Chapter 435: Erasing Traces
The aftermath of the mine was handled by the Dao Court Division.
Clearing the mine, dealing with the walking corpses, confiscating coffins, and investigating further were all managed by Situ Fang.
Looking at the chaotic scene, Situ Fang was quietly astonished.
So many zombies subdued, and Zhang Quan was forced to flee…
And Zhang Quan was a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Now it seemed that those who had fallen into the path of demonic cultivation, refining iron corpses, were extremely dangerous and exceptionally tricky…
Yet even so, he had been beaten to exhaustion and forced to escape in disgrace.
The abilities of these few young cultivators with Mo Hua were far greater than she had imagined.
At the same time, Situ Fang felt somewhat helpless.
They were Dao Court Division, yet in the investigation of Zhang Quan, Mo Hua and the others always acted first; all the division could do was clean up afterward.
Now, the Dao Court cultivators were just finishing the cleanup.
Mo Hua, meanwhile, wandered casually, hands behind his back, pointing here and there, inspecting this and that, looking every bit like a “little administrative officer.”
Situ Fang watched, feeling both amused and exasperated.
After a while, Mo Hua approached, and Situ Fang wanted to scold him.
The Dao Court Division of Nanyue City isn’t here just to clean up messes!
But before she could speak, Mo Hua sensed the moment was off, and sweetly called out, “Sister Situ,” then said earnestly, “Luckily you were here—it really helped a lot!”
He patted his chest, pretending to catch his breath.
“So many zombies… it really scared me.”
Situ Fang’s expression became complicated; she couldn’t find words.
Scared? Looking at him, he had been more excited than anyone while examining the runes on the zombies.
She could only sigh helplessly.
Seeing she wasn’t angry, Mo Hua quickly changed the topic: “Sister Situ, is this matter serious?”
Situ Fang paused, her expression gradually turning grave. She nodded. “Very serious.”
She glanced at the coffins and walking corpses on the ground and sighed. “And it seems to be getting worse…”
Missing miners, thugs killing people, Zhang Quan buying corpses, and now openly practicing demonic cultivation, refining corpses on a large scale…
Situ Fang’s expression grew heavier.
She guessed that what they saw now was likely just the tip of the iceberg.
Even the tip had killed so many and refined so many corpses.
The whole iceberg… how many more would die, and how many corpses would be refined?
Just thinking about it made her heart race.
This might be the largest case in Nanyue City in centuries, perhaps nearly a millennium.
Mo Hua’s eyes glimmered. “Has the chief of Nanyue City said anything about this?”
Situ Fang hesitated, then shook her head with a complicated expression. “The chief hasn’t said a word. Probably trying to keep it quiet. Once things escalate, he’s responsible. Best to minimize it, keep it small…”
Can something this serious really be minimized…?
Mo Hua clicked his tongue quietly. “Is he corrupt, maybe…”
Situ Fang shot him a glance. “Don’t be so blunt.”
Mo Hua softened: “So, he’s ‘returning favors, unable to refuse hospitality’?”
Situ Fang paused. “Who taught you to talk like that?”
“Uncle Zhang…”
Situ Fang could only sigh, “Couldn’t he have taught you something better…”
He had taught something better.
Mo Hua’s Flowing-Water Step was taught by Zhang Lan.
But this matter Zhang Lan forbade him to mention, so Mo Hua had to nod: “He didn’t teach me anything good!”
Situ Fang silently noted this, planning to return and complain to several uncles in the Zhang family, saying Zhang Lan spoke freely and was leading the child astray.
Mo Hua, unaware, asked, “Sister Situ, what kind of person is the chief of Nanyue City?”
“What kind of person?” Situ Fang paused.
“Well… is he treacherous, cunning, greedy, deep-minded, bad-tempered…”
“You didn’t pick a single good trait…”
“I felt he wasn’t a good person, so I didn’t use good words.”
Situ Fang sighed, thinking it better to explain: “The chief of Nanyue City is surnamed Qian…”
“Qian?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “Coincidentally the same surname, but probably no relation to your Qian family in Tongxian City.”
“The chief…”
Situ Fang hesitated, then lowered her voice: “Can’t say he’s bad, just greedy, lustful, indulgent, and not attentive to Dao Court matters…”
Mo Hua understood roughly. “Basically incompetent.”
“Not exactly incompetent…”
“Then he only has the ability to accumulate wealth and enjoy life?”
Situ Fang nodded. “Something like that.”
Mo Hua thought a moment. “Then your chief probably collected a lot of spiritual stones from the Lu family…”
Situ Fang shook her head. “No proof, can’t say. But logically, he must have taken some.”
Mo Hua nodded, pondering.
Situ Fang was curious. “Why are you asking this?”
Mo Hua’s eyes twinkled. “Nothing.”
Situ Fang couldn’t figure him out and rubbed his hair irritably. “Aren’t you scared of zombies? Hurry back.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Mo Hua smiled and said goodbye, then left.
Instead of going home, he walked to the other side of the mine and sat on a large rock, waiting.
After a while, Bai Zisheng arrived, driving Dàbái and a horse-drawn cart.
The cart was new and simple, meant for transporting storage boxes.
Mo Hua waved, and Bai Zisheng stopped. “We weren’t seen, right?”
“No.”
Mo Hua nodded, then ran behind the rock, dissolving the concealment formation, revealing two coffins hidden by the array.
Each coffin contained several walking corpses.
The runes on their chests were mostly intact.
Mo Hua intended to transport them back for study.
The matter had to be concealed—not letting the Dao Court or other cultivators notice, to prevent anyone guessing their intent.
Though possibly redundant, being careful ensured nothing went wrong.
Bai Zisheng lifted the coffins onto the cart.
Mo Hua drew the concealment formation, making the coffins vanish from sight.
But Dàbái was reluctant.
Zombies and coffins were filthy, and Dàbái didn’t want to pull them.
Mo Hua coaxed and fed him some spiritual herbs; only then did he reluctantly agree.
Bai Zisheng drove, Mo Hua and Bai Zixi sat inside, watching the coffins.
They secretly transported the coffins and zombies without others noticing.
Entering the city, they were stopped by an inspector.
Mo Hua, familiar with him, greeted and slipped him two spiritual stones. The inspector glanced briefly and let them pass courteously.
Once in the residence, Mo Hua found a quiet, secluded, cool chamber. After setting concealment, defense, and control arrays around it, he placed the coffins inside.
“Should we tell Master?” Bai Zisheng asked quietly.
Mo Hua thought a moment. “Yes.”
Whatever they did, Mister Zhuang would know.
But knowing or not, they should still inform him properly. Respecting and honoring the teacher is a disciple’s duty.
Mo Hua went to Mister Zhuang.
Before he could speak, Zhuang waved his hand: “Study them carefully. Afterward, handle it cleanly. Filth like this shouldn’t stay long.”
Mo Hua’s eyes lit up. “Yes, Master!”
Zhuang already knew.
Mo Hua didn’t rush to study them; he first reinforced the arrays to prevent zombies from escaping, dirtying the courtyard, and disturbing Zhuang’s peace.
Before he could finish preparations, the next day Situ Fang came, looking guilty, hesitant to speak.
“What happened, Sister Situ?” Mo Hua asked.
Situ Fang hesitated, then said: “It’s all gone…”
Mo Hua was stunned. “Gone?”
“Zombies, coffins, all evidence… all gone…”
She gritted her teeth.
Mo Hua frowned. “What happened?”
Situ Fang’s gaze grew cold. “The chief… claimed the zombies were filthy, might cause corpse transformations and harm elsewhere, so he burned them all. The coffins, too. All evidence, reduced to ashes…”
“By the time I realized, it was too late… nothing was left.”
Her voice was hoarse, full of self-reproach.
Mo Hua’s eyes flickered.
The chief of Dao Court Division…
He patted her shoulder, sighing like a little adult, and said earnestly: “Life rarely goes smoothly. Some setbacks are inevitable. Look forward—those zombies, whatever, they’re gone now…”
After all, I kept them.