Chapter 583: Nightmare
Chapter 583: Nightmare
Yu'er, who had "fallen" into Mo Hua's hands, was now walking towards Qingzhou City, following a kind young man who happened to pass by.
The sky had darkened, and the surroundings were devoid of human figures, leaving only the shadows of the night.
Soon, however, the night's tranquility was interrupted as the murmurs of cultivators traveling back and forth in the shadows filled the air.
Mo Hua, with his spiritual sense, was well aware of these cultivators' movements, but as he did not know their identities or intentions, he maintained a low profile and kept silent.
These cultivators were heading out of the city, and the closer they got to Qingzhou, the quieter they became.
As midnight approached, they were still about twenty miles from the city.
Yu'er had been walking for several hours, and his face was pale and tired. His legs felt like lead, but he seemed afraid of being sold off again, or perhaps he just wanted to see his parents soon and not worry them. So he gritted his teeth and endured the pain.
Mo Hua released his spiritual sense to scan the surroundings before rubbing Yu'er's little head gently.
"Let's rest nearby for the night and head into the city early tomorrow morning."
Yu'er whispered, "I'm not tired..."
"It's too late. The city gates might be closed. Let's get some good rest first," Mo Hua said.
There were many immortal cities in the cultivation world. Each state had its own unique set of immortal cities, and their curfews varied.
Based on Mo Hua's past travel experiences, some immortal cities imposed a curfew at night.
Some didn't, but in the event of a major incident, the city gates would be closed, and formation arrays would be used to seal the city, restricting the entry and exit of cultivators.
If Qingzhou City had a curfew, then the two of them would have to spend the night outside the gates.
There would likely be many cultivators camping outside the city, waiting for the gates to open in the morning.
With so many people around, it was hard to discern the good from the bad. Thus, it was safer to stay away from the crowd.
Mo Hua didn't mind, but the situation was different for Yu'er, who had been "trafficked."
Yu'er was just a child, and he couldn't help but feel exhausted. So, he obediently nodded.
Outside Qingzhou City lay a vast expanse of mountains and forests.
Mo Hua found a secluded spot surrounded by rocks and shaded by trees. It was quiet and safe. He pointed his finger at the ground and drew a warm fire formation.
A warm yellow light dispelled the gloom of the night and the chill of the mountain wind, illuminating Yu'er's little face and making it look rosy.
Yu'er's eyes sparkled as if he had forgotten his fatigue. He stared at Mo Hua, his mouth agape.
"Brother, you can draw formations like that too!"
Without using a brush or paper, he had drawn a formation with just a point of his finger...
It was both calm and cool.
He looked like a master!
Yu'er had never seen anyone draw formations like that before, and he looked at Mo Hua with admiration.
Mo Hua felt a slight sense of pride and said, "When you grow up, I'll teach you how to draw formations like this too."
"Mm!" Yu'er nodded vigorously, his eyes full of anticipation.
The night was chilly, and the mountain wind howled.
Mo Hua took out a small blanket and draped it over Yu'er's shoulders.
Yu'er's small body was now wrapped in the blanket, feeling much warmer. However, he soon furrowed his brows and stole a glance at Mo Hua, but he kept quiet.
Mo Hua saw right through him and smiled, "Are you hungry?"
Yu'er's face turned slightly red, and he whispered, "Mm..."
After being trafficked, he barely ate anything. Now that Mo Hua had rescued him, they had been rushing on their way. Only now, as he rested and warmed up, did he feel his stomach rumbling.
Mo Hua smiled and skillfully took out some dried meat, mountain potatoes, and various wild and dried fruits, placing them on the warm fire formation to roast.
The heat from the fire permeated the food, releasing a delightful aroma that spread along with the warmth.
Yu'er was like a kitten transfixed by the sight of dried fish, unable to look away.
The two of them sat by the fire, roasting and eating the meat and potatoes, along with the wild-tasting dried fruits.
Yu'er devoured the food happily.
After they finished eating, Mo Hua took out some fruit wine for Yu'er to drink.
The fruit wine was sweet and thick, with a lingering aftertaste and a hint of alcohol, dispelling the fatigue and hardships of their journey.
"Delicious!" Yu'er exclaimed, licking his lips just like Mo Hua had done earlier.
After their fill, the two wrapped themselves in their blankets and fell asleep by the warm fire formation.
Although Mo Hua appeared to be asleep, he was actually drawing formations in his sea of consciousness while maintaining his spiritual sense to guard against any beasts or cultivators with malicious intentions.
Soon, Mo Hua's eyes widened as he noticed Yu'er's small body curled up.
He opened his eyes and saw Yu'er's eyes tightly shut, his face pale, as if he were witnessing something terrifying in his dream. He looked scared and afraid, with tears streaming down his cheeks, looking pitiful and helpless, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
Mo Hua sighed.
"Yu'er..."
He called out softly, infusing his voice with a hint of divine intent, which reached Yu'er's ears.
Yu'er slowly opened his eyes, his vision blurry from tears.
Mo Hua waved at him and said gently, "Come here if you're cold."
Yu'er hesitated for a moment, wiped his tears, and then ran over to Mo Hua, wrapping himself in his small blanket.
Mo Hua shared a portion of his blanket with Yu'er, covering him as well. He then rubbed Yu'er's head and said, "Don't think too much. You'll see your parents in the morning..."
"Mm," Yu'er nodded slightly.
"Go back to sleep..." Mo Hua's voice was soft but firm and reassuring.
Yu'er's heart, which had been filled with fear and anxiety, gradually calmed down, and his body stopped trembling from fear.
The blanket now felt much warmer.
Yu'er secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He quietly lifted his head to glance at Mo Hua, who seemed to be meditating with his eyes closed, unaware of Yu'er's gaze. Yu'er then snuggled closer to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua exuded a calm and peaceful aura.
Yu'er felt content and slowly closed his eyes, drifting into a deep sleep.
This time, he slept soundly without any nightmares.
There were no memories of being trafficked, no ugly, greedy faces of adults, no pain inflicted by the malice of the world, no fear or despair...
And no...
Those nightmares that had occasionally appeared in his dreams since he could remember...
The ones set in the wild and cruel mountains, where people were sacrificed, their flesh and blood used as bait, and countless lives were trampled upon, filled with pure evil intentions, bloodthirstiness, and bizarre horrors that nourished the world's calamities...
...
The night passed quietly.
Yu'er slept peacefully.
Early the next morning, Mo Hua and Yu'er arrived at Qingzhou City.
Outside the city, there was a group of court officials on patrol.
As Mo Hua attempted to enter the city, he was stopped by the officials.
Their curiosity was piqued mainly because he was very young and had a child with him, even younger than himself, which seemed unusual among the crowd of cultivators.
One of the officials asked, "How old are you?"
"Fifteen..."
"What brings you to the city?"
"I'm going to Qian Xue State to study..."
"Just you alone?
Zhisu found himself in a dilemma.
The orders he had received were to "thoroughly investigate any suspicious cultivators traveling with young cultivators."
But what if a young cultivator was traveling with another young cultivator? Was that suspicious?
Rumors had reached his ears about a young master of the Gu family being abducted by human traffickers.
However, strangely enough, the young master's portrait was not to be disclosed.
They could only search based on age...
Zhisu glanced at Yu'er, "This little boy looks like a young master."
He then turned his gaze to Mo Hua, his mind filled with doubts.
Human traffickers... shouldn't be this young, should they?
And if he truly was a trafficker, he would probably try to leave the city instead of making such a public display of entering it...
"Seems like I'm overthinking this..."
Noticing Zhisu's muttering, Mo Hua asked, "Has something happened?"
"Yes, it's the Gu family..." Zhisu nodded, but then realized he had said too much and quickly straightened his face. "Children, don't ask questions you shouldn't."
"Oh..."
"Go on, enter the city!"
"Okay!"
And so, Mo Hua pulled Yu'er along, passing through the city gates and entering Qingzhou City in broad daylight.
Qingzhou City was bustling with life and energy.
Arriving in Qingzhou City meant that Mo Hua had essentially set one foot into the Qian Xue State.
He could now find a way to travel to the Qian Dao Sect and pay his respects.
But before that, he needed to ensure that Yu'er, this "little burden," was safely returned to his parents. Only then would he be at ease.
Qingzhou City was relatively prosperous.
The streets were lively, with people coming and going. On both sides of the street, stalls displayed an array of pills, talismans, arrays, artifacts, and all sorts of other goods, creating a vibrant scene.
As Mo Hua and Yu'er walked along, they also browsed the offerings.
Yu'er looked around with curiosity, while Mo Hua pondered, "How can I find Yu'er's parents?"
"Gu family..."
Along the way, Mo Hua had heard a few people mention the "Gu family"...
The traffickers, including the leader, Jiang, had mentioned it, and so had the officials before entering the city.
Could Yu'er be the young master of the Gu family? Mo Hua asked, "Yu'er, is your surname Gu?"
Yu'er reluctantly tore his gaze away from a string of candied hawthorn berries by the roadside and thought about it before slowly replying, "No, my surname isn't Gu."
"Then is your mother's surname Gu?"
Yu'er shook his head.
Mo Hua frowned.
If his mother's surname wasn't Gu, then they probably had no relation to the Gu family...
Yu'er looked at Mo Hua with an ashamed expression and said, "Brother, I'm sorry, my mother told me not to tell anyone our surname..."
"It's alright." Mo Hua smiled reassuringly, "When you're out and about, you must always be vigilant, even around me."
Yu'er still felt guilty.
Mo Hua bought Yu'er a string of candied hawthorn berries to cheer him up.
Yu'er immediately brightened up and began munching on the treat, his little mouth turning red from the sweetness.
"Is this your first time having it?"
"Yes." Yu'er nodded, "My mother doesn't let me eat these."
Mo Hua sighed.
He was getting more confused.
Whose child was Yu'er?
Not being allowed to eat candied hawthorn berries...
Was it because the family was too poor to afford it, or too wealthy and worried about spoiling their appetite?
"Yu'er, is your family big?"
"Yes!" Yu'er spread his small arms wide, drawing a large circle in the air, "Very, very big!"
Mo Hua nodded, "So, you're from a large clan..."
But that might not necessarily be the case.
A child's perception of "big" could be different from an adult's.
When he was younger, Mo Hua had thought Tongxian City was enormous, and the journey from the south gate to the north gate had seemed very long...
But now, he could traverse that "very long" distance in just half an hour...
"Do you have any memories of Qingzhou City?"
Mo Hua asked further.
Yu'er, with a sugar-coated hawthorn berry in his mouth, tried his best to recall but eventually shook his head, "I don't know, they all look pretty similar to me..."
Mo Hua was taken aback but quickly nodded in agreement.
That was indeed true.
After seeing so many large and small immortal cities, they did tend to blend together.
However, this presented a problem...
Without any leads, it would be difficult to find Yu'er's family.
Yu'er thought for a moment, and his eyes lit up, "Brother! I remember now! I have relatives in Qingzhou City! My mother said she would take me to find them!"
"What relatives?"
Yu'er shook his head.
"What's their surname?"
Yu'er shook his head again.
Mo Hua sighed.
Oh well, at least it was a lead.
After making further inquiries, Mo Hua found a noodle shop near the city gate and sat down.
He had asked around, and the Gu family was the most influential clan in Qingzhou City, no, in the entire outer region of the Qian Xue State, which included several immortal cities of varying sizes.
They were a fifth-grade family!
And according to the whispers circulating in the city, a young master of the Gu family had been abducted by human traffickers, and his whereabouts were still unknown.
As for the identity of this young master, his name, age, and appearance were not disclosed by the Gu family.
Perhaps his status was special, and they had their reasons for keeping it a secret.
The Gu family had announced that any information about abducted young cultivators under the age of ten would be rewarded handsomely if proven true.
They even offered an entry quota to a cultivation school in the Qian Xue State...
A cultivation school entry quota...
Mo Hua already had an entry token, so he had no need for it.
Moreover, he had no idea where the Gu family's young master was.
His priority now was to ensure Yu'er's safety and reunite him with his family.
"Should I go directly to the Dao Court?"
Mo Hua thought for a moment and shook his head.
He wasn't familiar with the Dao Court in Qingzhou City.
Furthermore, it seemed like the Gu family's matter had caused quite a stir, and most of the officials in the Dao Court were probably searching for the missing young master, so they might not pay much attention to Yu'er's situation.
There were other concerns as well.
Mo Hua suspected that some of the cultivators within the Dao Court might be colluding with the human traffickers...
This was something Uncle Zhang Luan had warned him about.
The Dao Courts weren't entirely free from corruption, and the web of interests within them could be complex and treacherous.
You could never be too careful when dealing with strangers.
It would be best to hand Yu'er over to his birth parents directly.
"He has relatives in Qingzhou City..."
"Should we go door-to-door to ask?"
Mo Hua shook his head again.
That wouldn't work either.
Those who could establish themselves in Qian Xue State would likely have influential backgrounds and high thresholds for outsiders to cross. He might not even be able to get past their doors.
Additionally, it would be a waste of time.
Similarly, if someone claimed to be Yu'er's "relative" and acted overly affectionate, Yu'er, being so young, might not be able to discern whether they were truly family or had malicious intentions.
Mo Hua felt that both methods had their drawbacks.
Once outsiders got involved, things could easily go awry.
Qingzhou City served as a hub connecting to the Qianzhou academic world.
Yu'er's parents, if they wanted to find Yu'er, would eventually pass through Qingzhou City and appear at its gates.
As Mo Hua thought of this, his heart skipped a beat, as if the cause and effect he foresaw in his mind would, following a certain heavenly principle, become a fact in the foreseeable future...
Mo Hua's heart trembled.
This was...
The true Tianji Derivative? No, or perhaps, the embryonic form of the true Tianji Derivative...
In Mo Hua's mind, the figure of Mr. Zhuang appeared. He imitated his master's movements, pinching his fingers and closing his eyes to meditate, while mobilizing his spiritual sense...
After a while...
Nothing happened...
Mo Hua stroked his chin.
He suspected that when his master performed the Tianji calculation, the finger-pinching gesture was probably just for show, making him look more "otherworldly and profound," but in reality, it didn't do much.
Now, as he imitated his master's actions, his mind was blank, and he couldn't calculate anything.
Perhaps because he was only learning the "Spiritual Sense Calculation" and had not yet reached the level of "Tianji Calculation."
Only after performing numerous calculations would his sea of consciousness occasionally have some faint, heaven-related premonitions.
After all, his master had never taught him how to "calculate heaven's secrets"...
Mo Hua sighed.
He wasn't quite sure what heaven's secrets were, nor did he know how to calculate them.
"Tianji Calculation..."
"In the future, if I encounter other heavenly secret techniques, I should try to get my hands on them and study them. Maybe I can compare and contrast, gain some insights, and comprehend the true 'Tianji Calculation'..."
Mo Hua nodded.
It's not good to always be the one being calculated.
Sometimes, he should also calculate others...
Mo Hua turned to look at Yu'er and instructed, "We'll wait here. Pay attention to the gate. If you see anyone you know, your parents, relatives, teachers, or your family's carriage, be sure to tell me..."
"Mm!" Yu'er nodded.
Then, the boss brought over two bowls of noodles, one large and one small.
As Mo Hua ate, he continued to ponder the matter of the Tianji Calculation in his mind.
Yu'er, imitating Mo Hua, slurped his noodles noisily, occasionally lifting his head. Seeing Mo Hua by his side made him feel a little more at ease, and he would continue eating.
It seemed that as long as he was with Mo Hua, those bloody, cruel, and vicious nightmares would gradually dissipate...
So, Mo Hua and Yu'er continued to stake out the entrance.
The gate of Qingzhou City was bustling with people coming and going, all sorts of cultivators passing through.
However, after several days of eating noodles and waiting, they still had no leads.
Mo Hua began to doubt if he had guessed wrong...
"It shouldn't be wrong..."
Mo Hua frowned, concentrating. In his mind, there was a faint trace of a carriage and a face...
...
At this moment, in Qingzhou City, at the Gu residence.
In a quiet but luxurious hall.
A beautiful woman in palace attire waved her hand, shattering the exquisite tables, chairs, ceramics, and screens in the room. Even the walls, reinforced with formations, showed cracks.
Outside the room, the maids turned pale, bowed their heads, and quietly retreated.
Across from the woman was a handsome man with a sorrowful smile on his face. He was dressed in fine clothes, and his cultivation base was at the Nascent Soul stage.
"Wan'er, don't be angry..."
The woman in palace attire had reddened eyes, and her voice carried anger. "How can I not be angry? The direct descendant of the Shangguan family... Our own flesh and blood, was kidnapped! Do you think I'm a fool?"
The man in fine clothes spoke gently, "Wan'er, no one wants this..."
"Shangguan Yi!" The woman's voice was filled with hatred. "Yu'er is my child. Even if you don't care, I do. Yu'er is so young and obedient... He's my life!"
The man in fine clothes had a pained expression, and his handsome eyes were filled with sorrow. "Yu'er is also my flesh and blood. How could I not care..."
"Then what has your Shangguan family done?" The woman demanded sharply.
The man in fine clothes replied bitterly, "Wan'er, you are now a part of the Shangguan family as well. Don't say such things. If Father finds out..."
"So what if he knows? He never liked this marriage anyway, and he's always looked down on me..."
The woman in palace attire glared at the man, her once affectionate eyes now as cold as ice, filled with deep hatred.
"He doesn't like me, so he doesn't like Yu'er, his grandson."
"I'm telling you, if anything happens to Yu'er, I will hate your Shangguan family for the rest of my life!"
There was a slight quiver in the woman's voice, a mix of determination and the pain of severing ties with her beloved:
"Including you... Shangguan Yi!"
The man's heart twisted in agony, "Wan'er..."
The woman in palace attire said hatefully, "Tell me the truth now. Who kidnapped Yu'er? What have you found out? Where is Yu'er now?"
The man sighed and wore a troubled expression.
He knew that his wife was deeply affectionate and loved their child dearly. Previously, he hadn't dared to tell her the truth, fearing that she would be overwhelmed with grief. So, he had concealed everything, saying that they had found clues and would soon locate Yu'er.
But now, he could no longer hide the truth and had no choice but to confess:
"On the surface, this incident seems to be just a coincidence..."
"Yu'er went out to see the lantern festival. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared among a crowd of people..."
"We tried to investigate, but the secrets of heaven are like flowing water, leaving no traces..."
"We don't know who kidnapped Yu'er or why, but we can vaguely trace that after Yu'er was taken, someone was transporting him out..."
"It was a group of human traffickers..."
"They split into several groups and left Qingzhou City in batches, seemingly intending to send Yu'er out of Qianzhou to some unknown place..."
"During these days, the Shangguan family, the Gu family, and even the Dao Court have deployed a large number of cultivators to search."
"The Shangguan family worked in the shadows, while the Gu family and the Dao Court worked openly. They would capture and interrogate one group, only to have another group slip through the net, and so on. No matter how many they captured and killed, there always seemed to be some insignificant stragglers who managed to smuggle Yu'er further and further away..."
"It's as if everything had been calculated in advance..."
"So, the elders suspect..." The man's heart filled with dread as he spoke with a trembling voice. "...that there is a powerful being who understands the secrets of heaven, plotting and scheming, and secretly setting up a grand scheme to..."
The man paused, taking a deep breath, his voice shaking.
"...abduct Yu'er, the child of the union between the Shangguan and Wenren families, the first such union in a thousand years..."
(End of Chapter)
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