The Quest for Immortality

Especially that innocent smile tinged with a trace of wickedness, whenever Qian Xing thought of it, he felt a chill in his heart.

Mo Hua, holding the Thousand Jun Stick, sized up Qian Xing with his gaze, evidently pondering something.

Qian Xing’s face instantly turned pale, and he threatened harshly, “I am the legitimate heir of the Qian Family, you can’t kill me!”

”Really?”

Qian Xing struggled to retreat, completely disregarding the pain of his severed arm, and muttered, “Don’t come any closer!”

Mo Hua put on a deliberately sinister expression and said, “I will ask you a few questions. If you answer truthfully, I will not kill you.”

Although he hadn’t intended to kill Qian Xing in the first place, only to intimidate him and ask some questions.

Qian Xing gritted his teeth and nodded, “Fine!”

Mo Hua thought for a moment and then asked, “Can outsiders enter your Qian family?”

”What outsiders?”

”People who are not from the Qian family.”

Qian Xing said, “As long as there’s a blood relation, or some familial connection, it’s fine, but the treatment won’t be good; they are usually categorized as collateral branches.”

Collateral branches are essentially Cultivators on the fringes of the family.

”Have you seen any strangers in your family?” Mo Hua asked again.

”There are many people in the Qian family; it is impossible for me to know everyone.”

”Has there ever been a Cultivator who, at first glance, did not seem like one of your Qian family members?”

Qian Xing frowned and said, “What do you want with these questions?”

Mo Hua gave Qian Xing a cold look, “Are you questioning me?”

A chill ran down Qian Xing’s spine as he remembered that his life was in Mo Hua’s hands; he had the right only to answer questions, not to ask them.

Qian Xing replied resentfully, “No.”

Mo Hua asked carefully, “You just said that it’s impossible to recognize all of the Qian family members. How can you be so sure that there are no outsiders?”

Qian Xing explained earnestly, “It might be difficult to distinguish by looks alone, but it’s apparent whether someone belongs to the Qian family, whether they live there all year round, and whether their actions comply with the family rules. Even if an outsider wears the clothes of the Qian family, their every move would still seem out of place…”

Mo Hua’s expression did not change, but he felt a tinge of regret inside.

If Qian Xing hadn’t lied and there were hardly any outsiders in the Qian family, then it was likely that no Evil Cultivators had entered, at least not openly.

”Then, have the Cultivators of your Qian family cultivated any strange cultivation techniques?”

Qian Xing was slightly taken aback, “Strange cultivation techniques?”

”Such as those that absorb people’s spiritual power, drink their blood, or those related to replenishing from others…”

Qian Xing scoffed, “Even if I am ignorant, I know that these are Evil Skills, expressly forbidden by the Taoist Court. Why would the Qian family learn them?”

Qian Xing’s tone was somewhat sarcastic.

Mo Hua hit his head with the stick, displeased, “What’s with the sneer? Watch your attitude!”

Mo Hua hadn’t activated the Formation, so the blow wasn’t very powerful, just a bit painful.

Qian Xing gritted his teeth again, evidently not quite subdued, but his tone was much more respectful as he dutifully said:

”The Qian family clan rules strictly prohibit the cultivation of Evil Skills. Violators will be expunged from the family records, stripped of their surname, and exiled from the family forever.”

Mo Hua was somewhat surprised; this didn’t quite seem like something the Qian family would do…

However, this could also be a measure superficially adopted to comply with the edicts of the Taoist Court, while what they did behind closed doors remained unknown.

Mo Hua asked another question, “Has your Qian family done any misdeeds…”

Mo Hua stopped mid-question as he suddenly realized the question was pointless.

The Qian family committed misdeeds every day.

It would be odd if they didn’t.

Mo Hua proceeded to indirectly ask a few more questions, to which Qian Xing answered truthfully; he didn’t seem to be lying.

But Mo Hua still came away with nothing. He couldn’t prove that Evil Cultivators had entered the Qian family, nor could he prove that anyone from the Qian family had been to Black Mountain Stronghold.

Inwardly, Mo Hua sighed. It looked like he wouldn’t get anything out of this.

It’s true though, even though Qian Xing is a direct descendant, in the end, he’s nothing but a wastrel. Even if the Qian Family is colluding with the Black Mountain Stronghold, they wouldn’t tell Qian Xing about it.

Since he couldn’t get any useful information, Mo Hua had no choice but to let Qian Xing go, while threatening him:

”I’m letting you off this time, but if you cross me again, watch your life!”

Qian Xing’s face showed joy, he hadn’t expected that Mo Hua would truly let him go.

Qian Xing quickly nodded, then, ignoring the injuries on his body and the Qian Family disciples lying on the ground, unknown whether dead or alive, he ran towards Tongxian City on his own.

Mo Hua shook his head as he watched Qian Xing’s retreating figure.

Qian Xing truly doesn’t treat people as humans.

Not only does he not regard outsiders as people, but even the disciples of the Qian Family, he doesn’t see them as people either.

These disciples did his bidding, and now that they were seriously injured and passed out on the ground, he didn’t even spare them a glance, only caring about saving his own skin.

Bullying others on the strength of his position, blustering but cowardly inside, he himself is nothing but a big, empty bag.

How could the Qian Family produce such a failure?

Mo Hua felt somewhat emotional, then, a thought struck him, and he remembered the ferocious words Qian Xing had once said to him:

”All I have to do is bring him up the mountain… let the Monster Beasts eat his flesh, one bite at a time, let him die in agony…”

Mo Hua frowned.

Big Black Mountain is dangerous, Qian Xing isn’t the type to dare to venture into Big Black Mountain.

Moreover, the Qian Family aren’t Monster Hunters, they might kill people, but feeding people to Monster Beasts doesn’t seem to be their style.

Qian Xing was running desperately, but as he ran, he suddenly found he couldn’t move anymore.

Pale blue chains formed around him, completely locking him in place, Mo Hua teleported a few times and appeared right in front of him.

Qian Xing said angrily, “You said you’d let me go!”

”I have one last question for you…”

Mo Hua’s gaze grew somber, “Did you not say you wanted to drag me up the mountain to feed me to the Monster Beasts?”

Qian Xing’s expression fluctuated, but he still managed to say through gritted teeth, “Yes!”

”Have you done this kind of thing before?”

Qian Xing hesitated and said, “No.”

Mo Hua was a bit surprised and asked again, “So someone else from the Qian Family has done it?”

Qian Xing’s heart trembled slightly, and he shook his head too, but his eyes were evasive.

Mo Hua’s certainty grew and his gaze sharpened, “You’ve seen members of the Qian Family doing this!”

Trying to maintain his composure, Qian Xing insisted, “I, I haven’t!”

But his guilty appearance was like trying to hide something but making it more prominent.

Mo Hua’s gaze firmed up, “Who is feeding people to the Monster Beasts?”

Qian Xing dared not look into Mo Hua’s eyes, looking around anxiously, and kept saying “No one,” even though Mo Hua tried to intimidate him, saying he would slaughter him, he didn’t dare to reveal anything.

Unable to get any information out of him, Mo Hua had a thought and took a step back, saying:

”It’s fine if you don’t say who it is, but you have to tell me, what Monster Beast it is being fed to.”

Qian Xing’s expression turned frantic, he was afraid to say who it was, but he feared that if he said nothing at all, Mo Hua might really take his life.

This place is secluded, with no one around, convenient for taking action against Mo Hua, but now it was just as convenient for Mo Hua to take action against him.

After hesitating for a long time, the fear of death finally overcame him, and with a faltering voice he said:

”It’s… it’s a pig.”

A glint flashed in Mo Hua’s eyes, “What kind of pig?”

Qian Xing stammered for a long time, unable to articulate.

Mo Hua slowly said, “Is it a pig that is both fat and big, dumb and silly, covered in bloodstains…”

Qian Xing’s countenance was stricken with shock, his eyes revealing horror:

”How did you know?!”