Chapter 430: Cannot Look

He had taken the pill—he had become stronger—but Mo Hua was invisible.

The gray-robed cultivator had no way to deal with him.

Once the blood-and-corpse pill’s power wore off, he wouldn’t be able to move.

The gray-robed cultivator roared a few more ferocious shouts, his face twisted with rage. Even with all his unwillingness, he couldn’t linger any longer.

The grudge of humiliation from that little brat could be settled later.

He forced Bai Zisheng back with a punch, then moved with incredible speed, charging down the corridor, breaking through walls in succession, and disappeared into the rear building’s side rooms.

Inside the side rooms, chaos reigned, and the screams of cultivators echoed.

Mo Hua waited until the gray-robed cultivator’s pill power waned, forcing him to flee, then slowly revealed himself.

Bai Zisheng asked, “Should we chase him?”

Mo Hua thought for a moment and nodded. “Chase a little, but don’t rush—if he gets cornered, he might go all out.”

“Got it.”

The three of them followed the path the gray-robed cultivator had smashed through, pursuing him.

He had fled to the rear building, crashing into the side rooms blindly like a headless fly, smashing walls everywhere.

After taking the pill, his body had become extraordinarily strong, and his power had greatly increased. The formations in the Hundred Flowers Tower were ordinary at best—they couldn’t stop him.

As Mo Hua and the others chased him, they found themselves surrounded by ruined doors and windows, crumbling walls.

They had no idea where the gray-robed cultivator had gone.

Mo Hua extended his divine sense, frowning slightly.

Even with his perception, he couldn’t sense him.

Could it be that there was a hidden passage in the Hundred Flowers Tower?

Mo Hua remembered what Qinglan had said: this gray-robed cultivator “often stayed here, but came and went mysteriously—no one knew when he entered, or when he left…”

Now that his pill’s power had worn off, he could only find a way to escape.

And the only way to escape would be a secret passage.

Cultivators did have teleportation abilities, but that level of technique—space manipulation—was clearly beyond the ability of Qi-Refining or Foundation Establishment cultivators.

After a moment’s thought, Mo Hua said to Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi:

“Let’s split up and look—see if we can find a trap or a secret passage.”

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi nodded.

Bai Zixi said, “Be careful.”

“Mm.”

Mo Hua nodded, then used his concealment technique, hiding himself as he moved to the middle.

Bai Zisheng went left, Bai Zixi went right.

While searching for the gray-robed cultivator, Mo Hua kept his divine sense on Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, wary of any accidents.

As he walked, he noticed Bai Zixi had stopped in a room.

Mo Hua was slightly surprised.

Had the little senior sister discovered something?

He turned and moved toward Bai Zixi.

Bai Zixi, looking at the scene in front of her, furrowed her brow.

A bed had been forcefully smashed, revealing a dark hole beneath.

This hole was likely the entrance to the secret passage.

Under the bed lay a dead male cultivator, his chest pierced with a bloody hole, as if someone had forcibly torn through his chest with their arm, destroying his heart meridians.

Judging by the technique, it must have been the gray-robed cultivator.

Nearby were several naked female cultivators, trembling in fear.

Bai Zixi was considering whether to enter the secret passage when she heard Mo Hua’s footsteps.

His steps were light and familiar.

“Little Senior Sister?”

Mo Hua called, stepping toward the room.

Bai Zixi glanced at the naked female cultivators and immediately realized what was happening. She hurried to the door and stretched out her fair little hand, covering Mo Hua’s eyes.

“Cannot look!”

Mo Hua felt her soft, delicate hands over his eyes, her presence right in front of him, and his face turned slightly red.

Still, he quietly asked:

“Why not?”

Bai Zixi’s voice was crisp: “Just… cannot look!”

“Alright then…”

Mo Hua obediently let her cover his eyes.

After a while, Bai Zisheng arrived and was about to say something.

Bai Zixi shot him a glare: “Don’t look!”

“Oh…”

Bai Zisheng silently covered his own eyes.

The female cultivators inside, still recovering from the shock, grabbed some silk to cover themselves, then hastily put on clothing.

Though still slightly exposed, it was presentable enough.

Bai Zixi finally released her hand.

Mo Hua glanced at them, understanding, then asked:

“Did a strangely-shaped, corpse-like cultivator come through here?”

The women nodded timidly:

“We were adjusting our clothes, preparing to serve Young Master Zhao…”

“Young Master Zhao?”

One of the women pointed to the man lying on the ground with a chest wound and continued:

“We didn’t expect that monster to suddenly barge in…”

“Zhao’s mood was stirred, he spoke out angrily, and that monster… with one claw pierced his chest.”

“After killing Young Master Zhao, the monster broke the bed with a punch and disappeared into the hole under the bed, we don’t know where…”

“Whose room is this?” Mo Hua asked.

The women exchanged glances, and finally one said:

“It’s Sister Yulan’s room.”

“That Young Master Zhao used to be Sister Yulan’s patron. He drank a bit, somehow thought of the late Sister Yulan, and forcibly dragged us here…”

They trailed off in front of Mo Hua, embarrassed to continue.

Mo Hua nodded.

He checked the hole under the bed—pitch black inside.

Probing with his divine sense, he shook his head.

“What’s wrong?” Bai Zisheng asked.

Mo Hua said: “It’s blocked.”

“Can we break through?”

Mo Hua shook his head: “There’s a mechanism. Once triggered, the formation self-destructs, burying the passage with earth and stones. It’s clearly designed as a last-resort escape.”

“Then what do we do?”

Mo Hua asked: “The needles I gave you—did you leave them in him?”

Bai Zisheng nodded: “Three. One in his hair, one in his sleeve, and the third—I slipped it into his wound after Zixi’s sword qi tore through his flesh, blending into his blood. Judging by his expression, he won’t notice for a while.”

Mo Hua smiled: “Good.”

A while later, Situ Jin and Situ Fang arrived with a few officers.

They had sustained minor injuries and had just taken pills, recovering with simple meditation.

Situ Jin’s eyes showed gratitude as he looked at Mo Hua:

“Thanks, little brother.”

After taking the pill, the gray-robed cultivator had grown vastly stronger—he wasn’t a match.

If not for Mo Hua upstairs drawing his attention with fireballs and delaying him, the pill’s power would still be potent.

Otherwise, letting the gray-robed cultivator rampage would have caused heavy losses.

Even Situ Jin himself would likely have been severely injured.

He glanced at Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, eyes full of admiration.

These were truly the prodigies of a great family.

Even with a Qi-Refining cultivation, they could face a Foundation Establishment cultivator head-on, even one enhanced by pills and corpse-like in appearance.

If they had reached Foundation Establishment… what then?

“Truly the legitimate heirs of a great family…”

Situ Jin silently marveled.

Though the Situ family was influential, compared to the White family, they were far behind.

This was evident from the strength of their heirs.

Mo Hua and the others exchanged polite words, saying things like “no need to be so courteous” and “it’s only natural.”

Mostly, Mo Hua spoke.

Bai Zixi was cool and aloof, Bai Zisheng slightly proud.

Matters like this were best left to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua thanked Situ Jin and then asked:

“Elder Situ, what’s the Dao Court Division going to do next?”

Situ Jin looked at Situ Fang, who thought for a moment and said:

“We now know the gray-robed cultivator’s appearance. Next, we’ll report to the court, verify his portrait, trace his origin, and confirm his identity.”

Mo Hua was surprised: “He’s a villain, right? You can really trace him?”

Situ Fang said: “Villains aren’t born as villains.”

“Many evil cultivators, or demonic ones, started as regular cultivators but gave in to desires or mistakes, straying from the path.”

“As long as they are regular cultivators, the Dao Court records their origins.”

Mo Hua asked: “Do I have an origin record?”

Situ Fang sighed: “Are you a regular cultivator?”

Mo Hua nodded: “Very regular.”

“Then naturally, yes. But normally, a cultivator’s origin info is simple and can be checked by the Dao Court Division.”

“Wouldn’t that make it easy for someone to dig into my past?”

Mo Hua frowned.

He remembered the Dao Court Division could easily be bribed.

Once bribed, anyone could check his details.

“Normal cultivators, yes.”

Situ Fang looked at him, smiling:

“But if your cultivation grows, your formations succeed, and your status becomes prestigious, your origin will be encrypted by the central Dao Court. The local division will no longer have access.”

“Anyone who has checked your origin must provide a reason, which will be recorded.”

Mo Hua nodded and asked:

“Once the gray-robed cultivator’s identity is confirmed, how will the Dao Court Division catch him?”

Situ Fang sighed: “That will take some effort…”

“Typically, a wanted notice is issued, bounties offered, and then depending on his identity, the court will gather relevant cultivators, unraveling the truth step by step…”

She paused, suddenly suspicious, looking at Mo Hua:

“Why are you asking this?”

Mo Hua smiled sheepishly: “Just learning.”

Situ Fang laughed, shaking her head: “You don’t need to learn everything… leave the investigation to the Dao Court Division. You three go back first.”

“Mm.” Mo Hua agreed, then remembered something and asked:

“What about Sister Qinglan?”

“You mean that little girl?”

Mo Hua nodded.

He worried the madam might hold a grudge and retaliate against Qinglan.

In places like this, women’s lives are often fragile.

Since Qinglan helped him, Mo Hua wanted to ensure her safety.

Situ Fang thought for a moment:

“Leave it to me. I’ll get the madam’s contract and bring her back.”

“Will the madam agree?”

Situ Fang sneered: “She has no choice. I’ll say Qinglan colluded with that criminal cultivator; her Hundred Flowers Tower is also suspicious.”

“To rid herself of suspicion, the madam will surely hand over this hot potato. She won’t dare keep the contract.”

Mo Hua laughed: “Thank you, Sister Situ.”

Afterward, Situ Fang and the Dao Court Division handled the rest.

Mo Hua and the others left the Hundred Flowers Tower.

Before that night, the tower had been luxurious; afterward, it was a scene of ruin.

Mo Hua looked back, a hint of puzzlement in his eyes.

He remembered there was a Foundation Establishment cultivator stationed here.

With such a commotion, the Lu family Foundation Establishment cultivator did not intervene.

Did they not know, so they didn’t interfere, or did they know everything and pretended not to?

Mo Hua frowned again.

The mine, the absolute formation, the dead miners, the Lu family, the Hundred Flowers Tower, the gray-robed cultivator…

And the missing Instructor Yan.

Were these events connected…?

Mo Hua’s frown deepened.