Chapter 632: The Tea House

In Mo Hua's empty, pale spiritual perception, two figures were inside the mistress's chambers of the Wang family, doing something unknown.

Mo Hua wanted to enter and drag out the Flower Young Master, but Murong Caiyun stopped him.

"You're still young; don't dirty your eyes."

Mo Hua blinked, not quite understanding, but obediently stayed outside.

So Ouyang Feng and Shangguan Xu guarded outside.

Murong Caiyun and Hua Qianqian entered the chamber.

Shortly after, a woman's scream rang out from within, followed by a disheveled man, beaten into spitting blood by spells and spirit needles, crashing through the window in disgrace.

Mo Hua remained curious, so he peered through the broken window into the chamber.

Inside the boudoir, everything was in chaos—robes and skirts scattered across the floor.

A disheveled woman, wrapped in a quilt, shrieked in fury:

Mo Hua spoke words that cut to the soul, yet wore an expression of sympathy.

But their skills were poor, clumsy and hindering, giving the Flower Young Master precious breathing room.

The worst outcome would be if the Flower Young Master fell into the hands of himself and his senior brothers and sisters, was captured and brought before Dao Ting Si, convicted, and recorded in the case files.

Ouyang Feng's longsword moved like wind; Shangguan Xu's heavy sword stood like a mountain.

Like most flower thieves, the Flower Young Master had excellent body movement but weak Daoist arts.

If they couldn't capture the Flower Young Master, they couldn't let him fall into the hands of these sect disciples either…

Murong Caiyun felt rage surge, her teeth grinding, momentarily speechless.

The two surrounded the flower thief, leaving him no chance to escape.

Though this woman had Foundation Establishment cultivation, she lived in luxury, only knowing how to keep a lover behind her husband's back—her strength was pitifully weak.

As she spoke, a sudden wave of bitter jealousy rose in her heart: "Those worthless women—how lucky they are to be harvested by the Young Master…"

"Who are you?"

The Wang family would become the laughingstock of the entire Shancheng, mocked for centuries, unable to hold their heads high.

Many Wang family cultivators rushed forward together, trying to seize the Flower Young Master.

Fighting Ouyang Feng and Shangguan Xu, he was constantly on the defensive, yet pink energy swirled around him, his movements light as falling petals—he could still evade for now, with no immediate threat to his life.

"But he treats me differently; he only delights with me, never draining my primordial energy…"

Soon, Wang family cultivators gathered, some stunned, but their attitudes varied.

The best outcome would be if the Wang family captured the Flower Young Master and killed him outright, erasing all traces, then publicly denying it ever happened.

The second-best would be to let the Flower Young Master escape—since no one caught him in the act, it could just be dismissed as "rumor."

"Pigs are fattened before slaughter…"

"What do you know, little girl? The Young Master loves me—he said himself that he harvests those women only to cultivate his art, never truly caring for them…"

"How dare you!"

After all, the truth was plain: dogs can't change their habit of eating shit; a flower thief can't stop harvesting.

"The inner chambers of the Wang family are no place for you to barge into!"

"He doesn't harvest you because he's raising you like a 'pig'—waiting until your cultivation rises, then draining you all at once…"

The immediate priority was still to capture the flower thief.

Her qi surged violently, her face flushed red, her finger trembling as she pointed at Mo Hua: "You—"

Upon hearing this, the woman froze, her composure shattered.

Mo Hua had been slightly angry at first, but seeing the Wang cultivators' evasive glances, as if hiding guilt, he suddenly understood.

Outside, the Flower Young Master had been blocked by Ouyang Feng and Shangguan Xu.

The woman glared coldly at Murong Caiyun:

"What flower thief?"

Just as she opened her mouth to scream, Hua Qianqian stabbed a spirit needle into her acupoint, and she fainted.

As for how to deal with this woman, it depends on the Wang family and Dao Ting Si's decisions.

The mistress of the family keeping a flower thief—this was a colossal scandal.

Mo Hua, overhearing from outside, "kindly" reminded:

When Mo Hua stepped out, he saw the man—handsome in face, yet pale with a gloomy hue, his expression lewd—clearly the "Flower Young Master."

The flower thief broke through the window and fled, but was intercepted by Ouyang Feng and Shangguan Xu waiting outside.

If they captured the Flower Young Master, the matter would be confirmed—the Wang family's face would be lost.

Then this would be an undeniable fact. The entire Wang clan would be shamed.

Murong Caiyun sneered at the woman: "You are the mistress of the family—you lured a flower thief into your chamber, yet still have the audacity to act innocent!"

So their priority was to capture the Flower Young Master.

Some sneered, watching the spectacle; others covered their faces, ashamed; others raged with righteous fury…

Mo Hua understood, smiled faintly, and did not intervene—instead, he sat aside to watch the show.

The Wang family cultivators' actions were exactly as Mo Hua had expected.

Once they realized they couldn't capture the Flower Young Master, they began deliberately obstructing Ouyang Feng and Shangguan Xu.

Ouyang Feng and Shangguan Xu realized this too, grew angry, and struck without restraint.

Since the Wang cultivators pretended to help while hindering them, they pretended to "accidentally" slash at the Wang cultivators with their swords.

The Wang cultivators, guilty and fearful, dared not complain.

But this chaos favored the Flower Young Master—the more chaotic, the easier it was for him to escape; after several swift dodges, he was already several zhang away from Ouyang Feng and Shangguan Xu.

That distance was enough for him to escape.

Ouyang Feng, slightly angered, stirred his spiritual energy, his sword qi sharp and chilling, ready to forcefully strike down these Wang family cultivators blocking his path.

But suddenly, a faint voice called out beside him, "Brother Feng…"

Ouyang Feng froze, turned his head, and saw Mo Hua standing by, arms crossed, calm and composed, giving him a subtle glance.

Ouyang Feng understood—he withdrew his attack, and Shangguan Xu retracted his heavy sword.

Everyone watched as Hua Langjun leapt over the back wall, shattered the formation, and fled toward the outer wall of the Wang residence.

Along the way, chaos erupted—people shouted, chickens flew, dogs barked.

The entire Wang residence was filled with bustling shadows, a complete mess.

Hua Langjun escaped.

Mo Hua had seen enough entertainment; he nodded, rose, and followed Elder Murong, Caiyun, and the others as they pursued Hua Langjun out of the Wang residence.

Hua Langjun's body manipulation was excellent, but in Mo Hua's eyes, it was like showing off swordplay before Guan Yu.

While Hua Langjun used his body manipulation to evade the crowd, Mo Hua had long since locked onto him with his spiritual sense.

He could not escape Mo Hua's palm.

Even if he escaped now, Mo Hua still had the Heavenly Mechanism Calculations—he would eventually trace his karmic trail.

One could say, from the moment he appeared before Mo Hua, he was already a "cooked duck"—no flight possible.

Elder Murong, Caiyun, and the others left the Wang residence, shed the Wang cultivators, and under Mo Hua's guidance, within half an hour, they found Hua Langjun in the wastelands of Luanshan City—exhausted from half a day of desperate flight, believing himself safe, now meditating in a hidden cave.

Hua Langjun stared in shock, "How did you find me?"

This cave was his hiding place—barely anyone besides himself knew of it.

Ouyang Feng couldn't be bothered to answer him, merely pointing his Huangfeng Longsword at him, coldly saying:

"Die."

Hua Langjun sneered, still arrogant, showing little regard for Ouyang Feng and the others.

If he could escape once, he could escape again.

With his body manipulation, in this second-rank immortal city, he could roam freely, stealing charms and seducing women—no one could stop him.

But he did not know that his previous escape was only possible because a hidden young cultivator had not acted…

But now, things were different.

Mo Hua would not let him go.

Hua Langjun grinned defiantly, his body manipulation graceful—he rose to flee.

Far away, Mo Hua flicked a finger; water vapor instantly condensed, forming a Water Prison that bound Hua Langjun tightly as he leapt midair, stepping on the wind.

Hua Langjun, suddenly locked in the Water Prison, lost his defiant expression—his eyes filled with terror.

Then, like a kite whose string snapped before taking flight, he crashed straight to the ground.

Ouyang Feng, long simmering with rage, stepped forward, raised his sword, and slashed Hua Langjun—still writhing to break free of the Water Prison—back to the ground.

Shangguan Xu also stepped forward and added several more sword strikes.

Elder Murong Caiyun, despising such scum, struck without mercy, searing through his limbs with five-colored spiritual light.

Nearby, Hua Qianqian, face stern, relentlessly stabbed him with spiritual needles…

Hua Langjun could only writhe on the ground, desperately begging for mercy—no trace left of his earlier arrogance.

The capture was over.

Hua Langjun's legs were broken, shackled with spiritual chains.

Mo Hua pulled out his "Iron Plate" and went through the formalities.

He recovered several jade slips, one cultivation technique for absorbing essence, one scroll of demonic body manipulation, two erotic paintings, some spiritual stones, several mind-bewitching pills, and various women's personal sachets and garments.

As soon as these items were "extracted," Elder Murong "confiscated" them all.

Elder Murong Caiyun feared Mo Hua would be corrupted.

"I'll give you more merit points later—don't take these filthy things. Hand them over to Dao Ting Si, or return them to their rightful owners…"

"Oh…"

Mo Hua nodded.

Demonic cultivation techniques—he had no use for them.

But he did want to examine Hua Langjun's body manipulation manual, study its principles, see if there were any flaws in how demons cultivated movement.

And whether the jade slips contained any intelligence or clues about criminal cultivators.

But since Elder Murong wouldn't let him see them, there was nothing he could do.

Since he was a flower thief, he likely carried nothing but indecent, eye-soiling material.

Fine—I won't look then…

Mo Hua comforted himself.

What followed was simple cleanup.

Hua Langjun had been captured and would be escorted to Dao Ting Si for imprisonment pending trial.

This was perfectly normal—but the Wang family had erupted into chaos.

No one cared how a family behaved behind closed doors.

But once exposed publicly, such lax family morals and scandalous rear-court affairs were deadly.

Later, Mo Hua learned that the Wang family patriarch and his spouse had long been estranged, each pursuing their own pleasures.

The patriarch himself was no good either.

But he never imagined his own lady would carry things so far.

To a flower thief, she had grown "deeply affectionate," even kept him hidden in her inner chambers…

Mo Hua shook his head.

This couple, a scumbag man and a scumbag woman, were surprisingly well-matched.

But these romantic scandals meant little to Mo Hua, who was still young.

His purpose in coming here was to capture the Flower Young Master and earn merit to learn array techniques.

He didn't care about anything else.

Once the Flower Young Master was captured, this mission would be over.

Ouyang Feng and Shangguan Xu escorted the Flower Young Master to Luanshan City's Dao Ting Si, where they also needed to record testimonies and complete formalities.

Murong Caiyun and Hua Qianqian returned to the female cultivators the personal items the Flower Young Master had stolen or seized—hairpins, incense pouches, undergarments, and so on.

Some of these women had been deceived by the Flower Young Master and willingly submitted to being drained.

But others had been forced.

Their intimate belongings had been stolen or snatched afterward, used for blackmail and threats.

These items were not suitable to hand over to Dao Ting Si.

Murong Caiyun, thoughtfully considering these women's plight, joined Hua Qianqian in secretly returning the private items to the oppressed, pitiful women.

Whether escorting or returning private belongings, both tasks took time.

Everyone split up to handle their duties, then regrouped outside Luanshan City to return to their sect.

None of these tasks required Mo Hua's involvement.

With nothing to do, Mo Hua sat outside Luanshan City, admiring the scenery and waiting for his senior brothers and sisters.

While waiting, Mo Hua grew hungry, so he extended his spiritual sense and spotted a teahouse amid green mountains and clear waters not far away.

Mo Hua's eyes lit up, and he sent a message to Murong Caiyun:

"Sister, I'm waiting for you at the teahouse outside the city!"

Then he activated the Flowing Water Step, leaping lightly along the mountain path, happily arriving at the teahouse.

The teahouse was small but had a canopy outside with many tables set up.

A few scattered cultivators ate dried fruits, drank chilled tea, and chatted idly.

The owner was an elderly man, hunched over, smiling warmly.

"Young Master, would you like some tea?"

Mo Hua was primarily hungry, so he asked:

"Old man, do you have food?"

The old man looked apologetic. "We only have dried fruits to accompany tea. Noodles are available too, but few order them, so we don't make them often—I'm afraid they won't suit your taste…"

"No problem—I'll take a large bowl of noodles!"

"Alright," the old man smiled. "Young Master, please wait a moment."

Mo Hua chose a table with a breeze, near water, good scenery, and clean surfaces, and sat down.

Soon, the noodles arrived.

They looked decent. Mo Hua tasted them—taste wasn't great, but not bad either. He wasn't picky, so he focused on slurping the noodles loudly.

As he ate, Mo Hua thought again about this mission.

The Flower Young Master…

If he remembered correctly, "Flower Young Master" was also on Jiang Laoda's "list."

So was this Flower Young Master a traitorous disciple from some sect in Qianxue second-grade prefecture?

Why had he suddenly appeared in Luanshan City?

Earlier, at Dao Ting Si, Mo Hua had reviewed the Juan Sect's dossier on the Flower Young Master.

This Flower Young Master was extremely cautious, operating mostly in remote Xiancheng outside Qianxue second-grade prefecture.

Those Xiancheng were loosely controlled by Dao Ting Si, their morals decayed, and brothels were plentiful.

That made them ideal hiding spots for flower thieves.

So why had he suddenly come to a place like Luanshan City to drain a few minor clan female cultivators?

Had he lost control from practicing dark arts?

Was he addicted?

He couldn't possibly think no one could catch him in a second-grade prefecture…

Mo Hua held his large bowl, slurping noodles, silently pondering.

Suddenly, voices rose. Mo Hua looked up and saw another group of cultivators arrive.

The leader was tall and had a kind face; behind him followed two large men and one thin man.

"Two pots of tea, two plates of dried meat, four plates of dried fruit…"

They ordered tea and snacks, then sat in a quiet corner, speaking in low tones.

Mo Hua paid no mind at first, continuing to eat his noodles—but his spiritual sense was strong, his hearing sharp, and he faintly caught the words "Hua Liuliang."

"Hua Liuliang?"

Mo Hua froze, thinking he'd misheard. He slowed his eating, straining his ears to listen closely.

After a while, they spoke again:

"Hua Liuliang…"

"Why hasn't he arrived yet?"

"He promised…"

Mo Hua was startled.

This Hua Liuliang…

Could it really be the Flower Young Master?

Are they a group together?

Mo Hua showed no expression, continuing to eat his noodles, but his spiritual sense had stretched to its limit, eavesdropping on every word they spoke.

"... Missed the time... can you bear the consequences?"

"Useless piece of trash..."

"Lazy donkey, lots of piss and shit..."

"Practicing such a shitty cultivation art, can't control his lower body—total waste..."

"No doubt he's lying on some whore's bed again..."

"Hope he didn't die on some woman's belly..."

"That's what he deserves..."

Mo Hua frowned as he listened, each word sounding more and more familiar.

He kept feeling that the "Hua Liulang" they were talking about was the same flower-picking bandit—Hua Langjun—that he and his senior brothers and sisters had just captured.

What should he do?

Try to capture them?

Set up the Earthfire Array and wipe them all out?

Mo Hua shook his head.

He hadn't clarified anything; he didn't know their background. Acting rashly could lead to a terrible misunderstanding.

Besides, he hadn't clearly assessed their cultivation levels in his haste.

If these few were all Foundation Establishment early stage, it'd be fine—but if any were Foundation Establishment mid-stage, it'd be troublesome.

The Earthfire Array was only a thirteen-pattern array.

It could injure Foundation Establishment mid-stage, but might not kill them.

Above thirteen patterns, the arrays he'd learned under Master Xun's guidance were mostly production arrays or trapping arrays—he'd learned few killing arrays.

Moreover, with his current spiritual sense, he couldn't form an array above thirteen patterns in an instant.

A delay of several breaths was too slow.

And it was broad daylight—the array patterns would be too obvious, easy to spot.

Better to proceed cautiously.

Mo Hua silently told himself.

"Finish the noodles first, then wait..."

"Wait for my senior brothers and sisters to arrive—then, with help, figure out how to capture these cultivators and get answers..."

Acting alone would be too reckless and too risky.

Mo Hua made up his mind and resumed eating his noodles calmly.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll never be defeated.

Still, Mo Hua stole glances with the corner of his eye, observing their every move, trying to discern their cultivation levels and cultivation arts.

There were four cultivators in this group.

Two big men, seemingly body cultivators, with strong but tightly restrained blood qi.

Mo Hua was too close; without knowing their true nature, he dared not probe deeply with his spiritual sense, lest he alert them.

There was also a thin man, gloomy and silent.

He appeared to be a spirit cultivator, but Mo Hua didn't know what kind of cultivation path he followed.

Among the four, the leader was the tall, kind-faced cultivator.

While the others chatted and cursed "Hua Liulang," he said nothing, only sipping tea and eating dried fruit.

He hadn't touched a single piece of the dried meat on the table.

Mo Hua found this strange, and subtly turned his head to glance at the cultivator again.

But the moment he looked, his heart jolted—a strange sense of familiarity washed over him, as if this man were precisely who he had been searching for.

Yet he had never met him before...

Mo Hua frowned and glanced again at the leader, his pupils narrowing slightly.

Tall stature, gentle features...

His robe was ordinary, but beneath the sleeves, a small strip of red fabric edged with golden patterns peeked out.

His head was covered with thick hair tied into a topknot, yet within it, several tiny red dot-like marks were deeply hidden...

Red cassock, fire-dot ordination scars...

He is...

Mo Hua's pupils flared.

Huo Fotuo?!