Chapter 1305: Very Familiar

Chapter 1304: Very Familiar

In the quiet Privy Archive Chamber.

True-Person Zhuge led Mo Hua before the two Administrators, pointed with his finger, and said, “This is that—”

He had wanted to say this was that “ancestral tablet,” but restrained himself at the last moment.

“…that Mo Hua.”

The two Administrators immediately put aside the affairs in their hands and began sizing Mo Hua up, as if they were looking at some rare “animal,” their faces full of curiosity. Mo Hua felt a little uncomfortable, and also a little curious, so he asked:

“These two are…?”

True-Person Zhuge then introduced them to Mo Hua. “They’re not outsiders. This—”

He pointed to one of them: a middle-aged cultivator with steady features and sharp eyes, wearing the Dao robe of the Seven Pavilions, the Heavenly Authority Star shining brightly on his chest.

“This is Administrator Huangfu. He serves in the Heavenly Authority Pavilion, and in his early years he also studied at the Great Void Sect…”

“And this—” True-Person Zhuge pointed to the other, a dignified-looking cultivator.

“This is Administrator Shangguan. He serves in the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion, and he too is from the Great Void Sect.”

Mo Hua cupped his fists and said, “Greetings, Seniors.”

This salute nearly gave the two Administrators a heart attack. Cold sweat broke out as they hurriedly dodged aside, waving their hands again and again.

“Please don’t… please don’t…”

They absolutely could not accept the salute of a little ancestor. If they did, who knew how many years of life it might shave off.

Mo Hua, of course, had no idea that Old Ancestor Xun had painted him into a “ancestral tablet.”

He treated others as seniors; others treated him as an “ancestor.”

Seeing the two seniors being so “polite,” Mo Hua sighed sincerely:

“Both Seniors are Administrators of the Dao Court’s Seven Pavilions, holding such high offices, yet still so approachable. This shows broad-mindedness, something this disciple truly admires.”

For a moment, something warm bloomed in the hearts of the two Administrators…

Still, some misunderstandings needed correcting.

“Not high officials…” Administrator Huangfu said. “The post of Administrators is ordinary, nothing special. Above us are the Supervisors, above them the Pavilion Elders. We’re just the ones who toil and handle chores.”

Mo Hua shook his head repeatedly, his expression solemn.

“How could that be? This is the Dao Province. This is the Dao Court. This is an Administrator of the Seven Pavilions.”

Mo Hua came from the bottom and knew very well that these official posts were anything but small.

“Among so many cultivators across the Nine Provinces, let alone becoming an Administrator, many people might not even see one in their entire lives.”

“How could this be ordinary?”

“Even if it’s tiring and taxing, it’s real work. Being busy only shows that the responsibility is great, and the significance immense.”

The two Administrators tried hard to keep their lips pressed together, but in their hearts little flowers seemed to bloom one after another.

Listen to that. Just listen.

Such words… so measured, so insightful.

They hadn’t heard words with this much insight in nearly a hundred years.

Of course, the praise itself wasn’t the key point. The key point was who was saying it.

True-Person Zhuge looked at Mo Hua, frowning slightly, and began to wonder if he had brought the wrong person.

Back at the Huá Clan, the way this kid spoke… didn’t seem like this style at all?

That sharp little mouth was like it was stuffed with blades, he’d talked True-Person Huá half to death.

How did it suddenly turn honey-sweet in the blink of an eye?

…Was this really the same person? Had the Huá Clan swapped him out?

True-Person Zhuge glanced at the two Administrators and saw them forcing calm while barely hiding their blooming delight. He inwardly scoffed.

No backbone at all…

Mo Hua then looked to Administrator Shangguan and asked, “Are you from the Shangguan family?”

Administrator Shangguan nodded. “Yes.”

Mo Hua asked, “Then do you know Patriarch Shangguan Ce?”

Administrator Shangguan nodded again. “Naturally. But the Patriarch and I aren’t from the same branch, so we don’t have much contact.”

That was how great clans were: too many people, tangled bloodlines, split into many branches.

Still, Administrator Shangguan asked in surprise, “You actually know the Patriarch?”

“Yes,” Mo Hua said. “Back then at the Gu family, I ate and drank with Shangguan Patriarch. We didn’t talk much, though. You know, his status is too high. I didn’t really have much to talk about with him. No common ground…”

Administrator Shangguan nodded. “That’s true.”

Mo Hua asked again, “Then do you know Uncle Shangguan Yi?”

Administrator Shangguan grew interested. “I’m actually on quite good terms with Brother Yi. Back when we cultivated, we discussed the Dao together. Brother Yi is gentle and refined, with elegant speech.”

Mo Hua nodded repeatedly. “Uncle Shangguan Yi really does have a good temper, and he cares deeply for family. He treats others well too. Back then he even gave me many things…”

(TN: Does anyone remember who this Shangguan Yi is?)

Administrator Shangguan nodded.

Mo Hua asked again, “Then are you familiar with the Gu family as well?”

Administrator Shangguan sighed with some regret. “Not the same branch. I don’t have much interaction with the Gu family side, so I’m not very familiar.”

Mo Hua felt a little regret as well.

Beside them, Administrator Huangfu had been holding back for quite some time. At last, he spoke up and asked:

“Little… brother, the Gu family you’re talking about—is it the Gu family of Qingzhou City?”

Mo Hua nodded repeatedly, surprised. “You know the Gu family?”

Administrator Huangfu said, “Fairly well.”

Mo Hua asked in confusion, “Isn’t the Huangfu family a great clan of Dao Province?”

Administrator Huangfu nodded. “Yes. The Huangfu family is a great clan of Dao Province. But I’m of a concubine line, so my status is lower. Back when I studied at the Great Void Sect, I met a female disciple from the Gu family. But our families were in different provinces—marriage was extremely difficult. In the end, it was Elder Gu Hong of the Gu family who personally made the decision, which finally brought the marriage about. I’ve always been deeply grateful…”

“Elder Gu Hong!” Mo Hua exclaimed in shock. “That Elder Hong, she was even your matchmaker?”

Administrator Huangfu said gently, “Yes. Little… brother, are you also familiar with Elder Gu Hong?”

Mo Hua nodded. “Very familiar. Back then when I was studying at the Great Void Sect, during rest days I’d go to the Gu family to freeload meals. After eating, I’d go chat with Elder Gu Hong about gossip. Elder Gu Hong treated me very well too, she often gave me…..”

Administrator Huangfu smiled. “Then this truly is fate.”

Administrator Shangguan was startled. “Speaking of Elder Gu Hong… my cousin’s marriage also seems to have been arranged by Elder Gu Hong…”

“At the wedding, I even toasted Elder Gu Hong.”

“Elder Gu Hong wore red that day, very gentle and festive…”

Mo Hua nodded. “Yes, very festive indeed”

Administrator Huangfu said, “Now that you mention it, I seem to remember as well…”

And so the three of them chatted back and forth, tracing connections and relations. Before long, the conversation was in full swing, as if they were one family.

True-Person Zhuge stood to the side, holding his fan, stiff as a piece of wood, unable to get a single word in, like a complete outsider.

He was almost completely confused.

Who exactly was introducing whom here?

Who was the newcomer?

After chatting excitedly for quite a while, Mo Hua felt thirsty. He reached out to pour himself some tea, then looked up and realized True-Person Zhuge had been standing there for a long time without saying a word, like a wooden post. Feeling a little embarrassed, he asked:

“True-Person… would you like some tea?”

True-Person Zhuge’s face was utterly expressionless.

Administrator Huangfu and Administrator Shangguan also realized they might have gotten a bit carried away and lost their composure. They quietly ended the topic, straightened their appearance, and sat upright.

The room instantly fell silent.

After a moment, everyone remembered that they’d been so busy chatting that they hadn’t asked a single serious question.

Administrator Huangfu lightly cleared his throat again and asked Mo Hua, “That Jade Certificate… where did it come from?”

Because this was the Privy Chamber—a secret room sealed with formations by the Seven Pavilions of the Dao Court to handle various special documents for the front lines—everything inside was strictly confidential. Thus, certain questions could be asked more freely.

From the earlier “casual chat,” Mo Hua could more or less confirm that these two administrators truly were “on the same side.”

So he said, “It was signed for me by the sect’s Old Ancestor, the Sect Master, and the elders.”

And that was precisely where the problem lay.

“Why… did so many elders sign your Jade Certificate?”

“Why would the Sect Master and the Old Ancestor also sign for you?”

“And moreover, it wasn’t just the Great Void Sect… even the Tai’a and Chongxu lineages signed for you as well?”

The two administrators looked at Mo Hua.

The reason for this was rather complicated.

Mo Hua himself didn’t really know where to begin. Nine years of cultivation, so many things done—it wasn’t something he could finish explaining in a short time.

Mo Hua was also a modest person and didn’t like boasting about himself, so he said:

“Maybe it’s because I… made a small contribution to the sect. The Old Ancestor, the Sect Master, and the elders showed me favor, so there ended up being so many signatures on the Jade Certificate…”

Administrators Huangfu and Shangguan were both momentarily stunned.

True-Person Zhuge’s gaze also sharpened slightly.

A small contribution?

Administrator Huangfu asked again, “Your surname is Mo… which Mo Clan are you from?”

Mo Hua said, “Not the Mo Clan . I’m an independent rogue cultivator.”

“An independent cultivator?!”

True-Person Zhuge and the two administrators all felt their pupils constrict, utterly astonished.

“There are no outsiders here, you can speak some truth,” Administrator Shangguan said in a low voice.

Mo Hua said seriously, “I really am an independent cultivator. I crossed mountains and rivers with great difficulty before finally being accepted into the Great Void Sect.”

“This…”

The three of them exchanged looks.

From Mo Hua’s words, anyone with a bit of common sense would know he was lying.

Yet looking at Mo Hua’s eyes, it felt as though he wasn’t lying at all.

At the very least, he himself probably didn’t know that he was lying.

That made it strange…

“Then you and Old Ancestor Xun…” the Heavenly Authority Pavilion steward asked cautiously, “are you also very familiar?”

Mo Hua nodded. “When I was at the Great Void Sect, it was always Mr. Xun who personally taught me formations.”

Personally taught…

True-Person Zhuge felt his scalp go numb.

Administrators Huangfu and Shangguan were also deeply shaken.

This was instruction directly from the Old Ancestor…

Even for the two of them—well-informed administrators of the Seven Pavilions—their minds were in a mess, unable to make sense of it.

An independent cultivator, small contributions, a Three-Mountain Jade Certificate, personal instruction from the Old Ancestor…

Putting all these things together felt deeply incongruous, and even carried an indescribable sense of eeriness.

They looked at Mo Hua, gradually realizing that although the youth appeared clear and pure, the waters behind him might truly be unfathomably deep…

Administrator Huangfu was about to ask something more.

But Mo Hua suddenly frowned, feeling a needle-like sting in his forehead.

Administrator Shangguan was startled. “What’s wrong?”

Mo Hua said, “My head was pierced by a golden needle used by that Huá Clan True-Person…”

All three of their expressions changed.

True-Person Zhuge touched Mo Hua’s forehead. Seeing no puncture mark, he released his divine sense to probe for a moment, then frowned and asked,

“Do you know what kind of needle that True-Person Huá used?”

Enduring the pain, Mo Hua shook his head. “I can’t remember clearly…”

That day, after failing to form his Golden Core, being schemed against and nearly killed by a group of old monsters, and then being captured by True-Person Huá in the chaos, he never even noticed what kind of needle True-Person Huá used to pierce his Sea of Consciousness.

Afterward, his Sea of Consciousness often throbbed with the pain of a golden needle.

But the problem was that after examining himself internally for a long time, he found no trace at all of any “golden needle” existing in his Sea of Consciousness.

Nor did he know the origin of that golden needle.

Mo Hua thought carefully for a moment and said, “I can only vaguely remember that the needle seemed half-real and half-illusory, its light flowing. After piercing into my Sea of Consciousness, it felt like it turned into chains for an instant, and also as if it split open a massive chasm… After that, I fainted…”

“When I woke up again, it seemed like the needle was there in my head, and yet it also seemed like it wasn’t.”

“Only, before that, True-Person Huá wanted to harm me, wanted to torture me, even wanted to ‘slice’ me. I didn’t have the mind to think about this issue at the time…”

“Slice?” True-Person Zhuge’s pupils shrank.

“Yes,” Mo Hua nodded. After thinking for a bit, he decided to leak a little information first. “The Huá Clan seems to have been doing this kind of research all along, cutting up demonic beasts and the corpses of dead people…”

Administrator Huangfu hurriedly hushed him. “Shh!”

Mo Hua stopped speaking.

Administrator Huangfu frowned deeply. “Have you told anyone else about this?”

Mo Hua shook his head.

Administrator Huangfu slowly let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good, then…”

True Person Zhuge also cautioned him, “From now on, do not mention this matter in front of anyone… even us. Even elders from other sects, fellow disciples, or Dao companions… do not bring it up.”

“Is it very dangerous?” Mo Hua asked in a low voice, his expression grave. “Is it that—”

True Person Zhuge shook his head. “No one knows… but matters like this are all ‘taboo.’ Without evidence, you must never speak carelessly, or you’ll invite retaliation from great aristocratic clans.”

“And you absolutely cannot leak it. Otherwise, whoever you tell—not only will it be useless, it may even get them killed…”

The truly great clans were far too terrifying…

Mo Hua’s expression turned solemn, and he nodded.

True Person Zhuge was a Feathered Ascension True Person.

Administrator Huangfu and Administrator Shangguan were both from aristocratic clans and also administrators of the Seven Pavilions, holding important posts.

None of the three were ordinary cultivators.

Many things, they probably all knew a little about, at least rumors… but without proof, they all kept silent.

After all, if one rashly intervened, no one knew what kind of enormous monster might be dragged out by the “clues” behind it.

One careless step, and it could very well bring about a fatal calamity.

“I understand,” Mo Hua said.

Seeing Mo Hua’s serious tone and earnest attitude—clearly having grasped the taboos involved and knowing not to rashly meddle in unknown secrets—True Person Zhuge finally relaxed, though he was also somewhat surprised.

This kid was also… far too sharp.

His sense for danger was far too keen.

With just a single hint, he understood everything.

If he weren’t someone who walked a “tightrope” every day and had experienced great dangers, it would be hard to possess such awareness.

True Person Zhuge silently stared at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua hurriedly asked, “Then the golden needle in my head…”

True Person Zhuge frowned and thought for a moment. “There are too few clues. I’ll have to go back and look into it.”

The cultivation world was vast, and there were far too many treasures involving golden needles.

The Huá Clan was also a major aristocratic clan of Dao Province, famous for possessing many golden-needle-type artifacts.

And from Mo Hua’s flesh, there were no visible traces at all.

Relying solely on these vague clues he described, there was no way to determine what kind of golden needle had been embedded in his head.

“You don’t need to worry about this matter. I’ll think of a solution,” True Person Zhuge said.

Mo Hua felt grateful and bowed. “Thank you for troubling yourself, True Person.”

True Person Zhuge nodded, thinking that regardless of anything else, this kid’s manners were quite good—neither servile nor overbearing, and properly courteous.

“Go rest for now. I’ve prepared a room for you,” True Person Zhuge said.

“Thank you, True Person,” Mo Hua replied.

Afterward, True Person Zhuge summoned a young attendant.

The attendant led Mo Hua down the corridor to a guest room.

The room wasn’t large, but it was extremely clean. It didn’t look luxurious, yet all the furnishings were quite refined.

Mo Hua didn’t know what kind of guest room it was, but since it had been prepared by True Person Zhuge, its safety clearly needed no concern.

He flopped onto the soft bed and let out a long sigh of relief.

Although there was still a golden needle stuck in his head, making it a bit uncomfortable, overall, he should be safe.

He had finally escaped from the Huá Clan’s “tiger’s jaws” and no longer needed to fear being tortured, sliced up, and studied.

And next…

Mo Hua’s gaze gradually sharpened, his expression resolute.

He could finally recuperate properly and think about his next attempt at forming a Golden Core.

On the path of cultivation, there was no obstacle that couldn’t be crossed.

If it couldn’t be crossed once, then cross it again…