Chapter 815: The Cave
Chapter 815: The Cave
"How have Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Shuizi's recent cultivation practices been?" Mo Hua asked Laoyuto.
Laoyuto's expression softened at the mention of his grandchildren, "Those two kids have been diligent in their training, and their progress has been quite rapid, giving me much peace of mind. All thanks to you, sir, for your help. If not for your intervention, those two might not have made it, and they certainly wouldn't be as lively as they are now..."
As he spoke, Laoyuto sighed, his emotions evident.
Mo Hua humbly replied, "I didn't do much."
He turned his head, his eyes deep as he gazed at the two children in the courtyard, and slowly asked, "Have they shown any unusual behavior lately?"
"Unusual?" Laoyuto was puzzled.
Mo Hua explained, "I mean, have there been any deviations in their cultivation, or any lingering effects from their abduction?"
Laoyuto's expression turned solemn as the conversation turned to his grandchildren.
He thought carefully, his brows furrowed in concentration, but eventually, he shook his head, "Nothing unusual."
His expression then turned anxious, "Sir, has something happened?"
"No," Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm just being cautious and asking in case. It's good that there are no abnormalities."
Only then did Laoyuto relax.
He personally poured a cup of tea for Mo Hua, urging, "Have some tea."
Mo Hua didn't say anything further.
Time passed, and as noon turned to afternoon, Mo Hua rose to take his leave.
"Sir, why not stay a little longer? I'll prepare some fresh river delicacies for dinner as a proper treat," Laoyuto insisted.
Mo Hua hesitated, "I still have matters to attend to at the sect. I mustn't neglect my cultivation."
With cultivation being the top priority for a cultivator, Laoyuto couldn't persuade him further.
The two children, Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Shuizi, had woken up and looked dejected to see Mo Hua leaving again. They saw him off reluctantly, walking with him until they were out of the village.
Mo Hua ruffled their hair affectionately and smiled as he gave them a few words of advice before turning to leave.
Laoyuto and his family then returned to their busy lives, making a living by the river.
Laoyuto mended his nets for a while and tidied up his fishing gear before heading out, stooped with his hands behind his back, accompanied by his two young grandchildren, leaving the small fishing village for the misty river.
There were some fish traps set up along the riverbank.
The three of them began collecting the traps, checking if any greedy, foolish fish or shrimp had swum into them.
After collecting the traps along the way, they reached the ferry crossing.
A boat had docked at the crossing, carrying Laoyuto's son, Yu Dachuan. He had gone out early to fish and had quite a good catch. The family of four then began sorting through the fish on the boat.
The large, healthy, and good-looking fish were kept to be sold.
The average-looking and damaged fish that wouldn't fetch a good price were kept for their own consumption.
The small fish that hadn't fully grown were released back into the river.
The family worked hard together, and though it was tiring, they found joy in their labor.
After they were done, Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Shuizi said,
"Grandpa, we want to go fish with our hands."
Laoyuto knew that his grandchildren were tired and wanted to play, so he waved his hand, "Go ahead, go ahead..."
But he still gave them a serious warning, "Just stay on the riverbank, don't go into the deep water, or the water demons will drag you in and eat you alive."
The two grandchildren nodded seriously, "Okay, grandpa, don't worry."
"Off you go, then."
The two children ran off happily.
They followed the river downstream to a stretch of shallow water and began fishing in the riverbed.
The water was shallow here, and while the small fish weren't worth catching, there were also no water demons, so it was usually a place for children to practice swimming and play.
Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Shuizi played in the shallow water for a while before starting to fish with their hands.
They were fishing for a very small type of fish, resembling blades of grass, with soft, boneless bodies.
The two children had cultivated the Bailang Ji (White Wave Manual) given to them by Mo Hua, as well as the White Wave Movement Technique, which shared the same origin as the manual, and the Water Dispelling Demon Avoidance Technique. As a result, they were already quite adept in the water.
Additionally, having once been offered as sacrifices to the river god and imbued with its essence, they moved through the water with ease, whether playing or fishing.
Their auras were harmonious with the river, and with their quick eyes and hands, they easily scooped up the small fish.
After a while, the slightly taller Xiao Shunzi said,
"I've caught ten! How about you?"
Xiao Shuizi counted, "Nine."
Xiao Shunzi nodded, "Then I'll catch ten more, and you catch eleven, so we'll have the same number. Then we'll head back. These little grass fish only need a bit of fresh water to keep them alive. Next time Mo Gege comes, we'll treat him to some grilled fish."
Xiao Shuizi agreed eagerly, "Okay!"
They were grateful for Mo Hua's kindness and also remembered how he had treated them to spirit meat that day, so they wanted to return the favor by treating him to delicious grilled fish.
With his current nineteen strands of spiritual sense and mastery over the Xiao Wuxing Concealment Technique, it was impossible for any cultivator in the small fishing village to detect his stealth.
He never expected that Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Shuizi, the two children, would hold him in such high regard.
Mo Hua was touched by their innocence.
Pure goodwill is often the most precious.
The two children continued to fish with their hands.
Being slightly older and more clever and lively, Xiao Shunzi was faster at catching the fish. Before long, he had caught another ten little grass fish.
Then he stopped and waited for his younger brother, Xiao Shuizi, to catch eleven, so they both had twenty fish each. Only then did they decide to head back.
"Let's go back," Xiao Shunzi said.
"Okay," Xiao Shuizi replied happily.
The two children, each carrying a small fish basket, walked back to the village hand in hand, carefree and content.
After they left, Mo Hua slowly revealed himself on the empty riverbank.
Watching their retreating figures, Mo Hua's expression turned perplexed as he murmured, "Nothing unusual... Could I have guessed wrong?"
Soon after, Mo Hua's figure disappeared once more.
As the sun set, the evening sky was painted with a dazzling array of colors.
In the small fishing village, the fisherman cultivators who had gone out for the day returned home, and smoke began to rise from the chimneys.
Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Shuizi also made their way back to their own home.
The family gathered together, sharing a joyful dinner filled with laughter. After the meal, the two children practiced their cultivation for a while before falling into a peaceful sleep.
Mo Hua's gaze turned slightly focused as he sat cross-legged on a branch of a large tree outside the village, beginning to meditate.
Time passed slowly.
As the crescent moon hung high in the sky, the night deepened, and the fishing village grew quieter.
As midnight approached, Mo Hua, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.
At the same time, there was movement in the village.
Two small shadows quietly climbed over the wall of Laoyuto's house and, after landing, made their way along the village path, heading out of the village.
It was Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Shuizi.
Mo Hua's eyes flickered, and his figure moved like a ghost as he quietly followed them.
The two children were unaware of his presence.
They walked out of the village and along the desolate riverbank, heading downstream into the darkness of the night. Their path took them further and further away from the village, into an increasingly secluded area.
Eventually, they reached the foot of a desolate mountain.
The two children glanced at each other and then helped each other climb the rugged mountain path, making their way upwards.
They climbed until they reached the mid-point of the mountain, where the terrain leveled out, and wild grass grew everywhere.
Hidden among the grass was a cave.
The two children knelt in front of the cave and respectfully said, "Senior, we are here."
Soon, a frail, elderly voice echoed from within the cave, "Good. Have you been diligently practicing the cultivation technique I taught you?"
"We remembered your instructions and did not slack off," Xiao Shunzi replied respectfully.
Xiao Shuizi also nodded in agreement from beside his brother.
"Very good..." the voice from the cave replied.
The voice from within the cave sounded weak and was accompanied by suppressed coughing.
After a while, the elderly voice continued, "Now, I will teach you something else."
The two children's eyes lit up, and they asked eagerly, "Senior, what else will you teach us?"
"You mentioned that you wanted to learn some self-protection techniques so that you could protect yourselves and your family when they go down to the river, in case of water demons," the person in the cave coughed, "The technique I will teach you now is a spell that will allow you to transform the water energy you cultivate into a dense array of hidden weapons to paralyze and injure your enemies."
Overjoyed, the two children bowed and expressed their gratitude, "Thank you, Senior!"
Xiao Shuizi, driven by curiosity, asked, "Senior, what is the name of this technique?"
"Yes, and what about the cultivation technique you taught us? We don't know its name either..." Xiao Shunzi added.
However, the voice from the cave was hoarse and firm, "You don't need to ask, and there's no need to concern yourselves with names. Regardless of what I teach you, just make sure to learn it well."
The two children hesitated, their young minds recognizing the kindness of this senior in passing down these techniques, but they were not foolish. The lack of information about the origin and names of these teachings suggested something amiss.
The elderly voice from the cave spoke again, "Sometimes, knowledge can bring harm as well as blessings."
"It's not always a good thing to know too much."
"Don't you want to improve your cultivation?"
"Since you want to, then learn well. Don't ask too many questions about other things."
"Yes, senior," the children replied.
The person in the cave said, "Now, I will teach you the incantation of this spell, the intricacies of spiritual energy manipulation, and the meridians it traverses... Remember it well."
Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Shuizi nodded solemnly, "We will!"
Then, the frail, elderly voice began to impart the secrets of the spell.
The two children listened intently.
"This spell is intimately linked to the cultivation technique I taught you; they share a common origin. Only with the support of the cultivation technique can the spell's power reach new heights. Without the cultivation technique's empowerment, this spell would be mediocre at best."
"The key to using this spell lies in striking when your opponent is unprepared and catching them off guard. Once your spiritual energy condenses into hidden weapons and penetrates your enemy's body, it will be like a bone-boring maggot's deadly poison, causing excruciating pain and proving difficult to eradicate."
"The spell's difficulty lies in the extremely high requirements for spiritual energy control and the complex meridian pathways. It necessitates years of practice before you can..."
The speaker paused abruptly, leaving the sentence unfinished.
Puzzled, Xiao Shunzi asked, "Senior, what then?"
"It's nothing..." The elderly voice trailed off, "Did you remember what I taught you earlier?"
The children nodded, "We remember."
"Good. Also, there's one more thing... You must diligently cultivate this spell in your daily lives, but unless it's absolutely necessary, refrain from using it casually, and never mention to anyone that I taught you the cultivation technique and spell." The person in the cave spoke with a grave tone.
"Senior, we will remember," Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Shuizi replied earnestly.
"Mmm. That's all for today. You may leave now."
The two children bowed respectfully towards the cave and then climbed down the mountain, retracing their steps along the mountain wall.
After the children left, silence enveloped the cave, perched halfway up the mountain.
The night was quiet, and the moonlight cast a cool glow.
Soon, the elderly voice from the cave spoke again, "Fellow cultivator, since you've come, why not show yourself?"
Mo Hua, deep in thought outside the cave, was startled by the unexpected address.
'He noticed me? He must be a formidable cultivator...'
The voice from the cave continued, "We are strangers by chance, and I bear no ill will. Fellow cultivator, there's no need to hide. Please show yourself."
Mo Hua pondered briefly before slowly revealing himself, but the night was so dark that his figure remained indistinct.
The person in the cave, sensing a presence, immediately shifted his tone, asking, "Who are you, fellow cultivator? What brings you here?"
Although he tried to sound calm, Mo Hua could detect the underlying wariness and a hint of veiled hostility in his voice.
'This person is acting strangely...'
Mo Hua mused silently:
'How did he detect my stealth? But since he could find me, it means his spiritual sense is stronger than mine...'
'At least at the peak of the Qi Refining Realm, no, someone at the peak might not have been able to detect me. They must be at the Golden Core Realm...'
'But his aura is weak, and his qi is deficient, indicating severe internal injuries.'
'Hiding in a cave and unwilling to show himself suggests his situation is far from optimistic.'
'And since this is a second-rate province, even if he's a Golden Core cultivator, under the suppression of the Heavenly Dao, he'd be as feeble as Uncle Gu, only able to exert the power of the peak of Qi Refining Realm...'
Mo Hua swiftly assessed the situation and then began to set up formation arrays without saying a word.
The person in the cave immediately noticed the unusual activity and changed his tone, "Fellow cultivator, what are you doing?"
"Fellow cultivator?"
"Why are you silent, fellow cultivator?"
...
Mo Hua ignored him completely.
In this unclear situation, where he lacked the upper hand, he saw no point in idle chatter.
As Mo Hua set up more and more arrays, the person in the cave's attitude softened considerably.
"Fellow cultivator, if you have any requests, please feel free to ask."
"Fellow cultivator, I bear you no ill will."
"Fellow cultivator, why don't you come into the cave? Let's talk and become friends..."
Mo Hua continued as if he hadn't heard a word, nonchalantly drawing his arrays.
Only when he finished setting up the last array did he finally speak, "Now, we can talk..."
(End of Chapter)
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