Chapter 92: Deterrence

The next day, at the hour of Mao, the Bai residence.

As dawn barely broke, Bai Zi Xi rose to cultivate. Her daily schedule was packed—she had to study cultivation techniques, formation arrays, talismans, alchemy, and artifact forging.

The Bai residence had been specially built by Sister Xue for the Bai siblings; it contained an alchemy chamber, an artifact forge, a library, cultivation rooms, and more—essentially modeled after the Bai family's layout. Though the rooms were somewhat smaller, all necessary functions were present.

This was Lady Bai's instruction.

Though the Bai siblings were away from home, their cultivation duties could not be neglected. Sister Xue had been sent by Lady Bai to attend to their daily needs—food, lodging, and all cultivation matters.

Lady Bai held great hopes for these two children, so she was especially strict.

Bai Zisheng, though mischievous and restless, was still obedient; 相比之下, Bai Zi Xi was far more self-disciplined—she completed every lesson flawlessly, without fail. Whether in spiritual root talent or her devotion to the Dao, she was nearly impeccable, requiring no one's concern.

Bai Zi Xi rose at the hour of Mao and sat in the bamboo pavilion in the courtyard to cultivate for one hour.

Sister Xue had just returned and stood quietly among the bamboo grove, waiting.

Morning mist hung faintly; grass and trees glistened emerald, and spiritual flowers bloomed, radiant and ready to open.

Bai Zi Xi sat among them, clad in a snow-white robe, her skin translucent and luminous, her features clear and flawless.

The rising sun pierced the mist, spilling over the grass and petals, transforming into a soft golden glow that draped gently over Bai Zi Xi.

Sister Xue sighed. Such a scene—she could sit here and watch it all day, and still be content.

Bai Zi Xi's long eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes.

Sister Xue stepped forward and told her what she had learned: how Qian Xing had blocked Mo Hua, what words were exchanged, how the conflict arose, and how it was resolved. After being healed, Qian Xing harbored resentment toward Mo Hua and had returned to threaten him.

It was the very scene Bai Zi Xi had witnessed yesterday.

Bai Zi Xi frowned slightly and said softly, "We came to study under Master Zhuang. We do not wish to be disturbed."

Sister Xue nodded, then withdrew.

Yet as she left, she wondered: when Zi Xi said "we," did she mean only the siblings—or did she include Mo Hua as well?

Mo Hua had consulted Master Zhuang, then, as usual, visited the Bai siblings, bringing them beef, osmanthus cakes, and Ji Tiantian's fermented wine. He also asked a few more questions about formations.

As they spoke, Mo Hua kept feeling Bai Zi Xi watching his neck.

Mo Hua turned his head, curious, and looked at Bai Zi Xi.

Their eyes met. Bai Zi Xi said, "Did you suffer an injury to your neck?"

"Mm," Mo Hua nodded. "A minor wound. Already healed."

Mo Hua said no more.

Bai Zi Xi said nothing further, sipping the fermented wine slowly.

After returning from Master Zhuang's, Mo Hua went back to his small cottage and began studying formation texts.

Since Qian Xing had approached him—and knowing he wouldn't let it go—Mo Hua had begun preparing countermeasures. He couldn't yet learn spells, nor did he know any others; his only recourse was formations.

Mo Hua selected several formations and devoted special effort to mastering them.

One was the Wood Binding Array: when activated, pale green wood-elemental energy would coil like vines to bind an opponent, useful for trapping enemies.

Another was the Smoke Fire Array: similar to the Bright Fire Array Mo Hua had drawn before, but while the Bright Fire Array was for illumination, the Smoke Fire Array, when activated, shot a brilliant red plume of smoke into the sky.

The Smoke Fire Array was typically used for celebrations—cultivators lit fireworks during festivals, creating dazzling purples and reds, very beautiful. Mo Hua intended to use it to draw attention during sudden dangers, so he wouldn't be left isolated and helpless.

The third was the Iron Armor Array, which Mo Hua inscribed onto a thin vine armor, making the armor as hard as steel—potentially saving his life in emergencies.

The Iron Armor Array was originally used to reinforce armor forged from refined iron, which was already tough; with the array added, it became nearly indestructible. Body cultivators, clad in armor inscribed with the Iron Armor Array, as solid as Jin Shi, gained a decisive edge in battle, unstoppable and overwhelming.

In close combat, armor greatly influenced victory or defeat, making it vital for body cultivators.

But armor was expensive, requiring vast amounts of refined iron and immense labor—far beyond Mo Hua's means. Among all the demon hunters in Xiancheng, few owned armor; most still used cheap vine armor.

Mo Hua's vine armor was small and finely crafted, custom-made for him by Master Chen. Mo Hua was slight, so the armor was small too, using little material—Master Chen didn't even take any spirit stones.

Since Master Chen refused spirit stones, Mo Hua could only praise him with a few kind words. Master Chen said nothing aloud, but inwardly he was pleased.

Mo Hua tested the vine armor—it could block ordinary blades and swords, but couldn't absorb force; even if no external wounds appeared, internal injuries were inevitable.

There was no help for it: vine armor was meant for body cultivators, whose skin was thick and tough—blocking blades and swords was enough; they didn't care about force. But Mo Hua wasn't one.

Mo Hua then inscribed the Iron Armor Array onto it. Though it couldn't fully block force, it was vastly better than before. The vine armor itself also grew much sturdier. Previously, blades left marks on the armor; now, not even a scratch remained.

Vine armor was for defense, but uncomfortable to wear, so Mo Hua stored it in his storage bag, ready to retrieve in emergencies.

For offensive formations, he still had only the Earth Fire Array. In raw power, the Earth Fire Array was already quite strong; other formations wouldn't be much stronger. More importantly, the Earth Fire Array took three breaths to detonate, while most others activated instantly—spirit energy exploded immediately, and Mo Hua would be caught in the blast.

Such a powerful array could cripple Qian Xing—but if it exploded on Mo Hua, he'd be dead.

He also kept several small, miscellaneous formations on hand, just in case.

But two days later, Zhang Lan found Mo Hua and said at once: "Qian Xing has gone mad. He won't bother you anymore."

Mo Hua's mouth dropped open.

Seeing Mo Hua's expression, Zhang Lan knew he truly didn't know, and sighed in relief.

"While Qian Xing slept, someone poured bright red demon blood and gory internal organs all over his body. He lay soaked in blood all night. When he woke the next morning, he was completely insane."

Mo Hua was stunned. "Was he frightened into madness?"

"It's not that simple," Zhang Lan shook his head. "Blood and organs alone are merely shocking—light an incense for calming the spirit, rest a while, and he'd recover. It wouldn't drive him mad."

"Then what happened?" Mo Hua asked.

"I suspect that besides the blood and organs to terrify him, someone also used illusion magic." Zhang Lan said.

"Illusion magic?"

"It's said that when Qian Xing woke, his expression was terrified, his voice shrill, screaming nonstop: 'Don't eat me!' If I'm right, someone used illusion magic to make him dream he was being slowly devoured by a demon beast. When he woke and saw demon blood and organs all around him, he believed he was inside the beast's belly—that he'd truly been eaten. In agony and terror, he went completely mad."

Mo Hua was deeply shocked. Could such a spell exist? It sounded incredibly powerful. He couldn't help asking:

"Illusion magic… can I learn it?"

Zhang Lan glanced at Mo Hua. "You can't!" He ended Mo Hua's fantasy outright.

"Illusion magic is an extremely rare art. To learn it requires special meridians and physique, plus deep ancestral lineage. Most cultivators can't learn it—there's nowhere to learn, and even if there were, they couldn't master it." Zhang Lan said.

Mo Hua felt disappointed, then asked Zhang Lan: "Uncle Zhang, can you learn it?"

Zhang Lan choked on his words, "I… can't either."

Mo Hua felt comforted, and his heart grew a little lighter.