Chapter 321

Elder Yu frowned and said, "When the senior elder of the Qian family died—or rather, faked his death—I was still young, my cultivation low, and my interactions with him limited to just a few distant glances, having seen him clash a few times with the late Demon-Hunting Elder."

"In everyone's understanding, the senior elder of the Qian family was dead, so when I encountered him at Great Heishan, I simply didn't connect him to that person."

"But if Mo Hua's words are true—that the Qian family's ancestral elder is truly the chieftain of Great Heishan—then this Grand Leader is very likely that same deceased senior elder!"

Elder Yu recalled again and said:

"Moreover, on the day we attacked Great Heishan, I fought this Grand Leader—he had one arm devoid of Qi, as if it were a forged iron limb, and the Qian family's senior elder back then had indeed lost one arm."

Everyone's expressions turned solemn.

The Qian family's ancestral elder is the chieftain; the Grand Leader is the Qian family's senior elder.

Then everything made sense.

The Qian family employed a deception to make the senior elder fake his death, becoming the Grand Leader of Great Heishan, recruiting criminal cultivators, practicing dark arts, and crafting human pills.

Meanwhile, the Qian family's ancestral elder, using the family's vast resources, secretly supported the operation, building up the massive Great Heishan and gradually strengthening it.

Mo Hua sipped tea, found it unpleasant, couldn't quite pinpoint why, drank a little less, yet still felt unusually alert.

Compared to him, Qian Hong's only talent wasn't his patience, like a tortoise…

But in Mo Hua's mind, if I'm going to ask, I might as well ask.

Mo Hua fell silent for a moment, then asked the most pressing question:

Mo Hua went directly to the An family.

Mo Hua glanced around.

What mattered most to the Qian family was not exposing that secret.

Finally, when Qian Xing was injured by an explosion, the Qian family never pursued it to the end;

Seeing Mo Shan thought for a moment and said, "You could ask about this Seventh Leader."

Mo Hua brightened, and Tong Xiancheng added:

Mo Hua thought again and said, "I'll ask Old Master An—he's been in open and covert conflict with the Qian family for so many years, he must know something."

"Such a deep scheme…" Yang Jiyong sighed.

After reaching an agreement, everyone went their separate ways.

"How did he know?"

No matter how many setbacks the Qian family suffered on the surface, with a little patience, they would always rise again.

Later, when they fought over the spirit mine, the Qian family's motive;

Yang Jiyong sighed again, "When the Qian family's ancestral elder was young, he was erratic and held grudges. In his later years, he became unusually low-key—I thought he was nearing death, that his competitive spirit had faded. I never imagined he was biding his time, playing a grand game."

Once we let the situation escalate, drawing more attention, if someone suspicious noticed the clues and unraveled them, they'd uncover our connection to Shen Keyuan.

Shen Keyuan mused, "This Qian family ancestral elder was fortunate only to be in the senior elder's position, and fortunate only to be at Foundation Establishment—if he'd reached high realms in another major continent, he'd likely have become an unfathomable dark monster."

Mo Hua held his teacup, listening intently.

Each time Mo Hua finished drinking, someone would come over to personally refill his teacup.

Old Master An blinked, his eyes gleaming sharply, looking at Mo Hua with disbelief and said:

"Can you speak now?"

Mo Hua nodded in agreement.

Yang Jiyong said, "I'll ask some elders outside the city—see if there are any clues."

Old Master An sighed and spoke honestly:

"Is Shen Keyuan poisoned?"

Old Master An's tone carried a hint of schadenfreude.

In the end, when they tried to kill Mo Hua, whose talent for arrays was exceptional, the Qian family failed…

Old Master An felt a strange mix of emotions.

"You don't need to extract anything—just confirm whether Shen Keyuan has a chieftain. If I mention the word 'chieftain' and he shows no reaction, then Shen Keyuan indeed has a chieftain, and the Qian family's ancestral elder's suspicion grows heavier," Seeing Mo Shan explained.

Mo Hua also pondered:

Tong Xiancheng sent word to the Military Office; others dispersed to gather information.

"Well, these are all old matters—telling you won't hurt…"

The An family's guards all recognized Mo Hua; they respectfully led him into the An family's reception hall, where someone served him fine top-grade tea and asked him to wait.

Zhang Lan's eyes lit up and he nodded: "Fine."

In all these matters, the Qian family endured.

The Qian family's centuries of cultivation would be destroyed at once!

Mo Hua bowed and said, "Old Master An, you're too kind."

"Tell me the full story first, then I'll explain how I knew."

"Burdened by mundane affairs, I kept you waiting long."

Because the Qian family's true foundation isn't cultivators, isn't spirit stones, isn't alchemy or artifact crafting, isn't array disputes—it's Shen Keyuan, harboring hundreds of criminal cultivators.

Old Master An paused slightly. "We're acquainted, but not close. The rivalry between the An and Qian families is common knowledge."

The Dao Court will surely dispatch Dao soldiers to exterminate Elder Yu!

"Old Master An, have your family's caravans ever vanished on Great Baishan?"

"But to be safe, we should confirm one more thing: whether the Qian family's ancestral elder is truly Elder Yu's chieftain, and whether he truly has ties to Elder Yu—avoiding a false alarm."

Mo Hua asked, "Uncle Yang, can you mobilize Dao soldiers to deal with the Qian family's ancestral elder?"

Far from Shen Keyuan, there was no force capable of opposing Elder Yu.

Shen Keyuan and Zhang Lan both nodded solemnly.

Seeing Old Master An's expression, Mo Hua thought, As expected, and said:

In the competition between the Artifact-Forging Hall and the Alchemy Hall, the Qian family suffered a defeat;

"Mo Dayou has arrived — do you know what for?"

Zhang Lan shook his head and said, "I'm half-crazy, half-idiotic — I know everything."

I am willing to admit that the An family has indeed lost to the Qian family; even though the An family really did lose, I am still willing to swallow that grievance.

Old Man An sat down, took a sip of tea, then opened his mouth and said:

Old Man An's gaze grew fervent. "The most vicious one is me — ruthless, vicious, never forgetting a grievance. Who knows how many lives I've taken… but Heaven has no eyes. I'm aging very fast, my vitality is declining; being able to still draw breath is already a mercy."

Mo Hua said silently to himself: he's probably not only aging, his vitality hasn't declined either — on the contrary, he's even extended his life, breathing perfectly fine…

Old Man An understood, then waved the servants on both sides away, confirmed there were no outsiders in the parlor, and only then said:

Tong Xiancheng pondered for a moment, then said slowly:

The Qian family patriarch's scheming and depth were far beyond what Qian Hong could match.

Then the Qian family patriarch could borrow the Life-Extending Pill to prolong his life, lingering on in the world, while at the same time the Qian family still had Elder Yu covertly backing them, ensuring they would forever stand in an unbeatable position.

On ordinary days, other cultivators would not dare ask him such questions to his face.

Mo Hua nodded and asked, "Old Man An, are you familiar with the Qian family patriarch?"

"Why hasn't the An family ever beaten the Qian family?" Mo Hua asked.

"Originally, according to the Dao Soldier Bureau's transfer order, we were supposed to set out and leave tomorrow, but now circumstances are urgent — I will submit a report to the Dao Soldier Bureau to delay a few more days."

"So over the past year or two, the Qian family has suffered so many losses, but in the end it was always all thunder and no rain, lightly brushed aside — was it all because they were afraid of exposing their own secret, so they kept a low profile and endured?"

"The Qian family has too many schemes and vicious methods; our An family simply can't match them, so naturally we can't beat them."

Because most evil cultivators simply don't know of his existence.

Old Man An's brow gradually knit tight; after pondering for a long while, he finally let out a slow breath:

The Qian family patriarch could then hide in the shadows; even if Great Heishan Shanzhai were wiped out and most evil cultivators killed or captured, no one would suspect him.

After two more cups of tea, Old Man An finally came out and apologized:

The crowd was both shocked and fearful, a chill rising in their hearts.

And the Qian family, for colluding with evil cultivators, would have their estate confiscated and the family exiled, falling apart!

Not many people in the Qian family know about this matter, and not many evil cultivators in Great Heishan Shanzhai know about it either.

And if Elder Yu is not wiped out…