Chapter 425: Hundred Flowers Pavilion

Mo Hua had made up his mind.

Since the Hundred Flowers Pavilion had a Revealing Dust Formation, hiding would inevitably reveal flaws. So he might as well go in openly and aboveboard!

The only problem was, he was still young—others might not let him in.

In that case, he needed someone to lead the way.

In Nanyue City, the person he was most familiar with was Elder Situ Fang.

But there was no way he could go ask Sister Situ to take him into a brothel.

She definitely wouldn’t agree.

And she would probably think he had gone astray, damaging his reputation.

Even though he was young, he was already a first-rank formation master—a cultivator of some standing—so reputation was still important.

Besides her, the person Mo Hua was most familiar with was Elder Su, with whom he often drank tea.

Moreover, Elder Su spoke about brothels with ease and humor, acting like he was very familiar with them—he probably visited them often in private.

He was definitely the right choice.

Mo Hua looked at Elder Su with bright, determined eyes.

Elder Su froze.

Mo Hua’s simple and straightforward answer completely upended all of Elder Su’s scheming guesses.

This wasn’t what he had expected…

He had thought Mo Hua was plotting some secret, unspeakable matter.

But it turned out… it was a trip to a brothel. Well… that actually made sense.

Elder Su was slightly stunned, stroked his beard, and thought it over.

It seemed… there was no real problem.

It truly was something secret, private, and unspeakable, requiring subtle inquiry…

It was just…

Elder Su looked at Mo Hua’s clear-eyed, innocent face and said tactfully:

“This matter… isn’t it a bit ‘too early’ for you…?”

Mo Hua frowned, looking serious:

“I have an important matter to attend to.”

Elder Su was a little embarrassed.

You look so serious, yet you’re talking about something so unserious—it’s hard for me to stay serious too…

Elder Su quickly added, “Or… why don’t you flip through the Lu family genealogy your master gave you? If you find a girl you like, quietly tell me. I can speak to the Lu family head for you, help you arrange a match early.”

Mo Hua frowned, “I really do have an important matter!”

Elder Su was taken aback. “Really?”

“Yes.” Mo Hua nodded earnestly.

Elder Su felt a bit awkward. He whispered:

“Can you tell me what it is? Of course, it’s private; you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Mo Hua thought for a moment and said:

“Wasn’t I asking you to help me find someone surnamed ‘Yan’?”

Elder Su was surprised. “He likes… this sort of thing too?”

Mo Hua silently looked at Elder Su.

Realizing his slip, Elder Su panicked and quickly corrected himself:

“Ah, this Mr. Yan is also a cultivator of our path?”

Mo Hua’s gaze grew even more complex.

Elder Su lightly tapped his lips—he was only making it worse by speaking—and decided to drop the topic. Instead, he asked:

“Is there really a lead on this Mr. Yan in the brothels on Jinhua Street?”

Mo Hua wasn’t entirely sure—maybe, maybe not.

Mr. Yan’s whereabouts were unknown; he had no lead yet.

Mo Hua’s main goal this time was to find the gray-robed cultivator who hired someone to kill and sell corpses.

Mr. Yan had disappeared from the mine, and the mine was connected to the gray-robed cultivator.

There might be a link between the two.

Of course, this couldn’t be said outright.

Mo Hua replied, “There should be.”

“I see…”

Elder Su looked at Mo Hua, his expression gradually easing.

So it was about looking for a master’s concern, trying to find a clue.

He really had misunderstood this child…

Elder Su said, “No problem. Leave it to me; I’ll take you there!”

Mo Hua added, “And my senior brothers and sisters you’ve seen.”

Elder Su hesitated, then nodded:

“No problem.”

“Thank you, Elder Su!” Mo Hua said with a smile, then worried a bit: “We’re young—will it be okay for you to take us there?”

Elder Su smiled: “No worries. A brothel isn’t just about romance. Some have refined ladies—you can listen to songs, watch dances. It’s quite pleasant too.”

Mo Hua nodded, feeling grateful.

Elder Su had been a huge help this time.

Mo Hua thought for a moment and decided to repay Elder Su a little. He whispered:

“Elder Su, the formation you drew earlier had a small mistake. I didn’t tell you before because I didn’t want to embarrass you. But recognizing mistakes is how a formation improves. I’ll quietly tell you now—here’s the error…”

Elder Su froze, his emotions complicated. He didn’t know how to react.

He could only listen, half laughing, half crying, as Mo Hua pointed out the flaw.

But as he listened, his expression grew serious.

Mo Hua’s observations were precise—he really had made the mistake.

Elder Su frowned slightly.

The thing was, Mo Hua had barely glanced at the formation—just a casual look.

And yet he spotted the mistake?

Elder Su’s heart sank inwardly.

How profound was this young master’s mastery of formations…?

…

After leaving, Mo Hua told Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi what Elder Su had agreed to.

“We’ll pretend to be book boys and follow Elder Su into the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.”

“Alright.”

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi both nodded.

Three nights later, as lanterns were lit and Jinhua Street glowed, Mo Hua and the others followed Elder Su to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.

All three wore pale blue book-boy attire.

Mo Hua was delicate and adorable; Bai Zisheng tall and heroic; Bai Zixi tied up her long hair, dressing as a young boy.

Her complexion was fair, her looks less striking than before, but still refined. Her aura was cool, and her narrow eyes gave her a kind of heroic beauty.

Mo Hua and Bai Zisheng were both impressed.

Elder Su was also slightly stunned. In his heart, he was sure: these senior brothers and sisters must have impressive backgrounds.

Such appearances and demeanor were no ordinary matter.

Elder Su showed them much more respect.

Jinhua Street was bustling, opulent, a spectacle of gold and jewels.

The three followed Elder Su along the street toward the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.

There were multiple brothels on Jinhua Street.

Whenever they passed places like Yihong Court, Yicui Pavilion, or Jufang Garden, female cultivators would coquettishly greet Elder Su:

“Elder Su, long time no see!”

Elder Su was embarrassed, wishing he could hide his face.

Normally, it wouldn’t matter, but now he was with these three children. If he ruined his image in Mo Hua’s eyes, he’d be done for.

He tried to act composed, though his face reddened with embarrassment.

The street lights were also red, giving Mo Hua and the others rosy cheeks, so Elder Su’s awkwardness went unnoticed.

After enduring the walk, Elder Su finally led them to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion’s main gate.

Sure enough, a lightly dressed woman came out, frowning in mock sorrow:

“Elder Su, you haven’t been here in so long…”

Elder Su cleared his throat: “Today, we are here only to listen to music and watch the dance.”

Hearing this, the woman became composed and politely smiled:

“Very well, Elder Su, please come this way.”

Elder Su handed over a bag of spirit stones: “Prepare a pot of the finest Guose Tianxiang wine, brew a pot of fresh Lotus-in-Water tea, and a box of delicate Hundred Flowers pastries…”

The woman smiled like a blooming flower: “Alright.”

Elder Su glanced at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua nodded.

Elder Su then led Mo Hua to a spacious, exquisite table in the Flower Hall, separated by Narcissus and Orchid screens.

Once seated, Mo Hua couldn’t help but praise:

“Elder Su, you’re so skilled!”

Elder Su smiled, about to nod, but halfway through, he caught himself and shook his head:

“Not skilled, not skilled. This is only… my first… second time here.”

He didn’t want to exaggerate too much.

“Oh.”

Mo Hua clearly didn’t believe him.

Feeling under Mo Hua’s gaze, Elder Su grew uneasy and tried to change the subject:

“Little master, you’re here to find someone—you can ask the young ladies here.”

Mo Hua nodded, but asked:

“How do I find them?”

Elder Su coughed a few times, and then a young lady stepped forward, smiling politely:

“Elder, what are your instructions?”

“Bring some young ladies—courteous, knowing their limits, light makeup, not too flamboyant, a little younger…”

Elder Su instructed smoothly, and the young lady went to carry out the order.

Elder Su nodded calmly, then saw Mo Hua looking at him with wide, admiring eyes.

Mo Hua was about to speak, but Elder Su hurriedly said:

“I’m just… repeating what others told me. I’m not skilled—really not skilled…”