Chapter 407: Disappearance

Situ Fang was stunned to see Mo Hua.

She exchanged a few words with the several cultivators she had been arguing with, barely extricated herself, and led Mo Hua and the others to a quiet teahouse by the roadside, ordering a few cups of green tea, several plates of dried fruits and pastries.

Mo Hua couldn't help asking curiously:

"Sister Situ, are you the County Director of Nan Yue City?"

Mo Hua was not surprised that Situ Fang was the County Director.

She wore the official robe of a County Director, her cultivation was no weakling, and she came from a prominent family—serving as County Director in a local Dao Ting Si was perfectly normal.

What puzzled Mo Hua was why she was the County Director of Nan Yue City.

Nan Yue City was quite far from Tong Xian City; if she was the County Director of Nan Yue City, why had she traveled all the way to Tong Xian City to hunt down evil cultivators back then?

Situ Fang sighed: "Family training requires rotating postings."

"Oh." Mo Hua understood.

The Situ family's ethos seemed quite good—they sent disciples to various postings to hone their abilities.

And judging by the look of it, this training was quite grueling.

Even the lazy Zhang Lan, after one misfortune after another—the Great Heishan stronghold, the great demon—was constantly rushing about, never getting a moment's rest.

"What about you?" Situ Fang asked. "Why are you here?"

She glanced left and right. "Did Zhang Lan come with you?"

Mo Hua shook his head and smiled:

"Uncle Zhang didn't come. I'm traveling with my master, passing through here—we came to visit an elder, and I just happened to run into you."

"Master? Traveling?"

Situ Fang was momentarily stunned.

She remembered Zhang Lan mentioning in passing that Mo Hua was skilled at painting arrays, and had a mysterious, profound Mr.

She glanced again at Bai Zisheng and Bai Zi Xi.

Both had extraordinary appearances and ethereal demeanors—clearly disciples of a high-level cultivator.

Especially Bai Zi Xi—she couldn't help staring a few more times, exclaiming in admiration:

"Is this your junior sister? She's so beautiful…"

"Mm!" Mo Hua nodded, though inwardly he thought:

"You haven't even seen her at her most beautiful yet…"

Bai Zi Xi smiled faintly: "Sister is beautiful too…"

Beautiful face, pleasant voice, sweet words.

Situ Fang laughed until her mouth wouldn't close.

After a moment, she asked again:

"Where's Zhang Lan? Is he still in Tong Xian City?"

"He probably returned to his family."

"He's established his Foundation."

"Mm."

Situ Fang nodded, then suddenly asked:

"I heard you in Tong Xian City killed a great demon—is that true?"

Mo Hua nodded eagerly: "Yes!"

"The great array was painted by me, and I was the one who triggered its collapse to send that pig to heaven!"

Of course, Mo Hua didn't say this aloud—he only thought it inside.

Situ Fang murmured in amazement: "Truly… extraordinary."

Such feats—local cultivators building great arrays to suppress and slay great demons—were exceedingly rare even in Dao Ting history.

She didn't ask for more specific details.

Matters concerning the survival of an entire city's cultivators were unlikely to involve a ten-year-old cultivator like Mo Hua.

Even if she asked, he probably wouldn't know.

Mo Hua took a sip of tea, puckered his lips—it was bitter, slightly astringent, yet with a faint aftertaste of sweetness.

It was unpleasant, yet somehow pleasant—a strange feeling.

He tasted every dried fruit, then every pastry, his eyes brightening slightly.

The flavor was good.

He took a few more bites, silently pondering how the dried fruits and pastries were made, wondering if he could replicate them himself.

The dried fruits for the Puppet Old Man, the pastries for his junior sister.

As Mo Hua ate and drank, lost in thought, he suddenly remembered something and asked Situ Fang:

"Sister Situ, earlier you were arguing with someone—what happened?"

Situ Fang's relaxed mood vanished instantly; she sighed helplessly:

"Yes."

"Can you tell me about it?"

Mo Hua blinked, his eyes sparkling.

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zi Xi beside him also turned to Situ Fang, clearly curious too.

Situ Fang thought for a moment, then sighed:

"I might as well tell you…"

"I was transferred to the Nan Yue City Dao Ting Si as County Director half a year ago."

In Nanyue City, families control the mines, and most cultivators eke out a living by mining—commonly known as "mining cultivators."

Mining cultivators must enter the mountains, dig tunnels, and extract ore—it's arduous and dangerous work.

Inside the mines, there are ancient foul miasmas, some sinister and ghostly entities, as well as beast-like creatures that burrow through rock.

If the foul miasma invades the body, it may cause severe injury—or death.

The beasts within the tunnels also devour humans.

Moreover, if the mine tunnels are poorly dug or the formation arrays crudely drawn, they easily trigger cave-ins.

Once a mine collapses and rocks crush down, a Qi Condensation cultivator cannot survive to escape.

Thus, every year, many cultivators die within these mine tunnels in Nanyue City…

"Those cultivators just now—did they argue with you because a relative died in a mine?" Mo Hua asked.

Sister Situ nodded. "Yes, but their status is unknown—they've simply vanished."

She sighed again. "From past experience, those who vanish in the mines are almost certainly dead."

Mo Hua frowned. "Then what does this have to do with you?"

Sister Situ sighed helplessly. "Their families, grieving, came to Dao Ting Si to file reports. Dao Ting Si accepted the cases—but has little interest in handling them."

"I saw how poor they were, how their loved ones had vanished, how they wept day and night—I couldn't bear it, so I took the matter upon myself."

"But then… I didn't expect…"

Mo Hua realized. "You've gotten yourself into trouble…"

Sister Situ gave a bitter smile. "If the trouble were only from Dao Ting Si, it'd be manageable. But these grieving families are a bigger problem."

"When I first helped them, they were overwhelmed with gratitude."

"Gradually, they began to complain, blaming Dao Ting Si for being ineffective—why hadn't they found anyone after so long?"

"They also made outrageous demands for compensation."

"Zhou Zhangsi thinks I'm meddling in affairs that aren't mine."

"I'm caught between both sides, stretched thin, utterly miserable…"

Sister Situ's face bore deep helplessness.

Mo Hua nodded. "A grain of rice brings gratitude; a bushel brings resentment. That's how it is."

"If you don't help them, they'll beg you to. But if you truly help them, they'll complain you didn't help enough—and blame you."

Sister Situ looked at Mo Hua in surprise. "Then what should I do?"

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then said:

"If you truly want to help, you must begin with a strictly official, impartial attitude."

"Be neutral. Then they'll beg you to help—and naturally treat you with respect."

"Otherwise, trouble will follow."

"If you grow close to them, act as if you're on their side, they'll unconsciously assume that no matter what happens, you'll always favor them…"

"They'll come to see your kindness as their due, push further, make endless demands, even deceive you and treat you like a fool…"

Sister Situ exclaimed in astonishment. "How do you know all this?"

Mo Hua scratched his head. "Uncle Zhang Lan told me…"

Sister Situ paused. "Why would he tell you this?"

Mo Hua recalled the past, speaking clearly:

"We drank together—mostly him drinking, me eating meat, occasionally sipping fruit wine… He got drunk, talked more, and told me everything."

"About how, in the past, his good intentions got him caught between both sides…"

Upon hearing this, Sister Situ looked genuinely surprised.

She knew Zhang Lan fairly well.

Zhang Lan appeared lazy on the surface, but was perceptive and somewhat proud, with few friends and strained relations with his family.

Yet she never imagined he had such a close bond with Mo Hua—talking openly about everything…

Sister Situ thought for a moment, then nodded.

Mo Hua was right.

She had been too soft-hearted, taken on a mess, and now, with no progress, she was mired in it—facing daily complaints.

Thinking of this, Sister Situ sighed deeply again.

"Sister Situ, how did these mining cultivators vanish?"

Sister Situ shook her head. "No findings yet. The mine site has no clues. The families of the missing are causing chaos—only demanding answers and more spirit stones, but when questioned about details, they mumble about how hard their lives are…"

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened. "Something's off here."

Sister Situ nodded. "I feel it too—but I can't find any leads yet. Meanwhile, I'm constantly harassed by these families, overwhelmed, not knowing what to do…"

Mo Hua whispered: "What if you lock them up?"

Sister Situ blinked. "Lock them where?"

"Dao Yu…"

Sister Situ fell silent.

Even Bai Zisheng and Bai Zi Xi stared at Mo Hua as if he were a villain.

"That wouldn't be appropriate…" Sister Situ said gently.

"Just scare them a little…"

Mo Hua said, "They're taking advantage of your kindness, pushing further. If this continues, you won't find anyone, won't solve the case—you'll be stuck between both sides."

"It's bad for everyone…"

"And they're definitely hiding something."

"Lock them up for a few days; once they calm down and realize fear, they'll know their limits. Then, when you question them again, they'll tell you the truth."

Mo Hua paused, recalling what Zhang Lan had said, then nodded.

"With those who understand reason, you can be gentle; with those who don't, you must establish authority—otherwise, they'll be taken advantage of."

"Being overly kind won't solve problems."

Sister Situ pondered for a long while, then sighed reluctantly, "I'll give it a try."

After Sister Situ left, Mo Hua took a sip of tea and suddenly noticed Bai Zisheng staring at him intently.

After Sister Situ left, Mo Hua sipped tea and suddenly noticed Bai Zisheng staring at him intently.

Bai Zisheng said, "The Dao Ting Si is investigating this case. Let's go too."

Mo Hua snorted. "Go where?"

Bai Zisheng hesitated—it wasn't proper to say he just wanted to tag along for the excitement.

He thought for a moment, then said, "Aren't you curious? Why did the miners disappear? Are they alive or dead?"

"If they're alive, where are they trapped? Can they be rescued?"

"If they're dead, how did they die? Could they have been killed by other cultivators? And why?"

Bai Zisheng rattled off a stream of questions.

Mo Hua, who had originally not been curious at all, suddenly found himself intrigued…

Upon hearing this, Mo Hua, who had not been particularly curious before, couldn't help but feel a flicker of curiosity…

Moreover, he vaguely felt this matter was odd, as if entangled in complex karmic threads.

He couldn't explain why he thought that.

But since learning Divine Consciousness Derivation, he'd occasionally had such premonitions.

It seemed Divine Consciousness Derivation could sense fragments of karmic causality.

"Could Master have been teaching me derivation all along—to help me foresee karmic outcomes and avoid misfortune?"

"Could it be that Master taught me calculation all along so I could sense cause and effect, avoid misfortune, and seek fortune?"

Thanks to jesy3990's reward~

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