Pursuit

Mo Hua led Zhang Lan and the others, setting off towards Solitary Cloud Peak.

Mo Hua was very familiar with the mountain paths, so familiar that Zhang Lan found it hard to believe.

He knew where there were paths, where there was water, where there were toxins, where there was mist—everything was clear to him.

Sometimes when it seemed there was no path, he would lead them through the woods, turning left and right, and a path would appear underfoot.

Encountering demonic beasts, before they even noticed, Mo Hua would lead them far around.

Along the way, he could even pick wild fruits and dig up herbs...

His leisurely demeanor made it seem as though they weren't chasing a dangerous thief but rather enjoying a stroll in the mountains...

Zhang Lan found it somewhat unbelievable.

How could the Outer Mountains of the Great Black Mountain be as familiar to Mo Hua as his own backyard?

This wasn't the Great Black Mountain he had imagined.

Even for Qi Refining Stage cultivators, entering the Great Black Mountain should be approached with caution, shouldn't it?

Zhang Lan was deeply shaken, while Situ Fang was less clear on the details, sensing only that their journey was much smoother than expected.

Situ Xiu showed a mocking smile and said to Zhang Lan, "Didn't you say the Great Black Mountain was perilous? Why is this journey so uneventful?"

Zhang Lan stared at him as if he were an idiot.

This fool had absolutely no sense. Even with someone guiding you, you're clueless. Have you been this clueless your whole life?

After walking for a while, Mo Hua suddenly stopped and said, "There's a demonic beast ahead; we need to take a detour."

The journey had been uneventful so far, and Situ Xiu was feeling bored. He said, "We're in a hurry. Taking a detour is too troublesome. Just a mere demonic beast—we can handle it."

Situ Xiu's voice was loud, and he didn't conceal his aura. After saying this, he saw a pair of crimson eyes not far away looking at him.

They had been discovered!

Zhang Lan frowned and cursed Situ Xiu again.

The demonic beast resembled a goat, with red eyes and curled horns, white fur, sharp teeth, standing tall enough to reach a person's height, surrounded by a bloody aura with a faint oppressive feeling.

Seeing Zhang Lan and the others, a flash of bloodthirsty intent appeared in its eyes, and it charged towards them.

Zhang Lan and the others could only brace themselves for battle.

Fortunately, all three of them were in the Qi Refining Stage, so dealing with a single red-eyed goat demonic beast wasn't too difficult.

Situ Xiu had average strength but fought increasingly bravely, shouting, "Just a mere demonic beast!"

As soon as he finished speaking, another demonic beast emerged from the bushes.

It had crimson fur, its breath foul with saliva reeking of blood—a claw-cracking wolf demonic beast.

Zhang Lan felt bitter; he wished he could smack Situ Xiu's mouth crooked!

With one demonic beast, they still coped effortlessly, but with two, they were becoming overwhelmed.

Situ Xiu sustained injuries, his wounds stinging fiercely, so he dared not be arrogant anymore.

After a bitter battle,

an hour later, the claw-cracking wolf was killed, and the goat demonic beast fled wounded.

Finally, the three of them had a chance to catch their breath.

Zhang Lan's back was covered in sweat. After catching his breath for a moment, he realized Mo Hua was nowhere to be seen.

He looked around but couldn't spot Mo Hua. Just as he was about to call out, he heard Mo Hua's concerned voice nearby:

"Uncle Zhang, are you all alright?"

Mo Hua had appeared without anyone noticing. Not only that, he was holding a bottle and ran excitedly towards the corpse of the exhausted demonic beast, up to something...

During the recent fight, Mo Hua hadn't emitted any aura at all and had emerged unnoticed after the fight.

Zhang Lan confirmed his guess: they would have been lost in the mountains and died if not for Mo Hua.

Situ Fang looked at Mo Hua curiously and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm collecting some demonic blood," Mo Hua replied.

"Demonic blood? What for?"

Mo Hua: "to draw array formations."

Situ Fang exclaimed, "You also know formations?"

Mo Hua felt a bit embarrassed and modestly replied, "Just a little."

"Oh," Situ Fang nodded.

Zhang Lan looked up at the sky, speechless.

He said 'just a little,' and you actually believed him...

After Mo Hua finished collecting the demonic beast's blood, he said, "We need to hurry, or we won't make it before dark."

Then he complained a bit, "Dealing with those beasts wasted quite a bit of time."

Situ Fang felt somewhat embarrassed and asked, "You knew the beasts would be troublesome, so you made us take the longer route?"

Mo Hua nodded.

Situ Xiu was unconvinced, "It was just bad luck this time, encountering two..."

Mo Hua interrupted, "If there had only been one, would I have made you take the longer route?"

Situ Xiu was speechless.

Situ Fang listened quietly, feeling astonished.

Mo Hua had known there were two beasts, while they only realized when the second appeared...

After Mo Hua cleaned up the blood, seeing Zhang Lan and the others were almost ready, he said, "We should hurry on our way."

The three nodded.

Mo Hua took a few steps, then turned back to remind them, "Be obedient, it's very dangerous otherwise."

Situ Fang felt a bit embarrassed, and Situ Xiu, covered in bruises, lowered his stubborn head.

Afterward, the three quietly followed Mo Hua, and the journey went smoothly, but it was getting late, likely meaning they would spend the night in the mountains.

Mo Hua found a passing demon hunter and said, "Uncle Zhou, when you go back, tell my mom I won't be home for dinner tonight. I'll return tomorrow."

"You're going alone, will you be alright?" the demon hunter asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I have Uncle Zhang from Dao Court with me," Mo Hua nodded.

"Alright, take care then."

Mo Hua waved goodbye to the demon hunter, then turned and said, "Let's find a place to spend the night first. We'll head to Solitary Cloud Peak tomorrow."

Zhang Lan frowned, "Can't we go at night?"

"You're here to catch someone, right? It's not good to do it at night, plus there are more beasts at night."

Zhang Lan nodded reluctantly, "I guess that's how it has to be."

Mo Hua found a small camp nearby, lit a lamp, and took out some meat from his storage bag to offer to Zhang Lan and the others.

Situ Fang took a bite and brightened up, "It's delicious. Did you make this yourself?"

"My mom made it!" Mo Hua said proudly.

Situ Fang took a few more bites and said, "It's a pity the meat doesn't have spiritual energy."

"Rogue cultivators can't afford spiritual meat," Mo Hua explained.

Situ Fang apologized, "I didn't mean the meat isn't good."

As an apology, she took some pastries from her bag and offered them to Mo Hua.

Situ Xiu remained silent but also offered Mo Hua some wine.

However, the wine was too strong, and Mo Hua coughed after taking a sip, deciding not to drink more.

Zhang Lan, on the other hand, was unbothered and ate and drank heartily.

After everyone had eaten their fill, they lay down to rest.

Mo Hua couldn't sleep. At midnight, he needed to enter his sea of consciousness to draw the array formation. Seeing Zhang Lan lying awake, clearly unable to sleep either, Mo Hua quietly approached him and asked,

"Uncle Zhang, can you tell me about demonic cultivators?"

Zhang Lan raised an eyebrow, "Are you thinking of becoming a demonic cultivator?"

Mo Hua rolled his eyes.

Zhang Lan chuckled, "What do you want to know?"

Mo Hua thought for a moment and asked, "The Dao Court has issued the Dao Laws, prohibiting indiscriminate killing and plundering resources or qi. The Dao Laws equate seizing qi with plundering and indiscriminate killing. Does that mean qi plundering is a serious crime?"

Zhang Lan's expression turned serious, and he countered, "Do you understand what qi plundering implies?"

(End of the Chapter)