Chapter 435: Eradicating Traces
Chapter 435: Eradicating Traces
The aftermath of the mine incident was left to the Dao Court to handle.
Cleaning up the mine, disposing of the zombies, confiscating the coffins, and further investigations—all of these tasks fell to Situ Fang.
Looking at the chaotic scene, Si Tu Fang was secretly astonished.
To be able to subdue so many zombies and drive Zhang Quan into a desperate retreat...
After all, Zhang Quan was a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Now it seemed that he had strayed onto the path of necromancy, becoming a Corpse Refiner, which posed a significant threat and was extremely tricky to deal with.
Yet, he had been forced to flee, his true strength exposed.
The capabilities of these young cultivators from the Painting Sect, especially Mo Hua, far exceeded her expectations.
Soon, however, a sense of helplessness crept into Si Tu Fang's heart.
While they were indeed members of the Dao Court, Mo Hua and his group always seemed one step ahead in pursuing Zhang Quan. All that was left for the Dao Court to do was to clean up and tie up loose ends.
And that was precisely what the Dao Court cultivators were doing now.
Meanwhile, Mo Hua strolled with his hands behind his back, wandering left and right, pointing here and observing there, looking every bit like a "little archivist."
Watching him, Si Tu Fang couldn't help but feel a mix of exasperation and amusement.
After a while, Mo Hua wandered over, and Si Tu Fang was about to admonish him.
"The Dao Court of Nan Yue City is not meant to be your babysitter!"
But before she could speak, Mo Hua, sensing her displeasure, quickly called out in a sweet voice, "Sister Si Tu!" and then continued sincerely,
"We're so grateful for your help. You've been a huge assistance!"
He then patted his little chest, feigning a lingering fear.
"So many zombies... they really scared me."
Si Tu Fang's expression was complex, unsure how to respond.
You don't look the least bit scared. Just now, you were staring at the zombies' formations with a face more excited than anyone else's.
With a sigh of resignation, Si Tu Fang gave up on reprimanding him.
Noticing that she wasn't angry anymore, Mo Hua quickly changed the subject and asked, "Sister Si Tu, is this a serious matter?"
Si Tu Fang paused, her expression gradually turning solemn as she nodded and said, "It's very serious."
She then glanced at the coffins and zombies scattered on the ground and sighed, "And it seems to be getting more and more serious..."
From missing miners to local thugs killing people, to Zhang Quan buying corpses, and now the practice of necromancy and large-scale corpse refining—Si Tu Fang's expression grew graver by the moment.
She suspected that what they were seeing was just the tip of the iceberg.
And even if it was just the tip, so many people had already died, and so many corpses had been refined.
What about the entire iceberg?
How many more would die, and how many more corpses would be refined? Just thinking about it made Si Tu Fang's heart pound with anxiety.
This could very well be the biggest case Nan Yue City had seen in hundreds of years, perhaps even close to a millennium.
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly as he asked, "What did the Chief of Nan Yue City's Dao Court say about this matter?"
Si Tu Fang hesitated, then shook her head, her expression complicated as she said, "The Chief didn't say anything. I guess he wants to hush this up. After all, if this matter blows up, he'll be held responsible. The best way out for him is to downplay the severity and make it go away."
Could such a serious matter be downplayed?
Mo Hua clicked his tongue and whispered, "Is he corrupt?"
Si Tu Fang gave Mo Hua a slight glare. "Don't be so blunt."
Mo Hua rephrased his question more diplomatically. "Has he been 'graciously accepting gifts in the spirit of reciprocity'?"
Si Tu Fang was taken aback for a moment. "Who taught you that phrase?"
"Uncle Zhang..."
Si Tu Fang was at a loss for words. "Couldn't he have taught you something good instead..."
He had taught Mo Hua good things, too, like the 'Flowing Water Step' technique.
But since Zhang Lan didn't want Mo Hua to reveal this matter, Mo Hua could only nod and say, "He didn't teach me anything good!"
Si Tu Fang made a mental note to report this to Zhang's uncles and aunts when she returned, complaining about Zhang's loose tongue and how he was leading the children astray.
Mo Hua, oblivious to Si Tu Fang's thoughts, asked again, "Sister Si Tu, what kind of person is the Chief of Nan Yue City's Dao Court?"
"What kind of person?" Si Tu Fang was slightly taken aback.
"Well..." Mo Hua thought for a moment. "Is he treacherous, cunning, greedy, deep-scheming, or of bad character?"
"You didn't use a single positive word there..."
"I don't think he's a good person, so I didn't use any good words," Mo Hua replied matter-of-factly.
Si Tu Fang sighed in resignation and decided it was best to give Mo Hua an honest answer. "The Chief of Nan Yue City's Dao Court is surnamed Qian (Money)
..."
"Money?"
"Mhm," Si Tu Fang nodded. "His surname is indeed Qian, but I don't think there's any relation to the Qian family of Tong Xian City."
"What's the Chief..."
Si Tu Fang hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice and said, "He's not necessarily a bad person, but he's greedy for wealth, lustful, indulgent, and not very dedicated to the affairs of the Dao Court..."
Mo Hua seemed to understand, "So, he's incompetent."
Si Tu Fang nodded slightly. "More or less."
Mo Hua pondered for a moment before asking, "In that case, your supervisor must have also received quite a sum of spirit stones from the Lu family, right...?"
Si Tu Fang shook her head. "I have no evidence, so I can't make baseless accusations. But logically speaking, it's unlikely that he hasn't taken anything."
Mo Hua nodded in understanding, his mind working through something.
Si Tu Fang was curious. "Why do you ask?"
Mo Hua's eyes sparkled as he smiled slyly. "Oh, it's nothing."
Si Tu Fang couldn't quite figure out what Mo Hua was up to, so she reached out and ruffled his hair playfully, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Aren't you afraid of zombies? Hurry up and get going."
"Yes, yes."
Mo Hua bid farewell to Si Tu Fang with a smile and then left.
Instead of returning, Mo Hua made his way to the other end of the mine and sat on a large rock, as if waiting for something.
After some time, Bai Zi Sheng arrived, urging Da Bai to pull a simple horse-drawn cart—the kind often used by cultivators for transporting cargo and storage boxes.
Mo Hua waved, and the cart came to a stop. Bai Zi Sheng asked, "You weren't discovered, were you?"
"Nope."
Mo Hua nodded and then scurried behind the large rock, dismantling the concealment array to reveal two coffins hidden by the formation.
Within these coffins lay several zombies. The arrays on their chests were relatively intact.
Mo Hua intended to transport them back for further examination.
To keep this matter discreet, he had to ensure it remained hidden from both the Dao Court officials and other cultivators, preventing anyone with malicious intentions from guessing their plans.
Although it might seem like an unnecessary precaution, being thorough and cautious in their endeavors would prevent any mishaps.
Bai Zi Sheng lifted the coffins onto the cart.
Mo Hua reactivated the concealment array, causing the coffins to vanish from sight, unseen by others.
However, Da Bai was less than pleased.
The zombie coffins were unclean and repulsive to Da Bai, and it reluctantly agreed to pull the cart only after much persuasion and some spiritual grass treats from Mo Hua.
With Bai Zi Sheng driving, Mo Hua and Bai Zi Xi sat inside the cart, keeping watch over the coffins.
The three of them secretly transported the coffins and zombies away without anyone else's knowledge.
As they entered the city, they were stopped by an official from the Execution Department for inspection.
Recognizing the official, Mo Hua greeted him and slipped him two spirit stones for a drink.
The official gave a perfunctory glance and then politely let them pass.
The cart made its way into the cave abode. Mo Hua found a quiet, secluded, and cool room, where he drew concealment, defensive, and controlling arrays around the perimeter before finally placing the coffins inside.
"Should we inform Master?" Bai Zi Sheng asked quietly.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yes, we should."
They knew that Master Zhuang was aware of their actions.
But it was only proper for them to inform him beforehand, regardless of his knowledge.
Respecting and honoring their master was the duty of disciples.
Mo Hua went to find Master Zhuang.
Before Mo Hua could speak, Master Zhuang waved his hand. "Study them well, and make sure you dispose of these unclean things properly afterward. Don't let them linger here."
Mo Hua's eyes lit up. "Yes, Master!"
As expected, Master Zhuang was well aware of the situation.
However, Mo Hua didn't rush into his research. He wanted to make some preparations first and reinforce the arrays to prevent any mishaps that might allow the zombies to escape, dirty the courtyard, and disturb Master Zhuang's peace.
But before Mo Hua could finish his preparations, Si Tu Fang paid him a visit the next day, her expression filled with guilt, as if she had something difficult to say.
Puzzled, Mo Hua asked, "Sister Si Tu, what happened?"
Si Tu Fang felt a sense of guilt. After hesitating for a moment, she spoke up.
"They're all gone..."
Mo Hua was taken aback. "Everything is gone?"
"The zombies, the coffins, and all the evidence at the scene... they're all gone..." Si Tu Fang gritted her teeth.
"What happened?" Mo Hua furrowed his brows.
Si Tu Fang's eyes turned cold. "The supervisor... he claimed that the zombies were unclean and could potentially lead to a zombie outbreak, causing harm to the people. So, he burned all the zombies and destroyed the coffins, along with any evidence, reducing everything to ashes..."
"By the time I found out, it was too late... Nothing was left." Si Tu Fang's voice was hoarse, filled with deep self-reproach.
Mo Hua's eyes flickered.
So, the supervisor of the Dao Court had done this...
He patted Si Tu Fang's shoulder and sighed, sounding like a wise adult. "Life is ten percent what happens to us and ninety percent how we react to it. Some setbacks are inevitable, but we must look forward. Let's forget about those zombies..."
After all, I still have them here.
(End of Chapter)
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