Chapter 611: The Broken Gold Jade Slip

The big Han growled, "I won't!"

The iron plate was covered in dense array patterns, like blades, needles, fire, and hell—no need to look closely; it was clearly no good thing.

"Will you kneel?" Mo Hua asked, face stern.

The big Han sneered, "You think I'm stupid… ah—"

Before he could finish, Ouyang Feng pinned him down and kicked his knee.

The big Han's knees buckled, slamming onto the iron plate; instantly, he let out a agonized scream, sweat drenching his forehead, his face twisted in pain.

Mo Hua didn't know if the pain was real or faked, and asked curiously:

"Does it hurt?"

He really wanted to know…

Though he had designed the iron plate himself, and drawn every single array line on it, Mo Hua didn't know exactly how it would feel.

He only guessed it would be very painful.

After all, he'd drawn not just one array, but several—each one excruciating on contact…

There was the Gen Mountain Micro-Needle Array: once activated, spiritual energy would thicken like needles, piercing the knees with pain;

The Eight Trigrams Kan Water Array: spiritual energy would seep into the knees, icy and bone-chilling;

And the Li Fire Array: fire-elemental spiritual energy would slowly burn, inflicting searing agony…

These three arrays cycled in sequence, forcing the recipient to experience needle-piercing bones, water so cold it froze the marrow, and fire that burned flesh…

Definitely unbearable…

But just how unbearable, Mo Hua had no idea.

He wasn't stupid—he wouldn't test it himself.

This traitor of the Duanjin Sect was the first person ever to try this "Mountain-Water-Fire Punishment" iron plate.

Mo Hua wanted to know exactly how it felt, so he could judge whether his design was sound, and whether the arrays needed improvement.

So he asked sincerely.

But the big Han thought Mo Hua was mocking him, taunting him; rage surged, his eyes turned red, teeth clenched tight, enduring the needle-stabs, fire-burns, and ice-cold torture without uttering a word.

"Speak up—does it hurt?"

Mo Hua pressed him again.

Finally, the big Han's defenses shattered; his voice trembling, he screamed, "Fuck—"

Mo Hua instantly pulled out the Thousand-Jun Rod and shoved it into his mouth, face serious:

"Cursing? Your manners are terrible…"

The big Han's mouth was stuffed, unable to speak, eyes bulging with pure hatred.

"Looks like it's still not painful enough—the arrays are still too weak…"

Mo Hua stroked his chin, thinking:

"I should add a few more arrays…"

"Which ones? …"

"Golden needles? Wood poison? Or…"

Murong Caiyun and Ouyang Feng opened their mouths.

The big Han's scalp prickled; his eyes widened in horror—how could there be such a sinister, cruel, deranged little cultivator in this world?!

Who the hell had he learned this from?!

The big Han frantically groaned, "Ooh—ooh!"

Mo Hua pulled the Thousand-Jun Rod out; the big Han gritted his teeth: "I'll talk!"

Mo Hua beamed and nodded: "Good." His first question was the one he cared about most:

"Does kneeling on this iron plate hurt?"

The big Han wanted to die of shame and fury; he refused to answer.

Murong Caiyun couldn't watch anymore; she nudged Mo Hua's shoulder and whispered, "Ask something else—don't torment him…"

A grown cultivator, forced to kneel, then asked if it hurt?

If you drove him mad, you'd have trouble explaining to Dao Ting Si and the Xie Clan.

"Oh, oh."

Mo Hua thought about it—he was right. The real matter was more important. He could ask someone else later about the punishment's feedback.

Mo Hua felt a pang of regret; he guided his spiritual sense to the array's core and temporarily deactivated the iron plate's arrays.

The pain vanished; the big Han gasped heavily, slowly calming down.

Mo Hua began asking the real questions:

"Do you know Jiang Laoda?"

After asking, Mo Hua released his spiritual sense, watching the big Han's eyes to confirm if he was lying.

The big Han frowned, eyes confused: "Who's Jiang Laoda?"

Mo Hua asked again: "Do you know Bald Eagle?"

The big Han turned pale: "Bald Eagle… I've only heard of him… He's ruthless, not a good man…"

"You've never met him?"

The big Han shook his head.

"Have you seen any other bald men?"

The big Han was baffled: "Bald… bald men?"

Mo Hua described: "Someone like Bald Eagle—possibly bald, but wearing a wig; a cultivator criminal whose nickname includes 'bald,' 'shaved,' 'Luo Han,' 'Head-Taoist,' or similar terms…"

The giant man winced in pain, "Why… why are you asking this?"

Mo Hua frowned, "Am I asking you, or are you asking me?"

Under pressure—especially from the searing pain of the dense array patterns beneath his knees—the giant man sighed helplessly:

"I've hidden my identity and lurked in the shadows for some time, and I've heard rumors of certain cultivators with formidable reputations…"

"Such as 'Bald Wolf,' 'Bald Dragon,' 'Suffering Monk,' 'Evil Luo Han'…"

"But my cultivation is too low; I only do petty theft and small-time deals, so I've had no contact with them…"

Mo Hua silently memorized those names, then asked:

"Have you ever trafficked cultivators?"

The giant man's pupils shrank slightly, but he shook his head:

"I dare not. In this region of Qianxue Prefecture, clans abound—I haven't the courage to invite such misfortune by trafficking cultivators."

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened as he studied him thoughtfully.

The giant man forced calm, but clearly felt guilty, slightly averting his eyes.

Mo Hua smiled faintly, did not press further, and said:

"One last thing: hand over your disguise technique!"

The giant man's expression changed; he braced himself and lied:

"What disguise technique?"

Mo Hua's face darkened. "Playing dumb with me?"

Seeing the giant man's stubborn expression, Mo Hua stirred his spiritual sense and reactivated the array on the iron plate to its maximum power.

The giant man's eyes flew open; he trembled violently, his knees writhing in agony, yet he clenched his teeth and refused to speak…

Mo Hua was puzzled. "How can he endure this?"

Before he finished speaking, the giant man fainted from the pain…

Mo Hua sighed helplessly, muttering to himself:

"Would rather endure Shen Shouxing than surrender the 'Disguise Technique'…"

"Is it because the 'Disguise Technique' is too significant—he'd rather die than give it up…"

"Or is it because the array on this iron plate is still too weak to force the truth from him?"

Too bad—I can't use this iron plate myself; I don't know its true power…

I'll have to find a way to improve it later…

Mo Hua thought silently.

The information this giant man has revealed is insufficient.

Mo Hua planned to wake him, make him suffer more, and extract more truth.

He was nearly certain: this traitor of Duanjin Gate was hiding something.

And he must have trafficked cultivators—just too fearful to admit it.

If that was the case, Mo Hua had no need to be polite.

Mo Hua raised the Thousand-Jun Club, intending to strike the giant man awake—but Elder Murong blocked him.

Elder Murong sighed:

"Younger brother, that's enough… Don't break him. He still needs to be handed over to Dao Ting Si."

Mo Hua blinked. "Then I'll go easy?"

Elder Murong rubbed her temple. "No, that won't work either."

Mo Hua sighed in disappointment. "Fine."

The mission was paramount; merits were paramount. Intelligence could be gathered later.

Elder Murong, however, was puzzled. "Why did you ask him about that 'Boss Jiang,' Bald Eagle, and the traffickers?"

Of course, for the Four Symbols Array.

And their secret plot to traffic cultivators.

But these things couldn't be spoken aloud.

Mo Hua said: "I suspect he's allied with a gang of traffickers! I have a little brother who nearly got kidnapped—I'm asking just to uncover clues and net them all!"

Mo Hua put on a face of righteous fury.

Elder Murong and Ouyang Feng exchanged glances, unsure whether Mo Hua was telling the truth.

Mo Hua quickly changed the subject:

"Can I search his person?"

The Xie family's goal was to capture him—they didn't authorize a search.

Ouyang Feng thought for a moment, sighed, and said, "Go ahead…"

He also pulled out the storage bag he'd taken from the giant man and handed it to Mo Hua. "Go through this one too—see if you find any clues."

Mo Hua's eyes lit up; he immediately took the storage bag, then said hesitantly:

"Senior brother, is this appropriate?"

Ouyang Feng smiled. "No problem."

He was curious himself—wondering if Mo Hua could uncover anything.

As for Dao Ting Si in Bishan City or the Xie family—he didn't care a whit, given his background.

He followed the rules only because of Ta'e Sect's regulations and the Ouyang family's ancestral teachings—he didn't want to bring shame to his sect or clan.

Mo Hua immediately searched the giant man, then frowned.

He discovered the giant man's flesh was soft—entirely "fake," as if something clung to his body, fabricating a special form.

So he could be a woman, a young man, an old crone, or a burly giant.

The giant's face was clearly some kind of skin mask glued on, looking bizarre.

As for what he originally looked like, it was impossible to tell.

Even spiritual sense could not see through it.

What spiritual sense "saw" were the spiritual energy essences or qi trajectories of all things within the void-white space, not their true appearances.

Flesh and facial features were merely skin and muscle—mere external appearances.

Yet the giant's "spiritual energy" essence, Mo Hua clearly saw, and silently memorized it.

That way, if he encountered him again in the future, he wouldn't be able to escape…

The giant indeed concealed some items; Mo Hua retrieved them all without missing a single one, and finally placed them together with the storage bag.

Mo Hua went through each item one by one.

Spirit stones, pills, spirit artifacts…

Most were things any ordinary cultivator would carry.

Some cultivation methods and Dao techniques were present too, but nothing rare, and nothing linking them to the Broken Gold Sect.

There was no disguise technique…

The only odd thing was a jade slip.

This jade slip was made of Bai Yu, inlaid with fine golden edges.

Mo Hua found it extremely familiar; after a moment's thought, he was startled: he had seen a jade slip of the same design before!

Jiang Laoda!

That human trafficker Jiang Laoda had two jade slips of the exact same design, both sealed—his spiritual sense could not penetrate them—so Mo Hua had stored those two jade slips inside his Nai Zi Ring.

Mo Hua subtly probed with his spiritual sense and discovered that this jade slip in the giant's hand was also sealed, and seemed to use the same sealing method as Jiang Laoda's.

Mo Hua's heart leapt, and he quickly asked:

"Senior Brother Feng, do you know what this jade slip is?"

Ouyang Feng took it, glanced at it, his gaze paused momentarily on the golden edges, and said with surprise:

"This appears to be… the Broken Gold Sect's heritage jade slip?"

"Broken Gold Sect!"

Mo Hua's heart tightened slightly.

So that meant Jiang Laoda had once been a disciple of the Broken Gold Sect?

Mo Hua suddenly remembered something and asked again:

"Senior Brother Feng, is the Broken Gold Sect of the Twelve Streams primarily focused on sword cultivation?"

Ouyang Feng nodded. "Correct."

"Then does their sect have any powerful sword arts?" Mo Hua's eyes gleamed.

"Yes," Ouyang Feng nodded. "The Broken Gold Sect has one extremely potent golden-elemental sect-preserving sword art, named—"

Ouyang Feng said solemnly: "Broken Gold Guarding Sword Art!"

Broken Gold Guarding Sword Art!!

Mo Hua's eyes sparkled.

A sect-preserving sword art!

So the sword art Jiang Laoda used—majestic, shimmering with Jin Guang—was the Broken Gold Sect's sect-preserving sword art, the Broken Gold Guarding Sword Art?!

Then the heritage jade slip on him must be…

Mo Hua's heart pounded wildly.

Murong Caiyun silently glanced at Mo Hua, puzzled. "Young Brother, why are you suddenly so happy? Your face is even flushed…"

Mo Hua waved his hand, smiling. "Nothing…"

Suddenly he remembered something and asked:

"Senior Brother Feng, how do you read this jade slip? It seems sealed…"

Ouyang Feng said: "This is a heritage jade slip. To prevent the heritage from being lost, such jade slips are deliberately 'sealed.' You must know the 'secret markings' to unlock the seal and view its contents."

"Sealed? Secret markings?" Mo Hua paused. "Are these 'secret markings'… array markings?"

"This…"

Ouyang Feng hesitated.

His array studies were poor; he couldn't clearly explain the details.

Murong Caiyun then said: "You could say that…"

"The so-called 'sealing' naturally refers to sealing with an array; the 'secret markings' for unlocking are naturally secret array markings."

"This is a special application of array techniques, though the form differs slightly and the terminology varies."

Mo Hua understood.

In other words, if he mastered the array within, and cracked the sealed 'secret markings,' he could obtain the jade slip's heritage!

Seeing Mo Hua's eyes darting around, Ouyang Feng didn't know what he was thinking, but he still warned helplessly:

"This jade slip cannot be learned."

"If I'm not mistaken, what's sealed inside should be the Broken Gold Sect's movement technique—the Golden Evasion Art…"

"This is the Broken Gold Sect's heritage; learning it without permission would invite retribution from the Broken Gold Sect…"

"Moreover, this jade slip was stolen—it's surely recorded in the Broken Gold Sect's archives; even secretly learning it won't work…"

Mo Hua nodded. "Don't worry, Senior Brother Feng."

He didn't need to learn this jade slip—he still had two others…

But he didn't know what was sealed within those two jade slips…

Mo Hua planned to study them again in secret after returning to the sect, to see if he could use his array knowledge to crack the "secret patterns" sealed within the inheritance jade slips and obtain the Duanjin Gate's legacy…

Even if he didn't learn it, studying and critiquing it would deepen his understanding of the sword technique.

Perhaps he could even lay a foundation and make preparations for learning the Grand Void Divine Thought Turning into Sword True Scripture…

Ouyang Feng looked up at the sky and asked:

"Young Master Mo, do you have any more questions?"

Mo Hua shook his head vigorously.

He already knew a great deal.

What he didn't know, he probably couldn't ask about now anyway.

Besides, Elder Murong had already told him not to ask anymore, afraid he'd keep meddling and kill the "big man"…

Murong Caiyun nodded. "Then I'll send a signal to summon the Xie family cultivators."

"Good," said Ouyang Feng.

Afterward, Murong Caiyun took out a fan and launched a firework signal.

Mo Hua cleaned up the scene, concealing the traces of his "torture" interrogation and the search of the man's storage bag.

Ouyang Feng kindly stood by, helping him check for oversights, reminding Mo Hua from a bystander's perspective whether anything had been missed.

Soon, the Xie family cultivators arrived.

They saw the unconscious big man lying on the ground, their expressions stunned, and their glances toward Mo Hua and the others carried a subtle unease.

It wasn't gratitude—it was more like…

Mo Hua pondered.

Like… regret?

Regret for hiring the three of them to help?

Or regret that the three of them had gotten there first and captured the big man?

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened.

This Xie family was indeed suspicious…

But it wasn't his place to meddle.

Their mission was already complete.

Soon, Murong Caiyun began negotiating with the Xie family, discussing mission details and merit rewards.

Many questions were deflected by Murong Caiyun.

Like how they captured the big man.

How he had fainted.

What caused the injury on his knee?

Who made him kneel… and so on.

Murong Caiyun spoke gently, saying simply that the three of them had been patrolling, happened upon the man by chance, knocked him out, and during the skirmish, a spell struck his knee, leaving the wound.

The Xie family wanted to ask more, when Ouyang Feng suddenly frowned, his gaze sharp as a sword.

The Xie family cultivators dared not ask further.

Mo Hua deduced that the Ouyang family's name must be very powerful.

With matters settled, the three did not linger and set off from Bishan City.

Yet as they left, Mo Hua glanced back at the mist-shrouded, precipitous Bishan City, and vaguely felt this matter was far from over…

…

The carriage left Bishan City, heading toward Qianxue Province.

Halfway there, Mo Hua bid farewell to Elder Murong and Brother Feng, and got off the carriage.

"Brother and sister, I just remembered I have something to attend to—I'll get off here. I'll return to the sect on my own tomorrow."

Murong Caiyun and Ouyang Feng froze, looking around at the desolate mountains, and asked:

"What could you possibly have to do here?"

Mo Hua smiled. "I have a Dao friend who lives in the mountains, all alone and lonely—I'm going to pay him a visit."

"A Dao friend?"

"Mm."

"Lives in this mountain?"

Murong Caiyun glanced around—the barren hills, ancient woods, utterly uninhabited.

Mo Hua smiled. "He's a bit shy."

"Alright," Murong Caiyun sighed, looking at Mo Hua with concern. "Be careful."

"Don't worry, sister!" Mo Hua grinned.

With that, he waved and turned toward the deep mountains…

Deep in the mountains stood a ruined temple; inside the temple sat a mountain god.

The mountain god was frowning, on the verge of tears, and soon he would have to face a man he absolutely did not want to see…