Su Elder was very skilled at looking like he wasn’t familiar.

Mo Hua expressed understanding, nodded, and said:
“Rest assured, Su Elder, I understand.”

Su Elder sighed helplessly, feeling like he couldn’t defend himself no matter what he said.

Fortunately, not long after, a group of chattering female cultivators walked in.

Su Elder breathed a sigh of relief.

It’s good to have young girls here.

With young girls present, Mo Hua wouldn’t stare at him anymore.

Su Elder then smiled and asked Mo Hua: “What do you think?”

Mo Hua then sized up the group of female cultivators.

Indeed, just as Su Elder instructed, they were all young, wore light makeup, and didn’t deliberately pose or act coy. They stood properly in a row.

As Mo Hua sized them up, this group of young girls also sized up Mo Hua and the others.

Su Elder was a regular customer, nothing special.

What surprised them were the three young cultivators: Mo Hua, Bai Zisheng, and Bai Zixi.

Their beautiful eyes rippled as they looked at the three of them.

The female cultivators looked at Mo Hua with liking; they looked at Bai Zisheng with admiration;

But when they looked at Bai Zixi, they would blush, even lowering their eyes and daring not to look directly. They would just secretly glance with rippling gazes.

This puzzled Mo Hua greatly.

Mo Hua also secretly glanced at Bai Zixi.

Bai Zixi noticed, turned her head, looked at Mo Hua, and asked in confusion:

“What’s wrong?”

Mo Hua frowned and muttered:

“That’s not right…”

Although she was wearing male clothes and had a stern temperament, possessing an androgynous beauty, one could still tell she was a female between her eyebrows.

Why were these female cultivators staring at little senior sister?

And they even looked until their faces were red.

Mo Hua didn’t understand.

Bai Zixi saw Mo Hua frowning, thought he was uncomfortable, then leaned closer, shoulder to shoulder. Bai Zixi reached out her slender hand and touched Mo Hua’s forehead. After a moment, she said with slight surprise:

“Your forehead is a bit hot.”

She lowered her head to look, and again asked in confusion: “Why is your face red too?”

Mo Hua’s fair face had red, puffed cheeks.

“A bit… a bit stuffy,” Mo Hua stammered.

Bai Zixi looked around at the blooming flowers and thought Mo Hua was overwhelmed by the scent of rouge, so she said:

“This kind of place, don’t come next time.”

“Mm.” Mo Hua nodded gently.

Mo Hua’s red face was seen by Su Elder.

Su Elder kept nodding happily.

This is right.

This is how a young man should look.

Mo Hua, this young master, was usually too clever, spoke flawlessly, and had lively yet profound eyes, making him hard to fathom.

Being stared at by him made Su Elder feel a bit guilty.

Now, this red-faced, obedient appearance looked much more comfortable.

Speaking of which, the first time he came, he was also flustered, and his face was redder than Mo Hua’s.

Su Elder recalled the past with many emotions. Suddenly, he thought of something and asked:

“Young master, aren’t you here to ask something?”

Mo Hua then remembered, secretly took a sip of tea, calmed his mood, and then spoke:

“Various sisters, I want to inquire about one person.”

The female cultivators looked at each other.

Guests who came here, according to the rules of the building, could not have their identities revealed.

Su Elder said: “Just tell him whatever he asks, it won’t be a problem.”

After saying that, Su Elder placed a jade bracelet on the table. “Whoever answers correctly, this jade bracelet is hers.”

The jade bracelet was luxurious, warm and delicate, with spiritual energy flowing. It was clearly a good item.

The female cultivators’ eyes brightened, and they all nodded.

“Young master, please ask. If we know, we will certainly tell you.”

Mo Hua then asked: “Before, in the Hundred Flowers Building, have any of you seen a cultivator who looks like an array master?”

The female cultivators were slightly startled, then all silently looked at Su Elder.

Su Elder said angrily: “Not me!”

The female cultivators awkwardly shifted their gazes away.

They all thought quietly, then a female cultivator in green clothes said:

“There are not many such cultivators, but not few either. Does the young master have any other clues?”

Mo Hua then briefly described Yan Instructor’s appearance and temperament.

“…Serious expression, also quite rigid, but earnest and responsible.”

The female cultivators all shook their heads.

Mo Hua frowned, glanced at Su Elder again, showed an apologetic expression and said:

“Su Elder, can I ask them some questions alone?”

Su Elder was slightly startled, realizing that this matter might have some hidden circumstances and required him to avoid being present. He then nodded and said:

“Okay, I’ll go to the next room and listen to music. You can ask slowly.”

Mo Hua smiled: “Thank you, Su Elder.”

Su Elder got up and left.

Mo Hua then wanted to ask them about the gray-clothed cultivator. He opened his mouth and said:

“You…”

Halfway through his question, Mo Hua noticed something and suddenly stopped. He got up again, went to the screen, poked his small head out, and said to the next room:

“Su Elder, don’t listen secretly, oh.”

Su Elder was shocked, “You can even tell that?”

He was preparing to listen secretly, but he had only secretly listened to two words when Mo Hua discovered him.

He was a Foundation Building cultivator! His divine sense was Foundation Building level! Could Mo Hua discover even this little bit of secret listening?

Your divine sense is a bit outrageous, ah…

Or does Mo Hua have other means?

No matter, being caught in the act of secret listening was still very embarrassing.

Su Elder’s old face was red, and it was not good to deny it. He only coughed and said awkwardly:

“You ask, you ask, I won’t listen.”

Mo Hua nodded satisfactorily.

After that, he returned to his seat. After confirming that Su Elder was not secretly listening and no other cultivators were secretly listening, Mo Hua then asked:

“Have you seen any strange cultivators in the Hundred Flowers Building?”

The female cultivators were all somewhat taken aback.

“What kind of ‘strange’?”

To brothel cultivators, there were various kinds. Some people compared to ordinary cultivators were considered strange, but inside the brothel, they had seen strange things so much that it wasn’t strange anymore.

After all, this kind of place hid all sorts of things, and cultivators of odd appearances were not rare.

Mo Hua thought for a bit, then said:

“Has a strange smell on their body.”

“What strange smell?”

Mo Hua’s gaze slightly condensed, “Ice-cold, faint, rotten smell, like… the smell of a dead person.”

A crowd of female cultivators heard this and were startled.

They didn’t expect that Mo Hua, at such a young age, would be asking such strange questions.

But ice-cold rotten smell, the smell of a dead person…

What kind of cultivator is this?

The female cultivators all frowned and then all shook their heads.

Mo Hua was somewhat disappointed, then said:

“Thank you, sisters. You can leave now.”

Afterward, he again instructed: “But what I asked you, don’t tell others, ah, otherwise it will be very dangerous.”

The female cultivators felt a chill in their hearts and all nodded.

Mo Hua then gave each of them a spirit stone.

They couldn’t help but smile, and all said: “Thank you, young master.” Then they filed out.

As the female cultivators were leaving, Mo Hua stopped that green-clothed female cultivator.

“Sister, help me boil a pot of tea.”

Mo Hua said with a smile.

The green-clothed female cultivator was startled, then also smiled:

“Dare not, young master’s instruction is fine.”

The green-clothed female cultivator then sat at the table, lit a fire, set up a stove, poured water, steeped tea, and slowly boiled it with a gentle flame.

Mo Hua then quietly asked her:

“You know about that cultivator, right?”

The green-clothed female cultivator’s expression panicked, then calmed down again, and she smiled:

“Young master is joking.”

Mo Hua said quietly: “Only a few of us are here, no one else is secretly listening. Your sisters also don’t know what you said. It’s fine to tell me secretly.”

The green-clothed female cultivator showed hesitation.

Mo Hua then stuffed Su Elder’s jade bracelet into her hand, “This is for you.”

The green-clothed female cultivator was startled, showed a joyful expression, then her expression struggled. After hesitating for a moment, her eyes became firm, and she nodded and said:

“Okay.”

“Sister, what is your name?”

“Qing Lan.”

Mo Hua asked: “Sister Qing Lan, have you seen that ice-cold, rotten-smelling cultivator?”

Qing Lan’s expression was solemn, and she nodded.

Mo Hua waited for her to continue.

Qing Lan then said: “That person is a regular guest of the Hundred Flowers Building. He wears gray clothes and often covers his face. You can’t see his appearance…”

“He often stays overnight here, but he appears and disappears mysteriously. I don’t know when he entered the door and I don’t know when he left.”

“That person has a strange smell on his body. At first, I only felt it was strange and couldn’t describe what smell it was, but when the young master just said it, I realized that the smell is indeed a bit like… the smell of a dead person…”

Qing Lan’s expression was somewhat frightened and somewhat panicked.

Mo Hua poured her a cup of hot tea.

Qing Lan drank the tea and felt a little better.

Mo Hua then asked: “How did you know him?”

Qing Lan hesitated: “Yu Lan sister and I have a good relationship. He stays overnight at Yu Lan sister’s place, and I have seen him several times.”

“But he’s a bit gloomy. I was scared, so I didn’t interact with him much.”

Mo Hua asked again: “Did he stay overnight at Yu Lan’s place every time?”

Qing Lan nodded, “Before, yes.”

“Before?”

Qing Lan lowered her head, clutching the corner of her clothes, her fingers white, “Yes.”

Mo Hua frowned, “Did something happen?”

Qing Lan bit her lip, enduring strongly, but tears still flowed down. “Yu Lan sister, she… died…”

Mo Hua was startled, “Died?”

Qing Lan’s face was pale, “Not only Yu Lan sister, reportedly all the sisters who served him before eventually died inexplicably…”

“Yu Lan sister died…”

“And next, it’s my turn…”

Thank you to book friend Wai Guo Ren, 2023020422123961 for the reward.

(End of this chapter)