Chapter 610: Kneel Down

The sect's days passed uneventfully, and eight days later, the ten-day rest period arrived again.

Because Bishan City was far away and the round trip was complicated, requiring extra time, Mo Hua requested an additional day off.

With Mr. Xun as his "backer," the sect's elders were all easy to deal with.

Thus, this extra day off was granted without a hitch.

A total of three days!

Mo Hua packed his belongings, slung his storage bag over his shoulder, and set off cheerfully to find Elder Murong.

This mission was still taken by Murong Caiyun, and Mo Hua was tagging along.

Murong Caiyun knew Mo Hua was accumulating merit points to exchange for formation diagrams, so she said:

"This mission isn't difficult, so including you, there are only three of us—you'll get a larger share of the merit points."

Mo Hua smiled. "Thank you, Senior Sister!"

The two walked together toward the Grand Void Gate's outer gates, Mo Hua's steps light, chatting casually along the way.

"Three people…"

Mo Hua thought for a moment and asked, "Senior Sister, who else?"

Murong Caiyun replied, "Also Senior Feng from the Tai'e Sect."

"Senior Feng…"

Mo Hua nodded.

Senior Feng was gentle and courteous, with profound cultivation, and held high status within the Tai'e Sect—he was essentially one of the pre-selected inner disciples, truly a "powerful ally."

"What about Senior Xu and Miss Qian?"

"Senior Xu needs to recover from his injuries, and the mission isn't demanding with little merit, so we won't trouble him."

"As for Miss Qian…"

Murong Caiyun paused, "She's too busy this time—skip her."

"Oh oh." Mo Hua nodded.

But Murong Caiyun let out a faint sigh.

That girl, Hua Qianqian, kept pressing her, saying she wanted to join Mo Hua on missions, and had prepared "gifts" for him—dresses, hairpins, rouge, all sorts of girlish things.

She said she wanted to dress him up, make him look like a delicate jade carving, surely very handsome…

Murong Caiyun feared she'd cause trouble, so she didn't invite her this time.

But with Hua Qianqian nagging her constantly, as she looked at Mo Hua, she couldn't help but picture him in a brocade Dao robe embroidered with a hundred flowers—she froze, lost in thought.

"Senior Sister?"

Mo Hua noticed her distraction and found it strange.

Murong Caiyun snapped back, cheeks slightly flushed, cleared her throat, "Time's running late—let's hurry."

"Oh…"

Mo Hua's gaze grew suspicious, but he didn't press further.

Soon, the two met up with Ouyang Feng, clad in Tai'e Dao robes, hired a carriage, left the Qianxue State border, and raced along the broad mountain road like wind and lightning toward Bishan City beyond Qianxue.

Outside, hooves clattered furiously; inside, the carriage was quiet and comfortable.

Mo Hua sat by the window, reclining on a soft blanket, watching the scenery pass while chatting with Murong Caiyun and Ouyang Feng.

"This mission is to capture a disciple who betrayed the sect…"

Murong Caiyun said, "This disciple, over ten years ago, stole a lineage, killed a fellow sect member, and fled. We pursued him for a long time but never caught him…"

"Ten years ago?"

Mo Hua was startled.

Murong Caiyun nodded. "He stole minor lineages, and the 'fellow sect member' he killed was merely a laborer. The matter didn't escalate, so it caused no uproar."

"And that traitorous disciple was extremely low-key—after fleeing, he vanished completely, leaving no trace."

"The Dao Ting Si didn't seem very interested either…"

"Because there's no profit in it?" Mo Hua whispered.

Murong Caiyun hesitated, helplessly gave him a light glare:

"First, there are few leads; second, Dao Ting Si genuinely… lacks manpower, so the case was temporarily shelved."

"Oh." Mo Hua "understood."

Ouyang Feng continued: "Later, the Xie family's warehouse in Bishan City was robbed. When tracking the thief, the thief, cornered, used the Dao method of 'Duanjin Men'—that's how his identity was revealed…"

"The Xie family of Bishan City demanded an explanation from Duanjin Men…"

"Duanjin Men checked their list of stolen lineages, cross-referenced it, and discovered that the thief was the traitor from ten years ago."

Mo Hua frowned. "Duanjin Men?"

Murong Caiyun said, "One of the Shierliu Sects in Qianxue State, skilled in metal-element sword manipulation…"

Mo Hua nodded.

He remembered hearing the name once when Xu Wanyi introduced the twelve sects of Qian Province, but otherwise, he had no connection to them at all.

Yet now, hearing "Duanjin Men," he felt a vague, hazy sense that this sect had some karmic link to him…

Mo Hua asked again, puzzled: "If the traitor is from Duanjin Men, shouldn't Duanjin Men pursue him?"

"They did—couldn't catch him…"

"Couldn't catch him?"

Murong Caiyun nodded. "That traitor has excellent mobility…"

Ouyang Feng added, "True—he stole a mobility technique called 'Dunjin Jue' from the Yu Jian Sect, and he mastered it well. Even Duanjin Men's own disciples couldn't catch this traitor from their own sect…"

Ouyang Feng sighed wistfully.

Legitimate disciples can't match this "stealer of inheritance," this traitor...

"The Xie family of Bishan City resented it, believing Duanjin Gate was 'holding back' and secretly shielding this thief, so they issued a separate bounty to capture the rogue."

"But the Xie family of Bishan City has little influence, so the merit reward isn't much."

"Moreover, Duanjin Gate doesn't want their own traitor captured by disciples of other sects—they won't give anyone merit either..."

Mo Hua muttered: "Duanjin Gate... really petty..."

Ouyang Feng laughed, "True enough, but be careful—don't let Duanjin Gate disciples hear you say that. Petty people hate hearing others call them 'petty'..."

Mo Hua nodded with a smile.

Half a day later, the three arrived at Bishan City.

Bishan City, as its name suggests, boasts sheer cliffs rising a thousand ren, with mountains and ridges crisscrossing.

Most cave dwellings are built along steep cliffs, appearing extraordinary and majestic.

But now Bishan City is sealed—entry only, no exit allowed.

Because the Duanjin Gate traitor stole from the Xie family's ancestral vault, the Xie family reported it to Dao Ting Si.

Dao Ting Si sealed the city and launched a massive search for the traitor.

Mo Hua asked curiously: "What exactly did the Xie family lose?"

Murong Caiyun shook her head. "I don't know. The Xie family didn't say, and we can't ask..."

"They sealed the city with such fanfare, deployed many hands, yet the merit reward is pitifully small—this Xie family is truly stingy..."

Mo Hua said, sounding displeased.

He was short on merit now, so he held a grudge against the Xie family's "parsimony."

Moreover, this Xie family felt... strange...

Logically, if an ancestral vault is stolen from and the city is sealed for search, it should count as a "major incident"—at least the bounty should offer more merit.

Murong Caiyun said: "We do our work for merit. Other matters aren't our concern."

Ouyang Feng added: "Finish quickly, return sooner."

"Alright." Mo Hua nodded.

Their goal was to assist the Xie family in capturing the Duanjin Gate traitor.

The Xie family was searching the city, but "searching" meant only sending family disciples to patrol streets and scan for suspicious cultivators.

They didn't dare, nor had the strength, to conduct door-to-door searches.

Even though Bishan City was only a small Xiancheng, in Qianzhou, you could never be sure which teahouse or tavern housed a True Person sipping tea or a great cultivator drinking wine...

Murong Caiyun and the others searched for a while but found nothing, then split up to continue.

Mo Hua walked the streets of Bishan City, secretly releasing his spiritual sense to peer around.

He wasn't prying into privacy—he was looking for anyone unusual.

The cultivators of Bishan City were a motley crowd, diverse and varied.

Mo Hua's spiritual sense had transformed; he could clearly perceive most cultivators. But out of respect, he didn't probe deeply—just a light sweep, enough to judge if they were the traitor.

Some had obscure, profound auras—his spiritual sense barely brushed them before he immediately retracted it.

These great cultivators were at least Jin Dan or higher—not someone he could currently "offend."

Yet some cultivators, dressed plainly, radiated inexplicable power—even when Mo Hua's spiritual sense touched them and withdrew instantly, they sensed it.

Their gazes, like swords, swept toward Mo Hua—but seeing he was just a child of ten or so, they suddenly paused in surprise.

Mo Hua bowed respectfully, as an apology.

Seeing this, they didn't press the matter, merely nodded slightly.

Mo Hua exhaled slightly, yet felt a quiet awe:

"The cultivation world truly hides tigers and dragons—especially in Qianzhou. Even this small Xiancheng holds so many experts..."

After several encounters with "nails," several bows, and several apologies, Mo Hua grew practiced.

Even without using his spiritual sense, he could sense by "intuition" which cultivators were dangerous.

One glance, and he knew.

With his spiritual sense now more tactful, he no longer dared offend True Persons or great cultivators...

After searching half the day, relying on his deep spiritual sense and keen perception, Mo Hua scoured most of Bishan City—but found nothing.

Then he'd have to check places untouched...

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then went to a "brothel."

Though it looked like an ordinary tavern, Mo Hua, recalling his single visit to Baihua Lou in Nanyue City with Elder Su, could still conclude:

This wasn't a tavern—it was a brothel!

The front was a tavern, but the back exuded faint, indecent, decadent energy.

Dao Ting forbids dual-cultivation, and especially forbids absorption.

Or rather, dual-cultivation is banned primarily to prevent absorption—so no one can use "dual-cultivation" as a pretext to practice absorption.

This was what Zhang Lan had told Mo Hua long ago.

Thus, Dao Ting strictly regulated brothels.

Of course, Dao Ting's rules were strict, but local Dao Ting Si were another matter.

Conditions varied greatly between different Xianchengs.

For example, in Nanyue City, the Lu family used brothels to win hearts, earn spirit stones, exploit miners, and bribe Dao Ting Si.

Under such circumstances, many Dao Ting Si cultivators were regular patrons—colluding, they'd never intervene.

But Qianxue Zhou was an exception—throughout the entire province, brothels were strictly forbidden.

Qianxue Zhou was a hub of cultivation, gathering young prodigies from all nine provinces.

The sect did not want its disciples to indulge in sensual pleasures, damaging their foundation, wasting their time, and corrupting their Dao heart.

They also feared that some demonic cultivators would use physical beauty to lure and seduce sect disciples, causing them to lose their sense of right and wrong, sink into desire, and willingly fall into depravity.

Therefore, not only within this prefecture of Qianxue, but all brothels were banned.

In nearby prefectures, numerous Xiancheng cities also prohibited the opening of brothels.

Yet food and sex are humanity's greatest desires—hard to ban, impossible to stop.

Thus arose the practice of running taverns in front and brothels in back, a deceitful business masquerading as one thing while selling another.

Mo Hua snorted, feeling he should condemn such things; brothels were always dens of filth, and the traitor might well be hiding inside, so he walked straight into the tavern.

The tavern's waiter saw Mo Hua and clearly froze.

Their tavern had never before seen such a fair-faced, rosy-lipped young gentleman.

"Young Master, you're here to…"

"I'm here to eat."

Mo Hua said as if it were obvious.

"Oh, right, to eat… please, this way."

The waiter assumed Mo Hua knew nothing, thinking this was merely a tavern for drinking and dining, so he smiled politely and warmly led him inside.

Inside, the decor was lavish, thick with the scent of rouge.

The waiter guided Mo Hua to a table and seated him.

Mo Hua glanced at the menu and thought: too expensive—every dish, every snack, every drink was twice the price outside.

But for the sake of "tracking the traitor," Mo Hua gritted his teeth and ordered a full table of food and wine.

He had walked half the day and was hungry; his spiritual sense checked the food and drink and found no poison or tampering, so he ate, drank, and scanned the room.

The front part of the tavern was still relatively "clean."

Some ate, some drank, but in the center stood a pink-curtained stage where flamboyant women danced.

Around them, women in sheer silk garments smiled seductively, serving drinks.

Mo Hua gnawed on a large chicken leg, his spiritual sense extended, taking in everything around him.

After watching for a long while, Mo Hua slowly began to understand…

The women dancing on stage were the "menu."

After their dance, patrons would "order" whichever woman they fancied.

If a dancer was ordered, she would come down to serve drinks.

While serving, the men and women would whisper to each other—likely negotiating the "meal fee."

Once agreed, they would go to the back to "eat."

Only after eating would they "pay the bill."

Pure-hearted Mo Hua was stunned.

These cultivators had so many bizarre tricks!

Instead of using their minds for the righteous path, they devoted them all to designing this "wine as matchmaker" scheme…

And they charged so much for the food and drink!

Mo Hua was furious.

He glanced among the dancing women, then suddenly froze, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He noticed, in the corner of the stage, a dancing girl with plain beauty, slender waist—but every movement seemed suspicious…

Mo Hua swept his spiritual sense over her and thought: Just as expected.

This woman was a man!

His heart stirred, and he became certain: this person was the traitor from Duanjin Gate—the very one the bounty sought!

In a brothel, disguised as a woman.

Mo Hua snorted.

Immoral and corrupt!

He immediately sent a message via the Grand Void Token to Elder Murong:

"Sister Murong, I found the traitor!"

The Grand Void Token could transmit messages, but only among sect members.

Elder Murong had taught him this later; Mo Hua had not known how to use it at first, so he rarely used it.

In an instant, Murong Caiyun replied:

"Where?"

Mo Hua: "Brothel…"

Murong Caiyun: "…"

The other side fell silent for a long time, seemingly baffled how Mo Hua had ended up at a brothel—but after ten breaths, she replied:

"Which brothel?"

Mo Hua sent the tavern's name.

Murong Caiyun said:

"I understand. I'm on my way. Protect yourself."

"Mm-hmm."

Mo Hua nodded, but something felt odd.

That phrase—"protect yourself"—was strange…

What was there to protect myself from…

About two incense sticks later, Ouyang Feng and Murong Caiyun arrived at the tavern's entrance.

The waiter was likewise startled; upon hearing they were looking for their junior brother, he hesitated for a long time before letting them in, yet could not help growing suspicious, his eyes fixed on them.

The three lowered their voices to speak.

"Junior brother, how did you get here?"

Mo Hua waved his hand. "That's not the point."

He pointed at the figure still dancing on stage—the man disguised as a woman, with a slender waist and heavy makeup:

"This one is very likely the traitor."

Mo Hua could almost be certain, but he held back slightly, not stating it definitively.

Murong Caiyun and Ouyang Feng were both surprised; they frowned, staring at the "woman" for a long time, their gazes sharpening slightly.

"Disguising as a woman to dance here—that's a clever way to avoid suspicion…"

"It's probably not just to 'avoid suspicion'…"

He might have a side business too.

Even a traitorous disciple, even a wanted cultivator, still has to make a living…

"What do we do?"

"Attack directly?"

"Won't that alarm the snake?"

Ouyang Feng and Murong Caiyun discussed it.

Mo Hua said: "I'll 'call' him over."

Murong Caiyun and the other froze. "Call?"

"Mm-hmm." Mo Hua nodded. "I can summon him to join us for drinks, then seize him while we have the chance!"

Murong Caiyun could no longer hold back. "Junior brother, you… come here often?"

You sound like a regular…

Mo Hua put on a stern face. "I'm a proper cultivator! I never come to places like this—unless forced!"

Murong Caiyun gave Mo Hua a skeptical glance.

"This is to complete the mission!"

Mo Hua added.

Ouyang Feng chuckled bitterly. "Capturing the traitor is what matters."

"Brother Feng is right!" Mo Hua nodded, waved his hand, summoned the waiter, and pointed at the stage—the man disguised as a woman:

"I want 'her' to join us for drinks!"

The waiter blinked, regarding Mo Hua with new respect, then went up and called down the "woman."

The "woman," realizing she had been "called," looked momentarily stunned.

The waiter pointed at Mo Hua's trio; the "woman"'s gaze sharpened slightly, then she lowered her head, adopting a submissive expression as she walked toward them—but her steps grew slower and slower.

Mo Hua said: "He's going to run…"

Ouyang Feng instantly dashed forward, reaching out a large hand to seize the "woman."

But the "woman" had anticipated it; his movement was swift, streaked with faint Jin Guang, retreating rapidly backward.

Ouyang Feng missed him, lunged forward again—but was blocked by a stranger.

The man wore a lewd grin and laughed:

"Brother, you look like a fine fellow—how can you be so ungentlemanly toward a delicate flower…?"

Ouyang Feng grew impatient; before he finished speaking, he kicked the man flying, then continued chasing the "woman."

The "woman" fled ahead, no longer pretending—his movements clearly revealed a man, and his technique was indeed exceptional.

Murong Caiyun unleashed Five-Colored Spiritual Light to slow the "woman" down.

Mo Hua raised his hand halfway, then paused; his thoughts shifted, and he changed Water Prison Technique into Fireball Technique.

He no longer cared about accuracy, firing fireball after fireball straight at the "woman."

The Fireball Technique was cast carelessly.

Most fireballs were dodged by the "woman," then smashed into the tavern—flames erupted, explosions rocked the place, turning it into chaos.

This place, pretending to be a tavern while selling something else, couldn't be allowed to remain…

Mo Hua made up his mind and stopped holding back; the once-pristine tavern was soon ravaged by his fireballs.

Pink curtains burned, the stage collapsed, and screams of men and women erupted from the back of the tavern.

The tavern owner turned deathly pale.

He ran an illicit business—operating a brothel and underground prostitution den near the Qianxue Province border; if exposed, he'd be ruined.

But he dared not act.

Because Ouyang Feng and Murong Caiyun clearly had deep cultivation and noble origins—he couldn't afford to offend them.

The "tavern" was in uproar.

The "woman" seized the chance and fled out, sprinting north along the street.

Ouyang Feng chased after him.

"After him!" Murong Caiyun declared firmly.

"Got it!"

Mo Hua nodded and casually slipped away from the bill.

The commotion outside drew many cultivators—some from the Xie family, others from Dao Ting Si.

Dao Ting Si cultivators, seeing the tavern filled with disheveled men and women, didn't need to guess what kind of "wine" this "tavern" sold.

Under the bright sun, they must investigate, whether they like it or not.

The Xie family also knew that the fugitive "woman" was the traitor from Duanjin Gate—and the very person they were hunting.

Thus, both sides began chasing the traitor disguised as a woman.

But this traitor transformed into Jin Guang, moving with swift, sharp precision, extremely hard to catch.

After chasing several streets, he suddenly vanished from sight.

The Xie family cultivators were furious, cursing nonstop.

Ouyang Feng and Murong Caiyun frowned, but Mo Hua's eyes gleamed.

He had seen everything.

The traitor turned the corner, hid in a dark alleyway, and within a few breaths, changed his attire and donned another face, becoming an ordinary, unremarkable male cultivator.

"Is this… disguise?"

Mo Hua's gaze flickered with interest; he pointed with one finger and whispered to Ouyang Feng:

"Senior Brother Feng, that man!"

Ouyang Feng froze—he wanted to ask how Mo Hua knew, but time was urgent, and he instinctively trusted Mo Hua's judgment.

Ouyang Feng feigned nonchalance and quietly approached the male cultivator.

But the male cultivator had an extremely sharp sense of smell; the moment Ouyang Feng came within ten zhang, he bolted away.

The Jin Guang in his movement—undeniably, it was the traitor!

Ouyang Feng drew his sword and chased after him.

Thus, the traitor kept activating his movement technique to flee desperately, while seeking chances to disguise himself, trying to escape from Mo Hua and the other two.

Mo Hua did not rush to act; instead, he scanned the surroundings and secretly manipulated events, gradually forcing the traitor into a desolate forest east of Bishan City.

He couldn't be captured inside the city—otherwise, he'd fall into the Xie family's hands, and Mo Hua would lose all chance to gather information.

Everything unfolded exactly as Mo Hua had planned.

No one else was around.

The traitor was now cornered by the three of them.

The traitor, now disguised as a burly man, panted heavily as he stared at the three, incredulous:

"How… how did you recognize me?"

Mo Hua smiled sweetly. "Guess."

The burly man's face twitched, eyes blazing with rage; then he sneered:

"Even if you recognize me, so what? Before my Golden Body technique—ten years of painstaking cultivation—you're all wasting your time. Think you can catch me? Foolish fantasy!"

The burly man sneered, spat, and pushed his movement technique to its limit; Jin Guang seeped into his legs, wind surged beneath his feet, and he prepared to flee again.

Mo Hua lightly tapped his finger—the Water Prison Technique descended instantly.

The arrogant burly man was instantly bound tight by the Water Prison Technique and crashed face-first onto the ground.

Mo Hua shook his head. "I said you were fat, and now you're puffing like one…"

Such a trivial trick—daring to show off before me…

Ouyang Feng stepped forward; the burly man struggled, but Ouyang Feng slashed his shoulder with his sword and kicked him hard to the ground.

He was only good at movement—his actual cultivation level was no match for Ouyang Feng.

Ouyang Feng took the burly man's storage bag and bound him tightly with a second-rank spirit lock from Dao Ting Si.

Murong Caiyun glanced at Mo Hua, her eyes flickering, and asked:

"Junior Brother Mo, you lured him here—what do you want to ask him?"

"Mm-hmm." Mo Hua nodded. "No one around. Good time to ask some questions."

Murong Caiyun thought for a moment, then nodded:

"Fine, go ahead and ask."

With the man captured, the mission was complete.

Before that, Mo Hua asking a few questions didn't matter.

Mo Hua turned to the "burly man" and said:

"I'll ask you a few questions. Answer me honestly!"

The burly man spat out dirt, "Pah! Pah!" and sneered:

"Kid, dream on!"

Ouyang Feng shook his head. "This guy's mouth is stubborn. Probably won't break."

Mo Hua asked: "Can we use torture?"

Ouyang Feng froze. "Torture…" He turned to Murong Caiyun, his expression complex—as if saying, "Are all your Grand Void Gate junior brothers this reckless?"

One word out of place, and he's already thinking of torture.

Murong Caiyun sighed. "Don't go too far… at least…"

After much thought, she sighed again. "Don't make it obvious…"

If Dao Ting Si or the Xie family found out we used private torture to extract information, it'd be hard to explain.

"Don't worry!" Mo Hua smiled sweetly. "I've already prepared everything!"

"Prepared… everything?"

Mo Hua nodded. "Mm!"

Anticipating this situation, he had prepared long ago.

Mo Hua pulled from his storage bag an iron plate covered in dense, intricate arrays that looked painfully agonizing.

Ouyang Feng and Murong Caiyun both couldn't help but flinch.

Mo Hua placed the iron plate on the ground and said to the big man:

"Kneel down!"