Chapter 322: Past Events
Chapter 322: Past Events
Elder Yu frowned and said, "Back when the Great Elder of the Qian family met his end, no, perhaps it would be more accurate to say when he faked his death, I was still young and my cultivation was not high. My interactions with him were limited to a few distant glimpses and witnessing his battles with the late Demon-Hunting Elder."
"In everyone's perception, the Great Elder of the Qian family was dead. So when I encountered him in Heishan Stockade, I didn't immediately make the connection."
"But if what Mo Hua said is true, and the ancestor of the Qian family is indeed the leader of Heishan Stockade, then there's a high possibility that this leader is the supposedly deceased Great Elder!"
Elder Yu recalled further, "Moreover, during the attack on Heishan Stockade, I crossed paths with this leader, and he had no spiritual power in one of his arms, as if it were a prosthetic. The Great Elder of the Qian family from back then had also lost an arm."
The faces of the crowd turned grim.
If the ancestor of the Qian family was the leader, then the leader was the Great Elder of the Qian household.
With this, everything made sense.
The Qian family employed a clever strategy, feigning the death of their Great Elder, who then became the leader of Heishan Stockade. He recruited sinful cultivators, practiced evil arts, and refined human pills with the abundant resources of the Qian family supporting him in the shadows. Thus, Heishan Stockade grew stronger day by day.
Not many in the Qian family knew about this, and neither did most of the evil cultivators in Heishan Stockade.
The ancestor of the Qian family could hide in the shadows, and even if Heishan Stockade was eradicated and most of the evil cultivators were killed or captured, no one would suspect him.
Because most evil cultivators didn't even know of his existence.
And if Heishan Stockade hadn't been destroyed...
The ancestor of the Qian family could have prolonged his life with the Human Longevity Pills, lingering in this world. Meanwhile, with Heishan Stockade's support, the Qian family would have remained standing strong, always in an invincible position.
No matter how many losses the Qian family seemed to face on the surface, they only needed to endure temporarily and they would rise again.
There was simply no force near Tongxian City that could rival Heishan Stockade.
"What a deep scheme..." Elder Yu sighed.
Yang Jiyong and Zhang Lan also nodded solemnly.
Elder Yu sighed again, "When the ancestor of the Qian family was young, he was eccentric and vengeful. But in his later years, he became much more low-key. I thought it was because he was nearing death and his competitive spirit had faded. I never imagined that he was biding his time, setting up such a grand scheme."
Mo Hua also pondered, "So that's why the Qian family has backed down so many times in the past two years, even though they started with a bang. They downplayed and brushed off their losses to prevent their secret from being exposed."
It started with Qian Xing being injured in an explosion, which the Qian family did not pursue further.
Then, they lost in the competition for the spirit mine.
They suffered setbacks in the competition between the Pill Refinement Business and the Artifact Refinement Business.
And finally, they failed in their attempt to kill me, Mo Hua, who has an innate talent for formations.
The Qian family endured all of this.
Because the foundation of the Qian family was not their cultivators, spirit stones, pill refinement, artifact refinement, or formations. It was Heishan Stockade, where they kept hundreds of evil cultivators under their control.
The most important thing for the Qian family was to keep this secret hidden.
Once they let the situation get out of hand, attracting more attention and scrutiny, someone might uncover the connection between them and Heishan Stockade.
The Dao Court would surely send Daoist soldiers to eradicate Heishan Stockade!
And the Qian family would be implicated for colluding with evil cultivators, leading to their exile and the confiscation of their properties, causing their centuries-old establishment to crumble!
The crowd was both shocked and fearful, a chill running down their spines.
Yang Jiyong sighed, "This ancestor of the Qian family... it's fortunate that he's only at the Foundation Establishment stage and located in a small place like Tongxian City. If he were in a higher-grade state with a higher cultivation level, he would probably be an unfathomable demon."
Mo Hua nodded in agreement.
The ancestor of the Qian family's schemes and depth far surpassed Qian Hong's.
In comparison, Qian Hong's only strength seemed to be his ability to endure, like an old turtle...
Mo Hua asked, "Uncle Yang, can we deploy Daoist soldiers to deal with the ancestor of the Qian family?"
Yang Jiyong pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "According to the original orders from the Daoist Soldier Division, we were supposed to depart tomorrow. But now, given the urgency of the situation, I will send a letter to the Daoist Soldier Division to request a delay of a few more days.
Zhang Lan shook his head. "He's half-crazed and doesn't know anything."
"We don't need to ask him anything specific. We just need him to confirm if there's a leader in Heishan Stockade. If he reacts to the word 'leader,' it proves that there is indeed a leader, and the suspicion on the Qian family's ancestor will be even stronger," Mo Shan explained.
Zhang Lan's eyes lit up, and he nodded. "That's a good idea."
Mo Hua pondered for a moment and then said, "Then I'll go ask Old Man An. He's been in a secret rivalry with the Qian family for so many years; he must know some inside information."
Elder Yu said, "I'll also ask around some of the elders in the city to see if they have any clues."
After finalizing their plan, everyone took action. Yang Jiyong wrote to the Daoist Soldier Division, while the others set out to gather information.
Mo Hua went straight to the An family residence.
The An family guards recognized Mo Hua and respectfully led him to the guest hall. They offered him a fine cup of tea and asked him to wait.
Mo Hua took a sip of the tea and found it delicious, though he couldn't pinpoint why. He drank a few more cups, still unable to discern the reason for its excellence.
Each time Mo Hua finished a cup, someone would promptly refill it for him.
After two refills, Old Man An finally emerged and apologized, "I apologize for keeping you waiting, my friend. I was tied up with some mundane matters."
Mo Hua also greeted him with a bow. "Old Man An, you're too kind."
Old Man An sat down and took a sip of tea before speaking. "May I ask why Mo Xiaofan has graced my home with his presence today?"
Mo Hua looked around.
Old Man An understood and dismissed his attendants, ensuring that there was no one else in or around the guest hall. Then he said, "You may speak now."
Mo Hua nodded and asked, "Old Man An, how well do you know the ancestor of the Qian family?"
Old Man An was slightly taken aback. "We're acquainted, but it's not a friendly relationship. Everyone in Tongxian City knows about the secret rivalry between the An and Qian families."
"Why hasn't the An family ever bested the Qian family?" Mo Hua asked.
Old Man An's heart sank. He was reluctant to admit that the An family couldn't compete with the Qians, even if it was true. He didn't want to lose face.
Usually, other cultivators wouldn't dare ask him such a question to his face.
But Mo Hua was an exception. If he wanted to ask, then so be it.
Old Man An sighed and answered honestly, "The Qians are cunning and ruthless. Our An family doesn't have the heart to stoop to their level, so naturally, we can't beat them."
"Is the ancestor of the Qian family ruthless as well?"
Old Man An's eyes turned cold. "He's the most venomous of them all. Heartless and vicious, he always gets his revenge, no matter how small the grievance. I don't know how many lives he's destroyed... But karma has caught up with him. He's aged quickly, and his vitality has declined. It's impressive that he's still breathing."
There was a hint of schadenfreude in Old Man An's tone.
Mo Hua thought to himself that the ancestor was probably not only still alive but had also extended his lifespan. His vitality was likely still strong...
After a moment of silence, Mo Hua asked the question that concerned him the most: "Old Man An, have any of your family's caravans ever disappeared in the Great Black Mountain?"
Old Man An was stunned. The look in his eyes became intense as he gazed at Mo Hua with a hint of disbelief. "How did you know?"
Mo Hua saw the expression on Old Man An's face and knew that his guess was correct. "Why don't you tell me what happened first, and then I'll explain how I found out?"
Old Man An's eyebrows furrowed, and he fell into deep thought. After a long while, he slowly let out a breath and said, "Very well, these are all old stories now. There's no harm in telling you..."
Mo Hua held his teacup and listened intently.
(End of Chapter)
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