Chapter 873: Opening the Box
Chapter 873: Opening the Box
At the end-of-year sect examination, Mo Hua performed as usual, scoring six C's and one A, without any surprises.
The six C's were because he could only achieve C's in those areas. However, the A was different. In the array formation test, the highest score possible was an A. His A was of high quality, truly a case of "a single excellence overshadowing a hundred flaws." Unfortunately, this wasn't reflected on the test paper.
Mo Hua was very disappointed.
After the exam, Mo Hua, as usual, wrote a letter home.
The letter was filled with comforting words, such as how the sect was peaceful, his fellow disciples were friendly, his masters were kind, and there were many good-hearted people around the Qianxue Province. These words were meant to reassure his parents.
He didn't mention any dangerous incidents, so as not to worry his parents.
After finishing the letter, Mo Hua sent it through the Tai Xu Sect's post station.
To his surprise, when he arrived at the post station, he also received a letter.
It was from his parents.
Far from home, a letter from home was worth a thousand pieces of gold.
Mo Hua was overjoyed and immediately returned to his disciple quarters to read the letter.
The letter was written in elegant handwriting by his mother. Mo Hua guessed that his father had also read it and added a few words here and there.
The content of the letter was nothing special, only mentioning that everything was fine at home and asking Mo Hua not to worry.
Mo Hua wasn't even sure which year this was a reply to.
But he was grateful nonetheless.
The land of Jiuzhou was vast, and the distance between Lixing Province and Qianxue Province was immense. The mountains were high, and the waters were long, making communication slow.
With the limited cultivation of low-grade provinces, correspondence was extremely slow. A letter from the Dahei Mountain Province in Lixing, a second-grade province, to Qianxue Province took only a few years, likely because he was a disciple of the Tai Xu Sect and used their communication channels.
Otherwise, it might have taken decades.
Mo Hua read the letter carefully, treasured it, and then sat in his disciple quarters, feeling a bit melancholic.
Memories began to flood back.
The days spent in Tongxian City, the small moments in the streets and alleys, slowly resurfaced.
These memories were like candied haws, sweet yet a bit sour.
It felt like a long time ago, yet it also felt like it was just yesterday.
He could still faintly hear the voices of his childhood friends calling his name, inviting him to join the sect, attend the lantern festival, go shopping, and look at girls...
Among them, the voices of Dahu and his two friends were the loudest.
They had grown up together and spent the most time playing.
"I wonder how Dahu and the others are doing in Tongxian City now..."
Mo Hua thought to himself.
"Wait a moment..."
Mo Hua paused, then suddenly remembered that Dahu and the others were no longer in Tongxian City.
He frowned, recalling what Dazhu had told him.
The Qian family had fallen, and the great demon had been killed. With the cultivation industry, Tongxian City had become more stable and prosperous. More cultivators were coming and going, doing business, settling down, and seeking refuge...
Some important figures would occasionally pass through Tongxian City.
One day, a tall sect elder passed through Tongxian City and, by chance, saw Dahu and his friends. Despite their poor backgrounds, they had strong wills and good physical foundations. The elder took them in as disciples and brought them to the sect for cultivation...
The name of the sect, as he recalled, was...
Da Huang Sect.
Thinking of this, Mo Hua's gaze hardened.
Fate seemed accidental but was often intertwined with cause and effect.
He wouldn't just randomly think of these things for no reason.
Could it be that something had happened to Dahu and the others?
Mo Hua frowned.
Moreover, the Da Huang Sect...
Mo Hua was now very sensitive to the words "Da Huang." He felt that anything associated with these words had some unclear connection to the evil god.
The Da Huang Sect was located south of Lixing Province, bordering the wilderness.
This indeed placed it close to the lair of the Da Huang evil god.
But with the distance and the lack of communication, he couldn't do much about it.
Mo Hua sighed and decided to put the matter aside for now.
After that, it was the New Year.
Mo Hua's New Year was quite busy, almost the same as usual, either practicing sword techniques or studying array formations.
However, Mr. Xun gave him a day off to have a New Year's Eve dinner at the Gu family's home.
As Mr. Xun put it, "The Gu family is a pure stream, rare and precious. It's good to interact with them from time to time..."
So, Mo Hua went to the Gu family's home.
He had a great meal and, out of "politeness," had to "reluctantly" accept many New Year's gifts, returning home with a full load.
The next day, he returned to the Tai Xu Sect to focus on his sword and array formation studies.
Here is the rewritten chapter with non-English characters replaced with their English equivalents or transliterations:
I never expected that during the New Year's festivities, someone would come to give me a gift.
And it was someone I never would have guessed.
Wang Chen from the Water Gate Sect.
Mo Hua had almost forgotten about this person.
But Wang Chen couldn’t forget. He was brought by Hao Xuan to Mo Hua, presenting the gifts one by one, prepared with gratitude. Then, he bowed deeply, expressing his thanks:
"Thank you, Senior Brother, for guiding me right. Otherwise, I would have been beaten repeatedly. My life would have been ruined."
Mo Hua was slightly stunned. "What did I guide you on?"
Wang Chen smiled bitterly; "It was about the Cosmetics Boat. If not for you, Senior Hao Xuan and his friends wouldn't have beaten me up and forced me to pass on information, saving me from being branded a traitor in the Water Gate Sect. I can barely imagine the consequences."
"Ah, that matter..." Mo Hua waved it off, "It was a small matter, no need to worry about it."
Wang Chen’s face turned serious; "It might be a small matter to you, but not to me."
He was a descendant of the Wang family. While his bloodline wasn’t particularly prominent, and he held a low position within the clan. Usually, he wasn’t treated well, but if he made a mistake, he would become the target of everyone’s criticism.
The clan would never let him off easily.
If the Cosmetics Boat incident had brought shame to the clan, the consequences would be unimaginable.
At least, his father, who had finally secured a scattered Elder position, would have to step down.
To avoid this, he would truly become a "traitor" who betrayed his father.
Therefore, he specifically asked his father to prepare a New Year’s gift to send to Mo Hua.
"These gifts aren’t very valuable, but I hope you will accept them with a smile," Wang Chen said with a smile.
Mo Hua glanced at the gifts, noticing an array of tactical books, pastries, dried meats, and fruit wines. Clearly, these were items that Hao Xuan had “guided” him to bring.
They weren’t particularly valuable, but they were things he liked. Mo Hua couldn’t refuse and nodded his head.
Wang Chen whispered to Mo Hua, "The Dao Tribunal, or more accurately, the Dao Court, has overhauled the Water Gate Sect from top to bottom. Some were killed, some were arrested, and some were imprisoned..."
"The Water Gate Sect is no longer the same as it used to be."
"Right now, the Water Gate Sect is more like...”
Wang Chen thought for a moment and described, "More like a Dao Court-affiliated sect, directly under the jurisdiction of the Dao Court, barely influenced by local noble Houses..."
Mo Hua was a bit surprised.
So, in a way, the Water Gate Sect had undergone a complete transformation?
From a twelfth-tier sect, it had directly become a Dao Court-affiliated sect?
Of course, for the Qianxue Province, this could be considered a form of Dao Court "infiltration."
And this might just be the first step.
However, Mo Hua had some questions, "The Water Gate Sect is mostly made up of noble descendants, If that’s the case, how could it avoid interference from noble houses?"
"It’s different," Wang Chen explained, "Noble houses come in many forms. There are major noble houses, minor noble houses, local noble houses, and foreign noble houses."
"When people talk about noble houses, they mention them all together, but the differences between noble houses are greater than the differences between humans and dogs. Moreover, they have different interests and Some noble houses are even outright enemies."
"The same goes for the Qianxue Province. The situation is very complex."
"And this time, the Water Gate Sect mainly overhauled the influence of local noble houses and major noble houses."
"The elders and disciples of these noble houses have been ‘cleared’ out in large numbers after the Cosmetics Boat incident, with the rest being reassigned or dismissed."
"Those remaining in the Water Gate Sect are mostly descendants of foreign noble houses or local minor noble houses of the third tier and below..."
Mo Hua nodded in understanding.
The Dao Court’s actions aimed to divide the noble houses.
By splitting the concept of noble houses into foreign, major, and local minor noble houses, they targeted the major noble houses of the Qianxue Province.
Even if they couldn’t target them directly, it weakened the influence of the major noble houses on the Dao Court to a certain extent.
Indeed, everything in the world has contradictions, and one must learn to dissolve the enemy from within.
Mo Hua learned something new.
He then asked Wang Chen, "Then your situation must be quite bad, as the Wang family is a local noble house, right?"
Wang Chen replied, "I’m fine. Despite the Wang family’s power, my status is low. I’m not a core family member, so I wasn’t treated well."
"Moreover, the Cosmetics Boat incident was handled on my behalf, so the Water Gate Sect’s reforms didn’t affect me much."
"Not only that..."
Wang Chen smiled, "I won’t hide it from you, Senior Brother. I’m actually doing better than before. Because I had connections with the Gu Dian Court, many things were handled in my favor during the Water Gate Sect’s reforms, and I’ve become more familiar with people."
"Now that everything has been sorted out, I’ve gained a bit of ‘prestige’ within the sect."
"Those commoners or disciples from lesser noble families who wish to remain in the Gui Water Sect will seek my help to plead their case."
"Disciples from distant regions and smaller clans know that I have some influence in the Dao Court, so they respect me."
Mo Hua nodded.
Wang Chen could be considered "blessed in disguise" now.
He patted Wang Chen on the shoulder, encouraging him.
"Work hard. If you manage to join the Dao Court in the future, you might even be given an important position. I’ll put in a good word for you when I have the chance."
He was familiar with Uncle Gu and Xia Dian, the Dao Court’s chief judge.
Uncle Gu was from the Gu family and had extensive experience in criminal affairs.
Xia Dian was from the Xia family of the Central Dao Court.
With Xiao Zhenhai dead, Uncle Gu and Xia Dian were now the most powerful chief judges in the Qianxue Province’s Dao Court.
If Wang Chen, who was originally from the Gui Water Sect, could assist them, it would be a good thing.
Wang Chen was overjoyed and hurriedly said, "Thank you, Senior Brother!"
The opportunity this one sentence from Senior Brother presented was something Wang Chen might never achieve on his own.
The two chatted for a while longer.
Before leaving, Wang Chen hesitated but finally said, "Senior Brother, do you know about something?"
"What is it?"
"It’s about the Tai’a Sect and the Chongxu Sect..."
Mo Hua’s gaze sharpened.
Wang Chen continued, "On the Yan Zhi Boat, there were many disciples from the Tai’a Sect and the Chongxu Sect. Once this is investigated, the problem will be huge."
"The main issue is the Dao Discussion Conference."
"The Tai’a Sect and the Chongxu Sect seem to be trying to influence the Dao Court, but it doesn’t seem to be going smoothly. If the negotiations fail, these two sects will likely suffer greatly at the Dao Discussion Conference..."
Wang Chen shook his head, sighing.
"And the Taixu Sect, which is closely linked with the Tai’a Sect and the Chongxu Sect, might struggle to stand on its own if the other two sects fall..."
Wang Chen was worried and thus felt the need to warn Mo Hua.
Mo Hua nodded. "I understand."
After a moment’s thought, he instructed Wang Chen, "There might be significant changes in Qianxue Province soon, with unpredictable outcomes. If you hear any news from the Gui Water Sect, secretly let me know."
"Similarly, if you encounter any trouble, even life-threatening situations, you can come to me. I might be able to show you a way out..."
If anyone else said this, Wang Chen might have dismissed it.
But it was Mo Hua speaking.
Wang Chen’s expression turned solemn, and he bowed. "Thank you, Senior Brother!"
...
After Wang Chen left, Mo Hua returned to his quarters, his mind filled with thoughts.
Gui Water Sect...
Thinking of the Gui Water Sect reminded Mo Hua of the Water Prison Sect.
And thinking of the Water Prison Sect, he suddenly remembered an important item he had.
The Water Prison Forbidden Box!
He closed the windows and doors, sealed the array, and then took the Water Prison Forbidden Box out of his storage ring.
This forbidden box was the Water Prison Sect’s master’s forbidden item, sealed by the sect’s forbidden techniques. Only Xiao Zhenhai knew how to open it.
Mo Hua speculated that it might require practicing a secret technique, nurturing the box with his blood essence, and once the technique and the blood essence reached the right level, the box could be opened.
Of course, this was just a guess.
He had no idea about the specific method, so he had to "reap the benefits" by taking the box before "Water Yanluo" could open it.
But he had underestimated the difficulty.
After obtaining the box, Mo Hua still couldn’t open it for a while.
So he put it aside in his storage ring, planning to study it when he had the time.
But with so many things to do, he had forgotten about it until now.
Mo Hua then set aside half a day to study the Water Prison Forbidden Box, instead of practicing array techniques.
After half a day, he finally figured out how to open the box.
The key was a special eye technique.
This eye technique had an embedded "password" that required activating specific soul fragments within his life soul, visualizing the Water Prison Map, to open the box.
This wasn’t too difficult in theory.
But Mo Hua’s life soul was host to an evil fetus, so he had to proceed cautiously.
Fortunately, this was just "unlocking" rather than actually using the eye technique.
Mo Hua tried it gently, and there were no major issues.
After about two incense sticks’ worth of time, a golden light flashed in Mo Hua’s eyes, and the red light on the box dimmed. The entire box shimmered with a crystalline blue glow.
A water mark appeared, splitting the box into two halves.
This integral treasure of the Water Prison Sect was finally opened.
Mo Hua couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.
Mo Hua released his divine consciousness to ensure there was no danger before carefully opening the forbidden box. He fixed his gaze and saw several jade slips lying inside.
These jade slips were extremely thin and exquisitely crafted, resembling paper made of jade, neatly placed within the small forbidden box.
On the jade slips, the seal of the Water Prison Sect was engraved, indicating that these were exclusive to the sect and not to be spread outside.
However, with the Water Prison Sect now gone, there was no longer any concern about external dissemination.
Mo Hua carefully examined each of the jade slips, and his expression turned to shock.
Indeed, these jade slips contained the highest-level legacies of the Water Prison Sect, each one incredibly precious.
One of them was the Water Shadow Illusion Technique—a movement technique.
At first glance, this technique seemed to share a similar concept with the Water Shadow Step, but they were not comparable. According to the Water Prison Sect's classification of techniques, the Water Shadow Illusion Technique was the most core and highest-level movement technique.
It was more profound than the Water Shadow Step known by the Water Judge and Xiao Zhenhai.
The upper limit of the ghostly "water shadows" that could be cultivated through this technique was also much higher.
In other words, the Water Shadow Step learned by the Water Judge and Xiao Zhenhai was essentially a "castrated" and downgraded version of the Water Shadow Illusion Technique from this forbidden box.
Additionally, there was the Water Prison True Technique.
This was a cultivation technique, and the name seemed simple enough.
However, any technique bearing the words "True Technique," whether a cultivation method, a dao technique, or a sword technique, held a significant position in the sect's legacy.
Mo Hua glanced at it a few times, feeling a bit envious.
But he wasn't a pure water spirit root, and his spirit root quality was also insufficient. Moreover, he couldn't abandon the Heavenly Derivation Technique to relearn this Water Prison True Technique.
Even if he did learn it, the amount of spirit stones and rare heavenly materials required for such a "patriarch" level technique was far beyond his means.
Just a quick glance revealed that the technique required no fewer than seven to eight types of spirit herbs and elixirs, which he had never heard of but were clearly extremely rare.
Forget it...
Mo Hua shook his head.
Without a "wealthy fate," he couldn't afford to cultivate such a technique.
The Heavenly Derivation Technique was still the best.
Mo Hua put down the Water Prison True Technique and began to read the next jade slip.
As soon as his divine consciousness sank into it, a name that was both unexpected and expected appeared: Water Prison Technique.
This was a high-level dao technique of the Water Prison Sect, one of the rare techniques in the cultivation world that could ignore a cultivator's golden body and exert strong control over them!
Sure enough, the scripture of this technique was hidden in the Water Prison forbidden box.
However, there was one question...
How did Xiao Zhenhai learn this high-level Water Prison Technique without opening the Water Prison forbidden box?
Did he have other means, or was the Water Prison Technique he learned another "castrated" version?
Mo Hua was puzzled.
Unfortunately, Xiao Zhenhai was already dead, so there was no way to ask him.
Mo Hua shook his head and flipped to the next jade slip.
This was the last jade slip.
Mo Hua immersed his divine consciousness into the jade slip, but he sensed nothing but a blank space.
"Empty?"
"Impossible... How could a blank jade slip be placed in such an important forbidden box of the Water Prison Sect?"
Mo Hua frowned.
"Encrypted?"
Fortunately, he was familiar with encryption and decryption.
Mo Hua studied the seemingly ordinary, "blank" jade slip for a while and then sighed in relief.
It wasn't yuan magnetic encryption...
If it were yuan magnetic encryption, with his current mastery of yuan magnetic array techniques, he definitely couldn't decrypt it.
Based on Mo Hua's understanding of the Water Prison Sect, this was likely encrypted using a "pupil technique."
The Water Prison Sect's legacy was extremely strict, divided by levels and ranks.
The Seven Souls Blood Prison Pupil Technique was almost one of the core legacies of the Water Prison Sect. It contained the essence of the divine soul, making it the most secure method of encryption.
However, the Water Prison Sect's ancient ancestor probably never imagined that the sect would be raided by the Dao Court.
With the legacy scattered, all the rules he set were in chaos.
Thus, this "treasure" encryption, especially for Mo Hua, was "virtually useless."
Mo Hua spent some more time and finally saw through the mist of divine consciousness to the text on the jade slip.
As he read, Mo Hua's brow furrowed.
This was a very strange jade slip.
The content recorded within seemed to be a dao technique, but it was incomplete.
It appeared that someone was constantly experimenting, deducing, improving, and iterating the spell formula of a certain technique, then recording the different results on the jade slip...
Mo Hua's pupils dilated, and he was inwardly alarmed.
This is... a forbidden technique?
The Water Prison forbidden box truly contained the development manuscript of a... forbidden technique?
Mo Hua flipped to the end and saw several rough and ominous blood-red characters at the bottom of the jade slip:
Forbidden Technique: Samsara Water Prison.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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