Chapter 210: Ambush_1
The Junior Formation Master among the Monster Hunters was that First-grade Formation Master.
Following this direction, Qian Hong ordered Qian Shunzhi to investigate further. After a few days, they had a lead.
Qian Shunzhi found out Mo Hua’s name, address, parents, and other information, as well as a portrait of Mo Hua.
Now this portrait lay before Qian Hong.
It depicted a boy around the age of eleven or twelve, with a delicate and handsome face, eyes clear as water, and a smile that was like the morning glow.
Qian Hong felt both astonishment and fear as he looked at it.
He was astonished that such a young age, the boy had the abilities of a First-grade Formation Master, and he feared that if the child were allowed to grow up and further advance in formation techniques, their Qian Family might have no place left to stand.
In the world of Tao cultivation, formations were the most widely applied and had the greatest impact.
Now that Mo Hua could only set up first-grade formations and their Qian Family was already struggling to cope. If he were to advance to second grade in the future, he wouldn’t even need to act personally. Just a word from him would cause their Qian Family great misfortune.
A murderous intent rose in Qian Hong.
Master Qian still wanted to negotiate first and persuaded Qian Hong not to act rashly.
A First-grade Formation Master in his early teens, if he were to die, that would be such a pity.
Master Qian knew the hardship of studying formations and becoming a Formation Master, so he didn’t recommend that Qian Hong be too ruthless.
After thinking it over, Qian Hong said, “Master Qian’s words are reasonable. I will give them serious thought.”
Master Qian nodded in agreement and breathed a sigh of relief.
After sending off Master Qian, Qian Hong turned around and immediately instructed Qian Shunzhi, “Find a few Qi Refining Ninth Level disciples from the Qian Clan and find a way to kill that Junior Formation Master!”
Qian Shunzhi was somewhat surprised, “What about Master Qian…”
“Master Qian is devoted to formations and doesn’t understand these matters.”
Qian Hong’s eyes turned cold as he continued, “Mo Hua comes from a family of Loose Cultivators. His father is a Monster Hunter, and all of his relatives and friends are Loose Cultivators too. He is highly regarded by Yu Changlin and it’s absolutely impossible for him to get along with our Qian Clan!”
Qian Shunzhi bowed his head in agreement and then said, “If the Taoist Court finds out…”
“If the Taoist Court does investigate, I will do my best to protect you. If I can’t, a few lives in exchange for that of a First-grade Formation Master is still a profitable trade.”
Qian Hong looked at Qian Shunzhi and said, “Try not to act personally. Let the others do it, and let them bear the blame. I value you, so don’t draw fire to yourself. Make sure your actions are clean and untraceable.”
A chill went through Qian Shunzhi’s heart.
He finally understood why Qian Hong had become the Family Head.
Such a ruthless heart and cunning methods were worth learning!
Qian Shunzhi respectfully accepted the orders and then, following Qian Hong’s instructions, he found a few Qi Refining Ninth Level cultivators in the clan who weren’t well-known. He told them that the Family Head had ordered them to kill someone, promising them a legitimate offspring’s position upon success.
If they were unfortunately to meet their demise, the Family Head would also provide their children with generous compensation.
Risking danger for the chance of riches, none of the cultivators refused.
Dressed up as passing merchants, they sat in a teahouse on South Main Street, drinking tea and listening to storytelling while keeping an eye on Mo Hua.
This was the route Mo Hua had to take to go home.
They were well-prepared, each carrying expensive jade talismans, intent on killing in one fell swoop to eliminate future troubles.
Qian Shunzhi took a distant seat, pretending to drink tea, but his peripheral vision kept watch at the intersection. He was searching for the figure of Mo Hua, based on the portrait in his mind.
Soon, he spotted a young cultivator with rosy lips and white teeth carrying a storage bag emerging at the intersection.
Qian Shunzhi coughed to signal the others.
The Qian Family cultivators behaved as usual, eating, drinking, or listening to the storytelling. Yet, they were all preparing to act, some fingering knives, others holding swords, and a few reaching into their robes, ready to use their runes.
Their disguises were excellent, they did not reveal anything unusual, planning to strike quickly when Mo Hua approached and then immediately flee the scene.
But as Mo Hua walked, he suddenly stopped, his gaze flickering with confusion as he looked towards the teahouse. He had noticed Qian Shunzhi and the others.
“Are these people trying to kill me?” Mo Hua was taken aback for a moment.
In his divine sense, the cultivators’ spiritual power was already in motion, a sign that they were about to make their move.
Moreover, since his appearance, these people’s Divine Senses had been stealthily probing him with clear malice.
They were all at the Qi Refining Ninth Level, far weaker in Divine Sense than Mo Hua, who perceived their attempts as obvious as daylight.
Mo Hua reached into his Storage Bag and touched several Formations, covertly took them out, and stuffed them into his sleeve.
He prepared the Formations first.
If he could escape, he would do that first; if not, he would find an opportunity to lay down the Formations and give them a blast.
A First-grade Earth Fire Formation, even if it wouldn’t kill them, would at least temporarily stop them.
Afterward, relying on the Water Passing Step, Mo Hua could run away no matter what.
He was only at the Qi Refining Sixth Level now, and tangling with these Body Cultivators at the Qi Refining Ninth Level wasn’t too wise—it would be good enough to escape.
Having made up his mind, Mo Hua turned to leave.
Qian Shunzhi and the others also sensed something amiss, their intentions seemed to have been discovered somehow.
Without delay, they also got up, ready to take action by force.
Suddenly, a pair of large hands pressed down on Qian Shunzhi’s shoulders, pushing him back into his seat.
Qian Shunzhi looked up to see an unfamiliar Monster Hunter at the Qi Refining Ninth Level, with a robust aura.
He looked around and saw that his companions were also restrained, with several other Monster Hunters surrounding them.
“You stole my stuff,” said the Monster Hunter.
Qian Shunzhi’s eyelids twitched as he denied, “I didn’t steal anything.”
Qian Shunzhi scoffed, “What did I steal from you?”
“Oh, my mistake,” said the Monster Hunter, “you wanted to rob me of my things!”
Before Qian Shunzhi could finish, the Monster Hunter punched him in the stomach.
A wave of agony shot through him, and knowing that they had been exposed, Qian Shunzhi, bearing the pain, drew his knife and slashed at the Monster Hunter.
The other Qian Family Cultivators also sprang into action.
The Monster Hunters and Qian Family Cultivators clashed, blood qi surging, spiritual power swirling.
The scene became chaotic for a moment, but after about twenty rounds of skirmish, the Monster Hunters, outnumbering them, had knocked all of Qian Shunzhi’s party to the ground and tied them up with ropes.
Mo Hua was taken aback, then he realized.
This was South Main Street, the territory of the Monster Hunters, effectively his “territory.”
The street was full of familiar Monster Hunters.
Mo Hua suddenly felt his backbone stiffen.
If the Qian Family came looking for trouble, naturally the Monster Hunters’ uncles and elders would deal with them.
He didn’t even need to run, nor did he need to waste any Formations.
Seeing them tied up, Mo Hua approached and took a look, then asked, “Uncle Zhao, what should we do with these people?”
The leading Monster Hunter was none other than Old Zhao.
Previously, Old Zhao had been chased by the Qian Family and left barely alive, hanging on a cliffside branch; it was Mo Hua who found him, enabling his rescue.
Old Zhao was severely injured and had been recovering for some time; now his wounds were mostly healed.
Old Zhao smiled at Mo Hua, “Beat them up first, then send them to the Taoist Court, accusing them of attempted murder.”
Mo Hua nodded, “They did try to kill me, thank you, Uncle Zhao.”
“What’s there to thank.” Old Zhao chuckled, “If we’re talking about thanks, I’m the one who should be thanking you. If you hadn’t been there, I might not have survived.”
Mo Hua laughed, “It was no big deal, no thanks needed.”
Old Zhao rifled through the Qian Family Cultivators’ Storage Bags and pulled out a few Jade Talismans, tossing them to Mo Hua, “Take these Runes and have some fun with them.”