Chapter 623: Little Neighbor

Without waiting for Gu Changhuai to react, Mo Hua took the initiative and asked, "Uncle Gu, can you issue a mission for the Dao Ting Si?"

Gu Changhuai was startled, feeling displeased. This little brat was being so "self-familiar," making it seem like they were very close. Gu Changhuai looked at Mo Hua, his expression wary, and asked, "What do you want to do?"

"I'm just asking," Mo Hua said casually, then revealed eyes like a little fox. "Suppose..." Mo Hua emphasized, "I said suppose, I accidentally learned a clue about a Sin Xiu. Can you issue a mission through the Dao Ting Si?"

Gu Changhuai frowned and refused, saying, "The Dao Ting Si has its own regulations for its actions. Issuing sect rewards also requires careful deliberation by the Jing Si. How can it be casually issued?"

Mo Hua nodded, instantly understanding. Careful, deliberate, not casual... The implication was that it depended on intention. Whether it was careful, deliberate, or casual all depended on the subjective judgment of the Jing Si; there were no objective rules. Uncle Gu, as the Jing Si, indeed had the authority to issue rewards if he decided to!

Gu Changhuai looked at the clever Mo Hua, not knowing for a moment what Mo Hua had figured out, and frowned, asking, "Why are you asking this...?" Halfway through the question, he suddenly realized. That wasn't right; he was the one asking the questions, but this kid hadn't answered yet. He had come here to investigate Mo Hua's relationship with the death of Jiang Laoda. As a result, before he knew it, Mo Hua had pulled the topic here and there, completely leading him astray.

Gu Changhuai's face grew stern. "I asked first; you answer first."

"What did you ask?" Mo Hua blinked.

Gu Changhuai's head ached slightly, then he repeated his question, "Do you know the Fireball Technique?"

Mo Hua didn't hide it and nodded, saying, "The Fireball Technique... It's quite difficult *not* to know this spell..." The Fireball Technique was one of the most basic and widely used spells for cultivators. Mo Hua's face was calm.

Gu Changhuai looked at Mo Hua. Even with his experience as the Jing Si of the Dao Ting Si, he couldn't see any emotion or unease on Mo Hua's slightly childish face. He instantly judged that this was a little "slippery" one, impervious to interrogation; he couldn't get anything out of him.

Gu Changhuai thought for a moment, his gaze sinking slightly. He simply asked directly, "Were those human traffickers who kidnapped Yu'er killed by you?" Having said this, Gu Changhuai's gaze was like a sword, staring directly at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua actually wanted to evade the question, but he felt that later he would have many things to entrust to Uncle Gu, who was the Jing Si of the Dao Ting Si. Therefore, there must be basic trust between the two of them; lying wasn't good. Mo Hua nodded and said, "Yes!" Mo Hua admitted it very straightforwardly.

Gu Changhuai was startled. His thoughts crashed for an instant. He had envisioned many scenarios, but he hadn't expected that Mo Hua would admit it directly upon being asked. This made it impossible for him to say many of the things he had planned to say.

Gu Changhuai hesitated for a long time before asking, "How did you kill them?"

Mo Hua replied, "I used the Fireball Technique and slaughtered all those human traffickers!"

Gu Changhuai thought, 'Indeed.' This matched what he had envisioned. But he instantly hesitated again, pondering this sentence for a long time in his heart before shaking his head and saying, "Impossible..."

Using the Fireball Technique... How could he kill them? This kid, Mo Hua, was at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. Those ten or so human traffickers were all at least at the Foundation Establishment stage as well, and they had cultivated for many years, were experienced, and their cultivation was much deeper than Mo Hua's.

Using the Fireball Technique... Gu Changhuai really couldn't figure out how to kill more than ten cultivators of the same level using a low-level Fireball Technique. Even killing one would be difficult...

Mo Hua's face was helpless. "I don't say anything, you suspect me. I tell the truth, and you don't believe me. Uncle Gu, you're making this very difficult for me..."

Gu Changhuai paused, also feeling a bit apologetic, but he still insisted, "It definitely wasn't purely the Fireball Technique."

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then said, "Or... I set up an array beforehand, heavily injuring them with it, and then used the Fireball Technique to finish them off and take their lives. How about that?"

Gu Changhuai followed Mo Hua's line of thought and thought for a moment, involuntarily agreeing, "That's indeed more reasonable..."

"Then like that?"

Gu Changhuai nodded involuntarily, but halfway through the nod, he was startled again and said in a bad mood, "What do you mean 'then like that'! You're in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, only ten or so years old. Where could you set up such a powerful killing array?"

Mo Hua again said truthfully, "My arrays are very powerful!"

Gu Changhuai obviously didn't believe him.

"My specialty is arrays ever since I entered the Tai Xu Sect!" Mo Hua said again.

Gu Changhuai didn't know what to say. How could he not know that Mo Hua was his cousin's nephew, who had spent a lot of spirit stones and pulled many strings just to get into the Tai Xu Sect? Saying that his specialty was arrays was just a facade, an excuse. What kind of array could a kid from a remote small immortal city in Li State, with a middle-to-lower grade Five Elements spirit root, be proficient in? And he could even set up a killing array to kill more than ten human traffickers. He should at least check the facts before bragging.

Gu Changhuai lightly snorted.

Mo Hua sighed, feeling very helpless. Every time he wanted to treat people sincerely, others always didn't believe him. There was nothing he could do. "My arrays are really very powerful!" Mo Hua emphasized again.

"Oh," Gu Changhuai said faintly.

'If you don't believe me, so be it...' Mo Hua pursed his lips, too lazy to say anything more.

Gu Changhuai then thought of another matter and asked again, "That Jiang Laoda... displayed the Imperial Sword Art before he died, which had enormous power. How could you be unharmed?"

Just as Mo Hua was about to speak, Gu Changhuai interrupted him, saying, "Don't tell me you just got lucky and dodged it..."

Mo Hua stammered, "I... was going to say that..."

Gu Changhuai rubbed his eyebrows, feeling a terrible headache. He had been asking for a long time, and he fundamentally didn't know which sentence Mo Hua said was true and which was false. Or which truth was mixed with some lies, and which lie was mixed with some truth...

He couldn't use torture either. Threaten him with the "Dao Ting Si"... Looking at his self-familiar appearance, he wasn't afraid at all. Moreover, his cousin would definitely favor this kid. If he went too far, he would inevitably upset his cousin. It seemed there was really no way to deal with this kid named Mo...

"Never mind..." Gu Changhuai thought back and forth, and finally sighed. "I won't ask about Jiang Laoda's matter..." Gu Changhuai's face showed a stern expression.

They were just a bunch of utterly heartless human traffickers. Even if others didn't kill them, he would. Furthermore, they kidnapped Yu'er, so he would never let them go. Gu Changhuai actually didn't care whether Mo Hua personally killed those human traffickers. He just wanted to confirm one thing through Jiang Laoda's death.

Looking at it now, Mo Hua wasn't old, but he was very scheming and deep. He couldn't see through him, and he couldn't guess, so he could only ask directly... Gu Changhuai's expression was serious, his gaze like a sword, staring directly at Mo Hua. "Did you deliberately approach Yu'er..." "Do you... have other intentions?"

Mo Hua suddenly realized. He then understood that Gu Changhuai genuinely cared about Aunt Wan and Yu'er. Although they were cousins, their affection for each other seemed no less than that of real siblings. As for Yu'er's matter... His encounter with Yu'er was indeed a coincidence. As for whether there were other causal calculations, he wasn't clear. Yu'er was a well-behaved and lovely child with a pure heart. Even without any causal benefit, within his ability, he would definitely save her. Gu Changhuai's concern for Yu'er and suspicion of him was also reasonable. As a "grown-up," he would be magnanimous and not argue with him.

Just as Mo Hua was about to speak, he suddenly heard a crisp and childish, joyful voice shout, "Brother Mo!"

Mo Hua looked surprised and turned his head. He saw a child wearing a miniature black and white Tai Xu Dao robe, with his hair tied up, opening his arms and taking small steps, running towards him happily.

Mo Hua was a little stunned. "Yu'er?"

On the other side, Gu Changhuai was also stunned. And as Yu'er ran halfway, he saw Gu Changhuai opposite Mo Hua, and his smile immediately disappeared. He restrained himself, bowed respectfully, and unfamiliarity called out, "Uncle Gu, hello."

"Mm..." Gu Changhuai's face was a bit stiff. He wanted to show an amiable smile and get closer to Yu'er, but because of his usual habits, he couldn't hide the coldness between his eyebrows. Looking up, he seemed... fierce.

Yu'er's small feet moved back a bit, and he turned his head to secretly look at Mo Hua. Mo Hua smiled and waved at him. Yu'er's small face immediately brightened up, and his small legs quickly walked forward a few steps and immediately扑 into Mo Hua's arms.

Gu Changhuai watched, feeling both sour and envious in his heart, his teeth almost biting through.

Mo Hua touched Yu'er's head and asked in confusion, "How did you come?"

Yu'er showed his small face and smiled, "I want to enter the Tai Xu Sect!"

"Tai Xu Sect?" Mo Hua was very surprised. On the side, Gu Changhuai was even more disbelieving. If Mo Hua was in the Tai Xu Sect and really harbored ill intentions, wouldn't Yu'er entering the Tai Xu Sect be... sending a sheep into a tiger's mouth? Gu Changhuai's eyebrows furrowed tightly.

After a while, a tall, muscular man with a deep aura and a square, steady face walked over. He bowed respectfully to Gu Changhuai and Mo Hua. "Young Master Gu, Young Master Mo."

The usually arrogant Gu Changhuai also had a serious expression and returned the bow. Mo Hua followed suit, but his expression was a bit puzzled.

The big man then said in a deep voice, "I am Wen Ren Wei, a guard of the Wen Ren family. I will follow the young master into the sect to take care of his daily life. Please take care of him, Young Master Mo." Wen Ren Wei's attitude was gentle but not humble or arrogant.

Mo Hua smiled very politely, "Uncle Wei, hello." Wen Ren Wei's expression remained unchanged, but his gaze also involuntarily softened a bit.

Gu Changhuai was still very confused, "Yu'er is so young, how could he enter the Tai Xu Sect? This doesn't conform to the rules..."

Wen Ren Wei only said, "This is the big young lady's intention." The implication was that he only followed orders and had no right to decide.

Gu Changhuai frowned. Wen Ren Wei remained silent. Mo Hua was teasing Yu'er by pinching his small face. Yu'er was clinging to Mo Hua, staying by Mo Hua's side, his face full of satisfaction.

After a moment, Wen Ren Wan and a graceful female elder wearing a Tai Xu Dao robe walked over hand in hand. The two of them were talking and laughing all the way, clearly having a very good relationship. As they approached, Wen Ren Wan greeted Mo Hua, then introduced, "Mo Hua, this is Elder Murong of the inner sect."

Elder Murong? Mo Hua's heart stirred. With the surname Murong, could she be related to Senior Sister Murong Caiyun? He then respectfully bowed and said, "Elder Murong, hello."

Elder Murong smiled and nodded, saying softly, "This is the Mo Hua you mentioned..."

Wen Ren Wan smiled, "Mo Hua is a well-behaved and sensible child, diligent in cultivation. He's just from a scattered cultivation background and has no connections. Sister Murong, if you have the chance, please take care of him a bit in the Tai Xu Sect and don't let him be bullied..."

Elder Murong smiled slightly, "Sister, rest assured." She looked at Mo Hua, her gaze somewhat meaningful. The child that Old Mister Xun valued probably didn't need her to take care of him.

On the other side, Gu Changhuai's expression was even more complex, feeling helpless in his heart. This little brat was full of lies, very scheming, and extremely dangerous... He was only this age, with this cultivation, and had only entered the sect for half a year, but he could already follow his senior brothers and sisters to capture sinister and vicious Sin Xiu like Yin Lao Er. It was already good if he didn't bully his fellow disciples; who could still bully him...

Wen Ren Wan again spoke a few private words in a low voice with Elder Murong. Then she saw Gu Changhuai on the side and said somewhat surprised, "Changhuai, when did you get here?"

Gu Changhuai felt bitter in his heart. "I've been here all along..."

Wen Ren Wan didn't understand. "As a Jing Si, what are you doing here for no reason?"

Gu Changhuai sighed and said, "I came to find Mo Hua; there's a small matter."

Wen Ren Wan looked puzzled. "You're looking for Mo Hua?" She suddenly thought of something, her face sinking. "Did someone bully Mo Hua, and he came to your Dao Ting Si to report it?"

"No..." Gu Changhuai was tired in his heart. His cousin was good in every way, but sometimes she acted on emotion and couldn't see the facts clearly. But he couldn't say more, only saying, "Some small matters about the sect reward; I just need to clarify them and it'll be fine..."

Wen Ren Wan was somewhat disbelieving but didn't ask further. After she said a few more sentences to Elder Murong, Elder Murong then bid farewell, saying, "I'll go first. Yu'er's matters have all been handled properly..."

"Bring him into the sect and complete some procedures, and he will count as becoming a disciple of our Tai Xu Sect early..."

"However, there is no such precedent in the Tai Xu Sect, and he is still young, so for now, he will live in the disciple residence, taken care of by your family's guard."

"Regarding cultivation..."

"After all, during the Qi Refining period, the meridians need to be nourished and a solid foundation laid. We won't arrange his lessons; you can decide for yourself."

"After entering the sect, if you have any needs, come find me again..."

"We are like sisters; there is no need for politeness..."

Wen Ren Wan said gratefully, "Thank you very much, Sister Murong. This time, you broke the rules to let Yu'er enter the sect, which took quite some effort. I will visit you again another day to thank you."

Elder Murong shook her head. "Sister, you are too polite. I was just going with the flow..." The corner of her eye glanced at Mo Hua, who was just talking to Yu'er.

Letting a Qi Refining disciple enter the sect was indeed unprecedented in the Tai Xu Sect. Since they wanted to break the rules, they had to have the approval of the old ancestors. This matter was originally not agreed to by the ancestors. But later, for some unknown reason, Old Mister Xun heard about this matter. He didn't know what he calculated, but he unprecedentedly nodded his head in agreement, even opening the door wide... And the relationship between Yu'er and Mo Hua, she only found out later.

Elder Murong's eyes showed a trace of sudden realization. "Old Mister Xun doesn't say it, but in his heart, he might truly value this child extraordinarily..." This was absolutely unprecedented...

Elder Murong silently looked at Mo Hua again, then bid farewell and left.

Mo Hua also wanted to return to the sect. He actually still had some matters he wanted to discuss with Uncle Gu. He mainly wanted to find a way to make him agree to be his "inside man" in the Dao Ting Si, becoming a "tool person" for issuing missions. However, it was inconvenient now; he would have to find an opportunity later.

Just as Yu'er also wanted to enter the sect, Mo Hua said goodbye to Wen Ren Wan, then walked into the Tai Xu Sect's mountain gate with Yu'er.

Yu'er reluctantly bid farewell to his mother. Wen Ren Wei bowed respectfully to Wen Ren Wan and Gu Changhuai, silently following Mo Hua and the two of them into the Tai Xu Sect. He was a guard, responsible for taking care of Yu'er's daily life.

After the few people separated, there were no others around. Wen Ren Wan's gaze followed Yu'er's figure as he disappeared into the mountain forest, her expression slightly melancholic. Then she retracted her gaze and glared at Gu Changhuai, "Tell me, what are you thinking?"

Gu Changhuai was not as arrogant in front of Wen Ren Wan; instead, he said somewhat guiltily, "Sister, what are you talking about?"

Wen Ren Wan snorted, "I've watched you grow up since you were little. How could I not know what you're thinking? Why would you look for Mo Hua for no reason?"

"I..."

"Don't make excuses."

Gu Changhuai sighed, "I suspect he has ill intentions..."

Wen Ren Wan frowned and said helplessly, "You, like your brother-in-law, just have too many thoughts, so you feel like everyone else has ulterior motives..."

"How you look at others is how others will look at you. If you play tricks on others, others will naturally play tricks on you."

Gu Changhuai smiled bitterly.

Wen Ren Wan saw him in this state, her heart softened a bit, and she said again, "I know you care about me and Yu'er, but don't trouble Mo Hua."

"If Mo Hua has any problems, help him more. He's a child with no family support, and it's not easy to cultivate in the sect." Wen Ren Wan finished, putting on her "older sister" demeanor, patted Gu Changhuai's shoulder, "If Mo Hua needs your help, help him if you can. Don't brush me off, and don't think of deceiving me." Wen Ren Wan looked into Gu Changhuai's eyes.

Gu Changhuai was very conflicted, and it took him a long time to say reluctantly, "I know..."

Wen Ren Wan was very satisfied, nodded, and said to Gu Changhuai, "Come back during the holidays, and I'll make you some jade crisps to eat."

Gu Changhuai sighed, saw Wen Ren Wan about to leave, and finally asked one more sentence, "Sister..." His gaze sank slightly. "Putting Yu'er into the Tai Xu Sect, are you really at ease...?"

Wen Ren Wan was startled, her body trembling. When she turned back, her originally clear and gentle face had lost some color, covered with a layer of reluctance, melancholy, and a trace of... fear.

"Sister..." Gu Changhuai didn't know what happened, his expression anxious.

Wen Ren Wan's thin face showed a trace of a bitter smile. "Changhuai..."

"I... had a nightmare..."

"In the dream, there was blood rain everywhere, and demons danced wildly..."

"Yu'er looked at me coldly, his gaze empty, his skin pale, his blood drained dry, his internal organs hollowed out, his divine sense sucked dry..."

"He asked me in a cold voice, asking me why I, his mother, didn't save him..."

Wen Ren Wan's chest felt heavy, her expression painful. "That was in a dream. No matter how I struggled, how much effort I put in, I couldn't save Yu'er..."

"Under the towering evil thoughts, the human heart is too weak..."

"I couldn't save him..."

"So, I can only hope..."

Wen Ren Wan's voice murmured, gradually becoming inaudible, and finally she raised her head to look towards Mount Tai Xu, her beautiful eyes containing humble hope, beautiful and fragile.

Gu Changhuai's mind was greatly shocked. He then realized that there were some matters he simply didn't know! And his cousin wasn't acting on impulse as he thought...

Gu Changhuai sighed deeply, his expression serious. "Sister, I know."

Inside the Tai Xu Sect.

Yu'er knew nothing about these matters. He just held Mo Hua's hand, happily, jumping and skipping forward, walking all the way to the disciple residence. Mo Hua swiped his Tai Xu Token, entered the door, and then discovered that little Yu'er also took out a small token. After swiping it, he also followed in.

Mo Hua was a little stunned. "Yu'er, you live here too?"

"Mm-hmm." Yu'er nodded happily.

Mo Hua walked inside and then discovered that Yu'er was still following him, all the way to the door of Mo Hua's Tai Yi Room Number Fifty. Only then did Yu'er stop. Mo Hua looked at Yu'er. Yu'er pointed his small hand to the side. "Brother Mo, I live here."

Mo Hua looked up and discovered that the empty disciple residence on his right had been cleaned and its doorplate unsealed. It was written: Tai Yi, Fifty-One.

Mo Hua's mouth dropped open. He hadn't expected that Yu'er would actually enter the Tai Xu Sect, and even become his little neighbor...

Wen Ren Wei, who was behind Yu'er, also cupped his hands and said, "Later, I will still need Young Master Mo to take more care."

Yu'er also smiled with squinting eyes and said, "Brother Mo, please take more care."

Mo Hua lowered his head, looked at Yu'er, whose eyes were shining, and smiled gently, "Okay."

Because there was a cultivation class in the afternoon, in order not to disturb Mo Hua, Wen Ren Wei brought Yu'er into the adjacent Tai Yi Room Number Fifty-One disciple residence. Yu'er waved at Mo Hua. Wen Ren Wei also followed him in.

Mo Hua suddenly called him back, "Uncle Wei."

Wen Ren Wei stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked at Mo Hua with a steady face. His words were very polite. "Young Master Mo, do you have any instructions?"

Mo Hua shook his head. "I'm not any young master. Just call me Mo Hua."

Wen Ren Wei nodded and didn't speak.

Mo Hua paused for a moment, his gaze deep. "If Yu'er has nightmares again, Uncle Wei, remember to call me..."

Wen Ren Wei's solemn expression was stunned for an instant. Then he seemed to understand something, a smile appeared on his face, and he nodded, "Okay."

(End of this chapter)