Chapter 149: Turbulence (Part Two)
Chapter 149: Turbulence (Part Two)
"Old Mo... Mo Shan, no, Big Brother Mo!" A demon hunter patted Mo Shan on the shoulder.
"Between you and me, if I lower myself and beg your son to draw an array for me, do you think he would agree?"
Before Mo Shan could reply, another demon hunter interjected, "How big is your face?"
"At your age, don't even think about relying on your looks," someone teased with a laugh.
"Mo Shan, just give us an idea. How many spirit stones would it take to draw that array?"
Mo Shan smiled bitterly, "I'll have to ask my son about this. It won't be easy to draw that array."
The group considered this and nodded in agreement.
An array capable of blocking an attack from a late-stage first-grade demon beast was indeed no simple task.
One of the demon hunters whispered to Mo Shan, "Your son, he hasn't betrothed yet, has he?"
Mo Shan nodded, "He's still young."
"He's not that young. These things should be considered early on."
"What are you scheming?"
The demon hunter laughed slyly, "I have a daughter, she's quite a beauty. How about we become in-laws?"
"Mo Shan, don't listen to his nonsense. My niece is the real beauty," another hunter chimed in.
"Big Brother Mo, these matters can't be rushed. If you ask me, wait a little longer. My daughter will be born next year..."
"How old is your daughter? Shameless!"
...
Mo Shan smiled helplessly at their bickering.
Despite the twists and turns of this demon-hunting expedition, it had gone relatively smoothly and hadn't taken too much time.
After descending the mountain, the group sold the demon beast, divided the spirit stones, and returned to their homes.
As dusk fell, the street lamps lit up one by one.
Mo Shan walked down the familiar streets, pushed open the familiar gate, and returned home.
Liu Ruhua had already prepared the meal—on the table were vegetables, beef, and steaming rice porridge.
During the meal, Mo Shan asked Mo Hua, "Did you draw an array on that vine armor?"
"Mhm." Mo Hua nodded, his mouth full of meat and his hand holding a white steamed bun.
"I drew the Golden Armor Array!"
"Golden Armor Array? Is that higher grade than the Iron Armor Array?"
"Yes, it's much more effective."
Mo Shan thought for a moment before asking, "Some of the uncles from your demon hunting team also want to ask for your help in drawing this array."
"That's fine, but they'll have to wait a while."
Mo Hua needed time to learn a new first-grade array, and he wanted to stabilize his understanding of it before revisiting the Golden Armor Array to improve his proficiency.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and added, "For the Golden Armor Array, they'll need to prepare some gold-based ink and brushes. As for spirit stones, they can give me a token amount as a gesture of gratitude for my hard work."
After all, reclusive cultivators weren't known for their wealth.
Mo Shan was relieved and smiled, "I'll let them prepare in advance. When you have some free time later, you can help them draw it."
"Okay!" Mo Hua agreed, then asked curiously, "Dad, how useful is this Golden Armor Array on the vine armor?"
He wanted to know the effectiveness of a first-grade golden armor array.
Mo Shan was about to say "very useful," considering that even a late-stage first-grade demon beast like the Thunderclaw Wolf hadn't been able to tear through the vine armor.
In his life, he had never worn armor tougher than this.
But as the words reached his lips, Mo Shan hesitated.
Saying it was "useful" would imply that he had encountered danger in the mountains.
To spare his wife and son worry, Mo Shan had never spoken of the perils he faced.
Mo Shan paused for a moment before replying, "It should be useful, but today's demon hunt went smoothly, and we didn't encounter any real dangers. We'll talk about it next time we face something treacherous."
Mo Hua nodded, feeling a bit disappointed.
However, he quickly changed his mind, thinking that it was always better not to encounter danger.
Whether it was the vine armor or the Golden Armor Array, they were both meant to reduce danger, but no matter how much they reduced it, danger would always be present.
The best scenario was to never encounter danger at all.
Uncle Zhao had ventured into the mountains and was pursued by unknown cultivators. During his escape, he fell off a cliff and was fortunate to be caught by tree branches. Mo Hua had then used his spiritual sense to locate him.
Uncle Zhao had barely clung to life, and it seemed likely that he would not have survived otherwise.
"Is it the Qian family's doing?" Mo Hua asked.
"There's no conclusive evidence, but it's highly probable," Mo Shan replied.
Mo Hua pondered for a moment. "Why is the Qian family targeting Uncle Zhao? Is it for revenge, or are they trying to cover something up?"
"Elder Yu is investigating, but there aren't any leads yet," Mo Shan sighed. "I reckon once your Uncle Zhao wakes up, we'll get some answers."
Mo Hua looked worried. "Then, when will Uncle Zhao wake up?"
Mo Shan patted Mo Hua's head reassuringly. "Don't worry, Mr. Feng examined him and said he should wake up in the next couple of days. You can go visit him if you have the time."
"Okay," Mo Hua nodded.
The next day, Mo Hua paid a visit to Xinglintang.
Severely injured and unconscious, Uncle Zhao was being cared for in a side room.
Uncle Zhao's wife was pregnant and couldn't exert herself too much, so she could only spare a little time each day to see her husband.
Elder Yu, however, was a frequent visitor and often arranged for people to help take care of Uncle Zhao. Although Uncle Zhao's life was no longer in danger, he remained unconscious.
When Mo Hua arrived, he found Elder Yu there as well.
The usually stern-faced Elder Yu's expression immediately softened upon seeing Mo Hua. "Mo Hua, you're here."
"Yeah, I came to see Uncle Zhao," Mo Hua replied.
Approaching the bedside, Mo Hua saw that Uncle Zhao still looked deathly pale, which worried him. He then quietly asked Elder Yu, "Have you found out anything about the Qian family's involvement?"
Elder Yu hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice as well. "I sent people to investigate, and it turns out that over the past month, members of the Qian family have been secretly entering Daheshan, acting very suspiciously."
Mo Hua frowned. "I went into the mountains too, but I don't recall running into them."
"They mostly go in under the cover of night, sneaking around. Once they're in the mountains, they disappear without a trace, so it's no surprise you didn't encounter them. Not just you, but none of the other demon hunters noticed them either," Elder Yu explained.
After a moment's thought, Mo Hua suddenly asked, "Then, did Uncle Zhao run into them?"
Elder Yu nodded. "It's likely that he went up the mountain that evening and stumbled upon the Qian family's people. It's also possible that he knows what they're up to, which is why the Qian family wants to silence him..."
"Silence him?" Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat.
What were the Qiangs doing in Daheshan that was so important that they would resort to killing to cover their tracks?
At that moment, Mr. Feng entered, and Elder Yu and Mo Hua stopped their conversation.
Mr. Feng carried a tray with pills, acupuncture needles, and a small stove emitting tendrils of steam.
"Mr. Feng, what are you going to do with those?" Mo Hua asked curiously.
"I'm going to use acupuncture to stimulate his meridians and activate the medicinal effects of the pills. He should wake up after that," Mr. Feng explained.
"Oh, oh," Mo Hua nodded repeatedly, watching with curiosity from the sidelines.
Mr. Feng used the stove to warm the medicine and extract its essence, then soaked the golden needles in the medicine before inserting them into Uncle Zhao's acupoints.
Uncle Zhao's skin gradually turned red, and bruises began to appear as his chaotic spiritual energy stabilized. Suddenly, he opened his eyes.
Everyone was overjoyed.
Elder Yu's expression relaxed a little, and just as he was about to comfort Uncle Zhao to rest, Uncle Zhao suddenly grabbed his arm tightly.
Uncle Zhao's breath was unstable, and he couldn't speak.
But he held onto Elder Yu tightly, gritting his teeth and mustering all his strength to say, "Daheshan... There's a spirit mine!"
Elder Yu's pupils shook at his words.
(End of Chapter)
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