Chapter 420 - Clue

Chapter 420: Chapter 415 Clue

After moving into the cave dwelling, Mo Hua had hoped for some peace, but within a few days, a stream of visitors began to arrive, presenting their calling cards.

The first was from the owner of a Housing agency, who was said to be a direct disciple of the South Yue Sect.

Mo Hua received him with simple hospitality.

This owner, surnamed Zheng, wasn’t very old, with a Qi Refining Ninth Level cultivation, dressed in brocade robes and a jade pendant, looking every bit the dandy.

Mr. Zheng was very polite upon meeting Mo Hua, and after a brief conversation between them,

Mo Hua understood the general situation.

Mr. Zheng was a direct disciple of an Elder Lin of the South Yue Sect; his parents were in the Alchemy business and were quite wealthy, which helped him enter the Inner Gate of the South Yue Sect.

But inside the Inner Gate, fights among the direct disciples were common.

Worried about disadvantages befalling their son, his parents financed a Housing agency for him, so he could be the owner and make some Spirit Stones, which he could use to maintain good relations with the Sect and other local Tao Cultivation forces.

However, without powerful backing, a Housing agency is hard to establish.

His Dao companion came from the Lu Family, and a small part of this Housing agency also served as her dowry.

Seeing Mo Hua’s young age, yet remarkable understanding of Formations, Mr. Zheng had the idea to build relations, and sold the cave dwelling to Mo Hua at a relatively low price.

Part of these matters Mo Hua learned from Mr. Zheng himself.

The rest he found out by spending two Spirit Stones to gather information from Housing agency workers.

Since Mr. Zheng didn’t seem to have any ill intentions, Mo Hua treated him with likewise courtesy.

Mr. Zheng had no further business, and after a few cups of tea, he took his leave, saying before he left,

“I’ll have my servant send over some fine tea to the young master later.”

He probably thought the tea Mo Hua offered was not to his liking, but it would be impolite to say it outright.

The tea must have tasted bad indeed, as Mo Hua had bought it for only a fraction of a Spirit Stone.

Good tea is quite expensive.

He usually just “scrounged” for tea, seldom buying it himself.

Only after purchasing the cave dwelling, for fear of visitors, did he reluctantly purchase some tea leaves to serve guests.

Whether it tasted good or bad, it was all the same to him; Mo Hua wasn’t picky.

But since Mr. Zheng intended to send tea, Mo Hua didn’t want to be curt and thus replied with a smile and a cupped-hand salute,

“Then I must thank Mr. Zheng.”

Mr. Zheng, seeing Mo Hua accept his gesture graciously, seemed very pleased and left with a smile and a salute.

Afterward, there were some other visits from Formation Masters, a bit of tea drinking, and some talk of Formation arts.

And some neighbors stopped by to offer welcome gifts.

Two days later, even Elder Su came by.

Mo Hua served the tea Mr. Zheng had sent to Elder Su.

After taking a sip, Elder Su commented,

“This is… our South Yue Sect’s tea?”

Mo Hua asked in surprise, “You could tell?”

Elder Su chuckled, “I drink it every day; I know just by the smell.”

Elder Su pondered for a moment before asking again,

“Who gave this tea to the young gentleman?”

Mo Hua replied, “A Mr. Zheng.”

Elder Su frowned, “Mr. Zheng?”

“The one dressed extravagantly, wearing the jade pendant, and a tad chubby, who opened the Housing agency…”

“Oh,” recalled Elder Su, “Zheng Yu, right?”

“He actually sent tea to the young gentleman?”

Elder Su seemed surprised but soon noticed that within just a few days, Mo Hua had already made quite a few acquaintances among the Cultivators in South Yue City.

When he entered, there were even many gifts piled up at the doorstep.

“Met them while buying the cave dwelling,” Mo Hua said.

Elder Su nodded.

Mo Hua then inquired about Instructor Yan’s matter.

Elder Su shook his head, “I sent people to investigate further, but we still have no leads on this Mr. Yan.”

“I see…” Mo Hua nodded, “Thank you for your effort, Elder Su.”

“It’s a trifling matter, unworthy of mention,” Elder Su replied politely.

Then, after pondering for a short while and hesitating, he still asked,

“Young gentleman, have you been to the Lu Family’s mines?”

Mo Hua was slightly astonished inwardly but maintained his composure, nodding as if nothing was amiss, “I have been there.”

Elder Su seemed about to say something but stopped.

Mo Hua inquired, “Is there something amiss?”

Elder Su hesitated for a good while before finally saying,

“The water in the Lu Family’s mines is somewhat deep; it would be better for the young gentleman not to get involved.”

Mo Hua spoke in a lowered voice,

“Could it be that the Lu Family has some unspeakable secrets…”

Elder Su waved his hands repeatedly, “No, no, young gentleman, don’t get the wrong idea.”

Elder Su continued, “The mines of the Lu Family are legal and compliant, having passed the Taoist Court’s inspection, and the Mining Cultivators are there voluntarily. They don’t delay payments of Spirit Stones and compensate in the event of an incident; there’s nothing unspeakable.”

Mo Hua put on a face of someone who, although not personally affected, was quite curious, and whispered,

“I heard from a friend at the Taoist Court that five Mining Cultivators died horrifically inside the mine… their deaths were particularly gruesome…”

Elder Su exclaimed in surprise, “You have friends in the Taoist Court?”

“You could say that,” Mo Hua nodded.

After all, he called Situ Fang “sister” and had worked on assignments and dined together with her, which certainly qualified as friendship.

Elder Su’s expression was complex.

This First-Grade Junior Formation master, wasn’t it his first time in South Yue City? Yet not only did he know Zheng Yu, but he also had friends in the Taoist Court.

However, all that was of no consequence to him and didn’t really concern him.

Elder Su just sighed before saying,

“People die in that mine every year; no death inside it is ever less than tragic.”

“Every year there are deaths?”

“Yes.”

Mo Hua frowned, “How many die?”

“That’s hard to say,” Elder Su pondered, “There are always a few hundred, but if a major accident occurs, the deaths could climb into the thousands…”

“A major accident?”

“Mine collapses, Monster Beasts causing trouble, Filthy Qi leaks, and so on.”

Mo Hua felt a pang of compassion, “So many people die?”

Elder Su sighed, “It can’t be helped, we rely on what the land gives us; here in South Yue City, there are only mines, and Cultivators have to make a living from them…”

“It’s a bit better now; if people die, the Lu Family still compensates with Spirit Stones.”

“In the past, death meant dying for nothing…”

Mo Hua was surprised, “They didn’t compensate with Spirit Stones in the past?”

Elder Su nodded, “For Loose Cultivators, who cares if a few die?”

Mo Hua also sighed.

Elder Su then realized that the topic had strayed a bit and said:

“In short, the situation with the mines involves the livelihoods of mining cultivators, clan interests, as well as the authority of the Taoist Court, it’s very complicated…”

“As Formation Masters, we should stay above such mundane matters; there’s no need to concern ourselves with these trifles.”

“Especially since you’re an outsider, Young Master, it’s even less appropriate for you to get involved…”

Elder Su’s words were indeed heartfelt.

Mo Hua nodded:

“Don’t worry, Elder Su, I know my limits.”

Elder Su then breathed a sigh of relief.

He did not know whether Mo Hua was truly listening or just pretending to listen, but having heard these words was reassuring enough.

After chatting a bit more, Elder Su took his leave.

Mo Hua, however, rested his chin in his hand, somewhat puzzled.

How did Elder Su know that he had been to the mine?

If he wanted to inquire, he could certainly find out.

But he and Mo Hua were neither relatives nor close acquaintances, so why would he investigate Mo Hua’s whereabouts?

Could this matter be related to the Lu Family?

Mo Hua remembered that the South Yue Sect and the Lu Family were in close association…

Sure enough, the next day, Mo Hua received an invitation.

The invitation was personally sent by the head of the Lu Family.

The wording was brief and did not specify any reason, merely asking Mo Hua to visit the Lu Manor to discuss Formation together.

Discuss Formation…

It seemed the Lu Family must have learned of his status as a First-Grade Formation Master; otherwise, the Family Head of the Lu Family wouldn’t have personally sent an invitation.

In a Second-Grade Prefecture Border, the status of a First-Grade Formation Master was still quite prestigious.

And within South Yue City, the cultivators who knew of Mo Hua’s First-Grade Formation Master status, as far as he could tell, included only Elder Su.

It seemed Elder Su and the Lu Family had no shallow relationship.

Mo Hua furrowed his brow.

To go or not to go?

Could there be any danger?

Mo Hua thought about it and decided to pay a visit.

Without any good reason, the Lu Family wouldn’t dare and had no need to harm a First-Grade Formation Master.

If they wanted to act, it would be in secret, unseen and unheard.

Not by sending an invitation and openly welcoming him into the Lu Manor before making a move.

Moreover, Mo Hua was somewhat curious.

He wanted to know what type of person the Lu Family Head was.

Mo Hua shared this matter with Mr. Zhuang.

Mr. Zhuang merely nodded, not saying much.

Mo Hua then felt at ease, Mr. Zhuang’s lack of comment indicated there was no danger in this matter.

Bai Zisheng wanted to go with him, but Mr. Zhuang kept him back.

“Practice the formation I taught you a hundred times first…” Mr. Zhuang said.

Bai Zisheng made a bitter face, watching Mo Hua leave the house with ease.

Mo Hua arrived at the Lu Family’s estate.

There were disciples of the Lu Family who respectfully received Mo Hua at the entrance and led the way.

Mo Hua took this opportunity to take in the Lu Family’s manor.

The first impression was that the Lu Family was very wealthy!

If the Sun Family was a small-time wealthy owner, then the Lu Family was a grand landlord.

The scale of their estate and the grandeur of their architecture surpassed even the Qian Family of Tongxian City in luxury.

And it was the same with formations.

The Lu Family likely had a complete transmission of formation knowledge, and there should also be a First-Grade Formation Master in the family, plus an abundance of Spirit Stones.

Therefore, the entire estate’s Architectural Formation was the best Mo Hua had seen so far, superior even to the formations he had designed for the Refinery Shop and the Alchemist’s Business.

Of course, it still fell far short of a real Large Formation like the Five Elements Slaughter Demon Great Formation.

The Lu Family disciple escorted Mo Hua to the Lu Family Head’s study.

This was Mo Hua’s first encounter with the Lu Family Head.

To his surprise, the Lu Family Head was an extremely gentle and refined middle-aged cultivator, bringing warmth like a spring breeze, handsome in appearance, creating an easily favorable impression.

In their conversation, Mo Hua discovered the Lu Family Head had a profound understanding of formations; at the very least, he was a First-Grade Formation Master.

Throughout the conversation, the Lu Family Head showed great admiration for Mo Hua.

The two talked for two hours, only discussing formations and some trivial matters, local customs of South Yue City, and some experiences in Tao Cultivation.

There was not a single mention of the mine.

Mo Hua was shy and polite, while the Lu Family Head was enthusiastic and attentive.

An air of mutual enjoyment between host and guest.

Before departing, the Lu Family Head gave Mo Hua a large and small bundle of gifts—Formation Books, Spiritual Ink, Formation Pens, some Spiritual Meat snacks, and specialty products from South Yue City.

He then had Mo Hua escorted back to the entrance in the Lu Family’s luxurious carriage.

Mo Hua, riding back in the Lu Family’s opulent and softly cushioned carriage, dumped the big and small Storage Bags in the courtyard of his home.

Bai Zisheng gaped, “Mo Hua, did you go scamming?”

Mo Hua shot him a glance, “I don’t scam people.”

Bai Zisheng shook his head, “We’re fellow disciples, there’s no need to lie to me.”

He then asked, “All these, were they given to you by the Lu Family?”

Mo Hua nodded.

Bai Zisheng frowned, “Why would they do that?”

Mo Hua mused, “When someone is overly courteous without cause, there must be a problem.”

But as for what the problem was, Mo Hua couldn’t guess yet; he could only keep this matter in his heart for now.

Mo Hua furrowed his brow.

The pressing issue was to find a way to locate Instructor Yan.

Instructor Yan had been a mentor to him in the transmission of his cultivation.

Now, the situation in South Yue City seemed quite complex.

With forces intertwined, mining cultivators dying tragically, and the sinister Ultimate Formation…

If Instructor Yan really had come here, he may have encountered some misfortune.

Mo Hua wanted to find Instructor Yan quickly to check on his safety.

But after much searching, he still had no clues, so he decided to ask Situ Fang for help.

Situ Fang was a Supervisor at the Taoist Court and he had more ways of finding people than Mo Hua himself did.

Situ Fang agreed to help.

A few days later, Situ Fang came with news of two matters.

One was that a cultivator bearing the surname Yan and resembling a gentleman did indeed arrive in South Yue City a few years ago, and rented a room near the mines on the south side of the city.

But the room had not been inhabited for a long time.

According to nearby cultivators, this Mr. Yan left his house one evening, headed towards the direction of the mine, and never returned…

The second matter was that there were new leads regarding the five miners who had died tragically…