Chapter 88: Inquiry (Part 1)
Chapter 88: Inquiry (Part 1)
After a day of turmoil, Mo Hua wanted to get some early sleep, but he couldn't. Eventually, he decided to practice array formations in his sea of consciousness, on the stone tablet, for the entire night.
When drawing array formations, he was wholly focused, and his mood tended to calm down.
The next day, Zhang Lan found Mo Hua.
He sat at a small round table in a corner of the eatery, with several dishes of side dishes and a pot of wine on the table.
Zhang Lan poured himself a cup of wine and looked at Mo Hua, saying, "Speak, what happened yesterday?"
"What do you mean what happened?"
Zhang Lan curled his lips, "Don't play dumb with me. I'm talking about Qian Xing."
"He bullied me, and then Da Zhu and the others helped, and a fight broke out. Then you guys arrived," Mo Hua replied, skirting around the main issue.
Zhang Lan recounted the events but left out the crucial details. He couldn't help but ask, "Don't give me vague answers. That array formation, was it you who used it?"
Mo Hua was startled, "Uncle Zhang, you saw that?"
"No, I didn't see it," Zhang Lan took a sip of wine, "If I had, how could I have let them act so outrageously?"
Mo Hua asked doubtfully, "Then how do you know it was an array formation and not a spell?"
After the Earthfire Array exploded, the spirit paper turned to flying ash. Unless someone witnessed it with their own eyes, no one should have known that Mo Hua had injured Qian Xing with an array formation.
"Every action leaves a trace. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean others can't," Zhang Lan explained.
"What kind of traces are there?" Mo Hua asked sincerely.
"The paper used for the array formation leaves ashes when burned, which is different from the ashes of other burned objects. The lingering spiritual energy after an array explosion is also easily distinguishable. If someone knowledgeable were present, they might even discern which array you used. Moreover, there aren't many spells that a cultivator at the Qi Refining stage can use. Apart from spells, only talismans and array formations possess such power. Talismans are expensive and easily identifiable, so it must have been an array formation..." As Zhang Lan spoke about these matters, he exuded confidence.
"I see," Mo Hua exclaimed, as if he finally understood, "Then how do I erase these traces?"
"The ashes of the spirit paper will scatter with the wind and dissolve with water, or you can use other array mediums to draw formations, leaving no ashes behind. As for the lingering spiritual energy after an array explosion, it can be artificially confused, but it doesn't matter much anyway. Regular cultivators can't distinguish between the spiritual energy of an array and that of a cultivator. Also..."
As Zhang Lan spoke, he realized something was amiss. It was as if he was teaching Mo Hua how to cover up his misdeeds...
"What else?" Mo Hua asked, thoroughly engrossed.
Zhang Lan coughed, "These aren't important. Just tell me, was it you who injured Qian Xing?"
"No," Mo Hua wasn't foolish enough to admit it and bring trouble upon himself for no reason.
Zhang Lan looked unconvinced.
"Uncle Zhang, think about it. How could I, at merely the fourth layer of Qi Refining, possibly draw an array formation with such immense power?" Mo Hua reasoned.
"Hmm, that's a decent excuse," Zhang Lan agreed perfunctorily.
"Exactly," Mo Hua said, then realized something, and quickly corrected himself, "I mean, it's not an excuse, it's the truth!"
Zhang Lan found it amusing, "Alright, alright, I understand. Don't worry, I just wanted to know what happened. I won't really send you to the Dao Court for interrogation."
"Aren't they going to do anything about it?" Mo Hua asked, referring to the Dao Court.
"Of course, the Dao Court will handle it, but they won't ignore justice. Do you think the Dao Court colludes with the noble clans?" Zhang Lan asked.
"Yes," Mo Hua nodded honestly.
How could the Dao Court not collude with the noble clans?
Zhang Lan choked on his wine. He thought about it but couldn't come up with an example to refute Mo Hua's claim, so he could only defend himself, "Alright, fine, some of them might collude, but at least I don't. Isn't that enough?"
Mo Hua looked at him sympathetically and whispered, "Uncle Zhang, are you being ostracized? That's why they don't include you in their activities?"
Zhang Lan's head hurt, and his heart felt weary. He was about to refute when he suddenly realized that this kid had steered the conversation in a completely different direction. He hadn't even finished asking about what he wanted to know.
Zhang Lan glared at Mo Hua, "Stop beating around the bush. Tell me about what happened with Qian Xing."
"Oh," Mo Hua sat obediently. Anyway, he wasn't going to say anything about it.
However, both of them knew what had happened, they just didn't say it explicitly.
Zhang Lan didn't want to pursue the matter further, so he said, "With your cultivation at the fourth layer of Qi Refining, it's true that you couldn't have drawn such a powerful array formation. So, the person who injured Qian Xing definitely wasn't you.
Mo Hua was full of admiration. Those who made it into the Dao Court were indeed talented. He needed to learn the skill of lying so effortlessly.
"You've worked hard, Zhang Dian. This meal is on me!" Mo Hua patted his chest generously.
"Oh?" Zhang Lan teased, "In that case, let's order two more plates of beef and two more jugs of fine wine!"
Mo Hua hesitated, "A small business like mine can't afford that much."
Zhang Lan couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Right, do you have a grudge against Qian Xing? Why did he single you out to cause trouble?" Zhang Lan suddenly asked, remembering.
Mo Hua thought for a moment, "Not really a grudge. He asked me to do something for him, and when I refused, he flew into a rage."
"Is that all?"
"Yes." Mo Hua nodded, "He said he wanted to kill me and throw my body into the mountains, letting the beasts eat me bit by bit so that even the Dao Court couldn't find him..."
"Damn him!" Zhang Lan slammed his hand on the table, causing the other diners to look their way. Zhang Lan coughed to cover up, "Good wine!"
Mo Hua couldn't help but point out, "You've damaged our table."
The table now had a few more cracks from Zhang Lan's outburst.
Zhang Lan usually kept his spiritual energy and blood qi in check, but this sudden anger had caused him to use a bit more force than intended.
"Put it on my tab," Zhang Lan said sheepishly, "I'll pay for it with my spirit stones."
Mo Hua had only brought it up casually, but he then asked a question that had been bothering him, "Uncle Zhang, do you think Qian Xing has really killed someone before...?"
In Mo Hua's experience, most cultivators he had met were struggling to make a living. Even if there were fights, they were usually against beasts, and it was rare for cultivators to kill each other.
So when Qian Xing had threatened to kill him so casually, Mo Hua was quite shocked. Moreover, the way Qian Xing had described killing someone and leaving them in the mountains for beasts to eat bit by bit, if he hadn't done it before, he wouldn't have sounded so confident.
This was Mo Hua's first personal experience with the hidden dangers and unpredictability lurking beneath everyday life.
Zhang Lan's expression gradually turned solemn, "It's not impossible..."
"Won't the Dao Court do something about it?"
"The Dao Court only gets involved when there's a report. They will investigate if there are leads, and they'll convict if there's solid evidence. Otherwise, they can't get involved, or even if they do, there won't be any results, and it will eventually be dropped."
What Qian Xing had done would likely be one of those cases that were dropped...
(End of Chapter)
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