Chapter 638 – Message Token
The Xie Clan's estate had been fully investigated—everything that could be seen had been seen, everything that could be found had been searched.
Now that the matter was settled, this place was no longer somewhere worth staying.
Mo Hua followed Gu Changhuai and left.
Just as they reached the gates, Mo Hua suddenly thought of something. He rummaged through his storage pouch and pulled out a wine jar.
But it was fruit wine—not quite appropriate for the moment.
He looked up and asked,
"Uncle Gu, do you have any strong liquor?"
Gu Changhuai paused for a moment, then nodded,
"I do."
Without asking further, he retrieved a delicate jade wine flask from his storage pouch and handed it to Mo Hua.
A strong aroma of alcohol instantly filled the air.
Mo Hua poured the fiery liquor out at the entrance of the Xie Clan estate.
In his heart, he silently murmured:
"Rest in peace…"
Gu Changhuai's long fingers tapped lightly on a table as he sank into thought. Soon, a plan began to take shape in his mind...
The two of them finally returned to the Gu residence.
And yet…
The images of the Xie Clan—massacred like livestock, their bodies twisted in grotesque mutation—kept flashing through Mo Hua's mind.
On the journey back, Mo Hua sat silently in the carriage, frowning and deep in thought:
Why did the Fire Buddha annihilate the entire Xie Clan?
And after killing them, what did he do?
What exactly was that blackened residue?
Why did it carry the aura of the Great Wilderness Evil God?
And what was the connection between this matter and the so-called "Lord of the Great Wilderness"?
A sacrificial ritual?
Mo Hua had always thought that "Dao Calamity" only bred in places of poverty and despair—where oppressed low-level cultivators were steeped in sin and hopelessness.
He let his thoughts drift away as he lay back on the soft blanket, gazing at the scenery outside the carriage and emptying his mind.
He had promised the fallen Xie Clan cultivators that he'd send the Fire Buddha to accompany them in death.
Originally, Gu Changhuai had only brought Mo Hua along out of helplessness.
But he never expected Mo Hua to uncover clues that even he, a seasoned Dao Court inspector, had missed.
Evening fell. The sun dipped low in the sky.
This was the land of Dryan Study (Qiánxué), a place where fate-calculating arts had fallen into decline—no cultivator could predict anything here.
…
Wenren Wan stood waiting at the door. When she saw that Mo Hua—though looking tired—had all his limbs intact and was unharmed, her heart finally settled.
Was it because he was still young, with a childlike mind unclouded by convention, that his thinking was so different?
…
If that were true…
Then they had to start by capturing the Fire Buddha…
But who would've thought that even near such a flourishing and cultivated place as Dryan Prefecture—renowned for its scholarly refinement—there were signs of Dao Calamity?
Just like how that sea of fire had hidden some of the Fire Buddha's actions… was the Dao Calamity also being covered up?
Mo Hua's frown deepened. The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. His mind was tangled with questions.
He realized now—he could no longer view Mo Hua as just some ordinary ten-year-old child.
The matter with Yu'er had proven it.
And this time, his divine sense really had been overtaxed…
Though Gu didn't want to admit it, this boy… might truly be able to perceive things that ordinary cultivators couldn't—secrets from beyond the veil.
On the other side of the carriage, Gu Changhuai was also watching Mo Hua quietly.
Mo Hua nodded slightly, gaze firm and steady.
Was it his clever mind, his meticulous nature, or his sharp divine sense?
This child…
No one had truly realized.
Or perhaps…
Though the Xie Clan cultivators were all dead—both body and soul erased—unable to reveal anything…
Mo Hua had already committed to his promise.
And once he said it, he'd see it through.
The truth would be uncovered—step by step.
"I'll make sure the Fire Buddha goes down to keep you company…"
As twilight fell, the setting sun spilled across the sky like overturned ink, staining the clouds crimson.
Were the Xie Clan cultivators used as sacrificial offerings?
Were the Fire Buddha and those other criminal cultivators servants of the Lord of the Great Wilderness?
And what about the ritual? What was actually being done?
He also recalled that fleeting glimpse he'd once seen—of that dark purple, ugly, yet alluring karmic flower. A poppy-like bloom, pulsing with the desire of depravity and rot…
Was it because of greed? Obsession with fame and fortune?
Was it that no one could see the signs?
Or had fate itself been obscured?
Gu Changhuai was full of doubts.
Could this also be related?
The most perplexing of all… was still the Dao Calamity.
…
Back at the residence, Wenren Wan immediately scolded:
"Why are you so late?"
"Mo Hua only has two days off, and he has class and cultivation tomorrow! What if he falls behind?"
"You're a grown man. How do you still act so irresponsibly?"
Gu Changhuai sighed helplessly.
Since he was young and living at his cousin's place, he'd been scolded like this regularly.
Now, even as a hundred-year-old Golden Core cultivator and Dao Court inspector, he couldn't escape it…
Mo Hua jumped in to defend him:
"Aunt Wan, it was my fault. I was playing around and lost track of time…"
He wore an apologetic look.
Wenren Wan patted his shoulder,
"It's not your fault."
Then she turned and glared at Gu Changhuai,
"See? Even Mo Hua, a child, is more sensible than you."
Gu Changhuai looked bitter.
Mo Hua gave him a helpless look—as if to say, "Sorry bro, you're on your own."
They all had dinner together afterward.
Wenren Wan cooked a big meal. Mo Hua and Yu'er were all smiles while eating, while Gu sat quietly, clearly depressed.
After dinner, it was getting late. Wenren Wan planned to personally escort the two kids back to the Great Void Sect.
Gu Changhuai said,
"Sis, I'll take them."
Wenren Wan glanced at him and softened her tone:
"You should rest. The Dao Court keeps you busy—don't overwork yourself."
Gu paused, a warm feeling stirring in his heart… though his face didn't show much.
Wenren Wan didn't press him further. She carried Yu'er into the carriage first.
Mo Hua, belly full and spirits high, followed behind.
"Mo Hua."
Gu Changhuai suddenly called out.
Mo Hua turned around in confusion.
Gu hesitated for a moment, then took out a token and handed it to Mo Hua.
The token was made of white jade—smooth and lustrous—with no inscription. Its purpose wasn't obvious.
Mo Hua took it curiously. The moment he examined it, his heart skipped.
"Uncle Gu, this is…"
"A Message Token."
Gu's expression was reluctant, his tone flat:
"If anything comes up, use this to send me a message…"
"But there are limits—it won't work over long distances. If we're not in the same province, I won't receive it."
"Also, during missions, I can't always carry a message token. So sometimes I still might not get it."
"Be careful with it—don't lose it, don't break it."
"It's only a Grade-Two Message Token, but they're not easy to come by. Especially one like this, custom-made for the Dao Court, with high security. You can't just buy one with spirit stones…"
Though he wore a serious face, Gu still explained every little detail—considerate in his own awkward way.
"Mhm mhm!"
Mo Hua eagerly accepted the jade token, practically glowing with excitement.
A Message Token!
A complete, fully functional Message Token!
Mo Hua's eyes sparkled with glee.
Gu suddenly felt uneasy under that look.
He had a nagging feeling that maybe… he shouldn't have given this thing to Mo Hua.
The feeling was very strong.
Like… giving a baby bunny to a big bad wolf.
That was his inspector's intuition speaking.
But it was already handed over. He couldn't just take it back now, could he?
Wouldn't that be… undignified?
Gu Changhuai frowned.
Just then, Mo Hua seemed to sense what he was thinking.
In a flash, his little hand became a blur. With a motion quicker than lightning, he tucked the Message Token into his storage pouch!
Didn't even give Gu a chance to react, let alone regret.
"Thanks, Uncle Gu!"
Mo Hua beamed.
"Thank you, Uncle Gu!"
Mo Hua beamed happily.
Gu Changhuai froze for a moment, then could only bite the bullet and go with the flow, awkwardly replying,
"No need to thank me…"
Inside the carriage, Wenren Wan saw this exchange and was visibly surprised.
She had watched this younger cousin grow up. He'd always been aloof, a little proud, and never good at holding conversations with others.
But now… he was actually getting along this well with Mo Hua?
He even voluntarily gave Mo Hua a gift?
Was the sun rising from the west today?
It seemed her decision had been the right one…
Wenren Wan felt relieved.
Mo Hua, clutching the message token, bid farewell to Gu Changhuai and boarded the Gu family's carriage. With Wenren Wan escorting him, he and Yu'er began the journey back to the Great Void Sect.
Night had fallen. The darkness deepened.
The carriage moved along the road, flanked on both sides by curtains of black night, dotted with dim lantern lights.
It was tranquil and peaceful.
The rhythmic clip-clop of hooves accompanied the ride.
That day and night, Mo Hua had rushed between Dao Prison in Luanshan City and the ruins of the Xie Clan's estate. He had barely rested.
Now that his mind relaxed, and with Aunt Wan by his side, drowsiness quickly overcame him.
His eyelids grew heavy, and before long, he quietly drifted off to sleep.
His breathing was soft and steady, his dark lashes cast shadows on his pale cheeks—pure and adorable. Under the soft glow of lanterns, his features were almost breathtaking, like something out of a painting.
Wenren Wan glanced at him and couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
This child… really is beautiful.
His aura was upright and pure, his features soft and elegant. The mix of purity and grace created a rare, jade-like beauty.
Right now, he still had traces of youthful innocence—making him look even more lovable.
When he grows up, he'll surely be exceptionally handsome.
Wonder which lucky girl will end up with him in the future…
Wenren Wan smiled playfully at the thought, then gently covered Mo Hua with a blanket.
—
When Mo Hua woke up, they had already arrived at the Great Void Sect.
After bidding farewell to Wenren Wan, he held Yu'er's hand and walked through the sect gate.
Yu'er didn't want to part with her mother and kept turning her head every few steps, her eyes misty.
Wenren Wan also felt reluctant, but still waved gently in farewell.
At the foot of Great Void Mountain, the night wind began to stir—chilly and sharp.
Wenren Wan stood alone in the shadows, watching as Yu'er, led by Mo Hua, disappeared into the lantern-lit sect.
—
Life back in the sect resumed as usual.
Mo Hua continued cultivating each day. His cultivation slowly advanced.
His understanding of array formations also deepened little by little.
And whenever he had spare time, he began to study the message token Uncle Gu had given him.
This was his first time using this kind of message token.
The Great Void Token could also transmit messages, but it had too many functions, and the array structure inside was too complex for him to decipher.
The message token in his hand, however, was different—its functions were simple and the structure was straightforward.
When transmitting messages, Mo Hua could even sense the appearance of magnetic ink, the fluctuation of unstable magnetic patterns, and faint reactions from the Secondary Thunder Runes.
The array logic behind the token was based on the standard Beacon Primordial Magnetic Array, but a bit more advanced.
To understand this application of formations—and to ask about the Fire Buddha—Mo Hua started messaging Gu Changhuai whenever he had a chance:
"Uncle Gu."
No reply.
A moment later, he tried again:
"Uncle Gu..."
Still no reply.
"Is the message token broken?"
"Did he not receive it?"
Mo Hua muttered to himself. After a pause, he kept going:
"Uncle Gu?"
"Uncle Gu?"
"Are you there?"
Perhaps fed up, the other side finally responded:
"No."
Mo Hua:
"If you're not there, who replied to me?"
It took Gu Changhuai a moment to recover—clearly fuming—before he replied:
"What is it?"
Mo Hua:
"Did you find anything about that black residue?"
"Not yet. These things take time…"
"What about that message token Lord Hualang had? Did it contain any intel?"
"No…"
Gu paused halfway and suddenly asked,
"Wait. How did you know that was a message token?"
Mo Hua:
"I could tell at a glance!"
That day, after Lord Hualang died in the Dao Prison, Uncle Gu had searched his storage pouch.
Mo Hua had been watching him closely. When Gu's expression shifted while inspecting a jade slip, Mo Hua immediately suspected something was off.
He guessed it was a message token.
He wasn't entirely sure—until now. Gu's reaction confirmed it.
Gu Changhuai felt defeated.
"Can't you come up with a better excuse?"
"Always with the 'I saw it at a glance'… What, did you grow a third eye?"
Mo Hua replied:
"Trivial detail. Not worth fussing over."
Then he quickly changed the subject:
"Uncle Gu, did the token contain any clues?"
"Can't tell you that."
"So there weren't any?"
Gu sighed:
"Why are you so sure again?"
Mo Hua:
"Just a guess. But I'm certain. The message on it was definitely erased."
He had experience with this sort of thing.
If it wasn't erased by Lord Hualang himself, then it must've been wiped by some mole inside the Dao Court.
But either way, it was definitely erased.
He even had a message token with wiped data in his own possession.
It came from that bald guy—who clearly wore a wig—and had a Four Symbols Eagle Claw Array tattooed on his head. Mo Hua had taken the token from him.
He'd long wanted to restore the erased content on that token.
But right now, he hadn't studied many Primordial Magnetic Arrays, and his skill level was still limited. All he could do was "unlock" or "decode" bits through guesswork.
He hadn't yet learned how to fully restore magnetic patterns and reconstruct the text.
The principles of "restoration" were far more complex.
Mo Hua was still trying to figure it out.
Meanwhile, back at the Dao Court office, Gu Changhuai sighed.
He looked around, feeling as if Mo Hua had planted some sort of surveillance array nearby—watching his every move.
Or maybe… this brat was just ridiculously good at predictions.
Gu shook his head and muttered:
"Yeah. The message was erased…"
Mo Hua immediately asked:
"Can it be restored?"
"Hard to say."
Hard to say, not can't be restored...
So that means—the Dao Court can restore message tokens?
At the very least, they have the method to do it?
Mo Hua earnestly asked:
"How do you restore one, then?"
Gu Changhuai instantly grew cautious:
"Why are you asking that?"
Mo Hua used magnetic ink to draw a smiling face:
"Just curious…"
Gu Changhuai replied flatly:
"I'm not an Array Master."
Which was his way of saying: I have no idea how it works.
Mo Hua was a little disappointed but pressed on:
"Then who do you give the token to—for the restoration?"
Gu hadn't answered yet when Mo Hua suddenly had a realization:
"The Heavenly Pivot Pavilion?"
Gu froze.
Mo Hua:
"Right?"
Gu:
"How do you know that?"
Mo Hua thought for a moment, then replied:
"I asked around in the sect. Primordial Magnetic Arrays are confidential. Most array masters don't even learn them."
"Even externally contracted array masters for the Dao Court might know the basics, but chances are they can't restore magnetic patterns."
"Because restoring a message token involves complex array theory…"
Stuff I haven't even learned yet, Mo Hua silently added to himself.
Then he continued transmitting:
"If the Dao Court's hired masters can't restore it, then it must go to the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion at the Dao Court's central headquarters."
"The Heavenly Pivot Pavilion is under Central Dao Court, and it handles array master rankings. Their knowledge is vast, and they've got tons of high-level array masters—someone there has to know how to restore it."
Mo Hua was methodical, thorough, and very persuasive.
Gu Changhuai stared blankly at nothing.
He didn't want to admit that everything he'd done had been "guessed" by Mo Hua.
But… every guess had hit the mark.
This kid's basically a baby fortune-teller…
Gu muttered,
"Something like that…"
Mo Hua eagerly asked:
"So they really can restore it?"
Gu:
"Hard to say."
Mo Hua drew a little 😑 face with magnetic ink.
Gu sighed and explained:
"Restoring a message token is extremely troublesome. Yes, it has to go to the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion."
"I have an old acquaintance there, which is why I entrusted the message token from Lord Hualang to them…"
Mo Hua exclaimed:
"Uncle Gu, you have old friends?"
With a temper like that, and such terrible social skills—and yet, he had friends?
Gu nearly exploded and replied:
"Do you want to know or not?"
"Ah, ah—yes!"
Mo Hua quickly straightened up.
Gu organized his thoughts, then said:
"I handed Lord Hualang's message token to the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion and asked them to restore it."
"But the process is slow, costly, and full of bureaucratic red tape."
"Primordial Magnetic Arrays are niche—most array masters aren't skilled in them."
"And the ones who are capable of restoring these tokens… are all top-tier array masters. They're prestigious, their time is limited, and they're unlikely to waste it restoring a random message token from a second-grade case at the Dao Court."
"Besides, the Dao Court is a subordinate branch. Even a fifth-grade Dao Court isn't remotely as important as one of the Seven Star Pavilions like the Heavenly Pivot."
"Whether they help or not depends on their time, their mood—and their willingness."
Gu Changhuai added with a frown:
"Array masters really are full of themselves…"
Mo Hua declared:
"I'm an array master. I'm not full of myself!"
Gu gave a look of disdain:
"You're not even a second-grade array master yet."
"I have the skills of a second-grade array master, I just haven't been officially ranked!"
"Sure," Gu replied with the enthusiasm of a man reading spam,
"Every unranked array master says that."
Mo Hua snorted coldly and decided not to argue with this "array-illiterate uncle."
Mo Hua then asked:
"If the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion refuses to restore the message token… could you let me try?"
Gu fell silent for a long moment.
Eventually, he sent back a single word:
"You?"
Mo Hua could feel the sheer doubt through the token.
He wasn't pleased.
Don't underestimate a youth just because he's poor.
Sure, he couldn't do it yet, but he already knew how to unlock and decode magnetic patterns. "Restoring" them was just a matter of time.
He just needed to research more.
Mo Hua gave another proud little snort.
When he did master restoration, Uncle Gu would be the one looking at him for help.
That guy works cases all day—he's bound to run into more corrupted message tokens. And then he'll definitely come begging…
Thinking of Uncle Gu groveling, Mo Hua got a little smug.
Still… he didn't know how to do it yet, so he should stay humble for now.
Mo Hua:
"I'm still learning…"
Gu wasn't sure what to say anymore, so he just brushed him off:
"Alright, let's talk when you've mastered it."
"I've got work to do. Don't message me unless it's urgent."
And then added:
"Only contact me for serious matters."
"This message token isn't for idle chatter!"
After that, Gu Changhuai stopped replying.
Mo Hua was puzzled.
This is serious business…
At most… I'm just a little chatty.
But is there anything more serious than leads on the Fire Buddha?
If we don't talk about that—what else is there to talk about?
Mo Hua shook his head.
Uncle Gu really doesn't know how to talk to people. No wonder he has no friends. Nobody wants to play with him.
Good thing I'm kind-hearted and don't hold grudges over his terrible attitude…
Still, even if he let it slide, he wasn't about to be underestimated.
Mo Hua made up his mind: all other projects could wait. First, he'd master message token restoration.
Not for fame, not for glory—just to prove a point.
He was going to show Uncle Gu a thing or two.
Besides, Uncle Gu said only Great Array Masters from the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion could pull it off…
Great Array Masters, huh?
Then that's what I'll become!
Mo Hua nodded resolutely, pulled out his Merit Register and a few books on Primordial Magnetic Arrays, and began researching the theory behind restoring message token magnetic patterns.
He would take the knowledge he had from "unlocking" and "decoding," and push it further—deepening his understanding of magnetic-array theory to master this advanced application…
(End of Chapter)