Chapter 265: A Strange Occurrence
Chapter 265: A Strange Occurrence
Upon returning, Mo Hua spent all his free time practicing the Reverse Spirit Array, in addition to his daily cultivation routine.
Every night, he immersed himself in his spiritual sea, practicing the array on the Dao Steles, and during the day, he continued to meticulously draw the Reverse Spirit Array in his small hut or on the tables at the eatery.
After more than ten days of this routine, his spiritual sense had improved significantly, and he could now roughly replicate the nine partially damaged Reverse Spirit Arrays. He estimated that it wouldn't be long before he could draw them perfectly.
Once he mastered these nine-and-a-half arrays, he could seek out Mister Zhuang to inquire about the hiding array.
Learning the Hiding Array would allow Mo Hua to compensate for his shortcomings in concealment techniques using array formations.
Mastering concealment techniques would give him more options and flexibility when facing difficult situations.
Bai Zixi had given him a meal plan, which he handed over to his mother, pointing at a dessert called "Reunion Under the Flowers and Moon" and saying, "Mother, I want to eat this."
"Greedy again," Liu Ruhua chided, gently poking Mo Hua's nose, her tone reproachful yet affectionate.
She took the meal plan and glanced at it, a puzzled expression on her face. "Is this really what you want to eat?"
Although Mo Hua wasn't usually picky with his food, his mother knew his preferred tastes.
This particular dessert used a lot of flowers as filling, which might be a bit too sweet and cloying, and she doubted it was something he would choose for himself.
Mo Hua blinked and said, "Mother, I want to try something different."
Something sweet, with flowers…
Liu Ruhua began to understand, and she couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, Mother will make it for you."
Although the "Reunion Under the Flowers and Moon" dessert was a bit tedious to make, the ingredients weren't expensive. Liu Ruhua studied the recipe for two days until she understood the process, and then she steamed a basket of the flower cakes.
Mo Hua carefully packed away the cakes, intending to bring them with him when he visited Mister Zhuang, offering some to Bai Zixi.
There was also a portion for Bai Zisheng, made with the rabbit meat he had been craving.
It was a dish ordered by a customer, but Mo Hua had asked his mother to make extra so that Bai Zisheng could enjoy it as well.
Under the big locust tree, Bai Zisheng ate with great enthusiasm, his eyebrows dancing with pleasure.
In contrast, Bai Zixi ate with her usual grace and elegance, her focus on the food intense. A few flower petals clung to her lips unnoticed.
Mo Hua watched, intending to remind her, but he found her lips more captivating than the flowers, and he forgot to speak.
Noticing Mo Hua's gaze, Bai Zixi thought he wanted to eat as well, so she hesitated before offering him a piece.
Mo Hua was taken aback and shook his head. "You eat it."
He had tasted it before and found it too sweet and floral, cloying if eaten in large quantities, so he couldn't eat too much.
"Are you sure you don't want it?" Bai Zixi asked.
Mo Hua thought for a moment, then accepted it.
A little sweetness wouldn't hurt. Eating one piece wouldn't be a problem.
Bai Zixi nodded slightly, and the two of them ate the flower cakes quietly under the tree, saying nothing.
After this, Mo Hua continued to study the Reverse Spirit Array.
Occasionally, when he had free time, he would take out the rubbing of the map and study it.
However, no matter how much he pondered, he still couldn't figure out exactly which part of Great Black Mountain the map depicted.
He also wondered about the interrogation of the bald monk and the one-eyed man. Had they discovered any new clues?
On this particular day, Mo Hua was once again practicing the Reverse Spirit Array at the eatery when Zhang Lan arrived for a meal, his expression grave.
Upon seeing Mo Hua, Zhang Lan seemed hesitant to speak.
"Has something happened?" Mo Hua asked.
Zhang Lan paused for a moment before replying, "The one-eyed Sin Cultivator confessed."
Mo Hua's eyes lit up at this news.
Zhang Lan sighed softly. He hadn't wanted to involve Mo Hua in this matter any further.
Mo Hua had already helped them capture the bald monk, and the case was essentially closed. The rest was up to the Court of the Dao to handle—the interrogation, sentencing, and execution.
These matters were not directly related to Mo Hua, but if the one-eyed cultivator's words were true, it could affect all demon hunters.
Zhang Lan continued, "Regarding the map, the bald monk did indeed lie."
"That bald liar, still not telling the truth even at death's door!" Mo Hua huffed, then asked, "What did the one-eyed man say?"
Zhang Lan continued, "There's a rumor among the Sin Cultivators that those with blood-stained hands can take refuge in Great Black Mountain if they have nowhere else to turn."
"When did this rumor start?" Mo Hua asked.
"It's been around for a long time," Zhang Lan replied. "According to the one-eyed man, the Sin Cultivators have been saying this for about one or two hundred years."
Zhang Lan's tone turned slightly grave, "However, not many people believed it before. Now that Tongxian City is becoming more prosperous, there are more interactions between cultivators and merchants, and with more opportunities for profit, many Sin Cultivators have been drawn to Great Black Mountain. That's why we were able to capture them and obtain this lead."
The more Zhang Lan spoke, the more solemn his expression became.
If this was true, the biggest trouble in Great Black Mountain might not be these sinful cultivators.
"Those with blood-stained hands can take refuge in Great Black Mountain..."
Mo Hua repeated the phrase, then asked, "And then? What can they do once they're in Great Black Mountain?"
Zhang Lan shook his head, "That's what we don't know. Or perhaps, those who know haven't been caught by us yet."
"Does neither the bald monk nor the one-eyed man know anything?"
"Yes," Zhang Lan nodded, "Even under interrogation, they claim to have no idea. It seems they really don't know despite the map being something the bald monk stole through murder."
If none of these sinful cultivators know anything, then the only lead is...
Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat, "The map?"
Zhang Lan slowly said, "That's what I'm thinking as well. If we can figure out the location marked on the map, we might be able to uncover the truth behind this rumor."
"What about the bald monk then? The map was his."
Zhang Lan looked disappointed, "He doesn't know either. While he did steal the map, he has no idea what the map is for or where the location is."
"It was the one-eyed man who encountered something strange," Zhang Lan continued.
"Strange?" Mo Hua frowned.
Zhang Lan nodded slightly and proceeded to tell Mo Hua about the incident:
"He said that over ten years ago, he went to Great Black Mountain to rob others, but came back empty-handed. He slept under a tree, wrapped in a thin blanket, braving the mountain winds. He dared not sleep on the ground for fear of being eaten by beasts in his half-awake state."
"In his half-sleep, he heard people talking."
"He couldn't tell if it was two or three people, but they were whispering, their voices hoarse and strange in the night, making it hard to discern what they were saying."
"Alone in the tree, he didn't even dare to breathe heavily. It took him a long time to catch snippets of their conversation."
"These cultivators under the tree were also Sin Cultivators. They had committed heinous acts, annihilating an entire family of cultivators, plundering their spiritual stones and wealth, and were being pursued by the Court of the Dao. With no other options, they thought of taking refuge in Great Black Mountain."
"They had high cultivation levels and spoke of their cruel deeds. The one-eyed cultivator was terrified, shivering in the tree until dawn. Only when he saw no one around did he dare to climb down."
"Moreover, after that, he never saw those Sin Cultivators again in Great Black Mountain. It was as if they had vanished into thin air..."
As Mo Hua listened, a chill ran down his spine.
If this was true, then Great Black Mountain was harboring all sorts of evildoers, and the situation was far more complex than they had imagined.
Zhang Lan glanced around and, seeing that there were still diners nearby, lowered his voice and continued, "That one-eyed man also overheard those Sin Cultivators say something strange..."
Zhang Lan's expression turned solemn, and Mo Hua felt a sense of foreboding.
"What did they say?"
Zhang Lan thought for a moment before slowly saying,
"The mists of Black Mountain hide a deep abyss; at midnight, throw your name and ask for directions."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
