Chapter 91: Harsh Words (Five More Updates)_1
Translator: 549690339
Many things that happened behind the scenes were unknown to Mo Hua, and as for his parents, he thought he had managed to keep them in the dark.
It wasn’t until a few days later, when Mo Shan’s couple prepared some gifts for him to take to Master Chen, that he realized he had failed to keep the secret.
“After the rain, traces remain, after the geese pass, their calls linger. Uncle Zhang was right, once something happens, there will always be clues. If you don’t know about it, someone else certainly will,” Mo Hua sighed to himself.
Mo Shan didn’t blame Mo Hua; he believed a true man should take responsibility for his actions and also keep matters to himself, not feeling obligated to share everything.
Although Mo Hua was young, he had managed to extricate himself from danger and remained calm afterwards, showing that he had both courage and responsibility. Reflecting on this, Mo Shan felt somewhat reassured.
Liu Ruhua was at once worried and distressed, somewhat resentful in her heart, but she didn’t voice any criticism. Instead, she firmly pinched Mo Hua’s cheek, as if to vent her frustration.
The Mo Shan family of three brought the gifts to the Refinery Shop.
Included in the gifts were several large pieces of Wild Cattle Monster meat, from two monsters freshly killed by Mo Shan, specifically the thigh meat, which Liu Ruhua had spent days stewing and curing.
The meat of the Wild Cattle Monster wasn’t expensive, but what made it valuable was the effort put into curing it and the expense of the Spirit Stones used for stewing. Buying it with Spirit Stones wouldn’t be cheap, and Master Chen certainly wouldn’t want to spend Spirit Stones on such a luxury when he had so many other uses for them.
So much meat, even for the appetites of the workers at the Refinery Shop, would be enough for them to eat for over a month.
Dazhu and the others were stupefied. They had never seen so much meat in their lives; they drooled uncontrollably, unable to wipe it all away.
Master Chen received a large vat of wine and couldn’t stop smiling.
He also enjoyed a drink now and then but was reluctant to indulge, sipping his drinks one cup at a time, wanting to drink more but feeling guilty about the cost of Spirit Stones. With this vat of wine, he could drink for quite a while if he was sparing.
After two smooth months passed, Zhang Lan finally came to Mo Hua and said, “Qian Xing’s injuries are healed.”
“Healed?” Mo Hua asked.
“The Pill Masters in Tongxian City refused to treat Qian Xing’s injuries. The Qian Family spent a lot of Spirit Stones and invited several top-tier Pill Masters from outside. It took them two months, but they finally healed him. I heard that they had to refine dozens of batches of pills alone, not to mention the amount of Spiritual Grass that went into them,” Zhang Lan said with a click of his tongue.
“So many Spirit Stones…”, Mo Hua lamented, finding it a wasteful shame to spend so much to save Qian Xing.
“Be careful,” Zhang Lan warned.
After pondering for a moment, Mo Hua said, “Qian Xing may not know that I was the one who hurt him. Will he still trouble me?”
“You rejected his demands, and he became enraged because of that, ending up in that ghastly state. He was bedridden for two months and spent so many Spirit Stones on recovery. Most importantly, he massively lost face. Regardless of who injured him, you are the instigator, and in the end, he will hold you responsible,” Zhang Lan explained to Mo Hua.
“He was the one troubling me first. If anyone’s to be called the instigator, it should be him. Doesn’t he ever reflect on his own faults?” Mo Hua said displeased.
“Clan scions spoiled from childhood inevitably have extreme temperaments. He will never think he is wrong; the fault always lies with others. I’ve seen many such people…”
Zhang Lan twiddled with the cup in his hand, “And there are even worse cases. If he wants your life and you don’t give it, he may feel you are defying him and grow even more furious.”
Mo Hua was taken aback, “Do such people really exist?”
“You’ll undoubtedly encounter them eventually,” Zhang Lan said, “in this world, not everyone treats others as human beings.”
Zhang Lan finished his drink in one gulp and stood up, “I’ll be going now. Don’t worry too much about this matter. There are many eyes watching; the Qian Family won’t dare to make a move. But Qian Xing is both arrogant and somewhat venomous. Be vigilant, just in case.”
So many eyes watching… what did that mean, and who was watching?
Mo Hua wanted to ask, but Zhang Lan had already left.
Mo Hua frowned slightly, touching the stack of Formations in his storage bag as well as the Spiritual Liquid and Spirit Stones prepared according to Uncle Zhang’s advice to erase and confuse any traces, and thought to himself:
Qian Xing, you’d better not come, otherwise I fear your parents might never see you again.
After that, Mo Hua went to Mr. Zhuang to learn about Formations, to help others repair Formation Patterns, or to the Market Town to shop. On his way to and fro, he could always feel the gaze of some Cultivators.
They thought Mo Hua hadn’t noticed, but having worked with Formations for so long, his Divine Sense was much deeper than that of Cultivators of the same realm. He had long been able to clearly distinguish such undisguised surveillance.
Some stares carried malice, like poisonous snakes lurking in the grass, their eyes filled with venom. Some were probably just following orders to keep an eye on Mo Hua, to grasp his whereabouts.
Others were colder and more covert, and Mo Hua could only faintly sense them, not clearly.
This indicated that the Divine Sense of these Cultivators might be stronger than Mo Hua’s. If so, their realm would be much higher than Mo Hua’s, probably those of the late Qi Refinement stage.
In addition to these, there were also some benevolent gazes, unhidden. Upon sensing them and looking in their direction, they would greet Mo Hua. They were all familiar faces, either uncles and aunts from the neighborhood, patrons from the eatery, or Monster Hunters from the Monster Hunting Team.
Not a few he knew well, but had seen once or twice. There were also those he hadn’t seen before; Mo Hua didn’t recognize them, but they seemed to recognize him, and would smile and nod when he looked at them.
So this is what Uncle Zhang meant by “so many eyes on you”…
In his heart, Mo Hua felt both vigilant and warmed.
Although the Cultivators watching Mo Hua hadn’t made a move, just when Mo Hua suspected they had given up, Qian Xing actually came looking for him.
After leaving Mr. Zhuang’s place, ready to go home, Mo Hua ran into Qian Xing at the foot of the mountain.
Having not seen him for months, Qian Xing looked in poor health—of course, anyone who had been blown up by the Earth Fire Formation at close range wouldn’t look well.
Some parts of his body were still wrapped in bandages, his face was scarred, and he was no longer flaunting that gold-sprinkled fan; instead, he wore a frightful expression as if he wished to devour Mo Hua.
“Don’t think you can rest easy just because you’re under someone’s protection. I will make you pay back a hundred times for the humiliation I suffered. When the time comes, you won’t even be able to die a quick death!”
“Then take care of your health, and don’t die before that happens,” Mo Hua said, unable to help himself as he looked at the wretched figure.
Qian Xing’s expression twisted again.
Mo Hua sighed internally, thinking how one who had been through life and death could still be so petty, getting angry over a mere sentence.
While Qian Xing was furious, he didn’t dare to act. Although this was the foot of the mountain, it was still a path frequented by Cultivators, most of them Monster Hunters.
While they were speaking, several Monster Hunters nearby had started looking over, their gazes sharp as they watched Qian Xing.
Qian Xing knew his limits and whispered viciously, “You just wait,” before leaving with several Qian Family disciples.
Mo Hua shook his head; seeing his attitude, it seemed Qian Xing was determined not to let the matter go.
Isn’t it better to just be a carefree wastrel? To indulge in eating, drinking, and merry-making every day, without worrying about making a living or being concerned about Spirit Stones. Indeed, when life is too easy, people start courting death.
Mo Hua bowed to the nearby Monster Hunters in thanks, and after receiving kind responses, he headed home.
Behind him on the mountain trail, Bai Zixi watched Mo Hua’s retreating figure, her brows slightly furrowed. After a moment, she spoke softly, “Aunt Xue, check and see what happened.”
Standing behind Bai Zixi, Aunt Xue nodded.