Chapter 424: Manifest Dust

"You're not allowed to go," Bai Zixi said directly.

Mo Hua quietly mumbled, "I didn't say I was going..."

Bai Zisheng frowned. "But if we don't go, how can we investigate that gray-clothed cultivator?"

"That's true..."

Mo Hua looked at Bai Zixi, and Bai Zisheng also looked at her.

Bai Zixi's autumn water-like eyes flickered slightly. "You can go, but I want to go with you."

Bai Zisheng quickly shook his head.

Mo Hua also said, "Little Senior Sister, it's not suitable for you to go."

Bai Zixi said, "If you can all go, I can go too. We're just sneaking in anyway."

"This..."

Mo Hua hesitated a little, about to say something, but seeing Bai Zixi's clear, glass-like gaze, he could only sigh. "Alright..."

So in the evening, at the time of Hai hour.

As night fell and lanterns were hung, Jinhua Street was bustling with carriages and horses, a scene of noisy prosperity.

Mo Hua and the other two, wrapped in cloaks, climbed to the building opposite Baihua Building.

Baihua Building is a brothel, and also the place where Wang Lai confessed, and where he connected with the gray-clothed cultivator after killing and hiding the body.

Baihua Building was luxuriously decorated.

In front of the door, flowers bloomed in profusion, and there were no touts outside the door.

But people who came here all knew why they were coming.

Bai Zisheng quietly asked Mo Hua, "How do we get in?"

Mo Hua released his divine sense, scouted for a while, and frowned. "A brothel, actually set up a Manifest Dust Array..."

"Manifest Image Array?" Bai Zisheng was slightly startled.

"Manifest Dust Array," Mo Hua corrected.

Bai Zisheng was confused. "What's the difference?"

"The array principle is different."

Bai Zisheng was a bit confused.

Mo Hua then explained, "Manifest Image Array makes objects appear, and will invalidate hidden arrays and hidden techniques within the array range."

"Manifest Image Array is more effective, but it's a first-grade nine-pattern upper array, requires high divine sense, is relatively difficult to learn, uses special ink, and is very expensive to set up."

"Manifest Dust Array is an earth system array, first-grade seven-pattern, easy to set up, low cost."

"Unlike Manifest Image Array, Manifest Dust Array cannot invalidate hiding, but within the array, it generates fine dust. Once a hidden cultivator passes through the array, they will be covered in dust, revealing traces."

"Manifest Image Array is from principle, making hiding invalid;"

"While Manifest Dust Array, through external objects, indirectly makes the cultivator manifest their body."

Bai Zisheng was a little astonished. "You've researched it so thoroughly?"

"Mm." Mo Hua nodded proudly. "The way of arrays is vast and profound, naturally it needs to be researched in detail."

Bai Zisheng opened his mouth and asked again, "That brothel is open for business and welcomes guests. Using a Manifest Dust Array, wouldn't it be bad for guests to get dust on them?"

"Um..." Mo Hua observed the array again carefully and said, "This dust is a cheap spice. Ordinary cultivators who don't understand arrays will only think they've gotten rouge on themselves, and won't realize this is the effect of the array."

"And the power of the Manifest Dust Array is limited. This dust will only last for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and will gradually disappear..."

"One cup of tea..." Bai Zisheng frowned. "Is that to prevent someone from sneaking into the brothel to peep?"

"Should be..." Then Mo Hua was a little puzzled again. "Who would have nothing better to do than go to a brothel to peep?"

Bai Zisheng looked at Mo Hua, then at Bai Zixi, then lowered his head to look at himself, and weakly said, "The three of us, aren't we just trying to sneak in to peep?"

Mo Hua was stunned for a moment, thought with a frown, and then said seriously, "We are investigating clues, it's proper business, it doesn't count as peeping."

Bai Zisheng nodded. "Makes sense!"

Bai Zixi looked at these two people, her eyes a little helpless.

"Since there's a Manifest Dust Array, how do we get in?"

Bai Zisheng asked again.

Mo Hua was also a little troubled. "I can indeed solve the array, but it's a bit difficult to do it without attracting attention..."

"Then for now, let's go back?"

Mo Hua thought for a moment and nodded. "Let's go back for now. There's still a Foundation Establishment cultivator inside the brothel. If we stay here for too long, he'll probably detect us."

Mo Hua wasn't afraid of this point.

Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't see through his hiding technique either.

But it wasn't good to say for Little Senior Brother and Little Senior Sister.

The three of them then secretly left again.

Bai Zisheng muttered on the way, "A brothel, and they even have a Foundation Establishment cultivator guarding it..."

If there wasn't a Foundation Establishment cultivator, their actions would be much more convenient.

He simply didn't put ordinary Qi Refining cultivators in his eyes.

Mo Hua said, "This means there are many troublemakers in the brothel, and they earn a lot of spirit stones."

Bai Zisheng thought about it and nodded.

Mo Hua thought of the mine cultivators who risked their lives in the mine for one spirit stone a day, and sighed slightly.

The more improper the trade, the more spirit stones it earns...

The gray-clothed cultivator appeared in Baihua Building.

Mo Hua wanted to go into Baihua Building to look, but time was short, and he couldn't think of a good way for a while.

Baihua Building had too much flow of people, it was not good to secretly blend in.

The main problem was still the Manifest Dust Array.

The Manifest Dust Array was easy to handle, but not easy to handle without anyone knowing.

Moreover, besides the Manifest Dust Array at the door, inside Baihua Building, on doors, windows, corridors, roof beams, and fronts, there were probably some tiny Manifest Dust Arrays everywhere to prevent people from peeping.

Mo Hua was a little dissatisfied.

It must be some cultivators who used hiding techniques to do bad things.

Making him now want to use hiding techniques to do some proper business, catch a bad guy, and still be guarded to death.

To guard against villains, even gentlemen were guarded...

A few days passed, and there was still no progress.

Mo Hua was thinking about beating around the bush and seeing if he could inquire about some clues from other cultivators.

The best candidate was Elder Su.

He was a first-grade array master, and also a Foundation Establishment Elder of the South Yue Sect, with very wide connections and definitely well-informed.

But Mo Hua was not sure if Elder Su had any connection with this matter, so he asked quite implicitly, and the conversation was very cautious.

"Elder Su, what are some fun things on Jinhua Street?"

Elder Su was not surprised.

Although Mo Hua was a first-grade array master, he was still young after all, with a child's nature, and it was normal to be a little greedy for fun in different places.

Elder Su then eloquently told Mo Hua.

Jinhua Street was the most prosperous place in the entire South Yue City.

What festivals, what scenery, what places to eat...

Which restaurant's dish was well-made, which tavern's wine was best to drink, which teahouse's tea was most mellow...

As they chatted more, Elder Su would unconsciously go off on a tangent.

For example, which gambling house's table was easiest to win, and which building's female cultivator was most...

Elder Su stopped talking here.

"Most what?" Mo Hua asked.

Elder Su was sweating all over, and awkwardly said, "Not suitable for children, not suitable for children..."

Mo Hua was suspicious. "Elder Su, you're very familiar with this kind of thing..."

Elder Su was greatly shocked. "No, no, I'm not... don't slander people's purity!"

"Oh..." Mo Hua obviously didn't believe him.

Elder Su smiled awkwardly again.

Mo Hua still wanted to inquire more, but saw the disciple walk over and whisper something to Elder Su.

Elder Su's face showed difficulty.

Mo Hua then understandingly said, "Elder Su, you are busy, I'll take my leave first."

Elder Su also quickly stood up to return the courtesy. "There are guests visiting, I'm really sorry. Another day I'll prepare a good wine and banquet to apologize to Little Mister."

Mo Hua waved his hand. "Elder is too polite."

In his heart, he was a little curious again about what kind of wine and banquet Elder Su could prepare, and what good food there would be.

Elder Su saw Mo Hua out. Just as they reached the courtyard, they met a cultivator in splendid brocade clothes, a middle-aged man with a handsome appearance and a gentle and elegant demeanor.

Mo Hua was a little surprised. "Land Family Master?"

The person was exactly the Land family master who had a meeting with Mo Hua.

And the guest Elder Su was going to entertain should be this Land family master.

Mo Hua knew from Elder Su's mouth that the Land family master's name was Land Chengyun.

Land Chengyun saw Mo Hua, was not surprised, and said with a smile and a gentle tone, "Little Mister Mo."

They greeted each other and exchanged pleasantries.

Mo Hua simply exchanged a few more words, then planned to leave, but was stopped by Land Chengyun.

"Little Mister can drink tea together."

Mo Hua was a little puzzled. "Don't you have something to talk about with Elder Su?"

Land Chengyun said, "Nothing important, just exchanging some array insights. Little Mister is also an array master, and your array attainments are not bad, so why not chat together?"

Mo Hua thought for a moment and agreed.

There were definitely problems with the Land family's mine.

But he was not familiar with the Land family.

And having some contact with the Land family master, who knows, there might be some clues.

But Land Chengyun could be the family master, so his schemes were naturally very deep. He chatted with Mo Hua for half a day without mentioning the mine or the mine cultivators at all, just purely chatted about arrays.

And Land Chengyun's array attainments also surprised Mo Hua.

A family master was busy with family affairs, and might not necessarily have the time and inclination to study arrays, but Land Chengyun's array knowledge was actually more profound than Elder Su's.

No wonder he was very close to Elder Su.

After chatting about more array topics, Land Chengyun's attitude towards Mo Hua became even more kind, with undisguised appreciation in his gaze.

Land Chengyun paused for a bit, and suddenly asked, "Little Mister Mo, have you ever married?"

Mo Hua was just drinking tea, and upon hearing this, he choked on a mouthful. "Still... not yet..."

Land Chengyun's eyes brightened even more. "I don't know..."

Mo Hua coughed and said awkwardly, "I'm still young, so I'm not considering it for now."

Land Chengyun wasn't unhappy, but showed an understanding expression, and secretly stuffed a booklet to Mo Hua.

"This is a part of the Land family's genealogy."

Land Chengyun didn't say the rest, just gave Mo Hua a meaningful look.

Mo Hua lightly flipped open the genealogy and found that all the people recorded on it were the Land family's direct descendants, and they were all marriageable females.

Flipping to the back were portraits of beautiful female cultivators, one by one.

Mo Hua was a little helpless.

Land Chengyun smiled faintly, and Elder Su silently drank tea, pretending not to see anything.

After drinking tea and chatting about arrays, Land Chengyun then stood up to leave.

Before leaving, Land Chengyun patted Mo Hua again and said lightly, "No hurry, take your time."

Mo Hua didn't know what to say.

Land Chengyun turned to leave, and as if suddenly remembering something, turned back and said to Mo Hua, "Land has a doubt, I wonder if I can ask Little Mister?"

Mo Hua was slightly startled, and nodded. "You ask."

"It may be a little impolite."

"It doesn't matter."

Land Chengyun nodded and asked, "Little Mister's whole body's aura is obscure, and cannot be scouted with divine sense. Could it be... you have a spirit tool that covers your aura?"

Mo Hua's gaze shifted slightly, and then he said sincerely, "That's right, Family Master's eyesight is truly good!"

Land Chengyun was relieved, then cupped his hands. "I'll take my leave. If I have time another day, I'll chat about arrays with Little Mister again."

Mo Hua also cupped his hands. "Land Family Master, walk slowly."

After Land Chengyun left, Elder Su also slowly breathed out and said to Mo Hua, "He is the family master, doing so is within his duty and reasonable, however..."

Elder Su hesitated a little.

"However what?" Mo Hua asked curiously.

Elder Su thought for a moment, and sighed. "There are many matters in the Land family, it's better not to get involved if you can."

Mo Hua nodded.

Elder Su looked at Mo Hua, his gaze slightly condensed, his expression a little complex, and slowly asked, "Little Mister Mo, you came here to me with a purpose, right?"

Mo Hua was slightly startled. "How did you know?"

Elder Su said expressionlessly, "You've been coming to me here these days, beating around the bush. You should want to ask about something..."

"But this matter is a little secret, not good to say directly, so you didn't ask directly, but found some excuses, pulling here and there, wanting to inquire about some news from my mouth."

Mo Hua was silent.

Elder Su's gaze was slightly cold.

He just knew that this little array master must have schemes.

Elder Su picked up the teacup, skimmed the tea foam, his gaze as unpredictable as the tea water. "Little Mister Mo, what exactly do you want to do?"

Since things had come to this point, Mo Hua no longer needed to hide.

He said with a serious expression, "Elder Su, I want to go to a brothel!"

Elder Su sprayed out a mouthful of tea.

(End of this chapter)