Chapter 421: Rescue
Chapter 421: Rescue
"Who dares?"
The other thugs exclaimed in terror, their voices filled with alarm.
Before they could react, they noticed a cultivator approaching them with uncanny speed.
This person wasn't tall, but their movements were incredibly swift. Golden light coiled around their fists, and with a single punch, they sent one of the thugs flying, spitting blood.
Another thug, in a panic, drew his knife and slashed at the figure.
But midway through the swing, his forearm was caught.
The assailant twisted his arm with force, snapping it with an audible crack.
The thug howled in agony. Before he could utter more than a few cries, he was kicked, sending him tumbling. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he fell.
The remaining thug, a burly man with substantial cultivation, managed to hold his ground for a few exchanges. However, with each blow he landed, his heart sank further.
This mysterious cultivator, despite also being at the Qi Refining stage, possessed an exceptionally robust aura. Their attacks were swift and fierce, their boxing technique refined, and their cultivation base seemed high.
With each punch they traded, he felt his own fists vibrate painfully, the bones within feeling as if they were about to shatter.
Under their relentless assault, he could only defend passively, unable to mount a counterattack.
And he wouldn't last much longer—exchanging a few more blows had already pushed him to his limit.
True to his fears, after a few more moves, his knuckles shattered, the pain unbearable. He faltered, leaving an opening.
His opponent seized the chance, flashing to his side. With a golden fist, they delivered an upward punch, shattering his arm.
The burly man grunted in agony, his body drenched in sweat. He turned to flee, but the ghostly figure was already upon him, delivering a kick that snapped his leg.
The man crumpled to the ground with a thud, passing out from the pain.
In mere moments, the thugs had been defeated, leaving only Wang Lai standing.
Wang Lai had managed to extinguish the flames on his arm, but his right arm was charred black, hanging limply by his side—a testament to the severity of his injury. He was clearly unable to wield his knife.
Wang Lai scanned his surroundings, his eyes filled with fear. "Which cultivator are you?" he asked, his voice quivering.
Silence echoed in the quiet mine, and no one answered.
Wang Lai turned to flee, but before he could take a few steps, a golden sword light flashed and pierced his right leg.
He staggered and fell to the ground, clutching his injured leg and wailing in pain.
The sword light had pierced his leg, and white, flame-like spiritual power was slowly roasting him from the wound, causing excruciating agony.
In just a few moments, Wang Lai and his band of thugs had been subdued.
Old Yu's head reeled in disbelief. He fell to his knees with a thud, his voice shaking as he pleaded, "I don't know who you are, but please..."
Before he could finish, a small, pale hand reached out and supported his arm, helping him to his feet.
Three small figures emerged from the shadows of the mine.
In the dim light, Old Yu could barely make out their features, and he was even more astonished as a result.
The ones who had effortlessly subdued Wang Lai and his men were three young cultivators with clear brows and extraordinary appearances.
"Y-you are..."
Mo Hua raised a bronze waist token in his hand.
"We are from the Daoting Court," he said.
This bronze waist badge had been specially applied for by Zhang Lan and Zhou, the chief judge, while they were in Tongxian City.
After all, when traveling far from home, it was always beneficial to have multiple identities and connections.
And in this situation, the Daoting Court identity would come in handy.
Old Yu still found it hard to believe.
Could there really be such young cultivators in the Daoting Court?
However, the waist token seemed genuine, and they had no reason to deceive an old man like him.
Old Yu immediately kowtowed, his gratitude overflowing. "Thank you, young masters!"
Mo Hua stopped him from bowing and instead handed him a pill, saying, "Take this to stop the bleeding, and rest for a while."
Then he went over to Wang Er and Tang Wu, feeding each of them a pill as well.
He had already inspected them with his spiritual sense and found that they had only fainted. Their heads were bruised, and their sea of consciousness had been shaken, but their lives were not in danger.
After that, Mo Hua strolled casually towards Wang Lai.
Wang Lai's right arm had been injured by Mo Hua's Fireball Technique, and his right leg had been pierced by Bai Zixi's sword light. He leaned against the wall, his body drenched in sweat from the pain.
He looked at Mo Hua, his eyes wide with disbelief.
He never imagined that he would be defeated by a group of children.
Who were these brats?
How had they discovered him, and how had they appeared in the mine?
What did they want?
"Y-you're from the Daoting Court?" Wang Lai asked through gritted teeth, enduring the pain.
Mo Hua nodded.
"Then do you know... Zhao Dian?" Wang Lai asked cautiously.
Mo Hua's eyebrows rose, "Are you acquainted with Zhao Dian?"
Wang Lai forced a smile, "Not very well, but we have some mutual acquaintances."
"Oh?" Mo Hua replied, his tone laden with meaning.
Wang Lai couldn't quite discern Mo Hua's background, nor could he fathom his thoughts. He couldn't even probe with his spiritual sense, as if Mo Hua's entire being was shrouded in mist.
Wang Lai's heart sank, but he asked anyway, "Young masters, may I ask why you have come to this mine?"
Mo Hua's expression was enigmatic, "You tell me."
Wang Lai scratched his head, embarrassed, "Please enlighten me, young master."
Mo Hua looked at him and said, "You were trying to kill someone."
Wang Lai's expression changed, and he immediately shouted, "No, young master, it's a misunderstanding!"
His right arm was burned, and he couldn't move it, so he raised his left hand and pointed at Old Yu, "It was them! They wanted to steal the Lu family's mine, but I caught them in the act. I was just about to send them to the Daoting Court for judgment..."
"These mineral cultivators may look honest, but they are deceitful and greedy. They would do anything for a small profit."
"Don't be fooled by them..."
Mo Hua paused, taken aback.
This Wang Lai was indeed a talented individual.
In just a short moment, he had concocted a story that turned the tables and framed others.
No wonder he was able to navigate Nan Yue City with ease, and no wonder everyone called him "Wang Laipi."
Old Yu was furious, his finger trembling as he pointed at Wang Lai, "You! You're despicable!"
Despite having no grudge or enmity, Wang Lai was trying to shift the blame and kill them to silence them.
Wang Lai smiled coldly but remained silent.
Mo Hua smiled back, "Wang Laipi."
Wang Lai's expression changed drastically at the mention of his nickname, "You know me?"
If they didn't know his background, they wouldn't be aware of this moniker.
Wang Lai's eyes narrowed as he thought carefully, a chill spreading through his heart. "So, you know everything," he said, his eyes narrowing further, "You came here specifically for me, and you've been watching me from the start?"
"Something like that," Mo Hua replied nonchalantly.
Wang Lai asked, "How much do you know?"
Mo Hua counted on his fingers, "This month, you visited Yihong Tower seven times, robbed twice, fought six times, ate without paying five times, and lost ten spirit stones and three points in a gamble the day before yesterday..."
Wang Lai's face paled in shock, "How is that possible?
Of course, she didn't voice her thoughts about Wang Lai's inferior spiritual sense, which had failed to detect her surveillance.
Instead, she wore an enigmatic smile that only added to Wang Lai's confusion.
"What are you going to do to me?" Wang Lai asked, his heart pounding with anxiety.
With a crisp tone, Mo Hua replied, "I'm going to ask you a few questions, and I expect honest answers."
Wang Lai's gaze narrowed. "If I tell you, will you let me go?"
"If you talk, I won't kill you. Instead, I'll hand you over to the Daoting Court for their judgment. But if you refuse to speak, I'll end you right here!" Mo Hua threatened.
Wang Lai let out a cold laugh. "It's the same as killing me either way. What difference does it make?"
"There's a big difference between dying now and dying later," Mo Hua explained. "Besides, since you know Zhao Dian, you can plead with him. He might even spare your life."
Wang Lai's eyes flickered with uncertainty, and he snorted, "You seem to know everything about me. Why would you need to ask me anything?"
"Because there are still some things I don't know, and you do," Mo Hua replied.
"My silence gives me value, so you won't kill me. Am I right?" Wang Lai asserted.
Mo Hua smiled at his deduction. "Go on, ask away. I won't hold back now."
And so, Wang Lai began to speak, his words laced with defiance. But as Mo Hua and Bai Zixi moved closer, their expressions friendly yet unyielding, his courage began to waver. He backed away until he was pressed against the cold wall, his body trembling. "You...don't..." he stuttered.
Mo Hua raised the Thousand-Catty Stick high. "Let's see which is tougher, your mouth or my iron stick!"
With that, she brought the stick down with full force.
Bai Zixi joined in, his punches and kicks landing with precision.
Bai Zixi, recalling Wang Lai's despicable actions, added to his torment by condensing his golden sword qi into tiny golden needles that he embedded into Wang Lai's body.
Wang Lai gritted his teeth, his body shaking as he struggled to endure the pain. "You bunch of little brats...I'll remember this..." he muttered through clenched teeth.
"Still daring to be defiant?" Mo Hua's eyebrows arched, and she struck him even harder.
After a while, Mo Hua paused, remembering something. She took out a pill and fed it to Wang Lai.
Bai Zixi, curious, asked, "What kind of pill is that?"
"It's a Xiao Huandan, to keep him alive. I don't want him to die just yet," Mo Hua explained.
"You sure are considerate," Bai Zixi remarked, unable to hide his surprise.
Mo Hua nodded in agreement. "Of course."
They continued the beating, but soon noticed that Wang Lai was struggling to breathe. Bai Zixi frowned, concerned that their pill hadn't been effective. "Your Xiao Huandan doesn't seem to be working..."
Mo Hua scratched her head, confused. "This was given to me by Elder Feng. It should be a good one. Maybe I hit him too hard?"
Bai Zixi reached into his bag and took out a bottle of pills. "Try this one. It's a Bai family secret—a Ten Complete Great Tonic Pill. It restores blood, so we can keep beating him..."
Mo Hua brought the pill close to her nose and sniffed. Her eyes lit up. "This is good stuff."
She gave one pill to Wang Lai, who was barely conscious. Soon, his complexion improved, and his blood qi began to surge once more.
Bai Zixi rolled up his sleeves, eager to continue. "Let's go again!"
Although Mo Hua wasn't a body cultivator, she was starting to feel tired. Nonetheless, she gritted her teeth and persisted, "Alright!"
And so, they continued to pummel Wang Lai.
Even Old Yu, watching from the side, couldn't help but flinch at the brutality.
Wang Lai, however, could take no more.
The force of the punches, the hardness of the iron stick, and the sting of the golden needles were too much for him.
Moreover, these young cultivators seemed utterly unconcerned about his life or death.
If this continued, he would surely die.
All traces of defiance vanished from Wang Lai's demeanor. He begged for mercy, his voice broken and desperate, "I...I was wrong. Please...spare...my life..."
Bai Zixi was reluctant to stop, and Mo Hua shared his sentiment. "You only learn your lesson after a good beating," she said, a hint of regret in her voice. "I think we should change your nickname from 'Wang Laipi' to 'Wang Jianpi' (Despicable Wang)
."
Wang Lai spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with hatred.
...
After the beating, Wang Lai stopped pretending. He answered Mo Hua's questions, revealing himself to be a habitual offender.
He would lure mineral cultivators to the mine under false pretenses, kill them without a trace, and then contact their families to demand compensation from the Lu family.
He profited from both the killings and the subsequent settlements.
Wang Lai had committed these crimes numerous times, taking advantage of the inherent dangers of mining and the Daoting Court's negligence in investigating missing mineral cultivators. This had allowed him to act with impunity.
However, there was still a puzzle to unravel.
The Lu family had a policy: no compensation without a body.
Often, Wang Lai and his accomplices wouldn't receive any payment despite their heinous acts.
It seemed unlikely that Wang Lai, driven by greed, would risk his life for an uncertain payout.
Additionally, Mo Hua recalled Wang Lai's earlier instruction:
"Cut open their heart meridian, kill them, but don't damage their limbs, and make sure the skin isn't broken..."
Why go to such lengths to conceal the killings and make them appear as disappearances? There was clearly more to this than met the eye, and Wang Lai was hiding something.
Wang Lai remained tight-lipped, but Mo Hua's gaze turned chilly. She pressed him repeatedly, her perceptiveness akin to having seven apertures and the cunning of a ghost.
Wang Lai realized that he couldn't deceive her with lies, so he finally confessed the truth: "Someone is paying us in spirit stones to buy the bodies of the mineral cultivators we kill..."
"We make our money by killing and selling the bodies..."
(End of Chapter)
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