Chapter 460: Lu Family

The Lu family's mine is a corpse mine, hiding zombies inside. The five missing mineral cultivators who turned up dead with miserable appearances were simply eaten by the zombies inside the mine. Zhang Quan killed people, bought corpses, refined corpses, and then sent the refined zombies to the Lu family. And the Lu family hid these zombies in the mine. They also set up dense arrays to seal these zombies and prevent anyone from detecting them.

Mo Hua frowned. What exactly did the Lu family want to do? What was the identity of that traitor in the Lu family?

Mo Hua looked at the tightly guarded mine entrance. To be able to mobilize so much manpower and resources, set up arrays, and guard the mine, that traitor in the Lu family must be at least a high-ranking elder or a highly respected guest elder. As long as they caught this traitor, everything would be easily resolved.

"But who exactly is this traitor..." Mo Hua had no clue for a while. After returning, he kept thinking about it. Even while eating, his mind was elsewhere, and he would absentmindedly stare blankly while eating.

Bai Zixi nudged him with her arm and said softly, "Eat your meal properly."

"Oh." Mo Hua snapped back to his senses and nodded.

Bai Zisheng then leaned over and asked softly, "What are you thinking about?"

Mo Hua looked up at Mr. Zhuang, saw him engrossed in drinking wine and not paying attention to their whispers, and then also said softly, "I'm thinking about the Lu family matter."

"What matter?" Bai Zisheng's eyes lit up.

Mo Hua hesitated for a moment, feeling there was no need to hide it. He told Bai Zisheng about the traitor in the Xiao Lingyin Sect, the Lu family's mine, and the raising of zombies.

Bai Zisheng smacked his lips and said, "I knew it, the Lu family is not a good bunch." Then he knitted his brows tightly again and said doubtfully, "Our Bai family wouldn't also..."

Bai Zixi said helplessly, "The Bai family was founded on military merit."

Bai Zisheng was startled and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Military merit was good... That was all gained on the battlefield with bright blades and guns.

Bai Zisheng then asked Mo Hua, "So, what do you plan to do?"

"I want to find the traitor from the Xiao Lingyin Sect hiding in the Lu family." Mo Hua thought, "The complete Ling Shu Array is definitely on him; buying zombies with Zhang Quan was probably him; leading the Lu family to hoard zombies and build a corpse mine, it should still be him..."

"Want help?" Bai Zisheng was eager to try.

Bai Zixi also looked at Mo Hua, her unspoken meaning clear.

Mo Hua hesitated for a moment and nodded, "Okay." One fence needs three stakes, and one good man needs three helpers. He couldn't manage this alone. With the help of his junior and junior sister, it should be much smoother.

Mr. Zhuang, drinking wine, glanced at his three young disciples huddled together, muttering and discussing something. His expression was somewhat gratified. Suddenly, a sense of longing arose in his heart. In a trance, he saw his three young disciples from that year, huddled together cultivating and playing. But in a flash, everything vanished like smoke and dispersed like clouds. Time flies, things change, and people are gone. Mr. Zhuang's expression was melancholic, and he sighed slightly...

After finishing the meal, the three of them went their separate ways to inquire about news of the Lu family. Mo Hua first went to find the broker. The one who had sold him the cave mansion, who had a glib tongue and looked smart.

When the broker saw Mo Hua, his expression was respectful, and within that respect, there was still a hint of fear. When Mo Hua specifically asked for him, he still seemed a bit hesitant. "Little mister, could you... choose someone else?"

Mo Hua was puzzled, "Why?"

The broker laughed awkwardly. The last time he brought Mo Hua to look at cave mansions, Mo Hua's sharp eyes found fault with more than ten places, dismissed the cave mansion's arrays as useless, and then slashed the price by almost half. Now, when he saw Mo Hua's clear yet profound eyes, he felt intimidated. Although Young Master Zheng didn't blame him for that incident, it made him unable to hold his head high in front of his peers. Now others gave him the nickname "chop half." It meant that when bargaining with him, you should first chop the price in half.

The broker then tactfully refused, "My ability is insufficient, I can't..."

Mo Hua stuffed two spirit stones into his hand and comforted him, "I'm just looking, not buying."

These two spirit stones warmed the broker's heart. The broker hesitated for a moment and said hopefully, "Really just looking, not buying?"

"Mhm mhm." Mo Hua's expression was sincere, and his gaze was pure.

The broker couldn't refuse Mo Hua, and of course, he couldn't refuse the spirit stones in his hand even more. And Mo Hua said he wasn't buying. Not buying was good. If he didn't buy, he wouldn't slash the price...

"Okay." The broker readily agreed.

So he led the way and accompanied Mo Hua, strolling among some cave mansions on the big street north of South Yue City. These cave mansions were all property of the Lu family. Mo Hua also conveniently asked about some news of the Lu family. As he asked, the broker realized something was wrong. But he didn't dare to ask directly, only saying ambiguously, "Little mister, are you... holding a grudge against the Lu family?"

"It's not really a grudge..." Mo Hua pretended to be a little embarrassed, "It's just... the Lu family master wants me to marry a girl from the Lu family, and I... I'm not familiar with the place, so I just wanted to quietly ask about the situation of the Lu family..."

Marry a girl from the Lu family? Marry into the family? The broker's expression was both admiring and pitiful. To have the Lu family master personally propose a marriage and ask him to marry in, this little mister was truly extraordinary. But it was a pity that he was just marrying in. In this day and age, which truly capable cultivator would be willing to marry in?

The broker still had a good impression of Mo Hua. Although Mo Hua had deeply hurt him when he slashed the price. The broker wrestled with it for a moment and still advised him, "Little mister, what I'm about to say might not be very pleasant, but the Lu family... may not be a good place. If you want to enter the Lu family, it's better to be cautious..."

Mo Hua's gaze shifted slightly, and after sighing, he said, "I don't want to either, but..." Mo Hua's face flushed slightly, "The Lu family's young lady is indeed... good-looking."

The broker was startled, then furrowed his brows, and after a moment, nodded and said, "Indeed." Being good-looking, this reason was indeed flawless. For the sake of a good-looking girl he admired, marrying in was acceptable. Mo Hua looked innocent and pure. The broker didn't doubt him. Even his attitude became more enthusiastic. Now, Mo Hua didn't even need to ask, and he poured out everything he knew about the Lu family like a bamboo tube pouring beans.

"The most powerful family member is the family master, who is said to already have a cultivation base in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment..."

"Below the family master are some high-ranking elders, one or two in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, others mostly in the early-stage of Foundation Establishment. They are all considered the family master's confidants and are also considered direct descendants of the Lu family..."

"If you marry in, you will choose from these branches..."

"It's best to be related to the Lu family master, so you can receive the family master's favor, and your future prospects will also be good."

"Besides that, there are also some guest elders."

"Their status is aloof, and their power varies. Most of them are related to other families or sects."

"Of course, among these guest elders, there are also some who are low-key and don't show off."

"If you have good judgment, you can form a relationship with them and marry into their family. Who knows, you might have a pleasant surprise and get some ancient secret inheritance."

"Below the high-ranking elders are some general elders."

"Ordinary elders with no real power; side branches, elders with thin blood ties; marginal guest elders; offerings with no ability, etc."

"There's no need to cling to these..."

"Especially for an array master like you, little mister."

"Of course." The broker paused for a moment and then said, "Unless their younger generation of female cultivators are absolutely beautiful, devastatingly gorgeous, that's another story."

The broker thought for a moment and then advised him again, "But even so, in my opinion, it's still not good to marry in."

"Beauty cannot be eaten as food; you cannot make a mistake in cultivation because of it..."

"If you marry in, you are marrying into power and interests, and you cannot act on impulse and only look at beauty..."

The broker's words were very reasonable. Suddenly, he looked at Mo Hua again, felt pity, and then asked, "Little mister, have you considered... your little senior sister?"

Mo Hua was startled, "Consider what?"

"Forming a relationship?"

This time, Mo Hua's face was truly red, his expression slightly angry, and he said angrily, "She is my little senior sister!"

The broker muttered in his heart, "What's wrong with a senior sister? A senior sister is just right..." They were disciples of the same master, childhood sweethearts. And she was truly good-looking. She was both dignified and beautiful. The two of them standing together, one with clear eyebrows and bright eyes, the other with bright eyes and white teeth, like a golden boy and a jade girl, looked very well-matched. But he only dared to say these words in his heart.

Afterward, Mo Hua asked about some more matters concerning the Lu family. He even inquired about the elders, guest elders, and offerings one by one and recorded them on paper. He planned to go back and investigate thoroughly to see who was most likely the traitor from the Xiao Lingyin Sect. The broker still thought Mo Hua was considering the matter of marrying in and was filled with endless regret.

After that, Mo Hua went to the South Yue Inn and found Qing Lan. After the matter of the Hundred Flowers Building, Situ Fang asked the madam for Qing Lan's body contract and brought Qing Lan out, arranging for her to stay in the inn. Qing Lan helped clean the inn and helped in the kitchen, supporting herself. She was from a poor miner cultivator background, steady and diligent. After leaving the Hundred Flowers Building, she no longer had to compromise herself and serve people with her beauty. Her whole spirit was also much better.

When she saw Mo Hua, Qing Lan was both grateful and happy. She personally brewed tea and brought pastries for Mo Hua to eat. Mo Hua then asked, "Sister Qing Lan, can I ask you some questions? They are related to the Lu family."

Qing Lan was slightly startled, then nodded and said, "Okay, you ask. I'll tell you everything I know."

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then started asking from Jin Hua Street. Qing Lan had stayed on Jin Hua Street for a long time and had come into contact with many cultivators. She should have heard quite a bit of news.

Qing Lan thought for a moment and then slowly opened her mouth and said, "The matter of Jin Hua Street has to start with the already deceased old ancestor of the Lu family..."

(End of this chapter)