https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-217-The-Food-Pavilion-Part-Five-/12541026/
Chapter 216: The Elder
Chapter 216: The Elder
"The Daoist Prison is not a place that cultivators can enter at will. It's best that ordinary cultivators never set foot in that place in their lifetime. It's not a pleasant place."
Mo Hua nodded, feeling that Zhang Lan's words made sense.
He wanted to be a law-abiding cultivator, and if he could avoid a place like the Daoist Prison, he would.
There were also many formations around the Dao Court.
These formations were subtle and of high rank; some Mo Hua could decipher, while others were beyond his understanding.
Mo Hua didn't dare to examine them too closely.
After all, this was the Dao Court, and if he accidentally stumbled upon a forbidden formation, it could spell trouble.
Zhang Lan led Mo Hua to Zhou, the chief judge, and bowed respectfully.
Mo Hua followed suit, then secretly lifted his head to observe Zhou.
Zhou was very old, with white hair and a slightly stooped posture. His face was kind, but his eyes held the authority of his high position.
Zhou looked at Mo Hua and nodded, unable to resist praising him.
Mo Hua returned the compliment, carefully choosing his words, just as Zhang Lan had taught him. He spoke of "peace under your rule," "hard work and great achievements," and "outstanding merits."
A broader smile spread across Zhou's face.
He glanced at Zhang Lan and said, "This child is indeed exceptionally bright."
Zhang Lan smiled with a complex mix of emotions.
"Of course, he's bright. I taught him all these flattering words, and he's already putting them to use..."
Zhou asked about the formations, and Mo Hua answered honestly.
However, Zhou himself was not an expert in formations, so his questions, though seemingly profound, were actually quite basic. Mo Hua answered with ease.
Zhou was even more satisfied and looked at Mo Hua with admiration.
The conversation had served its purpose—it was just a casual chat, and there was no need to delve deeper.
As the head of the Dao Court in Tongxian City, Zhou had many duties to attend to, so Mo Hua and Zhang Lan bid their farewells.
Before they left, Zhou called out to Mo Hua, "I've already spoken to the Qian family. You don't have to worry about them anymore. Just focus on studying formations."
Mo Hua was slightly taken aback but quickly smiled and said, "Thank you, Chief Judge!"
Zhou stroked his long beard and nodded with contentment.
That "thank you" was all he wanted to hear.
Qian Family.
In the cave abode of the Qian Family Elder, Qian Hong couldn't believe what he was hearing.
The Elder had just told him to be cautious and to stop causing trouble for the young formation master, Mo Hua.
Qian Hong quickly said, "Elder, Mo Hua is already a first-rank formation master at such a young age. If we let him be, given time, our Qian family will have no standing left in Tongxian City."
The Qian Family Elder was in the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment realm, but he was already old, his blood essence weakening, and his cultivation declining. Unless something major happened, he wouldn't interfere in the family's affairs.
His cloudy eyes rested on Qian Hong as he slowly said, "You should have acted sooner. You, along with the other Foundation Establishment elders, should have struck like a thunderbolt and killed that boy. Now... it's too late."
The Elder's breath was weak, his voice hoarse and intermittent.
Qian Hong respectfully said, "Grandson wanted to be cautious and not act too rashly, leaving behind evidence that could be used against us."
The Elder looked at him with a cautious gaze but remained silent.
Feeling the pressure, Qian Hong added, "All the elders have their own agendas, and they might not listen to Grandson's orders."
Disappointment filled the Elder's eyes as he said, "You are the head of the family. If they don't listen to you, whose fault is that?"
His words carried weight, implying that Qian Hong was incompetent and unable to command respect.
Qian Hong dared not refute and bowed his head respectfully, "Grandson accepts the Elder's teaching."
"You..." The Elder coughed, "are heartless but not ruthless enough. Selfish but not selfish enough. You can endure, but you can't endure until the end."
The Elder sighed, "You have a bit of everything, but you fall short in everything."
Qian Hong quickly knelt and kowtowed, "Please give Grandson another chance. Grandson will take swift action and kill that formation master!"
"You can't kill him anymore..."
The Elder spoke slowly, "Even if you do, it won't make much difference from not killing him.
The Qian Family Elder's cloudy eyes slowly closed, "Go now and think carefully about it."
Qian Hong bowed respectfully and withdrew.
In the vast and empty cave abode, only the Qian Family Elder remained.
He lowered his head to look at his hands, which resembled dry twigs, the brown spots on the back of his hands, and the occasional peeling of decayed skin. His eyes were dull.
"Am I going to die soon...?"
The Qian Family Elder muttered, his voice hoarse.
When he finished speaking, he began to cough violently, as if he were about to cough up his heart and lungs.
The Qian Family Elder quickly took out a jade bottle from his bosom, carefully poured out a pill, and swallowed it, closing his eyes to refine its effects.
The medicine took effect, and the coughing subsided.
Only then did the Qian Family Elder slowly open his eyes, revealing a hint of bloodshot in them.
"But... I don't want to die yet..."
As soon as Qian Hong left the Elder's cave abode, he immediately ordered his men to find out who had spoken to the Elder and what had been said.
In the evening, someone reported to him, "It was the former chief judge of the Dao Court who paid a special visit to the Elder, apparently asking the Qian family not to make things difficult for the young array master, Mo Hua."
Qian Hong frowned, "With no relation to us, why would the former chief judge speak up for that little array master?"
He also recalled what the Elder had said, "If we kill that little array master, how many people will we offend...?"
Qian Hong thought about all the people Mo Hua knew and sent his men to gather information. Soon, he received a list of names.
After glancing at it, Qian Hong slumped back into his chair, dismayed.
How could this be? The sheer number of connections listed made his head spin: The former chief judge of the Dao Court wanted to protect Mo Hua, the current chief judge, Zhang Lan, was acquainted with him, and Zhang had the backing of the Zhang family.
Among the Demon Hunters, it was a given that Elder Yu would stand up for him.
Surprisingly, most of the other Demon Hunters, regardless of their cultivation level, had received favors from Mo Hua and were willingly protecting him.
Among the loose cultivators, most of the pill refiners and Elixir refiners also knew Mo Hua.
Especially the widely-connected and beloved Elder Feng, who had watched Mo Hua grow up.
The young master of the An family was friends with Mo Hua, and Elder An had always been at odds with the Qian family. Naturally, he would side with Mo Hua, especially since he was a first-rate array master.
Among the array masters in Tongxian City, the first-rate array master, Master Luo, had made it clear that no array master in the city should cause trouble for Mo Hua.
Even within the Qian family, Master Qian was unwilling to go against Mo Hua.
As for the three members of the influential White family who were visiting from out of town, especially the brother and sister, they also seemed to have a good relationship with Mo Hua. Someone had seen them walking together during the Demon Hunting Festival...
As Qian Hong went through each of these connections, he couldn't help but feel a tingling sensation at the back of his neck.
Mo Hua was just a kid in his teens. How had he managed to forge so many connections with cultivators?
If he really killed Mo Hua, wouldn't he instantly create a huge mess? Qian Hong's heart was filled with both shock and fear.
As the saying goes, a strong dragon cannot crush a local snake.
In theory, the Qian family was the undisputed top power in Tongxian City.
But now, it seemed that if the Qian family was the local snake, then Mo Hua was undoubtedly the "local dragon."
Given this situation, how could he make his move? And how dare he? How had things come to this?
Qian Hong's head throbbed with pain, and it was only after a long while that he breathed a sigh of relief. He rubbed his forehead, and despite his reluctance, he could only resign himself to the situation:
"Things have come to this point, so I have to bide my time and be patient for now..."
He didn't want to let Mo Hua off the hook, but given the circumstances, he had no choice but to be patient.
He would have to endure for now, and sooner or later, an opportunity would present itself...
(End of Chapter)
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