Chapter 84: Standoff

"Is this… a spell?" asked a novice alchemist, stammering.

Chen Dazhu shook his head; he didn't know what had actually happened.

He had only seen Mo Hua splash spirit ink onto Qian Xing, who cried out in pain and grabbed at Mo Hua—whereupon Mo Hua spun and kicked Qian Xing in the chest, only to be blasted backward himself, after which Qian Xing exploded…

"Right—Mo Hua!"

The explosion had been so violent; no one knew if Mo Hua had been hurt. Mo Hua wasn't a body cultivator—if he'd been caught in the blast, he'd be in danger.

Chen Dazhu and the others rushed toward Mo Hua, but halfway there, they saw Mo Hua had already stood up, casually brushing dust off his backside. Seeing them, he looked worried and asked:

"Big Brother Chen, are you all okay…?"

Everyone: "…"

"Mo Hua, are you alright?" Chen Dazhu asked.

"Yeah, fine. Just a few scrapes, and my neck hurts a bit." Mo Hua rubbed his neck—the spot where Qian Xing had choked him—still marked with bruises.

Where was Qian Xing?

Mo Hua searched for a long time before finally spotting Qian Xing—his entire body charred black and caked with blood, unconscious and barely alive.

The Earth Fire Array's power was stronger than Mo Hua had imagined. When it blew up the tree, the effect wasn't obvious—but when it blew up a person, the result was unmistakable.

"Mo Hua, what exactly happened…?" Chen Dazhu whispered.

Before Mo Hua could answer, a middle-aged cultivator arrived, appearing beside Qian Xing in the blink of an eye. He frowned tightly, then slightly relaxed after checking Qian Xing's breath.

The middle-aged cultivator pulled out several pills and shoved them into Qian Xing's mouth, then turned his gaze like a hawk, scanning the crowd, his voice cold and sharp: "Who did this?"

His voice carried spiritual power, making Mo Hua's ears ring.

A Qi Condensation ninth-layer cultivator!

Mo Hua's scalp prickled; he was about to step forward when Chen Dazhu grabbed his arm and whispered: "Qi Condensation ninth-layer matters—don't stick your neck out."

Sure enough, a large man wrapped in wolf pelts stepped out of the crowd and shouted: "Kids playing around—Qian Zhongli, you're old enough to be their grandfather, why are you butting in?"

The middle-aged cultivator, Qian Zhongli, sneered: "Is this how your kids play?"

The big man laughed heartily: "If he had this kind of skill, I'd let him play however he wanted!"

Qian Zhongli said: "Don't try to fool me. Hand over the culprit—I'll have my explanation, or you won't like the consequences."

The big man's laughter vanished instantly; his face darkened: "You bastard Qian Zhongli, do you think I'm giving you face? Being polite to you is out of respect—don't mistake kindness for weakness!"

"I'll say it again—hand over the person! Don't think I won't act!"

Qian Zhongli growled through clenched teeth.

"I'll say it again—get the hell out. What if I do act? You think I'm scared?"

The big man didn't back down.

Qian Zhongli spoke boldly, but he genuinely feared the big man and dared not strike—only threatened: "The Qian family elders will be here soon. Don't escalate this—no one will be able to clean up the mess."

"So what? You're using your Qian family's power to bully us free cultivators?" The big man stood his ground, unmoved.

"You really want to take this stand?"

"Today you come here to arrest someone, tomorrow you'll be shitting on our heads. You know damn well what kind of brat your little young master Qian is. He bullies people—I don't care. But when he gets beaten for it, he deserves it—and you won't dare interfere!"

"The Qian family has Foundation Establishment cultivators…"

"So what? Only your Qian family has Foundation Establishment? What's the point of being Foundation Establishment if you just bully Qi Condensation kids? You've spent decades cultivating and ended up with nothing but dog guts? Do you want me to spill the Qian family's dirty origins?"

Qian Zhongli knew he couldn't win this argument; if he kept talking, the big man might say even worse things, so he said:

"Fine, I'll hold off on demanding the culprit—for now. But tell me: what exactly happened here? Who used what technique to injure the Third Young Master?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The big man chuckled. "Your little bastard of a young master tried to use a spell to bully someone, but his technique was too crude—it missed the target and blew himself up into this mess! If you can't figure that out, your eyes are just for decoration!"

The big man closed his eyes and spun a complete lie, neatly shifting blame. Qian Zhongli nearly spat blood listening.

Qian Xing didn't know any spells. Even if he did, he was only Qi Condensation mid-stage—what kind of spell could cause such a massive explosion?

"Stop twisting the truth!" Qian Zhongli roared.

"Then tell me—what happened? Among this crowd, can you find even one cultivator capable of such a powerful spell?"

The big man pointed toward Mo Hua's direction: "If you can find one, I won't say a word—I'll let you take him away!"

Qian Zhongli fell silent.

Among these cultivators, the highest was Qi Condensation sixth-layer—none had enough spiritual power to cast such a spell. A few had sufficient cultivation, but they were clearly body cultivators. Body cultivators used martial arts and Dao techniques—completely different from spellcasting.

Qian Zhongli scanned with his spiritual sense again and again, even beginning to doubt: Could the one who injured the Third Young Master really not be here? This crowd truly didn't seem to contain anyone capable of such a spell.

Hidden in the crowd, Mo Hua pulled his head down slightly. No one here knew spells—but one person knew arrays…

But Qi Condensation fourth-layer Mo Hua was invisible to Qian Zhongli's eyes.

"Well? Got nothing to say now?" The big man sneered.

Qian Zhongli frowned. "Regardless, I need an explanation."

The big man's temper flared: "You want an explanation? You're looking for trouble? Then let's settle it by cultivation—see if I beat you crying for your mama, or if you end up begging for your teeth on the ground!"

The big man drew a bloodstained wolf fang club, its spikes still dark red with dried blood, radiating sinister demonic energy. Clearly, many beast corpses had fallen beneath it.

Qian Zhongli didn't want to fight, but he had no choice now—he drew his sword, his spiritual power surging violently, appearing even stronger—but facing the big man, who held the wolf fang club and smirked, he felt utterly powerless.

At that moment, someone shouted, "Stop!" A cultivator in Dao Ting Si robes walked forward. Mo Hua squinted—it was Zhang Lan.

Zhang Lan usually loafed around, but now dressed in Dao Ting Si robes, he actually looked imposing.

"This matter is under the jurisdiction of the Dao Ting Si," Zhang Lan said, all business.

"Master Diansi, this matter—"

Qian Zhongli tried to speak, but Zhang Lan raised a hand to stop him: "I said this matter is under the Dao Ting Si. All unrelated parties, step back!"

Qian Zhongli hesitated to retreat; the big man showed no fear. The two stood locked in stalemate.

Zhang Lan's gaze sharpened as he glanced at the wolf-pelted big man: "Don't let this escalate," then turned to Qian Zhongli: "And don't disgrace your family's honor."

Qian Zhongli gritted his teeth and bowed: "I leave it entirely to the Diansi's judgment."

The big man also bowed slightly, then glanced at Mo Hua and waved his hand. "Kid, what're you staring at? Get lost!"

Mo Hua and the others left discreetly.

Chen Dazhu and the others had fought a brawl and all bore some injuries; Mo Hua led them to find Mr. Feng for treatment. Qian Zhongli took away the severely wounded Qian Xing, and didn't even look at the other Qian family disciples.

The big man sneered at the sight and strolled off.

Soon after, several Dao Ting Si cultivators arrived and, under Zhang Lan's command, cleared the scene.

Zhang Lan had originally been slacking nearby; he only rushed over upon hearing the explosion, finding Qian Zhongli and the big man facing off—he had no idea what had actually happened.

Still, he was at least a Gu Diansi of Dao Ting Si; he couldn't just ignore everything. When it came time to put on a show, he had to make a show.

Zhang Lan carefully searched the scene, then stared at the spilled spirit ink and the charred remains of the array paper beside it, murmuring: "Could this be an array?"

Who would use an array like this?

Arrays aren't something every cultivator can learn, especially in this small place, Xiancheng.

Zhang Lan recalled the fleeting glimpse of Mo Hua's curious face in the crowd.

He'd assumed Mo Hua was just there to gawk, but now a slightly absurd thought suddenly surfaced—Zhang Lan's eyelid twitched involuntarily.

"No way… this kid can't be that sinister…"

Two more chapters coming later tonight~