Chapter 683: Take It Back (Thank you, Lord Kuangluan Yeweiyang, for your Lordship support~)

This hundred-plus merit points isn't a small amount; I can manage fine since I still have arrays to make up for it, but Cheng Mo and the others would've made this trip for nothing.

The sect has many disciples but few tasks, and merit points are precious.

Cheng Mo and the others lack experience; earning this hundred-plus merit points won't be easy.

As their senior brother, I can't let my "junior brothers" suffer a loss.

Moreover, we finally caught this powerful outsider after great difficulty, only to have it snatched away by the Duanjin Sect through bullying with power—if word gets out, it will damage the Grand Void Sect's reputation, making people think we're afraid of the Duanjin Sect.

Personal honor is minor; the sect's face is major.

For the sake of the sect's face, we must reclaim this insult!

Mo Hua nodded solemnly.

Cheng Mo and the others were stunned, then their eyes lit up; their earlier disappointment vanished, and their spirits lifted.

Yet after thinking it over, they still felt uneasy.

"Mo Hua… we can't beat them, can we…"

"Yeah, they've got seven or eight, all Foundation Establishment mid-stage…"

"Relax," Mo Hua said, "I just used invisibility to scout them—they split into two groups. One group marched off with that 'Golden Lump' showing off; the other group has only two men, escorting the outsider toward Dao Ting Si."

Cheng Mo and the others' expressions brightened.

Mo Hua calculated aloud:

"Two Foundation Establishment mid-stage, but their cultivation is shallow—among their realm, they're weak. Judging by their appearance, they look hollow and flimsy, used to bullying with power; they probably have little real combat experience—they should be easy to handle…"

Then Mo Hua whispered his plan:

"I'll sneak ahead and set up an array to catch them off guard, then we all attack together…"

"But don't go too hard—we can't kill anyone, or we'll bring trouble to the sect and ourselves…"

"After all, we're people of principle—we only follow the etiquette of reciprocity: they stole from us, so we take it back, not because we hold a grudge and want to kill them."

"So hold back—just knock them half-dead is enough…"

Mo Hua said this with a kind expression.

Cheng Mo and the others: "…"

After finishing, Mo Hua stood to leave, then suddenly remembered something and said to Cheng Mo and the others:

"Get some black cloth and cover your faces."

Cheng Mo blinked. "Cover our faces? To hide from them?"

Sister Situ also asked puzzled, "Even if we cover our faces, they'll still know it was us…"

After all, we just had a conflict with them, and now we're going to snatch the prisoner.

Those Duanjin Sect people, unless they're fools, will surely suspect us.

Mo Hua said seriously, "This is a matter of 'etiquette'—face-saving rituals must be observed."

"By covering our faces, we at least show them respect."

"If we don't cover our faces and snatch openly, it means we don't even regard them as worth noticing—that would be extremely impolite."

"Besides, I'm actually doing them a favor…"

"Think about it—two Foundation Establishment mid-stage disciples, if they find out they were openly robbed by a group of Foundation Establishment early-stage disciples, how heartbroken would they feel…"

Mo Hua sighed, looking genuinely considerate of others.

Hao Xuan suddenly understood and nodded. "Senior Brother, you're so kind-hearted!"

Cheng Mo and the other three were speechless.

Hao Xuan, you fool—do you have some misunderstanding about the phrase "kind-hearted"?

Regardless, the plan was settled; they set off.

The Duanjin Sect's Young Master Jin and his group had indeed split into two parties.

Two of them were escorting the seemingly "near-death" outsider along a forest-side path toward the nearby Dao Ting Si.

Mo Hua quickly caught up with the two, then gave Cheng Mo and the others a glance.

Cheng Mo and the others nodded, signaling they understood.

Then Mo Hua alone used the Minor Five Elements Concealment Technique to circle ahead of the two Duanjin disciples and set up a Rank-Two Earth-Fire Array on the road a li ahead.

He didn't set up a deadly array, to avoid killing the two Duanjin disciples—both to avoid creating karmic debt and to prevent trouble for himself and Cheng Mo and the others.

The Duanjin disciples may be bad, but they're not irredeemably evil.

Mo Hua remembered his identity as an "ordinary" array master and began methodically burying array plates, placing traps, and concealing traces.

After a while, the two Duanjin disciples indeed arrived, escorting the outsider from afar.

Mo Hua hid to the side and heard footsteps growing closer, along with the two men's complaints:

"... We always get the shitty jobs…"

"Damn it…"

"Be grateful—you didn't get the even 'dirtier' tasks, that's already lucky…"

"True…"

"I wonder when we'll ever get on the 'ship'…"

Another lowered his voice to sneer, "What's your background? What rank of clan? Do you think a ship like that's for someone like you?"

"Damn, it makes me itch to see…"

"Don't do anything stupid."

"I know, I'm just fantasizing—damn, someone like that, if I could even have one night in my life, I'd die content…"

"Stop thinking about it…"

…

Mo Hua frowned.

Board a "boat"?

What boat?

He paused to think, and suddenly the three words from the fisher-cultivator's mouth surfaced in his mind: Crimson Boat.

"What exactly is this Crimson Boat for? Is it connected to Young Master Jin… or rather, to these Duanjin Gate disciples?"

Mo Hua's eyes narrowed in thought.

At that moment, the two Duanjin Gate disciples escorting Guojialong had reached Mo Hua's trap.

The sky had already darkened.

The two were absorbed in chatting and had no awareness that an array had been secretly laid across the path.

As the two Duanjin Gate disciples walked forward, they suddenly stepped on something—the ground turned red, and with a "Boom—", an explosion erupted.

A surging burst of flame instantly swallowed the two disciples and Guojialong, who was being escorted.

Mo Hua remembered that Guojialong had eaten a pill given by Young Master Jin, and his injuries had already begun to recover—he was a threat.

So this array had blown him up too.

After the array exploded, Cheng Mo and the others lying in ambush immediately activated their movement techniques and rushed over.

All of them wore black cloth over their faces and struck together—spears, clubs, swords, and axes flashed out as they pounded the two Duanjin Gate disciples and Guojialong.

Mo Hua added a few well-timed spells from the side.

After about a quarter-hour, all three were subdued.

The two Duanjin Gate disciples were black-eyed and swollen-faced, their expressions filled with panic.

Guojialong spat blood, utterly bewildered.

They had no idea what had happened.

They only knew that as they walked, the array suddenly exploded, then they were surrounded and beaten, then suddenly overpowered.

One Duanjin Gate disciple lifted his head, squinting through swollen, bleeding slits in his eyes toward Cheng Mo and the others.

Seeing that Cheng Mo and the rest all wore black cloth over their faces, the disciple cried out in shock and rage:

"You… who are you?! We are… Duan…!"

Yang Qianjun stuffed a rope into his mouth to silence him.

The other Duanjin Gate disciple had a swollen left eye, but his right eye was clear; under the night, he barely glimpsed a massive axe, a spiritual sword, and a long spear.

In an instant, he understood.

"You… you are!"

Those damn little brats from the Grand Void Gate!

But before he could finish speaking, Hao Xuan brought down a club to his head, knocking him unconscious, then walked over to the other Duanjin Gate disciple and knocked him out too.

It was Young Master's order.

Knocking someone out must be swift, thorough, and leave them unable to resist.

Hao Xuan remembered this well.

Thus, on the dimly lit night path, only Guojialong remained.

He too had recognized them—these masked cultivators were the same hateful little sect brats who had ambushed him before!

This further confirmed his earlier suspicion.

Fishing nets laid in ambush, arrays used to subdue enemies, precise retreats and advances, relentless pressure.

Now, under cover of night, they'd launched a surprise counterattack.

These little brats alone could never have orchestrated this—someone must be directing them from the shadows.

Guojialong's lips were stained with blood, his expression solemn; he gritted his teeth and said:

"Who is directing you?"

Cheng Mo and the others said nothing, surrounding Guojialong like four "bandits," their faces hidden behind black cloth.

After a while, footsteps echoed on the silent path.

The shadowy mastermind had arrived!

Guojialong's heart lurched; he looked up—but saw no one before him.

Guojialong froze in confusion, then his pupils shrank.

Where there had been nothing, a figure suddenly materialized.

"A child?"

"No, not a child!"

The figure was small, appearing frail, its face utterly black and indistinct, blending into the night.

It looked like a young cultivator, yet it pressed upon the mind with an eerie, psychic oppression—like a young…

Xiao Yao.

Guojialong knew—he had seen with his own eyes—that some "beings" in this world were no longer truly "human."

They harbored terrifying things within them…

Guojialong's heart trembled.

This person also wore black cloth over their head, hiding their face.

Guojialong wasn't even certain whether the face beneath the cloth was human—or the visage of some other demon.

For someone as cunning as a demon could never truly be a mere young cultivator.

Then Guojialong realized this figure, who looked like a "human" child, was scanning him with a cold, psychic gaze…

Guojialong felt uneasy; after a moment, he heard a voice—childlike yet unnatural, clear yet cruel—speak:

"Cut off his hands and feet, take him away…"

The Overriver Dragon's pupils widened, still struggling—but suddenly, searing pain erupted in his limbs, as if they had truly been severed.

Then a blow struck the back of his skull, and he fainted completely.

Cheng Mo rubbed his chin, uncertain, and asked Mo Hua:

"Is this… too cruel?"

Mo Hua said sternly: "Being merciful to evil people is true cruelty! So when dealing with evil people, you must be ruthless when necessary!"

Cheng Mo thought for a moment, then nodded: "You're right."

Si Tu Jian and the others pondered for a while, then nodded in deep agreement, thinking this was likely an experience Mo Hua had learned from his uncle, the Dao Ting Si's Gu Diansi.

Dao Ting Si deals with criminal cultivators daily—they have plenty of experience. If they all act this way, it must be correct.

The matter was now settled; the Overriver Dragon was in hand.

Cheng Mo and the others tossed the two Duanjin Gate disciples into the grass.

They were injured and stunned, but not mortally wounded—they would wake up soon.

Then the group prepared to escort the "Overriver Dragon" to Dao Ting Si for the reward.

Mo Hua had originally planned to make the Overriver Dragon kneel before his "Array Iron Plate" to see if he could extract some information.

But after consideration, he decided against it.

The Golden Young Master had repeatedly warned him to keep silent—no matter who asked, he must not speak, and even under torture, he likely wouldn't confess.

He might even be driven to suicide.

The Overriver Dragon was on the list.

Of the cultivators on that list, some were dead, some had fled, and few remained.

This Overriver Dragon was clearly an important figure—use him sparingly; he might lure in a bigger fish.

Besides, using an array for interrogation was too conspicuous.

Mo Hua didn't want to leave the Overriver Dragon with too vivid a memory.

The Overriver Dragon also had a storage pouch.

Mo Hua flipped through it, but found nothing of particular importance—not even secret jade slips like transmission orders.

Either the recent crackdown was tight, and the Overriver Dragon dared not carry secret items on him.

Or the Golden Young Master had taken them away.

But one thing did catch Mo Hua's interest: the Overriver Dragon's water-elemental cultivation technique, the "White Wave Scripture."

Precisely speaking, it was a complete set of cultivation methods.

Along with the technique itself, there were accompanying White Wave movement skills and a few secret methods to avoid water monsters.

Mo Hua couldn't cultivate the technique, but the movement skills and secret methods could be studied.

Cheng Mo and the others didn't need these things, so Mo Hua openly "embezzled" them.

Then, with his hands and feet severed, the Overriver Dragon was delivered to Dao Ting Si by Mo Hua and the others.

After completing the paperwork and handover, to avoid further trouble and prevent encountering Duanjin Gate members, Mo Hua and the group boarded a carriage and set off for Grand Void Gate.

On the carriage, Cheng Mo and the others were weary but cheerful.

Though this mission had some twists, they had ultimately avenged themselves, captured the Overriver Dragon, and earned merit points.

They weren't afraid of Duanjin Gate.

Only when they happened to meet Duanjin Gate members out in the open, where the enemy outnumbered them, had they been forced to retreat.

But once back within Qianxue Province's borders, everyone had sect backing, came from prominent families, and under the watchful eyes of elders and instructors within their sects, they had nothing to fear from Duanjin Gate's provocations.

Thinking of how this mission—whether accepting the bounty or completing it—had all depended on Mo Hua, Cheng Mo said apologetically:

"Mo Hua, why don't you take two hundred points? We each only need a hundred."

The others nodded in agreement.

Without Mo Hua, they might not have earned a single merit point.

Mo Hua shook his head: "We agreed on one hundred twenty each—we must keep our word. Besides, without your help, I couldn't have captured the Overriver Dragon alone."

Cheng Mo and the others were deeply grateful.

Yang Qianjun looked at Mo Hua with even greater admiration.

"Alright then, when we get back, we'll treat you to a big meal!" Cheng Mo said.

"Mm-hmm!"

As for meals, Mo Hua never turned them down.

Later, the night grew heavy, the carriage rolled slowly.

Cheng Mo and the others, overcome with fatigue, sat in place and meditated, closing their eyes to rest.

Mo Hua sat by the window, gazing at the hazy night outside, reflecting on the events of this journey, his thoughts swirling.

The Overriver Dragon knew the Golden Young Master—and from his tone, their relationship was close.

The Overriver Dragon mentioned the "Blood Oath List"…

Was this list the same as the criminal cultivator list I obtained from Old Jiang?

If so, this list wasn't Old Jiang's to begin with.

If not his, then where did he get it?

Mo Hua frowned, recalling every detail of his encounter with Old Jiang—every cause, effect, sight, and sound—and a hunch slowly formed in his mind:

This list was stolen by Old Jiang.

Old Jiang had once been a Duanjin Gate disciple, but he was a peripheral one, never taught the core sword techniques, and resentful, so he decided to steal.

To steal, he could only target the core disciples.

And in this theft, he accidentally stole two jade slips.

One was the "Break Golden Sword Art," the other was the "Blood Oath List."

Both jade slips were transmission jade slips of the Break Golden Sect; the "sealing runes" on them, Jiang the Elder, as a Break Golden Sect disciple, should be able to unlock.

But the inner secret runes of the "Blood Oath List," Jiang the Elder certainly could not unlock.

Without unlocking the secret runes, he could not see the list.

Jiang the Elder probably assumed this "list" jade slip was merely a simple "sealed" blank jade slip.

So, inside it…

He wrote a diary…

As for the matter of the "list," he likely knew nothing at all.

He probably died without knowing he had written his diary on such an important encrypted "Blood Oath List."

Then another question arose…

Where exactly had Jiang the Elder stolen these jade slips from?

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened slightly.

Could it be… that "Young Master Jin"?

Mo Hua, drawing on his own experience, gradually filled in the causal chain in his mind:

Whether the Break Golden Sword Art or the Blood Oath List, both jade slips were extremely precious—beyond the reach of ordinary disciples.

This Young Master Jin was clearly no ordinary disciple.

That the jade slips were in his possession seemed entirely plausible.

That Jiang the Elder could steal jade slips from Young Master Jin suggested the two were, to some degree, "acquainted."

Jiang the Elder had done things for Young Master Jin.

But Jiang the Elder's cultivation level meant he was certainly an outcast.

So, to improve himself, he worked hard and took a desperate risk—he stole Young Master Jin's Sword Art, gained a hidden trump card, then went out on his own.

Thus, the Break Golden Sword Art, Jiang the Elder would never use it unless at life-or-death brink.

As for the Blood Oath List, he knew nothing at all; ignorance made him fearless, so he never gave himself away.

Then Mo Hua felt another doubt arise.

After Jiang the Elder betrayed his sect, he gathered a gang, recruited "brothers," and engaged in trafficking cultivators.

Did Young Master Jin know?

If he didn't know, it seemed unlikely…

But if he did know, would Young Master Jin allow Jiang the Elder to do this?

Or perhaps…

Mo Hua's gaze grew darker.

Jiang the Elder had betrayed the sect and carried out illicit deeds under Young Master Jin's "instruction."

Yet Young Master Jin himself might not even know Jiang the Elder had stolen his jade slips.

Even until the end, in the arrogant Young Master Jin's eyes, Jiang the Elder was likely just a marginal "lapdog," a "tool" for trafficking cultivators…

If Jiang the Elder's trafficking of cultivators had been secretly supported and coordinated by Young Master Jin…

Then could Young Master Jin be…

One of those black-cloaked traffickers?

…

Mo Hua's gaze grew increasingly solemn.

A core disciple of the Tangtang Break Golden Sect, from a prominent family, could be the mastermind behind trafficking cultivators…

And behind him, there were other "Young Masters"…

Did the Break Golden Sect know?

What about other sects? Did they know?

Did the great families of Qian Province know?

Among these families, those ancestral elders who peered into the Dao's mysteries—could they truly not calculate anything?

Mo Hua frowned tightly, gazing out the carriage window at the heavy darkness.

He sensed faintly that a vast conspiracy was brewing.

Beneath a facade of prosperity, the shadows of Qian Xue Province seemed ready, bit by bit, to surface…

(End of Chapter)