Chapter 85: Confrontation
"This… this is a spell?" one of the artifact forging apprentices stammered.
Dàzhù shook his head. He wasn't sure what had just happened either.
All he saw was Mo Hua splashing some spirit ink toward Qian Xing. Qian Xing yelped in pain and lunged to grab Mo Hua, but Mo Hua spun and kicked him instead—only to be blown backward himself—then Qian Xing just… exploded.
"Right, Mo Hua!"
That explosion had been massive—who knew if Mo Hua had been hurt? He wasn't a body cultivator; if he got caught in that blast, things could be bad.
Dàzhù and the others rushed toward him. Halfway there, they stopped in surprise—Mo Hua was already on his feet, brushing the dust off his backside. When he saw them, he even looked worried.
"Brother Dàzhù, are you all okay…?"
Everyone: "…"
"Mo Hua, you're fine?" Dàzhù asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a few scrapes, and my neck's a bit sore." Mo Hua rubbed his neck; the bruises from when Qian Xing had grabbed him were still visible.
And Qian Xing?
Mo Hua searched around before spotting him—his body blackened and bloody, his life or death uncertain.
The Earthfire Formation's power was stronger than Mo Hua had expected. It hadn't seemed that impressive when it blasted a tree, but when used on a person, the effect was… rather distinct.
"Mo Hua, what exactly happened…" Dàzhù whispered.
Before Mo Hua could answer, a middle-aged cultivator suddenly appeared beside Qian Xing in a blur. He frowned deeply, checked Qian Xing's breathing, and only then exhaled in relief.
The man stuffed a few pills into Qian Xing's mouth, then swept his sharp gaze across the crowd. His voice was icy cold as he demanded, "Who did this?"
His words carried spirit power, making Mo Hua's ears buzz painfully.
A Qi-Refining ninth layer cultivator!
Mo Hua's scalp went numb. He was about to step forward when Dàzhù yanked him back and whispered, "This is way above our level. Let them handle it."
Sure enough, a burly man wrapped in a wolf pelt stepped out of the crowd and said loudly, "Kids roughhousing. Qian Zhongli, what are you getting so worked up about at your age?"
The middle-aged man—Qian Zhongli—snorted coldly. "Is this how your kids 'roughhouse'?"
The burly man laughed heartily. "If my kid could cause that kind of mess, I'd let him roughhouse all he wants!"
Qian Zhongli sneered. "Don't try to play dumb. Hand over the culprit. I need an explanation, or you'll regret it."
The man's grin vanished, his expression turning dark. "Qian Zhongli, you bastard, don't push it! I've been polite out of courtesy, not fear. You think I won't flatten that smug face of yours?"
"I'll say it one more time," Qian Zhongli said, forcing his anger down. "Hand over the one responsible! Don't think I won't take action."
"And I'll say it once too," the burly man snapped back. "Get lost! You hit me, I hit back, see who ends up crying for their mother!"
The man drew out a vicious-looking spiked wolf-tooth club, the tips still stained with dried blood and radiating faint demonic energy, clearly a weapon with many kills.
Qian Zhongli hesitated. He didn't want to fight, but at this point, he had no choice. He drew his sword, spirit power surging—his cultivation clearly higher—but facing the wolf-pelted brute, he had absolutely no confidence.
Just then, a voice shouted, "Stop!"
A robed cultivator from the Dao Court Division strode over. Mo Hua blinked, it was Zhang Lan.
Usually lazy and lackadaisical, Zhang Lan actually looked a bit dignified in his Dao Court robe.
(TN: This novel was translated by "Aberto D. Tempest". Search Aberto D. Tempest or AbertoVerse to read the latest chapters.)
"This matter will be handled by the Dao Court Division," Zhang Lan declared, all official seriousness.
"Inspector Zhang, this matter—"
Qian Zhongli began, but Zhang Lan raised a hand to silence him. "I said, the Dao Court Division will handle this. All unrelated parties, stand down."
Qian Zhongli didn't want to back off, but the burly man wasn't afraid of him either. The two stared each other down tensely.
Zhang Lan's eyes narrowed slightly. He glanced at the wolf-pelted man and said in a low tone, "Let's not make a scene." Then to Qian Zhongli, "And don't disgrace your clan."
Qian Zhongli ground his teeth but bowed. "I'll defer to the Inspector's judgment."
The burly man cupped his fists as well, then gave Mo Hua a look and waved his hand. "What are you staring at, brat? Get moving!"
Mo Hua and his group wisely slipped away.
Dàzhù and the others were battered from the brawl, so Mo Hua led them to Elder Feng for treatment. Qian Zhongli carried off the gravely wounded Qian Xing, not even glancing at the other Qian disciples.
The burly man chuckled coldly and sauntered off too.
Soon after, several Dao Court Division cultivators arrived. Under Zhang Lan's direction, they began cleaning up the scene.
Zhang Lan had actually been nearby napping when the explosion happened; by the time he rushed over, he found Qian Zhongli and the burly man already facing off. As for what really caused the explosion, he had no clue.
Still, as an Inspector of the Dao Court Division, he couldn't just do nothing. A little official posturing was in order.
After carefully examining the area, Zhang Lan's gaze fell on the scattered spirit ink and the nearly burnt-out formation paper. He murmured, "Could it have been a formation?"
Who around here would even know such a thing?
Formations weren't something just anyone could learn, especially in a small place like Tōngxiān City.
Then he remembered that curious little face he'd seen among the crowd earlier—Mo Hua.
He'd assumed the kid was just there to watch the chaos… but now, a ridiculous thought crept into his mind. Zhang Lan's eyelid twitched.
"No way… that kid couldn't really be that absurd… could he?"
(End of Chapter)