Old Zhao was severely injured, his breathing faint.
The crowd rescued him, fed him some pills to stabilize his pulse, then sent him down the mountain, knocking on the doors of Medical Hall in the dead of night.
Mr. Feng, the senior, took action and saved his life.
Although his life was saved, he still hasn't awakened.
According to Mr. Feng, someone attempted to kill him, pursued him from afar, depleted his spiritual energy, and lost too much blood, causing him to fall into a coma and unable to wake up.
He needs gradual recuperation, once his qi and blood are warmed and nourished, he should awaken.
Fortunately, he was found early; any later and he might not have made it.
When they heard it was Mo Hua who found him, Mr. Feng was momentarily surprised, then smiled with relief, patting Mo Hua's head, saying, "You, child, are very lucky."
Mo Hua felt a bit embarrassed.
Old Zhao's wife, overwhelmed with worry, had fainted several times. When she heard that her husband, though unconscious, had his life saved, her tense heart finally relaxed.
She took the time to thank Mo Hua and presented him with a few Daoist robes she had personally made, embroidered with two lines at the collar:
"Safe and sound, long-lasting."
It was probably the most heartfelt blessing.
Liu Ruhua took her inside to chat, comforting her in a soft voice. When she left, her expression had improved significantly.
However, Mo Hua was still concerned about one thing.
Mr. Feng said that Uncle Zhao was targeted by someone, not pursued by a monster.
In Tongxian City, who would want to kill a late-stage Qi Refining stage demon hunter?
Mo Hua couldn't figure it out.
Elder Yu had already ordered an investigation, so there should be some clues. Even if they couldn't find out, once Uncle Zhao woke up, they'd probably know the truth.
But these were things Elder Yu and the others worried about; Mo Hua had nothing to do with them.
He had done what he needed to.
He just hoped Uncle Zhao would wake up soon, so their family could be reunited.
For some time afterward, Mo Hua spent more effort on cultivation.
Every day, he would spend an extra hour meditating and refining spiritual stones.
For cultivators, it was all about persistence. Daily practice, accumulation over time, naturally led to success.
One didn't need to practice for too long each day; just one hour of persistence was enough.
The extra hour Mo Hua spent wasn't very efficient, and he couldn't refine much spiritual energy. However, he was just one step away from the next stage, and Mo Hua wanted to push through as soon as possible.
Several days later, he indeed felt the threshold of the Sixth Stage of Qi Refinement.
Mo Hua solemnly burned incense, bathed, prepared his spiritual stones, focused his mind, and awaited the breakthrough.
And then he failed.
He couldn't overcome this hurdle...
Mo Hua's face darkened. Shouldering his storage pouch, he headed back into the Great Black Mountain.
Such breakthroughs in cultivation were a matter of fate; he couldn't be bothered anymore.
He'd better stock up on demon blood and focus on practicing formation techniques.
Once in the Great Black Mountain, Mo Hua noticed there were fewer demon hunters in the mountains.
Previously, he would encounter many acquaintances within half a day of entering the mountain, but now, after a day's walk, he could only see one or two.
Mo Hua frowned. With fewer people, there were relatively more monsters.
Staying in the mountains now carried some danger.
If he were chased by monsters, there wouldn't be anyone to help.
"Should I go down the mountain now?"
Mo Hua thought for a moment but shook his head. His spiritual awareness was already strong, not weaker than an ordinary late-stage Foundation Building cultivator. If he encountered monsters, he could detect them early and wouldn't be chased by them.
But it's still necessary to keep a low profile.
Mo Hua smeared some grass juice on his clothes, inserted a few twigs into his head, and dirtied his face.
This way, the monsters couldn't smell his scent, and from a distance, with grass and twigs, they couldn't discern his figure either.
As for the dirty clothes, his mother would help wash them when he got back.
Mo Hua relaxed and continued his "patrol" according to the original plan.
Carrying a compass, Mo Hua wandered until noon. When he got hungry, he lay in the grass and ate the beef his mother had made.
As he ate, Mo Hua suddenly noticed some movement. He raised his head from the grass and saw several cultivators approaching from afar.
Judging by their attire, they didn't seem like demon hunters.
Mo Hua's expression became solemn. He crouched down and quietly released his spiritual awareness.
His spiritual awareness sensed that there were three people approaching, two men and a woman. They were all in the late Qi Refining stage, and their spiritual energy was concealed, making it difficult to probe. It seemed they were arguing about something.
Mo Hua perked up his ears, listening curiously.
"... We've been searching for days and found nothing..." one man intermittently said.
"Be patient... that person is unusually cunning..."
"... Despicable... If I find him, I'll tear him to pieces..." a woman's voice said.
Who are they talking about? Could it be Uncle Zhao...?
Mo Hua held his breath and listened carefully.
As the three approached closer, their voices became clearer. Among them, one voice seemed vaguely familiar to Mo Hua.
"... If we still can't find him, you two should go back," the man walking in front said.
"I'm not going back!" the woman's voice replied.
"This is your ability from the Tongxian City Dao Court. You can't even find one person?" another man said, his voice tinged with sarcasm.
"That thief is quite familiar with the Great Black Mountain. Searching like this is like finding a needle in a haystack."
"Even if it's like finding a needle in a haystack, you still have to find it..."
"You two are not local cultivators. You don't understand. The Great Black Mountain is full of dangerous monsters..."
"It's just a second-grade state border demon mountain. How dangerous could it be?"
"The ignorant are truly fearless..."
"Hmph, I'm not like you, full of fear! Whether it's a monster in this mountain or that thief, I'll kill one when I see one..."
The man in front suddenly stopped, sneered, and said, "Stop boasting. We've been spied on for half the day, and you haven't noticed?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Spied on?"
The man fell silent for a moment, then suddenly drew his sword and pointed it towards the grass where Mo Hua was hiding, coldly saying, "Stop hiding, come out!"
The other two were startled by his words, then their eyes flashed with horror. They stepped back half a step, drew their swords, and looked towards where the man pointed his sword.
The rugged rocks and lush grass were normal, showing no signs of anything unusual.
The more ordinary it appeared, the more frightened they became.
The man holding the sword had a stern expression, on guard.
If he hadn't casually used his spiritual awareness and noticed a vague figure in the grass, they wouldn't have known they were being spied on all this time!
Three late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, completely unaware, were actually being spied on by someone using spiritual awareness!
The stronger the spiritual awareness, the deeper the cultivation, coupled with proficiency in concealment and cunning strategies...
Realizing this, the man with the sword felt a chill down his spine.
Mo Hua, hiding in the grass, knew he had been discovered, so he slowly stood up.
The three only saw the grass rustle slightly, and then a slender figure appeared.
Strange twigs grew on his head, he wore robes that seemed like a cultivator's, but were soaked with grass juice, and his face was grimy, making his features unclear.
His spiritual energy was also relatively weak, no, he deliberately concealed his aura.
"Is it a person or a monster?"
The man holding the sword became increasingly nervous, feeling a chill in his heart, unsure whether to act.
Then he saw the figure, not knowing if it was human or monster, wave towards him, speaking in a clear and cheerful voice:
"Uncle Zhang, long time no see!"
The man holding the sword was dumbfounded.
He recognized the voice, and now he recognized the figure...
"Mo... Mo Hua?!"
"Yeah yeah." Mo Hua nodded happily.
Uncle Zhang was completely stunned. The sword in his hand "clanged" and fell to the ground.
(End of the Chapter)