Chapter 685: Entering a Dream
Chapter 685: Entering a Dream
Mo Hua refrained from taking lives and only used low-level spells that were not fatal. As a result, although the Wang family cultivators looked miserable, they were still breathing.
In the dilapidated courtyard, the Wang family cultivators fell to the ground, wailing incessantly. All traces of their previous arrogance were gone, and they didn't dare to look up at Mo Hua.
Mo Hua coldly huffed, his arrogance on full display. "I'm feeling generous today, so I'll spare your dog lives. If I see any of you again, I'll use my spells to cut off your hands and feet and throw you into the river to feed the turtles!"
With a spoiled brat's face and an overbearing attitude, Mo Hua intimidated the Wang family cultivators into silence.
After delivering his threat, Mo Hua turned his cold gaze to Old Yu, his eyes filled with defiance, and his voice rose slightly. "Old Yu, I've taken a liking to this fish!"
"From now on, keep all the fish for me. If I find out that you've sold 'my fish' to someone else..." Mo Hua's young face twisted into a sinister smile, "...then you can forget about having any peace in your life!"
Old Yu stood there dumbfounded for a while before he finally understood. He quickly put on a fearful expression and said, "Yes, yes, young master! I won't dare to do it again, young master. Please don't kill me. My entire family depends on me earning a living through hard labor..."
Seeing that Old Yu had finally come to his senses, Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction.
Then, with a scowl on his face, he looked contemptuously at Wang Guan Shi and said, "What? Are you still here? Are you waiting to die?"
Wang Guan Shi glared at him with hatred in his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Please enlighten me, young master..."
Mo Hua snapped his fingers, and a golden light shot out, instantly slicing through Wang Guan Shi's cheek and leaving a trail of blood.
With a cold face and profound eyes, Mo Hua said, "Enlighten you? You're not even worthy!"
Wang Guan Shi covered his face, his forehead breaking out in cold sweat.
An icy and strange divine sense locked onto him, making it hard for Wang Guan Shi to breathe.
He knew that this "arrogant" young master was running out of patience.
This golden blade had slashed his face, and next time, it would probably aim for his head.
Wang Guan Shi quickly knocked his head on the ground and said, "Please calm your anger, young master! We were blind and offended you. We will leave now!"
Without waiting for anyone else, he got up in a flustered manner and fled like a stray dog.
Seeing this, the other Wang family cultivators also struggled to get up and followed suit, looking disheveled and embarrassed.
The courtyard fell silent.
After they had left, Mo Hua went over to help Old Yu up.
Old Yu's eyes were moist, and he kowtowed to Mo Hua, expressing his gratitude. "Thank you, young master... thank you..."
Mo Hua helped him up and asked, "Does the Wang family often bully you?"
Old Yu sighed. "It's not really bullying. They force us to sell to them, and we're used to it..."
"There have been times when they bought fish on credit and paid later."
"After giving them the fish, when we go to collect the payment, they would drag their feet, claiming that their family business is not doing well and that they are short on spirit stones..."
"Even though they live in grand mansions, eat delicacies, and wear fine silk, they always claim that they don't have enough spirit stones to pay us poor folks."
"Occasionally, they even default on their debts. It's not common, but..." Old Yu's face twisted in bitterness, "...I can't afford to take the risk."
"If they default, my 8,000 spirit stones would be gone, and I wouldn't be able to get them back."
"Even if they delay payment, I can't afford to wait."
"My two grandsons have decent spiritual roots. If they want to join a sect, now is the time. They need to take pills to strengthen their foundation, and I need to hire people to put in a good word for them with the sect. All of this requires a large sum of spirit stones."
"If I delay any further, their future will be ruined."
Old Yu's eyes glazed over with resignation. "They will end up like me, spending their lives as miserable fisherman..."
Mo Hua sighed quietly.
"Give me your fish."
After a moment's thought, Mo Hua made his request to Old Yu.
Old Yu panicked and unconsciously hugged the fish basket tighter.
Mo Hua sighed, "I'll give you spirit stones."
He took out several storage bags and handed them to Old Yu.
There were 8,000 spirit stones in total inside the bags.
Old Yu held the storage bags in both hands, his expression filled with disbelief. His hands trembled, and after a long while, tears welled up in his eyes. "Thank you..."
"Be careful and don't let anyone see or steal them," Mo Hua reminded him.
Old Yu snapped out of his daze and tightly tied the storage bags to his waist, covering them with his tattered clothes.
However, having suddenly come into a large sum of money, Old Yu was still uneasy and felt insecure. He couldn't shake the feeling of anxiety, so he wrapped another cloth around his waist and put on another layer of clothing.
Mo Hua found this both amusing and heartbreaking.
"Later, I'll hire a carriage. You can load the fish basket onto the carriage, and I'll take the fish away in front of everyone. Otherwise, the Wang family might come back to trouble you."
"Okay."
Old Yu nodded, looking at the young but kind-hearted Mo Hua, and silently wiped away his tears.
However, since Mo Hua had helped him so much, he felt indebted and wanted to repay him in some way.
But his family was poor, and after much thought, he couldn't think of anything suitable. So, he reached into the fish tank in the corner and took out several spiritual fish.
These spiritual fish were silver in color. Although they were not as precious as the golden, lotus-marked, three-colored carp, their scales shone brightly, and their silver scales were neatly arranged. They were obviously high-quality spiritual fish.
Then, he curiously glanced into the fish tank once more and noticed several other types of fish with unique postures, swimming back and forth.
These fish looked pretty good, but compared to the golden fish he had bought and the silver-scaled fish that Old Yu had gifted him, they seemed somewhat lackluster.
Mo Hua nodded and was about to turn away when he suddenly paused, noticing a small fish tank next to the large one.
It seemed that some fish were being kept separately in the small tank.
The top was sealed shut, leaving only a slight gap, and the inside was pitch-black, making it impossible to see anything except for the occasional faint flash of red.
When Old Yu saw that Mo Hua had noticed the small fish tank, his expression changed slightly, and he quickly forced a smile, "Young master, the fish are all in the basket now."
Mo Hua pointed to the small fish tank and asked, "What kind of fish are in this tank?"
Old Yu smiled and said, "Those are Red Water Carp. This type of fish is afraid of light, so they are kept in a tank with a lid that only has a small gap for ventilation."
"Red Water Carp?" Mo Hua asked, slightly puzzled. He released his spiritual sense, penetrating the fish tank, and indeed saw several fish with a faint red aura, but apart from that, there seemed to be nothing unusual.
Mo Hua nodded and didn't ask further questions.
Old Yu went to contact someone to hire a carriage for Mo Hua.
Afterward, Mo Hua proudly strode ahead, while Old Yu followed behind with a worried frown as he carried the fish basket.
It looked as if Mo Hua was taking advantage of his power to bully the old man and take his fish for free.
After leaving the small fishing village and reaching the roadside, Mo Hua climbed onto the carriage first.
Old Yu loaded the fish basket onto the carriage, and seeing that they were alone, he respectfully bowed to Mo Hua.
"Young master, I am forever grateful for your great kindness..."
Mo Hua waved his hand dismissively and said, "Go back now." Then, he sat in the carriage and headed toward the boundary of Qianxue State.
Ever since Over-the-River Dragon had entered the small fishing village, he had disappeared without a trace, but Mo Hua didn't have the time to keep tracking him.
He had to return because the two-day shuxun holiday was over, and classes would resume tomorrow.
It was important to distinguish between what was essential and what was not.
At this time, his cultivation within the sect took priority.
However, despite losing track of Over-the-River Dragon, the man had still led him to his hiding place.
Patience was required when fishing for answers.
This time, he would let it go, but during the next shuxun holiday, he would come back to catch the man.
As the carriage traveled further and further away, the river by the roadside shimmered, and the beautiful mountains gradually obscured the poor little fishing village.
However, the scenes of poverty in the village and Old Yu's bitter and numb words lingered in Mo Hua's mind.
Mo Hua's feelings were complicated.
He turned to look back at the small fishing village hidden by the green mountains and blue waters, his eyes deep and thoughtful.
Perhaps this was the...
"Soil" for the evil god...
...
The carriage traveled all the way to Qingzhou City.
Mo Hua intended to give the Golden Lotus Three-Colored Carp to Wan'er.
Wan'er had taken good care of him, often treated him to delicious meals, and frequently sent him gifts.
Mo Hua felt that he should reciprocate her kindness.
Along the way, things seemed calm, but Mo Hua noticed that there were quite a few cultivators lurking in the shadows, keeping an eye on him.
Mo Hua casually swept his spiritual sense and identified them as members of the Wang family.
Pretending not to notice them, Mo Hua rode the carriage and boldly entered the Gu family's main gate.
Now, those lackeys should understand that he truly had the Gu family as his "backer," and they wouldn't dare to provoke him.
Upon arriving at the Gu family, when Wan'er heard that Mo Hua had bought a fresh Golden Lotus Three-Colored Carp for her, she was delighted. After seeing the fish herself and noticing its golden color and layered scales resembling lotus petals, she was even more astonished.
Although the Gu family was a prestigious clan, and their daily meals were usually quite good, it wasn't easy to obtain such a rare delicacy.
Even if they could get their hands on it, it would require quite some effort.
Wan'er immediately ordered for the three-colored carp to be stewed so that Mo Hua and Yu'er could benefit from its nourishing properties.
The fish meat was tender and delicious, and the soup was thick and golden. Mo Hua enjoyed the meal immensely.
In the end, more than half of the fish ended up in the stomachs of Mo Hua and Yu'er.
Later that night, Wan'er ordered the Gu family's carriage to send Mo Hua and Yu'er back to Tai Xu Men.
The next day, it was back to classes and cultivation as usual.
Everything seemed normal, but Mo Hua vaguely felt that something was amiss with his spiritual sense. He felt tired and occasionally found himself distracted.
Mo Hua calmed his mind and meditated, examining his spiritual sea, but he found it to be spacious and his spiritual sense to be abundant, with no apparent issues.
Puzzled, Mo Hua attributed it to his recent exhaustion from traveling.
That evening, in the disciple's residence.
Mo Hua sent a message to Gu Changhuai, informing him about Over-the-River Dragon's trail, the location where he had emerged from the water, and the fact that he had disappeared in the small fishing village.
Mo Hua wanted Gu Changhuai to send someone to keep an eye on the village, but he instructed them not to get too close, so as not to alert the target.
He seemed to have become...
A fisherman cultivator? Mo Hua was slightly dazed but quickly accepted this role in his dream.
Before long, he had finished fishing and heard someone say, "You're not getting any younger. It's time to settle down. Life may be hard, but you should have someone to share your burden..."
Mo Hua felt reluctant, but as he blinked, the scene changed once more.
He found himself already married, and when he lifted the red veil of his bride, he was surprised to see that it was his junior female fellow disciple!
She had a serene and nonchalant expression on her face, and her cheeks were flushed like the bright morning sun. Mo Hua couldn't help but smile foolishly at the sight of her.
But before he could finish smiling, he realized that he had died.
He had perished while fishing on the river.
A huge wave had capsized his boat, and he had been bitten to death by a water demon.
His usually calm junior female fellow disciple held his corpse and wept uncontrollably.
Before Mo Hua could feel any sadness, he found himself alive again.
In this life, his junior female fellow disciple was his childhood sweetheart.
The young master of the Wang family had taken a fancy to the beautiful junior female fellow disciple and wanted to take her away.
Mo Hua was furious and beat up all the Wang family cultivators, but when he was confronted by more powerful opponents, he had no choice but to elope with his junior female fellow disciple.
It was a stormy night.
He tightly held her hand as they fled along the Yan Shui River.
However, they were eventually caught and driven to a dead end. In desperation, they embraced each other and leaped into the river, choosing to die together rather than be separated...
The dream shifted once more, and Mo Hua found himself in yet another life.
He and his junior female fellow disciple already had children, but life was hard, and his usually fair and beautiful junior female fellow disciple looked haggard and worn out.
She constantly nagged at him, blaming him for their poverty and urging him to earn more spirit stones to support the family.
Despite her complaints, she still took care of him, sewing his clothes and cooking for their children, never leaving his side.
Eventually, a fierce storm made fishing impossible.
The entire family starved to death.
As death approached, his junior female fellow disciple lay by his side, tightly holding his hand, her eyes filled with both bitterness and tenderness...
Mo Hua's heart ached with pain, so intense that he could barely breathe.
He then heard a faint voice praying in his ear:
"My life is too bitter, I can't go on..."
"Please save us..."
"I beg you..."
"I beg of you..."
"Great River God..."
River "God"? !
As soon as these two words entered his ears, Mo Hua abruptly woke up, his eyes snapping open. There were still tears in the corners of his eyes, but his gaze turned icy cold.
"You dare to enter my dreams?"
Mo Hua's divine sense sank into his sea of consciousness, and he began to meditate.
At the same time, faint golden blood threads appeared within his body, gathering in his eyes.
A sacred and majestic golden light shone from Mo Hua's eyes.
With his divine "vision," the previously empty sea of consciousness became a little clearer.
Mo Hua focused his golden gaze and noticed, for the first time, small, blood-colored red fish swimming in the corners of his sea of consciousness.
Among them was a particularly vicious-looking one with sharp fangs, evil eyes, and fish fins that had transformed into legs, allowing it to stand upright. It was the blood-colored fish demon.
Upon seeing Mo Hua, the fish demon's eyes narrowed with malice, and it let out a crazed laugh.
However, its laughter was cut short as it noticed the thick golden light emanating from Mo Hua, and its eyes widened in terror.
Without changing his expression, Mo Hua reached out and grabbed the fish demon by the neck. With a slight exertion of force, a flash of golden light appeared in his palm, and he crushed the demon's life force, killing it instantly.
After the fish demon's death, it transformed into a pool of blood-colored water that seemed to carry the stench of fish.
From this, Mo Hua sensed traces of a sinister and evil god's presence.
It seemed to be the remnant of a consciousness that had been assimilated by an evil god.
However, without the divine marrow and with such a minuscule amount of consciousness, it was of no use to him.
Mo Hua pointed his finger, summoning an Earthfire Formation, and burned away all traces of the blood-colored water and the remaining blood-colored fish, leaving no trace of their existence.
After cleansing his sea of consciousness, Mo Hua withdrew from his meditative state.
The real Mo Hua opened his eyes, his brow furrowed in confusion.
So this was... the doing of the evil god?
When had he fallen prey to its schemes?
(End of Chapter)
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