Chapter 410: Cause of Death

Situ Fang asked the Lu family cultivator, "What is this mine tunnel actually used for?"

The Lu family cultivator's face turned pale, and he clenched his teeth, saying nothing.

Situ Fang threatened:

"People have died inside. If you don't speak, Dao Ting Si will investigate to the end—your Lu family won't escape blame."

The Lu family cultivator said, "A few mine cultivators died—so what? My Lu family will pay spirit stones."

After speaking, he seemed to have come to a realization, and his confidence returned.

"Yes, yes! A few mine cultivators—my Lu family will pay spirit stones…"

He sneered, "This mine shaft connects in all directions; some abandoned entrances are perfectly normal."

"These mine cultivators were foolish—they wandered in themselves, got eaten by demonic beasts—what does that have to do with my Lu family?"

"A few worthless lives? They deserved to die!"

Situ Fang's anger surged, and she moved to strike him.

Mo Hua quickly blocked her. "Situ sister, getting angry won't help."

Situ Fang frowned but stopped her hand.

Mo Hua turned to the Lu family cultivator and said:

"Normally, when a mine cultivator dies, it's an accident—paying spirit stones is enough. But this time is different. This is murder—it violates the Dao Code…"

The Lu family sneered, "Then who killed them?"

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

The scene was bloody and gruesome; no one knew who had killed them—or even if a human had done it.

The Lu family cultivator smiled, "You can't find the killer—how can you call it murder? I say these mine cultivators were reckless, broke into this mine shaft to steal our ore, got trapped, and were eaten by demonic beasts…"

The Lu family cultivator grew more certain with every word, his expression increasingly haughty.

Mo Hua's eyes flickered, then he smiled brightly and falsely accused:

"I understand now—it was you who murdered them for their wealth!"

The Lu family cultivator froze. "You brat, what nonsense are you spouting? I don't even know them. Besides, mine cultivators are all penniless—what wealth could possibly be worth killing them for?"

Mo Hua said, "Not knowing them makes it easier to kill them. Besides, wealth isn't displayed—you never searched their storage bags, so how do you know they had no wealth?"

The Lu family cultivator grew furious. "You're slandering me!"

Of course it is—do you really think I need you to tell me that?

Mo Hua thought silently.

Then he sighed with regret. "Since you won't confess, we'll have to take you to Dao Ting Si, lock you in Dao Prison, and interrogate you under torture…"

The Lu family cultivator sneered. "You won't dare."

"Why won't you dare?"

"The Zhangsi… has ties with my Lu family…"

He stopped mid-sentence, his face changing, afraid to continue.

Mo Hua's gaze shifted slightly—he understood.

Since the Lu family was the largest clan in Nan Yue City, owning the most mines, they must have dealings with the Zhangsi.

And judging by his reaction, these "dealings" were far from ordinary.

On the surface, Dao Ting Si and the Lu family operated independently.

When trouble arose, Dao Ting Si would investigate and hold the Lu family accountable.

But behind the scenes, there were surely some transactions.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then sneered:

"Even if the Zhangsi has ties with the Lu family, it has nothing to do with you…"

"You're just a lowly cultivator of the Lu family. Five mine cultivators' lives—do you think the Lu family will protect you, or will the Zhangsi intervene to save you?"

"Do you think you're worth it?"

The Lu family cultivator felt a chill in his heart; his haughty expression vanished.

Mo Hua continued:

"We'll take you back, lock you in Dao Prison, and tell the outside world that you killed five mine cultivators…"

"What do you think the Lu family will do? Will they risk public outrage to protect you—or will they let you take the blame to calm the situation?"

The Lu family cultivator's eyes trembled.

Mo Hua watched his expression, then sighed, feigning detachment and reluctance:

"Honestly, we don't even want to get involved in this…"

"But those mine cultivators keep causing trouble at Dao Ting Si—we have no choice."

"The higher-ups need an explanation, and Situ sister must report something."

"Who actually killed these five mine cultivators doesn't matter at all."

"The truth doesn't concern anyone."

"All anyone needs is someone to take the blame, admit guilt, and settle this matter…"

Mo Hua patted the Lu family cultivator on the shoulder. "The decision has been made—you're the one."

The Lu family cultivator jolted. "You're lying to me!"

But his voice trembled—he had no conviction.

He didn't know Mo Hua's identity, but he knew Situ Fang's.

Situ Fang was indeed the Diansi of Nan Yue City's Dao Ting Si.

On the surface, she was investigating the truth for those mine cultivators.

But the Dao Ting Si's waters were murky, its people were dark—one set of rules on the surface, another behind the scenes.

He couldn't be sure either—this Sister Situ, which side was she really on?

Besides, the Lu family had so many disciples, so why pick him specifically to lead the way?

Mo Hua gave Sister Situ a look.

Sister Situ then darkened her face and laughed with a sinister edge:

"Drag him back. Zhou Zhangsi's side needs an explanation, and as for the Lu family head... surely he won't be reluctant to part with a mere mid Qi-Refining disciple."

Bai Zisheng reached out to grab him.

The Lu family cultivator struggled and shouted angrily, "You have no evidence—you can't arrest me, and you can't convict me!"

Mo Hua slapped his forehead. "Right, I need to manufacture some evidence."

With that, Mo Hua pulled out over a dozen spirit stones, crushed them, and stuffed them into the Lu family cultivator's hands.

The Lu family cultivator was stunned. "What are you doing?"

Mo Hua "called a stag a horse," saying, "These spirit stones are your evidence of murder for profit!"

The Lu family cultivator found it absurd.

This little brat couldn't even be bothered to put on an act?

Framing someone so brazenly?

The Lu family cultivator hurriedly threw all the spirit stones on the ground. "I didn't—it's not me…"

Mo Hua sneered. "You won't take the easy way, only the hard way?"

The Lu family cultivator said, "What more can you do?"

Mo Hua's gaze shifted slightly, a hint of wickedness rising on his face, his voice low and a touch eerie:

"Lock you in this cave, then seal it with a formation, and let you stay with these five dead mine cultivators…"

"A few days from now, we'll bring people back to investigate. When everyone discovers you right at the crime scene, alongside the dead, you'll have no way to defend yourself."

The Lu family cultivator said, "I'll say… that you framed me!"

Mo Hua instantly put on an innocent, naive face again. "Who would believe that?"

The Lu family cultivator's eyelids twitched wildly.

"Oh, right." Mo Hua remembered again. "You might not even live that long. There's something in this cave, it eats mine cultivators, so it'll probably eat you too…"

"Maybe the moment you're locked in, by the next day you'll already be eaten…"

"But that works out perfectly too—we'll just say you killed for profit and ended up perishing together."

"Anyway, no one else will ever know what happened here…"

The Lu family cultivator stared at Mo Hua in disbelief.

What on earth was this little brat's background? How did he have one scheme after another ready to go?

The Lu family cultivator nodded helplessly and said:

"Fine, I agree to your terms."

Before the words had even faded, he took advantage of Mo Hua's lapse in attention, leapt up and ran—but before he'd taken a few steps, he felt his body tighten, bound by something.

He looked down and found his whole body already locked in pale blue water-shaped chains.

The Lu family cultivator's face turned ashen with shock.

What spell was this?

Mo Hua, meanwhile, let out a cold laugh.

Bai Zisheng strode forward in great steps and dragged the Lu family cultivator back.

Mo Hua pretended to lose patience, gave Bai Zisheng a look, and said:

"Seal him inside. I'll draw the formation."

Sister Situ hesitated, but said nothing.

Bai Zisheng raised an eyebrow, then grabbed the Lu family cultivator by the collar and dragged him toward the cave where the mine cultivators had died horribly, reeking of rot.

The Lu family cultivator's heart turned to ice with terror.

Only now did he realize—this little brat was serious!

He struggled and hurriedly begged, "Spare me! Spare me! I'll tell you everything!"

Bai Zisheng glanced at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua nodded.

Bai Zisheng dragged the Lu family cultivator back again and dumped him in front of Mo Hua.

Mo Hua looked at him and said, "I'll ask you a few questions. Answer well, and I'll let you go. If you hide anything, go keep those mine cultivators company…"

The Lu family cultivator's face went grey, and he nodded.

"What is this mine used for?"

The Lu family cultivator shook his head.

Mo Hua's gaze turned cold, and he immediately wanted to send him inside.

The Lu family cultivator hurriedly said, "I—I… really don't know!"

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened slightly. "Then what do you know?"

"I… I only know…"

The Lu family cultivator hesitated, then sighed. "I only know that these mines were ordered built by the family head, and the formations inside were also ordered drawn by the family head personally."

"Once these mines were built, they were sealed up—no one has ever gone in…"

"And no one knows what's inside."

"The family head gave strict orders: the matter of the mines must not be revealed to any cultivator, and no cultivator is allowed to enter…"

The head of the Lu family, huh...

Mo Hua frowned slightly, then asked again:

"How did these mine cultivators die?"

The Lu family cultivator stammered, "That I really don't know either... how would I know they'd sneak into these mine shafts?"

"You didn't notice?"

"They came in the middle of the night. It's creepy down here at night — who'd go running into the mine shaft for no reason?"

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened. "Creepy?"

The Lu family cultivator realized he'd misspoken and clamped his mouth shut.

Mo Hua said, "The shaft might be damp, might be dark, but it's not exactly creepy..."

"Well..." The Lu family cultivator's eyes darted away.

"You don't want to say?"

The Lu family cultivator nodded, then, seeing the unfriendly look on Mo Hua's face, felt a jolt of fear and shook his head.

"Tell me — why is it creepy?"

The Lu family cultivator hesitated, swallowed, and said slowly:

"They say there are ghosts in the mine shaft at night..."

Mo Hua was taken aback. "Ghosts?"

The Lu family cultivator nodded. "Every night, waves of yin energy, and creaking, groaning sounds — the whole shaft trembles faintly, like someone is chipping away at something..."

The Lu family cultivator wiped the cold sweat from his brow:

"Some say they're mine cultivators who died unjust deaths in the shaft, turned into ghost cultivators — when the yin energy runs heavy at night, they come back to the shaft to mine, just like when they were alive..."

Mo Hua furrowed his brow.

It looked like those few mine cultivators had snuck into the shaft to steal ore, run into some unknown specter inside at night, and died for it.

But even so, there were still plenty of suspicious points.

Mo Hua questioned him over and over again.

This Lu family cultivator was stammering, but what he said was more or less consistent — he didn't seem to be lying.

Anything more confidential, a Lu family disciple at mid Qi Refining like him probably wouldn't know either.

Mo Hua casually gathered some more news about the Lu family, then nodded and said:

"Since you've been so obedient, I won't make things hard for you."

A great stone dropped from the Lu family cultivator's heart.

Mo Hua asked, puzzled, "But suppose the Lu family finds out you told me all this..."

The great stone that had just dropped from the Lu family cultivator's heart lodged itself right back. He hurriedly said:

"Little friend, little lord, little ancestor... please, please don't tell anyone..."

If it got out, the Lu family would never let him off.

Mo Hua said with great reluctance, "Fine..."

Then he instructed, "But you have to behave. If anything comes up later, I'll come ask you again..."

"Oh right — what's your name?"

The Lu family cultivator was on the verge of tears: "Lu Ming."

(End of chapter)