This was a young nobleman, elegantly dressed and handsome as jade.
His fair and striking features carried a natural air of nobility.
His appearance was unfamiliar—Mo Hua was seeing him for the first time—yet there was an odd sense of dj vu, as if the two of them shared some karmic entanglement from long ago.
Mo Hua gazed at the nobleman, his thoughts unsettled.
At the same time, the young nobleman’s eyes were fixed on Mo Hua. For a brief moment, surprise flickered across his face; then his brows arched, and he spoke indifferently:
"You are... Mo Hua?"
Mo Hua’s heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained calm. "You know me?"
"Qianxue State Boundary, Formation Leader..." The young nobleman’s tone held a hint of approval and a touch of nonchalance. "My cousin Jun Cai lost to you once. He mentioned you—your Formation skills are impressive."
Mo Hua responded blandly, "You flatter me."
The young nobleman’s lips curled into a cold smile, tinged with displeasure.
It seemed he was always the one being greeted, his name spoken with humility—never had anyone failed to know his name, let alone dared to ask him directly.
He looked down on Mo Hua with pride, not wanting to answer, but for some reason, found himself willing to make an exception with Mo Hua’s unusual aura.
The young nobleman said coolly, "Qian Taoist Sect, Shen Linsu."
Qian Taoist Sect, Shen Linsu, Shen...
Mo Hua’s pupils contracted minutely.
This youthful nobleman, handsome as jade, was actually a disciple of the Shen Family from the Qian Taoist Sect?
Mo Hua glanced behind the young nobleman.
There were six cultivators following him.
Three of them at Foundation Establishment Late Stage, with refined bearing—clearly heir-apparent sons from elite families of the Qianxue state boundary.
Two were middle-aged, their cultivation profound—Golden Core Cultivators.
The last was an old man, whose depth was utterly unfathomable.
Mo Hua couldn’t gauge the old man’s origins, but having dealt with many High-Rank cultivators, his instincts told him: this elder must be a Feather Transformation Realm True Man. Ꞧà₦ốΒƐȘ
Shen Linsu went out with three top-tier clan followers, two Golden Core Guards, and a Feathered Immortal as escort.
Even in the Shen Family, or the Qian Taoist Sect, this level of treatment marked him as an extraordinary favored son of heaven.
Shen "Linsu"... just as the name implies.
Mo Hua’s thoughts churned beneath a calm facade.
Shen Linsu glanced at Mo Hua again, and—almost as if compelled—said, "On the seventh day of the new year, I’m hosting a Daoist tea gathering. Will you attend?"
At these words, the three disciples behind Shen Linsu all changed expression.
The two Golden Core Guards looked astonished.
Even the Feathered Immortal now fixed a deep gaze upon Mo Hua.
A tea gathering?
This is probably no ordinary feast.
Mo Hua shook his head. "We’re barely acquaintances."
Shen Linsu’s eyelid twitched. "I rarely invite anyone personally."
"Oh..." Mo Hua replied indifferently.
Shen Linsu’s face hardened, his eyes cold and sharp. He scoffed, "I give you a chance, and you can’t take it." Flinging his sleeve, he turned and walked away.
The three young clan followers quickly hurried after him. As they passed Mo Hua, they cast him sidelong glances, eyes glinting with jealousy and scorn at his supposed ignorance.
The two Golden Core cultivators and the Feathered Immortal also silently followed behind Shen Linsu.
And just like that, the group vanished into the crowd.
Once they’d gone, Mo Hua finally let out a long breath, cold sweat beading in his palm. Not daring to linger, he hurried to Qingzhou City’s gate, boarded the Gu Family’s carriage, and headed straight for the Sect without pause.
The brightly lit Qingzhou City receded into the distance.
The carriage left the bustle behind and rolled into the deep night.
Inside, Mo Hua couldn’t help sinking into thought:
"That omen just now... it wasn’t an illusion. Those ’poppy-like’ karmic chains were exactly the same as the ones on Rouge Boat."
"Shen Linsu must be connected to Rouge Boat."
"Could Shen Linsu be the very ’nobleman,’ the one surrounded by praise, onboard Rouge Boat?"
"Back in the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons—was the nobleman I hunted through those nightmare visions also him?"
"Is he the mastermind? Or at least, is he the person of highest power and status behind both the Rouge Boat and Demon Valley affairs?"
Mo Hua’s expression was grim.
Human encounters truly are unpredictable and strange.
He’d never imagined he would run into the ’nobleman’ of the Shen Family, in such an offhanded moment, utterly unprepared.
The Shen Family...
Is Mr. Tu backed by the Shen Family? By the Qian Taoist Sect?
It would make sense—and it’d be easier to settle all accounts at once.
But he had no evidence yet; he couldn’t prove whether his deduction was true.
Shen Linsu’s status was indeed lofty—but was he truly the Young Masters’ Pavilion’s nobleman? Was he truly the one behind the Rouge Boat, Demon Valley, even Mr. Tu’s chosen ’mastermind’?
He had no proof of any of this.
And also...
"Does he really know who I am?"
Mo Hua frowned. "He knows my name is Mo Hua, disciple of Taixu Gate, Formation Leader of Qianxue State Boundary, but he shouldn’t know my real identity..."
"Otherwise, he would have killed me outright just now—never mind inviting me to his Daoist tea gathering, to sit and drink tea together."
"And that tea gathering... probably not a genuine invitation. Who knows what he plans to serve..."
"Could I kill him? Probably not..."
"Besides, with Golden Core followers and a Feathered Immortal for protection, I can’t afford to provoke him. All I can do is keep my distance and hurry back to the Sect first..."