Chapter 462: A Glimmer of Clues
Chapter 462: A Glimmer of Clues
Mo Hua returned to the cave abode he shared with his master and fellow disciples after gathering information.
Bai Zi Sheng and Bai Zi Xi had also come back and shared the clues they had discovered with Mo Hua.
Bai Zi Sheng had ventured to bustling places like the market squares, teahouses, and restaurants, where he mostly heard about the evil deeds and scandals of the Lu family.
On the other hand, Bai Zi Xi visited female cultivators and the wives of cultivators in Nanyue City, from whom she learned mostly gossip and rumors about the Lu family.
Mo Hua began collating the information and listing potential suspects, trying to deduce who among the Lu family was most likely to be the traitor. However, with the large number of people in the family and the intricate web of clan relationships, it wasn't an easy task.
There were not only the clan elders but also external guests and advisors. Some of the elders might not be direct descendants, and some of the external advisors could have distant connections to the family...
Mo Hua felt overwhelmed, and couldn't help but exclaim, "This is so confusing..."
Bai Zi Sheng nodded in agreement. "That's how families are. The larger the family, the more complex the blood ties, interpersonal relationships, and connections become."
"The Lu family is still considered straightforward in that regard. If it were our Bai family, it would be even more complicated."
"Even during festivals and holidays, there are a lot of intricacies when it comes to visiting and gift-giving."
Mo Hua felt exhausted just listening to all of this and shook his head helplessly.
Bai Zi Sheng glanced at the pile of information about the Lu family's relationships and asked, "Do you have the Lu family's genealogy? It would be much easier to understand their connections with a genealogy. Otherwise, you'll have to guess who is related to whom, who is whose parent, and who shares the same father."
"It's probably impossible for an outsider to get their hands on the Lu family genealogy, right...?" Mo Hua frowned, deep in thought.
Then, he remembered something. "Lu Chengyun, the head of the Lu family, once gave me a special 'genealogy'."
Lu Chengyun had secretly given him this book in an attempt to persuade Mo Hua to marry into the Lu family.
Mo Hua opened his storage bag and rummaged through it for a while before finally pulling out the "genealogy" from a stack of array books and diagrams.
Bai Zi Sheng exclaimed in surprise, "You really have it?"
"Yes," Mo Hua nodded. "It's only a partial record, but it should help us make sense of things."
Mo Hua opened the genealogy, and the three of them leaned in to examine it.
After a while, Bai Zi Xi looked up at Mo Hua with a puzzled expression. "Why are there only young girls listed in this genealogy?"
Bai Zi Sheng nodded in agreement, "And they're all quite pretty, too."
Mo Hua's face turned slightly red. "I don't know. Lu Chengyun gave it to me."
Bai Zi Xi's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You really don't know?"
Mo Hua nodded vigorously.
Bai Zi Xi studied Mo Hua's face for a moment, seeing the honesty in his eyes, and then nodded slightly, deciding to drop the matter.
Mo Hua breathed a silent sigh of relief.
The three of them then began to untangle the complex web of relationships within the Lu family based on the information in the genealogy.
This genealogy was quite straightforward, only listing the direct line, collateral branches, and some other females who were related to the Lu family, along with their blood ties and the closeness of their relationships. Of course, it also included portraits of these females.
Additionally, it provided brief introductions to their spiritual roots and innate talents, which were considered confidential information within the family.
If it weren't for Mo Hua's exceptional talent in arrays, already achieving the rank of a first-grade array master at such a young age, Lu Chengyun wouldn't have given him this genealogy.
This genealogy wasn't comprehensive, containing only a portion of the Lu family's clan relationships. Nonetheless, it provided Mo Hua and his companions with enough information to piece together a general understanding of the connections between the cultivators in the Lu family.
Finally, Mo Hua narrowed down the list of suspects to five names: Lu Huaiyi, Lu Huaisheng, Lu Huaide, Pei Cai, and Jiang Long.
The three with the surname Lu were all sons-in-law. They had some knowledge of arrays and held significant power within the family, often overseeing the mines. Even now, they would occasionally visit the mines to maintain their presence.
Pei Cai and Jiang Long, on the other hand, were outsiders. One was a revered elder, and the other was an external advisor. Both held esteemed positions within the Lu family.
One had married a woman from the Lu family but wasn't considered a son-in-law, while the other taught arrays within the family.
These five individuals seemed to fit the profile of the traitor from the Lingyin Sect.
"Let's investigate these five people first," suggested Mo Hua.
Bai Zi Sheng and Bai Zi Xi nodded in agreement.
Over the next month, the trio took turns tailing, tracking, and gathering information about the five suspects, but they still didn't find any solid evidence.
While Lu Huaiyi, Lu Huaisheng, and Lu Huaide were all sons-in-law, their backgrounds before marrying into the Lu family were well-known and easily verifiable. There weren't any significant changes in their behavior or circumstances before and after their marriages. The only noticeable difference was their transformation from meek individuals to arrogant and overbearing ones, which could be attributed to human nature and wasn't unusual.
As for Pei Cai and Jiang Long, one led a peaceful life, focusing on his cultivation and minding his own business, while the other spent his days teaching arrays and his nights indulging in the pleasures of Jin Hua Street, willingly succumbing to the decadent lifestyle that the Lu family afforded him. Neither of them seemed like scheming individuals.
In the following days, there was still no progress.
Then, one day, Elder Su sent an invitation, inviting Mo Hua for a tea gathering.
Mo Hua pondered the invitation and, feeling a slight tug in his heart, decided to accept.
Elder Su had a close relationship with the Lu family and was particularly friendly with Lu Chengyun.
It would be best to minimize contact until the traitor within the Lu family was identified.
However, with no progress made so far, Mo Hua thought that he might as well meet with Elder Su and see if any new clues would surface.
Mo Hua had an indescribable intuition about this.
He felt that Elder Su was vaguely hiding some crucial information.
Mo Hua frowned slightly.
Ever since he had learned Divine Sense Derivation and used it to deduce array formations, he occasionally sensed a faint omen in his heart, along with inexplicable intuitions.
These intuitions were very clear, yet when he tried to pinpoint them, they eluded him...
They felt similar to the sensations he experienced when comprehending the profound principles of array formations.
It was like vaguely touching upon something, but with a sense of separation, as if separated by mountains and rivers, leaving him with a vague and indistinct feeling that he couldn't quite grasp.
Mo Hua recalled what Mr. Zhuang had once said: "All things in heaven and earth conform to the Dao."
If array formations conform to the Dao, and all things conform to the Dao, then do the actions and behaviors of cultivators also conform to the Dao?
If so, then by comprehending the Dao, could one predict the future to a certain extent and thus avoid disasters and seek good fortune?
Mo Hua felt that Mr. Zhuang's behavior was sometimes unfathomable, as if he had a premonition of destiny.
But how could one achieve such a feat? Was it by constantly studying array formations, constantly comprehending their principles, and constantly using derivation to gain insight into the grand Dao?
To see through all things, to predict fortune and misfortune, and to seek benefits while avoiding harm...
If he truly mastered this, would he become a "little charlatan"?
Mo Hua's mind kept turning as he arrived at Su Manor and took a seat in the pavilion, where he sipped the fine tea prepared by Elder Su. He was still a little dazed, his mind elsewhere.
Elder Su noticed his distant expression and asked, "Is something on your mind, young master Mo?"
Snapping back to attention, Mo Hua nodded, "Yes, I was thinking about something."
Elder Su nodded in approval, "To contemplate and ponder, even while walking, sitting, or drinking tea... No wonder you have achieved such profound understanding of array formations at a young age. It's truly admirable."
Mo Hua felt a bit embarrassed by the praise.
Moreover, he felt that the praise was somewhat misplaced.
However, since it was a compliment, he didn't want to disagree openly.
And even if the praise was not entirely accurate, he still felt happy to be acknowledged.
So, Mo Hua returned the compliment, "Elder Su's array formations are also excellent! And..."
Mo Hua thought of a suitable word, "...very refined."
He still remembered how Elder Su had frequented the Hundred Flowers Tower and had a close relationship with the owner.
Elder Su, unaware of Mo Hua's thoughts, stroked his beard, delighted by the compliment. "Let's drink tea! This tea is a rare treasure that I've kept for a long time. I don't usually offer it to guests..."
The tea was indeed excellent.
The two of them enjoyed the tea for a while, and even after finishing it, they still felt somewhat reluctant to part with the pleasant experience.
Elder Su then asked his disciple to brew another pot.
The disciple in question was the one who always accompanied Elder Su, with a delicate appearance and a hint of youthful stubbornness beneath his gentle and refined features. Mo Hua had seen him many times and was quite familiar with his face.
And this time, Mo Hua felt that he looked even more familiar.
After the disciple finished brewing the tea, Elder Su nodded and instructed, "Waterborne, you may leave."
Waterborne?
Mo Hua was taken aback.
He stared at the disciple for a moment.
This disciple's talent in array formations was average, and he didn't seem particularly respectful to Elder Su. Sometimes, he even acted a bit clumsy. Why did Elder Su always keep him by his side?
Mo Hua continued to observe him for a few moments.
It was then that he noticed a resemblance between the disciple and Elder Su, and their spiritual energy seemed to be connected in some way.
Waterborne...
Even after the disciple had walked away, Mo Hua continued to stare at his retreating back.
Elder Su noticed Mo Hua's gaze fixed on his disciple and saw the gleam in his eyes. He felt a twinge of unease.
"Young master Mo, what...are you looking at?"
"I was looking at your disciple."
Elder Su smiled awkwardly, "He's just a disciple, nothing special..."
Mo Hua glanced at Elder Su and then asked quietly, "Could this disciple be your illegitimate son...?"
Elder Su choked on his tea, coughed a few times, and quickly tried to dismiss the question with a laugh, "Young master Mo, you're joking."
Mo Hua whispered, "Water Fairy..."
Elder Su's hands trembled, and he dropped his cup. He stared at Mo Hua in disbelief, "You...how do you know?"
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly, like a cunning little fox, and he thought to himself, "So it's true."
(End of Chapter)
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