Chapter 381

Ding Lao Tou's young grandson sat at the table, sipping the clear porridge with not a single grain of rice, forcing himself not to look at the chicken on the table, yet occasionally couldn't help sneaking glances at it.

This young grandson of Ding Lao Tou, about five or six years old, was named Ding Miao'er.

He was given this name, perhaps hoping he would grow as smoothly as the rice seedlings in the fields.

When rice seedlings grow, it means a bountiful harvest for the year.

When a child grows up, it means safety and smooth sailing.

Mo Hua finished his porridge, ate a piece of chicken, then pushed the entire dish of meat toward Miao'er.

"I'm full. Let Miao'er eat it."

Ding Lao Tou hurriedly said, "How could this be allowed?"

Mo Hua said, "I'll ask you a few questions. If you answer them, it will count as payment for drawing the formation."

Ding Lao Tou said, "Young Master, ask whatever you wish. Old man here knows nothing but will speak freely—this is my duty, but this…"

Bai Zi Xi, beside him, was fully absorbed in tackling a dish of chicken.

The Ancestor rebuked: "What does he know? Your Zhang Jiahai clan has no secret lineage passed down from the ancestors!"

Mo Hua sighed.

But his stomach was truly hungry, and he hadn't tasted meat in a long time.

Strange indeed…

Practicing only one formation per day—even less than a fraction of a fraction…

Yet Mo Hua still hadn't found any clue to the Ultimate Formation.

Looking again and again, all he saw in Sun Ze were the eight-line Earth-Nourishing Formations.

"What did you find out over there?" Ding Miao'er asked Mo Hua.

"According to the elder cultivators outside the village, Bai Zixi's ancestor's formations left traces, weren't made with cultivation, and could be used by ordinary youths."

"Gradually, the elders of the Spirit Fields came to regard this as normal, believing that since you owed them Spirit Fields, you should offer them 'tribute.'"

Mo Hua recounted what he had learned: the matters concerning the Spirit Fields' ancestors, the monopolization of formations for profit, the farmers' inability to afford rice, and more.

Ding Miao'er pouted, "Eat rice, drink tea, watch men dance—ask you and Zi Xi to watch too…"

It wasn't lack of talent—it was indulgence in comfort, a weak will.

Mo Hua nodded.

Zhang Jiahai, full and satisfied, immediately nodded his big head: "Mm!"

"It doesn't seem like…"

Zhang Jiahai reported it again to his father, the Spirit Fields' patriarch, the Ancestor.

After meeting Mr. Zhuang, exchanging greetings, Mo Hua returned to his room and exchanged information with Ding Miao'er and Zhang Jiahai.

"Worse still, when they developed wicked intentions, they didn't just want the harvest from the land—they also wanted the village girls to serve them as maidservants…"

Are they all just trash from the back alleys?

But Ding Miao'er shook his head, speaking in a high-pitched, childlike voice:

The Ancestor's eyes flashed sharply: "You say he drew an Earth-Nourishing Formation?"

Mo Hua didn't understand, and another question came to mind:

Also, as Ding Lao Tou had said, the formations with "traces and marks"…

Dao Ting was rigidly hierarchical, but certain areas above were fragmented, with tangled interests and lax oversight.

"Especially when they don't care."

"If even the patriarch is like this, what can you expect from others? His son, Sun Yi, still can only draw seven formation lines…"

"Learned." Ding Miao'er said, "He practices only one formation per day…"

"Where's the stupidity?" Mo Hua didn't understand.

Zhang Jiahai was also startled, then after a pause, sounded disappointed:

They claimed the formations on the land could only be repaired by the Spirit Fields.

"What do you plan to do now?"

Mo Hua blinked, exclaiming loudly: "That's too fast already… What does he do every day?"

Mo Hua patted his big head again.

"The Spirit Fields have ancestral teachings…"

Mo Hua then asked Ding Lao Tou:

"Later…," Ding Lao Tou sighed, "Bai Zixi's ancestor died for unknown reasons. Rumor says he overworked on formations and shattered his spirit sea—but that's just rumor; the true details, I don't know…"

"In such big places, Dao Ting officials have authority but can't reach far—especially when minor incidents occur, they won't bother to inquire."

"I sent someone to investigate. That big ghost went to Zhang Jiahai, drew an Earth-Nourishing Formation, then went to an old man's house for a meal, and afterward wandered around Zhang Jiahai again."

"Nowadays, most formations were drawn by Spirit Fields elders—they're often good, but often need repair."

The Spirit Fields were leaving such big meat untouched—there must be a reason.

But the specifics, he didn't know.

Moreover, this seventh-rank Formation Master likely had also comprehended the Ultimate Formation.

"It's not that everyone learns formations this slowly."

Bai Zixi's ancestor's story was distant; he'd only heard it. As for formations, he knew nothing at all and couldn't explain anything.

The Ancestor's expression grew solemn, then suddenly his eyes blazed sharply:

Afterwards, Ding Lao Tou and Sun's family took Mo Hua on another tour of Sun Ze.

Ding Lao Tou, feeling sentimental, began to tell Mo Hua in detail:

"Father, what exactly is that big ghost trying to do?" Sun Yi said, displeased.

Could it be that they merely want to use arrays to extort and exploit the cultivators who till the land?

As dusk fell, Mo Hua took his leave and returned to the spirit fields.

Old Ding watched with a pained heart.

"You let them sell their children to pay for the fields—yet do you expect us to buy the fields from you?"

Mo Hua asked several questions, and Old Ding answered each one in turn.

"You have no time to go back to Dongshan Village and examine Sun Ze's plot—you've already calculated it; there are no clues beyond Sun Ze."

Then, lost in the aroma of roasted chicken, he ate piece after piece…

The chicken was originally my grandfather's offering to Mo Hua, but I ate it all.

Bai Zi Xi finally finished eating the chicken, looked at Mo Hua, and blushed with embarrassment.

"What about the array on that land? Was it passed down from Bai Zisheng's ancestors? Has it ever changed?"

Ding Miao said:

"Lately, the scattered cultivators have grown deeper grievances with the Spirit Fields; the Spirit Fields rely on these arrays to demand exorbitant tribute—every year, a portion of our harvest must be handed over to them."

"Young Master Ding, are all the arrays on that land drawn by the Spirit Fields?"

"His mind is wasted on trivialities—he can still only draw arrays with seven runes! It's an embarrassment to the Spirit Fields!"

The Ancestor frowned but said nothing.

Mo Hua furrowed his brow.

He glanced again at his son, exasperated:

As long as it doesn't threaten Dao Ting's stability, most matters are overlooked—eyes half-closed, ears half-deaf.

"Dao Ting Si is stationed in Xiancheng and governs its territory; regions radiating beyond Xiancheng are managed by local clans, sects, or elders, who merely pay a yearly tax of spirit stones."

Sun Jia Lao pondered briefly, then spoke softly:

"Father, this ghost you speak of—it hides its true nature. What does it truly intend?"

But anyone with eyes could tell this was no longer the Yu Tu Array.

Old Ding sighed deeply.

"For the past few days, he went there almost every day."

Ding Miao grew angry, "I never thought you were not just a fool, but a good-for-nothing fool."

It's a pity the descendants don't resemble their ancestors.

But Mo Hua would not allow refusal: "It's settled."

Mo Hua fell silent.

Even after reaching Foundation Establishment, he still hasn't become a First-Rank Array Master.

If it's an array, how could there be no trace at all?

Old Ding scratched his head, recalled for a moment, and said:

More importantly, Zhang Jiahai is the key.

That's strange.

Sun Jia Lao nodded slightly, his expression intense, yet his long eyelashes fluttered, revealing a touch of pride amid his beauty.

"What about the array skills of others in the Spirit Fields?"

Sun Jia Lao glanced silently at Mo Hua and said calmly:

Do the Spirit Fields know what kind of arrays Zhang Jiahai draws?

It's only fooling those who don't understand arrays and only know how to till the soil.

"The Spirit Fields' ancestors?"

Mo Hua listened, felt a pang of emotion, and asked again:

"Sister, you know so much."

Mo Hua nodded regretfully.

"I was originally a cultivator from elsewhere; I don't know how, but I ended up here. Seeing the hardship of the cultivators in Qianjia Town, I took pity and drew an array within Sun Ze."

"I want to go see the field—can you take me there?"

"And then?" Mo Hua asked.

But I never expected my predecessor to abuse power and indulge in pleasure.

"The array… you're not scheming to steal Zhang Jiahai's array lineage, are you…?"

Zhang Jiahai didn't understand, so he looked toward Sun Jia Lao.

"Father, you can fool others—but don't fool yourself," Sun Yi said.

"Has he still found no clue to the Ultimate Array?" Ding Miao asked.

The Spirit Fields' predecessors should know what Miao'er draws—why draw anew then?

In the past few days, Mo Hua still slipped away to Dongshan Village whenever he could.

"But Father… what is there in our family's arrays worth passing down?"

Mo Hua looked at Sun Jia Lao and praised:

"After Bai Zisheng's passing, we remembered the Spirit Fields' kindness and remained grateful—every harvest, we send them some spirit rice."

The Spirit Fields informed Sun Yi of his movements.

"Father, you're not that bad—you've reached Foundation Establishment, yet still haven't become a First-Rank Array Master…"

The Ancestor was skeptical: "Could such a powerful ghost really cultivate an Yu Tu Array with eight runes?"

He's my own grandson—don't even speak of meat; even his daily meals are never enough to fill his belly…

Ding Miao glanced left and right, whispering:

Grandfather taught him that when guests come to the door, they must be treated well.

Sun Yi nodded.

"Zhang Jiahai's ancestors, especially the Zhang Jiahai of the Spirit Fields, were little-known array masters—and among the kindest souls in the region."

Sun Yi inwardly grumbled, but since he dared not speak out, he now dared to retort:

Old Ding nodded, "Since the end of the Zhang Jiahai ancestors' work, it's been modified and adjusted for several hundred years."

Mo Hua opened his mouth wide. "Am I a blockhead?"

This hundred-hectare Sun Ze, even if it currently has none, may very well in the future have been sealed by Bai Yanlang's ancestral array.

Mo Hua asked: "Will Dao Ting Si intervene in matters like the Spirit Fields?"

Zhang Jiahai lifted his head, meat in his mouth, eyes sparkling.

"Are you studying array techniques?"

"Big brother, eat."

Old Ding nodded, "Bai Yanlang's ancestor once established a clan edict: Any descendant of the Spirit Fields must never seize even a single plot of land from Qianjia Town—or else be stripped of their surname, erased from the genealogy, and cast out of the family!"

"Clan edict?"

"The cultivators of Qianjia Town were overwhelmed with gratitude, begged him to stay, and even built him a mansion…"

"And so that grace turned into hatred…"

Ding Miao spat, "A cowardly soldier breeds a cowardly unit; a weak general breeds a weak army."

"Even this Zhang Jiahai mansion has been renovated several times by the Spirit Fields at low cost—long ago, it lost its original form."

"In years of poor harvests, when they gave too much, the Spirit Fields people would curse them, calling them 'ungrateful Bai Yanlang.'"

"I've studied array techniques for forty years, reached Foundation Establishment, yet my array rank remains at First Grade, and my spiritual sense hasn't even reached Ten Patterns..."

When in the world will I become a First-Grade Array Master?

"But if we don't give, it won't work—this land nearby is barren, and without arrays, the spirit rice withers quickly…"

The Zhang Jiahai ancestors once had true Seventh-Grade Array Masters capable of benefiting the entire region's cultivators.

Mo Hua smiled and said:

"These arrays can enrich the soil, nourish the water, ensure bountiful spirit rice harvests, and guarantee you never lack food or clothing."

He couldn't resist and took a bite of chicken.

Ding Miao had wanted to refuse.

Mo Hua was mildly startled, sighing: "Bai Yanlang's ancestor was truly a broad-minded good Array Master—what a pity…"

Mo Hua patted his head gently. "Eat."

"The head of the Spirit Fields, the Ancestor, is an idiot!"