Chapter 248: The Water Prison Technique
Chapter 248: The Water Prison Technique
The Water Prison Technique? Mo Hua had never heard of this spell before.
He used to have a book called A Collection of Qi Refining Spells, which recorded some common spells for the Qi Refining stage, but the Water Prison Technique was not among them.
Die Lao San had hidden this technique well, and Mo Hua estimated that it was as rare as the Concealment Technique.
Mo Hua asked Die Lao San, "What is this Water Prison Technique?"
Die Lao San replied, "I don't know."
Mo Hua looked at him with an indifferent gaze, his eyes holding a hint of ill intent.
Die Lao San's heart sank, and fearing that Mo Hua would find a reason to torment him again, he hurriedly added, "I really don't know."
"Then how did you come to possess this technique?" Mo Hua inquired.
Die Lao San explained, "Years ago, I accidentally killed a severely injured cultivator from the Water Path Sect and took his storage bag. Inside, I found two spells—the Concealment Technique and the Water Prison Technique."
"Water Path Sect?"
"It's a relatively low-key sect in Heishan State, not a large group, but with a long heritage."
Mo Hua nodded and prompted, "And then?"
Die Lao San continued, "Since I have a single-attribute water spirit root, I was well-suited to learn the Concealment Technique. I felt that this was my opportunity, so I mastered it and moved to a different place to earn a living..."
Yu Chengyi kicked him and spat, "What kind of living? You're dealing in human lives!"
Die Lao San dared not speak back.
Mo Hua asked, "So you learned the Concealment Technique but not the Water Prison Technique?"
Die Lao San sighed and replied, "I couldn't learn it. The Water Prison Technique is difficult to master. It's hard to control your spiritual power when casting it, and it's not easy to hit your target. Moreover, it only traps people and doesn't have much power. I thought it was a bit useless, so I didn't bother to put in the effort to learn it."
"Also, I'm a body cultivator, and I don't rely on spells. Although this technique is rare, it's of no use to me, so I could only keep it temporarily and plan to exchange it for other martial arts or Taoist techniques later."
"But this technique is so obscure that I haven't been able to trade it away..." Die Lao San spilled everything, one thing after another.
Mo Hua understood the situation and asked Die Lao San, "Of the two fugitive cultivators who escaped, one had a missing eye, and the other was bald. Which one is your big brother?"
Die Lao San didn't want to answer, but he had no choice. "The bald one..."
"What's his name?"
Die Lao San shook his head. "I don't know his real name. We call him 'Big Brother' to his face, and the cultivators in the underworld call him 'Bald Monk'."
"Bald Monk?"
Mo Hua nodded. The name was quite fitting and memorable.
"How many 'big brothers' do you have?" Mo Hua asked further.
"Currently, just him..."
"Currently?"
"The role of big brother is passed down," Die Lao San explained quietly. "When one big brother dies or is captured, another takes his place. Anyone who stays in the group long enough can become a big brother..."
"It's a pond full of snapping turtles, with big brothers everywhere," Mo Hua muttered.
After the interrogation, Mo Hua kept the two spell books and returned the storage bag to Yu Chengyi.
Yu Chengyi assumed that the two spell books now belonged to Mo Hua, and since there weren't many spiritual cultivators among the demon hunters, he would have given them to Mo Hua even if he hadn't asked for them.
Subsequently, the demon hunters escorted all the criminal cultivators down the mountain and handed them over to Elder Yu.
These criminal cultivators were interrogated again, endured some hardships, and provided some information before being sent to the Dao Court.
Elder Yu personally escorted them there, explained the situation, completed the necessary procedures, and had the criminals locked up in the Daoist prison.
An hour later, when Elder Yu returned, he saw Mo Hua sitting in a chair in the living room, drinking tea with the old Daoist elder.
The elder looked up and asked, "Is everything taken care of?"
Yu Chengyi nodded. "Yes, I've reported everything to the Chief Judge, and he's very pleased."
The Daoist elder smiled. "That old fellow gained merit for no reason. How could he not be happy?"
"Will those criminal cultivators be sentenced to death?" Mo Hua asked curiously, holding his teacup.
"They've committed murder and robbery, and most of them have prior records," Elder Yu replied. "According to the law, they will all be sentenced to death.
Yu Chengyi sat down next to Mo Hua, who poured him a cup of tea. Mo Hua then remembered something and asked, "What about the blind cultivator who said that they were hired by the Kong family to kill Uncle Ji and his son? Can the Dao Court do something about that?"
Yu Chengyi shook his head. "There's no proof, so the Dao Court can't convict them. Moreover, the Kong family is from Qingxian City, and the Dao Court in Tongxian City can only question them, not directly interfere. The Dao Court in Qingxian City is probably bribed by the family, so they won't pursue the Kong family's guilt. Even with evidence, it will likely end up being swept under the rug."
Mo Hua couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Yu Chengyi then explained the backgrounds and motives of the criminal cultivators.
Most of them were from the Black Mountain State, with diverse identities—some were from influential families or sects, while others were rogue cultivators. They all had a history of murder and were wanted by the Dao Court, forcing them to roam aimlessly.
As Tongxian City flourished and attracted more cultivators, they gathered on Great Black Mountain, killing and robbing others of their spiritual stones. They would either kidnap cultivators for ransom or simply murder them and leave their bodies to be devoured by beasts.
After Ji Qingbai and his son, along with Fu Lan, escaped from Qingxian City, they were pursued by the Kong family's cultivators. Failing to catch up, the Kong family encountered this group of criminal cultivators and hired them to continue the pursuit. According to the young master of the Kong family, he wanted Ji Qingbai and his father dead for striking him, and he wanted Fu Lan as his slave.
They were promised a thousand spiritual stones upon completing their task.
Elder Yu couldn't help but curse, "That little beast! He deserves a horrible death!"
Yu Chengyi also felt indignant as he continued, "We've had some conflicts with these criminal cultivators as well. They've been eyeing us for a while. Today's sudden fog provided them with an opportunity to make their move."
"It's a pity we didn't catch them all. Two of them escaped," Mo Hua frowned.
"We did well to capture as many as we did," Yu Chengyi said. "With their reduced numbers, they shouldn't be able to cause any more trouble for a while."
"Can we catch the ones who escaped?" Mo Hua asked.
"I've already asked the demon hunters to keep an eye out, but the inner mountain is vast, so it might take some time," Yu Chengyi replied.
"Alright," Mo Hua nodded.
However, Mo Hua committed the bald cultivator's face to memory. Next time they met, he wouldn't let him escape.
"By the way," Yu Chengyi said to Mo Hua, "there's a reward for capturing criminal cultivators from the Dao Court. I'll send it to you in a few days."
"Does everyone get a reward?" Mo Hua asked.
Yu Chengyi nodded. "Everyone who participated will receive a reward."
"Thank you, Uncle Yu!" Mo Hua smiled.
After chatting a while longer and drinking some more tea, Mo Hua took his leave.
He then paid a visit to Old Man Feng to check on Ji Li.
Ji Li had been safely brought back, and Old Man Feng had treated him with acupuncture and spirit pills, using his wood-based spiritual power to unblock his meridians. His life was no longer in danger, but he remained unconscious and would need some time to recover.
Fu Lan's eyes were red as she kept watch by Ji Li's side.
Ji Qingbai's expression was solemn, but he felt relieved that his son was alive.
After all, being alive was better than anything else...
Seeing that Ji Li was out of danger, Mo Hua felt relieved as well.
Old Man Feng was delighted to see Mo Hua and praised him, "The spirit pills I gave you were used well. Otherwise, it would've been difficult to save Ji Li's life."
Fu Lan stood up and sincerely bowed to Mo Hua to express her gratitude.
Ji Qingbai also looked at Mo Hua and clasped his hands together, "Grateful for your great kindness!"
Their gratitude made Mo Hua feel a little embarrassed, so he scratched his head and smiled, "Then you have to invite me to your wedding feast!"
Ji Qingbai was slightly taken aback but then smiled in relief, "Of course!"
(End of Chapter)
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