Look at you once, then almost killed you?
Shen Qingsheng’s breath was stuck in his throat, his chest so tight he couldn’t say a word.
Shen Shouxing looked at him with disappointment, then said with a solemn expression, “Confess honestly, have you been secretly learning something behind my back?”
Looking at someone once and being able to kill them was naturally impossible for Shen Shouxing to believe.
Mo Hua was at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and his son was also at the late Foundation Establishment stage.
The two had equal cultivation. Even in terms of spiritual roots, spiritual power, cultivation methods, and Dao methods, his son was superior by a step.
How could he be looked at once and then become mentally disordered, babbling deliriously, and lose his composure to that extent?
Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn’t possibly have such means.
Most likely, the problem was with his son himself.
Shen Shouxing looked deeply at his son.
He was too busy every day.
Holding an important position meant a multitude of affairs, with every move being watched. Let alone further advancement, even just preserving his own interests required exhausting his mind, leaving no time to care about other things.
He couldn’t keep an eye on his son and didn’t know what he did every day.
But the spoiled habits of a family clan young master, how could he not know?
Thinking of that “qi deviation”-like appearance, Shen Shouxing was truly a bit suspicious. Was his son, in pursuit of excitement, cultivating some unsavory Dao method, which caused his meridians to become disordered and his mind to go mad when he acted?
This kind of thing was a major taboo!
If not exposed, it was fine, but once exposed and detected, his son would be finished.
Being expelled from the sect was one thing, but severely, he could even have his family registry erased, or even be thrown into the Dao Prison.
In this way, his only son would be equivalent to being sentenced to “death.”
The foundation he had struggled for so many years would have no one to inherit, no one to pass on, and would eventually all flow east.
Shen Shouxing’s gaze became increasingly severe.
Shen Qingsheng’s face was pale, his gaze flustered. “Dad, I didn’t… Dad, I’m your son, how can you not believe me and believe that little bastard’s nonsense?”
Shen Shouxing said slightly angrily, “Shut up, no more rude language! Little bastard, little bastard, do you know what kind of person he is?”
“Isn’t he just an ordinary disciple of Taixu Sect?”
Shen Shouxing sneered, “Array Dao Chief, favored by the Old Ancestor, is he still an ordinary disciple?”
Shen Qingsheng looked unconvinced and scoffed, “What Array Dao Chief? That’s just his good luck, the Old Ancestor gave him a backdoor. Otherwise, how could he, a middle Foundation Establishment cultivator, win against my senior brothers from Qiandao Sect?”
Shen Shouxing reprimanded, “Then why aren’t you lucky? Why didn’t you get an Array Dao Chief?”
“I…” Shen Qingsheng paused, then stiffened his neck, “If the Old Ancestor lifted me up and gave me a backdoor, getting an Array Dao Chief, what’s so difficult?”
Shen Shouxing took a deep breath.
This son was really spoiled.
Raised in luxury since childhood, arrogant and overbearing, everything came too easily, so he fundamentally didn’t know how to cherish.
Because he had never truly struggled, he looked down on others’ efforts and couldn’t see others’ strength.
Shen Shouxing sighed, too lazy to say more. He only warned seriously, “I don’t care about other things, but you are absolutely not allowed to provoke that Mo Hua again.”
“Dad! He…”
“Shut up!”
“Dad!” Shen Qingsheng was unconvinced, “We are the Shen family, hereditary in Qiandao Sect. What is there to fear from a mere Taixu Sect?”
Shen Shouxing said sternly, “We are the Shen family, but the Shen family is not ours. Qiandao Sect is hereditary, but you are only a disciple of Qiandao Sect.”
“Where do you get the guts to dare to look down on Taixu Sect, one of the eight great sects? Dare not revere their Old Ancestor?”
“Truly… don’t know the immensity of heaven and earth!”
Shen Qingsheng looked disdainful, clearly not listening to a word, and secretly thought:
“This little fellow from Taixu Sect has a grudge with Young Master Lin. Since he doesn’t give Young Master Lin face, I must show him some color.”
Shen Shouxing said, “I sent you to Young Master Lin’s side to let you rely on his identity, build a network, and climb up step by step.”
“Young Master Lin is a true young master. Don’t think you are truly the same kind of people.”
Shen Qingsheng looked unruly and didn’t speak.
Shen Shouxing was also too lazy to say more. “My words end here. You are not allowed to offend Taixu Sect’s Mo Hua again, otherwise, I will confine you and stop your spirit stone usage for three months.”
Shen Qingsheng was anxious. “Dad, I’m your own son! You don’t help me, fine, but how can you turn your elbow outward and protect that little…”
Shen Shouxing’s eyebrows changed, not angry but majestic.
Shen Qingsheng knew his dad was really angry, so he immediately dared not say more, but still had a stubborn look.
Shen Shouxing sighed, waved his hand, and said, “Go down.”
“Yes…” Shen Qingsheng casually bowed and then retreated.
Shen Shouxing looked at Shen Qingsheng’s back, his brows tightly furrowed. After Shen Qingsheng left, he beckoned, called a trusted subordinate, and instructed:
“Go watch him, don’t let him mess around.”
“Yes, Elder.”
The trusted subordinate received the order and left.
Shen Shouxing stood in the luxurious but empty study room, feeling that all matters were complicated, yet his heart was empty.
“Worked so hard, climbed to this step, don’t know how much price was paid, don’t know how much humiliation was endured, don’t know how much was sacrificed…”
“In the end… all this, exactly for what…”
Shen Shouxing’s gaze was lonely as he murmured.
Taixu Sect.
Mo Hua cultivated, attended classes, and drew arrays as usual.
In his free time, he sent a message to Gu Changhuai, asking about Fan Jin’s matter.
“Diansi Fan?”
“Um,” Mo Hua said, “In the extermination of the Demon Sect, he had no merit but also hard labor. He should have quite some achievements, right? Why does he want to transfer laterally, and the Dao Court Si also doesn’t agree?”
Gu Changhuai didn’t answer, but said strangely, “How did you and Diansi Fan meet?”
He had forgotten that Mo Hua was a disciple of the sect and was favored by the Old Ancestor, so it was normal for him to know more.
Now, how could he even recognize a Diansi from a remote place?
Was this social ability a bit excessive?
Mo Hua said, “Casually encountered, drank tea and ate together, then recognized.”
Gu Changhuai was silent.
Mo Hua asked again, “Regarding the lateral transfer, why doesn’t the Dao Court Si agree?”
Gu Changhuai thought for a moment and said, “I asked. It seems someone above sent a greeting.”
“Sent a greeting?” Mo Hua pondered, “Sent a greeting not to let Diansi Fan transfer away from Gushan City?”
“Possible, but there’s another possibility…” Gu Changhuai said in a low voice, “That all executive officers, Diansi and Zhangsi, currently in Gushan City cannot be mobilized.”
Mo Hua’s heart was slightly startled, further confirming that there was a problem in Gushan City, and possibly a big problem.
“Who sent the greeting? The Shen family?” Mo Hua asked.
“Not necessarily,” Gu Changhuai said.
Mo Hua didn’t quite understand, so Gu Changhuai explained to him, “The Dao Court Si involves the authority of the Dao Court. The people inside are complex in composition, and sometimes it’s very hard to see a person’s purpose and position from the surface.”
“Some people are not surnamed Shen but might be doing things for the Shen family.”
“Some people are surnamed Shen but might be seeking the interests of other families.”
“Power changes, interests change, and people’s positions also always change. It’s very hard to distinguish between true and false.”
“Oh…” Mo Hua muttered in his heart.
Uncle Gu seemed to have low emotional intelligence, but he didn’t expect him to understand quite a lot.
Gu Changhuai said with some doubt, “Why are you asking these things? Did Fan Jin entrust you to inquire?”
“No, I’m just curious, so I came to ask you,” Mo Hua said.
Gu Changhuai didn’t comment.
“Right, Uncle Gu,” Mo Hua thought for a while and asked again, “What do you think of Diansi Fan as a person?”
“Which aspect are you talking about?”
“Character and ability, as well as his future in the Dao Court Si.”
Gu Changhuai pondered for a moment and said, “Fan Jin is a person who is clever, hardworking, and dares to risk his life. He has ability.”
“If he were in a family clan, someone like him who is willing to scheme and work hard would naturally do well.”
“But the problem is, his origin is not good, he has no one in the Dao Court, his aptitude is also general, and the cultivation methods he cultivates, the magic treasures he uses, are all a bit mediocre. If he doesn’t have a great opportunity, he probably won’t have much prospect…”
Gu Changhuai spoke very fairly.
He was a Diansi from a family clan origin, had led for years, and had contact with many people. What kind of person, what kind of fate, whether they had prospects or not, he probably had a clear idea in his heart.
Mo Hua nodded.
“Are you planning something else?” Gu Changhuai asked Mo Hua.
Based on his understanding of Mo Hua, Mo Hua wouldn’t pay attention to something without a reason. If he asked, he definitely had his own calculations.
“Not much,” Mo Hua paused for a moment, thinking of a saying, “Tie a good karma.”
In the dining hall, Fan Jin could withstand the pressure of the Shen family and step forward to help him, so Mo Hua naturally owed him this favor.
If others were good to him, he was also good to others.
If others were bad to him, he was also bad to others.
Repay virtue with virtue, and straightness with resentment.
This was his standard of action.
Therefore, within his ability, helping Diansi Fan was also reasonable.
At the same time, the matter of Elder Shen Xiuyan also let Mo Hua understand another point more:
That is to do more good deeds, accumulate more hidden virtue, tie more good karma, and plant more cause and effect.
If Elder Xiu hadn’t helped him in Nanyue City that year and hadn’t recognized him as a “big good person,” then when he met Shibo, he would have truly been finished.
So, plant more good causes and tie more good fruits.
Those who attain the Dao have many helpers, and those who lose the Dao have few helpers. This way, if he encounters danger later, there will be people willing to help, not leaving him alone to reach a dead end.
Master had suffered this loss that year.
He was Master’s final disciple. Master had suffered a loss, and he absolutely couldn’t suffer it again.
Mo Hua took this as a deep warning.
Gu Changhuai nodded.
The reason for “tying good karma” was plausible, but he also didn’t understand that within these three words of Mo Hua, there was a very deep meaning hidden.
“Right,” Mo Hua thought of another matter, “Uncle Gu, are there any clues about the Demon Sect leader?”
He still remembered his Four Symbols Azure Dragon Array Diagram.
Speaking of this matter, Gu Changhuai’s expression also wrinkled his brows. “Still not. That Demon Sect leader seems to have disappeared completely, and there are no traces to be found anywhere…”
Mo Hua’s heart also felt a bit puzzled.
Where could that big Demon head possibly hide…
“The Dao Court Si will investigate this matter, you can cultivate in peace,” Gu Changhuai said as usual.
“Um,” Mo Hua nodded.
Mo Hua also knew clearly that a late Gold Core stage Demon head was indeed not someone he could provoke, but the opportunity of the Four Symbols Azure Dragon Array was on this Demon head.
He had no choice but to ask, hoping there would be some opportunity for him to muddle through and pick up a leak.
Of course, this hope was actually very slim.
Moreover, with the passage of time, it would become even slimmer.
Mo Hua sighed.
“Let’s clear up the Gushan matter first…”
The next day, Mo Hua called Xie Ling.
Xie Ling was from the Xie family in Gen State. Their family passed down Kan Yu techniques and Yin Yang Feng Shui secret arrays.
As soon as he heard that Mo Hua was looking for him, Xie Ling happily ran over and said enthusiastically, “Little Senior Brother, do you need something?”
As a junior brother every day, he had received quite some care from Mo Hua, whether it was rewards, hunting demons, or array cultivation, he had received Mo Hua’s guidance in all of them.
Therefore, he very much wanted to repay the favor and could help with some busywork.
Mo Hua then said, “I want to ask about some tomb robbing matters.”
Xie Ling was immediately startled. “Little Senior Brother, do you want to rob a tomb?”
“No,” Mo Hua motioned for him to lower his voice, “The Dao Court Si encountered a group of tomb robbers on that side, but there are very few clues. I know little about tomb robbing, so I came to ask you.”
“Like this,” Xie Ling nodded, and immediately said seriously, “Little Senior Brother, I declare beforehand, my Xie family does not rob tombs.”
“Did your mom and dad tell you to say that?” Mo Hua said.
“Yes!” Xie Ling nodded, then immediately reacted and emphasized, “My Xie family indeed does not rob tombs.”
Cultivating Kan Yu techniques meant discerning the qi of heaven and earth, the intersection of yin and yang, and how to look at the forms of mountains and rivers, where dragons hide and tigers crouch, so as to find the best feng shui location to bury cultivators.
Burial necessarily required building a tomb.
There were many things to consider inside the tomb.
Overall layout, coffin direction, mechanism killing arrays, town tomb statues, corpse solution patterns… etc.
Xie Ling said a lot, then said awkwardly, “However, I only know a rough idea of these, not proficient.”
“When I was at home, I wasn’t an adult yet. Dad and Mom didn’t let me learn, I just knew some from hearing and seeing…”
“Already very impressive,” Mo Hua praised.
These tomb knowledge, if Xie Ling hadn’t told him, he would have been completely in the dark.
It was a specialized field.
Especially this kind of cultivating family, the knowledge passed down through generations was always confidential to outsiders.
Xie Ling received praise and was greatly encouraged, then racked his brains and poured out a lot like beans.
“The pattern of a tomb needs to be secret and sturdy, which necessarily involves arrays.”
“With these arrays added and supported, a tomb can remain undecayed for thousands or even ten thousand years, year after year.”
“At the same time, by using array patterns, one can hide qi machine, melt yin into yang, cover cause and effect, and make the tomb fuse with the earth, lurking in the earth veins for ten thousand years without being discovered.”
“After all, if a cultivator’s tomb is easily discovered, it must be coveted by people. Unless it’s a family forbidden area with ancestral graves guarded by high-level individuals, otherwise being robbed is just a matter of time.”
“Among the tombs, the most important arrays are the Yin Yang Feng Shui secret arrays. This is a secret array of the Xie family. I haven’t learned it yet and don’t know the array diagram either.”
“Besides this, there are also Yin arrays and Ground arrays, which are also very important…”
Mo Hua’s heart stirred.
Yin arrays, could they be the Two Instruments array law of the Yin Yang class?
And Ground arrays… related to the essence of the earth’s Dao?
Mo Hua thought silently, feeling a bit emotional.
The world was so big, and the Dao of arrays was infinite. In every corner of this heaven and earth, there were indeed still many new and mysterious arrays scattered around that he hadn’t learned, or even had little contact with.
It was just a pity that Xie Ling’s aspiration wasn’t in arrays. He didn’t know much about these arrays, basically just knew their names.
Mo Hua asked, but didn’t get much information.
However, what Xie Ling said still gave Mo Hua many ideas.
“Feng Shui, mountain forms, tombs…”
“Reinforced with arrays, hiding qi machine…”
“Gushan, tomb robbers…”
“Evil fetus…”
Mo Hua wrinkled his eyebrows, faintly feeling that these matters should have some connection.
Things in this world wouldn’t really have that many coincidences.
Within coincidences, there must be hidden cause and effect.
It was just that the cause and effect within this were too few, and Mo Hua temporarily couldn’t see through it.
After that time, Mo Hua could only continue to cultivate and attend classes.
Two days later, he went to Refine Demon Mountain again.
The selection for the Sword Discussion Assembly was still proceeding in an orderly manner and advancing step by step.
Before, it was one against all spars, but now on Refine Demon Mountain, the disciples of Taixu Sect had already started to divide into teams and spar five against five.
Because it was five against five, the scene was larger, spiritual tools and spells flew chaotically, the battle situation was also more intense, and the variables were greater. Sometimes the outcome was decided in a single thought.
But Mo Hua was still watching the show.
Everyone was busy, only he was sitting by the side alone, looking a bit cold and desolate.
Watching and watching, Mo Hua silently made some comparisons in his heart.
The strength of the disciples of the same sect was steadily improving. With this kind of effort and honing, by the time of the Sword Discussion Assembly, they would probably all be a bit stronger.
Whether it was cultivation or Dao methods, they would be stronger than they were now.
But he was not doing well.
Like this, not doing anything, by the time of the Sword Discussion Assembly, his own “hard strength” would basically not have any improvement.
At most, he would just cultivate one or two more cycles of spiritual power, which was fundamentally no help.
Others were getting stronger, while he was standing still.
This was equivalent to him getting weaker.
Mo Hua’s expression was solemn.
Heaven’s action is vigorous, and a gentleman should strengthen himself unceasingly.
Since he came to Qian State to seek knowledge, he should sharpen himself forward and strengthen himself unceasingly.
This kind of matter, which not only didn’t progress but regressed, was absolutely not allowed to happen.
Mo Hua fell into deep reflection.
Several days later, it was time for a ten-day break. He prepared everything, then carried his storage bag, left the sect again, and set foot on the road to Gushan City.
Elder Residence.
Xun Zi You paid his respects to Old Master Xun and sighed, “This child is starting to run around again.”
Old Master Xun wrinkled his brows, pinched his fingers, looked at the compass in front of him, his gaze profound. After a moment, he opened his mouth faintly:
“Never mind, shallow beaches cannot raise true dragons.”
“Let him go play on his own…”