog them."

He then explained:

"Many missing merchant caravans and cultivators remain unaccounted for. These items can help identify identities—determine which caravans were robbed and which cultivators were killed."

"Many families of missing cultivators are still waiting for them to return. At least they deserve to know if they're alive or dead."

As he spoke, Zhang Lan sighed again.

The Dao is perilous—without sufficient cultivation, one's life hangs in the balance the moment danger strikes.

Mo Hua nodded upon hearing this.

Zhang Lan looked at Mo Hua and added: "If you see anything you want, take it. You've done a great deed this time—the Dao Ting Si will surely reward you handsomely; taking something is only right."

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then shook his head, "No, these items mostly belonged to innocent people who died unjustly. Let's take them back first for cataloging—identifying their owners will give their families some closure."

Zhang Lan looked at Mo Hua and nodded approvingly.

Mo Hua scanned the cave again, then suddenly frowned:

"There doesn't seem to be anything belonging to Kong Sheng's caravan."

"Aren't there those pills?"

Kong Sheng's caravan dealt in pills.

Zhang Lan spoke, then his heart skipped: "No—"

He walked to the corner, picked up several vials of pills, uncapped them and sniffed, his brow furrowing involuntarily:

"These are all aged pills—their medicinal scent is faint; they weren't stolen recently."

If you're in the pill trade, you can't sell aged pills; even if you pass off inferior goods, it can only be a small portion.

Most pills should be those newly forged within the past six months.

Newly forged pills have a strong medicinal aroma; aged pills gradually lose their fragrance.

All the pills in this cave are faint-scented, aged pills.

This means the criminal cultivators haven't robbed any pill-trading caravans recently.

"That can't be right…" Zhang Lan said, puzzled. "Did they eat all these pills themselves?"

Zhang Lan thought for a moment, then dismissed the idea himself:

"There are twenty or thirty of them—even if they ate pills like rice, they couldn't finish them all in such a short time."

Seeing Mo Shan heard this and pondered briefly: "Before we arrived, there was no bloodstain odor in this valley."

That means these criminal cultivators don't bring people here to kill them.

According to the bald monk's own words, when they kill and rob, they usually kill the victims on the spot and seize the goods immediately.

When Kong Sheng's caravan was ambushed, there was little blood at the scene—only traces of struggle, no signs of massacre.

If beasts had devoured them, the scene would have been far bloodier.

For a moment, all three were deeply puzzled.

Logically, the bald monk should have ambushed the caravan, seized the pills, and killed the cultivators on the spot.

Kong Sheng would have died along with the other merchants.

But now it appears these men never robbed that caravan—and thus never killed Kong Sheng.

Then where did that caravan go?

And what about Kong Sheng—did he die or not?

Recovered, though healed, his spirit remains low.

Only two updates per day for now—I'm saving up drafts and adjusting before increasing frequency.

This novel will continue to be written—rest assured.

Classical xianxia is meant to be a long grind; the current performance is already enough to keep me going.

Finally, thank you all for your support and encouragement, and may you all stay healthy and happy~