Words are powerless. Only with a sword in hand do you have the right to speak. The sharper the sword in your hand, the more confident your speech. Now that Mo Hua had covered the area around the mountain cave with killing arrays, he felt more confident speaking.

“Come out,” Mo Hua said softly.

The person inside the cave didn’t know exactly what Mo Hua had done outside, but they vaguely felt a wave of killing intent and an unsettling oppressive feeling.

“Dao friend, to be honest, this old man is heavily injured and his legs and feet are inconvenient. It’s really not convenient to go out…”

“If Dao friend doesn’t mind, why not come into the mountain cave for a chat?”

Mo Hua scoffed inwardly. He wasn’t going in. This person’s origin was unknown, and the dangers inside the cave were unknown. Only a fool would rashly enter.

“I’m not going in, you come out,” Mo Hua said firmly.

“Dao friend, this old man is truly too heavily injured and movement is inconvenient. Please understand, Dao friend…” The aged voice inside the cave said with a hint of apology.

Mo Hua shook his head and said indifferently, “I don’t listen to excuses, reasons, or explanations. I’ll only give you five breaths of time and two choices. Within five breaths, either you come out yourself, or I’ll directly blow up the mountain cave and force you out.”

Hearing this, the person inside the cave secretly hated endlessly. “I actually ran into such an unyielding ‘old hand,’ truly troublesome…”

Outside the cave, Mo Hua had already started counting. From five down to one, no matter who the cultivator inside this cave was, he was prepared to directly blow it up. Time was precious; he didn’t want to waste it.

“Five, four…”

Perceiving Mo Hua’s decisiveness, the person inside the cave immediately changed expression and said, “Wait a moment, Dao friend, let’s talk…”

“Three…”

“Alright, alright, I’ll come out now!” The aged voice inside the cave said repeatedly.

Mo Hua then stopped counting. At the same time, he vigilantly watched the mountain cave. His spiritual power circulated within his body, and a wisp of spiritual power was channeled to his fingertip, ready to throw a fireball if words didn’t match actions. Another two strands of spiritual power were channeled to the soles of his feet, prepared to immediately flee if anything went wrong.

After a moment, rustling sounds came from inside the mountain cave, as if someone was getting up, followed by shallow footsteps and the tapping sound of a bamboo staff on the ground. The sounds got closer. Although it was only a few breaths, a human figure appeared at the cave entrance.

Under the moonlight, Mo Hua could roughly see his appearance. The person inside the cave was an old man, thin and short. His expression appeared somewhat gloomy under the moonlight, and his eyes looked somewhat sinister. At this time, he was leaning on a bamboo staff, his breath unstable, and his footsteps light and floating, looking indeed injured.

And as Mo Hua looked at the old man, the old man also saw Mo Hua. In addition to gloominess, there was obvious astonishment in his expression. Although he had felt that the cultivator outside the cave was probably not old based on the voice, seeing Mo Hua’s face in person still made the old man somewhat unbelievable. The person who acted meticulously and was unyielding was actually such a young kid? Moreover, judging by his cultivation aura, he was only at the Foundation Establishment mid-stage. Even with weak spiritual power, he was only in the middle and lower ranks of the Foundation Establishment mid-stage.

The old man couldn’t help but feel anger rise in his heart. To think that he, a dignified Golden Core, had fallen to this state, actually being forced to such an extent by a Foundation Establishment kid, was truly unreasonable!

The old man still wanted to move forward, but Mo Hua said, “Good, don’t move.”

The old man stopped his footsteps and looked around. Only then did he realize that he seemed to be standing in the center surrounded by layers of killing arrays. His eyelids immediately twitched. A high-grade second-rank array! Killing intent that made people fearful flowed within the array. The anger in the old man’s heart suddenly dissipated, and his attitude became gentle. He said to Mo Hua, “Alright.”

One has to bow their head when under someone else’s roof. Although he didn’t know how this Foundation Establishment mid-stage kid had managed to set up so many high-grade second-rank killing arrays in such a short time, a killing array was a killing array. The array wouldn’t listen to reason. Even at the third-grade realm, a Golden Core cultivator, without reason, wouldn’t want to be “baptized” by so many second-grade high-rank killing arrays. What’s more, this was in the second-grade realm, where cultivation was restricted. And he was now heavily injured, fleeing for days, like a candle in the wind.

The old man’s gaze was gloomy. He slightly lifted his eyes, glanced at Mo Hua, cupped his hands, and asked, “May I know young friend’s surname, where your inheritance is from, and who your esteemed teacher is?”

Mo Hua shook his head, “I ask, you answer!”

Now that this old man was standing in the middle of his own killing array, the initiative was in his hands. How could he possibly give him the opportunity to ask questions?

The old man’s face twitched. He nodded and said, “Alright.”

“What is your surname?” Mo Hua asked.

The old man’s expression remained unchanged, “This old man’s surname is Zhao.”

“And your name?”

“My given name is just the character ‘Hai’.”

“You are not from the Qian Xue realm?” Mo Hua’s gaze slightly narrowed as he asked.

“Young friend is correct,” the old man answered, “This old man is from the south of the Chao Yun realm, west of the Qian Xue realm, a cultivator of the third-grade Zhao family. I humbly hold the position of elder in the clan…”

Zhao Hai, a third-grade Zhao family elder. Mo Hua slightly nodded. This old man was similar to himself; lies came easily to his mouth, and he boasted without needing a draft. He definitely wasn’t surnamed Zhao. And he wasn’t called ‘Zhao Hai’. As for being from the south of the Chao Yun realm, a third-grade Zhao family elder, this kind of thing that was tens of thousands of miles away was just fabricated. Mo Hua couldn’t distinguish the truth from falsehood for a while.

“Elder Zhao,” Mo Hua said, cupping his hands.

The old man also cupped his hands in return, “May I know young friend’s noble surname, may…”

“I haven’t finished asking yet,” Mo Hua said.

The old man paused and could only suppress his temper and say, “Young friend, please ask.”

Mo Hua stared at this old man who claimed to be “Elder Zhao” and asked, “Who injured you?”

The old man sighed and said, “A group of passing evil cultivators, for some unknown reason, suddenly attacked this old man. This old man was caught off guard and thus received heavy injuries.”

“Oh,” Mo Hua nodded, not commenting, and asked again, “Why did you want to teach…” Mo Hua paused, not mentioning the names of Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Shuizi, but pretending not to know, said, “…why did you want to teach the two children earlier cultivation and calligraphy?”

“Young friend, are you acquainted with those two children?” The old man said doubtfully.

Mo Hua silently looked at him, not speaking. The meaning was: I ask, you answer, you don’t have the right to ask questions now.

The old man’s eyelids twitched slightly, then he let out a long sigh and said sentimentally, “This old man was healing in this mountain cave, and I owed it to those two children for their sincere hearts, sending water and food. Such character is truly rare. I then thought, I will pass on some inheritance of my Zhao family to those two children, which can be considered settling karma and forming a good destiny.”

Mo Hua nodded, but thought inwardly: Again fabricating… Poor family children, whose stomachs are never not hungry, when they have a bit of something, they generally eat it themselves early. Where would they leave it for you? As for what karma and good destiny, that’s complete nonsense. Do you know what karma is? What good destiny is?

The old man sized up Mo Hua’s expression, unsure for a while whether he believed it or not, then lightly asked, “Young friend’s questions, I have all answered. May I know…”

Mo Hua nodded, “Since you have said it, I will not make things difficult for you. I will withdraw these arrays.”

The old man breathed a sigh of relief and turned to return to the mountain cave. Mo Hua looked at him, his gaze suddenly narrowed, and he said in a deep voice, “You are a member of the Shui Lao Men!”

As the three characters “Shui Lao Men” were uttered, the old man’s pupils shrunk. Then his fingers flickered imperceptibly, and three water needles, at an extremely tricky angle, rapidly shot towards Mo Hua. Mo Hua had already perceived the killing intent. This old thing had killing intent from the beginning. The instant the old man made his move, Mo Hua cast the Bu Shui Bu, using agile steps to turn his body to the side, dodging this sinister killing move.

Good agile body technique! The old man saw that his long-planned strike had missed, and his body swayed again, wanting to pounce and kill. However, Mo Hua pointed in the air from a distance, water qi condensed, a prison cage descended, tying the old man up solid. But in the next instant, a blue light flashed on the old man’s body, water energy flowed, and he easily broke free from Mo Hua’s water prison technique.

After breaking free from the water prison technique, the old man’s expression was shocked: Water prison technique?! Moreover, he had cultivated the water prison technique to such a proficient level. He looked at Mo Hua in disbelief and asked, “Who exactly are you?”

Mo Hua landed and stood firm, his expression resolute, and said, “You are indeed a member of the Shui Lao Men…” The water prison technique came from the Shui Lao Men; it was the Shui Lao Men’s unique skill. Up to now, only two people had been unable to be trapped by it. One was Shui Yan Luo, and the other was precisely this old man. Shui Yan Luo must be related to the Shui Lao Men. And this old man, now it seemed, must also be a successor of the Shui Lao Men.

The old man stared intently at Mo Hua, his expression changing. For a while, he couldn’t distinguish whether Mo Hua was an enemy or a friend.

“My sect’s Zhen Ren senior once saved a descendant of my family and was gifted the secret manual of the water prison technique, so I also learned this technique,” Mo Hua said concisely.

However, the old man heard the four characters “Zhen Ren senior” and was inwardly alerted. A Zhen Ren is a title for the Yu Hua realm. Since his sect had a Zhen Ren senior, this kid’s origin was probably not small. Even if it wasn’t a top-tier major sect, it should at least be at the level of the Qian Xue hundred gates. The Shui Lao Men was once glorious for a time, but that was a thousand years ago. Now it was in decline and completely incomparable. The old man’s attitude towards Mo Hua became several points more respectful.

“With such an origin, this old man was abrupt. I made a rash move just now. Please be magnanimous, young brother. But…” The old man’s expression was grave, “Please do not pursue the matter of the Shui Lao Men any further, young brother. This matter is too significant, not something a young friend can inquire about.”

Mo Hua’s eyebrows slightly raised, “Someone is chasing and killing you?”

The old man’s expression sank, “I said, this matter, please, young brother, do not…”

“I can help you,” Mo Hua said.

“Help me?” The old man was startled, then his face became ugly, “Do you know how deep the water is here?”

Mo Hua nodded, “I probably know a little.”

The old man chuckled coldly. This yellow-mouthed child didn’t know the vastness of the world. The past of the Shui Lao Men, is that something you can get involved in? Rashly intervening, I’m afraid you’ll die without a burial place.

Mo Hua said, “Within my sect, there are Dong Xu ancestors, Zhen Ren seniors, and many Golden Core elders, all of whom I have a close relationship with.”

“Among the worldly families, I also have acquaintances. Within the Dao Court department, I also have friends.”

“If you tell me what’s going on, perhaps I can help you. But if you don’t say…” Mo Hua looked at the faintly winding black line above the old man’s forehead and said firmly, “You are very likely to not live for more than two months!”

The old man was completely deterred by Mo Hua. He didn’t expect that this young cultivator, who wasn’t old, actually had such extensive connections. The key was that when he said these words, he exuded a composed and relaxed temperament. If he didn’t truly have ability and connections, it was absolutely impossible to boast like this. This child was very likely a descendant of a large worldly family or a large sect… He couldn’t afford to offend him.

Moreover, what this young boy said was also not wrong. The old man knew himself that if he continued to hide like this, he would soon reach the end of his road. And his wish was still far from being fulfilled…

The old man’s expression was tangled. In the end, he let out a sigh, “Alright, young friend, whatever you want to know, just ask. If I know, I will tell you everything.”

“After the matter, if young friend is willing to help, that’s naturally best; if not willing to help, please also leave safely and do not reveal my whereabouts.”

“Alright!” Mo Hua nodded. This old man, although he played dirty tricks, was reluctantly still considered honest.

“Your surname is not Zhao, right?” Mo Hua said.

The old man cupped his fists: “Forgive me, young friend. When we meet by chance, it’s naturally impossible to reveal my true name.”

“Are you also surnamed Yu?”

The old man was silent for a moment, then nodded, “Yes, this old man is surnamed Yu, named Yu Cang Hai.”

“Yu Cang Hai…” Mo Hua silently remembered and asked again, “Who is chasing and killing you?”

The old man sighed and his face showed a hateful look of gnashing teeth: “It’s… Gui Shui Men…”

“Gui Shui Men?” Mo Hua was slightly startled. He didn’t expect that there was still something about the Gui Shui Men involved. But that’s not right… Mo Hua frowned, “Did you personally see the Gui Shui Men disciples chasing and killing you?”

The old man shook his head: “The Gui Shui Men will not personally make a move. They hide in the dark. Those who truly make a move to chase and kill me are some desperate evil cultivators hired by the Gui Shui Men.”

Mo Hua’s pupils slightly shrunk, “Do you have evidence?”

The old man chuckled coldly, “What evidence do I need? The current high-levels of the Gui Shui Men are exactly those traitors of the Shui Lao Men from that year. They betrayed the Shui Lao Men, took refuge in the Dao Court, and after the destruction of the Shui Lao Men, they again stole the inheritance of the Shui Lao Men, changed their appearance, replaced the ‘Shui Lao Men’, and became the current Gui Shui Men, one of the twelve flows!”

“Between the Gui Shui Men and my Shui Lao Men, there is a blood debt of deep hatred! To cover up the ugly matter of that year, these beasts of the Gui Shui Men, hate to chop and kill all the descendants of my Shui Lao Men cleanly!”

Mo Hua’s expression was as usual, but he was shocked inwardly. He hadn’t expected that there was still this past between the Gui Shui Men and the Shui Lao Men. If that was the case, was the matter of the Yu family water stronghold also manipulated by the Gui Shui Men? Mo Hua sighed silently in his heart: “The relationships between worldly families and sects are indeed intricate and complex. Without personally investigating, you fundamentally wouldn’t know that there are actually so many connections inside.”

Then Mo Hua frowned again: “When the Shui Lao Men was destroyed a thousand years ago, the rumor was that… your Shui Lao Men ‘the whole sect entered the demonic path’. Is there really such a matter?”

The old man said, “Naturally impossible, this is a frame-up, it’s slander!” The old man’s tone was very firm.

But Mo Hua asked him exactly what happened at that time. The old man hesitated and couldn’t explain clearly. Mo Hua probably understood. He should also not know, just based on the thought of “my sect is certainly innocent,” maintaining the sect’s reputation, that’s all. After all, that was a matter from over a thousand years ago, and his Golden Core lifespan wasn’t that long; it was even more impossible for him to know clearly.

“Then when the Shui Lao Men was destroyed, shouldn’t everyone have been imprisoned? How are there still successors?” Mo Hua asked curiously.

The old man sighed and said, “When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. A sect, originally just prosperous with branches and leaves, so many elders, disciples, and married relatives with various worldly families, connections are extremely deep. Where can it really be completely wiped out?”

“Only the main sect masters, elders, and inner disciples were caught and killed. It’s fine to have an account.”

“Many other cultivators related by marriage, if they greased the palms of those above a little and sought protection, even the Dao Court would only turn a blind eye and not really pursue to the end.”

“Some of our Yu family cultivators precisely survived by this means…”

The old man’s expression was desolate, “But even so, we could only flee outside, conceal our identities, and dare not return to Qian state again…”

Mo Hua asked, “Then how did you return again?”

“Because…” The old man’s expression was covered with a layer of sorrow, “Almost all of them died…”

“Drifting and fleeing outside, life was not easy. After encountering a great disaster again, the bloodline of the Yu family was almost extinct…”

“Seeing that the bloodline was about to be cut off and the Dao lineage of the Shui Lao Men would have no one to pass it on, I was truly helpless. I could only take the risk and return to Qian state, wanting to follow clues and see if there were any descendants of the Yu family who were lost that year.”

“Heaven doesn’t seal off all exits. It really let me find them…”

The old man’s expression showed no joy, but instead was covered with a layer of deeper pain. Mo Hua’s pupils shrunk. The four characters “Yu family water stronghold” floated up in his heart again. Then, the gaze he looked at the old man with carried a trace of intolerance and sympathy. Mo Hua’s mind slightly moved, and he probably knew what happened next. This old man found the Yu family water stronghold, but precisely because of this, he exposed the fact that the Yu family water stronghold was a descendant of the Shui Lao Men. This fact was possibly even unknown to the people of the Yu family water stronghold themselves. Otherwise, their ancestors’ water system Dao laws wouldn’t even have left names.

While this old man, he found the descendants of the Yu family, people who had a blood connection with him. But it was precisely because of him that… the Yu family water stronghold was exterminated.

The old man’s expression was sorrowful and despairing. He obviously also knew what he had done. He originally wanted to pass down the Dao lineage, but unexpectedly, he suffered a more thorough extermination. The struggle for Dao lineage was cold and cruel. The old man’s heart twisted with pain for a while, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Mo Hua took out a pill and handed it to him, “Did the Gui Shui Men also do this?”

The old man took Mo Hua’s pill, but did not take it. Instead, he gnashed his teeth and said, “It must be the Gui Shui Men!”

“It must be this group of beasts!”

“One day, I will make them repay the blood debt with blood, make them die without a burial place, and use their flesh and blood to sacrifice the ancestors of my Shui Lao Men!”

Mo Hua remained silent. The old man’s words sounded a bit like a demon cultivator. But if you haven’t experienced someone else’s suffering, don’t advise them to be good. If he fell into the same situation as him, he would probably do even more ruthless things.

“This matter, you didn’t tell the Dao Court department?” Mo Hua asked again.

Who knew that upon hearing this, the old man’s expression suddenly became ferocious, his face filled with sarcasm, and his voice was like a night owl, laughing coldly: “You guess… how could the Gui Shui Men know my identity? How could they investigate my traces? How could they silently exterminate the entire family of the Yu family water stronghold?”

Mo Hua’s pupils shrunk, and his heart went cold. “You mean…”

The old man laughed coldly, “If you compare who is dirtier, perhaps the dirtiest place in this world is the Dao Court department…”