Chapter 797: Fish and Dragon Lantern

Master Xun formally lifted Mo Hua's house arrest.

Mo Hua was freed.

He no longer had to be confined within Qianxue Province, playing daily with the sect's band of "junior brothers"; henceforth, the fish entered the sea, the cub returned to the forest, the sky vast and the ocean wide—another world altogether.

On Mo Hua's face bloomed an uncontainable smile.

"Thank you, Master!"

Seeing his ecstatic expression, Master Xun couldn't help shaking his head and warned:

"Be careful yourself, and above all, never slack off on the arrays."

"Yes, yes, Master, rest assured!"

Mo Hua nodded vigorously in promise.

After bidding farewell to Master Xun, Mo Hua returned to the disciples' quarters, still buoyant inside.

"Finally, I can go out…"

He had been confined within Qianxue Province for too long; he had almost forgotten what the outside world looked like.

Now that he could finally leave, he must plan carefully.

Mo Hua silently calculated in his mind.

First, he still needed to find a way to further strengthen his spiritual sense.

Though his spiritual sense had already reached the nineteenth level, it was already very strong, yet clearly still far from sufficient.

Since he sought the Dao through spiritual sense, the stronger it was, the better.

Only with stronger spiritual sense could he learn more profound arrays.

Moreover, this was Master Xun's intention.

When Master Xun said this, his expression was solemn, his gaze filled with hope—likely something major was afoot.

Though strict, Master Xun was upright at heart; the major matters he worried over must concern the sect.

As a disciple of Grand Void Gate, he had long received far too much care from the Master.

Sometimes, Mo Hua himself felt Master Xun favored him a little too much.

A drop of kindness deserves a gushing spring in return.

This was what his mother had told him since childhood.

Mo Hua nodded.

Since Master Xun hoped his spiritual sense could become "a little stronger," he would strive hard to make it stronger by just that "one" bit.

He must not disappoint Master Xun's expectations.

And the only way to strengthen his spiritual sense further in a short time…

It seemed he had to visit the altar to "order a dish."

"The demon god's altar…"

Mo Hua silently pondered.

The only lead he currently knew regarding an altar was "Water Yama."

The mastermind behind the annihilation of the Yu family water village—the demon who replaced Fire Buddha on the Blood Oath list—

Water Yama.

The demon god's preaching, bloody and cruel, inevitably involved mass slaughter, even entire family exterminations.

Extermination always meant an altar.

Water Yama surely knew the altar's location.

Mo Hua silently thought:

"I cannot let the demon god spread further. Nor can I let their lackeys continue slaughtering the innocent. Otherwise, countless cultivators around Qianxue Province will fall victim to their hands…"

He was a disciple of Grand Void Gate, one of the Eight Great Sects of Qianxue Province, a righteous cultivator—naturally, he must slay demons, exterminate evil, and uproot malevolence.

Of course, he had done such arduous work.

Afterward, ordering a "dish" to reward himself was entirely justified!

Mo Hua nodded firmly, convinced.

Eliminate the demon god's lackeys, destroy the altars, devour the malevolence, nourish the spiritual sense.

"After strengthening my spiritual sense further, I'll try learning true spiritual blade formation—see if my sword intent can manifest externally…"

Also, I must find time to visit my old friend Huang Shanjun.

Thinking of Huang Shanjun, Mo Hua sighed.

"It's been so long since I visited him—I wonder if Huang Shanjun has missed me…"

He was a fallen mountain spirit, living in a ruined temple, roof leaking rain, walls letting in wind, eating stale buns and drinking rainless water, with no incense or offerings—his life was truly wretched.

Mo Hua sighed inwardly.

Who else but me, so kind-hearted, would think of visiting him for no reason…

Previously confined, I had no choice; now that I'm freed, I must visit my old friend—and ask him for more clues on spiritual blade formation.

Also, after experiencing certain events, Mo Hua had gained new insights into the Dao of Spirits, and needed to verify them with Huang Shanjun, the mountain spirit.

But now he had no time.

Wait until after the New Year…

Mo Hua decided in his heart.

Unconsciously, another year was nearly over.

In ten days, the New Year festival would arrive.

And by year's end, the sect's annual evaluation would naturally come again.

Mo Hua had stayed in the Ten Thousand Demons Valley for a long time.

The demonic corruption had "eaten" too much, causing a slight disturbance in his spiritual sense, so he spent several more days recuperating in the alchemy chamber.

Altogether, about ten days passed.

Among fellow sect members, it was easy enough to deceive them.

Mo Hua used the excuse Laoxiansheng Sect had taught him, saying he had been ordered by an elder to leave the sect and paint arrays.

Such things had not been unheard of before.

Every time he requested leave, it was more or less this same reason.

Cheng Mo, Sister Situ, and the others did not suspect him; they merely marveled that their junior senior brother held such an unusual status within the sect.

Even an elder had permitted him to take over ten days off.

But during these ten days, his cultivation tasks had fallen behind considerably.

Mo Hua had no choice but to make up for them day and night without rest.

Even at night, before the Dao Stele, he was reviewing his cultivation studies.

Soon, the sect's examination arrived.

After the exam, the results were released.

Each disciple's joy and sorrow differed.

After great effort, Mo Hua managed to preserve his "First Rank, Sixth Class C" score.

During these days, if he had slackened even slightly in subjects like artifact forging or alchemy, he might not have even held onto "Class C."

Fortunately, his efforts had borne fruit.

As for the "Class A" in array arts, that went without saying.

With his current level of array arts, even if he had missed years of the sect's array classes, he could still earn an "A."

Thus, another year slipped by.

The sect granted its winter break.

The mountains were distant and the roads long; Mo Hua, alone, could not return home to visit his parents, nor celebrate the New Year with neighbors and childhood friends in Xiancheng—but he could go to the Gu family for New Year's Eve dinner.

After all, the Gu family was already large; whether he was there or not made no difference.

His physical body's appetite was not nearly as vast as his spiritual sense; he could not possibly "eat" the Gu family dry.

A few days later, Mo Hua packed his things, bid farewell to Laoxiansheng, and set off with Yu'er toward the Gu family in Qingzhou.

Yu'er was overjoyed.

"We're going home!"

He spread his arms wide like a little bird, running back and forth along the road.

Around his neck hung a jade pendant, a gift from Mo Hua, inscribed with the new Divine Lock Array Mo Hua had just learned—a true "demon-repelling" artifact.

During these days, with no demonic disturbances, Yu'er rarely had nightmares.

Added to this, the jade pendant made Yu'er feel even more secure.

Eating well, sleeping well, full of energy, and learning arrays daily with Mo Hua, he was brimming with vitality, his eyes sparkling, appearing more alert and lively than ever.

The group entered Qingzhou City and arrived at the Gu residence.

When Xu Wanyi saw Yu'er's condition, her heart warmed, and she immediately smiled and called out to Mo Hua:

"Treat this as your own home. Whatever you want to eat or play with, just say it—don't be polite at all."

Mo Hua smiled warmly and said: "Thank you, Xu Wanyi."

And he no longer held back.

Previously, he had spent days immersed in the Demon Hunting Mountains hunting beasts, then entered the Ten Thousand Demons Valley dealing with ferocious demonic cultivators, returned to the sect, and had to review his lessons and prepare for exams—all nonstop.

Now that he had rare New Year's leave, Mo Hua decided to balance work and rest, and broke his usual discipline to relax.

He took Yu'er and spent a full day wandering Qingzhou City, where lanterns hung everywhere, joy filled the air, markets lined the streets, and the whole place buzzed with liveliness.

That night, he took Yu'er and made a Fish-Dragon lantern.

The lantern was crafted with the help of Gu family cultivators.

Mo Hua was responsible for painting the array and giving instructions.

The record of this Fish-Dragon lantern was something he had stumbled upon in the Grand Void Gate's Festival Miscellany.

The Miscellany contained instructions for making the Fish-Dragon lantern and the corresponding array, named the Fish-Dragon Bright Fire Array.

The main array was painted by Mo Hua himself.

But some minor array patterns were drawn by Yu'er.

Having studied arrays with Mo Hua, he could now draw five or six array lines.

Yu'er drew with great seriousness, focus, and joy.

When night fell, the Fish-Dragon lantern was complete.

Mo Hua activated the array and raised the Fish-Dragon lantern.

The lantern was three zhang long, entirely crimson, covered in fish scales and dragon patterns; when lit, the Fish-Dragon Bright Fire Array within activated, heat rose, and the entire lantern floated into the night sky.

It resembled a crimson carp transformed into a flying dragon, gliding through the pitch-black expanse of heaven and earth, dazzling and beautiful.

Yu'er opened his mouth wide, his eyes shining brightly.

Nearby, Xu Wanyi, invited to watch, gazed at the bright red "Fish-Dragon" in the night sky and her eyes filled with wonder.

Yu'er snuggled into Xu Wanyi's arms and said clearly:

"Mother, I drew some of the array on it! Most was drawn by Brother Mo, but I helped too!"

Xu Wanyi looked at Yu'er with tender pride and smiled in praise:

"Yu'er, you're amazing!"

Yu'er became even happier, her face beaming, eyes curled into tiny crescents.

After releasing the fish-dragon lanterns, the evening banquet began.

This banquet had no rude intruders to disturb it; hosts and guests alike enjoyed themselves, in harmonious delight.

Mo Hua also ate with great joy, his cheeks bulging.

Yet between bites, his gaze kept scanning the surroundings; after a moment, he whispered to Wenren Wan:

"Aunt Wan, where's Uncle Gu? Why haven't I seen him?"

Wenren Wan's expression grew subtle. "He… may be occupied at Dao Ting Si. Don't worry about him. Eat more…"

"Oh, okay."

Mo Hua shoved a pork elbow—of some unknown spirit beast—into his mouth.

After the meal, Mo Hua's belly was swollen and full.

He wandered through the Gu family's back courtyard to digest.

Now, apart from a few storage rooms, the inner quarters, and the ancestral's cave sanctuary—places forbidden to him—he could go anywhere he pleased, and no one would stop him.

Many cultivators even greeted him voluntarily.

Some even offered to guide him.

Along the way, he passed several elders, who nodded kindly at him; some even gave him gifts.

"A small New Year gift, not precious. Young friend, please don't refuse it."

The gifts truly weren't very valuable.

They were all the sort of tokens exchanged among family juniors—elaborate in craftsmanship, thoughtful, and hard to buy even if one wished to.

Mo Hua felt he couldn't possibly deserve such attention.

These elders were giving him gifts out of respect for Master Xun.

But if he refused these small tokens, he'd be disrespecting them.

So Mo Hua accepted them all.

At the same time, he smiled and offered kind words: wishing the male elders "progress on the Dao," "early Yu Hua," "potential for Void Cave," "hope for immortality," and so on.

Or wishing the female elders "eternal youth," "beauty like blooming flowers," "ageless radiance…" and the like.

He left the Gu family elders beaming with delight.

Thus, after strolling once around, he filled an entire storage pouch with these "small gifts."

He found a quiet spot and began examining each one, curious what they were, whether any held something amusing.

As he sifted through them, a cool voice spoke beside him:

"You've come to rob the Gu family?"

Mo Hua looked up and saw Gu Changhuai—tall, handsome, but scowling as if the world owed him money.

"Uncle Gu?"

Mo Hua, like a thief caught in the act, instinctively tried to hide the storage pouch.

But halfway through, he realized.

Why should he feel guilty?

Mo Hua grinned triumphantly. "These are gifts the Gu elders personally gave me for the New Year. Their kindness was too great to refuse!"

At this, Gu Changhuai's temple twitched.

This little brat was becoming more popular in the Gu family by the day.

Even more so than Gu Changhuai himself, a direct descendant.

At least during festivals, no elders had ever given him so many "gifts."

Gu Changhuai's mood turned complicated.

Mo Hua ignored him and continued examining his "small gifts." As he sifted through them, he suddenly looked up, puzzled.

"Uncle Gu, when did you get back?"

"Get back? I never left," Gu Changhuai said.

"Never left?" Mo Hua blinked. "Then why didn't I see you at the banquet?"

"No appetite," Gu Changhuai replied, still glum.

Mo Hua eyed him suspiciously and sighed.

"Uncle Gu, I'm not saying this to offend you, but you're already so old, your cultivation's reached Jin Dan—why are you still throwing tantrums like a child?"

Gu Changhuai gritted his teeth and roughly ruffled Mo Hua's hair. "You're a brat with barely ten years of cultivation—what do you know?"

Mo Hua rubbed his forehead, smoothed his hair, and muttered under his breath:

"Barely ten? After the New Year, I'll be twenty!"

Gu Changhuai sneered. "I'm over two hundred."

"Exactly," Mo Hua said seriously. "So you're over two hundred—can't you be a little more mature, like me?"

Gu Changhuai was speechless with rage.

If Mo Hua weren't so frail and hadn't neglected body refinement, he'd have beaten him senseless under the guise of "sparring."

Now he couldn't hit him, couldn't scold him, and had his cousin protecting him.

Even the entire group of Gu elders treated him with deference.

Gu Changhuai's face darkened. He brushed his sleeve and said, "You play here. I'm leaving."

If I can't deal with you, can't I at least avoid you?

Gu Changhuai turned to go, but Mo Hua suddenly remembered something and called out: "Uncle Gu, I have something important to tell you!"

"Important?" Gu Changhuai paused, frowning slightly. "What's so important?"

Mo Hua looked left and right, saw no one else, and waved to Gu Changhuai.

Gu Changhuai stood still, then after a long while reluctantly walked over to Mo Hua and sat down.

The two sat side by side on the steps.

Mo Hua whispered: "It's about the Yu family water fortress."

Gu Changhuai's gaze hardened slightly.

Mo Hua said: "This case has been dragging on for a long time, hasn't it? Has Dao Ting Si made any progress?"

"That's Dao Ting Si's matter. Don't pry too much," Gu Changhuai said.

Gu Changhuai's answer was exactly what Mo Hua expected.

Uncle Gu is sometimes overly secretive—he answers your questions by dodging and concealing, and often won't tell you outright.

This habit is always such a nuisance.

Mo Hua added: "What about 'Water Yama'?"

"That's also Dao Ting Si's…"

"This one isn't!" Mo Hua said.

"Water Yama" was the name he derived from the blood oath list during his causal calculations.

He was certain this "Water Yama" was connected to the massacre at the Yu family water fortress.

But currently, there was no obvious link between the two on the surface.

It also fell outside Dao Ting Si's investigative scope.

Gu Changhuai hesitated, then said helplessly: "About 'Water Yama,' I can only tell you a little…"

"Mm-hmm," Mo Hua nodded.

Gu Changhuai thought for a moment, then spoke slowly:

"Over the past half year, in the border regions of Qianxue Province, several small provinces have seen the appearance of this figure called 'Water Yama.'"

"But this 'Water Yama' remains elusive—no one knows his appearance or origins."

"But there are some clues…"

Gu Changhuai frowned: "Several murders have occurred—victims drowned by unknown water-based spells, apparently tortured before death, and bound by unknown chains when they died, kneeling on the ground as if guilty sinners…"

"This manner of death closely resembles that of the fishing cultivators massacred at the Yu family water fortress."

"Judging from this, these murders were very likely committed by 'Water Yama'…"

As Gu Changhuai spoke these words, his expression grew solemn.

Mo Hua said: "And then?"

"There is no 'then.'"

Mo Hua froze. "No 'then'?"

Gu Changhuai sighed: "It's no longer under my hands—how would I know what comes 'then'?"

"Not under your hands?" Mo Hua didn't understand. "Uncle Gu, aren't you Gu Diansi?"

Gu Changhuai's face darkened. "Dao Ting Si isn't the only one with a Gu Diansi."

Mo Hua was about to say more, then suddenly paused, understanding, and exclaimed:

"Uncle Gu, you've been 'suspended'?!"

Gu Changhuai's head ached; he muttered irritably:

"I haven't been suspended!"

Without committing a major offense, how could a Gu Diansi be so easily "suspended"?

"Oh," Mo Hua nodded, catching on. "Then you've been 'isolated'!"

Gu Changhuai didn't want to admit it.

But strictly speaking, Mo Hua was right.

Mo Hua nodded: "Someone doesn't want you to investigate this case further—or perhaps they're just targeting you, wanting you out of Dao Ting Si…"

Gu Changhuai's expression turned icy.

Clearly, Mo Hua was right.

Mo Hua sighed and asked: "If you can't investigate, who's been assigned to look into the Yu family water fortress case?"

Gu Changhuai was about to answer, then suddenly realized—he'd been led back around in circles by Mo Hua again.

This kid, how did his mind even work, with all these twists and turns?

But since things had come to this, Gu Changhuai no longer bothered to hide it.

Gu Changhuai said: "It's been handed over to the Xiao family."

"The Xiao family?" Mo Hua said. "That 'Smiling Tiger,' and that 'Especially Xiao Tianquan'?"

Gu Changhuai snapped: "Don't go giving people nicknames!"

"Mm-hmm," Mo Hua agreed readily, then asked: "Has the Xiao family found anything?"

Gu Changhuai said: "I don't know."

It's possible they found something but kept it quiet, so Gu Changhuai doesn't know.

Or it's possible the Xiao family is just going through the motions and found nothing.

Either way, once the case passed into the Xiao family's hands, Gu Changhuai could no longer intervene.

Especially since he's now been "isolated."

Mo Hua sighed.

The trail had gone cold.

Uncle Gu couldn't intervene, and he had no way to probe the Xiao family's side—he'd have to find another way.

Mo Hua stole another glance at Gu Changhuai, thinking no wonder Uncle Gu was in such a bad mood—he hadn't even eaten dinner; it was no wonder.

He probably faces even more targeting within the Dao Ting Si.

He just never said anything about it.

"Uncle Gu, go take a walk and clear your head—I won't disturb you anymore," Mo Hua said considerately.

At a time like this, one needs to be alone.

Mo Hua rose to leave, when suddenly a clear voice rang out:

"Changhuai, what are you doing here? I've been looking for you everywhere…"

Mo Hua looked up and saw a female cultivator in red robes, her face Bai Xi—it was Aunt Gu, Elder Gu Hong.

Elder Gu Hong went on without pause: "This time you're not getting away— you're old enough already; after the New Year, you're going to meet potential matches…"

Matchmaking?!

Mo Hua, who had just been about to leave, froze, then quietly sat back down and stealthily perked up his ears.

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