Chapter 428

The next day, Mo Hua went to Dao Ting Si to report it.

He found Sister Situ and told her about the gray-robed cultivator hiring assassins, hiding in a brothel, and causing the death of a female cultivator there.

Sister Situ stared at Mo Hua, dumbfounded. "How do you know so much?"

Our Dao Ting Si hasn't uncovered anything yet.

Mo Hua said: "I went to the brothel—by accident, unintentionally, just happened to overhear…"

Sister Situ widened her eyes and said:

"You went to a brothel?!"

"Just listened to music, watched dances, left as soon as it got dark…" Mo Hua said, sounding a bit guilty.

Sister Situ's gaze turned stern: "Don't go again!"

She was used to walking by the river, but sometimes you still get your shoes wet—she feared Mo Hua would go astray.

Mo Hua nodded vigorously. "Don't worry—I only went for a serious reason. Who'd go to a brothel for fun? I'm extremely busy."

He had to cultivate, study arrays, cook for his master, senior brothers, and senior sister, roast pine nuts for Old Puppet, and oh—feed Bai Bai grass.

He really was very busy.

Sister Situ sighed. "Fine. Just make sure you know what you're doing."

Mo Hua asked again: "Have you decided how to catch that gray-robed cultivator?"

Sister Situ frowned. "Dao Ting Si will handle this—we don't need you to…"

"Is Dao Ting Si really trustworthy?"

Mo Hua's gaze held a subtle meaning.

Sister Situ paused, thought carefully, and felt uncertain.

Hiring assassins, trading corpses for decades—what was this gray-robed cultivator's identity, his background? Did he have ties to Dao Ting Si? She wasn't sure.

If he was connected to someone inside Dao Ting Si, reporting to Zhou Zhangsi would alert him—no matter how carefully she planned, it would end in vain.

After a moment's thought, Sister Situ said: "I'll summon someone from my family."

"Family?"

Sister Situ nodded. "There's a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Situ family in Nan Yue City. I'll ask him to act, then report to Dao Ting Si afterward—strike first, report later."

Mo Hua relaxed.

He didn't fully trust Nan Yue City's Dao Ting Si—but he trusted Sister Situ.

Mo Hua then gave Sister Situ every detail he knew about Sister Qinglan, and they discussed the timing, location, and method of the arrest.

After finalizing the plan, Sister Situ thought for a moment and said to Mo Hua:

"On the fourth day, don't go."

Mo Hua shook his head. "I'm going. If I don't go, how will you contact Sister Sister Qinglan?"

Sister Situ hesitated. "But the other side is Foundation Establishment…"

"Don't worry," Mo Hua said calmly. "Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator might not spot me. If I want to run, I can escape—and I've got my senior brothers and sister."

"Your senior brothers and sister are just Qi Condensation…"

"They're Qi Condensation, but they're extremely powerful."

Sister Situ recalled the deep spiritual power on Bai Zisheng and Bai Zi Xi, and sighed.

"Fine."

When Mo Hua made up his mind, all she could do was advise.

This child seemed to have more ability than she did now—at least in arrays.

If he wanted to go, he must have a plan.

She'd just warn the Situ family elder to keep an eye on Mo Hua, make sure he didn't get hurt.

Even if a Foundation Establishment cultivator fought, as long as Mo Hua stayed far away, he'd be safe.

And Mo Hua was excellent at hiding.

She remembered clearly how he'd hidden back in Great Heishan.

…

After finalizing the plan, Sister Situ began deploying personnel and assigned several Zhishi to scout ahead at Bai Hua Lou.

These cultivators were all people she trusted; some were even from the Situ family.

At the same time, she went to Nan Yue Sect and fetched out the Situ family elder who was visiting there.

Meanwhile, Mo Hua cultivated and practiced arrays.

He specially prepared a set of special Si Nan Zi Mu Arrays.

This array had a major use for him.

On the fourth day, as night fell, Mo Hua met up with Sister Situ and entered Bai Hua Lou together.

Dao Ting Si Zhishi had already infiltrated beforehand.

The Situ family elder had also already arrived and was drinking inside Bai Hua Lou.

As soon as Sister Situ entered, she was blocked.

The one who blocked her was an elderly female cultivator, around a hundred years old, heavily made-up, dressed in bright red and green, smiling but with sharp eyes.

This woman was the brothel's madam.

The madam stopped Sister Situ, polite in tone but dripping with sarcasm:

"Oh? Isn't this the Dao Ting Si's Gu Diansi? What brings you to our Bai Hua Lou?"

The madam feigned surprise again:

"But… you're a woman, right? Oh, I get it—you must be… that kind of person…"

The madam dragged out her final syllable, then covered her face with a pair of lovebirds fan and let out a harsh laugh.

Sister Situ frowned, "I am here on official business."

The madam's laughter ceased, her gaze turning hostile.

"What official business?"

Sister Situ glanced at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua stepped forward, adopting an arrogant, overbearing demeanor: "Someone in your Hundred Flowers Pavilion stole something from me!"

Stole something…

The madam's heart eased slightly; she smiled without warmth.

"Our Hundred Flowers Pavilion runs a legitimate business. Our girls are all proper—how could any of them steal? Young Master, do you have any proof for this accusation?"

Beside him, Sister Situ's eyebrows twitched.

Legitimate business? Proper girls?

She longed to tear out the madam's lying tongue.

Mo Hua snorted coldly, "Does your pavilion have a girl named Sister Qinglan?"

The madam blinked in slight surprise, then smiled.

"There is such a girl."

"Then that's it." Mo Hua raised his brow. "She stole my jade bracelet—this bracelet was given to me by Elder Su!"

"Elder Su…"

The madam froze.

She remembered: several days ago, Elder Su of the Nan Yue Sect had indeed visited, and this young master had been by his side.

And Elder Su had indeed summoned Sister Qinglan.

The madam frowned, and her mind accepted seven or eight tenths of the claim.

These little girls were used to poverty, low-class, and when they saw something valuable, their hands grew unclean—it was entirely possible they'd stolen it.

The madam cursed inwardly: "You worthless slut, you've brought me trouble!"

But…

The madam hesitated. "Sister Qinglan is currently attending a guest. It's inconvenient right now. I'll interrogate her later—if she truly took your item, I'll make her return it…"

"I'll punish that little wretch severely, teach her some discipline…"

The madam gritted her teeth, her face twisted ugly.

Mo Hua listened, his gaze growing colder, yet his tone grew even more insistent:

"No. How do I know you won't shield her? Summon her now—let us confront her face to face."

The madam hesitated.

Mo Hua sneered, "That jade bracelet is extremely valuable—if it's lost, you won't be able to bear the consequences!"

Then Mo Hua added:

"I brought Sister Situ, the Dao Ting Si, here as a witness. If your Hundred Flowers Pavilion shields Sister Qinglan and keeps my jade bracelet, I'll report it to the Dao Ting Si and demand an explanation."

"This…"

The madam was caught between a rock and a hard place.

She didn't want to offend Elder Su; this young master was connected to him, so she dared not anger him either.

And the Dao Ting Si—she dreaded even more.

Although the Hundred Flowers Pavilion had operated this long by bribing the Nan Yue City Dao Ting Si,

those upper echelons of the Dao Ting Si were a pack of insatiable wolves.

Once they were stirred, they'd demand bribes—not just spirit stones, but also my girls would suffer needlessly, earning not a single spirit stone.

The madam clenched her teeth. "Fine. Young Master, wait a moment—I'll summon that worthless slut Sister Qinglan and get to the bottom of this!"

The madam swayed her waist and stormed off, furious.

A moment later, trembling, Sister Qinglan was brought in.

Mo Hua glanced at Sister Qinglan and saw she had been washed and re-coiffed, her hair slightly damp, her face pale, her fingers trembling, and fine whip marks on her neck.

Mo Hua sneered, pointing at Sister Qinglan:

"Come here. I have a question for you."

In Sister Qinglan's pained eyes, a flicker of hope appeared as she slowly stepped before Mo Hua.

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened; he spoke slowly, low and steady:

"I ask you: is the 'jade bracelet' still here?"

Sister Qinglan pressed her pale lips tightly, then nodded firmly.

"It is!"

Mo Hua exhaled slightly, glancing at Sister Situ.

Sister Situ understood at once, reached over, snatched a wine flask from the table, and hurled it to the ground, roaring:

"This is outrageous!"

The flask shattered on the floor, shards scattering with a sharp crack—sound rising to the upper floors.

The madam frowned, sensing something off about their exchange, yet couldn't pinpoint why.

Just as she puzzled, a powerful surge of spiritual energy erupted from the back courtyard's upper floor.

The madam's face turned pale.

The guests all leapt to their feet in shock.

"A Foundation Establishment cultivator?!"

A Foundation Establishment cultivator has begun fighting in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion!

The grand hall instantly plunged into chaos and clamor.

Amid the chaos, Mo Hua gently pulled the trembling Sister Qinglan behind him, while Bai Zisheng and Bai Zi Xi flanked her on left and right, shielding her.

Sister Situ's eyes flashed with cold light as she drew her blade.

"Someone dares to provoke trouble in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion? Come with me to suppress them!"

Among the guests, hidden Dao Ting Si enforcers stepped forward, revealing their gleaming blades and leaping upward toward the upper floors.

The madam, seeing this, opened her mouth in shock, her heart turning cold.

We've been tricked!

(End of Chapter)