Chapter 467: Planning

Chapter 468: Planning

“Eaten by a ‘nasty thing’?”

Zhang Quan was furious. “What nonsense are you spouting?”

“If you don’t believe me, fine.”

Zhang Quan suppressed his anger. “You’d better tell the truth.”

“All right.” Mo Hua’s face grew serious. “I’ll tell the truth. Actually… I ‘ate’ all your ancestors!”

Zhang Quan was livid. “You damn brat, spouting nonsense and mocking me, taking me for a fool?!”

Mo Hua was helpless.

If he lied, Zhang Quan wouldn’t believe him. If he told the truth, he still wouldn’t believe him. There was nothing he could do.

That’s on you for choosing to be a fool.

Lu Chengyun, worried that Zhang Quan might lose his temper, said to Mo Hua, “Young sir, it’s getting late. You can take some rest…”

“I’ve specially arranged a room for you. I hope you’ll like it.”

Mo Hua sneaked a glance at Zhang Quan, putting on a “scared” expression.

Lu Chengyun sighed and said to Zhang Quan, “The young sir is an honored guest. Do not be rude, do not disturb him, and do not harbor other intentions…”

His tone was calm, but his gaze was cold, leaving no room for refusal.

Zhang Quan’s mouth twitched, and he gritted his teeth. “Fine, I’ll remember!”

Lu Chengyun nodded slightly.

Mo Hua nodded smugly and said to Zhang Quan, “Remember, I’m the honored guest!”

Seeing Zhang Quan about to erupt again, Lu Chengyun quickly said, “Bring the young sir to his room.”

Mo Hua took the opportunity to leave, bowing slightly, “Thank you for your hospitality, Head of the Lu family.”

Then, with his hands behind his back, he swaggered out of the hall following a corpse cultivator.

Zhang Quan grew angrier by the minute, his fingers clawing at the stone table, leaving five deep indentations.

Lu Chengyun shook his head. “He’s just a child, Zhang brother. Why get so angry?”

“Just a child?” Zhang Quan sneered inwardly. You haven’t been provoked by him. If you had, you’d probably want to kill him even more than I do. You wouldn’t be casually saying ‘just a child.’

Zhang Quan opened his mouth to say something, but Lu Chengyun shook his head slightly. “Impatience spoils the grand plan.”

Zhang Quan had to swallow his anger, though he was still resentful. He muttered darkly, “Lu brother, this brat must have ulterior motives!”

Lu Chengyun seemed unbothered, smiling faintly at Zhang Quan. “Zhang brother, do you have no ulterior motives yourself?”

Zhang Quan froze, his eyes flickering. He forced a smile. “Lu brother, you jest.”

Lu Chengyun said calmly, “In this world, only you have no ulterior motives toward yourself. Apart from that, father and son, brothers, and spouses all have divided hearts, just to varying degrees.”

“You have ulterior motives, the young sir has ulterior motives, the corpse cultivators in this cave all have their own intentions…”

He smiled faintly. “But these are not important. As long as the young sir can accomplish the tasks I ask, his divided heart doesn’t matter. In fact, it’s normal for him to have one.”

“If he had no ulterior motives, I’d be suspicious.”

Lu Chengyun glanced at Zhang Quan. “And you too, Zhang brother.”

Zhang Quan’s face remained calm, but sweat ran cold down his spine.

He bowed. “Rest assured, Head of the Lu family. I will serve faithfully.”

Lu Chengyun smiled faintly, saying nothing.

His gaze sharpened as he looked at Zhang Quan and instructed, “The young sir will stay here for now to help me. Until the task is completed, I don’t want any conflicts, nor do I want anything to happen to him. Zhang brother, understand?”

Zhang Quan frowned. “I will obey. But that boy is only ten or so. No matter how talented, is he really worth such favor?”

Lu Chengyun pondered. “This young sir is excellent at formations.”

Zhang Quan raised an eyebrow. “How excellent?”

“You wouldn’t understand, Zhang brother. Even if I explain, you wouldn’t comprehend…”

Zhang Quan was slightly irritated. “This…”

Lu Chengyun glanced at him and sighed slowly. “I can only say that this young sir’s formation skills far exceed your understanding, Zhang brother. In some respects, even I feel inferior.”

Zhang Quan’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected Lu Chengyun to praise the boy so highly.

Lu Chengyun usually seemed gentle but was always aloof. Praise from him was often politeness or pretense. But this time was different; his expression and tone were genuine.

This brat really was that capable?

Zhang Quan furrowed his brows tighter.

Able to hide, master strange fireball techniques, protected by senior siblings with exceptional cultivation, and deeply skilled in formations. Even Lu Chengyun praised him…

Trying to kill him would be even harder.

“Mocking me, ruining my family’s legacy, insulting my ancestors… when will I be able to avenge this?”

Zhang Quan’s gaze darkened. He thought silently, “I can’t do it openly. I’ll have to find a way to strike secretly.”

Out loud he said, “Rest assured, Head of the Lu family. I know my limits.”

Lu Chengyun looked at Zhang Quan with a subtle gaze, saying nothing.

Elsewhere, a corpse cultivator led Mo Hua to his room.

It was a stone chamber, hidden, secure, and easy to guard, with formations around it.

Inside, the furnishings were exquisite: flower-and-bird screens, jade ornaments, incense burning—no foul stench.

Mo Hua felt a strange illusion. It didn’t feel like a corpse mine at all, but a finely arranged guest room of the Lu family.

Lu Chengyun’s care was meticulous, but Mo Hua didn’t feel grateful.

Those who treat you well usually have greater motives. A self-serving, hypocritical person treats you kindly while you are valuable. Once your usefulness is gone, you are discarded, likely with a few stabs in the back.

The traitor of the Little Lingyin Sect could betray his sect, steal inheritances, hide his identity, and enter the Lu family as a son-in-law.

He could earn the approval of the Lu family patriarch, known as “Lu Skinner,” become head of the Lu family, maintain the exploitation of corpse miners, and run the indulgent Jinhua Street.

Someone like that could never be the gentle and elegant person he appeared to be.

And he was partnered with Zhang Quan in corpse refinement.

Building corpse mines, drawing sinister formations, hoarding zombies, refining iron corpses—what were his true plans?

The “zombies stronger than iron corpses” Lu Chengyun mentioned—what were they?

All of this needed to be investigated.

Mo Hua furrowed his brows, thinking through his next steps.

First, ensure his own safety.

Then, map out the corpse mine.

Find a way to signal his senior siblings for support.

Assist Lu Chengyun and see exactly what he wants.

If refining corpses, determine which ones.

Find the complete Spirit-Pivot Formation diagram.

And deal with Zhang Quan—his ancestors must be eliminated, his “Zombie Diagram” reclaimed.

His Divine Sense was not yet sated.

The Zhang family was full of zombies, none of them good.

Eradicate the evil, prevent future harm.

Mo Hua had to destroy Zhang Quan’s ancestors, sever the family’s inheritance, and prevent future corpse refiners from causing harm.

Also, he needed to find ways to deal with the Lu family…

Mo Hua sighed. “So busy…”

So many tasks to accomplish.

He lay down on the bed to rest for a moment before getting back to work.

“One step at a time…”

First, understand the layout of the corpse mine.

Arriving in a strange place, one must first familiarize oneself with the environment to avoid risks and maximize advantage.

This was a basic principle for demon hunters, taught by his father, Mo Shan.

Mo Hua remembered it well.