Chapter 682: Snatch Back

These hundred additional points of merit are not a small number. I'm doing pretty well myself, after all, I still have array methods that can make up for it, but Cheng Mo and the others might have just made a trip for nothing.

There are many sect disciples and few tasks, so merit is precious. Cheng Mo and the others have shallow experience, so earning these hundred-plus points of merit might not be easy. As their senior brother, I can't let my "junior brothers" suffer losses. What's more, after finally catching the He River Dragon, it was snatched away by Duan Jin Gate relying on their power to bully people. If this spreads, it will definitely damage Tai Xu Gate's reputation and make people think Tai Xu Gate is afraid of Duan Jin Gate. Personal honor and disgrace are small matters, but the sect's face is a big one. For the sake of the sect's face, this slight must be contended for!

Mo Hua nodded with a serious face.

Cheng Mo and the others were startled, then their eyes brightened. Their previous disappointment was completely swept away, and their spirits were also lifted. However, after thinking for a bit, they were still a little uneasy.

"Mo Hua... can we really beat them...?"

"Yeah, there are seven or eight of them, and they're all in the middle stage of Foundation Building..."

"Don't worry," Mo Hua said, "I just concealed myself and observed. They split into two groups. One group is showing off their power, following that 'Jin Grass Package,' while the other group only has two people, escorting the He River Dragon towards the Dao Court Division."

Cheng Mo and the others' expressions brightened.

Mo Hua analyzed:

"Two mid-stage Foundation Building cultivators, but their cultivation isn't deep. They are relatively weak within the same realm. Looking at their appearance, they have a puffed-up face, accustomed to 'relying on power to bully people.' They probably don't have much experience with real combat, so they should be easy to deal with..."

Then Mo Hua quietly arranged:

"I'll sneak ahead to set up an array method at that time and catch them off guard with an explosion, then everyone will attack together..."

"We don't want to be too heavy-handed. We can't take a life, we can't cause trouble for the sect, or for ourselves..."

"After all, we are people who speak reason. We only speak of 'propriety.' They snatched ours, and we'll snatch it back. We don't really have enmity with them to the point of wanting to kill them."

"So restrain yourselves a bit, and just beat them until they're half dead..."

Mo Hua said with a kind face.

Cheng Mo and the others: "..."

After Mo Hua finished speaking, he stood up to leave, but suddenly remembered something and said to Cheng Mo and the others:

"You all get a black cloth to cover your faces."

Cheng Mo was startled, "Why cover our faces? To hide from them?"

Si Tu Jian also asked doubtfully, "Even if we cover our faces, they can definitely guess it was us who made a move..."

After all, the two sides had just had a conflict, and now they were going to snatch someone. Those people from Duan Jin Gate, as long as they weren't fools, would definitely suspect them.

Mo Hua said very seriously, "This is a kind of 'propriety.' We always have to make an effort on the surface."

"If we cover our faces, we at least show them respect."

"If we don't cover our faces and openly snatch, it means we don't put them in our eyes at all, which is too impolite."

"Furthermore, I'm also doing this for their own good..."

"Think about it, two mid-stage Foundation Building cultivators, if they know they were openly snatched by a group of early-stage Foundation Building disciples, how sad would their hearts be..."

Mo Hua sighed, looking like he was thoughtfully considering others.

Hao Xuan suddenly realized and nodded, "Little Senior Brother, you really have a kind heart!"

Cheng Mo and the other three were speechless for a moment. Did Hao Xuan, this silly child, misunderstand the words "kind heart"...

Regardless, the plan was set, and the several people set off.

The Jin Gong Zi and the others from Duan Jin Gate did indeed split into two groups. Among them, two people were escorting the "on the verge of death" looking He River Dragon along a small path on the edge of the forest towards the nearby Dao Court Division.

Mo Hua quickly caught up with these two people, then gave Cheng Mo and the others a signal with his eyes. Cheng Mo and the others nodded, indicating they understood.

Afterwards, Mo Hua used the Small Five Elements Concealment Technique alone and circled ahead of these two Duan Jin Gate disciples. He preemptively set up a second-grade Earth Fire Array on the road about a li away. He didn't set up a powerful killing array to avoid taking the lives of these two Duan Jin Gate disciples, which would create karmic debt and cause trouble for himself and Cheng Mo. Although the Duan Jin Gate disciples looked bad, they shouldn't be bad enough to die.

Mo Hua remembered his "ordinary" array master identity, then properly buried the array disk, set traps, and concealed traces. After a while, the two disciples from Duan Jin Gate, indeed, were escorting the He River Dragon and came over from a distance.

Mo Hua hid to the side and heard the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer. At the same time, he also heard the sound of two people complaining:

"...Bitter chores are always left to us..."

"Damn it..."

"Just endure it. It's not bad that you weren't asked to do more 'dirty' work..."

"True..."

"I don't know when we can also get on the 'boat'..."

Another person said in a low voice, mocking, "What's your background? What grade is your family? Is that boat something someone of our status can get on?"

"Damn, looking at it makes my heart itch..."

"Don't mess around."

"I know, I just crave a bit. Damn, that kind of goods, if you can play with them once in a lifetime, you can die without regret..."

"Don't think about it..."

Mo Hua frowned. Get on the "boat"? What boat? He thought slightly, and the three words Fisherman Xiu had said before suddenly came to mind: Rouge Boat.

"What exactly is this Rouge Boat used for? Is it related to Jin Gong Zi... or rather, to these Duan Jin Gate disciples?" Mo Hua's eyes showed thought.

Just at this moment, the two Duan Jin Gate disciples escorting the He River Dragon had already walked in front of the trap Mo Hua had set. It was already dark at this time. The two people were only busy chatting and didn't realize at all that a good road had already been set up with an array in advance.

As these two Duan Jin Gate disciples were walking, they suddenly stepped on something, the ground turned red, and with a "boom" sound, an explosion rang out. Torrential fire light suddenly erupted, directly engulfing these two people and the He River Dragon who was just being escorted. Mo Hua remembered that this He River Dragon had eaten a pill given by Jin Gong Zi, and his injuries had somewhat recovered, which was a hidden danger. So this array even blew him up together.

After the array exploded, Cheng Mo and the others who were ambushing far away immediately urged their body methods and rushed over. Several people covered their faces with black cloth and attacked together. Spears, staffs, swords, and axes were all unleashed, and they just beat these two Duan Jin Gate disciples and the He River Dragon in a round of attacks. Mo Hua just appropriately supplemented several spells from the side. After about a quarter of an hour, the three people were taken down.

The two Duan Jin Gate disciples were bruised and swollen, their faces full of panic. The He River Dragon spat out blood and felt even more unbelievable. They had no idea what had happened. They only knew that as they were walking, the array suddenly exploded, then they were surrounded and beaten, and suddenly they were subdued.

One Duan Jin Gate disciple raised his head and looked at Cheng Mo and the others from a bruised and swollen eye slit that was still bleeding. Seeing that Cheng Mo and the others had their faces covered with black cloth, this disciple couldn't help but say angrily:

"You... exactly who are you?! We are... Break..."

Yang Qian Jun stuffed his mouth with a rope, not letting him shout indiscriminately.

Another Duan Jin Gate disciple had a swollen left eye but an intact right eye. He managed to see faintly in the night light. Although he couldn't see the faces under the black cloth of the attackers, he could see a pair of large axes, a spiritual sword, and a long spear. In an instant, he understood.

"You... it's you all!"

Those several hateful little ghosts from Tai Xu Gate!

But before he could say it, Hao Xuan gave him a stick to the head and knocked him unconscious, then walked to the side of the other Duan Jin Gate disciple and also knocked him unconscious. This was instructed by Little Senior Brother. When hitting with a sneak attack stick, it should be simple, thorough, and make people lose their ability to resist. Hao Xuan engraved this in his heart.

Just like this, on the dark small road at night, only the He River Dragon was left. At this time, he also recognized that these several masked cultivators were exactly those hateful little sect ghosts who had sneak attacked him before! This further confirmed his previous guess. They set up an ambush with a fishing net, used array methods against the enemy, advanced and retreated with measure, and pressed step by step. Now they even killed a return carbine with a sneak attack at night. These few little ghosts absolutely couldn't have done this. Someone must be instructing them in the dark.

The He River Dragon's mouth was full of blood, his expression was solemn, and he gritted his teeth and said:

"Exactly who is instructing you all?"

Cheng Mo and the others didn't speak, with black cloth covering their faces, like four "bandits," they surrounded the He River Dragon. After a while, on the quiet small road, the sound of footsteps rang out. The person instructing them in the dark had come! The He River Dragon's heart pounded, and he looked up, only to find that there was no one in front of him. The He River Dragon's expression was startled. Just as he was perplexed, his pupils constricted.

A figure suddenly appeared in the originally empty space.

"Child?"

"No, not a child!"

This figure wasn't tall and looked a bit frail. Their face was covered with black and couldn't be seen clearly, and their figure melted into the night. They looked like a small cultivator, but they also brought a strange and oppressive feeling with their divine sense, like a young...

Small demon monster.

The He River Dragon knew, and he had also seen it personally, that some "people" in this world couldn't really be counted as "people." Terrible things were parasitic in their bodies... The He River Dragon's heart trembled a little. This person's head was also covered with black cloth, and their face couldn't be seen. The He River Dragon wasn't even sure if the face under the black cloth was that of a person or some other demon monster's appearance... Because a mind as meticulous as a demon's couldn't possibly belong to a small cultivator.

Then the He River Dragon discovered that this small cultivator who looked like a "person" was sizing him up with a cold divine sense... After a moment, he heard a childish, somewhat strange, crisp yet somewhat cruel voice say:

"Break his hands and feet, and take him away..."

The He River Dragon's pupils widened. He still wanted to struggle, but suddenly a sharp pain transmitted from his hands and feet, as if they were really being cut off. Then he took another blow to the back of the head and completely fainted.

Cheng Mo touched his chin, feeling a bit unsure, then asked Mo Hua:

"Is this... a bit too cruel?"

Mo Hua said seriously, "Being kind to bad people is true cruelty! So when dealing with bad people, be ruthless when you should be ruthless!"

Cheng Mo thought for a bit and nodded, "That's also true."

Si Tu Jian and the others pondered for a moment, also nodding in agreement, thinking that this was probably the experience Mo Hua had learned from the uncle in the Dao Court Division. The Dao Court Division deals with evil cultivators every day and has rich experience. If they all do this, it should be correct.

Having handled the matter here, the He River Dragon was also taken care of. Cheng Mo and the others threw the two Duan Jin Gate disciples into the grass. They were injured and disoriented, but it wasn't fatal, and they would wake up after a while. Afterwards, the group prepared to escort the "He River Dragon" to the Dao Court Division to receive the reward.

Mo Hua had originally planned to make the He River Dragon kneel on his "array method iron plate" for a bit to see if he could get some information. But after considering it, he decided against it. Jin Gong Zi had repeatedly warned the He River Dragon to keep his mouth shut like a bottle, not to open his mouth no matter who asked, and even if punishment was used, he might not necessarily be able to pry open his mouth. It was even possible that he would be forced to commit suicide.

The He River Dragon was on the list. Among the cultivators on that list, some had died, some had escaped, and not many were left. This He River Dragon was clearly an important figure, and he might be useful in catching bigger fish. Moreover, using array methods to force a confession was too conspicuous. Mo Hua also didn't want to leave too deep an impression on the He River Dragon.

The He River Dragon still had a storage bag. Mo Hua also flipped through it, but there were no particularly important items inside, not even confidential jade slips like transmission talismans. Either the recent situation was tense, and the He River Dragon didn't dare to carry confidential items on him, or they had just been taken away by Jin Gong Zi. However, there was one thing that Mo Hua was quite interested in, which was the "White Wave Jue" water-type merit method that the He River Dragon cultivated.

To be precise, this was a set of merit methods. Besides the merit method itself, there were also matching White Wave body methods and some secret methods for avoiding water demons. Mo Hua couldn't cultivate the merit method, but he could research the body methods and secret methods a bit. Cheng Mo and the others didn't need these things, so Mo Hua justifiably "appropriated" them.

Afterwards, the He River Dragon, with his hands and feet broken, was just like this sent into the Dao Court Division by Mo Hua and the others. After handling the procedures and handing him over, to avoid further complications and encountering people from Duan Jin Gate again, Mo Hua and the others just rode a carriage and set off on the road back to Tai Xu Gate.

In the carriage, Cheng Mo and the others were tired, but their expressions were joyful. Although this trip had some twists and turns, in the end, they had also avenged themselves, caught the He River Dragon, and earned merit. And they weren't afraid of Duan Jin Gate either. When they accidentally encountered them outside, the people from Duan Jin Gate were many and powerful, so they had to take a step back. But as long as they returned to the boundary of Qian Xue State, everyone had a sect, and they were all from families. Within the sect, they were also under the watchful eyes of elders and teachers, so they were not afraid of provocation from Duan Jin Gate.

Thinking that whether it was receiving the reward for this task or finally completing it, it all depended on Mo Hua, Cheng Mo then said somewhat sheepishly:

"Mo Hua, how about you take two hundred points? A hundred points for each of us is enough."

The others also echoed and nodded. Without Mo Hua, they might not have earned a single point of merit. Mo Hua shook his head and said, "We agreed on one hundred and two each. We should keep our word, and besides, without your help, I couldn't have caught the He River Dragon alone."

Cheng Mo and the others were extremely grateful to hear these words. Yang Qian Jun looked at Mo Hua, his gaze also more admiring.

"Okay then, we'll treat you to a big meal when we get back!" Cheng Mo said.

"Mm-hmm!"

Mo Hua was always open to something like eating a meal. Afterwards, the night deepened, and the carriage slowly moved. Cheng Mo and the others felt sleepy and just sat in meditation on the spot, closing their eyes to nourish their spirits.

Mo Hua sat by the window, looking at the hazy night outside, thinking about the experiences of this trip, his thoughts drifting. The He River Dragon and Jin Gong Zi knew each other, and judging by their tone, their relationship was very close. The He River Dragon mentioned the "blood oath list"... Could this list be the sin cultivator list that he got from Jiang Old Big? So, this list really wasn't Jiang Old Big's. If it wasn't Jiang Old Big's, then where did he get it from?

Mo Hua frowned, recalling the causes and effects before and after meeting Jiang Old Big, and everything he saw and heard. A faint guess arose in his heart: This list should have been stolen by Jiang Old Big. Jiang Old Big was once a disciple of Duan Jin Gate, but he should have been an outer disciple and didn't learn the core sword art. Feeling dissatisfied, he thought of stealing it. If he was going to steal, he could only steal from core disciples.

And when he stole, he accidentally stole two jade slips. One was the "Duan Jin Imperial Sword Art," and the other was the "Blood Oath List." Both of these jade slips were inheritance jade slips of Duan Jin Gate. As a disciple of Duan Jin Gate, Jiang Old Big should have had a way to unlock the "seal pattern" on them. But Jiang Old Big definitely couldn't unlock the dense pattern inside the "Blood Oath List." If he couldn't unlock the dense pattern, he couldn't see the list.

Jiang Old Big probably thought that this "list" jade slip was just a blank jade slip with a simple "added seal." So, he wrote his diary inside... As for the "list," he probably knew nothing about it. He likely didn't know until his death that he had written his own diary on this important encrypted "Blood Oath List"...

Then the problem comes again... From whom exactly did Jiang Old Big steal these jade slips? Mo Hua's gaze slightly condensed. Could it be... that "Jin Gong Zi"?

Mo Hua again, according to his own experience, gradually filled in some causes and effects: Whether it was the Duan Jin Imperial Sword Art or the Blood Oath List, both of these jade slips were extremely precious and not something ordinary disciples could possess. This Jin Gong Zi was obviously not an ordinary disciple. It seemed reasonable that the jade slips were in his hand. And that Jiang Old Big could steal the jade slips from Jin Gong Zi, perhaps these two people were to some extent "acquaintances." Jiang Old Big had done things for Jin Gong Zi before. But with Jiang Old Big's cultivation, he was definitely an outer person. So, in order to elevate himself, he worked hard and took a risk, stealing Jin Gong Zi's sword art to have a trump card, and then went out on his own. Therefore, Jiang Old Big wouldn't use this Duan Jin Imperial Sword Art unless it was a matter of life and death. And for this Blood Oath List, he didn't know anything about it at all, and ignorant people are fearless, so he didn't reveal any flaws either.

Subsequently, another doubt arose in Mo Hua's heart. Then, after Jiang Old Big betrayed the sect, he formed a group, recruited "brothers," and engaged in the business of trafficking cultivators. Did Jin Gong Zi know or not? If he didn't know, it also seemed a bit impossible... But if he knew, would Jin Gong Zi indulge Jiang Old Big in doing so? Or rather...

Mo Hua's gaze slightly deepened. This Jiang Old Big might have betrayed the sect and engaged in some illegal activities only under Jin Gong Zi's "instruction." It was just that Jin Gong Zi himself might not have known that Jiang Old Big had stolen his jade slip. Even in the end, in the eyes of the arrogant Jin Gong Zi, this Jiang Old Big might have been just a peripheral "lackey," a "tool man" for trafficking cultivators... And if Jiang Old Big trafficked cultivators with Jin Gong Zi's support and planning in the dark, then this Jin Gong Zi, could he be... one of those black-clothed human traffickers?

Mo Hua's gaze became increasingly serious. A core disciple of the solemn Duan Jin Gate, one of the twelve streams in the boundary of Qian Xue State, a direct descendant of the family, could possibly be the mastermind behind the trafficking of cultivators... And behind him, there were also so-called "Young Masters"... Did Duan Jin Gate know about these matters? What about the other sects? Did they know? Did the various families in Qian State know? Among the families, could those old ancestors who spied on the secrets of heaven not calculate anything at all?

Mo Hua's brows furrowed tightly as he looked at the deep dark night outside the carriage window. He faintly felt that a huge conspiracy was brewing. Beneath the surface of prosperity, the darkness in the boundary of Qian Xue State also seemed to want to gradually surface...

(End of this chapter)