Chapter 317: A Glimmer of Truth
Chapter 317: A Glimmer of Truth
Mo Hua had no reason to refuse when it came to freeloading meals.
The next day at noon, Mo Hua set off to attend the banquet.
Yang Tongling seemed to have invited quite a number of people, including officials from the Daotingsi and Daobingsi, as well as many demon hunters.
Mo Hua's father, Mo Shan, had also been invited and had arrived earlier with Elder Yu, probably to discuss some matters beforehand.
Mo Hua had been practicing his array techniques and deducing the re-formation of arrays before he set off, hence his slight delay, but he should still make it in time for the start of the banquet.
On his way there, Mo Hua unexpectedly ran into Zhang Lan.
Zhang Lan was strolling with an unwilling look on his face, apparently heading in the same direction.
Mo Hua greeted him, and upon hearing someone calling his name, Zhang Lan's interest was piqued when he saw it was Mo Hua, and he walked alongside Mo Hua.
Mo Hua asked, "Uncle Zhang, are you also here to freeload a meal?"
Zhang Lan corrected him, "It's called graciously accepting an invitation, not freeloading!"
"That's also a way to put it," Mo Hua replied.
Zhang Lan clearly disagreed, but then he thought about it and realized that attending a banquet upon invitation was indeed not much different from freeloading.
At noon, the streets were still bustling with activity.
The two of them strolled and walked together.
Mo Hua suddenly remembered something and quietly inquired, "Any new news from Heishan Stockade?"
Zhang Lan was a little surprised by the question. "What do you want to know?"
"Didn't the second-in-command get caught? Has he said anything?" Mo Hua asked.
Seeing the noisy surroundings and that no one was paying attention to their conversation, Zhang Lan lowered his voice and said to Mo Hua, "The second-in-command is a killer by nature and has long lost his sanity. He only reacts to a few names, and is oblivious to everything else. They've been questioning him for over ten days, but haven't gotten anything out of him."
Mo Hua couldn't hide his disappointment.
Zhang Lan's eyebrows furrowed, and he asked in a low voice, "Are you still suspicious of something?"
Mo Hua released his spiritual sense to ensure their privacy and replied in a soft voice, "I suspect there's someone backing Heishan Stockade..."
Zhang Lan's gaze sharpened, but his expression remained unfazed.
Mo Hua was taken aback, "Uncle Zhang, you think so too?"
Zhang Lan nodded, "The influence of Black Mountain Stockade is too vast, and they've been entrenched for too long. Without support from local powers, it would be almost impossible."
Mo Hua cut straight to the point, "Could it be the Qian family?"
Zhang Lan asked, "Then do you know what the Qian family has done?"
Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
He had been thinking about this during his free time these days, but after much contemplation, he couldn't find any connection between the Qian family and Heishan Stockade.
There was no exchange of spirit stones or employment of the evil cultivators from Heishan Stockade to commit murders, nor were there any members of the Qian family hiding among the evil cultivators.
Zhang Lan said, "When something like this happens, anyone can be a suspect, even officials from the Daotingsi, Elder Yu, or even me, Zhang Lan. You should try to make a guess..."
"But when you come to a conclusion, you must be cautious and have evidence. Otherwise, it's easy to make a wrong judgment," he added.
Mo Hua understood that Zhang Lan was giving him guidance, so he nodded seriously, "Uncle Zhang, I'll keep that in mind."
This kid really catches on quickly...
Zhang Lan nodded slightly, feeling both relieved and a bit bittersweet.
At this rate, there won't be much left that I can teach Mo Hua, nor anything to boast about in front of him, he thought to himself.
I need to hurry up and establish my Foundation Realm. Otherwise, I won't be able to hold my head high in front of Mo Hua, let alone that Yang Jiyong kid... Zhang Lan mused.
Mo Hua was unaware of Zhang Lan's thoughts and was still preoccupied with the matter of Black Mountain Stockade, "If it's not the Qian family, then who else could it be? Who else is colluding with Black Mountain Stockade? And what exactly have they been helping Black Mountain Stockade with?"
As he walked, Mo Hua pondered these questions in his mind.
Before long, the two of them arrived at the Lingshen Building.
Mo Hua temporarily set aside his doubts and went upstairs with Zhang Lan.
The send-off banquet was lavish, with many attendees, most of whom were acquaintances of Mo Hua.
Feeling at ease, Mo Hua took a seat and waited for everyone to pick up their chopsticks before he happily joined in on the feast.
Yang Tongling intentionally sat next to Mo Hua and quietly asked during the banquet, "Mo Hua, have you given it any thought? Are you interested in joining the Daobingsi?"
Mo Hua glanced at his father, Mo Shan.
Yang Tongling continued, "I've asked your father, Mo Shan, and he said it's entirely up to you. He won't interfere."
Zhang Lan muttered from the side, "Still harboring ill intentions, and with such thick skin!"
Yang Tongling said, "It's a great opportunity..."
"What's so great about the Daobingsi?" Zhang Lan retorted.
An old official from the Daotingsi, sitting nearby, pretended not to hear their conversation, but he couldn't help but cough lightly.
Realizing he might have spoken out of turn, Yang Tongling quickly apologized to the old official, "I was referring to Zhang Lan's behavior, it has nothing to do with the Daotingsi. Please don't take it to heart, sir."
The old official didn't say anything, but Zhang Lan retorted, "Mr. Yang, in front of the official, I'll give you some face, but if you push me, I won't hesitate to expose your embarrassing secrets..."
"Who do you think has embarrassing secrets? Bring it on!" Yang Tongling shot back.
The two of them continued their bickering.
Fortunately, the banquet was lively with many guests, and the overall atmosphere remained harmonious despite their quarrel.
Mo Hua initially paid attention to their argument but soon realized it was over trivial matters. As his stomach was grumbling, he focused on enjoying his meal and ignored them.
After arguing for a while, Yang Tongling finally remembered the main purpose of the banquet. He had been so caught up in his exchange with Zhang Lan that he had almost forgotten about it.
He turned his gaze back to Mo Hua, his eyes shining with anticipation.
Mo Hua, who was thoroughly enjoying his meal, felt obliged to accept when he saw Yang Tongling's expectant look. So, he politely declined, "Uncle Yang, I still want to study array techniques. After I've mastered them, I'll consider joining the Daobingsi then."
Zhang Lan scoffed and spat, "A few cups of wine and you're already drunk? Dreaming in broad daylight? If anyone should join a family, it would be mine, not yours."
"My Yang family is a prominent clan..." Yang argued.
"And mine isn't?" Zhang Lan retorted.
"I won't quarrel with you," Yang Tongling said, trying to calm the situation.
"As if I want to quarrel with you," Zhang Lan shot back.
...
And so, the two of them started bickering again.
Mo Hua sighed helplessly and shook his head. He decided to focus on enjoying his meal and ignore their quarrel.
As the feast came to an end, Mo Hua felt pleasantly full.
Downstairs, the guests exchanged farewells and pleasantries before parting ways.
In a few days, Yang Tongling would be leading his troops away, embarking on the long road of cultivation. It was uncertain when they would meet again.
With the impending farewell, even Zhang Lan refrained from arguing further with Yang Tongling.
Elder Yu, representing the loose cultivators of Tongxian City, presented Yang Tongling with some gifts and expressed his gratitude: "This successful extermination of the Heishan Stockade and the preservation of peace in Tongxian City are all thanks to your excellent leadership and the valiant efforts of your Daobing troops."
"It was a mere trifle, Elder Yu. Your kindness is much appreciated," Yang Tongling replied humbly.
He then added, "In fact, we must also thank Mo Hua for his invaluable contributions..."
Zhang Lan rolled his eyes, unable to hide his annoyance, "That's enough, Yang Tongling..."
"I'm not being sentimental..." Yang Tongling insisted. "Array formations are crucial in battles. Without Mo Hua's expertise as an array master, eradicating the Heishan Stockade would have been a much more arduous task."
Zhou Palmsi nodded in agreement, sighing, "What you say is true, Yang Tongling. We were fortunate to have Mo Hua's talents; otherwise, we would never have discovered the mountain path hidden by the cliffs, seen through the mist forest's illusions, found the concealed entrance to the Heishan Stockade, or broken through their layers of defensive array formations."
Zhou Palmsi couldn't help but praise Mo Hua as well.
Elder Yu nodded proudly, feeling honored to have such a talented individual among the loose cultivators.
Mo Hua's father, Mo Shan, felt a bit embarrassed by the excessive praise, so he simply expressed his gratitude. However, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as a father, hearing such high praise for his son from two Foundation Establishment cultivators.
After bidding farewell to each other, Mo Hua followed his father home, walking through the bustling and vibrant streets of the city.
As Mo Hua strolled along, he recalled the flattering words of Yang Tongling and Zhou Palmsi, a smile spreading across his face.
But suddenly, his smile faded, and his heart skipped a beat as a realization struck him.
Something felt amiss.
He felt like he had stumbled upon a crucial insight, but for a moment, his thoughts were muddled and unclear.
Mo Hua replayed the words of Yang Tongling and Zhou Palmsi in his mind.
"...without Mo Hua's expertise as an array master, eradicating the Heishan Stockade would have been a much more arduous task..."
Without an array master... eradicating the Heishan Stockade... a difficult task.
Without an array master... they wouldn't have discovered the mountain path, seen through the mist forest, or found the hidden entrance...
Without an array master...
Mo Hua's heart trembled as a thought occurred to him:
Loose cultivators rarely had array masters.
Among loose cultivators, those who studied array formations were extremely rare, and achieving the level of a first-rate array master was even more impossible.
Mo Hua himself was an exception, blessed with the Divine Tablet that enhanced his spiritual sense, the guidance of Yan Jiaoxing, and a stroke of good luck that led him to become Master Zhuang's named disciple. It was only through his relentless dedication to the craft that he became a first-rate array master.
Typically, loose cultivators had no chance of producing an array master.
"What if there were no array masters among the loose cultivators?"
Mo Hua frowned, pondering this idea, and a chilling realization began to form in his mind.
Without an array master among the loose cultivators, no one would be able to decipher the Concealment Array and discover the mountain path hidden within the abyssal ravine;
No one could venture into the Mist Forest, see through the mist array, and uncover the truth hidden by the thick fog;
No one would find the invisible entrance to the Heishan Stockade, and they would never know that deep in the mountains lurked a terrifying sect of evil cultivators!
The Heishan Stockade had been able to exist secretly within the Great Black Mountain because of their array formations!
As long as loose cultivators lacked knowledge of array formations and couldn't penetrate the concealment and mist arrays, the evil sect could continue their reign of terror, murdering innocents, cultivating evil arts, and refining human pills... all while remaining undetected!
Mo Hua took a sharp breath, a chill running down his spine. He forced himself to calm down and think rationally.
"They don't want loose cultivators to learn array formations..."
Mo Hua recalled that initially, the Tongxian Sect used to offer array formation courses.
However, after Yan Jiaoxing left, and with no one to teach array patterns, the sect stopped offering those courses. Around the same time, Mo Hua had also withdrawn from the sect due to his inability to study array formations.
From then on, loose cultivators had almost no opportunity to learn array formations, completely shutting them off from that path.
If it weren't for Mo Hua, there truly would be no array masters among the loose cultivators.
"Yan Jiaoxing left, and loose cultivators couldn't learn array formations..."
But why had Yan Jiaoxing left? Mo Hua furrowed his brows in thought, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes.
It was the Qian family!
(End of Chapter)
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