Chapter 407: An Old Acquaintance
Chapter 407: An Old Acquaintance
Mo Hua and his companions were led to the parlor, where they were offered refreshing fruits and fine tea, infused with spiritual energy.
The array master introduced himself, "I am Master Su, a first-rate array master and elder of the Southern Peak Sect. May I inquire about your name, young master..."
"I am Mo Hua, also a first-rate array master. I haven't been offered an elder position yet..." Mo Hua replied with a smile.
Master Su chuckled, "You have a witty tongue, Young Master Mo."
Mo Hua, blessed with exceptional talent yet humble and innocent in his speech, charmed Master Su with his amiable laughter. Master Su slowly sipped his tea and asked, "May I ask what brings you here, young master?"
"Master Su..." Mo Hua began.
Master Su quickly waved his hand, "Please, just call me Elder Su."
Being a first-rate array master himself, he felt it was inappropriate to be addressed as a master.
Mo Hua nodded and asked, "Elder Su, do you happen to know an array master by the surname Yan? His mastery of arrays is either half-step first-rate or perhaps even first-rate by now..."
Elder Su paused, stroking his beard as he murmured, "Surname Yan..."
He pondered for a long while before shaking his head, "I'm afraid I don't know of anyone by that description."
"This place, South Peak City, is both large and small," he continued. "Especially within the circle of array masters, anyone with some level of skill would be at least somewhat known to the others."
"There are array masters with the surname Yan in South Peak City, but none that are half-step first-rate or first-rate. I've never heard of such a person."
Mo Hua couldn't hide his disappointment, but he added, "He's from out of town."
Elder Su furrowed his brows in thought, "If an outsider stayed here long enough, I would have likely heard of them through mutual acquaintances. If they only stayed for a short while and then left, that could be a reason why I'm unaware of them."
"Of course, if this array master chose to keep a low profile and avoided interactions with other array masters after arriving, it would also be understandable if I haven't heard of them."
Mo Hua nodded slowly.
Given that Yan Jiaoxing was searching for a traitor from his sect, it was possible that he had tried to conceal his presence and lay low upon arriving, so as not to alert his target.
Elder Su hesitated for a moment before asking, "May I ask what relation this Master Yan has to you, young master?"
After asking, he quickly added with an apologetic tone, "Of course, if you'd rather not disclose that information, please disregard my question."
"Master Yan is my senior and teacher," Mo Hua explained. "I happened to be passing through this place, so I thought I'd pay him a visit."
Mo Hua only provided a vague explanation.
Elder Su understood.
Paying a visit to one's teacher was a natural thing to do.
"What a pity," Elder Su sighed. "I haven't had the pleasure of meeting this array master, so I'm afraid I can't be of much help to you."
"Not at all, Elder Su," Mo Hua replied politely. "It's we who have disturbed you."
Since he couldn't gather any information about Yan Jiaoxing, Mo Hua decided to take his leave. He still had to inquire with other array masters.
Elder Su thought for a moment and then instructed one of his disciples to fetch a letter of introduction, which he handed to Mo Hua. "This is my letter of introduction..."
"If you don't present the Celestial Pivot Disc when visiting other array masters, you might not be granted an audience," he explained.
"However, the Celestial Pivot Disc is a valuable item that can attract unwanted attention and jealousy. It's best not to reveal it lightly."
"With this letter, your visits will be much more convenient."
Mo Hua accepted the letter and noticed Elder Su's name elegantly written on it, with golden specks in the ink and the emblem of the Southern Peak Sect.
It looked both expensive and impressive.
"Thank you, Elder Su," Mo Hua expressed his gratitude.
Elder Su smiled, "If you have the time during your stay in South Peak City, please feel free to visit my humble abode for tea and a discussion on arrays."
Mo Hua thanked him again but expressed his concern, "I hope I won't be intruding during your time hosting other guests."
Elder Su, being both an array master and an elder, likely had a constant stream of visitors and a busy schedule.
Elder Su shook his head, "Not at all. You are welcome at any time, young master."
"Thank you for your kindness, Elder Su," Mo Hua smiled. "I'll definitely take you up on that offer when I have the time."
Afterward, Elder Su personally saw Mo Hua out.
Once Mo Hua was out of sight, Elder Su stroked his beard and muttered to himself, "This is strange. Where did this first-rate young array master come from? Could he have learned arrays in the womb? No, that doesn't seem right either..."
One of Elder Su's disciples, who had been quietly standing by his side, asked in a low voice, "Master, do you think he might be an imposter?"
"No, he can't be," Elder Su shook his head. "Array mastery cannot be faked. One either has it or doesn't. The moment he started drawing an array, I knew he was undoubtedly a first-rate array master."
The disciple felt a twinge of jealousy in his heart, "Even if he is a first-rate array master, he's still very young. Don't you think you were being too polite to him?"
"You don't understand," Elder Su shot a glance at the disciple.
The disciple dared not say more.
Elder Su furrowed his brows and pondered for a while before speaking slowly, "This young master... I can't see through him."
"Not only him, but the two young cultivators accompanying him, with their exceptional appearances and auras, are also beyond my understanding..."
"They seem to be at the Qi Refining stage, but my spiritual sense couldn't discern much about them..."
"I am still at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet I can't see through those at the Qi Refining stage..."
"This suggests that they must be carrying some kind of spiritual artifact that conceals their aura."
"Such artifacts are not something that cultivators of ordinary backgrounds could possess."
The disciple's heart skipped a beat, "Are these three young cultivators of significant backgrounds?"
Elder Su nodded, then shook his head, and suddenly frowned, his face showing displeasure. He turned to the disciple and said, "Why are you so concerned about this?
Then, he scurried off, but his expression didn't seem overly flustered.
Seeing this, Elder Su sighed helplessly, "Why did I, in my prime, get myself into such a romantic mess?"
...
After leaving Elder Su's mansion, Mo Hua asked Bai Zisheng, "Should we visit the other array masters?"
"Yes." Mo Hua nodded, "Even though it's unlikely we'll find any clues, it's still worth a try. At least we can get to know them."
As newcomers to Nan Yue City, it would be beneficial to get acquainted with the local cultivators, especially those who were array masters.
Local array masters tended to be influential figures.
It would be easier to resolve conflicts if they had some connections.
Without any connections, conflicts would often lead to fights.
But with even a slight acquaintance, people would be more amenable to discussion.
This was something he had learned from Master Luo.
Master Luo was well-connected among the array masters in Tongxian City and had a smooth relationship with the cultivators there. Taking his advice couldn't be wrong.
Bai Zisheng nodded in agreement.
Subsequently, the group visited all the prominent array masters in Nan Yue City, one by one, bearing Elder Su's letter of introduction.
They inquired about Yan Jiaoxing's whereabouts and also took the opportunity to build some rapport.
Elder Su was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, a first-rate array master, an elder of the Nan Yue Sect, and seemingly an inner sect elder as well.
His letter of introduction proved to be extremely useful.
With it, Mo Hua smoothly visited the mansions of all the array masters in Nan Yue City.
Everyone was generally polite and amicable.
With Elder Su's letter, Mo Hua didn't need to reveal his status as a first-rate array master, as it wasn't necessary.
Elder Su's identity was more than sufficient.
Even if some array masters were haughty at first, after conversing with Mo Hua and discussing arrays, they would become amicable.
Array masters tended to get along well with each other.
Especially when it came to arrays, it was easy to discern if someone was knowledgeable or not with just a few words.
Mo Hua's age and proficiency in arrays left them all astonished.
Mo Hua spent an entire day visiting and chatting with the array masters, and by the end, they were all somewhat familiar with him.
As the saying goes, even a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake.
Mo Hua, who had initially been an "outsider," had now become a "local snake" in the array community of Nan Yue City.
Walking on the streets of Nan Yue City, Mo Hua held himself with a straighter back and a more confident gait.
Bai Zisheng was perplexed.
He had witnessed how all the array masters, despite their initial arrogance, eventually treated Mo Hua amicably.
It seemed like they were all willing to give Mo Hua some face.
How did he gain such good relationships? Was it because Mo Hua was an array master himself?
But Mo Hua hadn't revealed that he was a first-rate array master, only mentioning that he knew "a bit" about arrays...
Bai Zisheng couldn't understand it.
Mo Hua, unaware of Bai Zisheng's thoughts, was still preoccupied with Master Yan's whereabouts.
As expected, none of the array masters he asked knew about Master Yan's whereabouts, and some had never even heard of him...
Mo Hua frowned.
Where had Master Yan gone?
Was he still in Nan Yue City?
...
Upon returning, Mo Hua recounted everything to Mr. Zhuang.
Mr. Zhuang wasn't surprised, as if he had anticipated this, and merely nodded slightly.
"Master, should we continue searching?" Mo Hua asked, not wanting to waste Mr. Zhuang's time.
"Keep searching." Mr. Zhuang instructed, "Let's give it some more time."
"Okay."
...
In the following days, apart from his daily cultivation and array drawing practice, Mo Hua spent the rest of his time with Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, wandering through the streets and alleys of Nan Yue City, inquiring about Master Yan's whereabouts as they explored.
After five or six days, they still hadn't found any clues.
Although they didn't find Master Yan, Mo Hua encountered another familiar face.
One day, while out on the streets, Mo Hua noticed a group in a dispute, and among them was a beautiful female cultivator who looked vaguely familiar.
Intrigued, Mo Hua took a few more glances.
Bai Zixi curiously observed him.
Mo Hua blinked, suddenly remembering, and his eyes lit up as he waved and called out, "Sister Si Tu!"
The female cultivator was Si Tu Fang.
A few years ago, outside Da Hei Mountain near Tongxian City, she and Zhang Lan had been on a mission to capture an evil cultivator. During their journey, they met Mo Hua, who guided them to the evil cultivator and even helped subdue him, breaking one of the evil cultivator's legs in the process.
Mo Hua recalled how Si Tu Fang had treated him kindly and, along with Zhang Lan, invited him to a lavish meal at the Ling Shan Lou.
Si Tu Fang, dressed in the black robe of a Dao Court disciple, was taken aback to hear a young cultivator with red lips and white teeth waving at her and calling her "sister."
She stared at him for a while, her mouth agape, before finally recognizing him and exclaiming, "Mo... Mo Hua?!"
(End of Chapter)
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