Chapter 635: The Mole
Gu Changhuai's head was spinning like a twisted rope—tangled up and unable to sort things out.
This waist token was definitely a Dao Judiciary-issued token.
No matter how gutsy this Mo Hua kid was, there was no way he'd risk his life forging something as serious as a Dao Judiciary token.
Bronze meant auxiliary status—but even an auxiliary token was official. It still marked him as affiliated with the Dao Judiciary. And that wasn't something your average cultivator could just get their hands on.
"Where'd you steal this from?"
Gu Changhuai squinted at him, full of suspicion.
"What do you mean stole? This was personally issued to me by the Dao Judiciary Head of Tongxian City!"
Mo Hua said, clearly displeased.
"Tongxian City?"
Gu Changhuai remembered—that tiny second-rank city out in remote Lizhou, where Mo Hua had come from.
Mo Hua shook his head. "Nope."
"Then why would he give you a bronze waist token?"
Gu Changhuai just couldn't figure it out. It didn't make sense…
"There's no special reason!"
Mo Hua cut him off, then added quickly:
"He just wanted me to serve the Dao Judiciary, bring peace to Tongxian City, and contribute to the cultivation world!"
Because otherwise, Uncle Gu would find out that despite holding the title, Mo Hua was really just a small-time errand boy in the Dao Judiciary.
Who could've guessed that a teenaged, sect-just-joined, wandering cultivator like him was secretly hiding a bronze Dao Judiciary token?
Gu Changhuai immediately snapped to full alert.
Yeah, yeah, keep bragging…
Mo Hua couldn't be bothered to explain. He was used to people not believing him anyway.
"Serve the people?" Gu Changhuai snorted.
"You? At your age? What can you do to serve anyone?"
Mo Hua noted this tactic down.
If I ever need to stall or dodge, just throw this line out.
Gu Changhuai clearly didn't believe a word of it.
And besides… this guy might end up being his "boss" one day. Better to act all upright and ambitious now.
So Mo Hua smoothly changed his tone:
"Obviously, the Chief saw how talented and promising I was. That's why he gave me the waist token, to help me… develop!"
Those last two words… every time Mo Hua passed by the Dao Judiciary Hall and saw them engraved at the top in huge, gold-plated letters, he'd stare at them like they were sacred scriptures.
That demon beast was my kill.
When facing "leadership," one must appear eager and progressive!
Mo Hua had learned that well.
Definitely don't say "just mooching for merits."
"What, did you marry into their family?"
Gu Changhuai muttered suspiciously.
Thinking quickly, he backpedaled, "I only said I'd consider it. I never agreed…"
Sloppy move.
"I did big things for the Dao Judiciary!"
Mo Hua declared confidently.
That token had his name etched right on the front—in bold, gold-plated characters:
Mo Hua!
Mo Hua nodded with self-righteous pride. "That's right."
Gu Changhuai's heart tensed, eyes narrowing:
"You didn't… tell my cousin and Yu'er bad things about me, did you?"
This kid was crafty and sharp-tongued. Next time he spoke, Gu Changhuai knew he'd have to tread very carefully. One careless word could come back to haunt him…
Mo Hua widened his big, bright eyes, full of innocent sincerity:
"Uncle Gu, you're over a hundred years old. You can't go back on your word!"
Gu Changhuai was taken aback. He hadn't expected Mo Hua to give up so easily—just like that?
But then he remembered…
His name was still carved on the Monster-Suppressing Stele outside Tongxian City.
"Your Chief—is he your relative?"
Gu Changhuai asked, frowning.
He coughed, averted his gaze, picked up the wine jug and poured himself a drink.
"Busy now… haven't decided yet. Ask me again in a few days…"
"Doesn't matter. That waist token's mine, and that makes me half a Dao Judiciary man!"
Mo Hua stated confidently.
So this is how grown-ups dodge accountability…
He'd fallen into this kid's trap from the moment he got careless.
Mo Hua had nearly blurted out "mooching for merits" again...
"So? Have you made up your mind?"
Mo Hua looked at Gu Changhuai, pondering for a bit before answering honestly:
"Uncle Gu, you don't exactly give me much good stuff to say about you…"
Bad temper.
A bit of a show-off.
Refuses to help when asked.
Goes back on his word, pulls rank on juniors...
Even if he wanted to say something nice to Aunt Wan and Yu'er—what was there to say?
Gu Changhuai froze, then fell into a complicated silence.
Mo Hua wasn't wrong…
"Exactly."
Mo Hua looked at him and sighed.
"If you don't treat me better, how am I supposed to say nice things about you to Aunt Wan and Yu'er?"
"If all I know are your bad traits, then of course I'll only talk about the bad.
That's not my fault, is it?"
Mo Hua's expression said, I'm justified. You brought this on yourself.
Gu Changhuai's eyelid twitched violently. But thinking of his cousin and Yu'er, he could only sigh and ask:
"Alright… what do you want?"
Mo Hua's eyes lit up:
"I want to help catch Fire Buddha!"
Gu Changhuai still didn't understand.
"You're just a beginner sect disciple. What grudge do you have with Fire Buddha?"
"I'm petty," Mo Hua said seriously.
"I hold grudges. Fire Buddha tried to kill me. Of course I'm not going to let it go."
Gu Changhuai was stunned.
Petty. Holds grudges…
That was absurdly honest.
Although… the petty part probably wasn't a lie.
Gu Changhuai narrowed his elegant eyes, staring at Mo Hua.
"That's not the only reason, is it?"
"What do you mean?"
"There's no way that's your only reason for going after Fire Buddha."
Gu Changhuai was certain.
Worthy of a Dao Judiciary Supervisor. Not easy to fool…
Mo Hua thought for a moment, then asked:
"If I help you—I mean help the Dao Judiciary—catch Fire Buddha… can I earn some merit points?"
"You really need merit that badly?"
Gu Changhuai asked, puzzled.
"Can anyone have too much merit?"
Mo Hua shot back.
Gu Changhuai paused… then nodded.
Fair point,
Indeed.
For sect disciples, everything—cultivation resources, techniques, daily expenditures, even advancement within the sect's system—depended on merit.
So naturally, the more merit, the better.
Even in the Dao Judiciary, it was the same.
"There's no merit for the Fire Buddha case," Gu Changhuai said. "This is internal to the Dao Judiciary. It won't be issued as a sect mission."
After all, Fire Buddha had wiped out entire clans—his hands were soaked in blood.
If a sect disciple took on the mission and acted recklessly, only to die at Fire Buddha's hands, that would spell disaster.
"So if there's no sect merit… could I get Dao Judiciary merit for it then?"
"I'm not picky—any kind works."
Mo Hua gave a very "I'm not a picky eater" kind of smile.
Gu Changhuai sighed.
"Alright, fine…"
He couldn't exactly dock Dao Judiciary merit just to spite the kid.
But looking at Mo Hua's bright, happy face, Gu Changhuai felt something was off.
This kid had a dozen schemes hiding behind one smile—he was clearly up to something more.
Running through everything he knew about Mo Hua in his mind, Gu Changhuai suddenly jolted, eyes wide.
"You're not trying to secretly learn Fire Buddha's Falling Flame Technique, are you?!"
Mo Hua calmly gave him a sidelong glance.
"Uncle Gu… do you really think I could learn it?"
Gu Changhuai scrutinized him for a moment, then relaxed and exhaled.
"Fair point. You couldn't."
Falling Flame Technique was a forbidden art—its spiritual might was immense. That meant it required a high-grade spiritual root and immense spiritual power to cultivate and unleash.
Mo Hua might be clever, but his spiritual roots and power were a shadow of his comprehension abilities.
Forbidden arts weren't something you could learn with just brains—you needed the hardware too.
After a moment of thought, Gu Changhuai nodded.
"Fine. You can tag along with the Dao Judiciary and help track down Fire Buddha, but—there are three conditions."
"Three conditions?"
"Yes." Gu Changhuai began listing them out:
"First, you're not allowed to neglect your cultivation. And absolutely no skipping sect duties. You can only help out during ten-day rest periods. On regular days, you stay put in the sect."
"Second, you can't fight. Fire Buddha—and even his accomplices—are at least mid-Foundation Establishment stage. You're not equipped to handle that. You might escape once or twice by sheer luck, but if you slip up even once… you could die."
"If something happens to you, I wouldn't know how to face my cousin. Yu'er would be heartbroken too…"
"Third, if we go out for a mission to track Fire Buddha, you stick with me. Don't wander off. Don't act on your own. No being reckless…"
"Mm-hmm! Got it!"
Mo Hua nodded rapidly.
He wasn't asking for much. Just getting a foot in the door with the Dao Judiciary was enough for now.
As for the rest—he'd play it by ear.
Since his "Dao Judiciary identity" was already "exposed," and he'd established a formal "cooperation agreement" with Uncle Gu, Mo Hua saw no need to hold back.
He immediately fired off:
"Uncle Gu, what really happened the night the Xie Clan was wiped out in Bishan City?"
"How did Fire Buddha get inside Bishan?"
"Why didn't even one person escape from the Xie Clan?"
"Why were they targeted?"
"And after wiping them out, where did Fire Buddha go? Still no trace? Any clues?"
Like an overcharged curiosity machine, Mo Hua rapid-fired question after question...
Gu Changhuai felt a headache coming on.
Yep—he knew this kid was trouble.
But it was too late now. He'd boarded the pirate ship. No refunds.
Gu Changhuai extended his spiritual sense to ensure no one was nearby, then took a sip of wine to wet his throat. His brows furrowed, and his voice lowered:
"The moment you reported the sighting, I personally led a team to search for Fire Buddha."
"But at the border between Luanshan and Bishan, we only found a few traces of fire. No sign of Fire Buddha or his men."
"I sent teams all over to investigate—but it was like they vanished. It felt like someone had deliberately erased their trail…"
"Then, just a few days later—the Xie Clan massacre happened."
"The details are still under investigation, so I can only tell you the general picture…"
"The Xie Clan's array was sabotaged."
"What used to be a defensive formation facing outward… was altered into a trapping array turned inward."
"That night, deep into the night—Fire Buddha suddenly appeared inside the clan estate. He struck without warning. Heavenfall Flames rained down—killing many on the spot and igniting the buildings. The fire spread fast."
"Then several dozen vicious demonic cultivators charged in under cover of the fire… and started slaughtering the Xie clan members."
"Caught off-guard, the Xie Clan activated their array, hoping to use it for defense—but they ended up trapping themselves instead. No escape. Burned alive inside."
"Fire Buddha's methods were brutal."
"Rumor says he had a deep grudge with the Xie Clan. Just killing them wasn't enough. He dismembered them, incinerated their remains—ground their bones to ash."
"Because the array sealed the estate, those outside—including Dao Judiciary supervisors and enforcers—couldn't get in. And those inside—couldn't get out."
"Just like that, in full view of the Dao Judiciary and the entire Bishan cultivator community—he wiped out the entire Xie Clan."
Gu Changhuai's face showed barely contained rage.
Mo Hua also sighed, heart heavy.
"But what happened after?" Mo Hua asked. "If the array was a trap and sealed them in, then it should've trapped Fire Buddha too, right? The Xie Clan couldn't escape, so neither should he…"
Gu Changhuai's expression turned grave.
"Exactly. That's the issue."
"After the massacre, Fire Buddha seemingly vanished into thin air. It was like he disappeared right inside the trap formation. No sign of him anywhere in Bishan."
"Not just him—those dozens of demonic cultivators vanished too."
"These past few days, we've searched Bishan and every surrounding city. Not a single lead."
"To this day, we've barely scraped together a clue."
Gu Changhuai looked grim and frustrated.
Mo Hua thought for a moment, then asked:
"Uncle Gu… has the Dao Judiciary asked anyone to calculate karma for this?"
Gu Changhuai looked at him with surprise.
"You know about karmic deduction?"
Mo Hua raised a brow.
Mo Hua replied modestly, "I know a little."
Gu Changhuai didn't take it seriously. He just shook his head and said,
"We asked around, had someone calculate it—but it didn't work. They said the traces were hidden..."
Then, with some displeasure, he added,
"If you ask me, they just didn't know what they were doing and made up some excuse to shirk responsibility."
"And besides, in this day and age, who still believes in things like Heavenly Fate deduction or karmic divination? Just some flashy tricks meant to impress fools…"
Upon hearing this, Mo Hua instantly understood—clearly, the Gu family didn't have any real inheritance of Heavenly Fate Algorithms.
In the world of fate and karma, they were the "dumb ones."
Mo Hua couldn't be bothered to explain.
Heavenly fate was unfathomable, and karma was obscure—it would take too long to explain.
So he just nodded agreeably,
"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right."
Even though Gu Changhuai didn't understand fate deduction, his instincts were sharp.
He could feel that Mo Hua was looking at him with a bit of… sympathy.
Like he was watching someone tragically clueless.
Seeing Gu Changhuai's face starting to darken, Mo Hua quickly changed the subject:
"Uncle Gu, are there any other leads?"
As expected, Gu Changhuai was successfully distracted and forgot all about being labeled a fate "dummy."
"No, that's all we've got," he replied. "So stop pestering me and go back to the sect and cultivate."
Clearly, Gu Changhuai was trying to ditch this clingy "little tail."
Mo Hua immediately countered,
"I do have a lead."
Gu Changhuai didn't believe him at all.
"What kind of lead could you possibly have?"
"If you don't believe me, I won't say."
Mo Hua lowered his head and started working on the chicken leg in his bowl.
It seemed to be from some kind of brocade chicken—big, tender, and delicious.
Gu Changhuai was caught off guard. His mood grew complicated.
If he asked, it would feel like he was losing face.
But if he didn't… what if it really was important?
This kid might exaggerate sometimes, but he usually didn't lie about serious things.
After a moment of hesitation, Gu Changhuai could only sigh in defeat.
After all, the Fire Buddha case took priority.
"Fine, I believe you. Tell me."
Mo Hua didn't drag it out and went straight to the point:
"Hua Langjun!"
"Hua Langjun?" Gu Changhuai frowned.
"That flower thief," Mo Hua explained, "the one I caught before I ran into Fire Buddha."
"I heard Fire Buddha's group call him 'Hua Liu-lang'—so they must know each other. I suspect he came to Luanshan City precisely to help Fire Buddha with the clan extermination…"
"But before that, since he practiced a harvesting-based cultivation method, his perverse cravings flared up. He was burning with lust, but couldn't strike in Bishan City or he'd alert the enemy, so he hunted women in Luanshan City instead…"
Gu Changhuai frowned deeply,
"Why didn't you say this earlier?"
Mo Hua said confidently,
"Well, you never asked."
Besides, at the time of the report, Hua Langjun had already been captured and tossed into Dao Prison. In Mo Hua's mind, he was already "handled."
Only now—when leads had dried up—did Mo Hua finally remember to fish that memory back out.
Gu Changhuai nodded.
"No time to lose. I'll go to Luanshan City immediately."
"Wait, isn't he in Dao Prison in Qianxue Prefecture's jurisdiction?"
Gu Changhuai shook his head.
"That case hasn't been processed locally yet. If the paperwork isn't complete, they don't transfer prisoners."
Mo Hua thought for a moment, then said,
"I'm coming too!"
"No."
Gu Changhuai didn't even think before rejecting him.
"Alright," Mo Hua didn't push, just said casually,
"Then if you don't understand something when questioning him, I guess you'll have to come back and ask me…"
Gu Changhuai frowned,
"What's it got to do with you?"
"Because I'm the one who caught Hua Langjun!"
Mo Hua emphasized this point again.
Gu Changhuai froze, then sighed in defeat,
"Fine. You can come too."
Mo Hua's eyes lit up,
"Mhm!"
So Gu Changhuai informed Wenren Wan that he'd be taking Mo Hua out for a while.
Wenren Wan was a bit surprised. She didn't understand what business Gu Changhuai could possibly have that required taking Mo Hua.
But seeing Gu Changhuai looking grumpy and Mo Hua practically glowing with excitement, she figured it probably wasn't anything bad for the boy.
She nodded and reminded him:
"Be careful on the road."
"Take care of Mo Hua…"
She reminded him again before letting them go.
"Yes, ma'am."
Gu Changhuai sighed.
Then, Mo Hua and Gu Changhuai boarded the Gu family's carriage and galloped through the night to Luanshan City.
Once there, they went directly to the Dao Judiciary.
Gu Changhuai flashed his Supervisor badge and was let through without issue, entering the underground Dao Prison beneath the city.
But when they found Hua Langjun—Gu Changhuai's expression turned icy cold, and Mo Hua's eyes narrowed.
Hua Langjun…
…was sitting silently in the cell.
He was already dead.
Dead without a sound.
Mo Hua looked up at the cold, damp, sunless Dao Prison around him and whispered to Gu Changhuai,
"Uncle Gu… your Dao—our Dao Judiciary… could it be that we've got a mole?"
Gu Changhuai's face turned as cold as ice.
He said nothing.
(End of Chapter)