Chapter 304: Commander Yang
Chapter 304: Commander Yang
Zhang Lan had previously made up his mind to not let Mo Hua venture into the mountains, but now that he needed Mo Hua's help, he felt somewhat embarrassed.
Mo Hua, however, didn't mind. He figured that Zhang Lan's request would be related to the eradication of Black Mountain Fortress, and he was more than happy to assist as long as it meant wiping out the evil cultivators within.
Zhang Lan led Mo Hua into the inner mountains and arrived at a desolate peak. The area nearby was pockmarked with signs of past battles between numerous cultivators, though these traces were old. There were also several excavated mineshafts on the peak.
Mo Hua was somewhat surprised.
This peak turned out to be Nameless Peak, the site of the small spiritual mine that they had once contested with the Qian family.
The battle traces in the surrounding area had been left by the battle between the demon hunters and the Qian family cultivators, mostly due to his Earthfire Array.
He never expected that the Daobing troops would be secretly stationed here.
As Zhang Lan and Mo Hua approached the foot of the mountain, Mo Hua's spiritual sense detected vague figures within the mineshafts on the peak.
These cultivators had stable auras and were well-trained, likely the Daoting troops that had been dispatched.
Suddenly, Mo Hua's expression tightened as someone sensed his spiritual probe!
Moreover, it was a Foundation Establishment cultivator!
At the same time, a tall and sturdy cultivator with a stern face and stern gaze abruptly appeared from a cave at the mountainside.
He had a solemn expression, his spiritual sense spread out, and his gaze was sharp and carried a hint of killing intent.
When he noticed Zhang Lan and Mo Hua at the foot of the mountain, his expression eased slightly, and he nodded briefly to Zhang Lan before turning and walking back into the cave.
"He's at the Foundation Establishment stage, and he's putting on airs..."
Zhang Lan muttered with a hint of disdain in his voice.
Although Zhang Lan spoke softly, Mo Hua still heard him and asked, "Uncle Zhang, do you know him?"
"Sort of," Zhang Lan replied, reluctant to elaborate. "Let's go up."
Mo Hua nodded.
There were quite a few Daobing troops wearing uniform armor and holding long spears, their expressions vigilant among the bushes and rocks near the mineshaft.
Mo Hua had already seen them when he scanned with his spiritual sense, so he wasn't surprised.
Zhang Lan, on the other hand, was quite composed, as if he were a regular visitor.
The Daobing troops seemed to know Zhang Lan as well, and they all bowed and greeted him, "Commander Zhang!"
One of the troops stepped forward and led Zhang Lan and Mo Hua into a stone chamber within the mineshaft.
The chamber was spacious, suitable for resting or holding discussions.
Mo Hua recalled that when they had competed with the Qian family for the spiritual mine, Elder Yu had resided in this very stone chamber. Next to it was a small and cozy stone room where he had stayed, feasting on beef and drawing arrays every day.
He never expected that this place would now serve as a temporary camp for the Daobing troops.
The layout of the large stone chamber remained unchanged, but the furnishings were entirely different.
There was a suit of silver-gleaming armor and a red-tasseled spear placed nearby. In the center was a large table with a sand table on it, along with a blueprint.
The sand table resembled Black Mountain Fortress.
Standing in front of the sand table was the stern and sturdy Foundation Establishment commander from earlier.
The commander nodded at Zhang Lan, acknowledging his presence, before furrowing his brow and asking, "Weren't you supposed to invite an array master? Where is he?"
Zhang Lan pushed Mo Hua forward slightly, "Here he is."
The commander was taken aback for a moment before he burst out, "Zhang Lan! You good-for-nothing, the only reason I'm not beating you up is that I'm at the Foundation Establishment stage now, and it wouldn't be a fair win. If you keep making fun of me, I won't hold back!"
Zhang Lan coldly huffed, "You fail to recognize Mount Tai before you. Open your eyes and take a good look. This young man is a bona fide array master. He's usually very busy, and it's only because of my face that he's here at all!"
"Bullshit!" Commander Yang cursed at Zhang Lan. "Such a young kid, how many arrays could he possibly know? Do you really think I'm clueless about arrays?"
Zhang Lan remained unfazed and said, "I'll write a letter to my mother telling her that you cursed her, and we'll see if she doesn't skin you alive..."
The Foundation Establishment cultivator's eyelid twitched as he hurriedly said, "Nonsense! I was cursing you, don't twist my words!"
"Cursing you is no different from cursing my mother.
"How old am I? A man blossoms at thirty, and I'm at the prime of my life, exuding charm and elegance..."
...
Mo Hua was stunned.
These two grown men were acting more childish than he was as they bickered.
After arguing for a while, Zhang Lan and the other man felt their throats dry. They sat down and took a sip of tea.
The Foundation Establishment commander then realized that arguing with a mere Qi Refining cultivator like Zhang Lan in front of a child was a loss of face.
It was all Zhang Lan's fault; he was so unpredictable and had a habit of picking fights.
The commander coughed, pretending that nothing had happened earlier, and asked Mo Hua in a gentler tone:
"Little brother, are you really an array master?"
However, his stern and square face, usually stern, did not look very kind, but rather like an uncle with bad intentions...
Mo Hua didn't know how to address him, so Zhang Lan said from the side:
"His surname is Yang; just call him 'Commander Yang'."
Mo Hua replied with a crisp voice, "Commander Yang, Uncle Zhang is right. I am an array master."
Commander Yang nodded, sighing inwardly.
Zhang Lan, that kid, was really asking for trouble. How could he bring such an important matter to a child for help?
Looking at his age, I wonder how long he has studied array formations...
However, there was no time to worry about that now. What was done was done, and none of them here understood array formations. Even among the Daobing troops, those who could decipher array patterns could be counted on one hand.
Commander Yang took a sip of tea and asked, "How far have you studied array formations?"
Mo Hua humbly replied, "Not much. I've only reached the first-grade..."
Upon hearing this, Commander Yang spat out his tea, soaking the sand table and blueprints in front of him.
Zhang Lan raised his eyebrows, feeling extremely pleased. He taunted, "Look at you, so narrow-minded. It's just a ten-year-old first-grade array master. There's no need to make such a fuss, is there?"
Zhang Lan's tone was casual, but he couldn't help feeling delighted inside.
Commander Yang cursed at Zhang Lan again, "You're full of bullshit. How many genius array masters are there in the cultivation world? A first-grade array master at such a young age, and you just happened to bump into one?"
Zhang Lan shrugged it off. "Believe it or not, I don't care."
"I don't believe it," Commander Yang said. "Show me the array this kid drew."
Zhang Lan pointed to a piece of paper in the middle of the sand table. "That's it right there."
In the center of the sand table was a map of Black Mountain Fortress.
Commander Yang was dumbfounded, then cursed again, "Don't give me that crap! The report from the Daoting in Tongxian City clearly stated that the Daoting, at great risk, had infiltrated the tiger's lair and obtained intelligence on Black Mountain Fortress. They also managed to draw a map of the fortress's array formation. Now you're telling me it was this kid who drew it?"
Zhang Lan smiled and said to Mo Hua, "Take out that waist token and show it to Commander Yang."
Mo Hua paused for a moment, then realized what Zhang Lan was talking about. He took out the bronze waist token given to him by the Daoting from his storage bag.
Commander Yang was stunned when he saw it.
Zhang Lan proudly said, "See that? It's a bronze waist token. He's a member of the Daoting. The map he drew is the same as the one drawn by our Daoting."
Commander Yang was speechless and could only say,
"The bronze waist token is only for temporary members..."
"But he's still part of the Daoting," Zhang Lan countered.
Commander Yang frowned. "If the map was drawn by this kid, it should be considered a merit. Why wasn't it mentioned in the report?"
Zhang Lan shrugged, "Who would believe it if it was written in the report? Would you?"
Commander Yang glanced at the young Mo Hua and then at the intricate and complex map of Black Mountain Fortress on the sand table, which included many first-grade arrays. He sighed silently.
Any cultivator with even a bit of common sense in the cultivation world would not believe it.
Of course, he didn't believe it either.
(End of Chapter)
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