Chapter 408: The Missing
Chapter 408: The Missing
Seeing Mo Hua, Si Tu Fang was full of surprise.
After a few words of argument with several other cultivators, she barely managed to extricate herself and brought Mo Hua and the others to a quiet teahouse by the road. She ordered a few cups of green tea, some dried fruits, and snacks.
Mo Hua curiously asked, "Sister Si Tu, are you the Dian Shi of Nanyue City?"
It was not surprising to Mo Hua that Si Tu Fang was a Dian Shi.
She was wearing the official robe of a Dian Shi, and her cultivation was not weak. It was also normal for someone of a familial background to hold such a position in the local Dao Ting Si.
What puzzled Mo Hua was why she would be the Dian Shi of Nanyue City? Nanyue City was quite far from Tongxian City. If she was the Dian Shi there, why had she come all the way to Tongxian City to capture the evil cultivator in the first place?
Si Tu Fang sighed, "Family training requires us to take up rotational postings everywhere."
"Oh, I see." Mo Hua understood.
The family traditions of the Si Tu family seemed quite good, sending their disciples to serve in various places to hone their abilities.
And from the looks of it, this kind of training was quite arduous.
Even the idle Zhang Lan had been busy dealing with one crisis after another, first with Black Mountain Village and then with the powerful demon.
"What about you?" Si Tu Fang asked. "Why are you here?"
She then looked around, "Did Zhang Lan come with you?"
Mo Hua shook her head and smiled, "Uncle Zhang didn't come. I'm traveling with my master, and we happened to pass by here. I wanted to visit a senior, and then I ran into you."
"Your master is traveling to spread his teachings?" Si Tu Fang asked, slightly surprised.
She remembered Zhang Lan mentioning in passing that Mo Hua was good at drawing arrays, and that he had a mysterious teacher.
She glanced at Bai Zi Sheng and Bai Zi Xi.
The two had extraordinary appearances and an otherworldly aura, clearly disciples of an eminent master.
Especially Bai Zi Xi; she couldn't help but take a few more glances, marveling, "Your little senior sister is so beautiful..."
"Mm!" Mo Hua nodded, but silently added in her heart,
"You haven't seen how truly beautiful she is yet..."
Bai Zi Xi also smiled gently, "Sister, you're very beautiful too..."
Beautiful in appearance, with a lovely voice, and kind words.
Si Tu Fang couldn't stop smiling.
After a moment, she asked, "What about Zhang Lan? Is he still in Tongxian City?"
"He should have returned to the family."
"He's built his foundation."
"Mm."
Si Tu Fang nodded, then suddenly asked, "I heard that you guys in Tongxian City killed a powerful demon. Is that true?"
Mo Hua nodded eagerly, "Yes!"
"I drew the grand array, and in the end, it was also me who used the array to disintegrate that pig and send it to its death!"
Of course, Mo Hua didn't say this last part out loud, only thinking it in her heart.
Si Tu Fang clicked her tongue in amazement, "That's truly...extraordinary."
Such an incident, where cultivators on one side built a grand array to kill a powerful demon, was extremely rare, even in the history of the Dao Ting.
She didn't inquire further about the specifics.
This matter, which concerned the survival of all the cultivators in the city, probably had little to do with Mo Hua, a little cultivator of ten or so years old.
Even if she asked, Mo Hua might not know the details.
Mo Hua took a sip of tea, pursing her lips. It tasted bitter, a bit astringent, but with a hint of sweetness.
It was unpleasant yet strangely pleasant at the same time.
She tasted all the dried fruits and snacks, her eyes shining with delight.
They were delicious.
She took a few more bites, wondering silently about the methods used to make the dried fruits and snacks, and whether she could replicate them herself.
The dried fruits would be for Gui Lao, and the snacks for her little senior sister.
As Mo Hua ate and drank, a sudden thought came to her, and she asked Si Tu Fang, "Sister Si Tu, were you arguing with someone earlier? What happened?"
Si Tu Fang's initially relaxed mood instantly vanished, and she said helplessly, "Yes."
"Can you tell me about it?" Mo Hua blinked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Bai Zi Sheng and Bai Zi Xi, sitting beside her, also turned to Si Tu Fang, evidently curious as well.
Si Tu Fang thought for a moment and sighed, "I guess it won't hurt to tell you..."
"I was transferred to the Dao Ting Si of Nanyue City as the Dian Shi half a year ago."
"Here in Nanyue City, the families occupy the mines, and most loose cultivators make a living by mining. They are commonly known as 'Mine Cultivators'."
"Mining requires entering the mines to dig and drill, which is quite arduous and dangerous."
"Inside the mines, there are not only stale and filthy qi but also evil ghosts and tunnel-boring demons."
"If the filthy qi invades one's body, it can cause serious injury or even death."
"The demons in the mountain caves also eat people."
"Moreover, if the mine tunnels are not dug properly, and the arrays are crudely drawn, they can easily cause the mines to collapse."
"Once a mine collapses, with the crushing weight of the rocks, a cultivator in the Qi Refining stage has no chance of survival."
"So here in Nanyue City, many cultivators lose their lives in the mines every year..."
"Then those cultivators who were arguing with you earlier had family members who went missing in the mines?" Mo Hua asked.
Si Tu Fang nodded, "Yes, but they're not sure if they're dead or alive. They're just missing."
She sighed again, "But based on past experience, if someone goes missing in the mines, they're most likely dead."
Mo Hua asked in confusion, "Then what does this have to do with you?"
Si Tu Fang said helplessly, "Their family members went missing, and they came to the Dao Ting Si to report it, crying. The Dao Ting Si accepted the report but didn't seem very willing to handle it."
"Seeing how poor they were, and how they were crying day and night over their missing relatives, I couldn't bear it, so I took the initiative to handle the matter."
"But I didn't expect..."
Mo Hua realized, "You got into trouble?"
Si Tu Fang smiled bitterly, "If the trouble was just from the Dao Ting Si, it would still be fine.
Si Tu Fang looked at Mo Hua in surprise. "How do you know all this?"
Mo Hua scratched her head. "Uncle Zhang told me..."
Si Tu Fang paused, "Why would he tell you these things?"
Mo Hua recalled the past, her voice crisp as she said, "We drank together, mostly him drinking while I ate meat and sipped some fruit brew. He talked a lot when he was drunk, telling me everything."
"He said that in the past, when he tried to help others, he ended up in a mess, being blamed by all sides."
Si Tu Fang's expression turned unexpected. She was quite familiar with Zhang Lan. On the surface, he seemed lazy, but he was actually perceptive and somewhat proud. He didn't have many friends, and his relationship with the family was somewhat strained.
She never expected that he and Mo Hua would be so close that they could talk about anything.
Si Tu Fang pondered for a moment and then nodded. She realized that Mo Hua was right. Her own softness had landed her in this predicament. Now, the case was making no progress, and she was mired in a quagmire, facing complaints every day.
With a deep sigh, Si Tu Fang said, "What about these miners, Mo Hua? How did they go missing?"
Shaking her head, Mo Hua replied, "We haven't found out yet. There are no clues in the mine, and the families of these miners are causing a ruckus. They demand explanations and more compensation in spirit stones, but when asked about the specific case, they become vague, only emphasizing their hardships..."
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly. "I suspect there's something amiss here."
Si Tu Fang nodded in agreement. "I feel the same, but we haven't been able to find any clues. Now, I'm dealing with their families making a fuss every day, and I'm at my wits' end."
"Why don't you lock them up?" Mo Hua suggested quietly.
Si Tu Fang was taken aback. "Where?"
"In the Daoist prison..." Mo Hua whispered.
Si Tu Fang fell silent. Even Bai Zi Sheng and Bai Zi Xi, who were sitting beside them, looked at Mo Hua with disapproving gazes, as if she had suggested something outrageous.
"I don't think that's appropriate," Si Tu Fang said gently.
"Just to scare them a little..." Mo Hua explained, "They are taking advantage of your kindness and pushing you further because of it. If this continues, you won't be able to find the missing miners or make any progress in the case. You'll be stuck in a difficult position."
"This situation is not beneficial for anyone..."
"And I'm sure they're hiding something," Mo Hua added.
"Lock them up for a few days. Once they calm down and realize the seriousness of the situation, they will know their boundaries. Then, when you question them, they will answer truthfully."
Pausing for a moment, Mo Hua recalled Zhang Lan's words and nodded. "For those who understand reason, you can be kind. But for those who don't, you need to establish your authority, or they will take advantage of you."
"Being overly kind will not solve the problem."
Si Tu Fang pondered for a long time before reluctantly agreeing. "Alright, I'll try it."
After some more small talk and assurances that they could seek her help if needed, Si Tu Fang settled the bill and left.
As soon as Si Tu Fang departed, Mo Hua took a sip of her tea and noticed that Bai Zi Sheng was staring at her intently.
"What is it?" Mo Hua asked, slightly startled.
"Let's go to the Dao Ting Si to help with the investigation," Bai Zi Sheng suggested.
Mo Hua pouted. "What for?"
Bai Zi Sheng hesitated, unsure how to explain that he simply wanted to tag along. So, he said, "Aren't you curious about why the miners went missing? Whether they are alive or dead? If they are alive, where are they being held, and can they be rescued? If they are dead, how did they die? Were they killed by another cultivator, and if so, why?"
Bai Zi Sheng rattled off a string of questions.
Mo Hua, who hadn't been particularly curious before, now found herself intrigued despite herself...
She furrowed her brows, a nagging feeling that something was amiss tugging at her mind. She couldn't quite explain why she felt this way, but ever since she had learned the Divine Consciousness Calculation, she occasionally had such premonitions.
It seemed that the Divine Consciousness Calculation could sense the causality of some things.
"Could it be that Master has been teaching me this technique so that I can predict causality and avoid danger?" Mo Hua wondered silently.
(End of Chapter)
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