Chapter 840: Fallen Into the Trap

The green-robed cultivator, named Ye Hong, was at the peak of Foundation Establishment and a senior elder of the Ye family.

When Mo Hua performed his divination, he divined about "those connected to Ye Jin."

And the karmic thread pointed to this man.

Since he is connected to Sister Ye Jin and bears a resemblance to her, he is most likely her father.

The name "Ye Hong" was something Mo Hua had seen earlier while reviewing Ye Jin's records at Dao Ting Si.

With time limited, Mo Hua could only go straight to his door, reveal his identity, and state his purpose outright.

As for his desire for revenge, Ye Hong was indeed concealing it on the surface.

But as a father, how could he not avenge the deaths of his son and daughter?

Moreover, Mo Hua's understanding of the soul Dao had deepened further—he could sense the deep-seated fury and hatred within the soul, which could not be hidden from him.

Ye Hong had hesitated before, but now that he had agreed, he had made up his mind and would not turn back.

With his abilities, there were indeed many things he could not accomplish.

After a moment's thought, Ye Hong spoke to Mo Hua:

"This is a boat chartered by the Gui Shui Sect; most aboard are sect disciples who board with their tokens. I do not have such a token, so if you wish to board, you'll have to endure some discomfort—pretend to be a servant, serving tea and water."

Mo Hua nodded. "No problem."

To enter the Hundred Flowers Valley, he had even worn their Dao robes; pretending to be a servant was nothing.

Ye Hong found a servant's outfit and had Mo Hua change into it, then led him toward the pleasure boat.

At the entrance, they were stopped by Gui Shui Sect members.

Ye Hong said, "This is my Ye family's servant, accompanying me on errands."

The Gui Shui Sect member hesitated, but reasoned that the boat had been chartered from Ye Hong himself, so bringing a servant was normal, and let them pass.

"Senior Elder Ye, please proceed."

Ye Hong nodded and led Mo Hua aboard.

Onboard, Ye Hong did not wander far; he directly took Mo Hua to his cabin, closed the doors and windows, and bowed to Mo Hua:

"There are too many people and ears here; it's not safe to go out. Please bear with it and wait here until you hour."

"Mm." Mo Hua nodded.

He had no intention of going out now.

Going out now would yield nothing; after sunset, when the boat reached its destination, the real show would likely begin.

Seeing Mo Hua agree, Ye Hong exhaled slightly, then invited Mo Hua to sit and personally brewed tea to entertain him.

Mo Hua sat calmly, sipping tea with precise decorum, appearing only as a handsome, amiable, refined youth—utterly devoid of his earlier sharpness.

The more Ye Hong watched, the more incomprehensible he found him, secretly startled.

He did not know Mo Hua's true identity or origins.

On the surface, Mo Hua was only at mid-Foundation Establishment, weak in strength.

But the sword-like gaze Mo Hua had cast earlier was etched in Ye Hong's memory, and thinking of it chilled him.

Moreover, this Young Master had said he would help him seek revenge.

Whether true or false, Ye Hong dared not neglect him.

After drinking a few sips of tea, Mo Hua, curious, asked Ye Hong: "Is this boat yours?"

"Yes," Ye Hong said.

"Why lease it to the Gui Shui Sect?"

Ye Hong fell silent for a moment, sighed, then slowly explained:

"This matter is long-winded…"

"Xiu died on the Yan Shui River. His death has haunted me, but under family pressure, I dared not investigate—I thought of him as a worthless son, dead and gone, and spared myself the trouble, pouring all my hopes into Jin."

"But I never expected Jin to now…"

Ye Hong's expression turned bitter. "At first, I believed my life was simply cursed with hardship. Then I discovered a jade slip left by Xiu…"

"Jade slip?" Mo Hua's gaze sharpened slightly.

"Yes," Ye Hong nodded. "It was his casual notes—on it, he wrote that his sister, Jin, had become much quieter, speaking less, sometimes appearing in pain when alone, suspecting she was being bullied."

"He was a lazy, idle fellow, careless about cultivation, but since childhood, he had doted on his only sister."

"He investigated—and seemed to uncover something… then died on the Yan Shui River…"

Ye Hong sighed deeply.

Mo Hua's gaze also grew somber.

"Then what?"

"Then…" Ye Hong steadied himself and continued, "I felt both grief and rage, and decided to investigate myself."

"Before, I had many fears and hesitations. But now, I am alone—with nothing left to lose."

"This investigation led me to…"

Ye Hong paused slightly, as if reluctant to speak the words.

Mo Hua continued, "Yan Zhi Boat?"

Ye Hong froze, then realized Mo Hua truly knew the truth.

He nodded, then frowned tightly:

"I'd heard rumors of the Yan Zhi Boat before, but dismissed them as mere gossip on the Yan Shui River, never believing them true."

"But now I know—they are real… and the power behind them is unfathomable, far beyond the reach of a lowly third-grade family elder like me."

"So I wondered if I could find a way to make contact…"

"So you chartered the boat?" Mo Hua said.

"Yes," Ye Hong said grimly, "I spent my entire life's savings to buy this spirit boat, and on the Yan Shui River, I run a rental business—at prices lower than others. Yet after months, I made little progress."

"Then, just recently, someone came to me, saying they wanted to charter the boat to host some 'distinguished guests.' That's when my heart jolted—I seized this lead…"

Ye Hong told Mo Hua everything, without omission.

Mo Hua nodded, then asked, "And about Ye Jin's death—do you know who killed her?"

Ye Hong froze. "Sister Jin?"

Mo Hua nodded, not hiding it. "I had some connection with Sister Jin. By seniority, I should call her sister."

Though that connection was merely a single encounter.

Mo Hua had only ever called her "sister" once—and only had time to say it once.

Ye Hong's heart trembled; his gaze softened considerably, and his look toward Mo Hua gained a measure of trust.

"That poor child, Jin'er… someone still remembers her…"

Ye Hong murmured to himself, then, with a solemn expression, said:

"I investigated. Some claimed to have seen Jin'er near the Yan Shui River, accompanied by a man."

"Later, I went through Jin'er's belongings and found scattered clues about this man."

"I don't know who he is, but I know he has pale skin, a handsome face, yet occasionally his gaze is sinister, and he enjoys torturing others."

Mo Hua's expression flickered in surprise.

Pale skin. Handsome. Sinister. Enjoys torturing others…

The face of Water Yama naturally surfaced in his mind.

Water Yama.

So it's you again…

Mo Hua's gaze turned icy; in his heart, he added another "death sentence" against Water Yama.

Ye Hong, overcome with sorrow, sighed:

"I'm a useless father… I… couldn't protect my own children…"

He knew well: the Ye clan members were selfish and would never seek justice for him.

As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, even if he knew the killer's identity, he might not have the strength to seek revenge.

Moreover, the killer's identity was likely one he could never dare to challenge.

Thinking of this, Ye Hong's grief deepened into despair.

Mo Hua looked at Ye Hong with pity, and softly sighed:

"Don't worry. Those who deserve to die… will die…"

…

After that, Mo Hua stayed in the cabin for most of the day.

As the sun sank and dusk fell, the outside grew noisy—many cultivators seemed to be celebrating something.

Countless lanterns were set adrift on the Yan Shui River.

The sky grew dim, the river hazy, yet tiny, brilliant lights glowed upon the water, drifting with the current.

In stillness, there was beauty.

Yet within that beauty lurked decay…

At the hour of You, the boat set sail.

Mo Hua still did not leave his cabin, but opened a window, noting the boat's course and the position of Cheng Mo's pleasure boat.

He had deliberately noted the position earlier, so even now, though darkness had fallen, he could still faintly make out the location of Cheng Mo's vessel.

Cheng Mo's pleasure boat and Mo Hua's spirit boat were indeed heading in the same direction, toward the unknown reaches of the Yan Shui River.

Mo Hua quietly exhaled.

The direction was correct. Though slightly off, he had at last managed to board.

Now he only needed to wait until these seemingly ordinary pleasure boats, halfway through their journey, changed course on their own, converging into "Crimson Boats"—then he could follow them to their destination.

Mo Hua leaned against the window, watching the boat's course, while also observing the night scenery of the Yan Shui River.

Night had fallen; the water surface floated countless lanterns.

These lanterns came in all shapes and colors.

Spirit boats, in groups, glowed with brilliant lights, like colorful schools of fish surging through a river paved with lanterns—magnificent, dazzling.

Mo Hua watched silently, lost in thought.

The spirit boat had sailed for an unknown length of time; just as Mo Hua grew weary of watching, the lead pleasure boat suddenly stirred.

Mo Hua's spiritual sense shifted—he noticed several pleasure boats quietly altering course.

Cheng Mo's pleasure boat changed direction too.

"Of course…"

Mo Hua perked up, focusing his spiritual awareness—but after a moment, his expression changed.

"No."

Cheng Mo's boat had turned, but the spirit boat Mo Hua rode on had not—it, like the other pleasure boats, continued on its original course.

Mo Hua's heart tightened; he turned to Ye Hong. "The ones who chartered your boat—were they really from the Gui Shui Sect?"

Ye Hong, uncertain of the situation, nodded:

"They should be—they carried the Gui Shui Sect's sect token."

"Then why? The course is wrong… Did they detect something?" Mo Hua frowned.

He turned back to the vast Yan Shui River, watching as Cheng Mo's boat and his own diverged, growing farther apart—and his heart sank.

What now?

At this point, he couldn't very well jump into the river to chase after them.

Although he had learned some water-system movement techniques, as well as water-driving and demon-avoiding spells, he had grown up on Great Heishan since childhood, hardly touched water, and only picked up a few spells along the way—his swimming ability wasn't all that great.

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then silently sighed.

In that short span of time, Cheng Mo and the others' boat had already completely entered another river channel, and under the cover of night, vanished without a trace.

He could only wait for the boat to dock, then think of another way.

Mo Hua felt a little anxious inside, but still forced himself to calm down, considering what to do after docking in order to find Cheng Mo and the others…

The spirit boat continued onward.

The scenery on all sides kept shifting backward.

The accompanying pleasure boats were also growing fewer.

Mo Hua watched and watched, then suddenly froze.

"That's not right…"

This river channel looked very unfamiliar. The spirit boat's heading was also a little strange, and the accompanying pleasure boats grew fewer and fewer.

Mo Hua's gaze trembled, and he suddenly understood.

It wasn't that Cheng Mo and the others had changed course—they hadn't.

It was his own spirit boat that had changed direction.

In other words, the boat Cheng Mo and the others boarded was just an ordinary pleasure boat, while his own was the true "Rouge Boat"!

Mo Hua slowly let out a breath, but his gaze also grew somewhat solemn.

After traveling for another stretch, there were no other pleasure boats in sight. The Yanshui River stretched vast, the night dark and dim, with only his lone spirit boat drifting on.

Mo Hua didn't even know where he had arrived.

After a moment, the transmission token trembled slightly. Mo Hua took it out and looked—it was from Gu Changhuai:

"We've been tricked. We boarded the wrong boat."

Mo Hua silently sent back:

"It's fine. I boarded the right one…"

Gu Changhuai was silent for a moment, seemingly a little puzzled. "Why was the boat you boarded not the wrong one?"

Mo Hua found it a little hard to explain for the moment, and only said:

"A fortunate coincidence…"

Gu Changhuai didn't press further—time was tight, and now really wasn't the moment for such talk.

"Do you know which stretch of the river you're in?"

Darkness stretched in every direction. Mo Hua thought briefly, then sighed: "I don't know."

This was trouble…

Gu Changhuai frowned.

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

"I only remember the first half of the route, and the direction of the turn. You can go find Cheng Mo and Hao Xuan, compare the routes, and you should be able to figure out the general direction."

Gu Changhuai's spirits lifted. "Good."

Mo Hua then told Gu Changhuai the details of the spirit boat's route, one by one, hoping he could use these details to deduce where the Rouge Boat had docked.

"I'll hurry and verify. You're alone—don't act rashly," Gu Changhuai cautioned.

But he knew in his heart that unless he tied Mo Hua up so he couldn't move at all, there was no way the boy would sit still.

Gu Changhuai was only going through the motions of cautioning him.

Mo Hua also gave a token reply. "Alright."

Afterward, Mo Hua also sent a message to Sister Situ, telling them the general situation and asking them to coordinate with Gu Changhuai to verify the route.

Besides, Sister Situ and the others should be safe now.

Although they couldn't board the Rouge Boat or see the novelty, they also didn't have to bear its temptations and risks.

"Oh right," Mo Hua remembered something and sent a message: "When you go back, remember to find that senior brother of Wang Chen's, beat him up, and get the hundred-thousand spirit-stone ticket money back."

A hundred thousand spirit stones was no small sum.

Although it wasn't his own spirit stones, his junior brothers' spirit stones were still spirit stones—one couldn't let someone else get the better of them.

"Alright…"

Sister Situ sighed.

Truly worthy of being little senior brother—he really wouldn't swallow even the slightest loss.

Then he also cautioned: "Little senior brother, you're all alone—you must be very, very careful."

"Mm, mm, don't worry."

After finishing the交代, Mo Hua put away the transmission token, and with full concentration watched the night scenery outside the window, waiting for this spirit boat to reach its destination and become a true "Rouge Boat."

He wanted to see for himself what business this legendary "Rouge Boat" actually ran, and what the scene inside was really like.

Ye Hong sat beside Mo Hua, also gazing at the heavy night outside the window, her expression somewhat solemn.

……

Meanwhile, in Yanshui City, inside a luxurious tavern.

Two people were drinking and conferring in secret.

The room was very dark, lit by only a single candle, hazy and indistinct, unable to make out the two figures' faces.

"Has the boat set out?"

"It has."

"How are things?"

"It went smoothly enough."

"Good," one of them nodded, then sneered, "Do you really think the Gui Water Sect is blind? A Dao Ting Si, a Grand Void Gate, and that Gu family—think you can slip aboard just by disguising yourselves?"

Another chimed in: "Yes, this time, every vessel linked to the Dao Ting Si, the Grand Void Gate, or the Gu family has been ordered ashore."

"To maintain secrecy, even our own Gui Water Sect vessels aren't used. Only the spirit boats we hired from outside can reach the destination."

"And of course, the boat prepared for the Young Masters."

"Hmm, good!"

"But, Elder, the rumors now seem… off..."

The cultivator called "Elder" raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"The Dao Ting Si appears to be investigating..."

"You heard rumors?"

"Yes..."

The Elder fell silent for a moment, then said, "No matter. Others feast—we can't just sit and watch."

"But what if—"

The Elder set down his wine cup without speaking.

Another man, quick to read the mood, immediately picked up the wine jug and poured the Elder another cup.

The Elder was somewhat satisfied, and finally spoke in a low tone:

"The Gui Water Sect is one boat. We're all on this same boat."

"But the Gui Water Sect is only one boat. When the wind and current favor us, we ride along with the tide; when the boat sinks, those without talent or awareness will sink with it—but those with talent and foresight will find another boat and leap aboard before it goes under..."

Another man pondered for a moment, his expression suddenly sharpening. "Elder, are you suggesting—"

The Elder gave him a stern glance, and he swallowed the words on his tongue.

"Still, jumping ship isn't that easy..."

"I said," the Elder took a sip of wine, calmly, "only those with talent and foresight have the ability to jump ship. The rest will die with the sinking vessel."

"There are countless opportunities, countless chances in this world—it all depends on whether you understand how to maneuver, and whether you have 'eye color.'"

The Elder set down his wine cup.

Another man immediately understood, his expression growing even more reverent as he poured the Elder another cup:

"From now on, I rely entirely on your guidance. I am willing to lay down my life for you."

The Elder responded with haughty indifference, giving a slight nod—then remembered something and added, "Have all the disciples on the list boarded the vessel?"

"As per your orders, Elder, all have been invited aboard."

"We humbly follow the elder's instructions; everyone has boarded the boat."

"But..." the other man still looked puzzled, "some of the arrangements this time seem strange. That place... leaving it unguarded—really no problem?"

The Elder's expression hardened. "Is that something you're qualified to consider?"

"Yes." The man quickly bowed his head.

The Elder paused slightly, his expression softening a touch, and pointed upward with his finger:

"The arrangements from above have their purpose. The waters here run deep—any ordinary cultivator who so much as touches them will drown. Not telling you is for your own good."

"The arrangements above have their purpose; the waters here run deep. Even an ordinary cultivator who so much as touches them will drown. Not letting you ask is for your own good."

The Elder gave a slight nod, then fell silent, quietly drinking another cup of wine.

After a moment, he turned his head, gazing at the Yan Shui River—dark and gloomy despite the lantern light.

Some things, he truly couldn't understand—and he didn't need to.

As a pawn, one must know one's place.

The great powers above, and those ancient monsters lurking in the shadows, shaping the格局 of the Qian Xue Province, plotting to kill what they will—none of it was his place to know.

The grand sects above, and those ancient monsters lurking in the shadows who manipulate the tides, could shift the balance of Qianxue Continent or plot to kill anything—they were not matters he had the right to know.

A obedient pawn is a good pawn.

A obedient piece is a good piece.

Amidst the hidden currents, on the other side, upon the Yan Shui River.

After some time had passed, the spirit boat Mo Hua rode finally came to a stop.

Mo Hua, unaware of the situation, held his breath and remained still.

After a moment, water sounds arose—other spirit boats seemed to approach and gather together.

Interspersed with the clinking of iron chains, as if someone had linked the vessels end to end with iron cables.

Then the water sounds grew sparse, and the spirit boats began moving again.

All nearby spirit boats, bound by iron chains, resembled a long dragon gliding through the Yan Shui River, soon vanishing into thick black mist.

The instant the spirit boat entered the mist, Mo Hua sensed the aura within—and his pupils contracted sharply.

"Such intense... demonic god aura."

"Such a potent… demonic god aura."

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