Chapter 822: Luring

After returning to the sect, life grew quiet.

Mo Hua practiced daily as usual, studying formation arrays.

Yet in his spare moments, he remained deeply intrigued by the ancient sect that once held the old sword Dao lineage, before the division of Tai'e, Chongxu, and Taixu.

So he subtly questioned everyone he could, trying to find out if anyone in Taixu Sect knew the name of that ancient sect.

None of the disciples knew.

Among the elders—including Elder Xun Ziyou, Elder Xun Zixian, and the gentle Elder Murong—he asked them all, but none could clarify.

After much thought, Mo Hua could only go to ask Elder Xun.

One day, after seeking Elder Xun's guidance on the essence of the Nineteen-Stroke Bagua Array, he seized the chance to voice his question:

"Elder, I heard others say our Taixu Sect was once an ancient sword Dao sect. Do you know what that ancient sect was called?"

Elder Xun froze, his gaze at Mo Hua strangely altered. "Why ask this?"

"I'm just a little curious," Mo Hua said.

Elder Xun's expression grew subtly complex; after a moment, he sighed with a touch of melancholy:

"This matter is too distant. That name is no longer to be spoken. I don't know…"

Elder Xun claimed ignorance, but Mo Hua saw his expression—it was not that of someone truly unaware.

Mo Hua pondered a moment, then suddenly realized something and asked again:

"You said 'not to be spoken of'—who forbade it?"

Elder Xun's gaze sharpened slightly, but he said nothing further. Instead, he patted Mo Hua's shoulder. "Focus on your formation arrays. Don't ask about other things."

"Oh," Mo Hua nodded.

If the elder refused to speak—and forbade questions—it must truly be some secret too dangerous to reveal.

Elder Xun glanced at Mo Hua again, thought for a moment, and finally could not hold back:

"How has your spiritual awareness improved?"

Mo Hua answered honestly: "A little, but very slowly…"

"Is that so…" Elder Xun sighed faintly.

He knew this pace was normal.

After all, a second-rank Nineteen-Stroke array already approached the spiritual awareness limit of Foundation Establishment. Beyond that, every slight advance was extremely difficult.

Cultivation has its limits.

Once nearing that limit, even spiritual energy, cultivable through spirit stones and scriptures, becomes agonizingly hard to advance—harder than climbing heaven.

How much more so for spiritual awareness, which has no scripture to cultivate?

Yet Elder Xun still felt regret.

Mo Hua couldn't help asking: "Elder, is my spiritual awareness truly that important?"

Elder Xun shook his head, his expression gentle. "Nothing. Focus on your cultivation. Don't let other matters distract you…"

Some things still cannot be said.

Nor can Mo Hua bear too heavy a burden.

But after speaking, Elder Xun fell silent.

He gazed at Mo Hua, who was growing steadily older, thought for a moment, then his eyes suddenly flashed as he spoke in a low tone:

"Mo Hua."

Mo Hua turned to look at Elder Xun.

Elder Xun's expression was solemn as he spoke slowly:

"The Qianxue Province border is treacherous and shifting. Events soon to come may determine the rise or fall, the survival or extinction of our Taixu Sect…"

"The causes and effects are tangled, the changes too numerous. No one knows the outcome. Thus, every slight strengthening of your spiritual awareness is one more safeguard."

Mo Hua's heart trembled.

Determining the rise or fall, the survival or extinction of Taixu Sect?

He had only guessed the matter was serious—but never imagined it could be this dire.

And this was said by the inscrutable Elder Xun.

Mo Hua pondered a moment, then nodded seriously:

"Elder, I understand."

…

After leaving Elder Xun, Mo Hua suddenly felt a heavy burden on his shoulders.

If enhancing his spiritual awareness was a matter of the sect's survival, he could no longer afford to slack off.

It wasn't that he wanted to consume the malevolent spirits.

It was the tide of fate—forced, he had no choice.

A little wasn't enough. He needed to devour heavily.

He had to hurry…

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then sent a message to Gu Changhuai:

"Uncle Gu, have you investigated the Xiao family?"

Gu Changhuai: "That's Dao Ting Si business. Don't ask."

Mo Hua was displeased and replied:

"Uncle Gu, I told you about Shuiyu Sect and Elder Yu. Aren't you supposed to show some loyalty and tell me something about the Xiao family? That's what 'reciprocal courtesy' means, isn't it?"

Gu Changhuai fell silent.

With Mo Hua's words, a flicker of guilt stirred in his heart.

It seems I really took advantage of Mo Hua.

After a moment's thought, Gu Changhuai sighed: "I can tell you, but you must be careful with the Xiao family."

"For generations, Xiao family cultivators have served in the Dao Ting Si, excelling in criminal law and justice, their methods cold and ruthless—especially now that you hold a Xiao family member's life in your hands. It's best to avoid any connection with them…"

"Mm." Mo Hua said. "I understand."

Gu Changhuai sighed.

He didn't know whether Mo Hua truly understood or merely pretended to—but he spoke anyway:

"I've checked. The Xiao family's shadow is indeed in all this."

"Ye Jin's elder brother—that Ye Xiu—died on the Yan Shui River. When the Ye family went to the Dao Ting Si to remove his name from the rolls, the official who handled it was from the Xiao family."

"On the other side, Guojialong killed Ye Xiu, who was using the alias 'Young Master Lin.' That case was also handled by someone from the Xiao family."

"And coincidentally, the same person handled both cases."

"This person turned one case into two entirely unrelated ones."

"And this person—you know him too…"

"I know him?" Mo Hua blinked.

He didn't know many in the Xiao family. Could it be…

"Especially Xiao Tianquan?" Mo Hua asked.

Of those in the Xiao family he remembered, besides Smiling Tiger, only Especially Xiao Tianquan stood out.

Smiling Tiger was the Xiao Diansi in Qianxue Prefecture's Dao Ting Si—a man who always smiled, but whose smile never reached his eyes.

Especially Xiao Tianquan was the Xiao family's prodigy, a direct heir who, upon joining the Dao Ting Si, already had many others fighting to secure merit for him—his future was limitless.

Smiling Tiger, as a Diansi, couldn't possibly handle every matter himself.

So apart from him, it could only be Especially Xiao Tianquan…

Gu Changhuai sighed helplessly. "I told you not to give people nicknames."

"It's not my fault—his name was poorly chosen…" Mo Hua argued firmly.

Xiao Tianquan and Especially Xiao Tianquan sound nearly identical.

Gu Changhuai couldn't argue with Mo Hua, so he reluctantly accepted it, then continued:

"It's not just the Ye family. The Qianshui Sect has also been deeply entangled with the Xiao family. Many Xiao family disciples originally came from the Qianshui Sect and trained in their lineage."

"Moreover, I reviewed the Juan Sect records from the past two centuries in Qianxue Prefecture and found the Xiao family's fingerprints in many cases involving criminal cultivators."

"Some criminals were arrested but released due to lack of evidence; some were sentenced to death but mysteriously died in the Dao Prison before execution; even some criminals with suspicious identities—single individuals with two aliases, or two people sharing one alias—were all cleaned up by the Xiao family in the case files…"

Mo Hua frowned. "If the Xiao family does all this, won't anyone investigate?"

Gu Changhuai replied coldly: "No one will investigate."

Mo Hua paused, then slowly understood.

The Dao Ting Si is bloated with bureaucracy; most officials are idle. Tasks that yield no profit are simply ignored—just enough to get by.

As long as the Xiao family keeps things discreet and superficially clean, no one will bother digging up old cases.

Besides, digging into these old cases would anger the Dao Ting Si's heavyweight—the Xiao family.

Anyone with half a brain won't touch this hornet's nest.

"What about the dead official?"

"Which one?"

"The one I blew up…" Mo Hua murmured.

Someone died. The Xiao family should react.

Gu Changhuai's expression was complex as he sent a message:

"The Xiao family themselves came to remove the name. They claimed one of their own died fighting bandits on the Yan Shui River, giving his all—but was unfortunately killed by a 'fiercely wicked' water bandit."

Mo Hua: "That 'fiercely wicked' water bandit… isn't that me…"

Gu Changhuai: "You know it yourself."

Mo Hua: "..."

Gu Changhuai: "So officially, this matter is closed. But behind the scenes, the Xiao family won't let it go. Be careful—don't slip up. Don't bring fire upon yourself."

Mo Hua: "I understand. Thank you, Uncle Gu."

Having said all he needed to, Gu Changhuai said:

"I have other matters. The Dao Ting has sent down a Diansi—extremely difficult to deal with, and with a terrible temper. I'll be busy these days. Take care of yourself."

A Diansi sent down by the Dao Ting?

Mo Hua wanted to ask who it was—but Gu Changhuai had already gone silent.

Mo Hua shook his head.

Uncle Gu is not at all honest.

He decided: from now on, he'd withhold any intelligence from Uncle Gu.

Only when he needed Uncle Gu's help would he use that intelligence to "blackmail"… no, to engage in "equivalent exchange" with Uncle Gu.

Knowledge has value. It shouldn't be given away freely.

He put away the message token and sat at the disciple dormitory's desk, lost in thought.

Still, this gave him a vague understanding of the Yan Shui River affair.

The Dao Ting Si's Xiao family was the "umbrella."

The Qianshui Sect was the public face.

Water Yama and the others were the hidden claws.

Baihua Valley…

Mo Hua didn't know how deep the Hundred Flowers Valley was entangled, but at least that Flower Instructor was responsible for "supplying" and even "transporting" the goods.

All these forces had woven a net, covering the Smoke Water River.

And the center of this net was likely…

The Crimson Boat.

But now that the net knew, Mo Hua found himself unable to strike.

There had been no progress from the Hundred Flowers Valley side.

According to Uncle Gu, Hua Ruyu had recently become extremely cautious, staying inside the Hundred Flowers Valley day and night, never stepping outside, and having no contact with the outside world.

The Gui Water Gate—he knew nothing about it, didn't know anyone from the Gui Water Gate, and had never planted any spies within it.

The Water Yama was hard to capture, and couldn't be captured lightly.

Given the Water Yama's alertness and superb aquatic skills, the next time they tried to catch him, they must be fully prepared and meticulously planned, leaving him no chance to escape.

Otherwise, if they failed again and exposed their cards, giving him increased vigilance, catching him would become as difficult as climbing to heaven.

As for the Xiao family, there was no need to mention it.

He had blown up a Xiao family executive; there was karmic debt involved. For now, it was better to stay far away from the Xiao family.

"It seems every direction holds clues, but when you actually try to investigate, you find nowhere easy to strike…"

Mo Hua sighed.

"Where should I begin?"

In the following days, Mo Hua kept pondering this matter, yet remained utterly at a loss.

Until this day, while eating lunch in the disciples' dining hall, Hao Xuan suddenly came to find him.

"Senior Brother, something's happened!"

"Something's happened?" Mo Hua froze.

"Yes!" Hao Xuan nodded solemnly. "Someone seduced me!"

Cheng Mo, who had been tipping back his wine, choked instantly. He coughed several times, his face turning crimson, and couldn't help asking:

"Seduced you?"

"Yes!" Hao Xuan's face was serious.

"A woman?"

"A man."

Cheng Mo's expression turned peculiar.

Hao Xuan quickly waved his hands, explaining: "No, it's not that he was seducing me romantically—he was seducing me into going somewhere I shouldn't go."

Mo Hua raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Where?"

"He didn't say," Hao Xuan replied. "He only said he'd take me to a place of 'eating, drinking, and fun'—with beautiful sights and entertaining activities."

"I asked him how beautiful and how fun, but he wouldn't say—only smiled ambiguously, saying I'd find out when I got there. I didn't believe him, so he claimed the place was the ultimate earthly paradise of pleasure; once you went, you'd never forget it."

"I was tempted…"

Hao Xuan was honest, his face slightly flushed, but he still said seriously: "But I remembered Senior Brother's warning—that someone might be plotting against the Grand Void Gate, secretly luring us into doing bad things. I instantly snapped to attention, pretended to agree, then came back to tell you."

Mo Hua said approvingly: "Good."

He then poured Hao Xuan a cup of fruit wine himself.

Hao Xuan drank the wine poured by Senior Brother himself, unable to suppress a look of pride.

"Who seduced you?" Sister Situ asked, also curious.

Hao Xuan took a sip of wine and said:

"He's an old childhood friend. Our families lived close, and since we were the same age, we played together as kids. But after we joined different sects and got busy with cultivation, we lost contact."

"Which sect did he join?" Mo Hua asked.

"The Gui Water Gate," Hao Xuan answered.

Gui Water Gate…

Mo Hua's gaze flickered.

"Senior Brother, what should I do now? Should I refuse him?" Hao Xuan asked.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No. Agree to him."

Hao Xuan blinked. "Agree to him?"

"Yes," Mo Hua said. "Not only agree—but casually mention that one of your fellow disciples also wants to come along. Ask if he's willing to bring them."

Hao Xuan said: "Senior Brother, that fellow disciple you're talking about… isn't that you?"

Mo Hua nodded. "Exactly!"

Cheng Mo immediately asked curiously: "Senior Brother, you're going? Then I'm coming too!"

Even the usually serious Sister Situ added: "I'll go as well."

Mo Hua was speechless. "Why are you two coming?"

Cheng Mo said seriously: "We don't mean anything else—we're just worried you might be in danger, so we want to protect you."

Mo Hua: "…"

Sister Situ thought for a moment, then said seriously, not joking: "Senior Brother, going alone really is a bit dangerous."

Mo Hua considered for a moment and sighed. "Fine."

Going alone, he wasn't afraid of danger—but Hao Xuan was there, and his cultivation was average. If something went wrong, Cheng Mo and Sister Situ could lend a hand.

Another reason: if Hao Xuan brought only one person, the Gui Water Gate might not agree.

But if three Grand Void Gate disciples went together, the chance of the Gui Water Gate agreeing would be much higher.

Mo Hua guessed blindly that the Gui Water Gate's disciples counted "headcounts" as performance metrics.

Bringing one more probably wouldn't matter much, but bringing three more, he probably wouldn't be able to refuse.

"Hao Xuan, go ask your childhood friend. Tell him three fellow disciples also want to go take a look, and ask if it's alright," Mo Hua said.

Hao Xuan nodded. "Alright, I'll go ask."

The next day, Hao Xuan had already asked, then said to Mo Hua:

"I asked my childhood friend. He was a bit hesitant, even a little wary, and asked me which three fellow disciples. So I told him—one is a scion of a noble house in Gen Province, one is a scion of a sword-path noble house in Li Province, and as for you, Senior Brother, I said your family isn't prominent, but you're an array-formation prodigy."

"Two noble-house scions and one array-path prodigy—my childhood friend heard that and his face lit up with joy, sure enough. But he deliberately put on a troubled look and said he couldn't make that decision himself, that he'd have to ask his senior brother. But it wasn't long before he told me his senior brother agreed and that we could bring you all along."

Mo Hua nodded and asked, "When do we go?"

"This rest-day cycle," Hao Xuan said. "He said the sooner the better—that place isn't somewhere just anyone can go. Even those qualified to go have to queue, and if we go late, there might not be a spot."

"Since it's our first time going, we get special consideration."

The more Mo Hua listened, the more he felt this was a bit like a "pig-butchering scam."

In a certain sense, it really might be a "pig-butchering scam."

Only, it kills without drawing blood—what it slaughters is the Dao heart.

Without a Dao heart, a person is nothing more than a pig.

"Alright," Mo Hua nodded.

A few days later, the rest-day cycle arrived.

Mo Hua, Cheng Mo, Sister Situ, and Hao Xuan gathered, then with Hao Xuan leading the way, headed for Guishui City outside the Guishui Gate sect.

Within the borders of Qianxue Province, outside every sect stood a cultivation city.

This cultivation city provided sect disciples with daily necessities like pills, talismans, spirit artifacts, and array formations.

There were also inns, taverns, teahouses, and the like for food and leisure.

Quite a few cultivators also lived there day to day.

The Guishui Gate sect was no exception.

Upon arriving at Guishui City, Hao Xuan led Mo Hua and the others to a tavern, where they met his childhood friend.

Hao Xuan introduced him: "This is Wang Chen. We grew up together, and he's now cultivating at the Guishui Gate sect."

Mo Hua sized up this Wang Chen with a glance.

He was about the same height as Hao Xuan, lean in build, his face neither handsome nor ugly, giving off an unremarkable air—though his eyes flickered often, looking rather calculating.

While Mo Hua was sizing up Wang Chen,

Wang Chen was also looking at Mo Hua and the others.

When he saw Cheng Mo and Sister Situ it was fine, but the moment his gaze fell on Mo Hua, he suddenly turned to Hao Xuan with a troubled look:

"Brother Xuan, that won't do."

"Why won't it do?"

Wang Chen stole a glance at Mo Hua and said to Hao Xuan, "Didn't you say you were bringing three fellow disciples? How come there's also a little junior brother here?"

Mo Hua's face darkened.

Hao Xuan hurriedly said, "He's a fellow disciple, not a little junior brother."

Not only is he not a little junior brother, he's the little senior brother of the Grand Void Gate sect.

Wang Chen looked a bit troubled and sighed, "But he does look awfully young…"

His face was far too babyish.

And those eyes—innocent and clear, untouched by the dust of the world.

Wang Chen lowered his voice and whispered into Hao Xuan's ear, "…That sort of place, it's not really appropriate for him to go."

There was one more thing he didn't voice.

In his eyes, this "junior brother" from the Grand Void Gate sect looked exactly the type certain people had an appetite for.

If he really let him in and some young masters took a fancy to him, that would only end up harming him.

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