The Quest for Immortality

Gu Changhuai’s brows furrowed slightly.

Mo Hua said candidly, ”I restored a Letter Token, and what I saw on it was...”

A Letter Token...

Gu Changhuai thought to himself that it was indeed the case.

The Formation Master’s methods were truly preposterous.

These Taoist Court Cultivators under his command had tired themselves out tailing suspects, diligently gathering information, and even interrogating with torture day and night, only to finally pry out this bit of news from the mouths of a few Demon Cultivators.

Yet this child Mo Hua got his hands on a Letter Token, deciphered it a bit, restored it, and then knew everything...

Comparing oneself with others will only make one frustrated.

Of course, Gu Changhuai was also clear in his heart.

The work done by the Taoist Court was ”grueling,” while what Mo Hua did was ”technical.”

Especially when such technical work involved intricate and profound Formations, the actual difficulty level was far greater than their stakeouts and interrogations.

Gu Changhuai sighed again.

He didn’t even dare to imagine, once this child Mo Hua grew up, to what unfathomable extents his mastery of Formations could reach.

”Don’t tell anyone else, to avoid any leaks that could startle the snakes in the grass,” Gu Changhuai cautioned.

”Mm-hmm, I understand,” Mo Hua nodded in agreement, then asked, ”Uncle Gu, do you know which family the Demon Cultivators want to wipe out?”

Gu Changhuai hesitated slightly before answering, ”Haven’t found out yet.”

”Then what does the Taoist Court plan to do?” Mo Hua asked.

Gu Changhuai fell silent.

Mo Hua then said, ”Don’t say too much, just reveal a little bit that you can.”

Gu Changhuai paused for a moment, then sighed:

”Which family they aim to destroy doesn’t matter...”

Mo Hua understood, ”Lay a sky net on earth, trapping turtles in a jar; as long as the Demon Cultivators enter the city with the intent to kill and exterminate, we can then turn around and besiege them.”

”So whether we know which family they want to annihilate doesn’t really matter after all.”

”Is that right, Uncle Gu?”

Gu Changhuai: ”...”

You’ve said it all, what else is there for me to say?

”More or less,” Gu Changhuai said vaguely.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then suddenly said, ”Uncle Gu, Qingping City is a Second Grade Immortal City, not small by any means, the Taoist Court’s manpower isn’t enough, right?”

Gu Changhuai asked warily, ”What are you trying to do?”

Mo Hua quietly said, ”Want me to find you some help?”

Gu Changhuai disdainfully said, ”You needn’t worry about this matter, just stay put in the Sect, properly cultivate, learn more about Formations, and don’t think about these unnecessary things.”

”Although the Taoist Court may not have abundant manpower, we haven’t reached a point to ask for your assistance...”

Mo Hua muttered, ”In the vicinity of the Qianxue State Boundary, a Second Grade Immortal City, Demon Cultivators gathering, plotting to wipe out a family, they dare to do such things...”

”There must be a mole inside the Taoist Court, right?”

”Uncle Gu, do you really trust the Taoist Court’s people?”

Gu Changhuai fell silent when asked by Mo Hua.

The matter of a mole was something everyone tacitly understood.

And if they were to set an ambush in Qingping City, trapping the turtles in a jar, it would certainly require a large number of people.

Apart from the cultivators of the Gu Family, there would definitely be other Taoist Court Cultivators involved.

The Gu Family cultivators were acceptable, as he knew their foundation, but as for the other Taoist Court Cultivators, whether they were good or bad, and what they were hiding in their hearts, was hard to say for sure.

After pondering for a moment, Gu Changhuai asked Mo Hua:

”Where did you get the manpower from?”

He was indeed curious.

Mo Hua proudly said, ”They are all fellow disciples from my Taixu Gate, very familiar with me, and their background is very clear, at least much cleaner than the Taoist Court’s.”

And they all call me ”Junior Brother.”

Gu Changhuai looked stunned, somewhat surprised.

Mo Hua’s connections and network within Taixu Gate are becoming more and more inscrutable.

However, Gu Changhuai still voiced his concerns: ”No, it’s too dangerous, those Demon Cultivators are at least at the middle or late stage of Foundation Establishment.”

Mo Hua said: ”It’s fine, they won’t engage directly, they just need to help form the net and hold the perimeter, picking up the leftovers is enough.”

It’s certainly the experienced Enforcement Leaders of the Daoist Court who are fit for such dangerous tasks.

Gu Changhuai nodded slightly.

This solution is also passable...

After pondering for a while, Gu Changhuai asked: ”Are you trying to earn them Merit Points?”

”Of course!” Mo Hua said righteously, ”There’s no such thing as a free lunch in the world!”

Mo Hua continued: ”...Besides, I’m quite familiar with you, Uncle Gu, it’s okay to do some unpaid work now and then, taking a bit of a loss is fine. ”

”But it’s different for them, they are sons of noble families who care about their Face, going out on such a mission, how can they not earn some Merit Points? Wouldn’t it be embarrassing?”

Gu Changhuai curled his lip.

This little rascal, spouting nonsense.

He’s never really done unpaid work before, let alone taken any loss, most of the time it’s he who makes others suffer a loss.

”Alright then.” Gu Changhuai sighed.

Mo Hua cautiously asked: ”So, how many Merit Points can you give?”

Gu Changhuai answered: ”Two hundred.”

Mo Hua shook his head, ”At least four hundred.”

Gu Changhuai felt a bit of a headache.

After some reluctant bargaining, the final sum of Merit Points was set at three hundred.

Mo Hua had tried his best.

As a ”Junior Brother,” this was all he could do.

But for the average disciples, three hundred Merit Points was not a small amount.

The next day, during lunch in the dining hall, Mo Hua quietly said to Cheng Mo: ”There’s a big task that needs about fifty people, three hundred Merit Points per person upon success.”

Cheng Mo’s heart skipped a beat.

Fifty people, each with three hundred Merit Points, this was indeed a big task!

”Junior Brother, where did this task come from?” Cheng Mo also lowered his voice and asked softly.

Mo Hua replied: ”I can’t reveal the specifics just yet, you’ll find out when the time comes, but this task is quite risky, we definitely need experienced hands.”

Cheng Mo nodded, ”Naturally.”

”Also,” Mo Hua thought for a moment before adding: ”We need familiar faces, those we know well inside out, so the news doesn’t leak.”

”Furthermore, try to find sons of noble families from outside Qian State who don’t have significant ties with the local families in Qian State.”

”If it’s someone from a Qian State local family, it must be a good relationship, like that of Hao Xuan.”

Cheng Mo was puzzled, but he always trusted Mo Hua.

What Mo Hua said was always right, and there’s no need to ask more than necessary.

”Don’t worry, Junior Brother,” Cheng Mo patted his chest, ”leave it to me!”

After that, Cheng Mo began to secretly recruit, eventually finding fifty disciples.

Apart from familiar ones like Situ Jian, Yang Qianjun, Hao Xuan, and Yi Li, the majority were also ones with whom he’d had past contact, reliable disciples known for their integrity.

And with the promise of three hundred Merit Points, there was hardly any reason to refuse.

They agreed without a second thought.

Mo Hua’s Divine Sense moved, quickly scanning over everyone, and nodded with satisfaction.

With enough hands on deck.

Then, as in his old tricks, Mo Hua colluded ”inside and out” with Gu Changhuai from the Daoist Court, and with his extremely sharp Divine Sense, he managed to ”snatch” a vaguely described, ambiguous, but substantial Merit Point reward at the agreed time in front of all his fellow brothers and sisters.

Just like snatching a big piece of Fat Meat in front of a pack of starving wolves...