Chapter 290: Worry

Mo Hua traveled in silence.

He could finally go home, and his mood lightened a little.

The deep mountains of Great Heishan were much the same as when he arrived—still thick with forests, heavy with mist, hard to discern direction.

But unlike when he came, now every blade of grass, every tree, every hill and stone was clearer in Mo Hua's spiritual sense.

His spiritual sense was stronger, seeing farther, perceiving more subtly.

The mist array set by the Third Boss was now like road signs, clearly guiding Mo Hua's path.

To the naked eye it was just a tangle of mist, but in Mo Hua's spiritual perception, every path was sharply defined, clearly distinguishable.

After walking half an hour, Mo Hua neared the edge of the deep mountains.

Mo Hua stopped, frowning.

This was not the cliff he had come by; the path was unfamiliar, and before him lay many forks—he did not know which way to go.

At that moment, they spotted a figure in the mist.

"But you must remember, there are still few people who care for him; no matter what you do, don't make your family worry, and no matter what happens, you must let your parents know."

The demon hunters now heard Mo Hua's voice—undoubtedly Mo Hua—and seeing that he had some issue, all of them brightened, exhaling deeply in relief.

These voices were mixed, as if many people were shouting, sounding frantic, and seemingly calling out "Mo Hua"…

"Mo Hua is found!"

In the thick fog, a dozen demon hunters formed a net, searching the deep mountains, their expressions anxious, calling out Mo Hua's name.

Elder Yu's gaze was gentle and profound.

Mo Hua silently thought, then earnestly told Elder Yu:

"He and Father will also live long and long, cultivating to immortality!"

Mo Hua felt even more guilty.

Not everyone has the kindness or courage to risk themselves for the scattered cultivators of Xiancheng.

Elder Yu, tears in her eyes, exhaled in relief and shook her head:

Mo Hua knew he was in the wrong and said nothing.

Among any hunter he recognized, he could see them all—even some Dao Ting Si cultivators.

Liu Ruhua's expression was simple; though she worried for Mo Hua and thought his journey reckless, she understood why he entered the deep mountains, so she refrained from scolding him and held her tongue.

Mo Hua's nose tingled, and he cried out: "Mother…"

The demon hunters stiffened, drawing their broadswords, all going on guard.

At that moment, faint sounds seemed to drift from the distant fog.

She feared she would never see her child again, feared that one day, even just a glimpse of Mo Hua might be impossible.

As the figure drew near, the mist cleared, revealing the face—a delicate, handsome face, eyes bright and sharp.

Fortunately, Mo Hua returned safely.

She held him tightly, afraid that if she blinked, Mo Hua would vanish again.

I seem to have caused trouble for the family…

Mo Hua froze—he recognized those voices. They were the hunters'.

Thus the group gradually gathered and hurried out of the deep mountains.

"Found!"

Mo Hua also saw Zhang Lan.

Though he had already known Mo Hua was unharmed, seeing him with his own eyes now eased his worry.

No matter what Mo Hua discovered beyond the mountains, we'll talk about it later.

"There's been no movement from the demon hunters…"

So many people cared for him—even ventured into the deep mountains to find him.

"Mother, don't worry—I'll live well, live long and long, until I become immortal."

…

"... the Inner Mountains have had an incident…"

Elder Yu waited at the camp entrance, her figure thin, her face haggard, her once-gentle eyes filled with anxiety—when she saw Mo Hua, silent tears flowed.

Zhang Lan, seeing Mo Hua unharmed, also exhaled deeply in relief, wanting to say something but not knowing what, so he roughly ruffled Mo Hua's head, messing up his hair.

Seeing Mo Shan nodded.

Only then did they confirm the person was Mo Hua.

Mo Hua now realized the number of people who came searching for him was greater than he had thought.

Next time I act, I mustn't let my family worry, and I mustn't let Father and Mother be anxious.

Mo Hua stood frozen, feeling both moved and guilty.

"Talk later," said Liu Ruhua.

He thought he had considered his parents' feelings, but he had completely failed to realize he understood nothing at all.

Other hunters passed the word upward.

"Though young, he has mastered skills, knows right from wrong, and acts with his own judgment—Mother doesn't blame him."

Mo Hua recalled that night, when the old demonic cultivator spoke to the Eighth Boss:

A few hunters' expressions brightened slightly; the rest also showed expectation.

"Mo Hua is found!"

Seeing Mo Shan had been angry, but now that he saw his son, all his anger vanished.

Elder Yu didn't take it seriously, but inwardly she was still deeply relieved.

"Go see your mother—those days, you didn't even close your eyes…"

The figure drew nearer, its posture elegant, resembling a great cultivator.

I guessed my parents would be worried, but I never imagined they'd be this worried.

Mo Hua saw Pei Weixin and felt guilty; he was just about to speak when Liu Ruhua interrupted him.

Mo Hua greeted them.

I was curious then—what had happened in Shenshan?

In this world, a child's concern for their parents pales to less than one-tenth of the parents' worry for their child.

Mo Hua, following Mo Shan, met his mother, Elder Yu, outside a camp in Shenshan.

Mo Hua was startled. "Mother is also outside the mountain?"

She wiped away her tears, rubbed Mo Hua's big face, and smiled.

Pei Weixin ordered everyone to return.

Pei Weixin held Mo Hua tightly for a long while, his emotions finally easing.

Mo Hua's eyes stung, his heart filled with a strange ache.

By the time they reached Shenshan, Mo Shan arrived from the other side of the deep mountain.

Mo Hua felt overwhelming guilt and apologized: "Mother, I'm sorry…"

"The world holds countless treasures, but to your father and me, you are the one and only treasure—your safety matters more than achieving immortality."

Soon, amid thick mist, the voices of demon hunters rose in waves.

When the senior elder of the Qian family vanished, the entire clan mobilized, forming a human net, disregarding the dangers of Shenshan, to enter and search.

"Fine, then it's settled!"

Now, the demon hunters were doing the same thing for Mo Hua.

Elder Yu didn't wait for Mo Hua to speak—she rushed over and hugged him tightly, her arms trembling slightly.

Mo Hua hung his head low and whispered: "Father…"

Pei Weixin's face remained calm, but inside, he was truly relieved.

Elder Yu looked at Mo Hua's refined face and cloudy, watery eyes, her heart aching, and added:

"No matter what happens, you must protect your own life."

Mo Hua nodded solemnly. "Mother, I remember!"

I could only sigh, patting Mo Hua's head.

The biggest thing that had happened in Shenshan was that he had gone missing.

Mo Hua activated the Flowing Water Step, quickening his pace toward the voices.

These days, I was so anxious I couldn't sleep, and no matter how hard everyone searched, they never found Mo Hua's figure.

A demon hunter cried out joyfully: "We found Mo Hua!"