Chapter 92: Harsh Words (Part Five)
Chapter 92: Harsh Words (Part Five)
There were many things that happened behind his back that Mo Hua was unaware of, and he had thought he had kept things hidden from his parents as well.
It wasn't until a few days later, when Mo Shan and his wife prepared some gifts and asked Mo Hua to accompany them to deliver them to Master Chen, that he realized he hadn't kept things a secret after all.
"Every rain leaves a trace, and every passing goose leaves an echo," Mo Hua sighed softly. "Uncle Zhang was right. Once something happens, there will always be clues, and if you don't know, someone else will."
Mo Shan did not scold Mo Hua. He believed that a man should act with responsibility and be able to keep things to himself, not feeling the need to divulge everything.
Although Mo Hua was young, he had the courage and presence of mind to handle dangerous situations calmly, which Mo Shan found somewhat reassuring.
Liu Ruhua was both worried and heartbroken, with a hint of resentment, but she didn't reprimand him either. She just squeezed Mo Hua's little face hard to let out her frustration.
Mo Shan, Liu Ruhua, and Mo Hua together delivered the gifts to the Refiners' Guild.
Among the gifts were several large chunks of wild beef—meat from two wild bull demons that Mo Shan had hunted himself, selecting the thighs. Liu Ruhua had then spent several days stewing and pickling the meat.
The meat of wild bull demons wasn't expensive, but the pickling process and the spiritual stones used for the stove fire were. If one were to calculate the cost of the spiritual stones used, it wouldn't come cheap. Moreover, Master Chen would never dream of spending spiritual stones on such things; he had far too many other uses for them.
There was enough wild beef to feed the entire guild, even with the hearty appetites of the young men, for over a month.
Dazhu and the others were stunned. They had never seen so much meat in their lives, and their mouths watered so much that they couldn't wipe it away fast enough.
Master Chen received a large jar of wine and couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear.
He usually enjoyed a drink, but was too frugal to indulge often, counting each cup carefully. Now, with this large jar, he could sip and savor for a long time.
Two months of peace followed before Zhang Lan sought out Mo Hua again. "Qian Xing's injuries have healed."
"Healed?" Mo Hua asked.
"The Alchemists in Tongxian City refused to treat Qian Xing's injuries. The Qian family spent a lot of spiritual stones and invited several first-rate Alchemists from outside. It took them two months to heal him. I heard that they refined dozens of furnaces of pills and used up countless spirit herbs," Zhang Lan clicked his tongue as he spoke.
"So many spiritual stones..." Mo Hua sighed, feeling that it was a waste to use so many resources to save Qian Xing.
"You should be careful," Zhang Lan warned.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and asked, "Qian Xing might not know that I was the one who injured him. Will he still come after me?"
"He was enraged because you rejected his request, and he ended up looking like a ghost after being blown up and bedridden for two months. It cost them a lot of spiritual stones to heal him, but the most important thing is that he lost face big time. Whether or not he knows it was you who hurt him, he will still hold you responsible since you were the one who instigated it all," Zhang Lan explained.
"It was he who caused the trouble in the first place. If we're being honest, he's the one who started it all. Doesn't he ever think about his own faults?" Mo Hua said, annoyed.
"He's a favored child of the main family branch, and as such, his nature is bound to be extreme. He won't think he's wrong; he'll always blame others. I've seen plenty of people like him..." Zhang Lan toyed with his wine cup, "There are even worse ones out there. If he wanted your life and you didn't give it to him, he would consider it disobedience and be furious."
Mo Hua was astonished. "Are there really people like that?"
"You'll encounter them sooner or later," Zhang Lan said, "In this world, not everyone treats others as human."
Zhang Lan finished his wine and stood up. "I'm leaving. Don't worry too much about this matter. With so many eyes watching, the Qian family won't dare to make any moves. But Qian Xing is both decadent and treacherous, so be careful just in case."
So many eyes are watching... What does that mean? Who is watching?
From then on, whenever Mo Hua went to learn formations from Mister Zhuang, helped others repair formation patterns, or went to the market, he always felt the gaze of other cultivators on him.
They thought that Mo Hua was unaware, but having drawn formations for so long, Mo Hua's spiritual sense was far stronger than that of cultivators at the same level. He was well aware of these unconcealed attempts to spy on him.
Some of the gazes were malicious, like venomous snakes lurking in the grass, their eyes filled with malevolence. Others seemed to be merely following orders, keeping an eye on Mo Hua to track his movements.
There were also some indifferent and subtle gazes that Mo Hua could only vaguely sense, unable to pinpoint their source.
This indicated that the cultivator's spiritual sense was likely stronger than his own, placing them at a much higher cultivation level, probably in the late Qi Refining stage.
In addition, there were also friendly gazes that made no attempt to hide. Mo Hua recognized these cultivators as familiar faces—either uncles or aunties from the neighborhood, patrons from the eateries, or hunters from the demon-hunting squad.
Some he had met once or twice, and there were even some he didn't recognize, but they seemed to know him. When he looked their way, they would smile and acknowledge him.
So that's what Zhang Lan meant by "so many eyes watching"...
Mo Hua felt both alert and warmed by these gazes.
The cultivators who were watching him didn't make a move, and just as Mo Hua began to suspect that they had given up, Qian Xing found him on his own.
As Mo Hua was leaving Mister Zhuang's place and about to head home, he ran into Qian Xing at the foot of the mountain.
After not seeing each other for several months, Qian Xing looked rather haggard—of course, anyone who had been caught in a close-range Earth Fire Formation blast would look worse for wear.
There were still bandages wrapped around parts of his body, his face was scarred, and he no longer held that golden fan of his. His expression was one of pure hatred, as if he wanted to devour Mo Hua.
"Don't think that just because you have people protecting you, you can rest easy. I, Young Master Qian, will make you pay a hundredfold for the humiliation I suffered. When the time comes, you won't even be able to die peacefully!" Qian Xing said.
"Then take care of yourself and don't die before that," Mo Hua replied, looking at his pitiful state.
Qian Xing's expression contorted further.
Mo Hua sighed inwardly. Having experienced life-and-death situations, one would think that Qian Xing would have a better mindset, but a few words were enough to send him into a rage.
Although Qian Xing was furious, he didn't dare to make a move. This was the foot of the mountain, and cultivators often passed by. Moreover, most of them were demon hunters.
As they spoke, several nearby demon hunters had already turned their sharp gazes toward Qian Xing.
Qian Xing was also aware of the situation and lowered his voice, hissing, "You just wait." Then, he left with a few disciples from the Qian family.
Mo Hua shook his head. Seeing his state, it seemed that Qian Xing wouldn't let this go.
Why couldn't he just be a carefree young master, enjoying his life of leisure, free from worries about making a living or lacking spirit stones? It seemed that when life was too easy, one would seek their own destruction.
Mo Hua bowed to the nearby demon hunters to express his gratitude for their concern. After receiving kind responses, he headed home.
At that moment, on the mountain path behind him, Bai Zixi watched Mo Hua's departing figure, a slight frown on his face. After a moment, he opened his mouth, his white teeth gleaming as he said softly, "Snow Auntie, find out what happened."
Snow Auntie, who was standing behind Bai Zixi, nodded.
(End of Chapter)
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