Chapter 825: Water Bandits

Dao Court forces are powerful, their relationships intricate, and their intelligence network is extremely strong. Although they may not always be able to uncover true secrets, at least through 'official' channels and surface clues, they can investigate very thoroughly.

This saved Mo Hua a lot of trouble.

If he had to personally find and check these things one by one, he probably wouldn't make any progress in a few months.

"As expected, methods need to be flexible. Occasionally, you need to learn to take shortcuts."

"Dao Court's thigh is not something you can't hug..."

Mo Hua nodded, then began to stare at the Smoke Water River Map in his hand.

The map marked the places where Water Yan Luo had appeared, as well as the Smoke Water River basin where he might be active.

Mo Hua didn't know exactly how Xia Dian Si had found out.

But Xia Dian Si was backed by Dao Court, so it didn't seem strange that she could find these things, at least it was within Mo Hua's expectations.

Water Yan Luo is a big fish.

Next, they could set a net and catch this big fish.

Many places were circled and dotted on the Smoke Water River Map.

These places might look like just a small area on the map, but placed on the vast Smoke Water River, they represented a large river domain.

"The area is still too large, it needs to be narrowed down further."

Mo Hua's understanding of the Smoke Water River, his judgment of the ferry locations where Water Yan Luo had appeared, his ponderings on Water Yan Luo's temperament and habits, and the series of clues he had previously found all emerged in his mind...

All of these became the causes.

Mo Hua's gaze was deep, his divine sense flowed, and from these various 'causes', he deduced the 'effect'.

On the Smoke Water River Map, strands of causal lines were faintly visible, outlining a net.

Without the Tianji Law Formula, without seniors to guide him, Mo Hua could only grope for the usage of Tianji techniques like this, based on objective facts and his own intuition and experience, little by little.

After a moment, the causal lines stretched along the river, and some of the marks overlapped.

Mo Hua remembered all these places, then turned his hand and sent them to Xia Dian Si.

"Sister Xia..."

"Call me 'Xia Dian Si'." The message came from the other side.

"Oh, Xia Dian Si," Mo Hua said, "According to my intelligence, these places on the map are very suspicious."

In the Dao Court Si, Xia Dian Si, who was still busy with affairs by candlelight, frowned slightly, "How did you know about these places?"

I calculated them...

Mo Hua said silently in his heart.

Of course, he couldn't say this out loud.

Mo Hua then vaguely said: "I don't know either, others told me."

Xia Dian Si shook her head slightly and transmitted a message: "Alright, I will find a time to personally go to the Smoke Water River to take a look."

A line on the map is actually a stretch of river.

It is indeed difficult to clarify the inside story without seeing it in person.

"Xia Dian Si, it's best to go the day after tomorrow," Mo Hua suggested.

"Why?" Xia Dian Si was puzzled.

"Because I have a rest day the day after tomorrow," Mo Hua said frankly.

Xia Dian Si was silent for a moment, her eyebrows raised slightly, "You want to go too?"

"Um!" Mo Hua said.

"But... you are only at the Foundation Building mid-stage, it's still quite dangerous," Xia Dian Si said with some concern.

"It doesn't matter," Mo Hua said, "I will bring Uncle Gu with me, he will protect me."

Xia Dian Si's expression was strange.

The way this child spoke, it was as if Gu Dian Si was his bodyguard...

Gu Changhuai, bodyguard...

Xia Dian Si thought about Gu Changhuai's cold appearance in her heart and inexplicably felt that he was quite suitable to be a 'bodyguard'.

"Alright," Xia Dian Si said.

"Thank you, Xia Dian Si," Mo Hua was very pleased.

Thus, two days later, the rest day arrived.

Mo Hua packed up early in the morning, hired a carriage, and went to Qingzhou City.

To avoid attracting attention, he didn't go to the Gu family, but waited in a teahouse in Qingzhou City.

This was the agreed meeting place.

Arriving at the teahouse, Mo Hua looked up and found that Gu Changhuai and Xia Dian Si had already arrived early.

Both of them were experienced Dian Si, and their temperaments were also decisive. If there were no delays from Dao Court Si affairs, their actions were always very punctual.

But although they arrived early and sat at the same table, each ordered a pot of tea and drank alone, not saying a word.

They looked like two strangers who didn't know each other.

Mo Hua shook his head and sighed.

Stones don't open up.

Iron trees also don't bloom.

It's really worrying.

Mo Hua walked forward, greeted the two, simply drank some tea, ate some pastries, then stood up and left together.

After confirming that no one was following them, the three of them hired a discreet carriage and left Qingzhou City, driving towards the downstream of the Smoke Water River.

Arriving near a river crossing downstream, Gu Changhuai rented a small boat.

The three of them then rode the small boat and rowed towards the depths of the Smoke Water River.

The Smoke Water River basin is vast, with many tributaries branching out from upper to lower, and the water formations are also intricate and complex.

There are also many ferocious water demons lurking at the bottom of the river.

Mo Hua had only stayed by the bank of the Smoke Water River before. This was the first time he had sat in a small boat and rowed to the center of the Smoke Water River.

The gunwale of the small boat pressed against a pool of emerald green river water. Looking out, there were vast shimmering waves all around, with water and sky the same color, no land and no road.

Mo Hua felt both novel, but as the boat swayed on the water, he also felt some strange discomfort.

The three of them rode the boat, following the several river lines that Mo Hua had drawn on the Smoke Water River Map according to causal deduction, flowing with the current while releasing their divine sense, searching for clues.

The sun gradually rose, the sunlight gradually brightened, illuminating the river water dazzlingly, like a mirror, somewhat blinding.

The three of them searched for a while and indeed made some discoveries.

"There are some shallow shoals in the middle of the river with footprints on them."

"Some water demon corpses, soaked in water, already stinky, but the wounds on their bodies are very evil, as if they were pierced through the chest with a powerful evil weapon..."

"The smell of blood nearby is relatively heavy..."

"Some remnants of spirit artifacts are sunk at the bottom of the river."

"A group of evil cultivators should have appeared nearby, but..."

Gu Changhuai frowned.

But the Smoke Water River is vast, and the surging river water covered most of the traces, making it impossible to trace the specific whereabouts of these people.

And the nearby river basins are very complex, with intertwined branches, looking vast, and for a time, they didn't know in which direction to investigate.

While they were puzzled, a small boat sailed over from a distance.

There were several fishing cultivators on the boat, wearing bamboo hats, enduring the sun, casting nets.

Mo Hua's eyes lit up and he said, "Should we find them and ask?"

Gu Changhuai and Xia Dian Si thought for a moment and nodded.

Waiting for the fishing boat to approach, the three of them rode their boat and went to meet it.

The two boats met, Gu Changhuai and Xia Dian Si greeted them slightly, then opened their mouths and asked:

"Have there been any suspicious cultivators nearby?"

There were four fishing cultivators on the boat, catching fish. Seeing Gu Changhuai and Xia Dian Si, their expressions were somewhat nervous, and they repeatedly shook their heads.

Xia Dian Si also asked a few questions, but also didn't get anything out of them.

Afterwards, these several fishing cultivators cupped their hands, said nothing more, and propped their boat away with vigilant expressions.

Mo Hua sighed, "Uncle Gu, Xia Dian Si, you won't get anything by asking like this. Not to mention that they don't know, even if they knew, it's impossible for them to say."

The two of them were Dao Court Si Dian Si, naturally carrying authority, and they were also Golden Core cultivators.

Mo Hua was familiar with them, so he might not feel anything.

But to these ordinary fishing cultivators, Gu Changhuai and Xia Dian Si were both 'unfathomable' big figures. Encountering them on the vast, uninhabited Smoke Water River at this time, these fishing cultivators inevitably felt fearful in their hearts, and naturally dared not speak more.

Gu Changhuai's expression was indifferent.

Anyway, he just looked like this, and it was impossible to change.

Xia Dian Si also frowned slightly.

She was from the Xia family and rarely came into contact with these bottom-level scattered cultivators.

Mo Hua sighed: "I'll go ask."

After a moment, another fishing boat came over.

Mo Hua stood at the bow of the boat, greeted them, and when the fishing boat approached, he jumped up, smiled and shouted 'Hello, big brothers', then took out some spirit wine and dried meat to give to them, saying that they were riding a boat to visit relatives but had lost their way, and didn't know which way to go, so they wanted to ask about the waterway.

His gaze was clear, his appearance was handsome, and his figure was not tall, not appearing aggressive. His temperament was gentle, looking cordial, and very easy to evoke goodwill.

Moreover, he also gave them spirit wine and spirit meat.

This might be good stuff for fishing cultivators.

For a time, the several fishing cultivators on the boat treated Mo Hua extremely enthusiastically.

Mo Hua then sat with them, drinking and eating meat, chatting in a harmonious atmosphere for a while. When it was time to bid farewell, this group of fishing cultivators were already calling Mo Hua 'little brother' cordially and inviting Mo Hua to be a guest at their homes.

Mo Hua gave them another pot of wine, then waved goodbye to them.

Back to his own boat, Mo Hua then nodded: "I've asked everything clearly!"

Xia Dian Si and Gu Changhuai were somewhat stunned.

Mo Hua recalled the conversation just now, pointed to the rivers ahead and said:

"There are forks in the rivers here, invisible to the naked eye, but within these lush water grasses, there are still four or five branched waterways, which are very easy to hide traces."

"There are indeed suspicious cultivators nearby."

"According to these big brothers, they are a group of murderous water bandits who appear and disappear unpredictably in this water area and kill everyone they see."

"But this group of water bandits only appears at night, so the nearby fishing cultivators all hurry to catch fish during the day. Once the sun sets, they have to quickly go back."

"Once it gets dark, if you walk the waterway at night and encounter this group of water bandits, you will probably lose your life here."

Xia Dian Si frowned, "If they encounter water bandits, don't they report it to the Dao Court Si?"

Mo Hua said helplessly: "Reporting is useless. This is not an immortal city. Many fishing cultivators don't even have cultivation registration. The Dao Court Si doesn't want to manage it too much. Even if they want to manage it, the river situation here is complex, and it's also difficult to take action."

Xia Dian Si was somewhat astonished.

Almost all immortal cities in Dao State have strict control over cultivator registration, and such situations basically won't occur.

She turned her head, looked at Gu Changhuai silently, and said coldly:

"From this, it can be seen that the Dao Court Si in Qian Xue State boundary has a superficial understanding of matters and handles affairs unfavorably."

Gu Changhuai said coldly: "Don't forget, you are now also a Dian Si of the Dao Court Si in Qian Xue State boundary."

The two looked at each other coldly.

Mo Hua nodded.

Not bad.

The relationship between these two has progressed, they know how to bicker.

Afterwards, Gu Changhuai and Xia Dian Si attacked each other for a few sentences, then each ceased fire.

They were Dian Si after all, and it was impossible for them not to distinguish priorities.

The current urgent matter was still to find Water Yan Luo.

Xia Dian Si looked at the intricate waterways ahead, pondered for a moment, and her gaze slightly condensed as she said:

"I will go back and allocate more manpower, starting from here, searching each waterway one by one. I will investigate this whole water area thoroughly."

Gu Changhuai said: "Don't rush, it's easy to alert the enemy if there are too many people."

Xia Dian Si's gaze was not kind, and she asked Gu Changhuai:

"Then how do you say we should do it?"

Gu Changhuai was silent for a moment, his gaze flickered slightly, and he raised his chin towards Mo Hua, saying:

"You ask this boy."

Xia Dian Si was startled, her expression puzzled, "Mo Hua?"

Mo Hua originally wanted to keep a low profile, but now it seemed that the situation no longer allowed him to do so.

Catching Water Yan Luo was important.

"Is the broken knife left on the water demon's body still there?" Mo Hua asked.

Gu Changhuai handed the crimson broken knife to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua placed the broken knife at the bow of the boat, then sat cross-legged and concentrated.

Xia Dian Si watched Mo Hua silently from the side, not knowing what he wanted to do. Just as she was feeling strange, she suddenly felt that Mo Hua's temperament had changed abruptly, from clear and sunny to deep and mysterious.

Just like...

From a cordial youth, he had turned into an unknowable monster.

At the same time, a profound aura spread from Mo Hua's body.

After a moment, all the strangeness dispersed, Mo Hua's expression was as usual, and he pointed to a waterway ahead and said: "Towards the right in the middle, you can find the owner of the broken knife..."

Xia Dian Si's expression was slightly shocked.

"This just... found the way?"

Her expression was puzzled. After a moment of thought, her pupils suddenly shrank, and she lost her voice: "Tianji technique?!"

Gu Changhuai was startled upon hearing this and also suddenly looked towards Mo Hua.

Mo Hua was still puzzled and said, "What is Tianji technique?"

Xia Dian Si looked at Mo Hua's clear eyes, somewhat astonished, "You don't know what Tianji technique is?"

Mo Hua nodded.

He actually knew a little.

But what he knew was learned by himself through guesswork and summarized purely from experience.

It was a wild way, not entering the elegant hall.

He completely didn't know what the true, systematic, academic Tianji technique was.

So saying that he didn't know what Tianji technique was was not false.

Xia Dian Si frowned, "Then what did you just use?"

Mo Hua blinked, "It's what I learned from a passing, tattered but kind-hearted, benevolent old Taoist when I was in my old home in Li State."

"This is a method of divination and asking for directions. It can conduct 'divination' through divine sense induction, ask for the correct path, and is convenient for finding people or objects lost in the mountains."

Mo Hua said very seriously.

Xia Dian Si herself was completely ignorant of Tianji technique and had only heard some superficial knowledge. At this time, she thought about it slightly and felt that Mo Hua's words were indeed reasonable.

The so-called "divination and asking for directions" should be some folk-style, bottom-level Tianji techniques circulated among bottom-level cultivators.

They could occasionally glimpse some small causes and effects, but compared with true Tianji technique, they were still worlds apart.

As for the tattered, kind-hearted, benevolent old Taoist...

It also seemed to be no problem.

There were indeed many high-level people or strange alchemists in the cultivation world who liked to wander around.

It was also normal for them to master some bizarre methods.

Xia Dian Si secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

She just said, how could someone at the mere Foundation Building realm learn Tianji technique...

But Xia Dian Si still warned Mo Hua:

"This kind of method, it's best not to use it in front of others easily later, and don't divine randomly..."

"Why?" Mo Hua asked.

Xia Dian Si said solemnly:

"Although it's just a method of minor causes and effects, after all, it touches on the words 'causes and effects', which will excessively consume divine thoughts and easily cause fluctuations in your own luck. The most serious thing is that once you 'divine' the causes and effects on some powerful cultivators, you can easily anger high-level people and suffer a backlash of causes and effects, and you are only Foundation Building..."

Xia Dian Si looked at Mo Hua, her expression worried, "...this intense backlash of causes and effects is something you, a child, cannot bear."

There is actually still a backlash of causes and effects...

Mo Hua was slightly alarmed in his heart and nodded seriously.

Immediately, he thought again, along the way, he seemed to have calculated many causes and effects, but he didn't seem to have angered any 'high-level people' and caused a backlash of causes and effects.

He also didn't know if he was lucky or if Master had secretly arranged means to silently protect him.

No matter what, he had to be careful in the future.

But the matter of Water Yan Luo should be okay for now, at least in terms of causes and effects, there won't be too many scruples.

Afterwards, the three of them drove the boat and quietly sailed forward along the waterway that Mo Hua had "divined" out.

The further forward they went, the more complex the river situation became, and the harder it was to distinguish the direction.

This was downstream, where silt accumulated, and occasionally there were sandbanks with half-person high weeds growing on them.

So the small boat had to stop sailing and sailing.

Mo Hua took out the broken knife, "divined" it again, and then re-determined the direction.

Xia Dian Si watched Mo Hua silently, and the more she looked, the more puzzled she felt.

All Tianji strange calculation, causes and effects, and divine thoughts methods all need to consume divine sense, especially those involving the Tianji way and causes and effects algorithms, which consume even more divine sense.

But this little youth, having "divined" so many times along the way, had not used up his divine sense yet.

How deep was his divine sense exactly?

Xia Dian Si was somewhat shocked.

Of course, no matter how strong Mo Hua's divine sense was, it was impossible to use it all the time.

Moreover, this kind of deduction, involving two kinds of Tianji algorithms, was actually very difficult.

After Mo Hua calculated several more times, his divine sense was almost depleted.

But there was still a clump of water grasses in front, hazy all around, no people, and no other clues.

Mo Hua then patiently sat in meditation to restore his divine sense.

About half an hour later, Mo Hua opened his eyes, and his divine sense had recovered most of it.

But he wasn't good to calculate again.

Using Tianji strange calculation to amplify Tianji deduction caused damage to the sea of consciousness.

He had already calculated too many times, and his sea of consciousness was faintly tingling.

Divine sense could be restored through meditation, but damage to the sea of consciousness could not.

Moreover, waterways were not like land routes, especially in this kind of complex water area, it was more difficult to find the way through Tianji deduction.

Mo Hua sighed.

Water Yan Luo, this old turtle, really knew how to find places to hide.

Gu Changhuai saw that Mo Hua's face was slightly pale and asked softly: "Are you alright?"

Mo Hua nodded, "It's okay, just..."

He looked at the water area ahead, which was a mixture of water grasses, mud swamps, shoals, and uneven deep and shallow water channels, and said helplessly:

"It doesn't seem possible today..."

Xia Dian Si looked up at the sky and also said:

"It's not early. If these water bandits are hidden during the day and come out at night, then if we drag on until night, it's very easy to be discovered by them."

"And at night, it's pitch black, the rivers are dangerous, and water demons appear, I'm afraid there will be some danger..."

It wasn't a big deal for them two Golden Cores, the danger was for Mo Hua.

Mo Hua was only at the Foundation Building mid-stage after all, his vitality was also weak, and encountering danger at night would probably be more likely to be inauspicious.

Gu Changhuai then said: "Let's go back first and come again tomorrow."

Mo Hua nodded.

But he was somewhat unwilling in his heart.

He had already come this far, and now he had to go back.

Although he could come again tomorrow, some matters were better done early, who knew what changes would happen after a day.

Mo Hua was just calculating in his heart, Gu Changhuai had already turned the bow of the boat, and the small boat leisurely rowed back.

After rowing for a moment, Mo Hua suddenly was startled, as if he had discovered some anomaly. He quickly closed his eyes, released his divine sense to the extreme, perceiving everything around him.

Not long after, a very subtle, intermittent voice was transmitted to his ears.

"Benefactor..."

Mo Hua was startled and followed the sound as he looked down.

He then discovered a small silver fish at the edge of the boat, desperately wagging its tail, chasing his small boat.

"...Little silver fish?"