Chapter 939: Choosing Sides
Chapter 939: Choosing Sides
Master Gu stared at the man before him, his face blooming like an autumn chrysanthemum, his smile brighter than the sun itself. He couldn't help but freeze in surprise.
Was this Fan Jin, the Registrar?
He almost didn't recognize him...
Mo Hua also smiled and said, "Registrar Fan, it's been a while."
"It's been a while, it's been a while," Registrar Fan laughed heartily, and then bent his tall body, gesturing with his hand, "Young Master, Master Gu, please come in."
"Registrar Fan, you're too kind," Mo Hua smiled.
"Not at all, not at all."
Leading the way, Registrar Fan guided Mo Hua and Master Gu into the inner hall. After they were seated, he called out, "Someone, come here."
The clerk from earlier approached.
Fan Jin said, "Serve the tea." Then, fearing that his subordinate might lack discretion, he whispered, "Serve the good tea."
The clerk hesitated for a moment and asked in a low voice, "Registrar, is it... the tea in the top compartment? Last time when Master Gu came..."
Fan Jin signaled him to be quiet with his eyes and whispered, "Get an even better one."
The clerk stammered, "It seems... there isn't a better one..."
Fan Jin's face turned red, and he felt anger rising within him.
This idiot, his brain must be made of wood.
Having such a subordinate was truly a hindrance to progress.
"Above that, there's a small box, and inside it is a jade box..."
The clerk nodded, then suddenly froze, "But that's the treasure of Registrar Zhang..."
If it weren't for the esteemed guest, Fan Jin would have kicked him.
"Just go and get it. Why so many questions?"
Seeing that Fan Jin seemed genuinely annoyed, the clerk quickly replied, "Yes," and ran off to secretly fetch the tea.
Fan Jin sighed and turned his head, only to find Mo Hua's clear eyes staring at him. He couldn't help but blush, and he forced a smile, saying,
"In this remote and backward place, I can only find such foolish subordinates. Please forgive me, Young Master."
"Registrar Fan, you're too humble," Mo Hua said with curiosity, "But, if you use Registrar Zhang's tea toasts to me, won't Registrar Zhang blame you when he finds out?"
"Nonsense," Fan Jin laughed, "If Registrar Zhang knew that his tea could be served to you, Young Master Mo, he would be delighted."
Fan Jin was well aware of the identity of the young master before him.
The young master was one of the Eight Great Heaven-Exalted, the little monster of the Taixu Sect.
The last time Fan Jin had heard of Mo Hua's name, he had his suspicions.
Later, after seeking confirmation, he found that his guess was correct!
At the Sword Debating Tournament, Mo Hua, at the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage, dominated over four sects, surpassing the Eight Great Sects, and crushed thousands of Heavenly Learning Sects, becoming the undisputed Array Debating Champion.
Originally, Fan Jin didn't understand a thing about formations and wasn't very concerned about the Array Debating Tournament.
But the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Array Debating Champion was simply too "abnormal." His reputation had reached even Fan Jin, a distant Registrar in Lonely Mountain City, who had never paid attention to formation matters.
Such a figure had drunk Registrar Zhang's tea.
If Registrar Zhang boasted about this, he wouldn't lack topics for conversation for three years.
Not only would he not blame Fan Jin, but he might even thank him.
After a while, the tea was served. The tea was bright and fragrant, indeed a fine tea.
Mo Hua took a sip and nodded.
Fan Jin observed Mo Hua's reaction, eyes filled with satisfaction, finally felt relieved, and his smile grew even brighter:
"I wonder what brings Young Master Mo and Master Gu here today?"
Mo Hua glanced at Master Gu and said, "Master Gu and I visited Solitude Mountain, and on our way back, we discovered some traces, likely left by tomb robbers. Suspecting something amiss, we came to inform you, Registrar Fan."
"Tomb robbery?" Fan Jin was taken aback.
"Didn't Registrar Fan notice any such signs before?"
"No," Fan Jin shook his head, a bit puzzled, muttering to himself, "What's there to rob in this desolate mountain? They must be crazy..."
Of course, he didn't dare to neglect Mo Hua's concern. He immediately assured, "Young Master, rest assured. I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly to prevent any unruly elements from causing trouble."
Mo Hua nodded and took a sip of tea, savoring the sweet aftertaste as it flowed down his throat, his mood improving slightly.
But when he looked up, he noticed Fan Jin chewing the tea like a cow chewing on a peony, his expression unchanged, but his spirit restless, as if something was troubling his mind.
Mo Hua's curiosity piqued, and he asked, "Registrar Fan, is there a problem with your promotion?"
Registrar Fan was startled and exclaimed in surprise, "How did you notice that?"
Mo Hua took a sip of tea without speaking.
Registrar Fan couldn't ask further and sighed, "I won't hide it from Young Master. Recently, indeed... things haven't been going well."
Mo Hua asked, "During the last operation to suppress the Demon Sect, didn't Registrar Fan make significant contributions?"
A large portion of the intelligence on the Demon Sect had been unearthed by Mo Hua using Lei Magnetic and "leaked" to the Dao Administration.
Mo Hua was well aware of the Dao Administration's plans.
Although Registrar Fan hadn't made any outstanding contributions during the suppression of the Demon Sect, his diligence and hard work had earned him some minor merits.
Mo Hua had estimated that with Registrar Fan's dedication, his accumulated merits should have been enough for a promotion, if not to the Fifth Rank Heavenly Learning Dao Ting Si, then at least to a Fourth Rank or a lateral transfer to a slightly more prosperous Third Rank State.
Fan Jin felt stifled, having no one to confide in at Solitude Mountain, but now that the topic was brought up, he poured out his grievances to Mo Hua:
"I believe my merits are sufficient. I even consulted Registrar Gu, and he said that according to the Dao Administration's regulations, it should be fine. Even if I don't get promoted, I should at least get a lateral transfer."
"I was overjoyed and waited at home for the good news. But as the process went on, I was still blocked in the end. They said I needed further evaluation, damn it..."
Fan Jin couldn't help but let out a curse.
Mo Hua asked, "Do you know who blocked your promotion?"
Fan Jin smiled bitterly, "For internal promotion matters in the Dao Administration, I, a lowly Registrar with no power or influence, have no right to know. I'm just a pawn, manipulated by those above."
Mo Hua observed Fan Jin without showing any emotion.
As far as he knew, appointments in the Dao Administration were often influenced by interests and relationships, but they wouldn't arbitrarily block the promotion of a lowly Registrar.
Could someone want to keep Registrar Fan in Lonely Mountain City?
It's better to stay still than to act.
Perhaps someone didn't want changes in the Dao Administration of Lonely Mountain City...
"Registrar Fan," Mo Hua asked, "Are you familiar with the Shen family?"
Fan Jin was slightly surprised, "The Shen Family?"
"Uh-huh."
Fan Jin pondered for a moment, "I have had some dealings with them, but the Shen Family is too high up. I can't be on friendly terms with them, nor am I familiar enough."
Mo Hua nodded and asked again, "To the north of Solitude Mountain, there is a large area of mountain territory belonging to the Shen Family. Is the Shen Family still mining there?"
Fan Jin shook his head, "I don't know about other things, but it's absolutely impossible that they are mining there anymore. Back then, the major families stripped Solitude Mountain like locusts, leaving nothing behind. There's nothing left to mine now."
"If there's nothing to mine, why does the Shen Family still occupy that area and not let others get close?" Mo Hua was puzzled.
"That... is indeed strange," Fan Jin frowned. "But the mountain territory was bought by the Shen Family. They can do whatever they want with it, and no one can interfere..."
As he spoke, Fan Jin looked at Mo Hua suspiciously and lowered his voice to ask, "Young Master, why are you asking about the Shen Family?"
"It's nothing," Mo Hua blinked and replied casually, "I just passed by, saw it, and was curious, so I asked."
"Uh-huh..."
Fan Jin was unsure whether to believe him.
Mo Hua took another sip of tea and got up to take his leave, "It's getting late, I should head back."
Fan Jin panicked and quickly said, "Young Master, you've come from afar. Please let me show my hospitality and treat you properly."
"Registrar Fan, you're too kind," Mo Hua declined.
Fan Jin pleaded, "Please, Young Master, do me the honor."
He didn't want the "great benefactor" to just leave. If he did, wouldn't all his efforts be in vain?
At the very least, he should have a meal and build a relationship. Otherwise, he might not have another chance like this in his entire life.
Mo Hua hesitated.
He wasn't just being polite; his monthly rest time was limited, and he had other things to investigate.
Seeing this, Fan Jin immediately said, "Young Master, I will treat you at the Grand Feast Pavilion. It's the largest dining hall in Solitude Mountain City."
The largest dining hall?
Mo Hua's mind raced, "Is this dining hall owned by the Shen Family?"
"Indeed," Fan Jin replied.
Mo Hua's eyes flickered, and he nodded, "Then I'll let Registrar Fan treat me."
"Not at all," Registrar Fan was overjoyed and clasped his hands, "Young Master, please."
"Please."
Master Gu, standing to the side, thought to himself, "This Fan Jin is really willing to spend a lot... But to be fair, if he didn't have such keen insight and ambition, and if he weren't so disadvantaged in terms of background and connections, he would have made it long ago."
After that, Fan Jin led the way, and the group left the Dao Administration and headed to the largest dining hall in the most prosperous area of Solitude Mountain City: the Grand Feast Pavilion.
When they arrived at the Grand Feast Pavilion, Mo Hua looked up and was quite surprised.
The building was magnificent.
In this remote and poor Third Rank Immortal City, the dining hall was as luxurious and grand as some of the high-end dining halls in the Fifth Rank State, Void City.
Indeed, even in the poorest places, there are always rich people.
Conversely, it's precisely because some places have extremely rich people that the poor are even poorer.
"The Shen Family..."
Mo Hua's gaze narrowed.
At the Grand Feast Pavilion, Fan Jin booked a private room and ordered a table of delicacies to specially treat Mo Hua.
During the meal, Fan Jin kept pouring wine and serving dishes to Mo Hua.
Despite being a Golden Core cultivator with a robust build, Fan Jin was incredibly skilled at these tasks, no less proficient than when he was wielding a hammer and killing demonic cultivators.
Mo Hua praised him as a capable person.
After a few rounds of drinks, they chatted and exchanged pleasantries, warming up the atmosphere.
Mo Hua then asked, "Does the Shen Family have many properties in Solitude Mountain City?"
"Of course," Fan Jin, flushed from drinking, pointed at the ceiling, "This Grand Feast Pavilion belongs to the Shen Family. On the way here, you saw the Pill Pavilion, Forge Pavilion, and Commerce Pavilion... they all belong to the Shen Family."
Fan Jin didn't mention the less appropriate places.
Those places, filled with vulgar entertainers, were used for business negotiations and receptions.
A refined person like Young Master shouldn't be exposed to such sordid affairs.
Fan Jin explained, "These properties were acquired by the Shen Family when Solitude Mountain was thriving, to support the mining of golden yellow ore."
"The Shen Family bought the mountains, mined the ore, earned spirit stones, and then set up these dining and entertainment establishments to earn more."
Mo Hua frowned, recalling something, "As the saying goes, 'rely on the mountain to eat from the mountain.' According to the Dao Administration's usual regulations, Solitude Mountain City, being adjacent to Solitude Mountain, should share the mountain's resources among all the cultivators. Why were they sold to the Shen Family?"
"This situation is more complicated..." Fan Jin found it hard to explain.
Mo Hua poured him a cup of wine.
Fan Jin was flattered and sighed, "Well, it's something that everyone with clear eyes can see. I won't hide it from Young Master..."
"The Dao Administration's regulations are just regulations. On paper, the mines of Solitude Mountain are supposed to be shared by all the cultivators of Solitude Mountain City. In reality, who gets to mine, who gets more, and who gets less, involves a lot of complexities."
"Local small families have ancestral properties and can occupy a small part of the mountain."
"Scattered cultivators with the same surname, who share a common lineage, can mine on designated mountains."
"Some scattered mines are available for homeless cultivators to mine for a living."
"Of course, the Dao Administration can also occupy a portion..."
"Although it's chaotic, it's relatively fair, and everyone can earn a living. The mines of Solitude Mountain are sufficient to support the city."
Fan Jin shook his head and sighed, "But later, when the major families, especially the Shen Family, came, things changed..."
"Most scattered cultivators are ignorant and short-sighted. When the Shen Family came and offered high prices for the mines, many greedy ones sold immediately."
"Those who refused were persecuted by the Shen Family."
"Some tried to gather and resist the Shen Family. But with differing motives—some greedy for wealth, some for pleasure, and some wanting to curry favor—the Shen Family secretly exploited these differences, and they were divided, unable to form a significant resistance."
"Eventually, large areas of the mountain were sold to the Shen Family."
Mo Hua's brow furrowed, "With the mines sold, how do the cultivators of Solitude Mountain City make a living?"
Fan Jin replied, "The Shen Family initially promised that after buying the mines, they would still hire scattered cultivators to mine for them, and the wages would be generous."
Fan Jin couldn't help but snicker, unsure whether he was mocking the Shen Family or the scattered cultivators.
"But after the mines were sold, trying to get the Shen Family to keep their promise was like talking to a wall."
"The Shen family, as a prominent clan, has developed a large-scale spirit machinery, using formations to mine as if it were a flowing river. Why would they need those lowly loose cultivators to toil with hammers and picks?"
"The loose cultivators realized they were being taken advantage of, but even if they wanted to protest, it was futile. The mine already belonged to others, and the spirit contracts clearly stated the terms."
"Even later, due to disputes over the mine, there were several conflicts between the prominent clans and the loose cultivators, but how could their arms compete with the powerful clans?"
"After a few bloody conflicts and some deaths, the loose cultivators scattered like sand, and the issue was left unresolved..."
"And then..." Fan Jin looked out the window at the desolate Gu Mountain, "The prominent clan finished mining, packed up the abundant resources, and left, leaving behind a dilapidated Gu Mountain. The cultivators of Gu Shan City lost their means of livelihood, some died, and others fled, leading to a sharp decline in population. Gu Shan City became desolate, and this is how it ended up like this..."
Fan Jin sighed as he finished speaking, and Master Gu also felt a sense of emotion.
The atmosphere became a little stifling.
Mo Hua pondered for a moment, his eyes flashing slightly, and said to Fan Jin, "In this matter, the Dao Administration can't escape blame, right?"
The prominent clans coerced and enticed the loose cultivators, signing spirit contracts and annexing the mine, and then suppressing the loose cultivators' rebellion.
Without a doubt, the Dao Administration must have played a role in this.
Otherwise, with all the rules and regulations involved, the Shen family couldn't have done it alone.
Mo Hua silently observed Fan Jin.
Fan Jin felt anxious under Mo Hua's gaze and quickly waved his hands, saying, "It has nothing to do with me."
Mo Hua remained noncommittal.
Fan Jin helplessly said, "This was all the doing of the previous Dao Administration. At that time, I hadn't even joined the Dao Administration, so I'm not too clear about the specifics."
"What about the people from the previous Dao Administration?" Mo Hua asked.
"They got promoted."
"Promoted?" Mo Hua's expression became somewhat complicated.
Fan Jin sighed, "They helped the Shen family annex the mine, extract a large number of ores, and earn a substantial amount of spirit stones, making Gu Shan City once 'flourish' to the extreme. On the surface, this was a great achievement. With such accomplishments and the Shen family's influence, the related administrators and registrars were promoted and rose to prominence early on."
"By the time I became a registrar, it was already a mess. I didn't even have the chance to 'aid in their tyranny'."
He was quite honest, speaking his mind.
"Moreover, it's not just the Dao Administration that got promoted." Fan Jin's gaze turned slightly somber, "The Gu Mountain mine was the symbol of the Shen family's rise. The Shen family used the wealth gained from Gu Mountain to operate in various places, gradually achieving their current status."
"Some of the Shen family's side branches also profited greatly from the mine's operations, and they became part of the family's core."
As Fan Jin spoke, he kept shaking his head, unsure if he was feeling envious or jealous.
Master Gu, standing by his side, remained silent, but his expression clearly showed anger.
However, the Shen family's influence was too strong, and even if these cultivators were dissatisfied, they dared not speak up.
Mo Hua's eyes also showed deep contemplation.
The banquet ended in this slightly stifling atmosphere.
Fan Jin breathed a sigh of relief, at least his goal had been partially achieved.
He had invited this Mo Young Master for a meal and shared so many secrets.
This friendship had deepened to some extent, and if he had the opportunity in the future, he could help this young master a little. Over time, their friendship would grow stronger.
Finally, he could connect with someone of such remarkable origins.
After the meal, the three of them left the private room and walked towards the exit along the luxurious corridor. They encountered a group of people, with a young master from a prominent clan in front and three or four followers behind him.
They passed each other by. Mo Hua was thinking about something and only glanced briefly, not paying much attention.
But before he had taken a few steps, he suddenly heard someone shout at him:
"Stop!"
The command to stop was abrupt, and everyone froze for a moment.
Mo Hua turned around and saw that the one who had told him to stop was the young master from the prominent clan.
This young master was dressed in luxurious clothes, with an arrogant demeanor.
But Mo Hua didn't recognize him, as if they weren't familiar, and he wondered why this person was stopping him.
"I recognize you, you're Mo Hua," the young master from the prominent clan said.
"Oh..."
Mo Hua responded casually.
Now he was somewhat of a "celebrity," and it seemed normal for people to recognize him on the street.
Mo Hua had gradually gotten used to it.
"You don't recognize me?" The young master from the prominent clan said with a cold face.
Mo Hua wanted to say he didn't recognize him, but he felt it would be impolite, so he spoke more politely, "You are..."
Mo Hua's apparent disregard caused a hint of anger to flash in the young master's eyes, "On New Year's Eve, in Qingzhou City, you and I met once. I was behind Shen Linshu..."
Mo Hua remembered, and suddenly realized, "You're that companion."
Companion...
The young master, standing in the middle of the crowd, being admired by everyone, immediately turned pale with rage.
He was indeed Shen Linshu's companion, but this "companion" wasn't a term anyone could use casually.
He might not dare to say it elsewhere, but this was the remote Gu Shan City, where this Shen family member had absolute control and could do as he pleased.
No one had ever dared to call him a "companion."
"You ignorant fool..." The young master's face turned ugly, and he ordered the person behind him, "Go, tear his mouth apart and gouge out his eyes..."
A Golden Core cultivator from behind the young master immediately stepped forward, exuding killing intent.
Master Gu's expression turned stern, and without hesitation, he stood in front of Mo Hua, releasing his Golden Core aura.
"Golden Core?" The young master from the prominent clan sneered, "In Gu Shan City, do you think you can compete with me in terms of manpower?"
Before he finished speaking, another Golden Core cultivator appeared behind him, his hands sharp as claws, and a sinister smile on his face.
Another Golden Core cultivator stepped forward from the other side.
At this moment, the other Golden Core cultivator behind Mo Hua seemed unsure whether to step forward or not.
"No, what's going on here..."
Fan Jin's forehead was covered in cold sweat.
He had just wanted to curry favor, and before anything had even happened, they had only had tea and a meal, yet in the blink of an eye, he was facing a severe "loyalty" test, like having to choose between a mountain of blades or a sea of fire. One side was Mo Hua, and the other was the Shen family.
If he took action, he would offend the Shen family.
If he didn't take action, he would offend Mo Hua.
Wasn't this putting his life at risk?
Fan Jin was petrified.
This cultivation world was just too difficult to navigate...
He had just wanted to curry favor, how could it be this hard?
(End of Chapter)
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