Chapter 430: Must Not Look
Chapter 430: Must Not Look
Drugged and empowered, he grew stronger, but Mo Hua remained invisible.
The gray-robed cultivator was helpless. Once the effects of the Corpse Blood Elixir waned, he would be unable to escape.
The gray-robed cultivator howled in fury once more, his face contorting with unwillingness, yet he knew he could not linger any longer. He would have to bide his time to take revenge for the humiliation and ridicule he suffered at the hands of that little demon.
With a fierce punch, he pushed Bai Zisheng back and fled down the corridor, smashing through walls as he went, disappearing into the rooms at the back of the upper floor.
There was chaos in the rooms as the cultivator crashed about, his screams echoing through the halls.
Only after Mo Hua waited for the effects of the drug to wear off, using his stealth technique to stall the gray-robed cultivator, did he finally reveal himself.
Bai Zisheng asked, "Shall we pursue him?"
Mo Hua nodded thoughtfully, "Let's give chase, but not too hastily. We don't want to corner him like a desperate animal."
"Alright."
The trio pursued the gray-robed cultivator through the holes he had smashed in the walls.
He had fled to the upper floor, bursting into rooms like a mad fly, smashing into walls as he went, leaving the entire floor in ruins.
Empowered by the Elixir, his physical body was exceptionally robust, and with his greatly enhanced strength, he easily smashed through the ordinary formations used in the Hundred Flowers Tower.
But as Mo Hua and the others gave chase, they found their path blocked by broken doors, windows, and damaged walls.
They had no idea where the gray-robed cultivator had fled.
Mo Hua released his spiritual sense, frowning slightly.
Even with his spiritual sense, he couldn't perceive the gray-robed cultivator's whereabouts.
Could there be secret passages in this Hundred Flowers Tower?
Mo Hua recalled Qing Lan's words about the gray-robed cultivator: "He often stays here, but he comes and goes like a ghost. No one knows when he enters or leaves..."
If that was the case, with his drug effects fading, the gray-robed cultivator would have no choice but to try and escape.
And the only way to escape would be through secret passages.
While cultivators did have the ability to teleport, such advanced techniques involving spatial manipulation were far beyond the capabilities of cultivators at the Refinement and Foundation Establishment stages.
After a moment's thought, Mo Hua suggested to Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, "Let's split up and search for any mechanisms or secret passages."
Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi nodded in agreement.
"Be careful," Bai Zixi said.
"Mhm." Mo Hua nodded and, using his stealth technique, disappeared from view as he moved towards the center.
Bai Zisheng went left, and Bai Zixi went right.
As Mo Hua searched for traces of the gray-robed cultivator, he also kept an eye on Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi's movements with his spiritual sense, wary of any potential dangers they might encounter.
As he walked, he noticed that Bai Zixi had stopped in front of a room.
Mo Hua paused, then turned back towards Bai Zixi.
Frowning, Bai Zixi looked at the scene before her.
The bed had been forcibly punched through, revealing a dark hole underneath.
This hole was likely the entrance to a secret passage.
Next to the bed lay a male cultivator, his chest gouged out, as if someone had reached in and torn out his heart. He seemed to have died from his heart meridian being destroyed.
Judging from the technique, it seemed the gray-robed cultivator was responsible.
Next to the man were several naked female cultivators, shivering and bare, their bodies exposed.
As Bai Zixi considered whether to enter the secret passage, she heard Mo Hua's light, familiar footsteps approaching.
"Little Senior Sister?" Mo Hua called out, about to enter the room.
Bai Zixi glanced at the unclothed female cultivators and suddenly realized something. She quickly stepped forward, her tender, white hand covering Mo Hua's eyes.
"Must not look!" she exclaimed.
Mo Hua felt a pair of soft, delicate hands covering his eyes, the scent of his little senior sister filling his senses, and his face reddened slightly.
But he asked, his voice filled with curiosity, "Why must I not look?"
"Just because!" Bai Zixi replied crisply.
"Alright..."
Mo Hua obediently allowed her to cover his eyes.
After a while, Bai Zisheng arrived and was about to say something when Bai Zixi shot him a warning glance. "Don't look!"
"Oh..."
Bai Zisheng obediently covered his own eyes.
The female cultivators in the room, still shaken from their ordeal, grabbed some silk cloth to cover themselves. Then they hastily put on some clothes, though they still left a bit exposed.
Only then did Bai Zixi remove her hand.
Mo Hua glanced at them and understood the situation. He then asked, "Was there a weirdly-shaped, corpse-like cultivator here?"
The female cultivators nodded, their voices trembling, "We were just about to serve Young Master Zhao..."
"Young Master Zhao?" One of the female cultivators pointed to the man lying on the ground with his chest gouged out, then continued, "We didn't expect that monster to suddenly burst in..."
"Young Master Zhao's mood was ruined, and when he shouted at the monster, the monster clawed through his chest."
"The monster killed Young Master Zhao, then punched a hole in the bed and crawled into the hole under the bed. We don't know where it went..."
"Whose room is this?" Mo Hua asked.
The female cultivators looked at each other, and finally, one of them spoke up, "It's Elder Sister Yu Lan's room."
"This Young Master Zhao used to be Elder Sister Yu Lan's guest. He drank some wine and, for some reason, started missing Elder Sister Yu Lan, who has passed away. Then he forced us to come here..."
They didn't dare continue with Mo Hua standing right there.
Mo Hua nodded.
He went to inspect the hole under the bed. It was dark and foreboding.
When he probed with his spiritual sense, he shook his head.
"What's wrong?" Bai Zisheng asked.
"It's blocked," Mo Hua replied.
"Can we break through?"
Mo Hua shook his head again, "There's a mechanism inside. Once triggered, the formation will self-destruct, causing rocks and earth to block the passage completely. It seems this was designed as an escape route to cut off any pursuit."
"What do we do now?"
Mo Hua smiled. "That's good."
After a while, Si Tu Jin and Si Tu Fang arrived with several executives in tow. They had suffered minor injuries but had just taken healing pills and rested briefly to recover.
Si Tu Jin's eyes shone with gratitude as he looked at Mo Hua and said, "Thank you, little brother."
The gray-robed cultivator had become incredibly powerful after consuming the pill, and he wouldn't have stood a chance against him.
If it weren't for Mo Hua's distraction with the fireball technique and his clever tactics to stall the gray-robed cultivator, they would have faced heavy losses.
Even he himself might have sustained serious injuries.
Si Tu Jin glanced at Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, his eyes shining with admiration.
These were the true scions of a great family.
With just their Qi Refining cultivation, they could rival a Foundation Establishment cultivator and even injure the gray-robed cultivator, whose strength had been greatly enhanced by the pill, causing him to resemble a corpse.
If they had already built their foundation, what else could they achieve?
"No wonder they are the true heirs of a prominent family..." Si Tu Jin thought to himself.
Although the Si Tu family was influential, they paled in comparison to the Bai family and other major sects. This was evident in the capabilities of their disciples.
Mo Hua politely exchanged a few pleasantries with them, saying things like "You're welcome" and "It's only natural."
Of course, most of the talking was done by Mo Hua, as Bai Zixi had a cold personality, and Bai Zisheng had a hint of arrogance.
Mo Hua expressed his gratitude to Si Tu Jin as well and then asked, "Si Tu Elder, what will the Path Tribunal do next?"
Si Tu Jin looked at Si Tu Fang, who thought for a moment before replying, "Now that we know the gray-robed cultivator's appearance, we will report it to the central tribunal. They will verify the sketch, check his origins, and confirm his identity."
Mo Hua was a little surprised. "He's a criminal, but you can still find out his identity?"
"Criminals aren't born criminals," Si Tu Fang explained. "Most evil cultivators or heretics start out as regular cultivators but are led astray by their desires or make wrong choices along the way."
"As long as they start as regular cultivators, the Path Tribunal will record their origins."
"Do I have an origin as well?" Mo Hua asked.
Si Tu Fang sighed. "Are you a regular cultivator?"
Mo Hua nodded. "I'm very regular."
"Then of course you do," Si Tu Fang said. "However, the origin information of ordinary cultivators is usually simple, and any Path Tribunal branch can access it."
"Doesn't that make it easy for anyone to find out all the details?" Mo Hua frowned.
"That's true for ordinary cultivators," Si Tu Fang admitted. Then she looked at Mo Hua and smiled. "But if you become more powerful in the future, master the art of formations, and attain a high status, your origin information will be encrypted by the central tribunal, and ordinary Path Tribunal branches won't be able to access it."
"Moreover, any cultivator who accesses your origin information will be required to provide a reason, and their actions will be recorded."
Mo Hua nodded and then asked, "After you identify the gray-robed cultivator, how will the Path Tribunal capture him?"
Si Tu Fang sighed. "That will take some effort..."
"Usually, we will issue a wanted notice and offer a reward. Then, based on his identity, we will find related cultivators and unravel the mystery step by step..."
As Si Tu Fang was speaking, she suddenly paused, looking at Mo Hua with a puzzled expression. "Why are you so curious about this?"
Mo Hua smiled sheepishly. "I'm just learning."
Si Tu Fang laughed and shook her head. "You don't have to learn everything... Leave the investigation to the Path Tribunal. You should head back now."
"Okay," Mo Hua agreed. Then he remembered something and asked, "What about Qing Lan?"
"You mean that young girl?"
Mo Hua nodded. He was concerned that the brothel owner might hold a grudge against Qing Lan and seek revenge.
The lives of women in the red-light district were often precarious.
Since Qing Lan had helped them, Mo Hua wanted to ensure her safety and provide her with a way out.
Si Tu Fang thought for a moment and said, "Leave it to me. I'll talk to the madam, take Qing Lan's contract, and bring her with me."
"Will the madam agree?"
Si Tu Fang smiled coldly. "She'll have to. I'll tell her that Qing Lan colluded with that criminal cultivator, and this place, the Hundred Flowers Tower, is also under suspicion. To clear herself of any blame, the madam will have to hand over Qing Lan, and she won't dare to keep the contract."
"Thank you, Si Tu Sister," Mo Hua said with a smile.
From then on, it was up to Si Tu Fang and the Path Tribunal to wrap things up.
Mo Hua and the Bai siblings left the Hundred Flowers Tower.
When they arrived earlier that night, the place had been luxurious and decadent, but now it was in ruins.
As Mo Hua turned to look back at the tower, a doubt suddenly arose in his mind.
He recalled that the Hundred Flowers Tower had a Foundation Establishment cultivator guarding it.
With all the commotion, why hadn't the Land family's cultivator intervened?
Was it because they were unaware, or did they know everything but chose to turn a blind eye?
Mo Hua furrowed his brows.
The mine, the absolute formation, the deceased miners, the Land family, the Hundred Flowers Tower, the gray-robed cultivator...
And the missing Yan Jiaoxing.
Were all these incidents connected somehow?
Mo Hua's brows furrowed even deeper as he pondered these questions.
(End of Chapter)
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