Mo Hua had mostly been around scattered cultivators with limited horizons, but there were also quite a few cultivators with extraordinary insights.
Not to mention others, the teacher who taught Mo Hua formations was definitely not an ordinary cultivator; that woman Mo Hua called "Aunt Xue," with her veiled appearance, might even know illusion techniques, not to mention other spells; then there were those two kids who went shopping with him that day, surnamed Bai, judging from their appearance and demeanor, their background was extraordinary; and there was his father, Mo Shan, although his cultivation was average, he often hunted demons in the mountains, so his vision and experience were not weak...
Zhang Lan thought to himself that if they knew he was teaching Mo Hua a common body movement technique, Mo Hua would probably not be the one scorned.
Mo Hua was just a child; what could he understand?
By then, the only person who would be scorned was Zhang Lan.
Thinking of the female cultivator in the veil who looked at him with disdain, Zhang Lan couldn't accept it.
No, his face couldn't be lost!
"This matter is not only about my personal dignity, but also about the face of my Zhang family. I can't let people think that my Zhang family is a family without any cultivation heritage," Zhang Lan reasoned to himself.
"These body movements are all very ordinary. I'll teach you something different," Zhang Lan said to Mo Hua.
"Something different?"
"Yes, something completely different from ordinary body movements."
Mo Hua was at a loss. His original intention was just to ask Zhang Lan to point out which spells were good to learn, preferably ones that everyone had heard of and learned.
If everyone had learned them, then this spell must be practical and not bad at all. The cultivators would not be free to waste their time learning a spell that was useless.
If everyone had learned them, it meant the spell was relatively stable and wouldn't have any major mishaps. Even if Zhang Lan didn't teach him, Mo Hua could ask someone else about any questions he had about spells.
But now Zhang Lan wanted to teach Mo Hua something different, so Mo Hua was a little troubled. What if this spell required some precious spiritual things or something, then he really wouldn't be able to practice it...
"What kind of expression is this?" Zhang Lan couldn't help but tap the table, "Why do you look so unwilling? When others ask me to teach, I definitely won't teach, but you, boy, are cheap!"
"I'm just afraid of causing trouble for you, Uncle Zhang," Mo Hua scratched his head, "How about you just teach me any body movement technique from this book?"
Mo Hua spread out the "Collection of Qi Refining Spells." It records common spells in the Qi Refining stage, familiar to low-level scattered cultivators, so Mo Hua was reassured.
"No way! I can't afford to lose face!"
Zhang Lan didn't agree no matter what.
Mo Hua didn't understand why learning a spell would be shameful...
Zhang Lan made up his mind and gritted his teeth: "I'll teach you Flowing Water Steps, which is the secret technique of my Zhang family!"
Mo Hua hesitated for a long time and said weakly, "Is your family's secret technique worthless to the point that you're teaching it to others like this?"
Zhang Lan was so angry he nearly spat blood. He grabbed Mo Hua's collar and lifted him up with his spiritual power, "Come with me!"
Liu Ruhua saw this on the side, but she knew Zhang Lan was a magistrate of the Daoist Court, and he had a good relationship with Mo Hua, so he wouldn't make things difficult for him, therefore she didn't ask for help.
But in her heart, she silently said that Officer Zhang was such a big person, why he was so moody...
Zhang Lan grabbed Mo Hua and led him outside the Tongxian city to a mountain nearby.
Here, the forest is lush, secluded, and rarely visited by people.
Mo Hua felt himself lifted off the ground by spiritual power, his surroundings spinning as everything seemed to reverse. After a while, he came back to his senses and found himself outside Tongsian City.
"Uncle Zhang, why did you bring me here?" Mo Hua couldn't help but ask.
"Stab me with this sword," Zhang Lan said, tossing a black lacquered sword with golden inlay, adorned with ancient pine patterns, to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua hesitated, "Isn't this inappropriate?"
"Just stab when I tell you to."
"What if I hurt you?" Mo Hua worried.
Zhang Lan looked at Mo Hua speechlessly, making Mo Hua realize he might have overestimated himself a bit.
With Mo Hua's cultivation level, even if Zhang Lan stood still all day, Mo Hua probably couldn't even scratch him.
"Alright."
Zhang Lan wasn't afraid. What else could scare him?
Mo Hua gripped the sword, preparing to stab Zhang Lan, but after trying, he said, "I can't."
"What do you mean, you can't?" Zhang Lan asked.
"I can't even lift this sword..." Mo Hua muttered quietly.
What kind of sword was Zhang Lan using? Why was it so heavy? Could spiritual cultivators even use this kind of sword?
Zhang Lan sighed and pointed upward. Before Mo Hua could understand what was happening, a branch fell from a tree.
"Use this branch instead."
"Oh." Mo Hua nodded.
He took the branch, concentrated, and directed his force through it, thrusting it toward Zhang Lan with all his might. Of course, Mo Hua's force was almost negligible; after all, he wasn't a body cultivator.
But what happened next stunned Mo Hua.
Mo Hua's branch pierced through Zhang Lan's body.
Mo Hua was startled. Upon closer inspection, there was no force feedback on the branch, and he hadn't actually hit anything. When he focused again, he saw Zhang Lan's figure gradually blur and then disappear, reappearing a step away from him.
Although Mo Hua didn't understand what had happened, he felt impressed.
"Is this body technique?" Mo Hua asked.
Zhang Lan smiled gently, and his figure dispersed like mist, creating many afterimages around Mo Hua. Not only could his eyes not distinguish them, but even his divine sense couldn't lock onto them.
Soon, all spiritual power dissipated, and Zhang Lan appeared back where he started, as if he hadn't moved at all.
Mo Hua was amazed.
Watching Mo Hua's naive expression, Zhang Lan felt relaxed all over, but his expression remained calm.
"Interested in learning now?" Zhang Lan couldn't help but nod.
Mo Hua couldn't help but nod.
"This body technique is called Flowing Water Steps, the secret technique of my Zhang family, not usually taught outside. Flowing Water Steps is a body technique for spiritual cultivators, allowing them to control their physical body with spiritual power, maneuvering in tight spaces to evade attacks from other cultivators. At advanced levels, it can even create afterimages to deceive others' sight and disrupt their divine sense..."
Mo Hua listened intently and then worriedly asked, "But if you teach me, won't it spread outside, and will your family punish you? If so, then maybe I should reconsider."
"Is this technique not good enough?" Zhang Lan asked.
"It's good, but I don't want to cause trouble for you," Mo Hua hesitated.
Zhang Lan was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled, "Don't worry, since I dare to teach you, there won't be any problem. Those old stubborn folks in the clan can't do anything to me."
'At most, I'll get a few months of confinement and kneel in the ancestral hall for a few days...'
Zhang Lan silently added in his mind; of course, he wouldn't say anything that would lower his status.
"Oh, okay." Mo Hua nodded and then asked again, "But if I learn it, will your family kill me to keep the secret from spreading?"
Zhang Lan couldn't help but tap Mo Hua's forehead, "What's going on in your little head? How can you say such messy things?"
(End of the Chapter)