Chapter 821: Knocking Some Sense
Chapter 821: Knocking Some Sense
Mo Hua's face darkened as he, a grown man, was being disdained by these people. How humiliating!
Hao Xuan turned to Wang Chen, "Can you please make an exception?"
Wang Chen shook his head, "Even if I let him in, the senior brothers inside wouldn't allow him on the boat."
"On the boat?" Hao Xuan asked.
Realizing his slip of the tongue, Wang Chen quickly added, "Never mind, never mind. But this young… brother, it's really not suitable for him to go upstairs. Don't make it difficult for me."
Hao Xuan gave Mo Hua a look, asking for his opinion.
Mo Hua sighed, "Then go ahead without me…."
Then, he secretly used the Void Shattering Decree to send a message to Hao Xuan and the others:
"Go inside and see what's going on. Be vigilant and don't fall for their tricks. If anything unexpected happens, make a scene if you have to, and find a way to get out."
"Also, don't go looking at anything 'interesting' or playing with anything 'fun' without me. There's definitely something strange going on in there."
Hao Xuan and the other two nodded silently.
Mo Hua said, "I'll just wander around Guishui City and wait for you here."
"Okay."
Then, Hao Xuan and the other two followed Wang Chen into a bustling restaurant.
Mo Hua could only watch helplessly.
He was very curious about what was inside the restaurant, but they just wouldn't let him in.
Mo Hua could only hold back his curiosity and turn away to explore Guishui City.
Guishui City was fairly prosperous, and there were quite a few Guishui Gate disciples around.
According to Yu Canghai, the high-level members of the Guishui Gate had colluded with the Daotinsi and betrayed the Water Prison Gate. They had stolen the Water Prison Gate's legacy and used it to establish the Guishui Gate, which was now ranked among the twelve streams.
Most of the disciples of the Guishui Gate cultivated water-system Taoism and delved into the way of interrogation. After graduation, most of them joined the Daotinsi.
In the city, there were many disciples of the Guishui Gate coming and going, their gazes shifty and their expressions somewhat gloomy.
In addition, there were also some industries of the Guishui Gate.
The legacy of the Guishui Gate was related to water, and they profited from it. Their businesses were mostly water-related.
There were ferry boats, spirit boats, restaurants, fish markets, and they also rented out cave mansions built by the water.
Mo Hua walked around, familiarizing himself with the layout of Guishui City, and then returned to the restaurant.
The restaurant was called "Linshui Pavilion."
Inside, it was bustling with people, and Hao Xuan and the other two were still there, doing who-knows-what.
Mo Hua sent a message to ask them, but they didn't reply.
Mo Hua was a little unhappy.
He wondered if those three idiots had forgotten about him, or if there was an array inside the restaurant that blocked Yuan magnetic signals, preventing them from receiving his message.
"Should I sneak in and take a look?"
Mo Hua circled the restaurant and noticed that an expensive high-grade visible-hidden array had been set up around it.
If he tried to sneak in invisibly, he would be discovered.
Mo Hua was displeased, "So cautious of me? There's definitely something fishy going on inside."
Just as he was pondering how to get in, the door suddenly burst open, and a crowd of people, including Hao Xuan and the others, came out.
Among the crowd, Wang Chen was repeatedly apologizing, "Brothers, I'm really sorry. Everything was arranged, but something suddenly changed upstairs, and it ruined your fun. Please accept this token of my apology."
Wang Chen took out a storage bag and handed it to the three, "This is a collection of fine wines and secret-recipe sauces from Linshui Pavilion. It's not much, but I hope you'll accept it as a token of my apology."
Wang Chen's attitude was very humble.
Cheng Mo's face darkened as he coldly snorted, "What's wine and meat worth? Do you think we came here for these things? You wasted my time!"
Cheng Mo was clearly unhappy.
However, he still accepted the wine and meat.
The three bid farewell to Wang Chen and left the restaurant to meet up with Mo Hua in a teahouse across the street.
Cheng Mo then took out the sauce and wine that Wang Chen had given them and offered them to Mo Hua, "Try some, little brother."
Mo Hua inspected the items and, finding nothing amiss, shared them with the others.
The wine was of good quality, aged to perfection. The meat was also choice, with a rich flavor that lingered on the palate. It was the kind of delicacy that was usually hard to come by.
It seemed that the Guishui Gate was quite sincere in their apology.
As Mo Hua ate and drank, he released his spiritual sense and found that the tea house guests were lively, but there were no suspicious characters around. Only then did he ask in a low voice, "What did you guys do in there?"
Hao Xuan and the other two looked at each other and shook their heads.
"Not much, just watched some songs and dances..."
"Are those songs and dances proper?" Mo Hua asked quietly.
Hao Xuan nodded awkwardly, "I think... it's still proper."
"How so?"
Hao Xuan was a little uncertain, "They were wearing clothes. Does that count as proper?"
Mo Hua nodded, "That does sound proper."
"Then what?" Mo Hua asked, "Is that all?"
Shi Tuo Jian also nodded, "Yes, just the songs and dances, but I suspect that the performances were just a warm-up. That Wang Chen guy clearly wanted to take us somewhere else..."
"But before he could make arrangements, a senior brother from the Guishui Gate came and spoke to him sternly. After that, the whole plan was canceled."
Mo Hua felt a bit disappointed but also puzzled.
Why was it canceled?
Did the Guishui Gate discover their ill intentions?
Or had the Water King of Hell heightened his vigilance after the previous incident?
Or was there another reason?
Mo Hua pondered for a moment but couldn't figure it out, so he said, "Let's go back."
This was Guishui City, the territory of the Guishui Gate, and Mo Hua felt uncomfortable staying here for too long.
"Alright." Hao Xuan and the others nodded.
Leaving the teahouse, the group hired a horse-drawn carriage and set off from Guishui City towards the Tai Xu Gate.
Seated in the carriage, Mo Hua's thoughts remained on the matters concerning the Guishui Gate.
The carriage passed through the gates of Guishui City and leisurely made its way along the broad road.
Midway through the journey, as Mo Hua was deep in contemplation with a furrowed brow, he seemed to sense something. His expression froze, and he abruptly pulled aside the curtain to take a look, his pupils narrowing slightly.
Not far away, there was another horse-drawn carriage.
This carriage was enclosed and elaborately decorated, embroidered with a profusion of colorful flowers.
It was the Hundred Flower Valley's carriage!
His carriage and theirs were one behind the other, apparently having just exited Guishui City as well.
Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately called out, "Cheng Mo!"
Cheng Mo, who was driving the carriage, turned his head.
Mo Hua pointed at the flower-adorned carriage and instructed, "Catch up to that carriage ahead."
Cheng Mo was a bit taken aback but didn't hesitate. He urged the horses to quicken their pace and followed closely behind the "flower carriage."
The Hundred Flower Valley's carriage continued on its way, oblivious to their pursuit.
Mo Hua and his companions quietly tailed them, passing through Tai Xu City and then Taia City, circling around a few times before finally arriving at Hundred Flower City.
The fragrant flower carriage entered Hundred Flower City, its scent lingering in the air.
Cheng Mo asked, "Little Brother, do we want to enter the city?"
Mo Hua thought for a moment and replied, "Leave the carriage here, but we'll go in on foot."
Cheng Mo nodded in agreement.
The group left the carriage outside the city and proceeded on foot. Fortunately, the flower carriage hadn't traveled too quickly, so Mo Hua and his companions were able to keep up without much difficulty.
They continued their stealthy pursuit until the carriage reached the mountain gate of Hundred Flower Valley.
As the carriage door opened, four or five women dressed in the valley's robes, each with their own unique and exquisite features, disembarked and entered the valley together.
During the journey, they chatted and laughed, but their subtle expressions betrayed a certain complexity.
Some looked as calm as ever, while others appeared dejected or quietly relieved. A few had dull eyes and expressionless faces.
Mo Hua furrowed his brows.
"Where's Hua Ru Yu?"
He had assumed that Hua Ru Yu would be among the passengers.
He carefully observed the female cultivators who had exited the carriage, committing their appearances to memory, and then sighed softly to himself.
It seemed that the matters concerning Hundred Flower Valley were far from over...
Beside him, Hao Xuan, seeing Mo Hua crouched in the grass with piercing eyes fixed on the female cultivators of Hundred Flower Valley, couldn't help but remind him, "Little Brother, you mustn't follow in my cousin's footsteps, okay?"
Mo Hua was taken aback.
Hao Xuan pointed towards the valley and added, "You'll get beaten up badly if you do."
After all, it would be extremely embarrassing.
His cousin, Hao Se, had always been thick-skinned, so he didn't care much about such things.
But Mo Hua, as their junior brother, simply couldn't afford to lose face like that.
"Don't worry," Mo Hua waved his hand dismissively, "It's not what you think, and besides, I won't get caught."
Hao Xuan thought of Mo Hua's agile movements and stealth techniques and nodded in agreement, "That's true."
So far, he had never seen their junior brother being caught.
As the female cultivators from the carriage disappeared into the vibrant flowers of the valley, Mo Hua suggested, "Let's head back."
Although Hao Xuan and the others didn't know what Mo Hua was up to, they had gradually become accustomed to following his lead. If Little Brother said so, then so be it.
However, on their way back, Cheng Mo couldn't help but give in to his curiosity, "Little Brother, why were you following that carriage?"
"I'm investigating a case related to the Daotinsi," Mo Hua didn't hide the truth, "But I can't disclose the specifics to you just yet."
"Investigating a case?" Cheng Mo's eyes lit up with interest, "Will there be any merit points involved?"
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed as he considered, "Not from the Daotinsi, but if you guys help me out, I can give you some from my own stash."
He had become a merit point tycoon, earning a substantial amount from drawing formations, hunting demons, and completing bounties.
Additionally, after the Wan Yao Valley incident, Old Master Xun had rewarded him with a substantial sum of merit points on behalf of the sect.
The Tai Ah Gate and Chong Xu Gate had also expressed their gratitude with a generous amount of merit points.
Initially, he had been excited about the abundance of merit points, often checking his balance on the Tai Xu Token. However, as time passed, the novelty wore off, and he eventually lost interest in keeping track of the ever-growing number.
These days, he rarely checked his balance, knowing that he had more than enough and wouldn't run out anytime soon.
Cheng Mo was aware of Mo Hua's wealth in merit points, so he didn't hesitate to accept, "Thank you, Little Brother. If there's anything you need, just give us a shout."
Mo Hua nodded in agreement.
Of course, the matters concerning the Guishui Gate and Water King of Hell were a bit more intricate, and he didn't intend to involve Cheng Mo and the others too deeply. He would only task them with minor errands, information gathering, and the like.
Many hands make light work, and it was always beneficial to learn how to leverage the help of others.
Working alone would inevitably lead to oversights and mistakes.
"It seems this trip didn't yield much," Shi Tuo Jian remarked, "What should we do next? Head back to the sect directly?"
There had been some gains, albeit not as significant as expected.
Mo Hua pondered silently.
Moreover, what they had uncovered were merely "leads," and further investigation would require considerable effort.
As Mo Hua contemplated, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he turned to Hao Xuan, asking, "Hao Xuan, how's your relationship with your childhood friend, Wang Chen?"
"It used to be alright..." Hao Xuan's heart sank as he lowered his voice, "Little Brother, you're not planning to target him, are you?"
After all, they had grown up together since childhood, and there was still some friendship between them.
If Little Brother were to make a move against him, then Wang Chen would be in deep trouble.
Hao Xuan understood that despite Wang Chen's size, the combined efforts of ten of him wouldn't be a match for Little Brother's schemes.
Mo Hua asked, "What's his temperament like?"
Hao Xuan reflected for a moment, "He's a bit slippery and timid, occasionally scheming, but his nature isn't inherently bad."
Mo Hua nodded, "Alright, then we'll target him.
Hao Xuan's expression turned bitter as he said, "Little Senior Brother..."
"You don't understand," Mo Hua said to Hao Xuan, "The situation in Guishui Gate is complicated. Once something happens, your childhood friend might really end up in a hopeless situation."
"Taking action against him now is to save him. If we turn a blind eye, that would truly be harming him."
Hearing this, Hao Xuan's expression turned solemn.
He never expected the situation to be so severe, and he felt a weight on his heart. He wanted to ask what exactly had happened, but seeing Mo Hua's serious expression, he wisely held back.
The more capable one is, the more secrets one can know.
Hao Xuan knew that he didn't have such great capabilities, so it was better not to pry into certain secrets.
"Then, Little Senior Brother, how are you going to act?" Hao Xuan asked in a low voice.
"Do you have any requests?" Mo Hua asked.
Hao Xuan gritted his teeth and said, "After all, he's my childhood friend. It would be best if you could go easy on him and give him a way out."
Mo Hua paused slightly, "It's not that serious. Just knock him out, drag him to the side, and ask him some questions."
Hao Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.
At least it was just knocking him out; there wouldn't be any bloodshed...
Mo Hua looked at Hao Xuan and said, "For knocking him out, I'll let Cheng Mo do it. You two are quite close, and I'm afraid you might not be able to bring yourself to do it."
But Hao Xuan shook his head and said, "He's my childhood friend. We grew up together. I'll do the knocking out myself. I don't trust anyone else for this."
Hao Xuan's expression was resolute.
Mo Hua couldn't tell if Hao Xuan was more concerned about Wang Chen's safety or if he was simply addicted to "knocking people out" and worried that someone else would take his task.
"Alright..." Mo Hua nodded.
After that, the four of them briefly discussed their plan.
That evening, Hao Xuan invited Wang Chen out, saying that he wanted to chat with him.
Wang Chen didn't suspect anything.
Since it was still the period of the ten-day break, the Guishui Gate didn't have a curfew, so he swaggered out of the sect and headed towards Guishui City, not far away.
When he reached the foot of the mountain and passed through a secluded path with no one around, Hao Xuan used his movement technique to easily get behind Wang Chen, activated an array, and knocked him out with a stick.
Cheng Mo and Shi Tuo Jian rushed forward, tied Wang Chen up, and dragged him into the nearby bushes.
Mo Hua set up a small Yuan magnetic array near the bushes as a precaution. He also set up a soundproofing array and used other covert means to ensure that everything went smoothly.
Then Cheng Mo slapped Wang Chen awake.
Wang Chen woke up with a slightly aching head and felt groggy. Suddenly, he jolted and tried to shout out loud.
Cheng Mo immediately covered his mouth and warned in a hoarse voice, "Don't make a sound, or I won't be polite."
Wang Chen instantly realized that he was surrounded by several "villains" in masks, bound with chains and restraining arrays, unable to move at all. He immediately understood his situation and nodded meekly.
Cheng Mo let go of his hand.
Wang Chen then said in a trembling voice, "Who... who are you? What do you want? I'm from the Guishui..."
"Shut up! I ask the questions, you answer!" Cheng Mo barked.
After spending a lot of time with Mo Hua, he had also learned that during an "interrogation," one must maintain a tough attitude and not let the other party waste time with idle talk.
"Okay..."
Wang Chen said meekly.
But as he looked at Cheng Mo, he felt that the latter looked somewhat familiar. And when he looked at the figure next to Cheng Mo, he felt even more so.
Wang Chen wasn't a fool. After thinking about the cause and effect, he suddenly realized something and said in disbelief, "You... you're Brother Hao!?"
Hao Xuan, who was standing behind, said helplessly, "I told you so. The masks are unnecessary. He will definitely recognize us."
"It has nothing to do with whether he recognizes us or not. This is called respect for the profession."
"Love what you do."
"We must follow industry standards..."
Wang Chen was stunned by their words, and then he angrily said, "Brother Hao, we have no grudges or enmity. Why are you doing this to me?"
Hao Xuan sighed and used the "excuse" that Mo Hua had taught him:
"It's not me. It's... these few senior brothers of mine. They feel that you are playing with them. You promised to take them to see something good and have some fun, but in the end, they came with high hopes and left disappointed..."
"That's right," the tall and sturdy Cheng Mo pinched Wang Chen's neck and said in a rough voice, "You brat, are you making a fool of me? A few women twisting and turning above, some boring, watery performance, and you think you can get away with this? Do you think I, as a young master of a noble family, can't afford real entertainment?"
Wang Chen knew that he was in the wrong here and couldn't blame Hao Xuan, so he quickly begged for mercy, "Please spare me, Senior Brother. It's not that I don't want to take you there. It's just that... there was a sudden change of plans, and the venue was canceled. I really had no choice."
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly, and he gave Cheng Mo a signal.
Cheng Mo understood and increased the force on Wang Chen's neck slightly, "Still trying to argue? Still trying to deceive me? Usually, there are no changes, but as soon as I come, there's a change? Am I that unlucky?"
"Really! I swear! I dare not deceive Senior Brother!" Wang Chen swore.
"Okay," Cheng Mo loosened his grip slightly, "Then tell me, what happened that ruined my fun?"
"This..." Wang Chen hesitated.
Cheng Mo tightened his grip on his neck again, "What's wrong? Can't come up with an excuse?"
"No, no, I'm not making excuses," Wang Chen was strangled and quickly said, "It's... it's the Daotinsi."
"The Daotinsi?" Cheng Mo was taken aback.
"Yes..." Wang Chen was struggling to breathe.
Cheng Mo loosened his grip a little, "Explain yourself."
Wang Chen gasped for breath, coughed a few times, and then slowly said,
"My senior brothers said... they said that the Daotinsi came to investigate. The venue was canceled, and they told us to keep a low profile and send the guests away."
Cheng Mo couldn't help but glance at Mo Hua.
Mo Hua frowned and said in a deep voice, "Why would the Daotinsi come to investigate? Don't think we don't know. Your Guishui Gate has a close relationship with the Daotinsi. Why would they investigate you?"
Wang Chen smiled bitterly, "I don't know either, but I heard that it's not the local Daotinsi. It's someone from above..."
"Above?"
Wang Chen said in a trembling voice, "The Dao Court."
(End of Chapter)
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