Chapter 385: A Clue
Chapter 385: A Clue
Sun Ze curled his lips and angrily said, "You little brat, the Sun family will not let this go..."
Mo Hua showed no mercy as he struck Sun Ze's head with his staff.
Sun Ze's head rang with a buzz.
"Think before you speak," Mo Hua reminded him.
Gritting his teeth, Sun Ze hardened his heart. Like a hero who wouldn't suffer an immediate loss, he pleaded, "Young master, I was wrong. I was foolish and dared to instruct you. Please, be generous and spare me."
Mo Hua, of course, didn't believe a word he said, but he didn't care. Instead, he said, "I'll ask you a few questions. If you answer them, I'll let you go. Otherwise, your father can always have another son..."
Mo Hua was just trying to frighten Sun Ze.
However, Sun Ze broke out in a cold sweat. His father didn't need to have another son, as he already had two.
As the firstborn son, if he died, his younger brother would easily take his place as the heir.
Moreover, his second brother was more skilled in formations, and his father would probably be delighted with the turn of events, at most pretending to be sad and shedding a few crocodile tears.
Sun Ze hurriedly said, "Young master, ask away! I'll tell you everything!"
Mo Hua looked at Sun Ze with suspicion, wondering why this man had such little spine. He hadn't even struck him with the Thousand-Catty Staff more than a few times, and yet he was already so obedient.
"Then, I ask you, does your Sun family have a hereditary formation?"
Sun Ze's heart skipped a beat. This little brat was indeed after their Sun family's hereditary formation.
Sun Ze quickly nodded, "Yes!"
"Where is it?"
Sun Ze shook his head, "It's not there!"
Mo Hua struck him again, "So, is it there or not?"
Gritting his teeth, Sun Ze said, "According to my father, the Sun family does have this heritage, but also according to him, the family has no clues about the formation and cannot find it..."
Mo Hua asked in confusion, "Didn't your ancestor pass it down to you?"
Sun Ze didn't know how to answer.
But Mo Hua suddenly realized, "Oh, that's right. Even if you were passed down, you wouldn't be worthy."
The Sun family had monopolized the formation, exploited the Spirit Farmers, and bullied others with their power.
Moreover, their formation skills were mediocre, and they didn't even have a first-rate formation master. Even if they found the ultimate formation, they wouldn't be able to learn it, and it would be a waste.
Sun Ze felt ashamed and annoyed, but he didn't dare refute. Instead, he shifted his eyes and asked, "Young master, what formation are you looking for?"
Mo Hua stared at him, seeing through his thoughts at a glance, "Are you trying to get me to give you clues? Do you think I'll tell you?"
Sun Ze forced a smile, "No, no, I wouldn't dare."
But in his heart, he cursed, "This little brat, how can he be so cunning, like a ghost..."
Before he could finish his curse, his head was struck again.
Mo Hua's thin eyebrows rose, and he coldly said, "Are you cursing me in your heart?"
Sun Ze's head hurt, and his lips twitched as he quickly said, "No, no, I wouldn't dare!"
"Then, what else do you know about this formation?" Mo Hua asked again, weighing the Thousand-Catty Staff in his hand as a threat, "It's best if you're honest. If I find out you're hiding something, you'll only make things difficult for yourself. If your answers satisfy me, I'll let you go."
Mo Hua alternated between kindness and sternness, giving Sun Ze a glimmer of hope.
This process of questioning was something Mo Hua had already tested several times.
He had asked Diao Laosan about the whereabouts of the Hiding Technique and questioned Qian Xing about the conspiracy of the Qian family's ancestor.
He had mastered the timing of when to strike, when to ask, and when to offer a glimmer of hope.
Sun Ze didn't quite believe that Mo Hua would let him go, but he also dared not disbelieve it.
If he didn't believe it, Mo Hua might send him to his death with a fireball.
He still had to become the head of the Sun family and enjoy all the riches and honors that came with it. He didn't want to hand all of that over to his younger brother.
So, Sun Ze honestly spilled everything he knew, like beans pouring out of a bag, about the Sun family's ancestor and the heritage passed down to the later generations.
Sun Ze didn't know much, and Mo Hua couldn't glean any more clues, but at least he had verified his guess.
The Sun family's ancestor had indeed hidden the ultimate formation in the Spirit Field.
However, he hadn't left the formation with the Sun family or passed it down to his descendants.
The only unknowns were where the ancestor had hidden the ultimate formation, how he had hidden it, and what kind of formation techniques he had used...
Mo Hua repeatedly asked Sun Ze about some things.
Sun Ze's head spun, and he answered with difficulty.
Although he missed a detail here and there, there were no contradictions in his story, indicating that he was probably telling the truth.
So, Mo Hua didn't make things difficult for him anymore.
After all, Sun Ze was the firstborn son of the Sun family.
Even though he was unskilled, ignorant, and bullied Spirit Farmers, it wouldn't do to kill him now.
Forgetting his shame and anger, Sun Ze asked in confusion, "You're really letting me go?"
"What? You don't want to leave?" Mo Hua raised an eyebrow, "Do you want me to beat you up some more?"
Sun Ze was startled and quickly said, "I'm leaving, I'm leaving!"
Without waiting for another word, he scrambled to his feet and limped away as fast as he could.
He didn't even spare a glance at the other Sun family cultivators.
In this regard, he was similar to Qian Xing, the spoiled young master of the Qian family.
When faced with danger, they would abandon even their fellow sect members.
As Sun Ze ran, he glanced at the watery reflection in the spirit field.
His pathetic image was mirrored in the water.
His face was blackened and charred, and both his arms were burned. He looked utterly miserable.
Sun Ze couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Just what kind of fireball technique did that little brat use?
How could it be so powerful?
What was even more hateful was that the fireball had almost exploded directly on his face, ruining his handsome features.
Sun Ze felt like cursing Mo Hua, but a chill ran down his spine, and he forcibly suppressed the curse that was about to escape his lips.
He dared not!
If he cursed and that little brat somehow sensed it, he might just send another fireball to end his life, and that would be a huge loss.
A small act of cowardice can ruin grand plans.
He had to get back and report this matter to his father.
His father was a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
That little brat was only at the Qi Refining stage, and no matter how powerful his fireball technique was, he wouldn't be a match for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
With this thought in mind, Sun Ze ran even faster, wishing he could use his hands to run as well.
Mo Hua guessed that Sun Ze would go running back to his father, Sun Yi.
While Sun Yi was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Mo Hua had his invisibility technique. Even if he couldn't win in a fight, he could always escape.
If the Sun family really went too far, angering him, he could always sneak into their estate, set up an array, and use a reverse spirit array to make their family head disappear without a trace.
But it wasn't time for that yet.
Mo Hua frowned again.
His master, Guai Lao, and his senior martial brothers and sisters were still in the Sun family's estate.
Now that he had fallen out with the Sun family, he wondered what would happen to his master and the others.
As Mo Hua pondered, he saw a carriage approaching in the distance.
Guai Lao was driving the carriage, and Da Bai was pulling it.
Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed nothing could be hidden from his master.
Or perhaps, all of this had been within his master's expectations.
Da Bai neighed as he saw Mo Hua, and Mo Hua rushed forward to pat his neck affectionately.
Then, he recounted to Zhuang Xian Sheng how Sun Ze had picked a fight with him, how he had beaten Sun Ze, and how he had knocked down seven or eight Sun family cultivators.
Zhuang Xian Sheng remained calm and said, "It's a minor matter, don't worry about it."
Mo Hua asked in a low voice, "Master, do you think I'm being rash and lacking in restraint?"
Zhuang Xian Sheng replied, "When you don't have the ability, being cautious and restrained is prudent. But when you do have the ability, and you still hold back, that's just being spineless."
"I don't recall ever teaching you to turn the other cheek when struck, or to keep silent when insulted."
Mo Hua's heart eased, and he smiled.
Zhuang Xian Sheng glanced at Mo Hua and said gently, "I brought you all out to gain experience. I generally won't interfere in your affairs, and you should rely on yourselves to handle most situations."
"But if you ever encounter real danger, even if the sky falls, I will protect you. So, relax and just do what you think is right."
"Yes, Master!" Mo Hua nodded happily.
Bai Zisheng, standing by, looked at the Sun family cultivators lying haphazardly in the spirit field. He felt both regret and disappointment.
He regretted that, as the senior martial brother, he hadn't been able to protect his junior martial brother in time.
And he was disappointed that he had missed such a good fight.
Bai Zixi glanced at Mo Hua a few times. Seeing that he had consumed quite a bit of spiritual energy but had no serious injuries, and his complexion was still good, she finally nodded slightly.
...
At the Sun family mansion.
Zhuang Xian Sheng had taken his leave from Sun Yi earlier, saying that he wanted to visit Qianjia Town. Sun Yi hadn't suspected anything.
It was only after he left that Sun Ze returned, his face covered in dirt and bruises, that Sun Yi finally understood why Zhuang Xian Sheng had left...
Sun Ze didn't dare hide anything and recounted everything that had happened.
When he finished speaking, Sun Yi was both shocked and furious.
"What did you say?!"
He slammed his hand on the table, shattering it, his eyes wide with disbelief:
"You're telling me that eight or nine of our Sun family cultivators were beaten by that wet-behind-the-ears brat?!"
(End of Chapter)
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