Chapter 321: Identity

Mo Hua’s heart trembled violently—he didn’t know what to say for a moment.

The secret of the Qian Family’s Ancestor had been discovered by Qian Xing. The old patriarch didn’t want to kill his great-grandson, yet feared he might leak the truth. So, he simply told him part of it, intending to groom him into the next Patriarch of the Qian Family.

A Patriarch who viewed other people as nothing more than pigs, dogs, cattle, and horses.

After Qian Xing finished speaking, his expression suddenly turned terrified.

“Mo Hua, save me!”

Why hadn’t the Great-Grandfather aged?

Why did he deliberately pretend to be decrepit and frail?

Why, after killing someone, did he feed the body to pigs?

Why had he been warned never to speak of it—and why, for an instant, did the old man even seem to want to kill his own great-grandson?

Qian Xing didn’t know.

He didn’t dare to ask.

He didn’t dare to investigate.

But he knew—there was an unspeakable secret hidden within all this.

He might not know the truth, but Mo Hua surely did.

And since Mo Hua knew, Mo Hua would certainly have a way.

He had fallen into Mo Hua’s hands so many times—he knew the boy was clever, and terribly difficult to deal with. In other words, if anyone could save him, it would be Mo Hua!

If the Great-Grandfather found out he had talked about these things, he would be doomed!

Even if he wasn’t killed, the Qian Family would have no place left for him.

Mo Hua looked at him quietly, then said:

“Pretend you don’t know anything.”

“Pretend?” Qian Xing froze, then shook his head frantically. “No, I can’t! I’ll panic—he’ll definitely see through me! I can’t hide anything from the Great-Grandfather!”

Mo Hua replied calmly, “Then don’t pretend. Just faint.”

“What do you mean…”

Mo Hua pointed toward the unconscious Qian Family disciples nearby. “Aren’t they all fainted?”

Qian Xing blinked blankly.

Mo Hua continued, “You came to pick a fight with me—reckless, but understandable. You weren’t my match—reasonable. I knocked you out—also reasonable. Once you’re unconscious, no one will suspect what you said, or what I know. Everything will make perfect sense.”

Qian Xing’s lips twitched. “How long do I stay fainted?”

“Three or four days. Then wake up, act like you’ve gone mad again. Stay in your room and don’t come out.” Mo Hua instructed him steadily.

“What about after that?” Qian Xing still looked uneasy.

Mo Hua’s gaze hardened. “After that… isn’t your concern. Your Great-Grandfather won’t trouble you again.”

Qian Xing frowned. “What are you planning? The Great-Grandfather’s cultivation is terrifying—you can’t fight him!”

Mo Hua silently stared at him. “Do you really want to know?”

Qian Xing almost nodded, then froze, face going pale with horror.

“Don’t tell me! Don’t tell me anything!”

Mo Hua smiled faintly. “As long as you say nothing, no one will know what you said.”

“Alright!” Qian Xing nodded rapidly.

At this point, he had no other choice.

The greatest mistake of his life had been learning something he should never have known.

He wasn’t going to make that mistake again.

He leaned forward, gritted his teeth, and said,

“Do it! Knock me out hard. I don’t want to know anything!”

Mo Hua didn’t hesitate—he raised the Thousand-Jin Staff and struck Qian Xing squarely on the head with a metallic clang.

Qian Xing swayed and crumpled to the ground.

Mo Hua struck him several more times—carefully measured blows, not enough to kill, but enough to keep him unconscious for a few days.

It was, at the moment, the best plan Mo Hua could think of.

He couldn’t kill Qian Xing. Killing him would draw suspicion from the Dao Court Division, offend the Qian Family, and alert the snake before striking.

But letting him go was even worse.

Someone like Qian Xing could never hide his thoughts from the Qian Family’s Ancestor. Once interrogated, the old monster would instantly infer what had happened and what Mo Hua might know.

The only option was to knock him out—then, within the next few days, find a way to deal with the Qian Family’s Ancestor.

Mo Hua lit a signal flare. Soon, a few demon hunters rushed over. Seeing Qian Family cultivators sprawled everywhere, they looked bewildered.

Mo Hua briefly explained and asked the senior hunters to carry the unconscious Qian Family members back home.

Then, he returned to Tōngxiān City and found Elder Yu. He told the elder to discreetly summon several people—time was urgent, and he had something important to say.

Elder Yu, though puzzled, followed his instructions.

Not long after, in Elder Yu’s sitting room sat: Zhang Lan from the Dao Court Division, Yang Jiyong from the Dao Soldiers Division, and Mo Hua’s father, Mo Shan.

Few in number, but each represented a major faction.

All looked solemnly at Mo Hua, waiting to hear what he had to say.

Mo Hua extended his Divine-Sense, confirmed no outsiders were present, and said in a low voice:

“Qian Xing came to cause trouble for me…”

Zhang Lan’s face paled. “You killed him?”

Mo Hua sighed helplessly. “No.”

Zhang Lan exhaled in relief. “You sounded so serious, I thought you’d killed him and wanted us to clean up the mess…”

Mo Hua’s expression darkened. “Am I really that kind of person?”

Zhang Lan muttered silently, Who knows what you’re capable of?

“What did you do to him then?” he asked aloud.

“I knocked him out.”

“…That’s it?”

“And four or five other Qian Family disciples got beaten up too.”

“You alone?”

Mo Hua nodded.

Zhang Lan looked astonished. “You’ve gotten that strong already?”

Mo Hua answered modestly, “More or less.”

“So what do you need us for?”

“Qian Xing will be unconscious for three or four days.”

Zhang Lan nodded slowly.

Mo Hua’s eyes hardened. “Within those three or four days—we must find a way to eliminate the Qian Family’s Ancestor!”

The room fell utterly silent.

Everyone stared at one another, speechless.

Zhang Lan rubbed his ear, wondering if he’d heard wrong. “What does knocking out Qian Xing have to do with killing the Qian Family’s Ancestor?”

Mo Hua replied, “The Ancestor once killed a cultivator and fed the body to the pig in the Black Mountain Stronghold’s alchemy room.”

Zhang Lan’s expression changed drastically. “How do you know that?”

“Qian Xing told me.”

“Why would he tell you something like that?”

Zhang Lan was baffled.

Mo Hua sighed. “It’s complicated. But he’s unconscious for now, which gives us a window to strike first. Once he wakes and the Ancestor senses something wrong, we’ll lose our chance.”

Zhang Lan thought for a moment and looked at Yang Jiyong. “What does your Dao Soldiers Division think?”

Yang Jiyong frowned. “I believe Mo Hua. But if we’re to mobilize Dao Soldiers, we’ll need solid evidence.”

Mo Shan also frowned. “There’s another issue—what is the Qian Family’s Ancestor’s identity within the Black Mountain Stronghold?”

Zhang Lan nodded. “Exactly. Without clarifying that, even if we capture him, we can’t convict him.”

“Could he be the Stronghold’s First Leader?”

Elder Yu shook his head. “No—the aura doesn’t match.”

“That’s strange,” Zhang Lan said, puzzled. “If the Qian Family’s Ancestor really went to the alchemy room and ate those Human Life Pills, he must be a core figure of the Black Mountain Stronghold. His status would be extraordinary. But none of the four Leaders fit him.”

Everyone fell silent again, the air thick with confusion.

The Qian Family’s Ancestor was clearly connected to the Black Mountain Stronghold—yet among its known leaders, none matched his identity.

Mo Hua pondered for a while, then said suddenly, “Must the Stronghold’s highest leader be the ‘First Leader’?”

Elder Yu blinked. “You mean…”

Mo Hua said, “Normally, isn’t there also a position called ‘Stronghold Master’?”

Zhang Lan frowned deeply. “If the Qian Family’s Ancestor is the Stronghold Master, then who’s the First Leader?”

If the Ancestor were the true master, it wouldn’t make sense for him to appoint some unrelated person as the nominal head of the Stronghold.

Then Elder Yu’s expression changed sharply—his pupils contracted as realization struck. He shot to his feet.

“The First Leader…!”

“Elder?” Mo Hua looked at him, startled.

Elder Yu’s voice trembled.

“The First Leader… could be… the Qian Family’s Great Elder! ”

Mo Hua was stunned. “But the Great Elder of the Qian Family—didn’t he…”

Elder Yu nodded grimly. “Yes—over two hundred years ago, the one said to have died deep in the mountains!”

Everyone’s hearts shook violently.

If that were true, then the Black Mountain Stronghold… was another Qian Family!

A hidden one—born in the shadows, bound not by blood, but by darkness itself.

(End of Chapter)