Chapter 92: Harsh Words
Many things that happened in secret were unknown to Mo Hua. As for his parents, he thought he had hidden everything well.
It wasn't until a few days later, when Mo Shan and his wife prepared some gifts and asked Mo Hua to accompany them to deliver them to Master Chen, that he realized he'd been found out again.
"Rain leaves traces, and geese leave echoes. Uncle Zhang was right—once something happens, there will always be clues. You may not know, but someone will," Mo Hua sighed inwardly.
Mo Shan didn't scold him. In his eyes, a true man should act with responsibility and be able to keep things in his heart. There was no need to say everything aloud.
Though Mo Hua was still young, he could resolve danger on his own and remain calm afterward. That took courage and composure. Thinking of this, Mo Shan couldn't help but feel a bit of pride.
Liu Ruhua, on the other hand, felt both worried and heartbroken, and perhaps a little resentful. But she didn't reprimand him—she simply pinched Mo Hua's little cheeks hard as a way to vent her feelings.
The Mo family of three then delivered their gifts to the Chen's Artifact Forging Workshop.
Among the gifts were several large chunks of wild ox demon meat, Mo Shan had just hunted two of them. He'd chosen the thigh portions, and Liu Ruhua had spent several days stewing and marinating the meat.
The meat of wild ox demons wasn't expensive; what was valuable was the preparation process, and the spiritual stones consumed by the stove fire. If one had to buy it prepared this way, it wouldn't be cheap. After all, Master Chen would never spend spirit stones on such indulgence, he had plenty of other things that required them.
So much meat, it would be enough for everyone in the Forging Workshop to eat for more than a month, even with their hearty appetites.
Dazhu and the others were dumbfounded. In all their lives, they had never seen so much meat; they were drooling so much that even wiping their mouths didn't help.
Master Chen, upon receiving a huge jar of wine, was grinning so wide his face nearly split.
He loved drinking but was always too frugal to indulge. He'd drink one cup at a time, carefully rationing it. He wanted to drink more but couldn't bear to spend the spirit stones. Now, with this jar, if he drank sparingly, it could last him a long time.
After that, two peaceful months passed without incident... until Zhang Lan came to find Mo Hua again and said, "Qian Xing's injuries have healed."
"Healed?"
"The alchemists in Tōngxiān City didn't want to treat him. The Qian family spent a fortune hiring several first-rank alchemists from outside. It took them two whole months. I heard they refined dozens of furnaces of pills and used up who knows how many spiritual herbs and materials," Zhang Lan said, clicking his tongue.
"So many spirit stones wasted…" Mo Hua said regretfully. Using that many just to save Qian Xing really was a pity.
"Be careful," Zhang Lan warned.
Mo Hua thought for a moment. "Qian Xing might not know it was me who injured him. Would he still come after me?"
"You refused his request, which enraged him. He got blown up, lay in bed for two months, and his family spent a mountain of spirit stones to heal him. Most importantly, he was utterly humiliated. Whether or not he knows who hurt him, you were the cause. He'll remember you."
"It was him who made trouble first. If we're talking about the cause, he's the real culprit. Doesn't he ever reflect on himself?" Mo Hua said unhappily.
"Those born into noble families are spoiled since childhood. Their temperaments are bound to be extreme. People like that never think they're wrong, everyone else is. I've seen plenty of them…"
Zhang Lan swirled the wine in his cup. "Worse yet, if someone like him wants your life and you refuse to give it, he'll take offense and resent you for defying him."
Mo Hua blinked in disbelief. "There are really people like that?"
"You'll run into them sooner or later," Zhang Lan said quietly. "Not everyone in this world sees others as people."
He drained his cup and stood. "I'll be off. Don't worry too much. Too many eyes are watching right now, the Qian family won't dare make a move. But Qian Xing himself, spoiled as he is, has a vicious streak. Stay alert, just in case."
Too many eyes watching… what did that mean? Who was watching?
Mo Hua wanted to ask, but Zhang Lan had already left.
Frowning slightly, Mo Hua touched the stack of formation scrolls in his Storage Bag, along with the spiritual liquids and stones Zhang Lan had advised him to prepare, meant to erase or confuse traces.
He murmured silently to himself: Qian Xing, you'd best not come looking for me. Otherwise, your parents might never see you again.
Afterward, Mo Hua continued his days as usual, studying formations under Mister Zhuang, helping others repair formation lines, or buying supplies in the market.
But along the way, he began to notice the gazes of cultivators following him.
They thought he hadn't noticed, but after spending so long drawing formations, his Divine-Sense was far sharper than other cultivators at his level. Such unhidden scrutiny was as clear to him as day.
Some gazes carried obvious malice, cold and venomous, like vipers lurking in the grass. Others seemed to be simply following orders, tracking his movements.
And a few… were distant and obscure, so faint that he could barely sense them at all.
That meant the cultivator's Divine-Sense was stronger than his own, likely someone at the late Qi-Refining stage.
But there were also gazes that were kind and open. When Mo Hua looked toward them, those cultivators even smiled or greeted him. They were familiar faces—neighbors, tavern patrons, or demon hunters he'd seen around.
Some weren't familiar, but he'd seen them once or twice. Even strangers who recognized him would nod politely when their eyes met.
So this was what Zhang Lan meant by "so many eyes watching."
Mo Hua felt both cautious and comforted at once.
The cultivators watching him made no move for a long while. Just when Mo Hua thought they had given up, Qian Xing appeared before him in person.
Mo Hua had just left Mister Zhuang's residence and was heading home. As he reached the foot of the mountain, Qian Xing showed up.
After several months, Qian Xing looked utterly haggard—which was to be expected. No one could look good after being blown up point-blank by an Earthfire Array.
Parts of his body were still wrapped in bandages; his face was scarred, and his signature gold-flecked fan was gone. His expression was twisted with hatred, as if he wanted to devour Mo Hua alive.
"Don't think that just because someone's protecting you, you can rest easy! The humiliation I suffered, you'll pay it back a hundredfold! When the time comes, you won't even have the luxury of dying quickly!"
"Then you'd better take care of your health first," Mo Hua said, unable to stop himself as he looked at the sorry state Qian Xing was in. "Don't die on your own before that."
Qian Xing's face contorted further.
Mo Hua sighed inwardly. You've nearly died once, how can your temper still be this bad? A single sentence and you're about to explode again.
Though furious, Qian Xing didn't dare act here. This was still near the mountain foot, and many cultivators passed by, most of them demon hunters.
As they spoke, a few nearby demon hunters had already turned their gazes toward Qian Xing, eyes sharp and wary.
Qian Xing, aware of the attention, gritted his teeth and hissed, "Just you wait," before storming off with a few Qian family disciples.
Mo Hua shook his head. From the look of things, this feud wasn't going to end anytime soon.
Being a pampered young master should've been easy—food, drink, and fun every day, no need to worry about money or spirit stones. But sure enough, when life's too easy, people start looking for ways to die.
Mo Hua bowed to the nearby demon hunters and thanked them. They returned his courtesy with kind nods before he continued home.
Meanwhile, on the mountain path behind him, Bai Zixi stood watching Mo Hua's back. Her brows furrowed slightly, and after a pause, she parted her red lips and softly said, "Aunt Xue, go find out what happened."
The woman behind her—Aunt Xue—nodded silently.
(End of Chapter)