Chapter 438: Hiding
Chapter 438: Hiding
The traitor of Xiaoling Yin Zong, who betrayed his master and destroyed his ancestors, was very likely to fall into the devil's path and refine corpses for others.
As for Yan Jiaoxi...if he was desperate for revenge and resorted to any means necessary, it was also possible that he would make a misstep.
Mo Hua sighed, deeply worried about Yan Jiaoxi.
He hoped that Yan Jiaoxi was safe, but he also hoped that Yan Jiaoxi would not be led astray by his temporary obsession and end up doing something wrong.
While Yan Jiaoxi was indeed an upright person, even the most upright person could be driven to desperate and unscrupulous actions in a moment of rage.
Bai Zisheng asked, "Are we going to look for Zhang Quan?"
Mo Hua nodded, "We are."
At the moment, all the clues lay with Zhang Quan.
Miner Xiu's death, the method of refining corpses, the hiding place of the corpses, the complete array diagram of the absolute array, and the whereabouts of Yan Jiaoxi—all of these were likely connected to Zhang Quan.
Bai Zisheng's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together eagerly, "Then let's go find him sooner. I want to cut him into pieces!"
Over the past few days, every time he thought about Zhang Quan's actions in refining corpses, he felt enraged.
Bai Zisheng had specifically learned a few Taoist techniques, intending to use Zhang Quan as practice.
Soon after, he frowned, expressing his concern, "But after so many days, do you think we can still find him?"
"It's hard to say, but we still have some clues." Mo Hua nodded and took out the Compass of Si Nan Zi Mu.
On the compass, only one bright spot remained out of the original three.
This indicated that one of the Si Nan child needles was still with Zhang Quan.
It was possible that the needle was hidden so well that Zhang Quan had not found it.
Alternatively, he might have discovered it but intentionally left it there to lure Mo Hua, planning an ambush.
Regardless, Mo Hua had to go and investigate.
He placed the zombie back into the coffin and drew the Golden Lock Array and the Cold Ice Array on the coffin to seal it while using the Cold Ice Array to refrigerate the zombie.
This was to prevent the zombie from escaping or decaying.
Early the next morning, Mo Hua called Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, and the three of them left Nan Yue City. In a secluded area, they concealed their figures and then used their body technique to head towards a vast stretch of desolate mountains west of the city.
Mo Hua had seen the map of Nan Yue City.
The location indicated by the bright spot on the Compass of Si Nan Mu Formation corresponded to the desolate mountains to the west of the city.
These mountains resembled the mines, but there were no minerals or other resources to be found, so cultivators rarely ventured here, leaving the place desolate.
The vegetation on the mountains was stunted, mostly pale green or grayish-brown.
The exposed mountain rocks were dry and white.
Weeds grew in the crevices of the rocks.
Occasionally, unknown demonic beasts would let out strange calls from unknown locations, their echoes reverberating in the empty mountains.
Mo Hua squatted behind a large stone, staring at the Si Nan compass.
Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi also craned their necks to look.
The trajectory of the bright spot on the compass was highly suspicious, meandering through the mountains, veering east and west as if it were dodging something or deliberately hiding, with no discernible pattern.
What was this Zhang Quan up to?
The three of them looked at each other, perplexed.
"Do you think it's a trap?" Bai Zisheng asked.
"If it's a trap, they should have stopped and set up an ambush. What's the point of running around like this?"
"That's true..." Bai Zisheng nodded, then speculated, "Or maybe he found the needle, pulled it out, and then stuck it into a wild boar or something?"
Mo Hua stroked his chin, "That's possible..."
"Let's go take a look," said Bai Zisheng. "If it's Zhang Quan, we'll capture him. If it's a wild boar, we'll see if it eats meat or grass..."
Mo Hua was taken aback, "What does it matter if it eats meat or grass?"
"If it eats meat, then we'll slaughter it and won't have to worry about it anymore. If it eats grass, we'll slaughter it and bring it back. I'm craving pork..."
Bai Zisheng looked at Mo Hua with eager anticipation.
Bai Zixi sighed softly.
Mo Hua's expression was also indescribable, "I won't cook it for you."
Bai Zisheng argued, "I don't really care. I mainly want to honor Master..."
"I'll slaughter the pig, and you'll stew the meat. Then we'll offer it to Master, but Master definitely won't finish it all. As his disciple, it's my duty to share his burden..."
Bai Zisheng's scheme was loud and clear.
"Can't you do it yourself?" Mo Hua asked.
"Me doing it is honoring Master. You doing it is poisoning Master..."
Bai Zisheng was well aware of his own culinary skills.
"Alright then..."
Mo Hua nodded.
Indeed, the food in Nan Yue City was rather mediocre, and Mr. Zhuang hadn't been eating much lately.
Overjoyed, Bai Zisheng hurriedly said, "Then let's set off right away."
The three of them concealed their presence and searched for the location of the bright spot on the compass.
Soon, among the bushes on a hillside, they found the source of the bright spot.
Hiding in the bushes was Zhang Quan, not a wild boar.
It seemed that the needle was still on Zhang Quan and had not been stuck into a pig.
Bai Zisheng felt relieved yet slightly disappointed.
Zhang Quan crouched in the bushes, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily, as if he was on the lookout for something.
Mo Hua glanced at the compass and pointed in a certain direction.
Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi followed him to another hilltop. As they looked down, they saw Zhang Quan emerge from a cave entrance and scan his surroundings warily. He then left a formation at the site.
From their distance, Mo Hua couldn't discern the specifics of the formation.
However, based on the spiritual energy calculations, it seemed to be a trap formation of about the seventh or eighth rank, although it was subtle and not of a high grade.
After setting up the formation, Zhang Quan continued down the mountain path.
He walked for a while, turned onto a smaller path, then back into the forest, and finally into another cave, where he set up another formation...
This cycle repeated endlessly, with no sign of fatigue or change in his meticulous routine.
Mo Hua frowned, "What is he doing...?"
Bai Zisheng thought for a moment, "It seems like he's wary of something. Probably afraid of being followed."
"Wary of whom?" Mo Hua asked, puzzled.
Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi pondered for a moment, then both silently glanced at him.
Mo Hua was taken aback, "Me?"
Bai Zixi said, "You're good at hiding. He's probably afraid you're secretly following him."
Mo Hua clicked his tongue, "He's very cautious."
On the other hand, Zhang Quan's mind was in turmoil.
"Why? Why isn't it here?"
Over the past few days, he had a vague feeling that something was amiss.
It was as if he was being watched, and his every move was being monitored.
He searched himself thoroughly but found nothing suspicious.
Zhang Quan was perplexed and couldn't figure out what was going on.
However, his intuition, honed from years of operating in the shadows, wouldn't deceive him.
Someone was definitely tracking him! But who could do so without him noticing?
After a moment's thought, Zhang Quan arrived at an answer:
"It's that little ghost!
That little ghost who's adept at hiding, whose presence even a Foundation Establishment cultivator's spiritual sense couldn't detect! Among those I know, only he could use such covert means, leaving no traces and following me like a bone-boring maggot."
"What a persistent pest!" Zhang Quan cursed inwardly.
He couldn't let that little ghost follow him!
Zhang Quan released his spiritual sense, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find any trace of a cultivator—because, initially, no one was actually tailing him.
However, he still felt uneasy, so he racked his brains to come up with various methods to wander through the caves and forests.
He also set up formations to test if anyone was following him.
But the formations remained intact, with no signs of being triggered.
Zhang Quan was confused and baffled.
Was he mistaken, or was that little ghost too cunning, leaving him unable to discover anything?
...
Mo Hua also furrowed his brows.
Bai Zisheng asked, "Are you thinking of some mischievous plan again?"
"I'm not thinking of any mischievous plan!" Mo Hua retorted.
Bai Zisheng snorted softly, "You can deceive others, but you can't deceive us."
Mo Hua ignored him and asked, "This Zhang Quan is a bit too cautious, isn't he?"
Bai Zisheng pondered for a moment and slowly said, "After all he's been through, ending up in such a sorry state, it's understandable that he'd be cautious."
"Being cautious is one thing, but he's taking it too far," Mo Hua commented.
Bai Zisheng glanced at Zhang Quan. Although they were far away and couldn't make out his expression, his actions seemed overly furtive.
Bai Zixi's eyes narrowed slightly, "Is he afraid of being discovered?"
Mo Hua nodded slightly, then looked around.
The surrounding mountains were desolate and stretched as far as the eye could see.
Such places looked barren, but the overlapping mountains made it difficult to discern what was hidden within.
"Afraid of being discovered... what?" Mo Hua and the others frowned in thought. Suddenly, they all looked up, their eyes brightening as they understood.
"It's his lair for refining and hiding corpses!" Mo Hua said.
"We'll quietly follow him and not alert the snake by trampling the grass," Mo Hua instructed.
Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi nodded in agreement.
The three of them kept their eyes on Zhang Quan, intending to let him lead them to his lair, where they could then trace the vine to find the nest.
However, Zhang Quan's patience far exceeded their expectations.
After another three to four days, he was still wandering in the mountains, darting in and out of caves and forests, constantly testing with formations, landmarks, and the like.
Mo Hua was getting annoyed just watching, yet Zhang Quan remained meticulous in his actions.
"This Zhang Quan, he's really something else..." Bai Zisheng commented dryly.
Moreover, it seemed like he could keep this up for a long time.
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly.
Zhang Quan's extreme caution indicated that his lair for refining and hiding corpses held a significant secret, one that couldn't afford even the slightest negligence.
That was why he dared not take any risks.
Whenever he had the slightest doubt, he would thoroughly eliminate it.
After some thought, Mo Hua said, "Let's stop following him!"
Bai Zisheng was taken aback, "Why stop following him?"
Mo Hua raised his eyebrows slightly as he looked at the distant mountains, "We're already at the doorstep. We can find it ourselves; we don't need him to lead the way anymore."
(End of Chapter)
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