Chapter 449: Fathoming the Depths
Chapter 449: Fathoming the Depths
Mo Hua combed through the Zombie Clan's fortress one last time, leaving no stone unturned.
Every formation was dismantled, not a single one spared; every storage room was opened and left exposed; and every secret chamber was revealed, ensuring nothing was amiss.
Mo Hua unearthed quite a few treasures during his search.
Most of the spirit stones, spirit artifacts, and pills he came across were left untouched.
These spoils of war were to be shared fairly among everyone.
Moreover, some of the artifacts and pills were tainted with sinister energies, so it was better to leave them be.
The spoils from the raid on the Zombie Clan would be inventoried by the Si family, reported to the Dao Court, and then distributed as rewards for their meritorious service.
Mo Hua would certainly receive a substantial share.
Even after the inevitable deductions, he would still receive a considerable amount of spirit stones, and more importantly, recognition for his contribution.
Merit counted for more than spirit stones when it came to the Dao Court.
However, aside from the spirit stones and pills, Mo Hua didn't hesitate to claim some of the peculiar items he found, especially those related to formations.
He operated under the principle of "better safe than sorry," so he took them all.
The Zombie Clan possessed an ultimate formation.
Mo Hua speculated that it was inscribed on the corpse-controlling bell.
Now that he had the bell in his possession, he hadn't had the chance to examine it closely yet.
He wasn't sure if the bell indeed contained the ultimate formation, but it was better to be prepared.
Even if the ultimate formation wasn't on the bell, it was somewhere within the Zombie Clan's fortress.
Thus, Mo Hua collected every item inscribed with a formation within the fortress to prevent any oversights when deciphering the ultimate formation later.
In addition to the ultimate formation, the Zombie Clan also possessed other unique formations.
For instance, the dried ink folding screen depicted a formation that transcended the five elements, delving into a realm of formations unfamiliar to Mo Hua.
There were quite a few similar screens within the fortress.
The formations on these objects varied greatly in style, clearly not the work of Yan Jiaoxi, but Mo Hua couldn't pinpoint their origin.
To broaden his understanding of formations, Mo Hua decided to take these objects back, dismantle them, and study them thoroughly.
As Mo Hua searched, he stored the items he found in his storage bag.
However, his bag soon proved to be too small to hold everything.
Mo Hua frowned, unsure what to do.
Bai Zixi then produced a new storage bag embroidered with auspicious clouds and a phoenix pattern, and said crisply, "This bag is bigger."
Mo Hua's eyes lit up, and he smiled, "Thank you, Little Sister Bai."
With his storage issues resolved, Mo Hua unleashed his spiritual sense, scouring the fortress for items related to formations.
Anything that caught his eye was placed into Bai Zixi's spacious bag.
The two of them worked in tandem—Mo Hua selecting the items, and Bai Zixi storing them away.
After scouring the fortress, they returned with a substantial haul, filling an entire high-quality storage bag to the brim.
Meanwhile, Si Tufang and the Si family cultivators had also finished clearing out the Zombie Clan's fortress.
Mo Hua left the spirit stones and other valuables for them.
The Si family had mobilized a considerable force for this operation, and it hadn't come cheap.
Although the battle had been won with minimal casualties, there were still losses, and compensations had to be made.
The group gathered together afterward.
Si Tufang and the two Si family elders expressed their gratitude to Mo Hua and his companions.
Without their help, the Si family would have suffered more casualties, and the success of the mission would have been in jeopardy.
After all, the Zombie Clan's fortress was heavily guarded with intricate formations, and the Iron Zombies were impervious to blades and bullets, making direct confrontation extremely challenging.
Mo Hua waved away their thanks, then asked, "What's our next move?"
Si Tuqin stroked his beard and, after a moment's thought, decided to be forthright with Mo Hua, "After we've finished inventorying, we won't go through the Nan Yue City branch of the Dao Court. Instead, we'll use the Si family's connections and influence to report our accomplishments through the Nan Shan City branch."
"The Nan Shan City branch?"
Si Tuqin nodded, "The head of the Nan Shan City branch is married to a woman surnamed Si."
Mo Hua understood the implication.
Si Tuqin continued, "This merit will bypass the Nan Yue City branch and be attributed to Miss Si."
"Of course," Si Tuqin looked at Mo Hua and added, "Little Mister, you will also receive recognition for your contribution, along with spirit stones and merit awarded by the Dao Court."
"As for the amount of merit, it depends on the Dao Court's decision."
After all, where there were people, there were interests to be divided.
And the Dao Court was notorious for extracting benefits even from flowing water.
Si Tuqin further added, "In addition, the Si family would like to express our gratitude to Little Mister with a small token of our appreciation..."
After all, they owed this opportunity to establish such a merit to Mo Hua.
Merit was something that even spirit stones couldn't always buy.
With this merit, Si Tufang would gain more recognition within her family.
Their branch didn't have many outstanding disciples, and Si Tufang's diligence and dedication to her cultivation and tasks made her one of their best hopes.
Thus, Si Tuqin was genuinely grateful to Mo Hua.
"You're too kind, Elder," Mo Hua said humbly, his curiosity getting the better of him as he asked, "What token of appreciation are you giving me?"
Si Tuqin was taken aback, a smile tugging at his lips as he realized just how forthright this young man was.
However, saying that would be a blow to his own pride.
Thus, Mo Hua didn't voice his thoughts.
Nonetheless, he was delighted about the formation manuals. He wondered what kind of formation manuals the Si family would gift him.
Mo Hua expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Elder Si. And thank you, Sister Si Fang as well!"
Seeing that Mo Hua had accepted their goodwill, Si Fang smiled and nodded.
Subsequently, Zhang Quan was detained by Si Tujin and sent to the Dao Court.
The Iron Zombies and coffins were also inventoried and left to the Dao Court to handle.
The Corpse Refining Coffins were demonic artifacts that had to be destroyed.
The harm caused by zombies was significant. Once they lost control, they would go berserk, wander aimlessly, and devour the flesh and blood of the living.
The zombie poison was also likely to induce the Undead Plague in cultivators.
Therefore, ordinary zombies would usually be burned to ashes by the Dao Court to prevent further harm.
However, these matters had little to do with Mo Hua.
Si Fang still had some loose ends to tie up, and she also had to wait for the Dao Court from Nanshan City to arrive for the handover of some affairs, so she would be busy for a while.
Yan Jiaoxi had already been sent back to Nanyue City ahead of time by the Si family's cultivators.
With the matter of the Zombie Clan resolved, Mo Hua bade farewell and returned with Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi.
By then, the sky had brightened, and the morning glow filled the sky, illuminating the road.
The three of them walked side by side, treading on the mountain stones and bathed in the morning radiance, taking in the scenery that was desolate yet possessed a certain wild charm.
Along the way, Bai Zisheng lamented, "It's a pity we couldn't finish off Zhang Quan..."
He had wanted to take advantage of Zhang Quan's unconscious state and finish him off with a spear strike, but Mo Hua had stopped him.
"There's someone backing Zhang Quan. We need to keep him alive so we can find out who that person is," Mo Hua said.
"Zhang Quan won't talk," Bai Zisheng said.
"Then we'll have to force it out of him," Mo Hua replied.
Bai Zisheng asked, "Do you still plan on personally interrogating Zhang Quan?"
Mo Hua nodded.
Bai Zisheng hesitated and said, "I think it's better if you don't go..."
Mo Hua was puzzled, "Why?"
Bai Zisheng said, "With the state Zhang Quan is in, even if he dies or is cut into a thousand pieces, he definitely won't tell you anything."
Mo Hua was taken aback, "Surely his magnanimity isn't that small?"
Bai Zisheng was speechless, "I think his magnanimity is quite considerable. If it were any smaller, he would have suffocated to death from your rage long ago..."
Mo Hua furrowed his brows, whispering in confusion, "Am I that infuriating?"
How had he not realized it?
Bai Zisheng sighed, "It's precisely that innocent look on your face that infuriates people the most."
Mo Hua didn't believe it, so he turned to Bai Zixi and asked, "Little Sister Bai, am I infuriating?"
Bai Zixi's beautiful eyes flickered, and she softly replied, "It's manageable."
Mo Hua nodded, feeling that Little Sister Bai's assessment was correct.
Bai Zisheng looked at his sister and could only shake his head helplessly.
...
The three of them walked side by side for a while longer when Bai Zisheng suddenly remembered something and asked, "How many zombies were there in the Zombie Clan?"
Without hesitation, Mo Hua replied, "Five Iron Zombies and six hundred and thirty-seven regular zombies."
"You actually counted?"
"Of course," Mo Hua nodded.
He might know better than Zhang Quan, the clan leader, how many zombies were in the Zombie Clan.
Bai Zisheng clicked his tongue, "That many..."
But Mo Hua shook his head, "No, it's not enough..."
Bai Zisheng was taken aback, "Not enough?"
Mo Hua nodded, "Not enough!"
Bai Zisheng was puzzled.
Mo Hua explained, "Zhang Quan's zombie refining technique is passed down from his ancestors. He's been buying corpses and refining zombies for decades, even centuries. It's impossible for the number of zombies he's refined over the years to be limited to this amount..."
"Moreover, he's not the only one refining zombies. He built the Zombie Clan, and bandits kill people. The Corpse Miners buy corpses, and there are one or two hundred Corpse Cultivators refining zombies as well. Over time, the number of zombies they've refined must be quite substantial."
Bai Zisheng frowned, "Does he have another place to hide the zombies?"
"It's not about hiding," Mo Hua said. "It could also be about selling them."
Mo Hua recalled Zhang Quan mentioning something about "sending corpses."
He didn't refine corpses just to "give" them away; there must be some kind of transaction involved.
However, for now, everything was just speculation, and they lacked concrete clues.
Bai Zisheng sighed, "The waters run deep indeed..."
Mo Hua nodded, and his gaze shifted to the other side of the road.
By then, they had arrived at Nanyue City, and on the other side of the road was the mine.
It was already morning, and the morning glow had faded, giving way to scorching sunlight.
The mine was bathed in the heat of the sun.
The miners worked under the blazing sun.
They endured the scorching sun above and the burning mountain stones under their feet. Their bodies, covered in whip scars, were tanned dark. Their hands were cracked, and their backs bent under the weight of their labor. They toiled in hardship and numbness under the abuse of the overseers.
Breathing was a difficult task for them.
It was as if they were drowning in deep water, gasping for air.
Mo Hua's eyes flickered as he murmured, "The waters of Nanyue City run deep..."
"That's why these miners live in such misery, in the depths of fire and water..."
(End of Chapter)
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