Chapter 1324: The Situ Clan

Chapter 1323: The Situ Clan

The woman was dressed in fitted combat attire, her hair tied back. Blood stained her face, yet she looked valiant and dashing, it was Situ Fang, someone Mo Hua had known long ago.

As early as their days in Tōngxiān City, Situ Fang, Zhang Lan, and Mo Hua had once worked together to capture a flower-picking bandit.

Later, in Nanyue City of Li Province, Situ Fang—then serving as a Magistrate—had joined Mo Hua, Little Senior Brother, and Little Senior Sister to investigate the Lu family’s mining cultivators who had died tragically, a case involving the raising of zombies.

In the blink of an eye, ten or twenty years had passed since they last met.

Situ Fang stared at Mo Hua for a long moment, stunned, before saying in disbelief, “It’s really… Mo Hua…”

Mo Hua smiled and nodded.

Situ Fang let out a long breath of relief.

Moments ago, when she saw that fierce and razor-sharp Fireball Technique obliterate more than ten barbarian elite soldiers in a single exchange, she had thought the one who intervened was some unfathomable senior expert of ambiguous morals, and her heart had been filled with unease.

She never expected that the one who saved her would be that familiar, adorable little formation master from back then.

Situ Fang looked Mo Hua over carefully.

He seemed a little different from before—taller, more grown into his features. His once-clean and delicate looks now carried a hint of handsomeness.

Yet his expression and bearing were still vaguely the same as before. In his eyes, there was still that refreshing, heart-clearing purity.

The unfamiliarity on Situ Fang’s face faded, and an involuntary smile appeared.

“You… you are Mo Hua?” the man beside her asked as well, somewhat taken aback.

Mo Hua glanced at him and felt he looked a bit unfamiliar.

Situ Fang explained, “This is Situ Xiu, my cousin. You met him back in Tōngxiān City.”

Mo Hua suddenly remembered. Back when they went to catch the flower-picking bandit with Situ Fang and Uncle Zhang Lan, this Situ Xiu had been tagging along as well.

Only, the Situ Xiu of those days had been a hot-headed youth, wearing an expression that suggested he looked down on everyone.

Now, after many years, it seemed he had been tempered by life. That restlessness was gone, replaced by a much steadier demeanor. The difference was so great that Mo Hua hadn’t recognized him at first glance.

“Long time no see,” Mo Hua greeted him.

Situ Xiu gave an awkward smile, looking a bit restrained.

Situ Fang was still studying Mo Hua with a look of amazement when she noticed Bai Zisheng beside him.

Bai Zisheng’s change was far greater.

Back then, Bai Zisheng had been a hot-blooded, chivalrous young man.

Now, he was handsome, unruly, and arrogantly peerless—a monstrous prodigy.

Still, from his brows and eyes, Situ Fang could tell that this was the same youth who had once investigated the Nanyue City corpse case together with Mo Hua.

Mo Hua had always called him Little Senior Brother.

Only…

Situ Fang noticed the chains on Bai Zisheng, and then Mo Hua holding those chains. Her expression turned strange as she asked Mo Hua,

“Isn’t this your… you two…”

Mo Hua hurriedly made a “shh” gesture and sighed. “Times have changed. Things aren’t the same anymore…”

He pointed at Bai Zisheng. “This guy let lust cloud his judgment. Because of a woman, he betrayed the Dao Court, and I arrested him. Our positions are different now, we’re ‘enemies.’ Let bygones be bygones…”

Situ Fang was an acquaintance, and her character was upright.

Mo Hua wasn’t deliberately trying to hide things from her, but the situation was special. Some matters were better left unknown.

Most of the time, knowing too much wasn’t a good thing.

And keeping secrets was tiring work.

So, to avoid trouble, it was better to act the part all the way through.

Bai Zisheng sighed inwardly, feeling mentally exhausted.

Situ Fang looked at Mo Hua’s solemn face, then at Bai Zisheng’s helpless one, utterly unsure what kind of game these two senior-and-junior brothers were playing…

But since Mo Hua said so, she accepted it for the time being.

This child had been full of clever tricks since he was young, no one ever knew what schemes he was cooking up.

Mo Hua repeated seriously, “Sister Situ, I and this person…” He pointed at Bai Zisheng again. “…have completely severed ties and are irreconcilable enemies. The past has dispersed like smoke—forget it all, and absolutely don’t bring it up again…”

Situ Fang didn’t understand, but she nodded.

Whatever Mo Hua said went.

Only then did Mo Hua ask about something else. “By the way, Sister Situ, aren’t you a Magistrate? Why are you here?”

Hearing this, Situ Fang sighed softly and wiped the blood from her cheek.

“I was originally in Li Province, taking turns serving as a Magistrate. I wanted to accumulate some merits and seek a better path forward. But then the Great Wilderness suddenly rebelled. Fires of war rose everywhere in Li Province too. In many small immortal cities, people incited rogue cultivators to cause trouble, storming Dao Court offices without regard for right or wrong, killing Executives and Magistrates alike, killing members of noble clans…”

“I had no choice but to return to the Situ main clan.”

“But the foundations of the Situ Clan are in Li Province, and we were heavily affected by the rebellion. So I followed the clan around, suppressing unrest and maintaining our holdings.”

“Later, the Dao Court suffered setbacks in the Great Wilderness, the situation worsened, and the Heavenly Authority Pavilion issued an edict ordering all noble clans to support the suppression. The Situ Clan was among them.”

“As a member of the Situ clan, I naturally couldn’t shirk my duty, so I came to the Great Wilderness with them to quell the rebellion.”

“Of course, I’m not without selfish motives…”

Situ Fang sighed. “The clan is large, with many descendants, and the competition is fierce. If I don’t accomplish something, I’ll naturally be pushed to the margins…”

Others went south to suppress the rebellion and earn merit. If she stayed behind at home, avoiding these trials, then in the future, the Situ Clan might not even have a place for her.

Situ Fang knew well that although she was from the direct-line, her branch was still some distance from the Situ Clan’s core of power.

Mo Hua nodded, then asked, “Then who were the ones chasing you just now?”

Situ Fang replied, “They were barbarian soldiers subordinate to the Royal Court…”

“Subordinate to the Royal Court?” Mo Hua murmured thoughtfully.

Situ Xiu, standing to the side, spoke up to explain:

“This vast stretch of mountain lands is all Royal Domain territory. It both guards the Royal Court and supplies it. Many tribes are settled throughout.”

“The ones who chased us were barbarian soldiers from the tribes of the Royal Domain.”

“We’ve clashed with them many times before. Today we were unlucky, Cousin Fang and I were originally going to scout enemy movements, but we accidentally fell into an ambush and were chased by that group of barbarians for quite a while…”

Situ Fang nodded, still shaken, and said to Mo Hua,

“Fortunately, you intervened. Otherwise, it would’ve been very hard for us to get away.”

Mo Hua shook his head. “Just a small effort.”

“Oh, right,” Situ Fang looked at Mo Hua again. “Why are you here too? This place is quite far from the Li Province…”

Mo Hua said, “More or less the same as you. I don’t have a clan backing me, so I came to earn merit for the Dao Court.”

“So that’s how it is…” Situ Fang nodded, then asked, “Then have you earned merit?”

That was a rather awkward question.

Mo Hua hesitated a little. “Well… how should I put it… merit… I did earn some…”

It was just that the direction in which this “merit” was earned was a bit crooked, the Dao Court probably wouldn’t be too pleased.

Situ Fang understood.

She guessed that Mo Hua had the loyal heart to serve the Dao Court, but was unlucky, unable to truly display his abilities or accomplish much, which was why he spoke so vaguely.

“Then you’re separated from the Dao Court’s main army now?” Situ Fang could more or less tell.

Mo Hua nodded. “Yes.”

“Where are you planning to go next?”

“Not sure yet.”

Situ Fang warmly said, “If you don’t have a place to stay for now, why not come with me to the Situ Clan’s garrison first? Once you’re settled, you can look for another chance to build merit.”

Mo Hua hesitated. “Would that be alright?”

Situ Fang smiled. “We’re so familiar, old friends, really. And you saved both Xiu’er and me. By both reason and sentiment, I should at least show some hospitality.”

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then smiled as well. “Then I’ll be troubling Sister Situ.”

Situ Fang was very happy.

Only Situ Xiu at the side looked somewhat unwilling, muttering softly, “I’ve said it so many times, don’t call me ‘Xiu’er’…”

…

After that, Situ Fang and Situ Xiu led Mo Hua, detouring around several Royal Domain tribes, barbarian camps, mountains, swamps, grasslands, and other complex terrain. About half a day later, they arrived at the Situ Clan’s garrison on the front line of the Great Wilderness.

The garrison was huge, filled with all kinds of tents and buildings, there was even a marketplace.

Along the roadside were various Dao Court–style or barbarian-style spirit artifacts, bone knives, pills, totems, cultivation manuals, and the like.

Scions of aristocratic clans, disciples of sects, and idle Dao soldiers moved about, chatting and trading. It looked extremely bustling and lively.

Mo Hua was quite surprised.

He hadn’t expected to see such a lively place on the front line where the two sides were locked in battle.

Even more absurd was that, scattered among the crowd, he actually saw a few barbarian cultivators haggling with others.

Situ Fang led Mo Hua into her tent and said, “Sit and rest for a bit. I’ll go get you something to eat.”

Mo Hua smiled. “Thank you, Sister Situ.”

Situ Fang nodded with a smile, and even dragged out Situ Xiu, who had just been about to slack off.

Mo Hua sat down by the table.

Bai Zisheng sat down beside him as well.

Mo Hua lowered his voice and said, “Watch your status. You’re my captive now, a prisoner. You can’t just sit wherever you want.”

Bai Zisheng couldn’t be bothered to respond and instead asked, “Weren’t you planning to go to the Royal Court?”

Mo Hua glanced around, saw no one nearby, and said,

“You think it’s that easy to get into the Royal Court? The Dao Court and the Great Wilderness are still at war, the front line is like a meat grinder. If we rush in without understanding the situation, we’ll probably lose our lives.”

“Besides, the Royal Court is a fourth-rank mountain realm. There’s a Feathered Ascension cultivator stationed there.”

“You’ve seen that Great Wilderness Feathered Ascension before, who knows what he ate growing up, he was like a little giant. Completely ridiculous… Once a Feathered Ascension really cuts loose, it’s no joke.”

“So we can’t act rashly. We need thorough planning.”

“And this Golden Core matter, it’s just one last step away. There absolutely can’t be any more mishaps…”

Last time, when forming the Golden Core, his preparations were insufficient and he got ambushed by a group of shameless Heavenly Secret big shots.

Mo Hua took that lesson deeply to heart.

This time, he had to eliminate all hidden dangers and completely grasp every variable in his own hands.

Bai Zisheng slowly nodded.

When it came to using his brain, he had always trusted Mo Hua.

Mo Hua continued, “So first we need to understand the environment and clarify the situation before making plans.”

“And also…” Mo Hua glanced at Bai Zisheng and lowered his voice. “Your situation right now is very special. The Huá Clan is still watching you, and the Dao Court will probably continue to hunt you down. I need to find some connections, pull some strings, and secure a place to stay. Otherwise, wandering around outside every day, exposed to the elements, once we’re hunted down again, we’ll fall back into the same desperate flight as before…”

Bai Zisheng nodded slightly, but he still didn’t quite understand.

What connections could Mo Hua possibly find?

This was the Great Wilderness, the front line of war.

He himself, a direct descendant of the Bai Clan, an aristocratic prodigy, had been surrounded and hunted, yet no one came to help.

Little Junior Brother was of rogue-cultivator origins. Even if he had joined a sect and earned his elders’ favor, how much influence could he really have?

Just as he was puzzled, footsteps sounded outside. Situ Fang returned, bringing some wine, dried meat, and fruit.

“The fighting is tense, I could only find these. Sorry about that,” Situ Fang said apologetically.

Mo Hua didn’t mind and smiled. “Thank you, Sister Situ.”

He and Bai Zisheng ate a little.

Bai Zisheng showed no awareness of being a “prisoner,” eating meat and drinking wine as he pleased.

Mo Hua found the wine too harsh, he took a sip and set it aside.

After eating for a while, Mo Hua asked Situ Fang, “Sister Situ, how many Situ clans are there in Li Province altogether?”

Situ Fang was slightly startled, not understanding why Mo Hua asked this, but after thinking for a moment, she replied, “Li Province is very large. There are at least ten or so clans with the surname Situ.”

“Which clan is the largest?” Mo Hua asked again.

Situ Fang said, “The largest one is the Situ clan I belong to.”

“Then…” Mo Hua continued, “Is there someone named Situ Jian in your Situ clan?”

“Situ Jian?” Situ Fang’s expression changed.

Mo Hua said, “You know him?”

Situ Fang nodded, then shook her head. “I don’t know which Situ Jian you mean, but among the direct lineage of our main family, there is indeed a prodigy named ‘Situ Jian’… it’s just that I’ve never met him.”

“Never met him?” Mo Hua was somewhat surprised. “Isn’t he a prodigy of the main family? How could you not have met him?”

“Situ Jian is a genius. When he was very young, the clan spared no effort to support him and sent him to a great prefecture to cultivate and study. He’s on a completely different level from ordinary direct-line descendants like us…”

Situ Fang gave a bitter smile.

“My branch, although also considered direct lineage, is still quite far removed from the main family. For so many years, we haven’t produced a single True Person. But Situ Jian is a sword-dao prodigy rarely seen in the clan for hundreds of years. He’s also the clan leader’s most beloved youngest son, a heaven-favored genius surrounded by admiration, with an extremely high status. Ordinary people… even those of the main family, rarely ever get to see him.”

Mo Hua was stunned. “Situ Jian is that impressive?”

Situ Fang nodded solemnly.

Mo Hua grew puzzled.

The genius Situ Jian that Sister Situ spoke of, could he be the same person as the “Situ Jian,” that little junior brother of his from the Great Void Sect?

“Where is this Situ Jian studying?” Mo Hua asked.

Situ Fang replied, “That’s a clan secret. We don’t know either, only that it’s in some great state devoted to cultivation.”

“Then…” Mo Hua asked again, “is this Situ Jian… also in the Great Wilderness right now?”

Situ Fang nodded. “He is. The Dao Court issued a conscription. As a clan prodigy, of course he came as well.”

“Can I meet him?” Mo Hua said.

Situ Fang looked troubled. “This… to be honest, I’m not qualified to see him either.” Then she asked, “Little Brother Mo, do you know him?”

Mo Hua said, “It’s possible…”

Situ Fang was taken aback. “Possible?”

Mo Hua nodded. “But I’m not sure whether they’re the same person, so I need to see him to find out.”

Situ Fang frowned, pondering for a long time. In the end, she sighed. “This… I’ll have to ask the elders.”

“Mm, thank you for the trouble, Sister Situ,” Mo Hua said.

After that, he felt somewhat helpless inside.

He had also vaguely realized that back at the Great Void Sect, a group of little junior brothers used to follow behind him every day.

But after graduating and leaving the Great Void Sect, once these little junior brothers returned to their respective clans, one by one… they might not be so simple after all.