Chapter 1514: Encircled Attack

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Chapter 1512: Encircled Attack

Spring Tower, the main hall of the Courtesan Banquet.

Mo Hua stepped off the flower carpet, having just left the courtesan’s private chamber and set foot on the ground. Like a drop of water falling into a pot of oil, in an instant, countless gazes of jealousy and hatred, sharp as swords, turned toward Mo Hua, Resentment boiling in the air.

The previously deathly silent hall suddenly became a scene of tense confrontation.

Mo Hua calmly surveyed his surroundings, seeing the young masters of Kun Province along with their guards and elders surrounding the main hall of the courtesan, sealing it off completely and trapping him in the center of the hall. Faced with such a confrontational situation, Mo Hua didn’t feel nervous.

In his life, he had experienced scenes like this—being heavily surrounded by enemies—more than a few times. Instead, he asked with some surprise: “It’s so late, why haven’t you all left yet?”

No one paid him any mind, only filled with venomous stares and icy killing intent. At that moment, a young master in green robes whom Mo Hua didn’t recognize stepped forward and coldly demanded: “What did you and Miss Yu… do up there?”

Although his tone was restrained, his face betrayed an uncontrollable jealousy and hatred. Especially when he thought that the Fairy Yu he held in his heart as pure and flawless might have just been in the private chamber above with this pretty boy, pouring out their hearts, being intimate, and doing indescribable things, his heart felt as if it were being sliced by a thousand knives, bleeding profusely with pain.

To accommodate his feelings, Mo Hua replied frankly, “Nothing much, just chatted.”

Hearing this, the green-robed young master grew even angrier. Just chatted? Are you trying to fool a ghost? When can’t you chat? Why did she have to invite you up alone to chat during the Courtesan Banquet, in front of so many people? A man and a woman alone in a room, just to chat? Any adult would never believe such nonsense.

Especially since the woman was such an exceptionally beautiful courtesan, what man could resist not doing something improper?

Playing the zither and discussing the Dao were just excuses; a secret rendezvous was probably the truth. Of course, they couldn’t have actually done anything—courtesans have rules, and the Jade Fragrance Pavilion wouldn’t allow it. But aside from that, he imagined everything else, soft jade and warm fragrance, intimate whispers, inseparable closeness…

At this thought, the green-robed young master felt as if a giant hammer were pounding in his chest, back and forth. He nearly drew his sword on the spot to cut down this pretty boy, Mo Hua.

Seeing the green-robed young master’s expression, Mo Hua knew exactly what he was thinking and felt somewhat helpless. If nothing else, these young masters certainly had vivid imaginations. Mo Hua could only say, “Don’t overthink it. It really was just chatting. I’m a proper person.”

The green-robed young master angrily demanded, “What did you talk about?”

Everyone else also stared intently at Mo Hua. Mo Hua remained silent, thinking to himself: These young masters must have lost their minds. What they discussed involved the secrets of Kun Province, how could he possibly tell them?

Mo Hua’s silence, however, made everyone’s hearts skip a beat. That pretty boy and Miss Yu were up there together, could it be they were too busy being intimate to even exchange a few words? Although Miss Yu didn’t seem like the type to be blinded by lust, that Mo fellow’s looks were indeed annoyingly handsome.

Coupled with his rumored status as a disciple of the great Qianxue sect and his talent in formations, women probably fell for that sort of thing. It was likely Miss Yu was no exception…

Once this thought took root, that this Mo fellow might have tainted Miss Yu, sullying this pure and flawless peony, jealousy gnawed at their hearts.

Another young master dressed in crimson then said, “In that case, Young Master Mo, you should stay.”

“Indeed,” another young master chimed in, “you must explain this matter clearly.”

“What exactly did you do to Miss Yu?”

One young master, his heart aching with bitterness, suddenly spoke up, “Miss Yu, as the top courtesan, has always maintained her purity and would never overstep boundaries, let alone harbor worldly desires… The way she treated you… could it be you have some leverage over her?”

As soon as these words were spoken, all the young masters were taken aback. Yet, upon careful consideration, they found it quite plausible. With Miss Yu’s celestial beauty, it was impossible for her to take a liking to this pretty-faced Mo fellow.

The fact that he had only offered a single Spirit stone to meet her was utterly inconceivable. How could Miss Yu’s judgment be so shallow?

After much thought, it must be that Mo Hua held some leverage over Miss Yu, forcing her to comply. Miss Yu was entirely at the mercy of this little lecher Mo.

After all, she was a delicate courtesan. If this Mo fellow took advantage of the courtesan banquet to coerce, harass, or disrespect her, she likely wouldn’t dare resist and could only silently endure the humiliation…

At this realization, their hearts swelled with pity for her, followed by intense anger, viewing Mo Hua as a despicable lecher.

Mo Hua sighed inwardly.

Yu Lian’er truly lived up to her reputation as the Holy Maiden of the Joyous-Union Sect, her skill in manipulating hearts was formidable, and she had ‘trained’ these young masters exceptionally well.

She didn’t need to say or do anything. Whenever something happened, these young masters, who regarded her as their exclusive possession, would fill in the gaps themselves, going to great lengths to defend her.

This wasn’t Dao Heart Seeding Demon, but in a sense, it was equivalent to Dao Heart Seeding Demon.

Dao Heart Seeding Demon… as this thought crossed his mind, Mo Hua suddenly gained an inexplicable insight.

Meanwhile, the hall full of young masters from noble clans saw that Mo Hua, a mere nobody, not only showed no shame, remorse, or repentance under their collective accusations but seemed to be lost in thought as if no one else was present, truly the height of arrogance and insolence.

Yet, they dared not rashly lay hands on him.

At that moment, the young master in blue discreetly glanced at the Eldest Young Master of the Earth Sect.

Amid the crowd’s righteous indignation and accusations against Mo Hua, the Eldest Young Master and the direct heirs of the four great clans remained silent.

It seemed someone like Mo Hua wasn’t worth the jealousy of these true scions of noble houses.

But their silence didn’t mean their anger and envy were any less.

After all, the Red Silkworm Cloud-Silk Fan of the Zhū Clan’s second young master, the Moonlight Glazed Mirror of the Jìn Clan’s direct heir, the Ice-Jade Cicada-Silk Robe of the Lu Clan’s direct heir, the Heavenly Scented Jade-Flower Rouge of the Wú Clan’s direct heir, and the Innate Spirit Crystal offered by the Eldest Young Master of the Earth Sect… none could compare to Young Master Mo’s mere single Spirit stone…

Once such an embarrassing incident spread, the faces of these young masters from prominent families in Kun Province would be trampled into the mud by this Young Master Mo from Great Void Sect of Qianxue.

Today’s disgrace must be avenged. This Young Master Mo must be made to bleed and pay the price.

A flash of killing intent flickered in the Eldest Young Master’s eyes.

Seeing this, the young master in green understood and sneered coldly at Mo Hua: “You may have some reputation in the Qianxue Prefecture realm, but don’t forget, this is Kun Province. Coming to our Kun Province and disrespecting the courtesan of Jade Fragrance Pavilion means you have no regard for the young masters of our province’s noble families. Don’t blame us for being impolite.”

With that, the young master in green immediately drew his sword, unleashing a surge of emerald-green sword light that slashed toward Mo Hua.

The strike was fierce and filled with killing intent, but it was mostly a test. They wanted to see how capable Mo Hua, this prodigy of Great Void Sect, truly was, and whether his combat prowess lived up to the rumors.

If this Mo Hua turned out to be a fraud with no real strength, then tonight’s Jade Fragrance Pavilion would become his nightmare.

These young masters, who frequented brothels regularly, had countless ways to torment such a pretty face. They had done such things before.

The others also watched with cold eyes, their Magical Treasures ready, waiting for an opening to capture Mo Hua first and deal with him slowly.

Just as the sword light from the young master in green was about to strike Mo Hua, a flash of white light appeared out of thin air. Bai XiaoSheng, acting as the “attendant,” materialized in front of Mo Hua and, with a bare-handed grab, crushed the sword light into fragments.

Everyone present was taken aback. Although the young master in green’s swordsmanship was not top-tier, his sword light was not something that could be crushed barehanded… Someone in the crowd recognized Bai XiaoSheng’s identity, and their expression grew solemn.

Although Bai XiaoSheng was unreliable, his reputation was far from small.

Seeing Bai XiaoSheng step forward, the Eldest Young Master of the Earth Sect could not ignore him and slowly spoke, “Elder Bai.”

Bai XiaoSheng nodded and greeted in return, “Eldest Young Master.”

Clearly, the two were not meeting for the first time.

The Eldest Young Master narrowed his eyes and said, “Elder Bai, aren’t you supposed to be wandering the mortal world to temper your Dao Heart?”

Bai XiaoSheng pointed toward the grand hall of the courtesan, adorned in bright red, “Isn’t this the mortal world? Am I not wandering it right now? What in this world could temper the Dao Heart better than the beauty of a courtesan?”

The Eldest Young Master frowned slightly. He knew that this Elder Bai of the Bai Clan was an extremely unconventional figure among the great families—unrestrained, unpredictable, eloquent, and never at a loss in arguments.

Not wanting to argue with him, the Eldest Young Master asked, “What relation is this Young Master Mo to the Bai Clan?”

Bai XiaoSheng thought to himself: His surname is Mo, what relation could he possibly have to the Bai Clan? If not for his senior-junior relationship with the Little Grandaunt, he wouldn’t have the slightest connection to the Bai Clan.

Of course, outwardly, Bai XiaoSheng replied, “He is a distant relative of our Bai Clan, more or less my little brother.”

Mo Hua glanced at Bai XiaoSheng. Bai XiaoSheng wore a smug expression.

The Eldest Young Master frowned. The direct descendants of the four great families were taken aback, and the other young masters also furrowed their brows.

The Bai Clan was a sixth-rank great family; even a distant relative carried the Bai Clan’s name and could not be easily humiliated.

The Eldest Young Master’s gaze sharpened, “If he is a distant relative of the Bai Clan, why is his surname Mo?”

Bai Xiaosheng waved his hand dismissively. “White is black, and black is ink (墨). Bai (白, ‘white’) and Mo (墨, ‘ink’) are one family—they’re practically the same thing.”

(TN: This is a Chinese character wordplay. Bai (白) means “white,” while Mo (墨) means “ink.” Bai XiaoSheng jokingly chains together “white → black → ink” to claim that Bai and Mo are essentially the same.)

Upon hearing this, the Eldest Young Master couldn’t help but sneer coldly. “Elder Bai, I respect you greatly, but don’t take the aristocratic clans of Kun Province for fools. How could the Bai surname and the Mo surname possibly be one family?”

“You are naturally welcome to come and go freely from this Jade Fragrance Pavilion, but this Young Master Mo…”

The Eldest Young Master pointed at Mo Hua and said coldly, “Must stay here today.”

Bai XiaoSheng’s gaze sharpened slightly, sensing that this situation might be difficult to resolve peacefully.

At that moment, Mo Hua looked at the Eldest Young Master and suddenly smiled faintly: “Back during the Qianxue Sword Debate, even the prodigies of the four great sects and eight grand gates couldn’t stop me, let alone you lot of country bumpkins.”

The Eldest Young Master’s expression changed upon hearing this. The others looked even more furious. Even Bai XiaoSheng felt a chill run down his spine. He should have gagged this kid earlier! His mouth was truly poisoned, it would be the death of him. At a time like this, what’s the point of mocking them?

The Eldest Young Master, enraged to the point of laughter, said, “Fine, I’d like to see just how you, Young Master Mo, plan to walk out of this Jade Fragrance Pavilion today.”

Hearing this, Bai XiaoSheng’s expression also turned cold. “What? Does your Earth Sect intend to take action against someone from my Bai Clan?”

But the Eldest Young Master shook his head. “If he were truly from the Bai Clan, we naturally wouldn’t dare. But his surname is Mo, and he has offended our taboos. Today, he must stay and give an explanation.”

Bai XiaoSheng frowned. The Eldest Young Master then said darkly, “Take action.”

As soon as the words fell, the previously poised young masters and elders drew their swords or summoned their magical treasures, charging at Mo Hua. Bai XiaoSheng spat in disgust but couldn’t just abandon Mo Hua. He withdrew an extraordinary life-bound sword and engaged the attackers.

Since Bai XiaoSheng was from the Bai Clan, the disciples of the Kun Province aristocratic clans naturally didn’t dare to truly trouble him. Moreover, Bai XiaoSheng’s cultivation was high, and they were no match for him.

So, five or six Golden Core elders temporarily entangled Bai XiaoSheng, while over ten others surrounded and attacked Mo Hua, who was only at the Early Golden Core Stage.

Seeing various magical treasures and Dao Arts coming at him, with blades and swords flashing like a forest, Mo Hua shook his head slightly.

A shimmer of water light passed around him, and like a butterfly made of water, he easily dodged through the barrage of spells.

After evading, Mo Hua didn’t linger. He activated the Flowing Water Step and fled toward the staircase.

The Golden Core cultivators from the various Kun Province aristocratic clans hurriedly activated their magical treasures, trying to intercept Mo Hua. But Mo Hua’s figure was illusory and elusive; no matter how they chased or attacked, they couldn’t touch him.

Seeing this, the Eldest Young Master and the four great clan’s direct descendants also narrowed their eyes.

Regardless of anything else, this Young Master Mo’s ability to escape was quite impressive.

Watching as the other Golden Core cultivators unleashed move after move but couldn’t even touch the hem of Mo Hua’s robe, and Mo Hua drifted through the crowd like flowing water, quickly breaking free from the encirclement and approaching the hall’s exit, the Eldest Young Master and the four direct descendants, who had initially cared about their dignity and disdained personally intervening, frowned and had no choice but to change their minds.

If they didn’t capture Mo Hua now, they would lose face completely.

The Eldest Young Master of the Earth Sect immediately narrowed his eyes, his pupils shimmering with a golden-brown hue, his right hand clenched into a claw-like dragon’s grip.

In a flash, he vanished from his original position, reappearing behind Mo Hua in an instant. Then, a phantom image of a flood dragon emerged over the Eldest Young Master’s right hand, and with a roaring sound, he lunged toward Mo Hua’s shoulder.

At the same time, the ten-zhang square area around Mo Hua was firmly locked down by the Divine-Sense of four other direct-line young masters, their sword techniques and Dao Arts simultaneously converging. If Mo Hua dared to flee, he would inevitably face a lethal strike.

These five top-tier young masters from the Kun Province Aristocratic Clans suddenly launched their attacks.

In their brief collaboration, they formed an airtight encirclement, trapping Mo Hua firmly in the center.

The Eldest Young Master then made a fierce grab, tearing through Mo Hua’s shoulder. Yet, instead of feeling pleased, his heart sank. Upon closer inspection, the Mo Hua before him had already dissipated like mist.

The Eldest Young Master looked up and saw that, just a step outside the encirclement they had formed ten zhang away, Mo Hua stood gracefully, his gaze as calm as still water.

It was as if the deadly situation before him was nothing more than a leisurely fishing trip by the water’s edge, relaxed and at ease.

The Eldest Young Master’s pupils trembled, his anger surging. He was about to release his seal and unleash his true cultivation to kill Mo Hua on the spot. But in the next moment, Mo Hua’s figure once again dissolved into mist and vanished. When he reappeared, he was already at the exit of the Flower Queen Hall.

At the exit, several aristocratic clan disciples were blocking Mo Hua’s path. However, these individuals were naturally no match for him. Within a few exchanges, Mo Hua had them utterly confused, and with a few fireballs, he left them covered in dust and grime.

After shaking off these blocking disciples, Mo Hua was just about to step out of the Flower Queen Hall and leave this troublesome place. But at that very moment, the Qi Mechanism within the hall abruptly shifted.

A powerful aura, distinctly different from that of a Golden Core cultivator, suddenly descended.

Four jade seals materialized, enveloping Mo Hua’s surroundings. In the air, traces of transparent, glass-like Spiritual Power shimmered, with the nascent forms of Laws slowly circulating within. A powerful yet ethereal presence, like crystallized feathers, flickered faintly in the space.

The entire Flower Queen Hall fell silent under the suppression of this immense power, all conflicts ceasing instantly. The crowd looked on with reverence, while Bai XiaoSheng furrowed his brow in concern.

Trapped at the center of this power, Mo Hua could only sigh helplessly. He looked up, shook his head, and muttered, “A Golden Core-level game, and now a Feathered Ascension cultivator joins in? How utterly shameless…”