Chapter 140 Inquiry (Four Updates)_1
In the agonized cries of the evil cultivator, Zhang Lan and his two companions looked at Mo Hua with even more complex emotions.
Mo Hua wiped Zhang Lan’s sword on the ground, but the bloodstains remained, not wiped away.
Zhang Lan sighed, helplessly took the sword back, and slid it directly into its sheath.
“Alright, it’s done now, we can go back.”
Then, still led by Mo Hua, Zhang Lan and his two companions took turns dragging the evil cultivator down the mountain path.
As for whether the evil cultivator would die from the rough handling, they were too lazy to care.
If he didn’t die, good fortune was on his side; if he did, he got what he deserved.
On the way, Situ Fang couldn’t help but praise:
“Mo Hua, your movement technique is amazing!”
She had been watching from the side, sweating from fear.
When she saw Mo Hua successfully evade the evil cultivator’s attacks each time, she breathed a sigh of relief and couldn’t help but admire him.
Mo Hua felt quite pleased on the inside, but he humbly said:
“Where, it’s just average.”
“Who taught you?” Situ Fang asked.
Zhang Lan coughed a few times.
Mo Hua glanced at him and said in a straightforward manner, “A passing, unnamed, kindly uncle taught me…”
Situ Fang asked doubtfully, “There’s such a person?”
After thinking for a bit, she whispered to Zhang Lan, “It looks to me… why does it resemble the Water Passing Step of the Zhang Family so much?”
Zhang Lan choked and coughed several times before finally catching his breath, and hurriedly said:
“Do not smear someone’s innocence, Water Passing Step? Where does it resemble?”
Situ Fang nodded, “It really doesn’t seem quite right, the Water Passing Step of the Zhang Family isn’t that impressive.”
Zhang Lan grew discontented, “How can the Water Passing Step of the Zhang Family not be impressive? This is…”
Situ Fang looked at him.
Zhang Lan’s voice weakened as he said:
“It is… maybe just a tiny bit better than our Zhang Family’s Water Passing Step.”
Zhang Lan was also confused in his heart.
The Zhang Family had two movement techniques, Falling Flower and Water Passing; one set was Falling Flower Steps, the other Water Passing Step.
He primarily practiced Falling Flower Steps, but he was also proficient in Water Passing Step and had seen other cultivators in the Zhang Family, who specialized in Water Passing Step, use it, but none of them used it as…
As effortlessly, as unpredictably, with a bit of a devious and mysterious…
“How did I teach him again?”
Zhang Lan frowned, somewhat unable to remember, and mumbled to himself:
“Did I teach him Water Passing Step? It should be right…”
While Zhang Lan’s thoughts were in disarray, Mo Hua heard a faint thank you, as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.
He turned his head to see Situ Xiu with a flickering gaze, but also with a stubborn face.
Clearly she wanted to give thanks but felt too embarrassed, so her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s.
She had been confident and arrogant when they ascended the mountain, but after a few injuries and bloodshed, she now seemed much more reserved.
Mo Hua nodded, feeling somewhat gratified.
Indeed, young people who experience setbacks tend to grow.
Yet he had forgotten that he was even younger, not even qualifying as a young man.
As they walked down the mountain path, Zhang Lan was still troubled by the matter of Water Passing Step.
He went over and over the scene in his mind of Mo Hua dealing with the evil cultivator just moments ago.
He carefully compared Mo Hua’s Water Passing Step with the version from his memory.
The basic steps were the same, but the minute nuances of each movement were more refined, and some moves were streamlined, eliminating unnecessary actions. It seemed Mo Hua had learned something else from someone…
Why was it that the same movements looked completely different?
Zhang Lan thought about it and suddenly realized, “Could it be Divine Sense…?”
Because the Divine Sense was strong enough, the control of Spiritual Power was fine and nuanced, making the movement technique more elusive and varied.
The cultivators of the Zhang Family were not good at Formation, they had weak Divine Senses, so they failed to grasp the essence of this movement technique, making it seem rather mediocre.
“It’s over!” Zhang Lan felt a chill in his heart.
When he taught Mo Hua the movement technique, he thought Mo Hua would just learn it casually and not master it very well.
That way, even if it was used, others would glance at it and then forget.
How well can a child with an innate frailty learn a movement technique?
But unexpectedly, now not only had Mo Hua learned it well, but he had also become somewhat too good, even better than the Zhang Family’s disciples…
If someday Mo Hua became famous, others would see and say:
“This is the Zhang Family’s Water Passing Step, even better than the Zhang Family’s own!”
Where would the Zhang Family put their face then?
Zhang Lan unintentionally added a stroke to his family’s dark history.
Zhang Lan’s scalp tingled.
Being punished was one thing, but bringing shame to his family was something far beyond just kneeling in the ancestral hall or being confined in solitary.
While Situ Fang and Situ Xiu were not paying attention, Zhang Lan quietly tugged at Mo Hua’s sleeve, his expression grave as he said,
“You must not! You absolutely must not! You mustn’t say it was me who taught you!”
Mo Hua also looked serious and patted his chest in assurance,
“Don’t worry, I won’t rat you out!”
Zhang Lan nodded, but then he realized something was off.
What does ‘rat out’ mean… That made it sound like he was some kind of criminal accomplice…
Halfway through their journey, the group stopped on a small hillside to rest for a while.
Mo Hua took out some beef and shared it with everyone.
They didn’t give any to the Evil Cultivator since he didn’t deserve to eat what his mother made.
Zhang Lan savored the beef, finding it spicy and delicious, and could not help but think,
“Mo Hua’s family beef is really great, tender yet chewy, and the cooking time is just masterful…”
Then Zhang Lan paused, suddenly remembering that Mo Hua seemed to have used a Fireball Technique earlier?
The power was average, but the speed of casting… seemed a bit fast…
At least much faster than his own spells.
Zhang Lan looked at Mo Hua with a meaningful gaze.
He had originally thought that since Mo Hua’s Spiritual Power was not strong, his spellcasting wouldn’t be particularly skilled, but now that was up for debate…
The combination of Water Passing Step with such a fast and accurate Fireball Technique made Zhang Lan think it would be quite a handful to deal with.
After eating their fill, the group continued on their way.
Before evening, they reached the foot of Big Black Mountain.
Mo Hua remembered something and walked up to the Evil Cultivator, who was awake, and asked,
“A few days ago, did you pursue a Monster Hunter in the mountains?”
The Evil Cultivator snorted coldly but did not respond.
“I’m talking to you.”
The Evil Cultivator gave Mo Hua a disdainful glance.
Mo Hua’s temper flared, and he turned around to reach for the sword at Zhang Lan’s waist.
Zhang Lan was startled and hurriedly stopped him, “What are you doing?”
Mo Hua replied, “He’s being stubborn. I’ll break another one of his legs!”
Situ Fang advised in a low voice, “That’s enough. You’ve already broken one.”
Mo Hua said, “I’ve only broken one, and he’s still got two left!”
Situ Fang said awkwardly, “If you break them all, he’s probably not going to make it.”
Mo Hua regretfully said, “Then it’s just his bad luck.”
When the Evil Cultivator heard this, he immediately said,
“Whatever you ask, I’ll tell you!”
Mo Hua was surprised.
Why had the Evil Cultivator suddenly become so cooperative?
Meanwhile, the Evil Cultivator’s eyelid twitched uncontrollably.
He was not afraid of death.
He could die at the hands of his enemies, die from being replenished by others, be sentenced to death by the Taoist Court, or even face the ultimate punishment.
He didn’t really care about being killed by another Cultivator in any manner.
But he absolutely could not die at the hands of a kid in his teens!
To be slaughtered by a little brat at the fifth level of Qi Refinement was a disgrace he simply couldn’t bear!
“Then go ahead,” Mo Hua said.
“It wasn’t me who was chasing him.”
“There’s no ‘then.’ That was it.”
Mo Hua slowly said, “You say it wasn’t you who chased him, which means it wasn’t you, but you saw someone else chasing him.”
The Evil Cultivator remained silent.
Mo Hua moved to draw the sword again, and the Evil Cultivator had no choice but to say,
“There were a few Cultivators chasing him.”
“What did they look like? What were they wearing?”
“I couldn’t see their faces clearly, but they were wearing silver-white Taoist Robes.”
Mo Hua’s gaze sharpened, silver-white…