After a day of turmoil, Mo Hua wanted to sleep early but couldn't. After some thought, he went into his sea of consciousness and spent the night practicing formations on the stone stele.
When practicing formations, he focused solely on that, and his mood became calmer.
The next day, Zhang Lan found Mo Hua.
He was sitting at a corner table in a restaurant, where several dishes for drinking and a pot of wine were placed.
Zhang Lan poured himself a cup of wine and looked at Mo Hua, saying, "Tell me, what happened yesterday?"
"What happened?"
Zhang Lan smirked, "Don't play dumb with me, concerning Qian Xing."
"He bullied me, and then Da Zhu and the others helped, and we ended up fighting. Then you guys showed up," Mo Hua avoided the critical details.
"You're giving me the brush-off. That formation, you used it, right?" Zhang Lan couldn't help but ask.
Mo Hua was surprised, "Uncle Zhang, you saw that?"
"I didn't see it," Zhang Lan took a sip of wine, "If I had, I wouldn't have let them run amok like that."
Mo Hua was puzzled, "Then how do you know it was a formation and not a spell?"
"After the Earth Fire Formation exploded, the spirit paper turned into ash. Apart from seeing it firsthand, no one would know that it was your formation that injured Qian Xing."
"Where there's rain, there's a trace; where there's a goose, there's a sound. Anything a cultivator does leaves a trace. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean others can't."
"What traces are there exactly?" Mo Hua asked humbly.
"The ash from the spirit paper used in the formation, after burning, leaves residual ashes different from those of other materials. The lingering spiritual energy after the formation explodes is also easy to distinguish. Those knowledgeable in this field can even tell which type of formation you used. Considering there aren't many spells mid-level Qi Refining cultivators can use, aside from spells, there's only talismans and formations with such power. Talismans are expensive and easier to identify, so logically, it must have been a formation..." Zhang Lan spoke with the air of someone who knew what he was talking about.
"I see," Mo Hua suddenly realized, "How can these traces be erased?"
"The ashes of the spirit paper disperse in the wind or dissolve in water. Alternatively, you can use other formation mediums to draw the formation, leaving no residual ashes. As for the lingering spiritual energy after the formation explodes, it can be artificially confused. However, it's not a big deal; ordinary cultivators can't distinguish between a formation and a cultivator's spiritual energy difference anyway. Also..."
As Zhang Lan spoke, he realized something was off. He seemed to be instructing Mo Hua on how to cover up evidence, almost as if he were teaching him to cover up a crime...
"Is there anything else?" Mo Hua was listening with great interest.
Zhang Lan coughed, "These are not crucial. Just tell me, did you injure Qian Xing?"
"No," Mo Hua wasn't foolish enough to admit to trouble he didn't cause.
Zhang Lan looked disbelieving.
"Uncle Zhang, think about it. I'm only at the fourth level of Qi Refining. How could I draw such a powerful formation?"
"Hmm, that's a good excuse," Zhang Lan nodded absently.
"That's right," Mo Hua corrected himself immediately, "This is a fact, not an excuse!"
"Alright, alright, I understand," Zhang Lan chuckled. "Rest assured, I just wanted to know what happened. I'm not going to send you to the Dao Court for interrogation."
"Don't the Dao Court handle these matters?"
"They do, but they can't just ignore right and wrong. Do you think, in your eyes, the Dao Court always colludes with the aristocratic families?"
"Yes," Mo Hua honestly nodded.
The Dao Court and the aristocratic families not colluding would be strange.
Zhang Lan choked on his wine, unable to come up with an example to refute it, so he could only vindicate himself, "Well, indeed there is collusion sometimes, but at least I'm not part of it. Is that acceptable?"
Mo Hua looked at him sympathetically, quietly saying, "Uncle Zhang, are you being ostracized? Is that why they don't include you in their games?"
Zhang Lan's head was starting to ache, and his heart felt weary. Just as he was about to defend himself, he suddenly realized the conversation had been led astray by this kid, and he hadn't finished asking what he wanted.
Glaring at Mo Hua, Zhang Lan said, "Stop beating around the bush. Tell me about Qian Xing."
"Oh," Mo Hua sat obediently. After all, he wouldn't say anything anyway.
However, both of them tacitly understood the truth without explicitly stating it.
Zhang Lan didn't want to pursue it further and said, "With your cultivation at the fourth level of Qi Refining, you indeed couldn't have drawn such a formation, so the person who injured Qian Xing definitely isn't you."
"Then who could it be?" Mo Hua asked tentatively.
Zhang Lan raised an eyebrow and said, "Qian Xing has offended many people by acting arrogantly. This time, he caused trouble in public, and some cultivator took the opportunity to secretly attack him. As for the exact assailant, it will take time to investigate..."
Mo Hua deeply admired him. Those who could enter the Dao Court were indeed talented. The skill of telling blatant lies like this was something he needed to learn more about.
"Director Zhang, you've worked hard. I'll treat you to this meal!" Mo Hua patted his chest generously.
"Oh?" Zhang Lan teased, "In that case, bring two more plates of beef and two more pots of fine wine!"
Mo Hua was a bit embarrassed. "It's a modest transaction. That's about enough."
Zhang Lan couldn't help but laugh.
"By the way, do you have a feud with Qian Xing? Why did he specifically target you?" Zhang Lan suddenly remembered and asked.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and replied, "There's no feud. He asked me to do something for him, and I refused. That's why he flew into a rage."
"That's it?"
"Yeah," Mo Hua nodded, "He said he would kill me and throw me into the mountains to be devoured by demonic beasts, so even the Dao Court wouldn't find him..."
"Damn it!" Zhang Lan slammed the table, drawing the attention of other diners. Zhang Lan coughed to cover up his outburst, saying, "Great wine!"
Mo Hua couldn't help but remark, "You've cracked our table."
There were several cracks in the table where Zhang Lan had slammed it.
Normally, Zhang Lan would restrain his spiritual energy and temper, but in his anger, he exerted a bit more force.
"Keep track of it; deduct it from my spirit stones," Zhang Lan said sheepishly.
Mo Hua casually mentioned it and then asked a question that had been bothering him, "Uncle Zhang, did Qian Xing actually kill someone...?"
Growing up, Mo Hua had mostly seen cultivators struggling to make a living. Even in conflicts, it was rare for cultivators to kill each other, especially in such a casual and assured manner as Qian Xing had mentioned about killing someone and feeding them to beasts in the mountains. If he hadn't actually done it, he wouldn't have spoken so confidently.
This was also the first time Mo Hua had personally experienced the hidden dangers and unpredictability beneath ordinary daily life.
Zhang Lan's expression also grew increasingly solemn. "It's not impossible..."
"The Dao Court doesn't intervene?"
"They only handle cases when there's a report, investigate when there's a clue, and convict when there's solid evidence. Otherwise, they either can't get involved or, even if they do, it leads to nothing and ends up unresolved."
Qian Xing's actions would probably end up unresolved...
(End of the Chapter)