Chapter 809: Rouge
Chapter 809: Rouge
It probably wouldn't come to that...
Mo Hua recalled how Song Jian had been either dispirited or anxious when they were trapped in the Myriad Demon Valley, with no sense of initiative and only concerned with gnawing on the dried meat he had given him to get by. Shaking his head silently, he dismissed the thought.
Duan Jinmen was a cunning one, and with Song Jian's limited wit and cunning, there was no way he could climb to a higher position.
Becoming an elder would already be quite an achievement.
Mo Hua decided to put the matter out of his mind.
Upon returning to the sect, he spent some time teaching Yu'er about formations before retiring to his room to review his lessons. When the hour of the rat arrived, he continued his formation practice at the stele.
The second-grade eighteen-pattern formation technique taught to him by Elder Xun was now almost completely mastered.
Currently, he was practicing the nineteen-pattern formation.
The nineteen-pattern formation was a true high-level second-grade formation, and it was also the limit of what a typical second-grade formation master could control.
For an ordinary formation master, learning the nineteen-pattern formation might require some time to comprehend, practice, and research before gradually attaining a level of mastery.
However, for Mo Hua, there was hardly any essential distinction between the nineteen-pattern and the eighteen-pattern formations.
Benefitting from the stele in his sea of consciousness, his robust foundation of spiritual sense, and the rapid recovery provided by the Meditation Art, his formation practice volume was nearly ten times, or even several dozen times, that of an ordinary formation master.
Practice makes perfect.
Moreover, he had a naturally high aptitude.
After his spiritual sense had undergone the Divine Transformation, incorporating the divine nature and drawing closer to the Great Dao, his comprehension of formations had become even more profound.
On top of that, with Elder Xun's guidance, as long as his spiritual sense was sufficient, he could quickly master these ordinary formations, even a high-level second-grade formation like the nineteen-pattern formation.
Practicing the nineteen-pattern formation also provided a noticeable boost to his spiritual sense.
However, this improvement was still far from enough.
Because beyond the nineteen-pattern formation lay the twenty-pattern formation, and between them was a vast gulf.
From this point onwards, every step forward would require a massive amount of spiritual sense.
Mo Hua heaved a soft sigh.
"It really is too slow. At this rate, I'm afraid I won't be able to give Elder Xun any pleasant surprises..."
He needed to find some other approach.
Mo Hua thought for a moment before sending a message to Gu Changhuai:
"Uncle Gu, how's your blind date going?"
Soon, Gu Changhuai corrected him with a displeased expression, "It's not a blind date, it's an investigation."
"Oh yes, an investigation," Mo Hua acknowledged.
"I've found a lead."
Mo Hua's eyes lit up. "What kind of lead?"
Instead of answering directly, Gu Changhuai hesitated for a moment, frowning as he said, "It's about my aunt..."
"Don't worry, leave it to me!" Mo Hua assured him confidently.
Gu Changhuai sighed and then continued, "That woman with the surname Hua, I took the initiative to meet her, and she didn't refuse..."
"Mhm," Mo Hua nodded.
Uncle Gu had made some progress after all.
However, Mo Hua couldn't help but be a little suspicious that the Hua Instructor had agreed so readily.
But then he reconsidered and thought that perhaps it was thanks to Uncle Gu's handsome looks that the woman hadn't turned him down.
After all, whether it was for men or women, good looks could indeed be a source of sustenance.
Gu Changhuai went on, "I invited... that woman to have a meal in a private room in a restaurant in the Hundred Flowers City. During the meal, I patiently engaged in small talk, but the results were minimal."
"This woman had a fake smile on her face and spoke very cautiously, clearly on her guard. Whenever the conversation touched on a key point, she would either pretend to be coy and smile without saying anything, or she would put on an act, fluttering her eyelashes and striking poses, which was really annoying..."
Mo Hua: "..."
He imagined the scene in his mind and silently criticized, "Pretending to be coy, smiling without speaking, fluttering her eyelashes and striking poses... isn't she trying to flirt with you?"
Alas, it was a pity that Uncle Gu, having worked in the Archives for so long, had a way of thinking that was a little different from ordinary people.
That Instructor Hua had indeed been throwing him seductive glances.
"And then?" Mo Hua asked.
"After that, I sent her back to the sect," Gu Changhuai replied.
Mo Hua couldn't help but interject, "That's it?"
Gu Changhuai asked, "What else did you expect?"
"Fine then," Mo Hua sighed. "What about the lead? Surely there's more to it than this..."
"Mhm," Gu Changhuai acknowledged. "During the meal, she said a few things that seemed odd."
"What did she say?"
Gu Changhuai replied, "I asked her what she did when she wasn't teaching at the sect. She said she practiced cultivation, prepared lessons, and occasionally went out with some sisters to buy flowers, refine flower pills, or buy rouge at the Rouge Pavilion."
Mo Hua pondered these words for a moment, frowning as he said, "These all seem like very ordinary things."
"Indeed, these words are very ordinary," Gu Changhuai agreed. "But when she said them, her tone changed slightly, and her expression became a bit tense. Her eyes also unconsciously avoided mine, as if she suddenly realized that she shouldn't have said something."
"There's nothing wrong with the words themselves, but her demeanor was problematic."
"And that fleeting change in demeanor was immediately followed by an even brighter smile, and she became even more enthusiastic towards me, even going so far as to move closer to me and pour me a drink..."
"Obviously, she was trying to use her charms to distract me and make me overlook what she had just said."
Mo Hua was taken aback for a moment.
In that instant, he actually felt that Uncle Gu was quite impressive...
His observation skills were sharp, his mind was calm, and even beauty couldn't distract him.
"Do you know which part of her words was problematic?" Mo Hua asked.
Gu Changhuai nodded, "Rouge Pavilion."
"Rouge Pavilion?"
Gu Changhuai fell silent for a moment, deep in thought. "I carefully recalled the conversation, and when she said those three words, her expression was normal, but after she spoke them, she clearly started and then immediately realized that she shouldn't have said those three words, so she tried to cover it up..."
"Is there a Rouge Pavilion in the Hundred Flowers City?" Mo Hua asked.
"Yes," Gu Changhuai replied. "I asked Gu An and Gu Quan to investigate, and they found that there are four Rouge Pavilions in the Hundred Flowers City, but that woman usually only goes to one of them. This particular Rouge Pavilion is called the 'Hundred Fragrances Pavilion'."
"Hundred Fragrances Pavilion..." Mo Hua mused, and then asked, "Is there something wrong with this Hundred Fragrances Pavilion?"
"There doesn't seem to be any issue on the surface," Gu Changhuai replied. "So, I used this as a lead and looked into that woman further. After some inquiries..."
Gu Changhuai furrowed his brows slightly, "...that woman with the surname Hua goes to the Hundred Fragrances Pavilion to buy rouge and cosmetics every ten days or half a month.
Mo Hua was a little confused by the roundabout route, "What's the purpose of her taking such a huge detour?"
"To buy rouge," Gu Changhuai replied.
Mo Hua found it a bit hard to believe, "Just for rouge?"
Gu Changhuai affirmed, "Yes, I checked it out later and found that she did indeed buy varying amounts of rouge and powder in each of the immortal cities she visited."
Mo Hua pondered, "This...seems suspicious, doesn't it?"
Gu Changhuai sighed, "I thought so at first too, but then I asked my cousin sister about it, and she said it wasn't unusual. She told me that women like to buy lots of rouge and powder..."
Mo Hua: "......"
"So, what else? Are there any other clues?" Mo Hua asked.
It couldn't be that after all this, all they knew was that this Hua Instructor liked to buy rouge and powder.
Gu Changhuai frowned, "We didn't have much time, so the amount of information we could gather was limited. It's already quite an achievement to have found out this much, and we can't be too picky. However..."
Gu Changhuai hesitated for a moment before continuing, "There's one last thing that seems suspicious... After that woman left the Pavilion of a Hundred Fragrances, she took a roundabout route back to Hundred Flowers Valley, and one of the small immortal cities she passed through was Yanshui City!"
Mo Hua's eyebrows rose at this revelation.
"Yanshui City!"
The same Yanshui City where the Ye family resided, and through which the Yanshui River flowed.
With this, the clues seemed to be coming together.
However, Gu Changhuai didn't have much more information to offer.
After all, he had only invited Flower Ruyujust to dinner, and their conversation hadn't been very extensive. It was already impressive that he had managed to gather these clues.
"Uncle Gu, why don't you invite her out a few more times? You might be able to find out more," Mo Hua encouraged.
Gu Changhuai frowned, "No more dates."
"Why not?" Mo Hua asked, puzzled, "You can have a nice meal, get to know each other better, and investigate at the same time. It's a win-win situation, isn't it?"
"If you want to go, then you go. I'm busy for now, but I'll pay a visit to Yanshui City in a few days," Gu Changhuai said.
Mo Hua immediately replied, "I'll come too, Uncle Gu, please take me with you."
"What for?" Gu Changhuai asked.
"To find out the truth behind Ye Jin's death and give her justice!" Mo Hua said firmly.
Upon hearing this, Gu Changhuai's intuition as the head of the Canon Division of the Dao Court raised a suspicion.
Something was amiss.
While Mo Hua was indeed a kind-hearted boy, he was by no means a naive do-gooder.
Why would he suddenly take such an interest in the death of a female disciple from Hundred Flowers Valley, which had nothing to do with him as a disciple of Tai Xu Gate?
This was highly suspicious...
Gu Changhuai sent a message, "Are you hiding something from me? Come clean now. Why are you so invested in this case?"
Mo Hua felt a bit guilty, but he maintained his serious demeanor and said, "I truly just want to give Ye Jin some 'justice'!"
The altar, demons, and evil spirits were just side tasks.
Moreover, he had promised the half-step vengeful ghost, Ye Jin, that he would avenge her.
Some things couldn't be easily spoken of.
Once spoken, they would carry karmic consequences, and one couldn't take back their words.
So, saying that he wanted to give Ye Jin justice wasn't wrong.
Seeing that he couldn't pry any more information out of Mo Hua, Gu Changhuai had no choice but to let it go.
Even if Mo Hua did open up, with his cunning and multiple backup plans, Gu Changhuai wouldn't be able to tell if he was hearing the truth.
Let it be.
"Come to the Dao Court...no, come to my house during the term break. I'll take you to Yanshui City," Gu Changhuai said.
Mo Hua was delighted and nodded repeatedly, "Okay, thank you, Uncle Gu!"
"Also, remember about my aunt..."
Gu Changhuai was truly helpless when it came to Elder Gu Hong, so he nagged once more.
"Rest assured, I'll take care of it," Mo Hua guaranteed.
Only then did Gu Changhuai feel relieved.
After that, Mo Hua stayed in the sect for a few more days, attending classes, hunting demons, and drawing formations. Before he knew it, the term break had arrived.
After making the necessary preparations, he set out for Gu Changhuai's house early one morning.
Upon arriving, he greeted Aunt Wan and enjoyed some pastries before finding Gu Changhuai in his study.
There were two other people with Gu Changhuai.
Mo Hua was pleased to see them and greeted them with a smile, "Little Brother An, Little Brother Quan, long time no see."
Gu An and Gu Quan also bowed and greeted him, "Greetings, Young Master."
Mo Hua asked curiously, "Are you two coming as well?"
"Yes," Gu An nodded, "Since we're investigating a case, the more people we have, the more leads we can gather. We can also run errands for Young Master."
"That makes sense."
Seeing that Mo Hua had arrived, Gu Changhuai said, "Let's go then. The earlier we leave, the earlier we'll be back."
"Okay," Mo Hua nodded.
Soon after, the group set off in Gu Changhuai's horse carriage.
The carriage left Gu Changhuai's house and traveled straight through Qingzhou City, following the Yanshui River towards Yanshui City.
The Gu family's horse carriage was fast, and they didn't stop at the few small immortal cities they passed along the way. After about an hour, they arrived at Yanshui City.
In Yanshui City, there was a shop called "Water Fragrance Pavilion" that sold rouge and powder.
This was the very place where the instructor from Hundred Flowers Valley, Flower Ruyujust, had purchased her cosmetics when she passed through Yanshui City.
Most of the customers who entered the Water Fragrance Pavilion were women.
Even if there were men, they would usually be accompanying the women and rarely would a male cultivator enter such a shop alone.
Mo Hua glanced at Gu Changhuai, then at Gu An and Gu Quan, and asked, "How should we investigate?"
It would be quite suspicious for the four of them, three grown men and a young boy, to go in and start asking questions.
It was true that people shouldn't be judged by their appearance. Who would have thought that the quiet and steady Little An would have such connections?
He turned his head to look at Gu Changhuai and shook his head slightly.
The implication was clear: Look at Little An, a mere executor, who even has connections with several female executors. Uncle Gu, a canon executor, is still single and doesn't know any female cultivators.
Mo Hua didn't say it aloud.
But from his expression, Gu Changhuai could more or less understand what he meant, and his face darkened.
However, in front of Gu An and Gu Quan, he didn't bother to argue with Mo Hua.
Soon, two women arrived.
Both of them were at the Foundation Establishment stage. They didn't wear the canon division's robes but instead donned exquisite skirts, looking like ordinary beauties from prestigious families.
The two girls first greeted Gu Changhuai with a bow, then greeted Gu An.
Gu An smiled and said, "Thank you so much for your help."
The two female executors smiled and returned the greeting, "It's our pleasure."
After that, the two female executors entered the Water Fragrance Pavilion together, while Gu An and Gu Quan stayed outside the shop to gather information.
Mo Hua and Gu Changhuai found a teahouse, sipping tea and nibbling on pine nuts while chatting about gossip.
About one hour later, the group reconvened in a private room at the teahouse to consolidate the information they had gathered.
"The owner of that Water Fragrance Pavilion is a Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator with a slightly chubby build. He's a local here in Yanshui City."
"We asked him about the quality of his rouge, and he boasted that his rouge is the most popular in Yanshui City. Not only do local aristocratic ladies come to buy rouge and powder here, but even female cultivators from prominent sects and clans in the entire Qianxue Province come to purchase his products..."
"I said I didn't believe him, so he listed some names, including a female elder from the Hundred Flowers Sect."
"An elder?"
"He's probably exaggerating, calling a mere instructor an elder."
Mo Hua nodded.
The female executor continued, "So we took the opportunity to ask about that 'female elder' from the Hundred Flowers Valley, and we learned that this 'female elder' indeed comes here to buy rouge and powder at intervals."
"And it's not just about buying cosmetics. When she sees beautiful young ladies, she will strike up conversations with them. Being a beauty herself, knowledgeable about rouge and skilled in makeup application, not to mention her status as a 'female elder' of the Hundred Flowers Valley, she easily wins these young ladies over."
"According to the shop owner, if she gets along well with someone, this Hundred Flowers Valley 'female elder' will even introduce these ladies to join the Hundred Flowers Valley, one of the 'Twelve Streams' of the Qianxue Province."
Introduction... to the Hundred Flowers Valley? Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly.
Gu Changhuai's expression also turned slightly somber.
This Flower Instructor, loitering in the rouge shops of various cities, seemed to have ulterior motives...
"That's all we could find out for now..."
The two female executors said.
Gu Quan added, "I asked around the neighboring shops, and indeed, at intervals, there would be a lavishly decorated carriage embroidered with a hundred flowers, parked outside the Water Fragrance Pavilion."
"That carriage should belong to the Hundred Flowers Valley."
"But the carriage is enclosed, making it almost impossible to see inside from the outside."
"It usually stays for about half an hour before leaving Yanshui City and traveling upstream along the Yanshui River..."
"Based on their description, I've sketched the carriage..."
...
After that, the group shared some miscellaneous and trivial pieces of information they had gathered.
These details might not be useful, but just in case, they couldn't afford to overlook anything.
Once they finished sharing the information, Gu Changhuai nodded:
"Thank you for your hard work."
Then he nodded at Gu An.
Gu An stood up and smiled, "I'll send off the two female executors and buy them some rouge and powder as a token of our appreciation."
The two female executors thanked them with smiles, obviously very happy.
After Gu An left with the female executors, Gu Quan took out a jade slip and meticulously recorded all the relevant information to ensure that no crucial details were overlooked, no matter how trivial they seemed.
When Gu An returned, Gu Changhuai was deep in thought.
Gu An frowned and said, "Executor Gu, this Flower Instructor is indeed suspicious."
Gu Changhuai nodded slightly.
"Although she seems suspicious, we don't seem to have any solid evidence or obvious clues at the moment..." Gu Quan said.
"Yes, it appears that she's very cautious and doesn't leave any loopholes in her actions, making it hard to figure out her true intentions," Gu An agreed.
Gu An pondered for a moment but couldn't come up with any ideas, so he asked Gu Changhuai, "What should we do next?"
Gu Changhuai pondered for a moment and replied, "Let's follow the route of her carriage along the Yanshui River and see for ourselves. It's impossible for her to not leave any traces at all."
After speaking, Gu Changhuai glanced at Mo Hua.
Mo Hua also nodded, "Yes, that's what I was thinking too!"
After that, the group left Yanshui City and rode their horse carriage along the main road toward the next location, keeping their eyes peeled for any signs along the way.
However, after a long while, even as they reached the next city, Yunshui City, they still hadn't found any suspicious traces.
Gu Changhuai frowned and said, "Let's continue forward and see..."
But Mo Hua interrupted, "Wait a moment."
Gu Changhuai was taken aback.
Mo Hua held the copper coin that his master had given him, closed his eyes slightly, and silently stimulated his spiritual sense to perform calculations.
A moment later, Mo Hua suddenly opened his eyes and turned his head back, his eyes shining with insight:
"We shouldn't go forward. We should go back."
"Go back?" Gu Changhuai asked.
"Yes," Mo Hua nodded, "There's something off about the route we took..."
The thread of causality had a small break in it...
(End of Chapter)
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