Chapter 127: Borrowing People (Five Watches)
Chapter 127: Borrowing People (Five Watches)
"Borrowing people?"
"Mmhmm," Mo Hua nodded.
"What do you need people for?"
"I need some help with something. Just need a few Qi Refining Sixth Layer cultivators. Five... no, four should be enough," Mo Hua said.
Yu Chengyi wanted to ask what Mo Hua needed help with, but figuring that it was probably related to formations, he decided against it. Even if he asked, he likely wouldn't understand the answer anyway.
His father, Elder Yu, had instructed him to take care of Mo Hua, and if he didn't and his father found out, he would be in big trouble.
His father was always kind to Mo Hua but never seemed to have a good word for him.
Yu Chengyi's heart tightened, and he said, "It's just a small matter. No problem."
Mo Hua had expected to have to do some persuading, but Yu Chengyi's easy agreement surprised and delighted him. "Thank you, Uncle Yu!"
Yu Chengyi called out a few Qi Refining Sixth Layer cultivators from behind him and instructed them to follow and protect Mo Hua. He told them to lend a hand whenever Mo Hua needed help.
Still worried, Yu Chengyi turned to an older demon hunter and said, "Old Zhao, you go with them too and keep an eye on things."
A surprised look crossed Old Zhao's face, but he nodded in agreement. "Alright."
"Uncle Yu, that's enough. I don't need so many people," Mo Hua quickly interjected.
Old Zhao, as he was called, had a robust aura and was likely at the latter stages of Qi Refining. Together with the five others at the mid-stages, that was already a sizable group.
Mo Hua was just planning to hunt down a mid-grade first-class demon beast. There was no need for so many people.
Yu Chengyi waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine. I'll feel more at ease with them accompanying you. I can't afford for anything to happen to you, little formation master, or my father will have my hide!"
This was the Great Black Mountain, a place teeming with demon beasts. They couldn't afford to be careless. If he could spare the time, Yu Chengyi would have gone himself.
"With so many people helping me, will you have enough hands here, Uncle Yu?" Mo Hua asked, concerned.
Yu Chengyi's heart warmed, and he patted Mo Hua's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. The people here are all veterans. Go ahead."
Mo Hua nodded. "Then we'll be off. Goodbye, Uncle Yu!"
"Go on," Yu Chengyi said. After a moment's thought, he added, "Once you're done, head back quickly and don't linger in the mountains. The Great Black Mountain is dangerous."
Mo Hua set off into the mountain with the group of demon hunters in tow.
"Brother Mo, what are we doing?" one of the younger demon hunters asked in a hushed tone.
Mo Hua turned and was surprised to see Zhou Ping. "Ping?"
Zhou Ping was the son of Zhou Cheng, who had previously sought Mo Hua's help with the Ironclad Formation and even paid a special visit to express his gratitude.
Mo Hua had only met Zhou Ping once before and didn't have a deep impression of him, which was why he hadn't recognized him earlier in the crowd. It was only when Zhou Ping spoke that he sounded familiar, and Mo Hua placed him.
Zhou Ping was a bit shy and timid. "Brother Mo, you remember me?"
"Mmhmm," Mo Hua replied. "I'm taking you guys to hunt a demon beast."
Zhou Ping was taken aback, and the other demon hunters exchanged uncertain glances.
Old Zhao was equally startled.
This kid had guts!
With their mid-stage Qi Refining cultivations, it was uncertain if they could even return alive from hunting a demon beast, let alone successfully kill one...
No wonder Yu Chengyi had asked him to keep an eye on things.
Zhou Ping hesitated. "Brother Mo, we... we can't really kill demon beasts."
He then asked softly, "What kind of demon beast is it?"
If it was an early-stage first-class demon beast, they should be fine.
"Mmhmm, mid-grade first-class. We can't handle a late-grade," Mo Hua replied.
Zhou Ping felt his vision darken. They couldn't handle a late-grade, but even a mid-grade first-class demon beast was beyond their capabilities...
"Don't worry. I've got a plan, and I'll make sure we succeed," Mo Hua said, patting his chest confidently.
Zhou Ping wanted to say something more but didn't know what, so he could only follow along with a stiff smile.
Old Zhao, on the other hand, became extra vigilant.
These kids didn't know the weight of the situation, but having spent so many years in the Great Black Mountain, he knew that even a mid-grade first-class demon beast was no easy opponent.
Mo Hua walked along the mountain path and stopped in front of a patch of forest.
This was the boundary between the forest and the cliffs, where two paths converged, and the terrain was narrow. It was a bottleneck where beasts would pass through when entering or exiting the forest.
The tall grass and rocks nearby provided good cover.
Mo Hua set up traps, laid out formations, erased his tracks, and masked his scent with bloody grass. Then, he led the group to hide behind the rocks.
"We'll wait here. When the demon beast arrives and triggers the trap, I'll activate the formation, and you all... no, you all can join in then." Mo Hua instructed.
He didn't want to get in their way.
Zhou Daping and the others nodded, while Old Zhao raised an eyebrow.
He had heard that Mo Shan had a young son who was quite skilled at drawing formations.
But this was a demon beast—tough and thick-skinned. Would formations even work on it?
Old Zhao's brow furrowed again.
Zhou Daping looked uncertain. "Mo ge, are you sure this will work?"
Mo Hua reassured him, "Don't worry, I've tested it. It'll be fine."
Zhou Daping nodded but still looked anxious, clutching his knife tightly.
The other young demon hunters were also tense, holding their breath and daring not to make a sound.
The wait was agonizing, and their expressions were solemn.
Only Mo Hua remained relaxed, even feeling a bit bored as he twirled a grass stem and casually drew formation patterns on the ground.
After an unknown amount of time, Daping gently nudged Mo Hua. "Mo ge... it's here." His voice trembled slightly with tension.
Mo Hua's spirits lifted, and he tossed away the grass stem to peer forward. Indeed, a goat-like demon beast was emerging from the forest.
The beast's eyes were bloodshot, and its mouth was stained with fresh blood, as if it had just finished devouring its prey.
Perhaps due to being overly full, its guard was down.
As the demon beast slowly walked into the trap and became ensnared by the Wood Binding Formation, Mo Hua threw a fireball from a distance to activate the Earth Fire Formation.
An explosion rocked the area, flames raged, spiritual energy surged, and the surrounding rocks were shattered.
Zhou Daping and the others were stunned.
"Go!" Mo Hua shouted.
The group snapped back to attention and rushed forward without hesitation, brandishing their knives and fists at the trapped demon beast.
Before long, the demon beast lay on the ground.
Mo Hua poked his small head out and called from a distance, "Is it dead?"
Seeing the demon beast defeated in just a few rounds, Zhou Daping stood there dumbfounded for a while before slowly replying, "It's... it's dead."
Mo Hua ran forward and used the Blood Absorption Technique to draw the demon's blood.
The bright red blood flowed along the path of Mo Hua's spiritual sense into the bottle.
"Mo ge, what's this for?" Zhou Daping asked curiously.
"It's for drawing formations." Mo Hua replied as he continued to draw blood.
"Oh, okay." Zhou Daping didn't press further.
When Mo Hua was done, he noticed that Zhou Daping and the others were still standing there, so he asked, "Aren't you going to skin it?"
"Huh?"
"You know, demon beasts. You skin them, remove the bones, and sell the parts." Mo Hua explained.
The group snapped back to attention and began to process the demon beast, placing the remains into their storage bags.
Mo Hua calculated the earnings and deducted the cost of the spirit stones used for the formations and their activation. He then divided the remaining profit equally among the group.
Daping quickly shook his head. "No, we can't accept this. It's all thanks to you. How can we take the spirit stones?"
The others also refused.
"You helped me, so this is what you deserve!" Mo Hua insisted.
"But..."
Mo Hua wouldn't take no for an answer and waved goodbye as he said, "I'm heading back. Next time I need help, I'll look for you all again." With that, he happily returned home.
Zhou Daping and the others stood there, exchanging complicated looks.
With the sale of the demon beast, each of them would receive seven or eight spirit stones.
They had never earned so many spirit stones before...
(End of Chapter)
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