Chapter 452: Grudges
Chapter 452: Grudges
"The waters of Nanyue City run deep..."
Mo Hua sighed again.
Who was the power backing the Zombie Village, and who was pulling the strings behind Zhang Quan? These were questions that Mo Hua had yet to find answers to.
He could only hope that Daoting Si would be able to extract some information from Zhang Quan.
Mo Hua didn't bother asking Zhang Quan himself. He knew that Zhang Quan hated him and would rather die than tell him anything. If he pressed him for information, the best outcome would be that Zhang Quan didn't have a stroke from anger.
However, the clues to the Ling Shu Array and the Zombie Village both lay with Zhang Quan. Only by getting information out of him could they continue their investigation. Only by finding out who or what was backing Zhang Quan could they hope to find the higher-level Ling Shu array patterns.
Only then could Mo Hua reconstruct the complete Ling Shu array and truly master the twelve-pattern array.
In the meantime, Mo Hua continued to diligently study the incomplete Ling Shu array. It was key to the whole situation.
A cultivator who could control the iron zombies using the Ling Shu array was definitely not to be underestimated. The conspiracy hidden in Nanyue City was surely no small matter.
It was essential to be prepared and use arrays to counter arrays. The more one understood about arrays, the better one could respond to dangers.
...
After finishing his array drawings for the day, Mo Hua steamed some snacks and brought them to Mr. Zhuang as tea accompaniments. They chatted casually, and after bidding farewell, Mo Hua brought some snacks to Yan Jiaoxi as well.
Yan Jiaoxi sat in the courtyard, deep in thought, his face filled with worry.
Mo Hua placed the snacks on the table and poured a cup of tea for Yan Jiaoxi. He couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, is something on your mind?"
Yan Jiaoxi hesitated, then shook his head. "It's nothing."
Mo Hua's eyes flickered as he asked, "Is it about the traitor from Lingyin Zong?"
Yan Jiaoxi paused, a bitter expression on his face. "You already know?"
"Mogan Shi told me everything," Mo Hua nodded.
Yan Jiaoxi sighed in resignation. "That disciple of mine really can't keep his mouth shut..."
"Is that traitor currently in Nanyue City?" Mo Hua asked.
Yan Jiaoxi was reluctant to answer.
Mo Hua blinked his big eyes at him.
Yan Jiaoxi hesitated and said, "Sect affairs and grudges... I don't want to involve you in this."
Mo Hua shook his head. "It's fine. Maybe I'm already involved."
Yan Jiaoxi was taken aback, then fell silent as he considered Mo Hua's words.
After all, Mo Hua had led the charge in wiping out the Zombie Village, so he was likely already deeply involved.
However, Yan Jiaoxi still hesitated.
Mo Hua lowered his voice and said, "I'm also very familiar with Nanyue City. I have connections with the Liu family, Nanyue Zong, Daoting Si, the Miner Cultivators, and even Baihua Tower. I can help you gather information."
When Yan Jiaoxi heard the mention of Baihua Tower, his eyes widened. "You're familiar with Baihua Tower too?"
Although he hadn't been there himself, he knew that it was a brothel from its name.
How did this young man end up mingling in such places?
Mo Hua quickly waved his hands. "I'm not familiar with it, but I know an elder there named Su. He's very familiar with the place..."
"Elder Su?"
"A Foundation Establishment elder from Nanyue Zong," Mo Hua explained.
Yan Jiaoxi was slightly taken aback.
He had been in Nanyue City for several years, but he didn't know many cultivators. Yet, Mo Hua had managed to establish connections with so many in just a few months...
Yan Jiaoxi also recalled hearing from an elder of the Situ family that Mo Hua had already become a first-rate array master.
A first-rate array master...
He would never have imagined that in just two or three years, his former student, who had only mastered three or four array patterns and sought his guidance, would now surpass him and become an officially recognized first-rate array master.
This talent was truly terrifying.
Yan Jiaoxi's heart was filled with both excitement and a sense of loss.
However, he soon realized that he could no longer treat Mo Hua as an ordinary child.
During the incident with the Zombie Village, Mo Hua had displayed both courage and cunning, moving like a ghost.
Yan Jiaoxi had witnessed all of this firsthand.
Even the Foundation Establishment stage zombie cultivators had been played with by Mo Hua.
And it was thanks to Mo Hua that he had been able to escape from the Zombie Village.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Yan Jiaoxi's attitude towards Mo Hua naturally became more solemn.
After a moment of contemplation, Yan Jiaoxi sighed softly and said, "That traitor is indeed in Nanyue City..."
"How do you know?" Mo Hua asked.
"I've seen the arrays he drew in Nanyue City," Yan Jiaoxi replied. "Although it's been many years, and his arrays have improved and his style has changed, I could still recognize his subtle brushstrokes at a glance."
"But no matter how much I ask around, I can't find out who created those arrays or where they came from..." Yan Jiaoxi's expression was filled with disappointment.
"What's the name of that traitor?" Mo Hua asked.
Yan Jiaoxi seemed to be recalling unpleasant memories as he hesitated for a long time before slowly saying, "His surname is Shen, and his given name is Cai."
"Shen Cai?" Mo Hua frowned. "I don't think there's anyone by that name in Nanyue City..."
If someone was skilled in arrays and had reached the level of a first-rate array master or even higher, and had been entrenched in Nanyue City for a long time, they certainly wouldn't be an unknown figure.
Mo Hua knew most of the well-known array masters in Nanyue City, and even if he hadn't met them, he had at least heard of them.
But he had never heard of anyone named Shen Cai.
"Do you think he changed his name?" Mo Hua asked.
Yan Jiaoxi nodded slightly. "I suspect he not only changed his name but also his appearance..."
"Changed his appearance..." Yan Jiaoxi clenched his teeth and said, "He betrayed his master and destroyed his sect. He must be despised by everyone, and I doubt he'd dare to show his face."
Furthermore, too much probing might alert the culprit and cause him to flee. In such a vast cultivation world, finding him afterward would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
"Are you looking for him to take revenge?" Mo Hua asked cautiously.
Pain flashed in Yan Jiaoxi's eyes, eventually turning into bitter resentment. "After so many years, the desire for revenge has faded. I just want to find him and ask him in person. He stole the Ling Shu Array, and that's forgivable, but why did he have to kill my master? My master treated him so well..."
Yan Jiaoxi sighed deeply after speaking. "There's also another matter concerning the Ling Shu Array diagram."
"I want to find this array before I die, to comfort my master's spirit in heaven."
"The Little Spirit Seclusion Sect is no more, but I hope that this array can be passed down and not be lost forever..."
The Ling Shu Array diagram...
Mo Hua thought for a moment and took out an array diagram, handing it to Yan Jiaoxi.
"Teacher, is this the one?"
Yan Jiaoxi was taken aback, glancing at the array diagram in Mo Hua's hand, and he froze.
His hands trembled as he took the diagram from Mo Hua, and his pupils shook as he murmured, "Yes... yes, it is."
Yan Jiaoxi stared at Mo Hua in disbelief. "How... how did you get this?"
Mo Hua briefly explained, "This is derived from the array patterns on the iron zombies and the spirit corpses, calculated and reconstructed using divine sense."
Calculated... Reconstructed...
Yan Jiaoxi was momentarily lost in thought.
He didn't quite understand...
Yan Jiaoxi came to a realization, and he suddenly understood that even though he had already held Mo Hua in high regard, he might have still underestimated his array skills.
The concept of calculation was something that even the Little Spirit Seclusion Sect's array legacy had never mentioned, not even in passing...
"However, it's a pity that this is only a partial array and not the complete one," Mo Hua added.
Upon hearing this, Yan Jiaoxi looked down at the diagram and noticed its incompleteness, his expression filled with disappointment.
Then he seemed to think of something, and a glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes as he tentatively asked, "Can you learn it?"
Mo Hua shook his head. "Not yet. I've only learned a small part of it."
Yan Jiaoxi was surprised. "A small part?"
"Mhm." Mo Hua nodded and took out a wooden tiger from his storage bag, placing it on the table.
Yan Jiaoxi was bewildered. "This is..."
"This tiger contains a portion of the Ling Shu Array."
Then, Mo Hua controlled the wooden tiger with his divine sense.
The tiger came to life, running, pouncing, rolling, and standing upright on the table. It then held a teacup in its paws and offered it to Yan Jiaoxi, bowing respectfully.
Yan Jiaoxi's mouth hung open, speechless.
As an array master himself, he understood the profound and complex array principles behind the tiger's movements.
Mo Hua gave the wooden tiger to Yan Jiaoxi.
Even after Mo Hua bid farewell and left, Yan Jiaoxi remained staring at the tiger, lost in thought.
It was only after a long while that he snapped out of his daze.
It was the Ling Shu Array...
And it was free from any sinister alterations, without any shortcuts or underhanded techniques.
In his entire life, this was the first time he had seen someone utilize the Ling Shu Array to achieve such a marvelous level of spirit control.
Yan Jiaoxi was astonished.
At the same time, he felt a sense of relief.
It was as if the gloom and frustration of his years of solitary searching, bitter persistence, and unavenged grudge had finally found some solace.
The dull and oppressive days now had a ray of light.
He could also see a path forward.
Yan Jiaoxi looked up at the sky, his expression complex as he murmured, "Master, someone has finally learned our Little Spirit Seclusion Sect's ultimate array...
"And they learned it properly and honorably..."
...
After leaving, Mo Hua couldn't stop thinking about what Yan Jiaoxi had said.
The traitor of the Little Spirit Seclusion Sect.
The grudge of betrayal and destruction.
Although Yan Jiaoxi claimed that his desire for revenge had faded over the years, his eyes still held a deep obsession.
The hatred wasn't intense, but the obsession was heavy.
It meant that he no longer hated, but the traitor must die.
From Yan Jiaoxi's tone, it seemed that he would willingly perish together with the traitor if given the chance.
Mo Hua sighed.
Although he was reluctant to admit it, Yan Jiaoxi's cultivation was actually quite mediocre.
All his efforts had been focused on arrays.
Even if he were given the chance to take revenge, it would likely be difficult for him.
If he were to go on this path of vengeance, the one in danger would probably be Yan Jiaoxi himself.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and then nodded.
If Yan Jiaoxi couldn't take his revenge, then he would help him do it.
Repay kindness with kindness, and revenge with revenge.
Since he had received Yan Jiaoxi's kindness, it was only right for him to help take revenge.
Moreover, Mo Hua was also curious to find out if the cultivator who drew the Ling Shu evil array for Zhang Quan was indeed the traitor of the Little Spirit Seclusion Sect.
(End of Chapter)
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