Chapter 1460: The Lackey Misled Me
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Chapter 1458: The Lackey Misled Me
Hearing Mo Hua immediately bring up Spirit stones, Wu Ming sneered coldly: “A prodigy of the Great Void Sect, and this is all you amount to—relying on spell combat with others to win such a paltry amount of Spirit stones.”
Mo Hua said, “Five hundred thousand.”
Wu Ming fell silent, then asked in return, “How much?”
Mo Hua replied, “Five hundred thousand Spirit stones, and I’ll fight you once.”
Suppressing his anger, Wu Ming said, “Why is it so expensive? For others you only charge seventy or eighty thousand.”
Mo Hua said, “The market rate has gone up.”
Wu Ming gritted his teeth, realizing he had been careless. He had been too eager to show his desire to spar with Mo Hua, and as a result, Mo Hua had taken advantage of him, making an exorbitant demand.
This Mo Hua was truly cunning and insidious.
However, Houtu City prohibited private duels. If they wanted to spar, both parties had to agree, undergo notarization, and then compete at the Sword Debate Arena.
If Mo Hua refused, this trip would have been in vain for him.
Wu Ming desperately wanted to defeat Mo Hua, to cut him down and see the expression on his face after his defeat.
Wu Ming said, “Three hundred thousand.”
Mo Hua was somewhat surprised. “You, a young master of the Wu Clan, can’t even come up with five hundred thousand Spirit stones?”
Wu Ming’s expression turned ugly.
The Wu Clan’s family rules were quite strict, and his “allowance” wasn’t that generous.
For the entire clan, five hundred thousand Spirit stones certainly wasn’t much.
But for an individual, five hundred thousand was a considerable sum.
Even for some scions of noble families, it wasn’t easy to produce such an amount.
Those who thought five hundred thousand wasn’t much were either overestimating their abilities, having never personally earned that many Spirit stones, or were lucky upstarts who had made money too quickly and lost all sense of proportion.
But the wealth of upstarts came and went quickly. Once their luck ran out, they would fall into destitution in an instant.
Although Houtu City had high prices and Spirit stones were everywhere, that didn’t mean Spirit stones were truly worthless.
Most cultivators earned fewer Spirit stones than they spent, hardly able to save much.
Even Mo Hua, with his formidable Formation abilities and substantial earnings, still fell far short of filling the gap in his Life-Bound Formation.
As a young master of the Wu Clan, Wu Ming naturally had these five hundred thousand Spirit stones.
But this was several months’ worth of his “private savings.” Once spent, he would have to endure a period of “financial hardship.”
Wu Ming said, “Three hundred thousand.”
Mo Hua said, “Five hundred thousand.”
Wu Ming said, “Three hundred thousand.”
Mo Hua said, “Five hundred thousand.”
Wu Ming said, “Three hundred and fifty thousand.”
Mo Hua said, “If you keep this up, I’ll raise it to six hundred thousand.”
Wu Ming was furious but held back his temper. “Fine, five hundred thousand it is.”
Five hundred thousand to buy Mo Hua’s defeat—even if he had to live “poorly” for a while afterward, it would be worth it.
After a long period of rigorous cultivation and simulating hundreds of spell combat scenarios with Mo Hua in his mind, Wu Ming felt confident of victory.
And defeating Mo Hua would be an extraordinary honor.
Back in the Qianxue Prefecture realm, so many prodigies had never managed to “kill” Mo Hua even once.
After weighing the pros and cons, Wu Ming said, “Five hundred thousand it is. Let’s go to the Sword Debate Dao Arena.”
Mo Hua nodded. “Alright.”
Afterward, surrounded by a group of attendants, the two of them went to their usual sparring spot—the Sword Debate Dao Arena in the Eastern District.
Wu Ming asked the arena manager to open a private Spell Combat Chamber.
It wasn’t that he was afraid of losing face in a public duel.
Primarily, they feared that once the spell combat was made public, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, it might expose the Wu Clan’s cultivation methods and reveal their extraordinary magical treasure inheritance.
The greater the legacy of a major clan, the more emphasis must be placed on secrecy.
Afterward, a group of people watched as Wu Ming and Mo Hua entered the Spell Combat Arena.
No one knew exactly what happened.
Less than half an hour later, the two emerged.
Mo Hua remained exactly as he was before—handsome to the point of annoyance, with an expression of calm indifference, as if engaging in spell combat was as effortless as drinking water, not even a speck of dirt on the hem of his robe.
Wu Ming, however, was completely different. He seemed as if he had lost his soul, his face pale.
After a round of spell combat with Mo Hua, it was as if both his body and mind had suffered a severe blow, making him seem like a completely different person.
After leaving the Spell Combat Chamber, Wu Ming silently walked to the side and sat down, his expression vacant, as if contemplating life. He murmured softly:
“How could this be…”
“Is my Superior-Grade Golden Core fake? Did I cultivate a false core?”
“Why didn’t my magical treasure work?”
“My cultivation method—I learned a top-tier method, shouldn’t it be incredibly powerful?”
“How could this happen?”
The logic of the spell combat he had simulated in his mind was flawless.
His Golden Core was strong, his cultivation method was strong, his magical treasure was strong—while Mo Hua was weak in all three.
Yet, when it came to actual combat, he simply couldn’t defeat Mo Hua.
It seemed Mo Hua didn’t use any particularly special magical treasures, nor did he possess profound cultivation, nor did he employ any advanced spells. He still relied on that infuriating Fireball Technique and a few minor spells.
But no matter what, Wu Ming couldn’t win.
No matter how he fought, he couldn’t prevail.
What made Wu Ming most despairing was that he had no idea why he couldn’t win.
On paper, Mo Hua shouldn’t have been a match for him, but as soon as they started fighting, he found himself bound by Mo Hua’s Water Prison Technique and incinerated alive by countless fireballs.
Wu Ming even began to doubt himself:
“Am I really a Golden Core Cultivator?”
“Isn’t this exactly the same script as the Qianxue Sword Debate Grand Tournament?”
Just then, a close attendant noticed something was amiss and approached, whispering: “Young Master… how did the spell combat go? Did you win overwhelmingly and give that Mo kid a good beating?”
Upon hearing this, Wu Ming was so furious he felt his lungs might explode.
He instantly realized… yes, it was all the fault of these lackeys!
He had been extremely cautious and careful in dealing with Mo Hua due to the lingering trauma from the Sword Debate.
It was all because these lackeys had been blowing smoke, saying things like “Young Master has three advantages, Mo Hua has three weaknesses, that Mo kid is nothing to worry about.”
They had clouded his judgment and inflated his ego.
They had made him believe he could actually challenge that freak Mo Hua to a sparring match.
He had naively thought that once Mo Hua reached the Golden Core stage and formed an Inferior-Grade Golden Core, he would become useless.
But this was Mo Hua!
The Mo Hua who had dominated an entire generation of Qianxue’s top prodigies!
So what if he formed an Inferior-Grade Golden Core? Wasn’t Mo Hua still Mo Hua?
“Damn it! These lackeys have misled me!”
Filled with resentment and anger, Wu Ming was about to give his followers a severe scolding.
At that moment, Mo Hua walked up to Wu Ming and took the 500,000 spirit stone wager from the steward’s hands.
Now, not only had Wu Ming suffered a severe blow to his body and mind, but his wallet had also taken a heavy hit.
Wu Ming was completely numb, the light gone from his eyes.
Mo Hua originally intended to follow his usual routine and mock Wu Ming a bit, but seeing him in this state, he couldn’t quite bring himself to do it.
He was a perfectly fine young man, no need to push him to the point of shattering his Dao Heart.
Mo Hua then felt the weight of the storage bag in his hand, filled with five hundred thousand spirit stones, and a twinge of guilt unexpectedly surfaced in his heart.
“How about… I treat you to a meal?” Mo Hua said to Wu Ming.
Wu Ming was taken aback, stunned for a long moment before he fully grasped what Mo Hua had said. Then, as if he’d seen a ghost, he replied: “Have a meal with you? Am I out of my mind?”
“Alright,” Mo Hua didn’t press the matter, though he added, “I don’t often treat people to meals, so think it over carefully.”
This “honor” wasn’t something just anyone could receive.
Wu Ming fell silent for a moment, carefully considering his options, before saying, “I won’t have a meal…”
“But I can have fish,” Wu Ming added.
Mo Hua was slightly surprised, thinking to himself that this Wu Ming was quite interesting.
Mo Hua nodded and said, “Alright, let’s go.”
With that, Mo Hua walked ahead.
Wu Ming hesitated for a moment before reluctantly following behind Mo Hua.
“Young Master, we…” Wu Ming’s group of lackeys, seeing this, also wanted to follow.
Wu Ming was currently annoyed just looking at them. If it weren’t for these lackeys inflating his ego, how could he have suffered such a defeat today?
Wu Ming angrily said, “Get lost, go back to the Wu Clan and wait for me.”
Without waiting to hear what his lackeys had to say, he followed Mo Hua and left.
Only the group of followers remained behind, exchanging bewildered glances.
They were helpless—this was their job. If they didn’t flatter their master and keep him happy, how would they earn their keep?
This was Mo Hua’s third time dining at HóngYùn Pavilion.
He had previously treated Bai XiaoSheng here and had also shared a meal with Elder Tian in this pavilion.
It seemed this pavilion even had some “shares” belonging to Lu Zhenlong’s family.
At this moment, in the private room of HóngYùn Pavilion, Wu Ming was looking at the menu.
He was still fuming and wanted to “fleece” Mo Hua for a lavish meal.
But without his lackeys around to inflate his ego, his hot-bloodedness had cooled, and his mind gradually cleared.
Even as he looked at the menu, Wu Ming, now calm, suddenly felt a complex mix of emotions.
Mo Hua is treating me to a meal?
In this lifetime, could there really be a day when that Mo Hua… would treat me to a meal?
A trace of unease unexpectedly arose in Wu Ming’s heart.
What kind of person was Mo Hua? His meals weren’t something one could casually partake in.
If he really tried to “fleece” Mo Hua for an extravagant meal and angered him, who knew where Mo Hua might “fleece” him back in the future.
If he tried to fleece Mo Hua, Mo Hua might not care.
But if Mo Hua ever decided to fleece him in return, he might not be able to handle it.
Although Mo Hua might not be that petty, it was better to be safe than sorry.
So Wu Ming only ordered two fish.
Mo Hua was a bit surprised. “Aren’t you going to order more?”
Wu Ming replied with a cold expression, “This is enough.”
Mo Hua thought to himself: He’s being quite polite.
At this thought, Mo Hua suddenly asked him, “Does this HóngYùn Pavilion also have a share belonging to your Wu Clan?”
Wu Ming still wore a cold expression. “The Wu Clan doesn’t interfere with business in the Eastern District.”
Mo Hua let out an “oh,” then added a few of his own favorite dishes to the menu before handing it to the waiter.
After a while, the waiter brought the dishes.
Mo Hua said, “Eat, don’t stand on ceremony.”
Wu Ming remained expressionless and motionless.
Mo Hua had no choice but to pick up his chopsticks first.
Seeing Mo Hua pick up his chopsticks, Wu Ming finally dared to move as well. He picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and chewed a few times.
The Spiritual Cuisine at HóngYùn Pavilion naturally couldn’t compare to the private dishes of his Wu Clan.
But this fish was Mo Hua’s treat, and Wu Ming vaguely felt an unreal sense of “luxury,” which inexplicably made the taste seem quite good.
Mo Hua paid no attention to Wu Ming, focusing only on eating what he liked.
The two remained silent throughout the meal, and after eating for a while, the atmosphere gradually eased considerably.
Wu Ming also seemed less tense.
Mo Hua took a sip of wine and asked him, “Why did you come looking for trouble with me? It probably wasn’t for Lu Zhenlong’s sake, right?”
Wu Ming was taken aback, his heart tightening slightly.
Mo Hua set down his wine cup and said slowly, “You should know in your heart that the head of the Lu Clan would never allow his eldest daughter to have any involvement with me.”
“From the perspective of marriage alliances, it’s also unlikely that you would marry Lu Zhenlong.”
“In that case, why did you come looking for trouble with me?”
Wu Ming replied, “For the grudge from the sword debate.”
Mo Hua shook his head, “There’s definitely some resentment from the Qianxue sword debate, but the reason shouldn’t be that simple.”
Mo Hua’s gaze was calm, yet carried a strong sense of pressure.
Wu Ming felt the fish in his mouth becoming difficult to swallow.
He had intended to brush Mo Hua off with a few words, but thinking of Mo Hua’s almost supernatural intelligence, he sighed.
Honest people don’t speak in riddles; being evasive would only make things worse.
Wu Ming said, “I came to test you.”
Mo Hua asked, “You? Test me?”
Wu Ming sighed, “I… the senior elders of the Wu Clan wanted to use me to test your background.”
Mo Hua inquired, “What is there to test about me?”
Wu Ming glanced at Mo Hua, feeling helpless.
If Mo Hua wasn’t worth testing, then who in the world was?
Wu Ming sighed, “You don’t know… in the eyes of the high-ranking members of the aristocratic clans in Kun Province, you are actually…”
Wu Ming had wanted to say “freak,” but fearing Mo Hua might beat him up, he could only say: “An unpredictable anomaly.”
Wu Ming continued, “In the eyes of the higher-ups, your resume, your various achievements at the Qianxue conference, and your talent in Formations all indicate that you are a top-tier genius.”
“But your background is said to be very humble, with no guardians accompanying you. Your Spiritual roots are only average, your Golden Core is of inferior quality, and your Magical Treasures and Spells are almost negligible.”
“In the perception of aristocratic clans, especially the senior elders, this is almost impossible—a duality of being both a genius and a waste.”
“The senior elders also can’t determine whether you are truly a genius or…”
“They don’t dare to test you directly, but if they let you act freely, they fear you might disrupt the established marriage alliance dynamics among the Kun Province Aristocratic Clans.”
Mo Hua looked somewhat surprised.
He hadn’t had much contact with the high-ranking members of the Kun Province aristocratic clans. Little did he know that these people had been “keeping an eye” on him all along.
Mo Hua was still puzzled, “But what can you test about me? In the end, isn’t it just a fight, stirring up some trouble?”
Wu Ming shook his head, “A slight move in one part can affect the whole situation. Many relationships are hidden in the shadows. If you have connections, even the slightest disturbance will surely expose them.”
“As for what those connections are, that’s beyond my concern. The Wu Clan elders will naturally investigate on their own.”
Mo Hua nodded, thinking to himself that these people had quite a lot on their minds.
Unfortunately, it seemed he didn’t have that many connections in Kun Province that could be exposed.
Their schemes were likely in vain.
Mo Hua glanced at Wu Ming again, recalling what Wu Ming had just said: “Affect the marriage alliances among the Kun Province Aristocratic Clans?”
Mo Hua frowned. “That kind of thing has nothing to do with me, right?”
Wu Ming looked at Mo Hua and shook his head. “Hard to say.”
After all, putting everything else aside, Mo Hua was quite handsome, had the backing of the Great Void Sect, and possessed exceptional talent in Formations.
At this very moment, he had coincidentally appeared in Kun Province, with unknown origins and intentions—this alone made him a “hidden danger.”
Those in high positions preferred to lay out plans, and the most dreaded thing when strategizing was encountering such ambiguous “hidden dangers,” as they could easily backfire.
Mo Hua had also set traps before and understood this well.
But to cause trouble for him just because of something like “marriage alliances”?
Mo Hua still felt it was somewhat of an overreaction.
Previously, he had been busy studying Formations, earning Spirit stones, and tomb raiding… He had hardly paid any attention to matters like marriage alliances.
Seemingly sensing Mo Hua’s attitude, Wu Ming’s expression turned serious: “You don’t understand. Marriage alliances are of utmost importance. Sometimes, they matter more than anything else, especially for major aristocratic clans and powerful factions. Marriage alliances can determine the rise and fall of an entire clan or sect.”
Mo Hua was somewhat surprised. “Is it really that important?”
Wu Ming nodded. “Extremely important.”
He glanced at Mo Hua again. “And you… are actually already part of this grand scheme of marriage alliances in Kun Province.”
Mo Hua was slightly taken aback. “Me?”
“Yes,” Wu Ming nodded. “You might not know this… but your portrait has long been circulating among the young women of the Kun Province Aristocratic Clans.”
“Probably worn out from being passed around.”
Mo Hua’s face darkened.