Chapter 795: The Dragon Fish Lantern
Chapter 795: The Dragon Fish Lantern
Elder Xun officially lifted Mo Hua's house arrest.
Mo Hua was free.
He no longer had to be confined to the boundaries of the Qian Xue State, spending his days playing with the group of "junior disciples" in the sect. Now, like a fish returning to the sea or a tiger cub returning to the forest, he was free to explore the vast world beyond.
Mo Hua's face was filled with suppressed joy.
"Thank you, Elder Xun!"
Seeing his cheerful expression, Elder Xun shook his head and admonished him, "Be careful, and don't neglect your study of formations."
"Yes, yes, Elder Xun, don't worry!" Mo Hua nodded repeatedly, assuring his master.
After bidding farewell to Elder Xun, Mo Hua returned to the disciples' residence, his heart still fluttering with excitement.
"Finally, I can go out..."
He had been confined within the Qian Xue State for too long, and he had almost forgotten what the outside world was like. Now that he had this rare opportunity, he needed to plan his time wisely.
Mo Hua pondered silently.
First, he needed to find a way to further enhance his divine sense.
Although his divine sense had reached a formidable nineteen strands, it was clear that this strength was still far from sufficient.
Since he was aiming to attain enlightenment through his divine sense, the stronger it was, the better.
With a stronger divine sense, he would be able to learn even more profound formations.
Moreover, this was also in line with Elder Xun's wishes.
When Elder Xun had mentioned this, his expression had been solemn, and his eyes had revealed a hint of hope, suggesting that there was something significant at stake.
Although Elder Xun was strict, he was also upright and just. Whatever matter he was concerned about must be of great importance to the sect.
As a disciple of Tai Xu Gate, Mo Hua had received a lot of care and guidance from Elder Xun over the years.
Sometimes, Mo Hua even felt that Elder Xun was a little biased in his favor.
His mother had always taught him to repay kindness a hundredfold.
Mo Hua nodded to himself.
Since Elder Xun hoped for his divine sense to become "even stronger," he would put in the effort to strive for that extra "bit" of strength.
He would not let Elder Xun down.
And the only way to significantly enhance his divine sense in a short period of time was to...
...visit the altar and "place an order."
"The altar of the evil god..." Mo Hua pondered silently.
The only clue he currently had about the altar was "Water Yanluo."
The main culprit behind the Yu family's water fortress massacre, and the demonic leader who had replaced Fire Buddha on the blood-soaked list—Water Yanluo.
Where there was the preaching of an evil god, there would be bloody cruelty and rampant slaughter, even leading to tragic exterminations.
Where there was extermination, there would surely be an altar.
Water Yanluo must know the location of that altar.
"We can't let the evil god continue to spread its influence," Mo Hua thought to himself. "We must stop its minions from indiscriminately killing innocents. Otherwise, countless cultivators in the areas surrounding the Qian Xue State boundary will fall victim to their atrocities..."
As a disciple of Tai Xu Gate, one of the eight major sects of the Qian Xue State, it was his duty as a righteous cultivator to slay demons and eliminate evil, eradicating the scourge of the evil cult.
Of course, after doing such arduous work, it was only right that he treat himself to a little something afterward. Mo Hua nodded firmly, justifying his intentions.
Eradicating the evil god's minions, destroying their altar, devouring their essence, and nourishing his divine sense—these were all part of the plan.
"Once my divine sense becomes a bit stronger, I'll try to truly externalize my sword intent with divine thought transformation..." Mo Hua mused.
Additionally, he wanted to pay a visit to an old friend, Huang Shan Jun.
The mere thought of Huang Shan Jun caused Mo Hua to sigh.
"It's been a long time since I last visited him. I wonder if Huang Shan Jun has been thinking of me..."
As a destitute mountain god, Huang Shan Jun lived in a dilapidated temple, with a leaky roof and walls that let in the wind. His days were spent eating stale steamed buns and drinking water with no spiritual essence, and he had no worshippers to offer him incense or sustenance. His life was truly desolate.
Mo Hua couldn't help but feel a sense of pity.
Who else but him would be so kind as to think of visiting Huang Shan Jun in his free time?
Previously, he had been under house arrest and unable to leave, but now that he was free, he naturally wanted to pay a visit to his old friend and ask him about any other clues related to divine thought transformation.
Having gone through some experiences himself, Mo Hua had gained new insights and understandings of the divine path, which he wanted to discuss and verify with Huang Shan Jun, the mountain god.
However, he didn't have the time at the moment.
Perhaps after the new year... Mo Hua decided.
...
Unbeknownst to him, another year was quickly drawing to a close.
In ten days, it would be the start of a new year.
And with the end of the year came the inevitable sect assessment.
Mo Hua had spent a significant amount of time in the Monster Spirit Valley, and after consuming so many demonic essences, his divine sense had encountered some minor issues, which had led to a few days of recuperation in the pill room.
All in all, he had been away for around ten days.
Fortunately, it was relatively easy to find excuses to appease his fellow disciples.
Mo Hua used the reason that Elder Xun had taught him—that he had been away on the elders' orders to set up formations.
This was not an uncommon occurrence.
Every time he requested leave, it was usually for this reason.
Cheng Mo and Si Tu Jian didn't suspect anything, but they couldn't help but marvel at their junior disciple's unique standing within the sect.
The elders actually allowed him to take more than ten days off.
However, those ten days had resulted in a significant backlog of work.
Mo Hua had no choice but to spend day and night catching up on his studies.
He even spent his evenings in front of the Daoist stele, reviewing various cultivation courses.
Soon enough, it was time for the sect assessment.
After the assessment was over, the results were announced.
The disciples' reactions varied, with some rejoicing and others lamenting.
Mo Hua, after much hard work, managed to maintain his position as "first in the sixth rank."
If he had slackened off even a little during these past days, he might not have been able to maintain even a "third rank" position in subjects like pill refining and artifact forging.
Thankfully, his efforts had paid off.
As for his first rank in formations, it went without saying.
With his current proficiency in formations, he could easily achieve a first rank in the sect's formation courses, even if he had fallen behind for a few days or even a few years.
And so, another year passed.
The sect closed for the holidays, and Mo Hua, alone and with no way to return home to visit his parents or celebrate the new year with the neighbors and friends in Tong Xian City, decided to spend the holiday with the Gu family in Qingzhou City.
After all, the Gus had a large family, and one more or one less person made no difference.
His physical appetite wasn't as voracious as his divine sense, and he couldn't possibly "eat" the Gus out of house and home.
A few days later, after packing his belongings and bidding farewell to Elder Xun, Mo Hua set off with Yu Er toward the Gu family in Qingzhou City.
Yu Er was overjoyed at the prospect of the visit.
Around his neck hung a jade pendant given to him by Mo Hua. Inscribed upon it was the new Shen Su Array that Mo Hua had learned, a true talisman to ward off evil spirits.
In recent days, with no malevolent spirits causing trouble, Yu Er had rarely suffered from nightmares.
With the added protection of Mo Hua's jade pendant, she felt even more at ease.
Well-rested and well-fed, her spirits were high, and with her eyes sparkling, she seemed more lively and playful than ever.
The group entered Qingzhou City and made their way to the Gu family residence.
When Wen Renwan saw Yu Er's cheerful demeanor, her heart warmed, and she immediately welcomed Mo Hua with a smile: "Make yourself at home. Feel free to eat and play as you like. Don't be shy about anything."
"Thank you, Aunt Wen," Mo Hua replied with a grin.
He felt right at home, having spent most of his time hunting demonic beasts in Refining Demon Mountain, dealing with vicious demon cultivators in the Myriad Demon Valley, and then catching up on his studies and exams back at the sect.
With the rare opportunity of a holiday break, Mo Hua decided to strike a balance between work and play, allowing himself to relax a little.
He took Yu Er around the brightly decorated city, with its festive lanterns and bustling markets, enjoying a full day of fun and excitement.
In the evening, he even made a dragon-fish lantern with Yu Er.
The Gu family cultivators helped with the construction of the lantern.
Mo Hua directed the process while drawing the array.
He had stumbled upon the description of this dragon-fish lantern in the Tai Xu Gate's Annual Miscellany.
The miscellany included instructions for making the lantern, as well as a corresponding array called the Dragon-Fish Fiery Light Array.
Mo Hua personally drew the main array, while Yu Er added the finer details, carefully drawing several array patterns under his guidance.
She had been learning arrays from Mo Hua and could now draw five or six array patterns on her own.
Yu Er worked diligently, fully focused and brimming with joy.
By the time night fell, the dragon-fish lantern was complete.
Mo Hua activated the array, and the dragon-fish lantern rose into the air.
The three-zhang-long lantern was a vibrant red, adorned with fish scales and dragon patterns. Once lit, the Dragon-Fish Fiery Light Array within it ignited, causing the entire structure to float up into the pitch-black night sky.
It resembled a crimson carp transformed into a majestic dragon, swimming in the darkness between heaven and earth, a spectacle that was both dazzling and beautiful.
Yu Er's eyes widened, and her mouth hung open in awe.
Nearby, Wen Renwan, who had been invited to watch, was equally captivated by the brilliant "dragon-fish" floating in the night sky.
Yu Er snuggled up to Wen Renwan and said proudly, "Mother, I helped draw the array too! Although Mo Gege did most of it, I contributed as well!"
Wen Renwan looked at Yu Er with a heartwarming smile and praised her, "Yu Er, you're amazing!"
Yu Er beamed with happiness, her face wreathed in a smile, her eyes curving into little crescents.
...
After the dragon-fish lantern display, it was time for the evening banquet.
This time, no unwelcome guests interrupted, and the host and guests enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
Mo Hua ate heartily, stuffing his cheeks until they were puffed out.
However, in between bites, his eyes scanned the surroundings, and after a moment, he quietly asked Wen Renwan, "Aunt Wen, where's Uncle Gu? I haven't seen him around."
Wen Renwan's expression became a bit complicated. "He... might be a bit busy with the Dao Court. Don't worry about him. Just eat more..."
"Oh, okay."
Mo Hua popped a spirit beast elbow into his mouth.
After the meal, Mo Hua's stomach was stuffed to the brim.
He decided to take a stroll in the Gu family's backyard to aid digestion.
By now, he had free access to most parts of the Gu family residence, except for restricted areas like storage rooms, the family quarters, and the ancestral cave abode. No one bothered him, and some cultivators even greeted him warmly.
A few offered to guide him around.
Along the way, he encountered several elders who nodded amicably at him, and some even presented him with gifts.
"These are small tokens for the new year, not very precious. Please don't decline, young friend," they said.
Indeed, the gifts were not extremely valuable, but they were meticulously crafted and thoughtful, and it would likely be difficult to purchase them even if one wanted to.
Mo Hua felt that he probably didn't have this much face.
These elders were most likely showing their respect to Elder Xun.
However, if he refused these small gifts, it would be akin to snubbing them.
Thus, Mo Hua graciously accepted them all.
At the same time, he returned their kindness with kind words, wishing the male elders "successful cultivation and ascension," "early feathering and long life," and the female elders "everlasting beauty," "eternal youth," and so on.
His flattering words delighted the Gu family elders.
By the time Mo Hua finished his walk, his storage bag was filled with these "small gifts."
He found a quiet spot and began inspecting each gift, curious to see if there was anything interesting among them.
As he examined them, a cold voice suddenly spoke up, "Are you here to rob the Gu family?"
Mo Hua looked up and saw the tall and handsome figure of Gu Changhuai, his face clouded with displeasure as if someone owed him money.
"Uncle Gu?" Mo Hua asked, startled.
He instinctively tried to hide his storage bag, but halfway through the motion, he realized his foolishness.
Why am I feeling guilty? Mo Hua thought proudly to himself. "These are gifts that the Gu family elders gave me for the new year. It would have been rude to decline their kindness!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Changhuai's eyebrows twitched.
This little brat, Mo Hua, was becoming more and more favored by the Gu family.
In fact, he seemed to be in a better position than Gu Changhuai himself, a direct descendant of the Gu family.
Never before had so many elders given him so many "gifts" during the new year.
Gu Changhuai's mood turned complicated.
Mo Hua paid him no heed and continued inspecting his "gifts," but soon, he paused and asked curiously, "Uncle Gu, when did you get back?"
"What do you mean 'back'? I never left," Gu Changhuai replied.
"Then why didn't I see you at the banquet?" Mo Hua frowned.
"I didn't feel like eating," Gu Changhuai said, clearly still in a sour mood.
Mo Hua gave him a skeptical look and couldn't help but sigh. "Uncle Gu, you're a grown man and a Golden Core cultivator. Why are you acting like a child, throwing a tantrum at your family..."
Gu Changhuai's teeth itched from the lecture, and he ruffled Mo Hua's hair, slightly annoyed. "You're just a kid with barely a dozen years of cultivation under your belt. What do you know?"
"So, now that you're over two hundred years old, can you act a little more mature...?" Mo Hua said earnestly.
Gu Changhuai was left speechless.
If it weren't for Mo Hua's weak physique and lack of body tempering, he would have found an excuse to spar and teach this brat a lesson.
But now, he couldn't fight him, scold him, and his sister-in-law was even protecting the boy.
The elders of the Gu family were also exceptionally polite to him.
Gu Changhuai's face darkened, and he flicked his sleeves, saying, "You play here by yourself. I'm leaving."
If I can't provoke you, can I at least avoid you?
As Gu Changhuai turned to leave, Mo Hua suddenly remembered something and called out, "Uncle Gu, I have something important to discuss with you."
"Important matter?" Gu Changhuai stopped in his tracks, frowning slightly. "What important matter?"
Mo Hua looked around and, seeing that they were alone, waved at Gu Changhuai to join him.
Gu Changhuai stood still, and after a long moment, he reluctantly walked over and sat down beside Mo Hua.
The two sat side by side on the steps.
Mo Hua lowered his voice and said, "It's about the Yu Family's Water Fortress."
Gu Changhuai's gaze sharpened.
"This case has been dragging on for a long time. Has there been any progress from the Dao Court's side?" Mo Hua asked.
"This is the Dao Court's business. Don't ask too much about it," Gu Changhuai replied.
Mo Hua had expected this response from Gu Changhuai.
This man could be overly sensitive at times. When asked a question, his first instinct was often to be evasive and reluctant to share information.
This personality trait was quite troublesome.
Mo Hua continued, "What about 'Water Yanluo'?"
"That's also the Dao Court..."
"No, this isn't!" Mo Hua interrupted.
Water Yanluo was a name he had derived from his causality divination, from the blood-soaked list.
He was certain that this Water Yanluo was connected to the Yu Family's Water Fortress massacre.
However, on the surface, there didn't seem to be any obvious link between the two.
And it wasn't within the scope of the Dao Court's investigation.
Gu Changhuai hesitated, feeling helpless. "Regarding Water Yanluo, I can only tell you a little..."
"Mmhmm." Mo Hua nodded.
Gu Changhuai thought for a moment before slowly saying, "In the past six months, outside the boundaries of Qian Xue State, in some of the smaller states, a figure known as 'Water Yanluo' has indeed appeared."
"But this Water Yanluo is also very secretive. We don't know their appearance or background."
"But there are some clues..."
Gu Changhuai frowned as he continued, "There have been several murder cases where the victims were drowned by an unknown water-based spell. Before their deaths, they seemed to have been tortured, and when they died, they were restrained by unknown chains, kneeling on the ground like sinners..."
"The way they died is very similar to the Yu Family fishermen who were slaughtered in the Water Fortress."
"Based on this, it's highly likely that these murders were committed by this Water Yanluo..."
As Gu Changhuai spoke, his expression became solemn.
"And then?" Mo Hua asked.
"That's it."
Mo Hua was taken aback. "That's it?"
Gu Changhuai sighed. "If it doesn't go through me, how would I know what happened next..."
"It didn't go through you?" Mo Hua was puzzled. "But you're a high-ranking official?"
Gu Changhuai's expression turned ugly. "The Dao Court doesn't only have me as a court official."
Mo Hua wanted to say something more, but he paused and then realized something, exclaiming, "Uncle Gu, you've been 'removed from your position'?!
Gu Changhuai's head hurt, and he replied irritably, "No, I haven't been removed!"
Without committing any major mistakes, it wasn't easy to remove a court official from their position.
"Oh," Mo Hua understood, "so you've been 'stripped of your powers'!"
Gu Changhuai didn't want to admit it.
But technically, Mo Hua was right.
Mo Hua nodded. "Someone doesn't want you to continue investigating this case, or perhaps they simply want to target you and prevent you from staying in the Dao Court..."
Gu Changhuai's expression turned icy.
It was clear that Mo Hua had hit the nail on the head.
Mo Hua sighed and asked, "If you're not handling it, who's in charge of investigating the Yu Family's Water Fortress now?"
Gu Changhuai was about to answer when he suddenly realized that no matter how much Mo Hua twisted and turned, he always brought the topic back to this.
This kid, I wonder how his brain works to come up with so many twists and turns.
However, since things had come to this point, Gu Changhuai didn't feel like hiding it anymore.
"It's been handed over to the Xiao Family," he said.
"The Xiao Family?" Mo Hua asked. "The 'Smiling Tiger' and the 'Howling Sky Dog'?"
Gu Changhuai was annoyed. "Don't give people nicknames so casually!"
"Mmhmm," Mo Hua readily agreed, and then asked, "Has the Xiao Family found anything?"
"I don't know," Gu Changhuai replied.
It was possible that they had discovered something but hadn't revealed any information, so Gu Changhuai was unaware.
It was also possible that the Xiao Family wasn't putting in enough effort, and they hadn't uncovered anything.
In any case, once the case was transferred to the Xiao Family, Gu Changhuai couldn't get involved for the time being.
Especially now that he had been "stripped of his powers."
Mo Hua sighed.
The clues had come to a dead end.
Since Gu Changhuai couldn't get involved, there was no way Mo Hua could gather information from that end, so he would have to think of another approach.
Mo Hua glanced at Gu Changhuai again and thought to himself that no wonder Uncle Gu was in a bad mood and didn't eat dinner. He couldn't blame him.
Most likely, he was facing even more opposition within the Dao Court.
He just hadn't said anything about it.
"Uncle Gu, cheer up. I won't disturb you anymore," Mo Hua said considerately.
At times like this, it was best to be alone and calm down.
As Mo Hua got up to leave, a clear and bright voice suddenly sounded, "Changhuai, what are you doing here? I've been looking for you for half the day..."
Mo Hua looked up and saw a female cultivator in red, with a fair complexion. It was none other than Gu Changhuai's aunt, Elder Gu Hong.
Elder Gu Hong continued, "This time, don't you dare run away from me. You're already old enough. After the new year, it's time for you to go on a blind date..."
Blind date?! Mo Hua, who was about to leave, froze for a moment, then quietly sat back down and secretly pricked up his ears.
(End of Chapter)
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