Chapter 142: Treat
After the group parted ways, Mo Hua returned home. The next day, he went to see Elder Yu and told him everything that had happened.
The moment Elder Yu heard the words "silver-white Daoist robe," he practically exploded with rage.
"It must be those mongrels from the Qian Family!"
Hands on his hips, Elder Yu stood in the middle of the room and launched into a tirade, he cursed every last one of the Qian Family members from the oldest ancestor to the newest baby. The insults were so crude, varied, and inventive that Mo Hua was left in awe.
After venting to his heart's content, Elder Yu finally noticed Mo Hua standing there, wide-eyed and watching him.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Elder Yu thought to himself,
"I lost my temper and forgot this child was here. I've got to be careful next time, can't let such a good kid learn bad habits from me."
He coughed lightly and said,
"Just pretend you didn't hear any of that."
"Oh."
Mo Hua nodded obediently, but secretly memorized every single insult for future reference.
Cursing isn't good, he thought, but if I ever need to, I shouldn't lose either.
"Elder, did the Qian Family do a lot of bad things?" Mo Hua asked curiously.
Elder Yu opened his mouth to answer but stopped himself.
"That's adult business, you don't need to worry about it."
Then, under his breath, he muttered, "When the upper beam is crooked, the lower beams can't be straight. The Qian Family's ancestor is a damned turtle, and the rest are all rotten eggs… A nest of sewer rats, the whole lot of them…"
Before he knew it, Elder Yu was cursing again.
Mo Hua didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Indeed, members of the Qian Family did wear silver-white Daoist robes, but that didn't necessarily mean everyone in such robes belonged to the Qians.
This matter was better left for Elder Yu to investigate. Mo Hua decided not to meddle.
...
Two days later, Zhang Lan finished handling the Evil Cultivator case. To celebrate, he personally paid out of pocket to treat Mo Hua to a meal at the Lingxian Pavilion on North Street. Situ Fang was there too.
(TN: Ling = Spirit/Spiritual; Xian = Cuisine)
Lingxian Pavilion was owned by the An Family. Mo Hua was acquainted with the An Family's young master, An Xiaopang, he'd helped him draw formation homework once. Mo Hua had visited the Pavilion before to study the structure of their kitchen furnaces, but he'd never actually eaten there.
After all, the dishes infused with spiritual energy were very expensive.
But Zhang Lan was not short on spirit stones, and Mo Hua saw no need to be polite.
"This time, catching that Evil Cultivator was thanks to you. Eat as much as you like," Zhang Lan said, gesturing toward the table overflowing with food.
Situ Fang nodded repeatedly. "Eat up, if it's not enough, we'll order more."
Mo Hua's cheeks were puffed full as he mumbled, "That big brother named Situ Xiu… where is he?"
"He went back to report," Zhang Lan said.
"Oh." Mo Hua nodded, not particularly interested, it was just a casual question.
While Mo Hua devoured the food, Zhang Lan drank wine leisurely, barely touching his chopsticks.
He'd grown up eating spiritual cuisine; though rich in energy, it all tasted rather bland to him. Honestly, he still preferred Mo Hua's mother's wild bull demon meat, spicy, fragrant, and full of life.
Situ Fang, on the other hand, found it delightful just to watch Mo Hua eat, his puffed cheeks and bright eyes made him look especially pure and cute.
So at the entire table laden with rare meats and spiritual fish, only Mo Hua was eating.
Mo Hua himself didn't think it tasted better than his mother's cooking, but since the meal was so expensive, it felt wrong to waste it.
Even after he was full, plenty of dishes still remained.
Zhang Lan said, "I'll have the shopkeeper pack the rest for you to take home."
Then he pulled out a storage pouch and handed it to Mo Hua.
"There are a hundred spirit stones in here, it's for you."
Mo Hua brightened immediately and reached out, but then frowned suspiciously and whispered,
"There's food and money… You're not bribing me because you want something, right?"
"What are you thinking?" Zhang Lan sighed. "The meal really is just a thank-you for your help. The spirit stones are part of the Dao Court Division's bounty."
"Oh, I see."
Mo Hua accepted them without guilt this time.
Zhang Lan added, "I also spoke with the Chief Registrar. Originally, the Dao Court Division wanted to give you some additional rewards, but most of those are honorary titles and useless fluff. Worse, they might bring trouble."
Mo Hua tilted his head. "What kind of trouble?"
"Those Evil Cultivators aren't always alone. Some have partners, some have sects, and some even have backing. If the Dao Court publicly rewards you, they might come after you for revenge."
Zhang Lan took a sip of wine. "So, I had the official credit go to the Division and arranged for you to get more spirit stones instead. For you, spirit stones are far more practical."
Mo Hua nodded earnestly. "Right, making quiet money is the best kind!"
Zhang Lan chuckled, then hesitated before saying, "There's one more thing, the An Family's patriarch wants to see you."
"The An Family patriarch?"
Mo Hua frowned, then his eyes lit up as realization struck. He leaned closer and whispered,
"That Evil Cultivator's victim was from the An Family, wasn't she?"
Zhang Lan sucked in a sharp breath. "How did you know that?"
"You accidentally said so that day, you said it'd be hard to explain things to the An Family…"
"I didn't say that!" Zhang Lan cut him off hastily.
Mo Hua gave him a meaningful look. Zhang Lan felt his head ache under that stare.
This was definitely not something that should get out.
Seeing them whispering, Situ Fang frowned. "What are you two muttering about?"
"Nothing!" Zhang Lan said quickly, then winked at Mo Hua and murmured, "I'll treat you again next time."
Mo Hua immediately echoed, "Uncle Zhang didn't say anything."
Situ Fang glanced between them, unconvinced.
Zhang Lan, flustered, stood up and busied himself packing the leftovers.
Afterward, he and Situ Fang brought Mo Hua to the An Family estate.
The An Family's business revolved around spiritual cuisine, famous for its color, fragrance, and hospitality.
Unlike the arrogant Qian Family, the An Family's estate was elegant and refined, luxurious but understated, built for comfort rather than ostentation.
As they walked, Mo Hua looked all around, not at the décor, but at the formations.
From the moment he stepped through the gates, his eyes darted across every wall, floor, and ceiling, studying the patterns.
Some arrays were obvious; others were subtle or complex, requiring him to analyze the rune traces and energy flows to deduce their type.
He was completely absorbed.
The An Family guards, however, grew increasingly nervous.
The boy didn't look like a guest, he looked like a scout casing the place for a heist.
Scout by day, break in by night! they thought grimly.
What unnerved them most was how that young face—so innocent—hid eyes that gleamed with depth, as if they could see through the walls and directly into the formations within.
And to make matters worse, he was even murmuring to himself: "Earth-Stabilizing Array… Golden-Stone Array… Flame Array…"
He was naming every formation embedded in their walls, floors, and ceilings!
What kind of guest is this?!
The guards felt miserable.
But a guest was still a guest, they couldn't say a thing.
Fortunately, before long, Mo Hua arrived at the main hall.
The guards exhaled in relief, saluted the elder sitting inside, and respectfully withdrew.
The hall was exquisitely elegant.
Seated at the center was an old man, white-haired, ruddy-faced, with an air of authority tempered by kindness.
Mo Hua sneaked a glance and guessed that this must be the An Family patriarch himself, the true master of the An Clan.
(End of Chapter)