Chapter 465: The Dagger Appears When the Map Is Unrolled

How is this possible?

How could such a large family as the Lu family allow a son-in-law cultivator to become patriarch?

Moreover, Mo Hua had never heard a whisper of this before.

Mo Hua asked, "How do you know?"

Shu Sheng said, "My mother told me."

Mo Hua was slightly startled.

Sister Shuixian knew about this…

"Are there others who know?" Mo Hua hurriedly asked.

Shu Sheng thought for a moment, then said, "In the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, Aunt Xuefang and Sister Danxiang seem to know too."

"And they…"

Shu Sheng sighed, "They're all dead."

Mo Hua's gaze hardened slightly. "Have you told anyone else about this?"

Shu Sheng shook his head. "No. I don't have many friends, and my relationships with fellow disciples aren't good. I haven't told my master either…"

Mo Hua exhaled slightly in relief, then with a solemn expression, warned him:

"Never tell anyone else about this. Better yet, forget it entirely and never mention it again."

Although Mo Hua wasn't familiar with family affairs, he knew that a patriarch taking the role of a son-in-law was a taboo within the clan.

If this leaked out, even Shu Sheng might be killed to silence him.

Shu Sheng didn't understand why, but seeing Mo Hua's serious expression, he nodded seriously.

Suddenly he remembered something and frowned, asking:

"Was my mother's death… because of this?"

Mo Hua shook his head. "Not necessarily…"

Though he said this aloud, Mo Hua suspected that Sister Shuixian's death was almost certainly tied to the Lu patriarch.

Mo Hua glanced at Shu Sheng and added:

"For now, stay inside the mansion, stay with your master, don't go out, don't speak carelessly—just focus on learning the arrays."

"Mastering the arrays is the most important thing. Your mother would be glad."

Shu Sheng fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

Mo Hua's gaze gradually turned cold, his expression still hard to believe.

The Lu patriarch… Lu Chengyun.

A son-in-law…

If he truly is a son-in-law, then this Lu Chengyun is very likely the traitor from Xiao Lingyin Sect!

But how could that be possible?

The Lu family is vast and powerful, with many direct heirs—why would they do such a thing?

Let a son-in-law become patriarch?

Or perhaps…

What exactly did Lu Chengyun do to overcome all opposition and successfully become Lu patriarch?

This matter is more complicated than previously thought.

If the Xiao Lingyin Sect traitor were merely an elder or a guest cultivator, Mo Hua could even use Lu Chengyun's hand to eliminate him.

But now, this traitor might very well be the Lu patriarch himself.

At this point, opposing Lu Chengyun means opposing the entire Lu family.

Opposing the Lu family…

Do I have to dismantle the entire Lu family?

Mo Hua frowned. "This is troublesome…"

Mo Hua stared blankly, lost in thought for a long while, then suddenly remembered—Lu Chengyun was currently at the Su mansion, having tea and discussing matters with Elder Su out front.

"I need to get out of here!"

Mo Hua decided instantly in his mind.

Lu Chengyun's cultivation is deep—he's at the peak of Foundation Establishment, just one step away from mid-Foundation Establishment.

He's also a traitor from Xiao Lingyin Sect, skilled in arrays, and the Lu patriarch. His cultivation techniques and Dao methods may not match those of Xiao Shi Xiong and Xiao Shijie from noble families, but they're certainly not inferior.

I'm alone. If I can avoid danger, I should. Best to slip away quietly.

But I mustn't appear too nervous, or I'll arouse Lu Chengyun's suspicion.

Mo Hua gave Shu Sheng a few more instructions, then rose and left, walking calmly to the front courtyard to bid farewell to Elder Su:

"Thank you, Elder Su, for your hospitality. I've had my fill of tea—I must return to study arrays. I won't trouble you further."

Elder Su stood up and said:

"You may come and go as you please. I won't see you off."

Mo Hua bowed. "Elder, please stay."

Then he bowed to Lu Chengyun. "My apologies for the rudeness."

Lu Chengyun also bowed and smiled. "You're too kind, young master."

Mo Hua then pretended ignorance and walked out of Elder Su's cave dwelling.

Elder Su watched Mo Hua's small back recede, chuckled slightly, and shook his head, teasing:

"Even though he's already a Grade-One Array Master, he's still childish—probably bored and just wants to go back…"

Lu Chengyun smiled gently as well.

He laughed halfway, then his expression froze; a smile remained on his cheeks, but his eyes held no trace of amusement.

After leaving the Su residence, Mo Hua turned back.

He walked slowly, yet moved swiftly.

As he walked, Mo Hua planned his next steps.

First, find a way to confirm whether Lu Chengyun was a son-in-law.

If he was, then he must be the traitor of the Little Spirit Hidden Sect.

Then, find a way to summon others and eliminate the Lu family.

On his side, his master and the Puppet Elder would likely not intervene.

That left only himself, his senior brother, and his senior sister.

On the Dao Ting Si side, there was Sister Situ.

Behind Sister Situ stood the Situ family.

But to oppose the Lu family—a powerful, deeply rooted sect stronghold—the Situ family might not wish to.

Even if they wished to, their manpower would likely be insufficient.

Lu Chengyun's cultivation was profound, needless to say.

He was backed by the Lu family and a host of Lu-family Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The Lu family's ancestral elders, retained patrons, salaried guests, and recruited external cultivators—there were surely over twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators among them…

Over twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators.

This was too troublesome.

Even if the Situ family wished to, they might not be able to mobilize so many Foundation Establishment cultivators within the Second-Grade Xiao Huangzhou Realm.

Moreover, the Commandant of Nan Yue City had been corrupted by the Lu family and was in league with them.

His own actions would inevitably be restrained by them.

Reporting to Dao Ting Si and requesting Dao Troops was a viable option.

But this was not Tong Xiancheng.

The Commandant was not on his side; securing his cooperation would likely be difficult.

"If all else fails…"

Mo Hua glanced at the Lu residence and thought silently:

"Should I use an array collapse to send the entire Lu family to heaven?"

But Mo Hua shook his head again; that wouldn't be wise either.

Once the array collapsed, spiritual energy would reverse, all things would be annihilated, and not a single member of the Lu family would survive.

Such a killing tally would be too heavy.

The Lu family deserved to die, but not every clan member deserved death.

Moreover, his master had warned him: unless absolutely desperate, avoid collapsing arrays.

Even if used, do not let others see.

Mo Hua sighed.

It seemed he could only return and reconsider.

Find a way to investigate Lu Chengyun's background, uncover how he rose to power, why he bought zombies, why he stockpiled corpses in the mines, and what his intentions were.

Then devise a plan to eliminate him.

Seize the Spirit Pivot Array Diagram in his possession!

Avenge Teacher Yan, settle the grudge with the Little Spirit Hidden Sect, and acquire the complete Spirit Pivot Array—thereby learning the true First-Grade Twelve-Emblem Ultimate Array, comprehending the structure of spiritual energy's core, and further enhancing the power of his spiritual perception's manifestation…

Mo Hua plotted carefully, considering as he walked.

But as he walked, Mo Hua suddenly froze.

He hesitated a moment, changed his path, and took a wide detour.

After walking a while, Mo Hua froze again.

Then he turned left, taking another wide detour.

Yet after several detours, Mo Hua realized that no matter how he circled, a Foundation Establishment cultivator waited ahead.

And around him, invisible arrays had been set up—somehow, the Shadow-Display Arrays were already in place.

Where no Shadow-Display Arrays existed, Foundation Establishment cultivators blocked the path, each holding a spiritual device resembling a compass.

Mo Hua did not know what this device was.

But judging by its appearance, it was clearly meant to detect hidden cultivators.

Eight Foundation Establishment cultivators, over a dozen Shadow-Display Arrays, six sets of detection devices…

Mo Hua wisely refrained from using his concealment technique.

The street remained bustling; nearby cultivators sensed nothing.

Mo Hua pressed forward, feigning ignorance.

After walking a while, he spotted Lu Chengyun, dressed in brocade robes, seated at a roadside tea stall.

Lu Chengyun sipped tea calmly, flanked by two elders whose qi signatures were clearly Foundation Establishment.

Mo Hua put on a bold face, pretending not to see him, walking straight ahead.

Even as he passed right by Lu Chengyun, he did not glance at him.

Lu Chengyun set down his teacup and said, somewhat helplessly: "Young Master."

Mo Hua continued pretending not to hear.

Lu Chengyun had no choice; he shook his head, and the two Foundation Establishment cultivators behind him stepped forward, blocking Mo Hua's path, politely saying:

"Young Master, the clan master is requesting your presence."

Mo Hua blinked in surprise. "The clan master?"

He turned his head, pretending to just now notice Lu Chengyun, and exclaimed with feigned astonishment:

"Clan Master Lu, what are you doing here? Aren't you drinking tea with Elder Su?"

His acting was slightly clumsy.

Lu Chengyun was at a loss for words.

Mo Hua had certainly spotted him long ago, which was why he'd taken so many detours, forcing Lu Chengyun to circle around multiple times and set up several projection arrays.

Lu Chengyun didn't press the matter, but smiled instead:

"Young Master, you're avoiding me?"

Mo Hua frowned. "Why would Clan Master Lu say that?"

"You're avoiding me."

"How could that be? We just saw each other a moment ago."

"Just now…"

"Oh, right—I just remembered I forgot to buy something, so I changed my route to pick it up."

Mo Hua's hands were empty, yet he lied without a hint of shame.

Lu Chengyun gave up.

This Young Master was sharp, and a bit of a rogue.

If he kept dilly-dallying with him here, they could chat until nightfall and still get not one honest word out of him.

Lu Chengyun cut straight to the point:

"I'd like to ask Young Master to do me a favor."

Mo Hua replied diplomatically: "Clan Master Lu, your clan is vast and powerful, and your own cultivation is formidable. I'm just a lowly cultivator—I'm afraid I can't assist you."

Lu Chengyun shook his head. "This favor can only be fulfilled by Young Master."

Mo Hua knew he couldn't refuse anymore, so he said:

"Alright, what favor do you want me to do?"

Lu Chengyun's gaze grew slightly cold as he spoke softly:

"I'd like Young Master to help me reanimate a corpse."

Mo Hua blinked. "Stone refining?"

He nodded immediately. "Sure, I can do that. Are there any stones on this mine mountain that need me to draw arrays for refining?"

Lu Chengyun froze.

He truly hadn't expected Mo Hua, so young, to be this brazen.

Lu Chengyun sighed. "Not stone refining. Corpse reanimation."

"What?"

"Corpse."

"Corpse?" Mo Hua continued feigning ignorance. "What corpse? I don't know what you mean."

Lu Chengyun said: "Young Master, you're being modest. You stole a Iron Corpse, dismantled it to study its arrays—how could you not know what kind of corpse it was?"

Mo Hua's heart stirred in surprise—he realized Lu Chengyun knew everything.

He couldn't fool him anymore.

Mo Hua had no choice but to say: "I only study proper arrays. I don't know how to reanimate corpses."

"No matter," Lu Chengyun smiled. "It's easy to learn. With Young Master's talent, you'll master it at once."

Mo Hua was helpless.

It seemed having too much talent was also a burden.

No wonder they say: "Men fear fame, pigs fear fat"—once you gain a reputation, people start eyeing you.

Mo Hua paused, then asked curiously:

"If it's an Iron Corpse, Clan Master Lu, you yourself can reanimate it—why do you need me?"

Lu Chengyun fell silent for a moment. Then, his refined, elegant face twisted into a strange smile, revealing white teeth and eyes gleaming with cold ambition:

"Not an Iron Corpse…"

"But a corpse superior to the Iron Corpse… a stronger undead!"

(End of Chapter)