https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-681-Getting-It-Back-End-of-Chapter-/12543119/
Chapter 680: "The Hidden Hand"
Chapter 680: "The Hidden Hand"
In a small grove along the Yan Shui River, Guojianglong knelt on the ground, his body covered in wounds.
Cheng Mo and the three others stood facing off against a group of seven young cultivators, their expressions grave.
The proud and arrogant young master dressed in golden silk and satin sneered, his companions also wearing scowls on their faces.
This group of young cultivators, including the golden-robed young master, were all at the mid-Ji Dan stage.
Mo Hua remained hidden in the trees, pondering for a moment before deciding against revealing himself.
Cheng Mo, despite blocking the sword light from the young master's sneak attack, was still struggling with his surging blood qi. Enraged, he demanded, "Who are you people?"
The golden-robed young master replied contemptuously, "You are not worthy to know."
Stiro Jian's eyes narrowed as he recognized the sword technique, his voice deep and stern, "It's Duan Jinmen. That sword technique just now was their signature, the Duan Jin Yu Jian Jue."
Having cultivated the sword path, Stiro was familiar with the more prominent sword sects in the Qian Xue Zhou realm.
Although he hadn't learned many of the distinct sword techniques himself, he had at least heard of them.
Mo Hua, hidden in the tree, was taken aback.
Duan Jinmen?
No wonder...
He had felt that the sword technique seemed familiar, and now he realized it was the same one he had obtained from Brother Jiang—the signature sword technique of Duan Jinmen, the Duan Jin Yu Jian Jue.
He had even practiced it himself...
However, since he wasn't a sword cultivator, his last-minute attempt to master the technique had resulted in a feeble imitation, completely unlike the sharp sword energy displayed by the golden-robed cultivator. That was why he hadn't made the connection immediately.
"Duan Jinmen..."
Mo Hua's gaze swept over the group, his expression thoughtful.
The golden-robed young master, his identity now known, wore an even more haughty expression.
"Oh? You recognize Duan Jinmen's sword technique? I'll give you some credit for that."
Yang Qianjun scoffed, his eyes sharp, "So what if it's Duan Jinmen? We are on a mission for the Dao Ting Si, following the orders of our sect. Do you think you can just take our captive from us?"
The golden-robed young master laughed derisively, "And you think you're the only ones on a mission? We've been tracking this despicable creature for several days, cornering him and preparing to capture him. But then you brats interfered, stealing our glory. Don't you think that's disrespectful of you?"
Cheng Mo, furious at their attempt to twist the truth, shouted, "You're full of crap! You were the ones trying to steal the credit, and we're not even giving you face... no, we're not even giving your ass, which looks like a face, any credit!"
The golden-robed young master's face reddened, and he looked embarrassed.
Coming from a noble background and holding a high status within his sect, he had never been subjected to such humiliation. His gaze turned cold and fierce.
"You little brat, you're asking to die!"
Unfazed, Cheng Mo stood his ground as Yang Qianjun gripped his long spear and Stiro Jian remained proud and defiant.
"You may be from a prestigious family, but so are we. You have your sect, and we have ours! What? Do you think you can just kill us out here in the wilderness?"
The golden-robed young master hesitated, his face twitching.
Indeed, he dared not...
If they were dealing with solitary cultivators, he wouldn't have minded killing them and pushing the blame onto some lackey if the Dao Ting Si came knocking.
There were plenty of ways to escape punishment.
However, if he killed sect disciples, especially from a prestigious family, the matter would be much more difficult to resolve.
One of the young cultivators beside the golden-robed young master tried to curry favor, "Golden Young Master, killing them would only dirty your hands. Let us teach them a lesson instead. We can break a few of their ribs and humiliate them..."
"Even if they go back and report us, they'll only shame themselves."
Another one chimed in with a sneer, "Exactly. Let these rookies know that they need to watch their step and not offend the wrong people..."
The golden-robed young master, addressed as "Golden Young Master," nodded, looking down at them haughtily, "Alright, I'm not a petty person..."
He glanced at Guojianglong kneeling on the ground and coldly humphed, "Leave our 'prey' here, apologize to me, and I'll let you go. Otherwise..."
The Golden Young Master's smile twisted, and sharp golden sword energy fluctuated around him, "...don't blame me for being impolite and teaching you a lesson on behalf of your sect."
Cheng Mo couldn't stand the arrogant bird's attitude and was about to curse at him again when his Supreme Order suddenly vibrated. He took it out and saw a single word:
"Go."
It was from Mo Hua.
Stiro Jian and the others had received the same message.
They exchanged glances, communicating silently through their eyes, and subtly nodded.
The Golden Young Master also noticed their tokens, his eyebrows furrowing, "Are you disciples of Tai Xu Men?"
Cheng Mo and the others usually wore regular clothes when carrying out missions and didn't don the Dao robes of Tai Xu Men.
Although the Golden Young Master had suspected they were sect disciples, he hadn't known which sect they belonged to at first.
Cheng Mo held his head high, "That's right. Scared now, aren't you?"
The Golden Young Master scoffed, "So what if it's Tai Xu Men? It's not one of the Four Great Sects. Do you think Duan Jinmen would be afraid?"
"Moreover..."
The Golden Young Master smiled meaningfully, "...your sect is lax in its discipline, and your disciples lack ambition. Your sword skills are declining year after year, and you no longer deserve to be ranked among the 'Eight Great Sects.'"
"If this continues, one day, Duan Jinmen will replace you..."
Cheng Mo cursed, "You golden fool, deluding yourself with your wild fantasies! Go take a nap and dream your spring and autumn dreams!"
A fierce light began to gather in the Golden Young Master's eyes.
Stiro Jian quickly restrained Cheng Mo, whispering, "Don't cause more trouble. Let's go."
Cheng Mo reluctantly closed his mouth.
With their opponents outnumbering and outranking them in terms of cultivation, it was unwise to engage in a direct conflict under such unfavorable circumstances.
Cheng Mo kicked Guojianglong, who was still on the ground, and the four of them gathered together, gripping their spiritual weapons tightly as they cautiously backed away towards the edge of the forest, keeping a watchful eye on the Golden Young Master's group.
As they were about to walk away, one of the Duan Jinmen disciples asked the Golden Young Master, "Should we..."
The Golden Young Master's expression was cold, "They're from Tai Xu Men, so we can't act recklessly. If things get too messy, even Duan Jinmen might not be able to protect us, unlike with those smaller sects..."
The disciple bowed, "Yes."
And so, the group of Duan Jinmen disciples stood there arrogantly, watching as Cheng Mo and his companions left.
Once Cheng Mo and the others had exited the forest and put some distance between them, their faces showed their anger.
"Those bastards from Duan Jinmen!"
"How shameless!"
"We worked so hard to capture that guy, and they just took him from us because they had more people."
"Six hundred merit points, gone!"
Cheng Mo felt the pain of losing those points.
However, Yang Qianjun was suspicious. "We took on this mission, so how did those people from Duan Jinmen know about it?"
"They didn't take the mission and wanted to capture him directly to turn him in to the Dao Ting Si for the bounty?"
"Or perhaps they just happened to pass by and decided to take him on a whim because they thought they could bully us easily?"
Cheng Mo and the others shook their heads, their faces filled with confusion.
Suddenly, Stiro Jian frowned. "Where's Mo Hua?"
He looked around, thinking that Mo Hua might be hiding nearby, invisible to their eyes. He called out softly, "Little Martial Brother~"
But there was no response, and the surroundings remained empty.
Huo Xuan took out his Supreme Order and glanced at it before looking up. "Little Martial Brother asked us to go on ahead and wait for him at the ferry crossing. He'll find us later."
Cheng Mo asked, puzzled, "What is he doing?"
Huo Xuan shook his head.
There was no way he could guess what Little Martial Brother was thinking.
"Are we going to the ferry crossing?" Cheng Mo asked.
Stiro Jian thought for a moment, unsure of Mo Hua's intentions, and shook his head. "Let's wait here. This place isn't far from the small grove. If Little Martial Brother is in danger, we can support him."
"Although the people from Duan Jinmen outnumber us, even if a conflict breaks out, they won't dare to kill us if they capture us. We'll just have to endure some hardship."
"But if Little Martial Brother is alone and they catch him, then it's a different story..."
Although Mo Hua was also a disciple of Tai Xu Men, his apparent background was that of a solitary cultivator, with no family backing to rely on.
The people from Duan Jinmen might not show any restraint in that case.
Cheng Mo and the others nodded gravely.
...
In the small grove, Mo Hua was still hiding in the tree, peering down.
As night fell and the sun set, the glowing sunset faded, and the light in the forest dimmed.
After Cheng Mo and the others left, only Guojianglong and the "Golden Young Master," along with his entourage of "hangers-on," remained in the forest.
The Golden Young Master kicked Guojianglong, who was still on the ground, and then stepped on him, his eyes cold and indifferent as he said, "Vile creature, do you know that your sins have finally caught up with you?"
Guojianglong, with blood in his mouth, spat and said, "You're the waste of a sect, pretending to be virtuous, yet you dare to bully me..."
The Golden Young Master applied more force to his foot, and Guojianglong groaned, swallowing the rest of his curse back into his throat.
The other Duan Jinmen disciples also looked furious.
One of them said, "Young Master, there's no need to waste words with this vile creature. Let's crush his throat, destroy his meridians, and then hand him over to the Dao Ting Si for the bounty."
"How dare he insult our Duan Jinmen! He doesn't know how to write the word 'death'?"
The Golden Young Master kicked Guojianglong again and said, "Vile creature, speak! Where are your other accomplices?"
Guojianglong spat out another mouthful of blood but remained silent.
The Golden Young Master frowned and ordered the disciples around him, "Spread out and search the area. See if there are any of this vile creature's accomplices nearby."
"Yes, Young Master!"
The others accepted the order, and two or three of them formed groups and gradually dispersed in different directions.
The forest instantly became quiet, leaving only the imposing Golden Young Master and the badly injured Guojianglong.
The faint night enveloped the forest in a shroud of darkness.
The Golden Young Master's gloomy gaze swept the empty forest, and his spiritual sense also scanned the area several times before he finally withdrew his foot from Guojianglong and casually threw him a pale pink pill.
"Take it."
Guojianglong caught the pill and swallowed it, and his complexion immediately improved.
Mo Hua, hidden in the tree, was taken aback and murmured to himself, "Oh?"
"These two... they know each other..."
The Golden Young Master looked at Guojianglong's wretched appearance and couldn't help but frown. "You're useless!"
Guojianglong tried to say something.
"Wait," the Golden Young Master interrupted.
He casually took out two array flags and, with a flick of his sleeve, planted them into the ground like flying daggers.
Spiritual energy flowed on the array flags, and an inconspicuous pale white barrier rose, enclosing the Golden Young Master and Guojianglong.
A soundproof array? Mo Hua blinked and thought to himself, "Quite cautious..."
However, using such a small trick in front of him was a bit like showing off one's meager skills.
With a sweep of his spiritual sense, he quickly found the gaps in the spiritual energy flow within the array and discerned its weaknesses.
His powerful and subtle spiritual sense instantly penetrated the barrier of the soundproof array.
But Guojianglong and the Golden Young Master remained unaware.
They were discussing something "private."
"... Useless!"
"... It's not that I'm incompetent, but those few brats are just too weird..."
"They used fishing nets and formations..."
"I was careless for a moment and got caught in the net, pulled to shore, and then dragged into the forest, where I was ambushed by those brats..."
"It's not that I was careless, but they were just too meticulous."
Guojianglong said, "I guess someone must be instructing them from the shadows, hiding in the dark, plotting, and being insidious and cunning..."
"Enough!" The Golden Young Master interrupted with disdain. "If you fail, don't make excuses for yourself. It's not your first day out here."
The Golden Young Master's face turned gloomy. "If you really mess up, do you think the Young Masters will listen to your explanations?"
Mo Hua was taken aback.
Young Masters?
There were more Young Masters?
So, this Golden Young Master wasn't the real one?
Upon hearing the words "Young Masters," Guojianglong's face turned pale, and his eyes filled with fear.
"It's... it's my fault for being careless and falling into those brats' trap, almost ruining the Young Masters' plans."
"I'm so stupid..."
Guojianglong spoke with sincere fear and reverence.
The Golden Young Master finally nodded in satisfaction, but after a moment, he frowned again. "How did those sect brats find you?"
Guojianglong's face turned bitter. "I don't know..."
He cultivated the White Wave Manual, which allowed him to move freely in the water, stirring up waves and causing chaos without restraint.
He never expected that today, for some unknown reason, someone would track his traces, set up an ambush, and forcibly drag him from the river to the shore.
Guojianglong recalled the events and felt his heart sink. "Could it be that... someone has their eyes on me?"
The Golden Young Master's expression was also unpleasant, but after a moment of thought, he shook his head. "It doesn't seem like it..."
"If someone really had their eyes on you, they wouldn't send a few brats to catch you."
"Most likely, they took on the sect's bounty to earn some merit... But the fact that they could catch you means that these brats have some skills."
The Golden Young Master sneered, and then he coldly glanced at Guojianglong and berated him, "I told you to act low-key. Killing someone is nothing, but you left traces that even the Dao Ting Si could find.
"Who would have thought that the one surnamed Lin would have a 'Water Avoidance Pearl' on him? The water demons couldn't kill him no matter what, so I had no choice but to use the Three Shark Hooks to rip out his throat, leaving behind evidence that was discovered by the Dao Court..."
Mo Hua's expression stirred.
Surnamed "Lin"?
Was the family young master among those six people surnamed "Lin"? Mo Hua quietly noted down the surname, then heard the golden young master continue, "The winds have been tight lately. Later, I'll send you to the Dao Prison, and you'll 'die' there. The Dao Court will close the case and seal your file. After the heat dies down, you can change your appearance and identity and continue working for the 'Young Masters'."
Guojianglong said, "Thank you, Golden Young Master, but..."
The Golden Young Master said in a deep voice, "Speak."
Guojianglong lowered his voice, his expression anxious as he said, "Why has the situation recently... become so dire?"
"Those who swore blood oaths, one after another, are either being captured or killed, or are like stray dogs, too afraid to show their faces..."
"Nowadays, those who can still breathe and survive in the underworld can be counted on one hand..."
"Even the 'Honored One,' who is just a step away from forming a Golden Core, whose magic is terrifying, he too..."
Guojianglong's eyes were filled with terror, and his body trembled involuntarily.
The Golden Young Master's expression turned solemn, and his eyes narrowed as he said, "Master Tu suspects that we've been schemed against..."
"For so many years, we've never made a mistake or leaked any information, but in just over a year, one after another of those who swore blood oaths have been lost, more than half of them..."
"...They all left behind evidence, alerting the Dao Court, which then issued missions for their capture, with sect disciples carrying out the arrests in exchange for merit."
"What's even more bizarre is that in this process, the Dao Court issues the bounties, and ordinary sect disciples accept them, but they may not be aware of the bigger picture."
"And on the surface, nothing seems amiss."
The Golden Young Master's tone turned cold:
"So, I suspect... there must be an invisible, giant 'hidden hand' manipulating everything behind the scenes..."
The Golden Young Master spoke with certainty.
Mo Hua, hidden in the tree, couldn't help but lower his head and look at his own fair, delicate hands, blinking in confusion.
Guojianglong's face was pale, and his voice was hoarse as he asked, "Can we find out who this 'hidden hand' is?"
The Golden Young Master's eyes narrowed slightly, "Master Tu didn't say, but I have a suspect in mind..."
Mo Hua was curious and pricked up his ears.
The Golden Young Master said in a low voice, "This person is very likely to be the Master of the Dao Court..."
The Golden Young Master paused for a moment, his eyes sharp,
"...Gu Changhuai!"
Mo Hua was taken aback.
The Golden Young Master continued, "The Gu family has served in the Dao Court for generations, and they are narrow-minded and not of the same mind as us."
"This Gu Changhuai is from the main branch of the Gu family, and he has formed a Golden Core. He is eccentric, unpredictable, and his thoughts are difficult to fathom."
"Moreover, his cultivation and magic are all top-notch, and his strength is not to be underestimated."
"He even possesses forbidden magic and is known as the invincible Fire Venerable, second only to the Jin Dan in the second-grade state. Even he died at Gu Changhuai's hands!"
The Golden Young Master's eyes were filled with hatred, and his expression was wary.
"Whether or not this Gu Changhuai is the 'hidden hand', he is definitely an extremely important 'piece' in the hands of the person behind all this!"
"This person is definitely our mortal enemy!"
Guojianglong also believed this to be true and nodded solemnly.
Mo Hua didn't know what to say...
The Golden Young Master glanced at Guojianglong and said indifferently, "Remember my words. In these days, you must be extremely cautious in your actions."
"Things are different now than they were in the past, and we can't afford to make any more mistakes. If you cause trouble and implicate the Young Masters, ruining the grand plan, you won't even be able to die a quick death."
Guojianglong pressed his lips together and nodded tremblingly.
The Golden Young Master was still not reassured and added, "Also... keep your mouth shut."
"No matter who asks, don't say a word. If they press you, then..."
The Golden Young Master made a slashing gesture across his neck, indicating to Guojianglong.
Guojianglong's face turned deathly pale.
The Golden Young Master patted him on the shoulder and said,
"Physical death does not mean true death. You've seen some things, and you should understand..."
Guojianglong's eyes were filled with dread, and he remained silent.
The Golden Young Master nodded in satisfaction, "Remember what I said..."
There was movement on the outskirts of the forest, as if someone was approaching.
The Golden Young Master's fingers flicked out two sword auras, shredding the two soundproof array flags, then kicked Guojianglong to the ground.
Guojianglong fell to the ground, pretending to be unconscious.
After a while, the Duan Jinmen disciples who had been sent to search the surroundings returned and respectfully reported,
"Young Master, there are no traces of this vile creature's accomplices in the vicinity."
The Golden Young Master's face turned gloomy, and after a moment, he sighed, "Forget it, capturing this one is enough. Find two people to take this 'Guojianglong' to the Dao Court and claim the reward, which we'll split among ourselves."
The group of Duan Jinmen disciples all looked pleased and bowed, "Thank you, Young Master!"
The Golden Young Master nodded slightly, then looked at Guojianglong with contempt before arrogantly leaving.
The other disciples followed him, leaving only two behind to take the "unconscious" Guojianglong to the Dao Court.
Not long after they left, the small grove was quiet again.
Mo Hua, who had been hiding, finally jumped down from the tree and quietly left.
He had intended to go directly to the ferry crossing to meet up with Cheng Mo and the others, but after leaving the grove, he didn't walk far before he ran into them.
Cheng Mo and the other three were hiding in the grass, their eyes fixed on the small grove, apparently waiting for him.
Mo Hua's heart warmed, and he revealed himself.
Cheng Mo and the others were startled and asked in unison,
"Mo Hua, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Mo Hua replied.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and then Cheng Mo asked, "Now... are we going back to the sect?"
His expression was somewhat dejected, and the others also looked a little downcast.
They had lost the captive, and along with him, the 120 merit points each had also slipped away.
However, Mo Hua shook his head and said, "No rush, we can't come back empty-handed."
Everyone was taken aback and looked at Mo Hua.
Mo Hua said righteously, "A gentleman takes revenge, not a year but a day. They dared to take what's ours, so now we're taking it back from them!"
(End of Chapter)
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