Chapter 465: Assisting Zhou
Chapter 466: Assisting Zhou
Mo Hua’s heart grew solemn as he frowned and asked,
“Above the iron corpse… is that a copper corpse?”
Lu Chengyun neither confirmed nor denied, only smiled inscrutably and asked,
“Little sir, how do you feel about this?”
Mo Hua didn’t answer immediately. He frowned, thought for a moment, and countered,
“Head of the Lu family, how did you know that I already knew?”
His words were roundabout, but Lu Chengyun understood and smiled faintly:
“Your eyes.”
Mo Hua was taken aback. “My eyes?”
“Yes,” said Lu Chengyun. “Usually, when you see me, though polite, your expression carries caution, and your gaze carries suspicion…”
“But today… it’s different.”
“Before I came, your attitude toward me was as usual.”
“But when you were leaving, your gaze toward me was unusually calm.”
Lu Chengyun chuckled self-deprecatingly. “An ordinary person might not notice, but I’m naturally suspicious. Any subtle trace sticks in my mind.”
“Your gaze changed, and that made me curious.”
“I thought about it and then understood.”
“Your calm gaze means you no longer doubt me.”
“Not doubting me could mean you trust me, or it could mean you’ve figured me out and have no reason to doubt.”
Lu Chengyun looked at Mo Hua with a half-smile.
“I needed to confirm.”
“That’s why I left Elder Su early and waited for you on your way back—to have a private conversation.”
“But you took a detour, seemingly avoiding me.”
Lu Chengyun sighed. “I regret it, but my heart understands why.”
Mo Hua felt speechless.
This Lu Chengyun, no wonder he married in—so sensitive and suspicious, he could even notice subtle differences in someone’s gaze.
“If I had left Elder Su’s residence without saying goodbye, sneaking away instead?” Mo Hua asked.
Lu Chengyun raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t that be even more suspicious?”
“And if I hadn’t taken a detour?”
“Not detouring would be just like now.” Lu Chengyun smiled faintly. “Sit with me, have some tea, and little sir, assist me a hand.”
In other words, there’s no way to dodge…
Mo Hua sighed, looking innocent:
“Head of the Lu family, must you focus on a thirteen-year-old little cultivator, whose cultivation is low, power weak, and only has a basic understanding of formations, with no ill intent?”
Lu Chengyun’s eyelid twitched.
Of that sentence, probably only the “thirteen years old” part was true.
The rest was nonsense no one would believe.
Lu Chengyun poured a cup of tea, sipped lightly, and said slowly:
“Little sir, I knew from the moment you arrived in Nanyue City.”
Shaking his head, he sighed in admiration. “At such a young age, a first-rank formation master… even in my long life, I’ve never seen one. Truly, you’ve opened my eyes.”
“There’s always a higher mountain and a greater person…”
“In the cultivation world, there really are all kinds of talents.”
“A thirteen-year-old first-rank formation master—I knew you must have a considerable background and purpose here.”
“You’ve been asking about a certain Mr. Yan.”
“To be honest, I know this Mr. Yan somewhat. He has a clue to an extremely secret formation.”
“As a formation master, your inquiry into him must be for this formation, right?”
Mo Hua neither confirmed nor denied.
Lu Chengyun smiled faintly. “At first, I didn’t mind, but you dug deeper, and learned more and more.”
“You found the mine, discovered Zhang Quan, even traced clues to the Corpse Bandit Stronghold, and together with the Situ family, destroyed it…”
“Meanwhile, you even discovered formations on the zombies, dared to experiment on one…”
“I could only trigger the formation to make the iron corpse go out of control, forcing you to destroy the formation…”
“And now, you’ve unraveled the threads and discovered that the person behind Zhang Quan is me…”
Lu Chengyun sighed, helplessly.
“In all my years, I’ve never seen a formation master as clever and troublesome as you.”
Mo Hua’s mind raced, quickly organizing:
In Lu Chengyun’s mind, he was an extraordinary little formation master, asking about Mr. Yan to find the Spiritual-Pivot Formation.
He investigated the mine, captured Zhang Quan, destroyed the Corpse Bandit Stronghold, and eventually discovered that the cultivator behind Zhang Quan was Lu Chengyun himself.
All actions were for formations.
In other words, Lu Chengyun didn’t know about Mo Hua’s relationship with Mr. Yan, nor that he already knew the past of the Little Lingyin Sect, nor that Lu Chengyun was a son-in-law of the Lu family…
Mo Hua exhaled slightly.
It seemed Lu Chengyun was merely sharp-minded, leveraging his family’s power to know the comings and goings of Nanyue City—but not omniscient.
This made things easier…
Seeing Mo Hua’s big eyes spinning rapidly, Lu Chengyun asked,
“Little sir, have you decided?”
“Decided what?”
“Whether you’re willing to assist the Lu family in refining corpses.”
Mo Hua said firmly, “I am a proper cultivator, I do not practice such crooked methods.”
Lu Chengyun, gentle and elegant, said:
“On the surface, I too am a proper cultivator.”
Mo Hua frowned slightly.
Lu Chengyun continued:
“Only by being proper on the surface, while practicing crooked methods behind the scenes, is it most convenient.”
Mo Hua couldn’t help but feel it made some sense.
He asked, “And if I still refuse?”
Lu Chengyun’s expression gradually turned cold.
Mo Hua asked, “Head of the Lu family, do you intend to kill me?”
Lu Chengyun was momentarily taken aback, then smiled gently:
“Little sir, you are talented. I could not bear to kill you.”
Mo Hua, curious, asked:
“And if I truly refuse, what do you plan to do?”
Lu Chengyun smiled:
“The best outcome is you assist me. Whatever you request, I’ll grant.”
“If you want fame, I’ll make you a real-power elder of the Lu family, free to act as you wish;”
“If you want wealth, the mine’s output, I’ll share it with you—mountains of spirit stones, your path unhindered;”
“If you want combat power, you can command hundreds of zombies—one command, and enemies are devoured, unrivaled at your level;”
“If your heart longs for love, among the women of Jinhua Street, choose your companion from the Lu family to spend life together…”
Lu Chengyun spoke passionately.
Even Mo Hua felt tempted.
With such persuasive words, anyone could be deceived.
Lu Chengyun continued:
“If little sir feels our ways are too different, then that is regrettable.”
“You are extraordinary. I do not wish to be your enemy.”
“The best solution is to leave Nanyue City forever, never return, and never meddle in its affairs.”
“What you know stays buried in your heart, never to be revealed.”
“Part amicably, and the Lu family will give a small gift as a token of goodwill.”
“But if little sir neither assists nor leaves, you insist on opposing the Lu family.”
“For the sake of family interests, no matter how powerful you are, we would be forced into a fight to the death.”
Lu Chengyun sighed:
“If we meet again in life or death, we would never sit down for tea again…”
His expression carried regret, but Mo Hua felt it was feigned.
Lu Chengyun, gentle on the surface but profit-driven inside, would never truly care about sentiment.
Mo Hua frowned.
It was time to decide.
Opposing the Lu family was unwise.
Leaving Nanyue City meant the Spiritual-Pivot Formation would be unattainable.
And once gone, re-entry would be troublesome.
After leaving, countless mine cultivators would die, zombies would multiply;
In the opulence of Jinhua Street, countless tears and blood would flow…
Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then nodded:
“I can agree, but I have one condition.”
Lu Chengyun’s eyes brightened. “Please, little sir, speak.”
Mo Hua’s gaze sharpened:
“I want that formation! The one drawn on the iron corpse’s meridians, the one that controls zombies!”
Lu Chengyun was momentarily stunned, then smiled even more broadly:
“Good!”
Seeing Mo Hua’s determined eyes, Lu Chengyun’s admiration deepened:
“Fame and wealth are fleeting, beauty is but skin;”
“For a formation master, formations are the foundation of life, the path to immortality!”
“To persist in your Dao-heart amidst worldly desire at such a young age, no wonder you have achieved so much…”
Lu Chengyun praised generously.
Mo Hua put on a proud, elated expression.
Lu Chengyun cupped his hands: “Little sir, please.”
Mo Hua returned the gesture: “Head of the Lu family, after you.”
Lu Chengyun was satisfied and rose first.
Mo Hua followed behind.
Moments ago, he had planned to destroy the Lu family; now, he had become a little formation master trailing Lu Chengyun, “assisting Zhou in evil.”
(This chapter ends)