Chapter 609: Kneel Down
Life in the sect was calm and uneventful. Eight days later, it was time for another ten-day rest break.
Since Bìshan City was a bit far and the journey back and forth would take some time, Mo Hua applied for an extra day off.
With Elder Xun backing him, the sect elders were easy to deal with.
So the extra leave was smoothly approved.
A full three days off!
Mo Hua packed up his things, slung on his storage pouch, and cheerfully went to find Senior Sister Murong.
This mission had been taken by Murong Caiyun, and Mo Hua was tagging along.
Murong Caiyun knew Mo Hua was saving up merit points to exchange for formation diagrams, so she said:
"This mission isn't difficult. Including you, there are only three people. You'll be able to earn a bigger share of the merit."
Mo Hua smiled. "Thanks, Senior Sister!"
The two walked together toward the gates of the Great Void Sect. Mo Hua walked lightly, chatting aimlessly along the way.
"Three people…" Mo Hua thought for a moment and asked, "Senior Sister, who else is coming?"
Murong Caiyun replied, "Senior Brother Feng from the Broken Gold Sect."
"Senior Brother Feng…" Mo Hua nodded.
Senior Brother Feng was gentle and courteous, his cultivation deep. In the Broken Gold Sect, his status seemed quite high—practically guaranteed to be an inner disciple. A reliable "thigh" to cling to.
"What about Senior Brother Xu and Sister Qianqian?"
"Junior Brother Xu is healing. This mission isn't hard, and the merit points aren't much, so no need to make him travel."
"As for Qianqian…"
Murong Caiyun paused, "She's… busy, so she's sitting this one out."
"Ohh." Mo Hua nodded.
Murong Caiyun sighed softly.
That girl Qianqian had been nagging her nonstop, saying she wanted to go on a mission with Mo Hua. She'd even prepared "gifts" for him—skirts, hairpins, rouge, all girlish stuff.
She said Mo Hua would look amazing dressed up like a jade doll…
Murong Caiyun was afraid she'd mess around too much, so she didn't bring her this time.
But after hearing all that nagging, when she looked at Mo Hua, she couldn't help but imagine him in a robe embroidered with a hundred flowers… and spaced out a little.
"Senior Sister?"
Mo Hua noticed her zoning out and looked puzzled.
Murong Caiyun snapped out of it, her cheeks slightly red. She coughed. "It's getting late. Let's pick up the pace…"
"Oh…"
Mo Hua looked a bit suspicious but didn't ask more.
Soon, the two met up with Ouyang Feng, dressed in a Broken Gold Sect robe. They hired a carriage and sped along the mountain road out of Qianxue Prefecture, heading toward Bìshan City.
Outside, horse hooves clattered. Inside the carriage, it was quiet and comfortable.
Mo Hua lay on a soft blanket by the window, admiring the scenery and chatting with Murong Caiyun and Ouyang Feng.
"We're going to capture a traitor who fled the sect…"
Murong Caiyun explained, "Over ten years ago, this disciple stole a legacy, murdered a fellow disciple, and escaped. He's been on the run ever since and was never caught…"
"Ten years ago?" Mo Hua was surprised.
Murong Caiyun nodded. "What he stole was a minor legacy, and the 'fellow disciple' he killed was just a servant. It didn't cause a big stir, so the matter faded."
"The traitor kept a low profile and vanished after fleeing the sect. No clues left."
"The Dao Tribunal wasn't very interested either…"
"Not enough 'profit'?" Mo Hua whispered.
Murong Caiyun paused and gave him a helpless side-eye:
"Partly due to the lack of clues. And yes, the Tribunal is… short-staffed, so the case was shelved."
"Oh." Mo Hua "understood."
Ouyang Feng continued, "Later, the Xie Family vault in Bìshan City was robbed. During the chase, the thief used a Broken Gold Sect technique, exposing his identity…"
"The Xie Family demanded an explanation from the Broken Gold Sect…"
"The sect reviewed their records of stolen techniques, and the descriptions matched—the thief was indeed the traitor from ten years ago."
Mo Hua frowned. "Broken Gold Sect?"
Murong Caiyun explained, "One of the Twelve Lesser Sects of Qianxue Prefecture. They're skilled in metal-element sword arts…"
Mo Hua nodded.
He vaguely recalled Aunt Wan mentioning them before, but other than that, he hadn't had much contact.
Still, hearing "Broken Gold Sect" now sparked a fuzzy feeling of karmic connection…
Mo Hua asked, "If it's a traitor from the Broken Gold Sect, shouldn't they be the ones chasing him?"
"They tried—didn't catch him…"
"Didn't catch him?"
Murong Caiyun nodded. "He's got excellent movement techniques…"
Ouyang Feng added, "He stole a technique from the Sect called the 'Golden Escape Technique.' He learned it very well. Even disciples from the Broken Gold Sect couldn't catch him…"
Ouyang Feng looked a bit conflicted.
The legit disciples were worse than the guy who stole their teachings…
"The Xie Family was furious, thinking the sect was slacking or even sheltering him, so they posted a bounty themselves."
"But the Xie Family isn't powerful, so the merit reward is modest."
"Also, the Broken Gold Sect doesn't want their traitor caught by outsiders—especially not if someone else earns merit for it…"
Mo Hua muttered, "The Broken Gold Sect sure holds grudges…"
Ouyang Feng chuckled. "True, but be careful not to say that in front of their disciples. They're especially sensitive about being called petty."
Mo Hua nodded with a grin.
Half a day later, they arrived at Bìshan City.
True to its name, Bìshan City rose like walls of jade—sheer cliffs and crisscrossing peaks.
Most of its residences were built along steep cliffs, appearing dramatic and awe-inspiring.
However, the city was now sealed—entry allowed, exit forbidden.
After the theft at the Xie Family vault, they had reported it to the Dao Tribunal.
The Tribunal sealed the city and began a massive manhunt for the traitor.
Mo Hua asked curiously, "What exactly did the Xie Family lose?"
Murong Caiyun shook her head. "No idea. They didn't say, and it's not our place to ask…"
"All this manpower and fuss for a sealed city, yet they're stingy with the bounty. That Xie Family is really tight-fisted…" Mo Hua muttered, a little disgruntled.
He was short on merit points lately, so he had a bit of a grudge against the Xie Family's "stinginess."
And something about them just felt… off.
Logically, a vault theft and a full-city lockdown should count as a big deal. The bounty should be generous at the very least.
Murong Caiyun said, "We're here for the mission and the merit. No need to poke into other matters."
Ouyang Feng agreed. "The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go home."
"Okay." Mo Hua nodded.
Their task was to assist the Xie Family in catching the Broken Gold Sect traitor.
The Xie Family had initiated a search, but the so-called "city-wide sweep" was mostly their clan members patrolling the streets and checking for suspicious individuals.
They didn't dare go door to door. They lacked both the guts and the strength.
Even though Bìshan was a small immortal city, you never knew when you might barge into a teahouse and disturb a real Daoist—or a big-shot cultivator having a drink.
The trio helped with the search for a while but didn't turn up anything, so they split up to cover more ground.
Mo Hua walked the streets of Bìshan City, releasing his divine sense to scan the area.
He wasn't spying on people's privacy—just looking for anyone suspicious.
The city was full of cultivators from all walks of life.
With his refined divine sense, Mo Hua could read most cultivators' strength clearly. But to be respectful, he didn't pry too deep—just took a quick glance to see if they might be the fugitive.
Some cultivators had obscure, deep auras. Mo Hua immediately withdrew his divine sense when brushing past them.
Those were major cultivators—at least at the Golden Core stage—not people he could afford to "offend" right now.
Some looked ordinary but had immense power. Even a brief glance with divine sense alerted them.
Their eyes shot over like swords. But seeing just a teenage kid, they paused in surprise.
Mo Hua respectfully bowed to apologize.
Seeing that, they didn't bother pursuing the matter and just nodded slightly.
Mo Hua breathed a little easier, but still sighed internally:
"The cultivation world is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Even in a little city like this in Qianzhou, there are so many experts…"
After hitting a few "walls," bowing, and apologizing, Mo Hua quickly got the hang of it.
Even without divine sense, just by instinct, he could tell which cultivators were best left alone.
A single glance, and he'd know.
He became much more "tactful" with his divine sense scanning—never again offending those high-level cultivators.
After searching for most of the day, relying on his deep divine sense and keen awareness, Mo Hua had covered nearly all of Bìshan City—but found nothing.
Time to search the few remaining places…
Mo Hua thought for a bit—and headed to a "brothel."
Though it looked like a regular tavern, thanks to his one experience in Nanyue City drinking flower wine at the Hundred Blossom House with Elder Su, he could tell:
This was no tavern—it was a brothel!
The front was a restaurant, but behind it wafted a faint, inappropriate-for-children, decadent atmosphere.
The Dao Tribunal banned dual cultivation—and especially the "essence-harvesting" kind.
In fact, the reason "dual cultivation" was banned was primarily to stop "essence harvesting," to prevent people from using dual cultivation as an excuse for exploitation.
Mo Hua had learned this long ago from Zhang Lan.
So brothels were also strictly controlled by the Dao Tribunal.
Of course, while the Dao Tribunal and its laws were strict, local Dao Tribunals… were another story.
Every immortal city had its own quirks.
For instance, in Nanyue City, the Lu family used brothels to win over people, rake in spirit stones, exploit mine workers, and bribe Dao Tribunal officials.
In that environment, many Tribunal cultivators were regular brothel patrons, completely complicit—so there was no way they'd regulate it.
But Qianxue Prefecture was different. Across the whole region, brothels were strictly forbidden.
Qianxue was a bastion of cultivation, a gathering place for young prodigies from all across the Nine Provinces.
The sects didn't want their disciples wasting time in indulgence, weakening their foundations, ruining their path, or falling into obsession and losing their Dao hearts.
Even worse, they feared demonic cultivators using beauty and lust to seduce and corrupt young disciples, making them lose their way.
So not only was Qianxue Prefecture itself a brothel-free zone, but nearby provinces and their cities also prohibited such establishments.
But desire between men and women is among the greatest of human urges: it can be forbidden, but not truly stopped.
So people opened taverns in the front and ran brothels in the back—businesses that sold dog meat under the sign of a sheep's head.
Mo Hua let out a cold snort. He felt this kind of thing deserved condemnation. Moreover, brothels were known for harboring all kinds of filth—who knew, the traitor might be hiding inside. So, he stepped directly into the tavern.
The waiter clearly froze when he saw Mo Hua.
This tavern had never received such a delicate and handsome young master, with clear eyes, red lips, and pearly teeth.
"Young Master, you're here to…?"
"To eat," Mo Hua said as a matter of course.
"Oh—oh, right, to eat… Please, this way."
The waiter assumed Mo Hua didn't know what this place truly was and thought he simply believed it was just a normal tavern to eat and drink in. So the waiter smiled awkwardly and eagerly led him inside.
The interior was lavishly decorated, filled with the heavy scent of rouge and powder.
The waiter brought Mo Hua to a table and helped him sit.
Mo Hua glanced at the menu and thought: So expensive! Not only the dishes, but even the snacks and wine were twice the price of those outside.
But for the sake of "tracking the fugitive," Mo Hua endured the pain and ordered a table's worth of food and drink.
After walking most of the day, he was hungry anyway. He swept his divine sense over the food and confirmed there was no tampering or poison, so he began eating and drinking while scanning the surroundings.
The front area of the tavern was still relatively "clean."
Some were eating, some were drinking. In the center, a pink-curtained stage stood, where women decked out in flowers and silks danced seductively.
Around the room, scantily clad women with flirtatious smiles accompanied the drinkers.
Mo Hua gnawed on a large chicken leg while releasing his divine sense, observing everything.
After watching for a long while, Mo Hua slowly started to understand…
The dancers on stage were the actual "menu."
After they finished their performance, whichever one the guests fancied—they would "order."
Once chosen, the dancer would come down and drink with the customer.
During the drinking session, the man and woman would whisper to each other—likely negotiating the "meal price."
Once a deal was struck, they would head to the back to "eat."
And only after "eating" would they "settle the bill."
Pure-hearted Mo Hua was shocked.
These cultivators had way too many shady tricks!
All their cleverness not spent on cultivating the Dao, but on designing this kind of "wine as bait for lust" nonsense…
And the food was outrageously overpriced!
Mo Hua was very angry.
As he looked toward the women dancing on stage, he suddenly froze—his eyes narrowing slightly.
He noticed that in the corner of the stage, one of the dancers—while not very attractive, with a slim waist and exaggerated makeup—had something off about her movements.
Mo Hua swept his divine sense over—and confirmed it.
This woman was a man!
And suddenly, an instinct struck him—he felt almost certain:
This was the traitor from the Broken Gold Sect—the target of this bounty mission!
A man, disguised as a woman, hiding in a brothel.
Mo Hua snorted.
Disgraceful!
He immediately used his Great Void Token to send a message to Senior Sister Murong:
"Senior Sister, I've found the traitor!"
The Great Void Token could be used to transmit messages—only among fellow sect members.
Murong Caiyun had taught him how to use it later. Mo Hua hadn't known how at first, so he hadn't used it much before.
In just a moment, Murong Caiyun replied:
"Where?"
Mo Hua: "Brothel…"
Murong Caiyun: "…"
There was a long silence on the other side—she seemed unable to process how, in the middle of a manhunt, Mo Hua had ended up in a brothel.
But after about a dozen heartbeats, she finally replied:
"Where is there a brothel?"
Mo Hua sent over the tavern's name.
Murong Caiyun responded:
"Got it. I'll head there now. Keep yourself safe."
"Mm-hmm."
Mo Hua nodded, though something felt a little strange in his heart.
That line—"keep yourself safe"—sounded oddly suspicious…
What do I have to protect…?
Roughly the time of two incense sticks later, Ouyang Feng and Murong Caiyun arrived at the tavern's entrance.
The waiter looked surprised again. When he heard they were here to find their junior brother, he hesitated for a long time before letting them in. But clearly, he grew wary, keeping a close eye on them.
The three of them kept their voices low as they spoke.
"Junior Brother… how did you end up here?"
Mo Hua waved it off. "That's not the point."
He pointed at the still-dancing figure on stage—the man in women's clothing with heavy makeup and a narrow waist:
"That one is very likely the traitor."
Mo Hua was almost certain, though he kept his tone modest, not declaring it outright.
Murong Caiyun and Ouyang Feng were both startled. They furrowed their brows, staring at the "woman" for a long while, their gazes growing sharper.
"Disguised as a woman, dancing here—it's quite the clever way to stay hidden…"
"Probably not just to stay hidden…"
He might have a "side gig," too.
Even traitorous disciples, even wanted criminals—still had to make a living…
"What do we do?"
"Just make a move?"
"Won't that spook him?"
Ouyang Feng and Murong Caiyun discussed in hushed voices.
Mo Hua said, "I'll 'order' him over."
Murong Caiyun blinked. "Order?"
"Yeah." Mo Hua nodded. "We'll have him come drink with us—then we capture him."
Murong Caiyun finally couldn't help herself. "Junior Brother… do you come here often?"
You're talking like a regular!
Mo Hua straightened his face and said seriously, "I am a proper cultivator! I never come to these kinds of places! Unless it's absolutely necessary…"
Murong Caiyun gave him a skeptical side glance.
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"It's for the mission!" Mo Hua quickly added.
Ouyang Feng smiled wryly. "Catching the traitor is more important."
"Senior Brother Feng is right!" Mo Hua nodded and waved over the waiter, then pointed at the man in disguise on stage:
"I want her to come drink with us!"
The waiter froze, clearly seeing Mo Hua in a whole new light. Then he went up and called the "woman" down.
The "woman" looked surprised to be called out.
The waiter pointed to the trio's table. The "woman's" gaze sharpened slightly, then she lowered her head obediently and walked over—appearing gentle and compliant, but her steps grew slower and slower.
Mo Hua said, "He's going to run—"
Ouyang Feng immediately dashed forward and reached out to grab the "woman."
But the "woman" had been ready. His body flashed with a faint golden glow as he retreated at high speed.
Ouyang Feng missed and gave chase—but was suddenly blocked by a stranger.
The man wore a lewd smile and said:
"Fellow Daoist, you seem like quite the gentleman—how can you be so rough with a flower—"
Before the man could finish, Ouyang Feng, clearly out of patience, kicked him flying and resumed chasing after the "woman."
That "woman" bolted ahead, completely dropping the act—her movements clearly revealed she was a man. And his footwork was indeed impressive.
Murong Caiyun cast her Five-Colored Spirit Light to hinder the fleeing "woman."
Mo Hua raised his hand halfway—then paused, thought for a moment, and switched from Water Prison Technique to Fireball Technique.
And then, with absolutely no regard for aim, he started launching fireballs at the fleeing "woman" one after another.
His fireballs were flung with casual recklessness.
Most were dodged by the target and instead exploded inside the tavern, filling it with flames and chaos. Loud booms echoed as destruction spread.
A brothel disguised as a tavern like this doesn't deserve to exist anyway…
Mo Hua made up his mind and didn't hold back. That "tavern" was quickly reduced to a wreck by his fireballs.
The pink curtains burned, the stage collapsed, and cries of shock echoed from the back—both men and women.
The tavern owner turned deathly pale.
He ran a shady business—an underground brothel near the Qianxue border. If such a thing was ever exposed, he'd be doomed.
But he didn't dare retaliate.
Ouyang Feng and Murong Caiyun both looked like powerful cultivators—far from people he could afford to offend.
The entire "tavern" was in chaos.
The "woman" took advantage of the mess to flee, darting northward down the street.
Ouyang Feng chased after him.
"After him!" Murong Caiyun ordered decisively.
"Got it!"
Mo Hua nodded, casually "dodging" the bill in the process.
The commotion outside also drew the attention of several cultivators—some from the Xie Clan, some from the Dao Court Division.
The Dao Court cultivators took one look inside—half-naked men and women everywhere. No need to ask what kind of "wine" this "tavern" was selling.
In broad daylight, they had to investigate.
Meanwhile, the Xie Clan recognized the fleeing "woman" as the Broken Gold Sect traitor—the fugitive they'd been pursuing.
So both groups joined the chase for the cross-dressing traitor.
But the traitor's body technique glowed with golden light—swift and fierce, extremely hard to catch.
After several streets of pursuit, he suddenly vanished without a trace.
Xie Clan cultivators, furious, cursed non-stop.
Ouyang Feng and Murong Caiyun frowned—but Mo Hua's eyes gleamed.
He had seen everything clearly.
That traitor had ducked around a corner and into a shadowy alley, and within a few heartbeats, had changed clothes and put on a different face, disguising himself as a completely ordinary male cultivator.
"That's… disguise?"
Mo Hua's eyes lit up with curiosity. He subtly pointed and whispered to Ouyang Feng:
"Senior Brother Feng, that guy!"
Ouyang Feng paused, tempted to ask how Mo Hua knew—but there was no time. He instinctively chose to trust Mo Hua's judgment.
Ouyang Feng casually approached the disguised man.
But the man had an extremely sharp sense for danger. The moment Ouyang Feng got within ten zhang, he turned and bolted.
The golden light in his footwork confirmed it—this was the traitor!
Ouyang Feng drew his sword and resumed the chase.
And so, the traitor kept fleeing at full speed, constantly trying to find opportunities to disguise himself again—trying to slip past Mo Hua's group.
Mo Hua, however, didn't rush to act. He calmly surveyed his surroundings, subtly manipulating things so that, without even realizing it, the traitor was forced toward the eastern part of Bìshān City—into a deserted forested area.
Can't capture him inside the city. Otherwise, he'll fall into Xie Clan hands, and I won't be able to extract any info.
Everything was going just as Mo Hua had planned.
No one else around.
The traitor was now cornered by the three of them.
The traitor, now disguised as a burly man, panted as he stared at them in disbelief.
"How… how did you recognize me?"
Mo Hua smiled sweetly. "Guess."
The man's expression twitched, fury flashing in his eyes. Then he let out a cold laugh:
"So what if you recognized me? Before my Golden Escape Body Technique—which I've honed with ten years of blood and sweat—everything you do is useless! Catch me? Keep dreaming!"
His face filled with disdain. With a "ptui," he pushed his body technique to its limit. Golden light surged into his legs, wind roared beneath his feet—and he turned to flee again.
Mo Hua gently pointed his finger—
Water Prison Technique activated instantly.
The smug traitor was immediately trapped, slammed face-first into the ground.
Faceplant. Hard.
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Mo Hua shook his head.
"You really think you're all that, huh…"
Showing off cheap tricks in front of me…
Ouyang Feng stepped forward. The man tried to struggle—but Ouyang Feng cleaved his shoulder with one sword strike, then kicked him to the ground.
His body technique might be good—but in terms of cultivation? Not even close to Ouyang Feng's level.
Ouyang Feng took the man's storage pouch and used a second-grade Spirit Shackles from the Dao Court to bind him tightly.
Murong Caiyun glanced at Mo Hua, eyes flickering slightly. She couldn't help but ask:
"Junior Brother Mo, you lured him all the way out here—what exactly do you want to ask him?"
"Mm-hmm." Mo Hua nodded. "It's easier to ask things out here—no one around."
Murong Caiyun thought for a moment and nodded.
"Alright. Ask away."
Capturing the traitor meant the mission was basically complete.
Whatever Mo Hua wanted to ask beforehand—it was fine.
Mo Hua turned to the "burly man" and said:
"I'm going to ask you a few questions. You'd better answer honestly!"
The man spat out a mouthful of dirt, gave a few "ptui ptui," and sneered:
"You little brat—keep dreaming!"
Ouyang Feng shook his head. "Stubborn. We won't get anything out of him."
Mo Hua asked, "Can I use torture?"
Ouyang Feng froze. "Torture…" He looked toward Murong Caiyun, face complicated, as if to say:
Is this how you Great Void Sect juniors usually handle things?
Just casually throwing out "torture" like it's nothing!
Murong Caiyun said helplessly, "Don't go overboard… at least…"
She thought for a while and sighed, "At least don't make it obvious…"
If the Dao Court or Xie Clan found out they used private torture for interrogation—it'd be hard to explain.
Mo Hua grinned, "Don't worry! I'm well-prepared!"
"Prepared…?"
Mo Hua nodded. "Yep!"
He had anticipated this situation and made preparations in advance.
He pulled out a thick iron plate from his storage pouch—covered in densely packed formation patterns that just looked painful.
Even Ouyang Feng and Murong Caiyun involuntarily twitched their eyelids.
Mo Hua placed the iron plate on the ground and looked at the man:
"Kneel."
(End of this Chapter)