Chapter 468

Eaten by the "bad thing"?

Zhang Quan flew into a rage, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Fine, don't believe me."

Zhang Quan suppressed his anger, "You'd better tell the truth."

"Alright," Mo Hua said solemnly, his small face serious. "I'll tell the truth—I actually 'ate' your Laozu!"

Zhang Quan was furious:

"You damned brat, spouting lies again, mocking me, treating me like a fool?!"

Mo Hua sighed helplessly.

He doesn't believe lies, and he doesn't believe the truth—then there's nothing I can do.

You're the one who chose to be a fool.

Lu Chengyun feared Zhang Quan might suffer some ill effect from rage, so he said to Mo Hua:

"Little Mr., it's getting late—you should rest a while…"

"I've specially ordered Zhong Mingren to prepare a room for you, Little Mr. I hope you'll like it."

Mo Hua stole a glance at Zhang Quan and put on a "frightened" expression.

Lu Chengyun sighed and said to Zhang Quan:

"The Little Mr. is our honored guest. Do not be rude, do not disturb him, and certainly not harbor any other intentions…"

His tone was light, but his gaze was cold, leaving no room for refusal.

Zhang Quan's lips twitched; he clenched his teeth and said:

"Fine, I'll remember!"

Lu Chengyun gave a slight nod.

Mo Hua also nodded smugly and said to Zhang Quan:

"Remember—I'm the honored guest!"

Seeing Zhang Quan about to explode again, Lu Chengyun quickly said:

"Zhong Mingren, take the Little Mr. to his room."

Mo Hua seized the chance to leave, bowing respectfully:

"Thank you, Master Lu, for your hospitality."

Then, with his small hand behind his back, he strode out of the hall, following a corpse cultivator.

Zhang Quan grew angrier with every glance; his fingers dug into the stone table, carving five finger-sized holes into it.

Lu Chengyun shook his head. "He's just a child, Brother Zhang, why get so worked up?"

Just a child?

Zhang Quan sneered inwardly.

You've never been driven mad by him.

If you'd been driven mad by him, you'd want to kill him more than I do—you wouldn't be standing here saying such cold, flippant words like "just a child."

Zhang Quan was about to say something.

Lu Chengyun shook his head slightly. "Little impatience disrupts great plans."

Zhang Quan swallowed his anger, but still resented it bitterly:

"Brother Lu, this brat has ulterior motives!"

Lu Chengyun paid no mind, looking at Zhang Quan with a faint, knowing smile. "Brother Zhang, don't you have ulterior motives yourself?"

Zhang Quan froze, his eyes flickered, and he forced a smile:

"Brother Lu, you're joking."

But Lu Chengyun said calmly:

"In this world, only oneself has no ulterior motives. Between father and son, brother and brother, husband and wife—all have ulterior motives; it's only a matter of degree."

"You have ulterior motives, the Little Mr. has ulterior motives, and every corpse cultivator in this cave holds some hidden agenda…"

Lu Chengyun smiled faintly. "But none of this truly matters."

"As long as this Little Mr. does what I need, his ulterior motives are irrelevant—in fact, it's normal for him to have them."

"If he had no ulterior motives, I'd be suspicious."

Lu Chengyun glanced at Zhang Quan with indifference. "You're the same, Brother Zhang."

Zhang Quan's face remained calm, but cold sweat seeped from within.

Zhang Quan bowed. "Master, rest assured—I will serve you faithfully, even as a dog or horse."

Lu Chengyun smiled faintly, saying nothing.

His gaze sharpened as he looked at Zhang Quan and added:

"The Little Mr. will remain here temporarily to assist me. Before the task is complete, I do not wish to see any further discord among you, nor any harm come to him."

"Brother Zhang, do you understand?"

Zhang Quan frowned. "Brother Lu, I'll obey, of course—but that brat is just a child of ten or so. Even with talent, why do you treat him with such deference?"

Lu Chengyun paused thoughtfully:

"This Little Mr. draws arrays exceptionally well."

Zhang Quan clearly didn't believe him. "How good could he possibly be?"

"You don't understand arrays—explain it to you, and you wouldn't get it…"

Zhang Quan grew slightly annoyed. "This…"

Lu Chengyun glanced at him and sighed slowly:

I can only say that this young man's array expertise far surpasses Brother Zhang's understanding of arrays, and in some aspects, even I must admit I fall short…

Zhang Quan's gaze flickered slightly.

He had not expected Lu Chengyun to hold such a high opinion of this brat.

Lu Chengyun appeared mild-mannered, but was always arrogant; when he praised others, it was always courtesy and pretense.

But this time was different—his expression and tone did not seem feigned.

Could this brat truly be that skilled?

Zhang Quan's brow furrowed even tighter.

He can conceal himself, wield that strange fireball technique, is guarded by two senior siblings of formidable cultivation, possesses profound array expertise, and now even Lu Chengyun speaks so highly of him…

Then how much harder would it be for me to kill him?

"To mock me, destroy my family's fortune, insult my ancestors—when will these grudges be repaid?"

Zhang Quan's gaze turned dark as he silently thought to himself:

"If I cannot act openly, then I must strike secretly—find a way to eliminate him."

Yet aloud he said: "Master, rest assured—I know my limits."

Lu Chengyun glanced at Zhang Quan, his eyes obscure, saying nothing.

On another side, a corpse cultivator led Mo Hua to his own room.

The room was a stone chamber.

It was secluded and secure, yet easy to guard, with arrays even arranged around it.

This was consistent with Lu Chengyun's methods.

On one hand, he draws you in; on the other, he guards against you.

Inside the stone chamber, furnishings were refined: screens of flowers and birds, jade artifacts of emerald, all present; incense burned, leaving no stench of decay.

Mo Hua even had a momentary illusion.

As if he were not in a corpse mine filled with coffins and reeking of rot, but in a lavishly arranged guest room of the Lu family.

Lu Chengyun's actions were indeed thoughtful.

But Mo Hua felt no gratitude.

Lu Chengyun treated him so well because his ambitions were surely greater.

Such people are hypocritical and self-serving—when you are valuable, they treat you with warmth and care.

Once your value is spent, they kick you aside, then likely stab you in the back and kill you to silence you.

A traitor of the Lesser Spirit Hidden Sect who betrayed his master and seized the lineage.

A man who hid his name, changed his face, and became a son-in-law of the Lu family.

A son-in-law who won the approval of Lu Jiaozu—the "Lu Skin-Scraper"—and rose to become Lu family master, maintaining the Lu family's exploitation of corpse cultivators and running the luxurious pleasure district of Jin Hua Street.

How could such a man possibly be the mild-mannered gentleman he appeared to be?

Moreover, he conspired with Zhang Quan to forge corpses.

Building corpse mines, drawing demonic arrays, hoarding zombies, refining iron corpses—what could his true intentions be?

What kind of corpse was Lu Chengyun referring to when he spoke of "something stronger than iron corpses"?

These must all be uncovered.

Mo Hua frowned, pondered for a moment, and organized the tasks ahead of him.

First, ensure his own safety.

Then, map out the layout of the corpse mine.

Find a way to send word to his junior brother and junior sister so they could come to his aid.

Afterward, assist Lu Chengyun—see what he truly wants him to do.

What kind of corpse is he refining?

And he must find an opportunity to locate the complete Ling Shu Array diagram.

Also, the ancestral diagram in Zhang Quan's possession.

Zhang Quan's murderous intent toward him was too strong—he must find a way to trap and kill him, then seize back his "zombie diagram."

His spiritual sense had not yet been "fed" enough.

And every corpse in the Zhang family was no good.

Eradicate evil thoroughly, to cut off future threats.

Mo Hua would destroy Zhang Quan's Laozu, sever the Zhang family's lineage, and prevent anyone else from forging corpses to harm others.

Furthermore, he must find a way to target the Lu family…

…

As Mo Hua counted through his plans, he sighed, "So much to do…"

Why must there be so many tasks?

He was tired, lay flat on the bed, rested for a while, then gathered his resolve.

"One thing at a time…"

First, map out the layout of the corpse mine.

In an unfamiliar place, one must first learn the environment—to seek advantage and avoid harm, to evade unknown risks.

This was the basic tenet of a demon hunter.

It was also his father Mo Shan's teaching.

Mo Hua kept it firmly in mind.

(End of Chapter)