Chapter 1471: The Ultimate Good Big Brother

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Chapter 1469: The Ultimate Good Big Brother

Insufficient cultivation, inadequate connections.

Before intervening in matters of the Great Spirit Field Realm, the problem Mo Hua faced was still earning Spirit stones.

He first needed to earn about over seven hundred thousand Spirit stones to fully nourish the third Spirit bone of the Hand Taiyin Heart Meridian.

As for the fourth, the Hand Yángmíng Meridian’s Spirit bone, the shortfall was eight million Spirit stones.

From this point on, the numbers became somewhat exaggerated, and Mo Hua had no choice but to plan carefully.

But no matter what, he still had to fully nourish the third Spirit bone first.

The fastest way to earn Spirit stones was still tomb raiding by Entering the Earth, as the risks were high but the profits were great.

And now, Mo Hua had a preliminary team in place.

With himself as the leading big brother, plus the three skilled tomb raiders—Iron Mountain Tiger, Skinny Cicada, and Pangolin—this lineup was already quite strong.

Most ordinary tomb raider gangs, even when entering tombs together, operated mostly on a contract basis.

A Grave Head would hire a group to Enter the Earth and raid tombs, calling each other brothers, but once conflicts of interest arose, they’d stab each other in the back.

Mo Hua had encountered this kind of thing many times before.

Thus, the gangs formed by tomb raiders often gathered quickly, dispersed just as quickly, and, of course, died even faster.

Mo Hua’s team was a bit different.

After various events, Iron Mountain Tiger and the others genuinely recognized Mo Hua as their big brother, almost obeying his every command.

He could lead, organize operations, command respect, judge fortune and misfortune, distribute Spirit stones generously, and resolve unexpected issues.

In the tomb raiding world, this was practically the ultimate good big brother.

Especially after the last tomb raid, when each of them received 1.3 million Spirit stones, Iron Mountain Tiger and the other two were moved to tears, almost recognizing Black-Faced Fiend as their only good big brother.

With this, Mo Hua found it much easier to organize operations and get things done.

He also wanted to bring along Lín Youfāng, who went by the alias Zhōu jǐn, so the team would be complete with five members.

Although Lín Youfāng practiced the Unorthodox Path, refined vengeful ghosts, and was somewhat unscrupulous in his methods, he only targeted those who deserved it.

As an observer, Mo Hua could only moderately intervene, preventing Old Rich Zhou from harming three generations of his family and ensuring Lín Youfāng kept his life without suffering a backlash from the vengeful ghosts.

Mo Hua valued Lín Youfāng for his loyalty and sense of righteousness.

Unfortunately, by forcibly refining ghosts, he had violated human ethics and suffered a backlash from Yin Evil, depleting his vitality so severely that he looked on the verge of death, and it was unclear how much longer he could live.

Mo Hua could only advise him to focus on recovering first, leaving other matters for later.

As for the fifth member, Mo Hua had Manager Zhao find another person from the underworld.

After these two nearly casualty-free tomb raids and the relatively substantial profits, Manager Zhao’s reputation for being ruthless and vicious was temporarily washed away.

Mo Hua, the leading big brother known as Black-Faced Fiend, was gradually gaining some fame.

Coupled with the three veterans—Iron Mountain Tiger and the others—they formed a team that, while not luxurious, was solid and reliable.

Mo Hua’s team instantly became a hot commodity.

With one spot left to fill, they could now call for someone at any time, and there would always be applicants.

In fact, there were so many applicants wanting to join the team that Mo Hua was almost overwhelmed with choices.

Previously, when he wanted to raid tombs, he had to beg others to join, and they were often unwilling, fearing he’d get them killed.

Now, the tables had turned, and Mo Hua’s standards for selecting members had also risen somewhat.

Mo Hua was only willing to take on tomb raiders who generally brought their own clues about the tomb, had some skills, were reliable, not malicious, weren’t just looking for a one-time deal, and could be long-term associates.

These requirements were actually quite demanding.

As it turned out, not mentioning any requirements would have been fine, but once he stated them, more and more people were willing to team up with him.

Mo Hua was somewhat puzzled by this.

But in any case, he no longer had to worry about forming teams for tomb raiding.

In the short span of a month that followed, Mo Hua organized two more tomb explorations.

Overall, these two expeditions weren’t particularly successful.

Since they weren’t major tombs, they didn’t earn many Spirit stones. Although there were some twists and turns during the process—such as obstacles in tomb exploration, entry, breaking, traps, and Formations—they didn’t pose any significant threat, especially to Mo Hua in his current state.

His Earth-Ground Formation had already been learned quite proficiently.

And the Earth-Ground Formation was the secret art of the Earth Sect, the most profound embodiment of Feng Shui Geomancy.

Before learning the Earth-Ground Formation, Mo Hua couldn’t understand many things when tomb raiding.

But now that he had learned it, he gradually began to feel like a fish in water when raiding tombs.

Many seemingly intricate and even bizarre manifestations of Earth Qi were easily discerned as true or false in Mo Hua’s eyes, and their underlying structures were laid bare in minute detail.

Therefore, the process of these two tomb raids was relatively straightforward.

The profits weren’t high either, combined, each person earned only around five hundred thousand Spirit stones.

Without twists and turns and with low profits, Mo Hua’s emotions remained unmoved.

He didn’t pay much attention to it.

But Iron Mountain Tiger and the other two didn’t think the same way.

Despite being in a high-risk, high-accident, high-casualty industry like tomb raiding, they felt an unusual sense of security and stability.

This left them with mixed feelings.

The newly recruited tomb raiders who joined Mo Hua’s team felt this even more keenly.

Because they had gone on two expeditions and recruited two more people.

Neither of these two were newcomers; they were seasoned veterans.

They had considerable industry experience beforehand, having raided tombs both large and small, with varying levels of profit. But they had never experienced this kind of ‘peaceful and serene’ sense of stability.

All problems were solved by professional experts.

Iron Mountain Tiger followed the Mountain-Moving Dao, responsible for brute strength; Skinny Cicada belonged to the Wind-Listening method, capable of listening to the wind to determine positions; Pangolin practiced the Earth-Thief Style, able to taste soil and discern changes in corpse soil.

Other mysterious, perplexing, and even advanced issues, including those related to Formations, were all handled by the leader.

Beyond that, there were no major surprises or internal scheming.

It felt as though everyone had agreed to venture underground together and bring back a few things along the way.

Although they didn’t strike it rich, the experience was quite pleasant.

In the tomb raiding industry, where sudden wealth and sudden death often go hand in hand, this was truly rare.

After these two tomb raids, the reputation of Black-Faced Fiend began to spread widely in the underground world of Houtu City:

“Steady, reliable, able to hold his ground… completely different from that black-hearted Manager Zhao.”

“His name sounds fierce, but he conducts himself with remarkable fairness.”

“He wears a ghost mask with questionable aesthetics, but his demeanor is quite gentle and refined.”

“Indeed, one should not judge by appearances, nor by names.”

“This Black-Faced Fiend is truly the complete opposite of Manager Zhao in character. Manager Zhao has a kind face but a black heart. This big brother here has a black face but a kind heart.”

“Such a person actually associates with Manager Zhao, like jade mingling with rubble. It’s truly a pity.”

“Manager Zhao’s very existence tarnishes this big brother’s reputation.”

Mo Hua didn’t mix in the underworld circles of Houtu City, so he didn’t hear much of these street rumors.

Instead, Manager Zhao looked on with a darkened face, cursing these fools in the underworld for failing to recognize a good-hearted person.

“One day, when you’re all killed by Black-Faced Fiend, you’ll understand my good intentions.”

As for Mo Hua, he was still a bit short on funds.

After robbing two tombs, he had obtained over five hundred thousand spirit stones, but he still needed another hundred or two hundred thousand to fully nourish the Hand Taiyin Heart Meridian.

This hundred or two hundred thousand wasn’t a huge amount, but it was somewhat difficult to gather on short notice.

After some thought, Mo Hua headed to the Dao Arts arena in the Eastern District, planning to spar a few matches, win some prizes, and gather these spirit stones.

Thinking back, it had been quite a while since Mo Hua last came to the arena to spar.

The last time he sparred was when Wú Ming dragged him here by force.

Usually, he had to cultivate, study formations, and organize tomb-raiding trips, so Mo Hua didn’t have much time to come to the arena to fight and duel.

This time, as soon as he entered the arena, he ran into a few familiar faces.

It was Wú Gui, Jin An, and Zhu Xian.

The three of them were stunned when they saw Mo Hua.

Mo Hua asked, “Want to fight?”

The three shook their heads repeatedly. “No, no, we won’t fight.”

At first, driven by jealousy and rivalry, they had intended to vent their frustrations on Mo Hua, which was why they sought to spar with him.

But after so many matches and losing so many spirit stones, they gradually came to their senses.

Especially after such a long time, they had also found out that this seemingly delicate and fair-faced ‘Young Master Mo’ before them was a distinguished disciple of the Great Void Sect, the top major sect in Qianxue. Back in the day, during the Qianxue Dao Discourse Tournament, his achievements were illustrious, a formidable figure who could stride sideways even in the talent-crowded Qianxue Prefecture realm.

Could they really not have some sense of this?

They were playboys, not truly foolish. After losing so many matches and being humiliated daily by low-level Fireball Techniques, even the dullest would have figured it out.

With such a big reputation, could Young Master Mo really only know the Fireball Technique?

He used the Fireball Technique purely for fun.

Wú Gui smiled and said, “Young Master Mo, no more fighting, no more fighting.”

Mo Hua secretly thought it was a pity and said, “Just one match, just one.”

Wú Gui and the others shook their heads repeatedly, refusing to fall for it no matter what.

Mo Hua sighed inwardly. Indeed, some distance should be maintained between people. Once you become too familiar, it’s harder to deceive them.

Wú Gui smiled awkwardly and said, “Sparring is out of the question, but if Young Master Mo has time, may I treat you to a cup of tea?”

Mo Hua thought for a moment and nodded. “Alright.”

After winning so many spirit stones from them, he ought to give them some face.

Afterward, Wú Gui and the others led Mo Hua to a private viewing room in the large Spell Combat Arena, where maidservants served tea, fruits, and snacks.

At that moment, a sparring match was taking place in the large Spell Combat Arena.

However, the participants weren’t top-tier experts, so there weren’t many spectators.

Mo Hua drank tea and ate fruits while Wú Gui and the others cautiously accompanied him, afraid he might become displeased.

After drinking tea for a while, Mo Hua suddenly remembered something and asked Wú Gui: “Has anything happened in your Wú Clan recently?”

Wú Gui was slightly taken aback. “What do you mean?”

Mo Hua found it difficult to speak plainly, so he only said, “Something… rather bloody?”

“Bloody?” Wú Gui was still confused, unable to think of anything bloody that had occurred in his clan.

Instead, it was Zhu Xian beside him who, after thinking for a moment, said, “Young Master Mo, are you referring to… the massacre of a Wú Clan branch family on Swallow Street in the West City not long ago?”

Mo Hua’s heart stirred, but he remained expressionless. “I’m not entirely sure. I’ve only heard some rumors, so I was curious and thought I’d ask.”

“Swallow Street in the West City…” Mo Hua continued, “What happened there?”

Zhu Xian replied, “I don’t know the details either. I only heard that a family who had married into the wife’s family, still a branch of the Wú Clan, had many members die overnight. Close blood relatives within two generations were almost completely wiped out, with only a few children surviving.”

Jin An, who was also nearby, immediately added, “I heard about it too. It’s said that the Dao Court Division later went to investigate but found nothing. They had no idea who had done it or what method was used to kill so many people. There were no traces of the murderer at the scene, no residual spells or blood energy, only a pair of straw sandals from a dead person left in an infant’s room. It was truly bizarre.”

As Jin An spoke, his face showed lingering fear. Zhu Xian also felt a chill in his heart.

Mo Hua turned to look at Wú Gui and, seeing that he still appeared completely clueless, couldn’t help but ask: “You have no idea at all?”

Wú Gui nodded.

Mo Hua sighed helplessly. “It’s still a matter concerning your Wú Clan. Even Jin An and Zhu Xian know about it, but you don’t?”

Wú Gui said, “It’s a branch family, and one that married into the wife’s family at that. The connection is so distant, why would I pay attention to it?”

Mo Hua asked, “Wouldn’t your Wú Clan look into it?”

Wú Gui thought for a moment and said, “Some elders might inquire about such matters, but since it’s not the main lineage or even a proper branch family, they’d likely just ask around. Ultimately, it would be up to the Dao Court Division to investigate.”

“After all, it’s just someone who married into the family…” Wú Gui added.

Mo Hua’s thoughts stirred.

To outsiders, someone who married into a prestigious family might seem enviable, carrying the family’s name.

But within the true inner circles of such families, marrying into the wife’s family was just that, such individuals were never treated as real family.

Even outsiders like Jin An and Zhu Xian seemed more concerned about the matter than Wú Gui, a member of the clan itself.

Of course, this concern likely only extended to the level of casual conversation after meals.

Mo Hua pondered for a moment before asking again, “Could the Dao Court Division find out anything?”

“Who knows?” Zhu Xian shook his head. “Most of the Dao Court Division are just useless officials, idling away their time. What could they possibly accomplish?”

“Besides, a case like this sounds so bizarre. It could either be the work of a master or involve something unclean and inexplicable.”

“The Dao Court Division probably only went to investigate to skim some benefits. Who would genuinely care about who the murderer was?”

“Afterward, they’d likely find some excuse to make it seem plausible on the surface and close the case.”

Mo Hua thought it over and still felt something was off, so he asked Wú Gui: “Even if it’s someone who married into the family, they still carry the Wú Clan’s name. Would the Wú Clan really not care at all?”

Wú Gui then said, “If the Dao Court Division identifies the killer, the Wú Clan will, by reason and custom, still need to inquire into the matter. But if they cannot find out, then they likely won’t bother.”

Jin An, standing nearby, shook his head and said: “Wú Gui doesn’t understand. In truth, the Wú Clan will definitely inquire, just not about the killer, but about the property.”

“Property?” Mo Hua was slightly taken aback.

Jin An nodded. “Generally, those who Marry into the Wife’s Family are, to put it bluntly, of some use, either talented, capable, or already possessing wealth themselves.”

“Now that two generations of those who married into the Wú Clan have died, doesn’t that leave their property behind?”

“The Wú Clan can send someone to confiscate the property of those who married in, gaining a large sum of assets for nothing. As for other matters, why bother inquiring?”

After Jin An finished speaking, Wú Gui’s expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

It seemed he wasn’t unaware; rather, as a member of the Wú Clan, such matters were somewhat difficult for him to voice.

Mo Hua, however, narrowed his eyes.

Old Rich Zhou, during his lifetime, had been harsh and miserly, exploiting his neighbors to amass a great deal of wealth, which he passed on to his son.

His son, carrying this wealth, married into a prominent family, becoming a son-in-law of the Wú Clan.

Then, Old Rich Zhou’s son met a tragic death.

The Wú Clan confiscated the property.

The wealth that Old Rich Zhou’s lineage had painstakingly accumulated by exploiting their neighbors ultimately flowed, as if naturally, back into the pockets of the prominent family.

Wealth was like blood, slowly siphoned upward, but in the end, into whose mouth was it sucked?

Mo Hua’s gaze grew profound.