Chapter 240: Techniques
Chapter 240: Techniques
Mo Hua named the Thousand-Jin Stick and then carefully stored it away in his storage bag.
Over the next few days, whenever he had free time, he would take it out to practice and eventually devised two simple yet practical techniques.
One was a downward smash, and the other was a horizontal swing.
The downward smash was easy to use and execute.
The horizontal swing was a bit more troublesome. It required him to first swing the Thousand-Jin Stick, infusing spiritual energy and activating the array during the swing. The iron rod would momentarily increase in weight, and following the inertia of the force, it would be swung out horizontally.
It was challenging to control both the spiritual energy and the force required for this technique.
If he hit his target, the impact would sting his palm.
If he missed, he would have to let go of the stick to avoid dislocating his arm.
Such was the helplessness of having a weak body that couldn't withstand the strain of physical cultivation.
However, after a few tries, Mo Hua became more familiar with the technique and could at least avoid dislocating himself.
He even gave these two techniques resounding names. The downward smash was called "Thousand-Jin Smash," and the horizontal sweep was named "Thousand-Jin Sweep."
They sounded somewhat formidable, but they were only meant for emergencies since he wasn't a physical cultivator and couldn't rely on these techniques for direct combat. At most, they could be used for ambushes.
Nevertheless, they provided him with additional means to deal with enemies.
When he had some free time again, Mo Hua went to Fu Shan Lou and looked for Fu Lan. He asked her to help him make tofu.
This was the first time he had tried tofu from the cultivation world.
It wasn't exceptionally white, but it had a faint bean-yellow hue, and the bean fragrance was robust.
Whether it was stir-fried, made into a dish, or turned into sweet tofu pudding, it was delicious.
Mo Hua also shared some with his parents, Mr. Zhuang, and the Bai siblings, Bai Zi Sheng and Bai Zi Xi.
He didn't give any to Guai Lao, though, as he preferred crispy and crunchy food that made a sound when chewed. Tofu definitely wouldn't be his cup of tea.
As for the inner mountain of Tong Xian City, despite the increasing number of foreign cultivators and the heightened danger, Mo Hua was determined to go there.
He was an array master, and he couldn't afford to be lacking in spirit ink.
Moreover, the amount of spirit ink he needed was probably several times more than what a typical first-rate array master would require.
Thus, the more demon blood he could obtain, the better.
After all, he had now reached the seventh layer of Qi Refinement, and his mastery of the Flowing Water Step was exquisite. Apart from Foundation Establishment cultivators, ordinary Qi Refinement cultivators couldn't do anything to him.
Even if he encountered a Foundation Establishment cultivator, as long as he remained vigilant and discovered them in advance, he would likely be able to escape.
On this day, as he ventured into the mountain, Mo Hua released sixteen or seventeen bottles of demon blood, feeling content. He then found a shady spot under a large tree and sat down to eat some wild fruits.
Before long, he sensed someone approaching with a somewhat familiar aura. He looked up discreetly and noticed Yu Cheng Wu and several other demon hunters.
They were walking along a secluded path, seemingly searching for something.
Mo Hua stood up and greeted them from a distance.
Yu Cheng Wu was surprised to see Mo Hua and furrowed his brows.
From such a distance, his spiritual sense couldn't detect Mo Hua, so how had Mo Hua noticed them?
Mo Hua demonstrated the Flowing Water Step, lightly leaping from the hilltop and gracefully descending in front of Yu Cheng Wu.
Yu Cheng Wu was taken aback by this unfamiliar movement.
What kind of body technique was this? Mo Hua had traveled with them before, but he hadn't displayed any body techniques, leading Yu Cheng Wu to assume that he didn't know any. He never expected Mo Hua to be this proficient.
He was even better than some veteran demon hunters...
No wonder he dared to wander alone in the inner mountains.
Mo Hua sized up Yu Cheng Wu and asked curiously, "Aren't you here to hunt demons?"
They weren't wearing iron or vine armor, and their blades were sheathed. They were dressed like ordinary vagrant cultivators.
Yu Cheng Wu replied, "We're here to capture someone."
"Who?"
"The cultivators who ambushed me last time," Yu Cheng Wu said, his eyes flashing with cold hatred. "A bunch of scumbags dared to attack me. I won't let them off easily."
Mo Hua asked, "Do you know who they are?"
"Not yet."
"Then how will you find them?"
"Then, you all should be off." Mo Hua waved his hand, dismissing them.
He didn't want to join in on this pursuit; he had more pressing matters to attend to, and for now, gathering more demon blood was his top priority.
"If I happen to come across them, I'll set off some fireworks to alert you," Mo Hua added.
Yu Chengwu was taken aback for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Alright, but you be careful too."
"Don't worry," Mo Hua assured him.
After parting ways with Yu Chengwu and his group, Mo Hua spent most of the day wandering in the inner mountains. As evening approached and he made his way down the mountain, he encountered them again.
Yu Chengwu and his companions were injured, their clothes stained with blood, but their wounds didn't seem too severe.
They had captured two cultivators, both dressed in black, their hands and feet bound with iron chains. The captives were bruised and battered, one with a broken arm and the other limping with a injured leg.
It was clear that a fierce battle had taken place, followed by a brutal beating.
Despite their exhausted expressions, their eyes held a fierce resentment.
Mo Hua studied their faces and recognized them as two of the seven cultivators who had surrounded them the other day.
"You really caught them?" Mo Hua asked, a little surprised.
"Of course," Yu Chengwu replied proudly. "We're demon hunters; no one knows the Great Black Mountain better than us."
Yu Chengwu kicked one of the captives, "These two scumbags thought they could hide well, but living and traveling in the mountains, killing and stealing, they left too many traces. There was no way we couldn't find them."
"Are these the only two?" Mo Hua inquired.
"The others probably went out to rob. Only these two were left to guard the camp," Yu Chengwu explained.
"Are you going to kill them?" Mo Hua asked out of curiosity.
Yu Chengwu hesitated for a moment before answering, "Not yet. We'll take them back first and beat them some more to see if we can get any information out of them. As for their camp, we've already scared off the others, so we probably won't be able to catch the rest of the cultivators."
Mo Hua nodded, then used his spiritual sense to scan the two black-clad cultivators, furrowing his brows at what he sensed.
Despite their pitiful appearance, their spiritual energy was still abundant, which could pose a risk.
"You should break their legs first," Mo Hua suggested kindly.
Yu Chengwu was taken aback by the suggestion.
"They have a lot of spiritual energy," Mo Hua explained.
Abundant spiritual energy could be a hidden danger.
Yu Chengwu considered this for a moment before nodding in agreement. He turned to the other demon hunters and instructed, "Break their legs."
As the demon hunters were about to carry out the order, Mo Hua called out, "Wait."
After a moment of thought, he suggested, "Actually, break their arms instead. If you break their legs, they won't be able to walk, and you'll have to carry them, which will be more troublesome."
With their arms broken, even if they had spiritual energy, they wouldn't be able to fight back in the short term.
Yu Chengwu nodded, and without further hesitation, the demon hunters broke the arms of the two black-clad cultivators.
The captives screamed in pain, their eyes filled with hatred as they glared at Mo Hua.
Mo Hua raised an eyebrow, "Still daring to glare at me?"
At his words, the demon hunters kicked the two captives, causing them to grit their teeth in pain. However, the hateful glare in their eyes only intensified.
Mo Hua sighed and turned to Yu Chengwu, "Should we blind them as well? They keep glaring at me."
Upon hearing this, the two captives broke out in cold sweat and quickly averted their gazes, no longer daring to look at Mo Hua.
Yu Chengwu felt helpless.
Sometimes, this kid could be so kind-hearted, and at other times, he could be truly ruthless.
He always seemed to come up with the most vicious ideas.
But Yu Chengwu knew that this was necessary.
One couldn't show mercy to evil people, or they would bring trouble upon themselves. These two captives had killed and robbed, and who knew how many lives were on their hands. Even if they were killed right now, it would be letting them off easy.
(End of Chapter)
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