Chapter 461: Clues

Chapter 462: Clues

After Mo Hua finished gathering information, he returned to the cave dwelling where the four disciples lived.

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi had also returned and relayed the leads they had uncovered to Mo Hua.

Bai Zisheng had gone to bustling places like the markets, tea houses, and taverns, and most of what he heard were the Lu family’s misdeeds and scandals.

Bai Zixi, on the other hand, visited some female cultivators and wives of male cultivators in Nanyue City. Most of the information she uncovered was gossip and rumors about the Lu family.

Mo Hua began to compile the information and then list the suspects.

He tried to deduce who in the Lu family was most likely the traitor.

But the Lu family was large, and its clan relationships were complex, making it difficult to investigate at a glance.

Not only were there elders from the main family, but also visiting guest officials.

Some elders of the main family were technically outsiders; some guests might be connected through family ties…

Mo Hua felt a little dizzy as he looked at it and couldn’t help but say,

“This is so messy…”

Bai Zisheng nodded, “That’s how big families are. The larger the family, the more complicated the bloodlines, relationships, and alliances…”

“The Lu family is still manageable. If it were our Bai family, it would be even more complicated.”

“Even routine visits and gift-giving during holidays involve a lot of etiquette.”

Mo Hua felt exhausted just listening and shook his head helplessly.

Bai Zisheng glanced at the pile of Lu family relationships in front of him and asked,

“Do you have the Lu family’s genealogy? If you have it, it’ll make things clearer. Otherwise, you’d have to guess who is related to whom, who was born to whom, who shares the same father…”

“The Lu family genealogy… outsiders probably can’t get it…”

Mo Hua frowned, then suddenly froze.

He remembered that Lu Chengyun, the head of the Lu family, had seemingly given him a special “genealogy.”

It was secretly given to Mo Hua by Lu Chengyun to entice him to marry into the family.

Mo Hua opened his storage pouch and rummaged through it for a long time, finally pulling out the “genealogy” from a pile of formation manuals and diagrams.

Bai Zisheng was surprised, “You actually have it?”

“Yes,” Mo Hua nodded, “Only a part of it, but it’s enough to organize some information.”

Mo Hua opened the genealogy.

The three of them leaned over and began to examine it together.

After a while, Bai Zixi noticed something odd. She looked up at Mo Hua, eyes filled with doubt:

“Why are all the names in this genealogy girls?”

Bai Zisheng also nodded, “They all look quite nice…”

Mo Hua’s face turned slightly red, “Lu Chengyun gave it to me. I don’t know either.”

Bai Zixi’s gaze was suspicious, “Really don’t know?”

“Yes, yes,” Mo Hua nodded repeatedly.

Bai Zixi’s eyes wandered across Mo Hua’s face, and seeing his honest gaze fixed on her, she slightly nodded and didn’t press further.

Mo Hua, for some reason, felt a slight sense of relief.

The three then began to map out the Lu family relationships.

This genealogy was relatively simple, only listing the main line, the branches, and other women connected to the Lu family, along with their closeness and blood ties.

It also included portraits of the women.

Additionally, it briefly mentioned their spiritual roots and talents.

All of this would be considered family secrets.

If not for Mo Hua’s exceptional talent in formations—already a first-rank formation master at such a young age—Lu Chengyun would not have given him this genealogy.

The genealogy was incomplete, only covering part of the Lu family’s relations.

But this part was enough for Mo Hua and the others to piece together the relationships among the Lu family cultivators.

Mo Hua ultimately narrowed down five names:

Lu Huaiyi, Lu Huaisheng, Lu Huaide, Pei Cai, and Jiang Long.

The three surnamed Lu were all men who had married into the family.

They were somewhat versed in formations and held significant positions in the Lu family, having managed the mines, and even occasionally still overseeing them.

Pei Cai and Jiang Long had different surnames.

One was a family devotee, the other a guest official.

Both held notable positions in the Lu family.

One married a Lu family woman but was not considered an in-married son.

The other taught formations in the Lu family.

All five resembled the traitor of the Little Lingyin Sect.

Mo Hua said, “Let’s investigate these five first.”

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi both nodded.

For the next month, the three either tailing, following, or inquiring, still found nothing conclusive.

Lu Huaiyi, Lu Huaisheng, and Lu Huaide—though all in-married—had clear family backgrounds before marriage. Nothing had changed much.

Before marriage, they were meek; after, they became arrogant and domineering.

This change was human and not abnormal.

Pei Cai and Jiang Long—one lived quietly, focusing on his own cultivation, indifferent to outside affairs.

The other taught formations by day, and at night indulged in the pleasures of Jinhua Street, willingly corrupted by the Lu family’s decadence.

None of them seemed particularly scheming.

No hidden plots, no bloody or sinister clues.

Mo Hua was puzzled, “Could I have guessed wrong?”

The following days brought no progress either.

Until one day, Elder Su sent another invitation for Mo Hua to have tea.

After thinking it over, Mo Hua felt a subtle stir in his heart and agreed.

Elder Su was close to the Lu family and had a good relationship with Lu Chengyun.

Before uncovering the Lu family traitor, it was better to keep minimal contact.

But with no progress, Mo Hua thought it better to go have tea with Elder Su to see if there might be clues.

Mo Hua had a vague, indescribable intuition.

He sensed that Elder Su carried some key hidden information.

Mo Hua frowned.

Since learning Spiritual-Consciousness Derivative Calculations and using them to deduce formations, occasional premonitions surfaced in his mind.

He felt subtle, hard-to-explain intuitions.

The sense was clear.

Yet upon deeper inspection, there was no concrete clue…

It felt similar to when he comprehended the Dao of formations.

It was a vague, distant touch—like seeing through misted mountains and rivers, grasping at something just out of reach.

Mo Hua remembered Mister Zhuang saying that all things in heaven and earth align with the Dao.

If formations align with the Dao, everything aligns with the Dao, and cultivators align with the Dao, then the actions of cultivators—do they also align with the Dao?

If so, comprehending the heavenly Dao might allow one to foresee the future and avoid misfortune to some degree.

Mo Hua thought some of Mister Zhuang’s behavior seemed unfathomably profound.

It was as if he could foresee the heavenly secrets.

But how could one achieve that?

Study formations constantly, comprehend formation principles, and use derivative calculations to penetrate the Dao?

To understand things thoroughly, foresee outcomes, seek profit and avoid harm…

If he truly learned this, would he become a “little prophet”?

Mo Hua pondered this deeply.

Arriving at the Su residence, they settled in a pavilion, sipping Elder Su’s fine tea. Mo Hua was somewhat distracted, lost in thought.

Elder Su carefully asked, “Young master, is something on your mind?”

Mo Hua snapped back, nodding, “A little… just thinking about something.”

Elder Su nodded approvingly,

“Even while walking or sitting, with a meal or a cup of tea, you do not forget to contemplate and study formations… No wonder, at such a young age, you’ve already attained such deep mastery. Truly admirable…”

Mo Hua felt the praise was a bit awkward.

And somewhat inaccurate.

But since it was praise, he did not correct him.

Even if not entirely accurate, being praised was still gratifying.

Mo Hua replied in kind,

“Elder Su’s formations are excellent too! And…”

He searched for a word, then said, “…you really understand life.”

He remembered Su lingering in the pleasure houses, managing the Baihua Tower…

Unaware of Mo Hua’s thoughts, Elder Su stroked his beard, pleased, saying repeatedly,

“Drink tea, drink tea! This tea is a rare treasure I’ve kept for a long time. I wouldn’t normally serve it to guests…”

The tea truly was excellent.

After a while, their first pot was finished, yet they were still unsatisfied.

Elder Su instructed his disciple to brew another pot.

The disciple, always at Elder Su’s side, had a delicate and refined face, exuding gentle elegance, though still showing some youthful stubbornness.

Mo Hua was familiar with him from previous visits.

This time, he felt even more familiar.

After the tea was prepared, Elder Su nodded and instructed,

“Shuisheng, you may leave.”

Shuisheng?

Mo Hua was taken aback.

He stared at the disciple.

The disciple’s formation talent was average, and he was not particularly respectful to Elder Su at times. Why had Elder Su always kept him close?

Mo Hua looked again.

He realized that this disciple bore a resemblance to Elder Su and his spiritual energy seemed somewhat related.

Shuisheng…

After Shuisheng left, Mo Hua continued to watch his back.

Seeing Mo Hua’s bright, focused gaze on his disciple, Elder Su felt a little uneasy.

“Young master, what… are you looking at?”

“I’m looking at your little disciple.”

Elder Su laughed awkwardly,

“A little disciple, what’s there to look at…”

Mo Hua quietly asked,

“This little disciple… isn’t he your illegitimate son?”

Elder Su choked on his tea, coughing several times, hastily trying to cover it up with a humble smile, “Young master, that’s a joke.”

Mo Hua whispered,

“Shuixian…”

Elder Su’s hands trembled, dropping his cup, staring at Mo Hua in disbelief,

“You… how did you know?”

Mo Hua’s eyes narrowed like a sly fox, thinking, as expected.